Happy New Year

Finishing the year with a suitably sunny summer top.

Apparently summer will visit later this week so there may even be an opportunity for wearing this little number.

Catch design by Christina Loman, using stash yarn - a surprise ball of Noro - cotton/wool blend and white gem cotton.

May your New Year include all the colours.

Merry Christmas

to all who come here.

More crochet pieces for another

Splat!

All the parts were quickly made then there was a just a small assembly job to get this little guy finished up, unlike the Fathers Christmas socks which are taking forever and may not be complete by Christmas Day?

Oh my what big eyes!

The Grey cat is made with the yarn weight specified in the pattern and is larger than his purple sister.

Splat - by Cheezombie

He does of course perform the same function.

A happy resting place for your morning coffee.

Wishing you all a Safe and Sunny  Christmas Day with lots of delicious food.

Mistea

Splat

A little fun was had with the hook this past week (that doesn't mean the needles haven't still been clicking along!).

Fun colours for a fun project.

Hoping to add a smile to someone's Christmas.

Is a flat cat!

Perfectly practical for the designed purpose.

Splat the coaster cat by Cheezombie

There has been some partying going on around here meaning something has to miss out and it appears that would be computer time.

Hope your week is full of sunshine and fun.

The Late report

Friday night I worked my needles alongside all the other FNWF participants.

First up there was some finishing: The Pink Layna socks were so close, after some mid week social knitting that most of the knitting was completed while waiting for dinner to cook.

This is a good representation of the gorgeous Cerise colour.

After dinner all that was required was the grafting of the toes. Yay, nice new socks all ready for next winter.

Next up was the finishing touches on a sewing project that has been taking more time than is necessary - I got to play in the button tins, looking for just the right ones to adorn the bags that I have been sewing.

Always fun playing with buttons - even if sometimes frustrating when all my first choices turned out to be the wrong size.

Look All Done.

These bags are a good size and quite useful for lots of things but especially -  

for toting giant balls of yarn with attached projects. 

These two bags were gifted to knitting friends Saturday.

After all that finishing there was time for a few rows on my vest which is edging towards the armhole where I get to divide off the fronts and back, when I will get a clearer picture of the design. I'm eager to see how this will look done. Need to knit faster!

Tumbleweed by Jennifer Thompson

The little green knitting is the beginning of The Fathers Christmas sock, lots of knitting to get done in the next couple of weeks, but I think I will make it this year. Oh, and its the yarn from the previous picture it really is a lovely pine green colour not this washed out grey/green.

I hope everyone had a successful Friday night and a pleasant weekend.

Knitting all the things

The yarn from last week did not get to rest in the balls for long, I made a start on my new vest on the weekend.

So far I think knitting is a much better match for this yarn than crochet.

Pic right after I changed to the circular for the main pattern

Knit in one piece to the armhole makes for some long rows but the ribbing went quickly and I crammed all the stitches onto my Casein straight needles, what a luxury to knit with these lovely needles. 

Tumbleweed by Jennifer Thompson

I love the cables and the little 3D bobbles (I know you can't see them very well here), and the asymmetrical design. You can only see the right front here but the pretty marker identifies the 'side seam', it buttons up on the left side and that is where most of the cable detail is on both the front and back. I'm a little further along than this now but haven't updated the picture as this yarn is difficult to capture in artificial light.

My slippers are finished, except for a few stray ends! Oh sure they are conveniently tucked out of the way in this picture.

Excuse the weird sun tan stripe!

There was plenty of reversing up on these, mostly as my feet are just large in all the places. The finished slippers fit well and do not work their way off my feet when walking around which is better than I've achieved in the past when making slippers without a strap.

Joining in with the ladies stitching up their Friday night, (FNWF tonight), planning to finish the socks on the needles and put the finishing touches on a sewing project or two. We'll see how that goes?

Enjoy the sun in your creative space today.

A lot of Knitting and little Unpicking!

The combination of delightful yarn and relaxing pattern made this shawl a quick knit (or maybe I just become obsessed making stitches with all those pretty colours).

While some of the last rows felt like they took forever, they ate the yarn and it was all done rather quickly.

I used the pretty natural shade for the edging and love the contrast in both colour and texture.

