Leaf green socks

Here's a piccie:

Completed and given away!

The next knitting project has started - a blah blah secret plan at this point but travelling along nicely.

The sundress got finished and another frock started... a few more to come.

The next large knitting project got deicded upon - Classic Wavy Cable from Jo Sharp using some of the lovely desert aran cotton. Must finish the blah blah secret plan first.

More stash has been purchased. Ozeyarn were closing down and so everything was so very on special that it could not be resisted. Some cotton, sock wool and the Knit 3 & 4 Jo Sharp books...

Picking up where I left off...

So I didn't quite manage to sew up the mittens before stuffing the knitting back into the cupboard. I found them again when rediscovering where I was up to on a number of projects.

The green blankie: not happy with the pattern, frogged it back to the basketweave edge, continuing (slowly) in garter stitch when brain not capable of more complex projects.

The purple scarf: the only thing that remained on the go in the few brief moments or occasional evening's knitting in the last 4 months. Nearly finished one ball of wool, I like the subtle colour variation in this one.

The cotton charity jumper: sewed the shoulder seams in preparation for the pick-up around the neck. Need to have brain in gear for that one.

Mittens (various): need sewing up or finishing off in some way...

On the sewing front - finally finished the gold neck trim for the scarlet silk SCA tunic and made a sundress (just need to figure out a neck closure, currently leaning towards hook and eye or fake buttons & hem).

There are plenty of sewing plans afoot, but the next big knitting project hasn't leapt out at me yet.

Must... put... needles... away....

Really. Too much other stuff is now on the go. I'll have to pick up where I left off in about Nov...

Have managed another pair of little mittens - must sew them up before it all goes back to the cupboard.

Two toasty warm socks

Finished the other sock last night - now have two toasty warm bedsocks!

Heel turned on 2nd sock

So it looks like I might even have a pair before the end of winter... That would be nice, but it needs to happen in the next week or so or it's not going to happen til Xmas.

There has been some sewing of costumes & a knitting bag, but that's about all...

One toasty warm sock

Just finished the first bedsock tonight! The fit is just right (having tried on the half made sock last night to check how long it needed to be). The Dutch/German heel turn is fine for wearing-round-the-house socks or bedsocks, but might not be so comfy for wear in shoes. The yarn is lovely and looks beautiful knitted up - it's nice to work with as well. Photos to follow.

I even managed to untangle the skein and roll the rest of it in a ball - and then did the same to the other skein before I started knitting with it. Given that the cuff of the sock isn't that long, I'll be able to get fingerless gloves out of the remnants of the 2 skeins. I'll cast on the next sock tomorrow.

Needless to say that no other projects have really had a look in over the last few days...

bedsocks for me

Have cast on bedsocks with the lovely sock wool purchased at the craft show last weekend. The pinks and purples combine beautifully and the wool is lovely to work with. Once again I'm vaguely following the pattern purchased previously and making up the rest as I go along.

I've finished the sleeves of the cotton charity jumper - now there needs to be some sewing up, the collar knitted and then more sewing up and it's done.

Still need to get a plan together for a wrap/cardi/jumper for me. I have found a great pattern - but don't really have the right kind of wool for it, so I might need to make something to use up some of the ever expanding stash. I slipped again this weekend and bought some purply-green tweedy type yarn for an earflap beanie with plaits.

And really I need to pull apart the throw blanket and start again in plain garter stitch....

Two more sunbeams

Red mittens & jacaranda baby jacket - all done & sewn up!

Now I'm allowed to start the next project. Just need to figure out what it will be....

Moving forwards

• Jigsaw socks finished last night!


• Craft fair attended & more stash purchased - yummy sock wool & some lovely knit picks dpns


• Front of charity jumper finished tonight

Must finish the mittens on the needles and the jacaranda baby jacket before I start anything else!

Brain space achieved

And therefore the heel turned on the 2nd Jigsaw sock. Need repeat of brain space to do the decreasing round the instep and then it's all straightforward til the very end. In attempting to do this I had to find the instructions - which had been tidied away in a safe spot. It's a good thing that I found them as that was also where the unfinished mittens were hiding. Must finish things before starting on the new ideas.

I have been missing the restorative powers of knitting, it's very soothing when you get into the flow.

Grand plans afoot

So here's the list in no particular order...

• finish Jigsaw socks
• finish jacaranda jacket
• finish cotton charity jumper
• finish & sew up mittens
• make beanie-ish sort of hat out of the left-over Jet from my vest + mittens if enough yarn
• start jumper or cardi for me
• make small jumper or cardi for nephew
• finish purple scarf
• bedsocks for me

Unfortunately I may not get through them all before getting ridiculously busy again, but we'll see.

Actual knitting happened...

