Hats!

I've lost the run of myself in the last week or two, casting on All. The. Things. 

There have been quite a few baby hats (two beautiful babies were born to friends in the last month).  

Most of the hats have involved lots of stocking stitch; great for knitting along to subtitled tv programmes. And if there is an opportunity to add a pom-pom, all the better!

L-R:

Doodie by Woolly Wormhead in Debbie Bliss Rialto. In the largest size.

Doodie by Woolly Wormhead. I accidentally omitted a round of increases just after the brim, but this helps the pom-pommed hat stay on! Also in Debbie Bliss Rialto

Tubey by Woolly Wormhead in Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran, and Katia Darling which I had chain plied.

L-R:
Cubba by Woolly Wormhead in Debbie Bliss Rialto
Aviatrix Hat by Justine Turner in Debbie Bliss Rialto

It turns out that the pom-pommed hat intended for my small human is too slouchy to bear the weight of the pom pom and stay on her little head. More knitting required!!

New year, old yarn

It's a whole week into the new year & I'm only getting around to the 'resolutions' post... doesn't bode well, does it? This January (and possibly February) I want to focus on using up or clearing out unappreciated items, & stick to the existing yarn & fabric stash.

First up, garments;

Plain and Simple pullover, in Nature Spun Fingering. 

I gave up knitting this while pregnant, figuring that it probably wouldn't fit me by the time I finished it. My tension seems to have changed in the last year, so I think I'll rip it & start again. 

Dark Pearl cardigan in alpaca select 4 ply.

I'm not happy with the way the front gathers & drapes - probably due to my selection of alpaca rather than a silk blend yarn. I think I will rip the front & knit it again, with less excess fabric for gathering. 

February Lady Sweater in Lambs' Pride Worsted.

The garter stitch yoke just makes this look chunky & unflattering. I intend to rip this out &  use the yarn to make the Golden Wheat cardigan. 

I have a couple of projects on the go that were specifically intended to use up leftovers. 

The Barn Raising Quilt uses up leftovers of sock yarn. I have made enough squares for a small blanket and have sewn together some of them, but still, no blanket!

I've also have a collection of hats made from scraps & partial balls (no pattern). I need to weave in about a million ends with these, and then rehome the finished hats.

I suspect that the small human may have her own ideas about these hats - she wouldn't get me get a clear photo of them!

Happy New Year! I hope the rest of you have set achievable goals, if any!

Obligatory 2014 round up

We've had a fairly hectic 2014; between the other half working long hours & taking trips away, the usual lack of time that goes with having a small child, and yet another house move, but this time with the added stress of a mortgage application, I'm a little surprised that I got any knitting done at all. I have been keeping track on my incoming & outgoing yarn quantities and can confirm that I have knit 9.7 kilometres, in 36 finished projects, and have ended the year with 6 kilometres less yarn in my stash than I began!

I had plans for getting things done over the holidays, which got chucked out the window in favour of visiting friends & family and eating far too many nice things for my own good.
I've also been knitting for myself; Cadeautje by Ysolda Teague. So warm & squishy!

Yarn: Jamie Possum Possum Plus 4 ply, held tripled (I'm trying to use deepest stash at the moment)
Thrums: Merino fibre

I made a haimes of the thrums at first, but got the hang of it by the second slipper. I added extra length to the cuff with garter stitch rounds*. I do intend to make more of these but would try make the thrums slightly thicker; mine were quite inconsistent. After just 2 days of wear they are already looking quite raggedy. Perhaps this is just the awkward phase before the fibre felts?


*modifications for those interested; (this was size 'g')
rnd 1: k
rnd 2: p
rnd 3: k
rnd 4: p
rnd 5 (decrease): *k2, K2 tog*
rnd 6: p

repeat rounds 1 & 2 a further 4 times (7 garter ridges).
Cast off.

