Thursday, January 31, 2008

Onwards

I'm plodding on with St. Brigid. mmmm plodding on...... She's lovely. She's a beautiful colour. She's full of charts. They are no longer challenging, just charts. She's waning. I think this is partly becuase I'm still reliant on the charts and although I'm familiar with the intracate cables, there is no challenge. So I'm plodding.

I'm 2/3 of the way up the back

I'm still waiting for the Ecru to arrive for the Picnic Blanket so no progress there. I've conveniently left Nevis at my parents. The second sleeve is almost done. I'm trying to stay faithful to a maximum of 4 projects. Now is the time I would start a new one. I'm not going to. Just in the nick of time (i.e 5 minutes ago) my next package arrived for the Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket KAL. I have 5 new squares to knit - YES!!!!!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

St. Brigid

I have started on the back of St. Brigid (only because I couldn't find the sleeve I'd started). Whilst she is not a Mary she is a challenge. It took me a while to get back into complex cabling. And I had a couple of false starts but know I'm falling back in love with her. And I love the colour!! I was a little disappointed when I first received the yarn because the colour was not what I was expecting. Now, after having had a break from it, the colour is rich and very me! Oh, and I got the charts the wrong way round. There are 3 major cabling charts and I got the end 2 which are mirror images the wrong way round - don't ask me how. They were the right way round in the beginning. Just as I was a bout to start, I had the brain wave that the 2 end charts were the wrong way round and I swapped them. I was on row 7 of 23 when I realised they were the wrong way round but decided that they would stay that way!!


Can you tell?


Nevis has a whole back and one and a half sleeves. I'm waiting for my second installment of the Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket KAL and I'm stalled on the Picnic Blanket. I'm waiting on the ecru. I'm going to knit in strips using the pick up method (I will pick up stitches along the cast off edge of the square just knitted) rather than knit all the squares and sew them together. This means I have to knit is sequential order. Hard to do when you don't have the yarn!! I've completed 5 squares so far:

1 of these


2 of these2 of these

We'll get there!!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Mirth

I had almost forgotten about the tank top I started a while back. In all my excitement over blankets and Empire Lines, my other WIPs took a bit of a back seat. Mirth was finished and left with ends all over the place to fester in the corner. You can't blame me since it's extra fine 4ply yarn!!


Pattern Details

Pattern Name: Mirth
Pattern Source: Jaeger Handknits JM04
Yarn: Adriafil Genziana
Needles: 2.5 and 3 mm
Started: October 2007
Finished: January 2008
Comments: Straight forward pattern. Simply sumptuous yarn. Very soft merino wool, lovely to knit with. If I had to do it again I would make the body an inch longer. However, I plan to make this a twin set and am heart broken that my LYS no longer stocks this brand. I may just have enough to make the cardigan, or I can do a contrast on the sleeves or something.

On the UFO's front, I dusted off St. Brigid today. To my shame I had to look in my tin box of a home rather carefully to find her - she'd been laid to rest too well. I actually began to worry because I couldn't find her. So for the moment I am concentrating on Nevis and St. Brigid. I've completed my first 5 Mystery Blanket squares and I'm waiting on some denim ecru to continue the Picnic Blanket. Twilley's of Stamford in their wisdom have discontinued the denim range which left me high and dry (the fact that they did this a while ago is neither here nor there in my reckoning). Karin has very kindly given me some of her stash denim in the dark blue so I'm OK with that colour, but I have no ecru (a lesson for the future). I'm hoping that mixing different makes of denim will be OK. They all say they shrink by a fifth and have the same tension.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Empire Line Cardigan


I'm not wearing it, but in the 2 seconds of brightness we had today, I managed to take a few more photos. This seems the best of the bunch!!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Finished Object

Empire Line Cardigan


My first for 2008. I am glad it's finished. I will try and get a photo of me wearing it, but you can see it in all it's glory on Karin's blog. They are identical. Karin very kindly taught me the crochet pattern yesterday. We had fun and games trying to work out which side and which way up to start the pattern. Karin is right handed and I am left handed - I also have this thing about crochet - but thanks to her, I did it, well I did something. The air was very blue by the time I finished.


Details

Pattern: Empire Line Cardigan by Debbie Bliss from Alpaca Silk 2

Yarn: Debbie Bliss alpaca Silk DK

Needles: 4mm and 3mm crochet hook


Started: 3/12/07

Finished 8/1/08

Comments: Pattern was easy to follow (apart from the crochet instructions which were double dutch to me). I did not achieve the finished measurements it would have stretched out the garment too much and completely obliterated any texture in the cables - this is evident in the pictures in the book, they are not easily seen. After all that hard work I am not going to iron them out. I am very happy with the texture and drape. The yarn did not cable very well, it is loosely wrapped and tended to split when knitting; adding to the fuzziness of the yarn. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just irritating. The pattern called for 15 balls, I used 12.


Uncrochet edge


The crocheted edge



It's beautiful

I've started both the Debbie Abraham's Blankets


Picnic




???


I'll show my progress on a monthly basis with both blankets. For now it's back to Nevis and St. Brigid!!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

New Year's Wish List

I try not to make New Year's resolutions - when you look back and realise many of them have not come to pass, it can be quite demoralising. On the other hand if you look back and see how much you have achieved, its good. Which is why I have a wish list instead. There's no pressure, but it would be nice if I could - if you know what I mean. I'm more in favour of what's achievable than what is impossible, so my knitting wishes this year are:

1. Control of stash yarn. I'm going to adopt the 2 out 1 in rule.
2. Log & organise stash yarn. I started this last year and never finished. Must do this!!
3. No more than 4 wip's at a time. Home, travel, small & a long term thingy.
4. Teach more people to knit.
5. Finish St. Brigid

I think these are achievable.


Knitting News
I am very excited. I've joined the Debbie Abraham's Mystery Blanket KAL. I'm waiting for my first package. I'm in good company. Dawn and Karin are also involved and I hope to discover who else in due course. There is a KAL group on Ravelry. Along side this project I'm going to start one other blanket/throw to use up stash yarn. I'm going to use it as a basis and may stray from the path from time to time. The blanket will be based on picnic from Debbie Abraham's first Blankets and Throws book. This one will be for the young man. The idea being lots of yarn will be used up along the way but on a long term basis and in a fun manageable way.
I didn't mange to finish the Empire Line Cardigan over the holidays as I'd wished. I've started the sleeve. If I have no interruptions I'll finish it by the end of the week - hopefully.
I did mange to finish this:

The Hooded Jacket by Debbie Bliss

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Happy New Year

We wish a HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone in blogland.
Knit long and prosperously!!

As you can see a good time has been had by all.