Sitting on the couch whilst sick a few weeks ago and also tonight - the pink Jigsaw sock has the cuff finished, now I need to divide for heel etc. I will do that when I have brain space (ie. not at the moment)

Have had vague thoughts as to what to knit next for myself, I will have some time coming up and need to get myself organised. A navy jumper or cardi/wrap type thing would be very handy - and I have the dark blue Jo Sharp Desert Aran cotton - one option at least. But first all the sewing up for the knit-finished objects has to happen. I think I need a list to remind myself where I am up to with everything...

Small rugby jumper done!

And given away before the photo was taken. I will need to ask for a photo. Small amounts of knitting on the sofa have been occurring intermittantly, but just haven't had much time or headspace for any major work.

Holidays are for knitting

Well, it's the only chance I'm going to get for a while. Finished off the 1st side of the front on the charity knit, just need to do from the neck split up on the other side and the front is finished. Then onto the sleeves...

Everything else still languishing - must do some sewing up shortly.

Fairly quiet on the knitting front

Have finished the back and started the front of the kiddies charity jumper, not much progress on anything else as yet, will need to wait for the holidays to have a bit more time to concentrate on knitting.

warm woollen mittens...

Two pairs knitted (though not sewn up) so far. Started on the Kids Jumper - will be a modified version of the cotton jumper I just knitted. Haven't had much time for kintting just at the moment - hope to do some more over the weekend.

Second sock syndrome

I'd heard about second sock syndrome - where the first languishes waiting for its companion. It wasn't so much that I didn't want to start it - it's just that I needed a quiet space & time to cast on as I find casting on in the round to be tricksy. So yesterday I had a spare quiet 20min and cast on pink sock 2. Of course now that it's cast on I've knitted a couple of cm of the cuff already.

All the knitting part for the cotton jumper is done. Minor variation on neckline required - but it all looks good. Just need to sew the arms on & the side seams, weave in the ends (that will take the longest - must do even numbers of stripes in future) and it's done.

Ms Q is organising a charity knit for the bushfire victims. I have offered up the pink scarf I made some time ago that still doesn't have a home and also a child's jumper and whatever other little projects (hats/mittens) I can get done before the bundle gets sent off. I need to look through the stash to see what I can turn into a nice, and quick to knit up, kid's jumper.

Pincushion!

Two pincushions were made today out of felt, not much other sewing or knitting has been done as I have been on a tidying frenzy - the type of one where the boxes that moved without being opened got opened and dealt with. Oh, and framing photos that I've had put away for years too...

A sundress or two

Well one is done and the next is ready to be cut out. The blue square cut neckline one is OK, but could have been better finished (my kingdom for an overlocker!). Even managed buttonholes that don't look toooooo manky. Actually I think the next time I make that particular dress I will just line the whole bodice, it seems a darn sight easier than fiddling about with facings - would make the skirt attachment neater as well. Oh and not use a slippery self-crinkled poly-cotton as the material - that would help a lot too!

The next dress is a sweet 6-panel A-line with short sleeves - to be made up in a white (100%) cotton with teeny coloured polka-dot print. The only fiddly bit will be the zipper - but thankfully I seem to be getting the hang of those... The one after that is the crossover top pattern that has already produced one nice sundress - I just need to scale it up.

The tealy/beige print material is going to be made into some sort of floaty summer top for me and there's bags to make with cute off-cuts, another tiered skirt etc etc...

It's just been too hot for knitting - finished sleeve 1, cast on sleeve 2 of little cotton jumper, and it's going to languish til the heat comes down.

I am also in the in-depth tidying mode - the one where everything gets sorted into it's proper place or gets chucked. The storage closet is almost done, the big job is then the sewing room - hopefully I will have the energy to keep going!

Sleeves are the tedious bit

Finished the front of the small cotton jumper and onto the sleeves. I hate the sleeves the most of any knitting... they are the inspiration killers, even sewing it all up is more fun.

Cut out & started a sundress, with material purchased for one/two more and a shirt or skirt for me. Mending still to be done.

Will make something from the Jo Sharp - Family knitting book with the brightest pink of the purchased cottons and see how it knits up. Must finish the current WIPs first though!

Knitting in the heatwave

Doesn't really happen... However progress has been made on the Jacaranda Baby Wrap - now ready for blocking - and boy does the front need it.

The small cotton jumper is underway with the back and 80% of the front finished. Also bought a huge stack of Jo Sharp's Desert Garden Aran cotton mix in three gorgeous colours - colours that have been discontinued and were therefore extremely cheap (well for good quality cotton anyway). I was very impressed with the feel and finished product made from the lighter weight Soho Summer cotton - so hoping for good things with this lot. Planning to come...

Still need to finish the second of the Pink Sock pair. Need to actually find a quiet space in order to cast on and get the join right. Pink sock #1 looks like this - I'm quite pleased with it.

Have made it through some of the mending pile, still a number of things to go, and a pair of trousers to shorten. Stacks more sewing plans - all still in my head at this point.