Sunbeam pics

So since last post, I've finished a pair of navy gloves and turned the heel on the 2nd mulberry sock, made a dance costume for a friend and resisted the mega-sales of craft materials...

Sunbeam double

Two projects finished - and both from the pile of things that have been lingering for some time... Yay! So this means that I get to start one of the new projects.

The cotton rugby jumper and the purple scarf are done. Pics to follow at some point. Both the green throw rug and the cotton chaise top are still on the needles and I still need to sew up 2 pairs of mittens. So, of course a new project should start! Maybe just a small one like a hat or gloves... Need to finish the sewing up before any larger project starts.

May? Already?

I hadn't realised how badly out of date this was... The vast amount of sewing got in the way.

So all 3 small frocks finished, 2 out of 3 dressing gowns finished, 1 large frock finished, an apron and a gollar also done.


Still on the sewing to do list - 1 dressing gown, 1 winter work skirt, 1 summer top, more frocks etc...

The socks have been moving along, as they are small and portable, up to turning the heel on the second sock. I don't really like the heel structure in this pattern and I think I'll go back to the old version for any new sock projects.

The cotton summer top didn't get finished for summer, the green throw rug has recently been dragged out again for warm knitting in front of the TV and a small amount has been added to the length of the purple scarf. Some of the ongoing projects must be finished before I start anything new - though I really would like to start another beret.

The making of stuff...

The small dressing gown is finished, 2 to go...
Two small frocks are up to the banding around the hem (though some handsewing to finish will be required).
At least 4 small and 2 large chemises need to be made - they will be on the to-do list for a bit.
Another small frock is cut out and needs to be finished.
And the large frock plans need to be sorted, as well as some shirts & trews.

One summer top for work is done, the knitting is progressing very slowly and some small portable projects need to be started so there is less excuse for sitting idle in front of the TV. There are so many things that are just plans in my head which need to end up on the needles or on the machine, not to mention the languishing unfinished bits & pieces.

So off to do some more...

Jacaranda Bramble Beret Finished!

I finished the longer length jaracaranda bramble beret tonight, I'll block it tomorrow. It looks like it will be pretty cute. Now I need to find another portable project - maybe some more socks or back to the garter stitch scarf?

The front of the chaise top is finished, onto the back. I'm hoping I have enough yarn to finish it - I have a plan B, but loathe frogging back & picking up stitches.

Everything else is still on the to-do list with a few more bits added for good measure.

Forgot to post the finished secret plan...

It was a rainbow coloured cardi for a neice! Although I think the pattern would have worked better in a plain coloured yarn.

A couple of berets later...

I did get distracted again. The Brambles Beret from Knitty Fall 2010 was just too cute to go by. A couple of balls of inherited stash later and hey presto! A cute beret for me. And another one on the needles in the leftover jacaranda Biggan yarn. It's nice to have a smaller, more portable project to lug about - and stash being used up instead of more purchased - even better!

The summer top is coming along. The front is finished and the armhole decreases on the back are done. Hopefully only a week or three more before it's done.

3 frocks cut out, 1 bodice and 1 skirt sewn - now both need handwork before stitching them together. Definitely need some gold brocade as contrast for the purple frock, the pink will have black velveteen - just need to find enough in the stash (there'll be enough in there somewhere). One dressing gown all done bar the hand sewing, another cut out.

In my procrastination about what I was going to make with the Desert Aran cotton, I failed to notice until last week that there is a lovely lace jumper in the Jo Sharp book using that yarn. I had it in my head that it used the lighter weight yarn, nooooo - but lo and behold - the answer to what to knit as a navy jumper!

So I have a stack of stuff to keep me going for a bit...

Round and round we go...

So the jeans were mended, the blah, blah secret plan finished and a new project started (and yes there are a whole bunch of wips that still need finishing... back onto the black cloud list for them...).