Deadline knitting

Like an awful lot of knitters, I spent December in a flurry of knitting gifts and a Christmas outfit for the small human. Now that Christmas deadlines are over, I feel like I have time to relax, and share some of the projects. 

Pattern: Mukluks by Tin Can Knits

Yarn: Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran in beige & purple.

I enjoyed knitting these toddler sized slipper socks, but found sewing the outer sole on to the sock a little bit fiddley. I added little dots of Sock Stop to the soles.  It's liquid latex in a bottle, also from Rico. I've heard of people doing little hearts and flowers with sock stop, but I found it a little bit messy to apply. Perhaps I just need to spend more time with it! 

When I first put these on the small human's feet, she ran around exclaiming 'Warm! Warm!'... so I think that means she likes them!

Pattern: Grand Canal by Yvonne McSwiney

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto 4 ply

This was a very enjoyable knit; I just flew through the lace portions! The fingerless mitts look rather dainty & elegant,  but the lace pattern is very accommodating, easily stretching to fit even my chunky hands. The mitts used less than one ball of 4 ply from deepest stash, so I suspect there may be more in my future. 

Pattern: Bella by Dani Sunshine

Yarn: Milla Mia Naturally Soft Merino

This dotey little cardigan features a simple cable stitch in the yoke and at hems & cuffs. The original pattern calls for a contrast colour, but I decided to stick with just the one colour for this particular project. I found when knitting this that my gauge wasn't its usual just-a-little-loose self, and ended up tinkering with needle sizes, and knitting a the three year old size at a tighter tension for my not-quite two year old, making sure there was a little growing room (I really should double check the gauge & note it too!)

This was for the small human's Christmas Day outfit, only just finished just on time! I am already thinking about colour options for another one - perhaps I might match the contrast colour to the buttons? Or perhaps I might knit Brook, the jumper version? And then I might just have to knit Beck, the adult jumper... I never did quite get around to matching mother & baby knits!

Spinning

I've been feeling rather guilty about neglecting the blog lately, so I'm sharing a spinning project from some weeks ago. This was an experiment in blending colours using hand carders.

Originally, I wanted to mix some flashes of bright colours (pinks & reds) in with some greys - something I've admired in mixed fibre batts from LHogan, that grew up to become a hat.

In practise, the grey gotland fibre I selected was far too slippery for my liking. It did not blend at all with the brightly dyed merino.

The resulting yarn was somewhat marled & uneven in thickness & texture.

I came to the realisation that I could introduce the grey as a separate yarn in the finished knit object, whatever that may be, and carded the bright colours together in varying proportions. Some mini batts were dominated by deep purples, some pinks, and some red. I've also come to the conclusion that there is a place in my fibre stash for neon pink - it looks wonderful as a highlight with red fibre. 

The finished yarn is 135 metres, 110 grammes of chain-plied yarn, of about dk - aran weight. The colours are just calling to me in these short dull days... but I must get on with knitting some winter gifts first!

Gratuitous cake photo

I haven't been in much of a sharing mood lately due to a combination of factors. We've just moved house, and most of my knitting has involved swatches, and ongoing projects. December is quickly approaching though, so I really ought to get finishing some gift knits. 

Until then, I leave you with an oreo cupcake. I didn't share this either. I regret nothing. 

Sculpture in Context 2014

The Sculpture in Context exhibition is on at the Dublin Botanic Gardens now, until October 17th.

I quite enjoy wandering about the Botanic Gardens any day of the year, but really enjoy keeping an eye out for the sculptures - especially the almost-hidden ones on a stroll through the garden. 

Of course, the textile works have an extra special place in my heart. 

Prophecy by Mette Sofie Roche

 Uproot by Marika Miklosi Manning

I managed to wander through the Palm House when the sprinkler system had just been switched on. The beautiful light  on a sunny day was worth the soaking.

Small Breaths by Margaret Tuffy

I'm hoping to make another leisurely trip around the gardens before the exhibition closes, as I've only seen a fraction of the works on display.