The sewing plans...

All the sewing did get done in time, including a few extra bits. Now, of course, I have come home all inspired and want to do more. So in between housework & grocery shopping I catalogued the fabric stash. It definitely needs using! And that way I get more storage space (theoretically). So the current plan for the rest of April and early May is another small Ital ren frock in velveteen, with bits & bobs to match, one boy German slashed & puffed outfit and something for me (as yet undecided).

Then the knitting can take over again. Having said that, I did get one side front of the blah, blah secret knitting plan finished while waiting for the car to be fixed, and have finished one ball of wool in the purple garter stitch scarf. I have even done some work on one of my ancient cross stitch UFOs....

Still a stack of things on the to do list - though the mending is up to date now!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Another pair o socks - nearly as addictive as scarves

Started on another pair of socks, making them up as I go along (somewhat) with some general guidance from a couple of patterns... The wool is Heirloom Jigsaw - it's self striping and looking very cute so far. I also finally bought the Socks, socks, socks book that I have been borrowing from the library every chance I get.

Still have a number of projects on the go - haven't done any work on the 2 pink scarves for a while now - need to get moving on those. The baby jacket in Jacaranda Biggan wool is coming along. I really like the selvedge detail on it - I may use that in plans to come.

Have sketched out some ideas for jackets & things to use up some of the stash, but haven't got the necessary headspace at the moment to take it any further than that.

More Socks and stash

The Stitches & Craft show really did not live up to expectations this year. There were only a few stalls with yarn/knitting related stuff and thousands of people who wanted to look. In the end I bought a sock knitting kit with a lovely blue/brown colour mix for bedsocks, a lighter brown & cream self patterning yarn for socks, some bamboo sock needles and Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge and Knitting Beyond the Edge.

By far the best find of the show was Biggan yarn. There was a fashion show on right in front of me just as I was drooling over the knitting books. I was quite impressed with the colours and wandered by the stall afterwards to see if the wool was just as soft and lovely as it looked on the models. It is! I spoke a little with the designer - she was wearing a full length skirt and a long sleeved top that she had made with the yarn about 3-4 tears ago. It had seen some wear - but was still soft, minimal pilling, no saggy bits - and she machine washes them apparently.

So yes, more stash was purchased, though I was very restrained and just bought 4 balls of 2 colours suitable for baby wear and have plans for a little cardi of some sort. If it is as nice to knit with as I expect, there may end up being bigger plans afoot.

Even though I can't wait to get on with the lovely soft yarn, I actually cast on the blue/brown socks when I got home. The bamboo needles are easier to work with in the round than the metal ones, my knitting in the round stocking stitch "ladders" are improving (though not completely gone - I think I need some more advice). It's knitting up quicker than I expected, I hope to have the first one done by the end of this weekend. Here's where I was up to on Monday:

Series of Sunbeams

Quick update on the completed jobs...

• The grown up PJs x2 - tick
• The pinafore - tick
• One skirt - tick
• One pair'o'mittens finally sewn together - tick
• One Barbie dress mended - tick
• One flanny wrap & 3 mini-blankies for smallest niece - tick
• One pair of school mittens - found - hoorah!

In progress:

• Another skirt - cut out ready for sewing
• Green throw blankie
• Basketweave scarf
• Pink scarf x2 (do you sense a theme here?)
• Lacy wrap cardi
• Mending my faux silk chinese style handbaggy
• Velveteen piggle

On the to do list, but not yet started:

• bedsocks x3
• hemming a pair of work pants
• kids dresses x2
• blah blah secret knitting project
• fingerless mittens with fluffy edge - in pink of course
• another cushion cover - with cables
• cot sheets for niece
• tablecloth

Languishing in the too hard basket:

• pretty much all of the ancient knitting (ie: anything I started prior to 2006)
• and add the old unfinished sewing in here as well really...

Lacy bits

All the individual pieces (back, 2 side fronts - not even the same 2, but a matching set - and 2 sleeves later) have been finished. But not yet sewn together, not that that stopped me from casting on the lace. It's a 4 row pattern repeat and not to hard (ie: I've only had to unravel it once so far when I lost track where I was up to). Finding a stitch counter solved that one...

It won't take long to finish the lace for the sleeves, but the lace piece that wraps from centre back neck down one front side, all the way around the back and up the other front is probably going to be about 1.5m long. I'll need to sew it all up & measure it properly.

The blankie hasn't progressed much further, though more sewing has been done. There is also a blah blah secret knitting plan under way. And hubby would like some bedsocks (as would I) and a certain small person has lost her school mittens and a replacement pair will need to be made. So more is being added to the list than crossed off.

Whilst I restrained myself from the Lincraft sale today, I did wander past the bookshop and slipped. Two lovely books with cotton knitting patterns are now adorning my bookshelf waiting for me to add more to the to do list...

Casting on the throw rug

I have figured out what I'm going to do with the throw rug and will cast on shortly. A double moss stitch border with a lacy pattern in the middle. 116 stitches on a 7.5cm circular needle, 8 st on each side continue the border, lacy pattern from 400 knitting stitches book.

Here's some cushion cover pics:

Shaping up

The Lacy wrap cardi is shaping up. I finished the back last night see photo below & started the left front. Lots of casting on at the beginning of the knit rows in St st. The shaping becomes slightly more complicated - but not too much. I am more worried about doing the shaping neatly on the purl side.

I need to do some maths in order to finish off my basketweave cushion front. And other things are in the planning stage - more cushions, a throw rug and kiddies jumper.

The next vest

Have started on the next vest. Yes instead of finishing projects already started.... I need to reduce the stash! Well, that's my excuse at any rate. Must not buy more wool until I've used more stash, must be strong despite sales at Spotlight.

Decided on a bobbly fringe for it for something bit different- the sugar drop pattern from Nicky Epstein's 'Knitting on the Edge'. It's basically triangles with 3 bobbles off each point. Once again the Cleckheaton Classics Macrokids vest pattern (size 10) was modified to fit a multiple of 13 stitches (so I had to do 17 triangles with 3 bobbles each). I'm using 4mm needles with a lovely deep purple Cleckheaton 8ply machine washable Crepe from the stash. I have 8 balls of it & hopefully that will be enough. The armbands & v-neck wil be done in moss stitch to match the edge of the sugar drop pattern.

The sugar drop edging did seem to take eons, but I'm now into the straight stocking stitch so it's zooming along and requires no brainpower until I get to the armholes. Once again I'm knitting it in the round on circular needles to the armholes to avoid sewing up, and I'll do the armbands before sewing up the shoulders in order to avoid using DPNs in the round for the armholes. The v-neck will fit nicely on circular needles as well. Hoorah!

Also bought the most recent copy of AU Creative Knitting - there are a few cool patterns in there that I'm adding to the "to-do" list. Particularly the girl's Zhivago cardi with lace edging - I have a stash of ice-blue Zhivago which will be perfect for that.