The new project is a top for me. In dark red cotton from stash, I'm hoping I have enough - it's a sleeveless top, I should just make it, though the back up plan is leaving out the ribbing around the armholes (though I might do this anyway and just crochet the edge) and using 1 strand for the ruffle (I'm working the top with 2 strands to get the feel & tension correct).

It's the Chaise top from Jo Sharp's Summer holiday book and I'm knitting it in the round to avoid seaming up to the armholes. There are only 2 disadvantages to that:
1. working the new thread in is a cow, especially as the cotton seems to have a number of knots in it
2. You start off with 228 stitches, and though it decreases a bit, it still takes quite a bit of time to make it around 1 round of stitches. I probably should have used the 80cm long circular needle rather than the 60cm one too.

It's coming along though, fingers crossed it gets finished in time for summer!

So knitting still to finish:
purple garter stitch scarf
green throw rug
cotton jumper
sew up mittens

Sewing still to finish:
Blue & white cotton top
Teal shirt
Quilt

Stuff not yet started:
another work skirt for me
SCA frocks

I'm sure that there is more on the list... I can't remember - I'll have to add it in later.

A quick sunbeam

In amongst all the stuff on the to-do list (which is still ongoing, though the mending is down to taking up a pair of jeans) I wanted a quick & easy knitting project to finish.
The Jo Sharp Tweed Beret fit the bill perfectly... and used up stashed yarn! Now to find some others that are quick & easy knitting.

Spring knitting

Socks finished and given away - see photo for completed pair.

The book week costume was sorted on time, still need to make dancing skirts, did more of the blah blah secret plan knitting which is now way overdue. The rug has a few more rows completed and I think it's time to start on the next pair of socks. Really should get some mending done this week as well... Then need to get my head around SCA sewing.

More woolly socks

Well the last pair was finished, and nabbed to wear almost hot off the needles! And the next pair has one sock finished and the other up to turning the heel. The Jitterbug yarn is nicer to work with than the Noir and just seems to have more elasticity. The Noir is much more affordable though... I also love the wooden needles - even easier to work with than the bamboo.

My knitting in the round has definitely improved - no more ugly ladders, seem to have the knack of it now. The socks have been progressing as they are so much easier to transport about. The rug is simply huge, but I may get back to it after this pair of socks simply to get it off the to-do list.

Everything else has been on hold for a while....

Sewing and more sewing

Here's a piccie of the finished sundress:


And lots more sewing has been happening... There is now finished:
Italian Ren-based SCA frock out of red brocade (with small embellishment and pin-in-able sleeves)
chemise to go with frock
another sundress - polka dots
finishing a pair of SCA trews (that I found along the way, that I obviously didn't quite finish years ago)
some mending

Several new patterns have been cut out, one top for me is cut out ready to sew.

Have so many plans - SCA, home stuff, more clothes... now need time to make it happen.

The critical list is:
another SCA frock - Italian Ren - green brocade
finishing the last 2 frocks and the German Ren hat that got put away years ago. The main construction on the frocks is done - need to add the decoration. Need to figure out where the hat is up to.
a couple more chemises and caps
a pouch
a belt
Hemming a couple of table cloths
Finishing the top that is cut out
taking a pattern from my fave denim skirt that really is going to die soon and making a new one
finishing the quilt I started 8 years ago

On the knitting front, the back of the blah, blah secret plan is finished, have started on the front.

I have also done stage 1 of sewing room reorganisation (which means at least that the knitting needles are no longer in a pile on the floor). Stage 2 requires stash reduction or at least a more cunning plan for storage space use.

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...

Two toasty warm socks

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

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!

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.

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!

Another pink sunbeam

Pink scarf the almost identical is finished! Finally finished it on Friday night. I think it's about 10cm longer than the previous one - so they are not exactly identical. Here is pic of the the other finished pink scarf:

Also picked the baby jacket back up and the knitting is about 3/4 complete. Will be starting some new projects in the next couple of days - inspiration is back, seems to return just about round Xmas - maybe it's because I have time off...