Mystery Benefactor - design by Kelly Brooker

Main body of shawl in Sweetgeorgia Merino silk - deep cove colourway and border in Fleece Artist Merino Angel a wool/mohair/nylon mix

New socks for the Mother for Christmas (and not even December yet). 

With a lovely lace design on the legs and

a pretty cable on the heel. 

The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Athena which is a gorgeous silk/wool mix and has the most luxuriant feel. The pattern is a lovely design by Qianer - Corn Mint Leaves socks.

After looking at the tunic I made earlier this year and figuring there was no easy fix for it I undid it  and will repurpose the yarn into something that fits. I'm hoping to cast this one on this weekend if I manage to get one more thing finished today!

Bendigo woollen mills - Stellar in the Red coral colourway

It hasn't only been about the yarn but I don't have any evidence of the sewing stitches, I will remember to take photo's while the sun is out soon.

Wishing you sunshine in your craft space.

So tempting...

The pretty yarn I received in the recent swap was calling out for a piece of the action.

This stuff is gorgeous with so many shades of green and blue which were not immediately obvious in the hank. 

I had a lot of fun on Friday winding the ball so I could begin work on something other than foot wear!

Not one to be deterred by the lack of implements in the right length, I got to work on a straight needle so I could see how the pattern would look in this yarn. I had only been dreaming about the yarn/pattern combination for 2 weeks.

Sure is shines - that would be the silk.

Saturday there was a shopping expedition to I collect the correct size needle in a circular of a certain length to contain the ever multiplying stitches - look it's working. 

This picture is closest to true colours.

This is a fun and interesting adventure with the beautiful colours in this soft squishy yarn.

Pattern - Mystery Benefactor design by Kelly Brooker
Yarn - Sweetgeorgia - merino/silk fine in the Deep cove colour

I love the way shawls grow at the beginning when working top down so you can see the pretty pattern take shape. Now I'm around halfway through the ball of yarn, with 300 stitches on each row, things have slowed considerably! The instructions are for using the entire hank so this will definitely be a warm layer for when winter visits here again.

Hope your week is full of fun in your favourite colours.

Slowly, slowly...

I have been using small snippets of time to make progress on the the sewing project, but I've not yet taken a picture so you won't see it here!

There was a little action with pretty coloured cottons to add to the sewing.

I did have fun with my needles and hook - and still there is a mountain of cotton colours to left. Lucky I guess as I'd like to make some more of these.

Quick to knit or crochet in all the colours. 

While out socialising with fellow creative types last weekend I managed to finish two socks.

No not a pair!

On the left - Corn mint leaves by Qianer and on the right Layna shorty in my size.

I do like to mix up the colours and textures though and they provide entertainment for when there is not much else happening.

Just so I don't get bored with the second socks of those 2 pair, which I have already cast on by the way, I started a little slipper to keep my toes warm on these cool evenings that have returned to my part of the world.

Steps to elegance is a test knit - both quick and fun

I enjoyed working this one up - though the use of a multicoloured yarn for the contrast colour may not have been my best choice, the scrap was there and I'm trying to move some of those along.

Hope your weekend is filled with all the colours.

Cutting, sewing and clicking...

Cutting some of the fabric that has been collecting dust on my shelves this past year (or more)!

I like all the colours and the fun prints I found there. Sure I made a big mess pulling things out and rearranging the fabrics to find nice complimentary or contrasting colours and prints.

Sewing some of the previously cut fabrics, it sure was nice to get reacquainted with my sewing machine and this extra long weekend means I may make even more progress on this lot.

The needles are still clicking away in the evening, I'm working on two more socks - one of which will be the Mother's Christmas present.

Bendigo woollen mills Luxury 4 ply in Cerise and Athena 4 ply in Heather - a little pinker in real life than it appears here next to the deep pink.

Hope your week shows all the colours.

Finishing all the footwear...

This was a sock pattern that I just had to make up - and when I had these leftovers available it seemed the perfect time had come. I really enjoyed knitting these up even if the yarn presented some issues as it likes to stick to itself which slows things down when trying to use 2 colours.

You'll recognise the dark one from the Father's socks I completed last month, the fog colour was a friends leftovers.

Eisern design by General Hogbuffer in Regia design line - eggplant and fog

A pretty pair of anklets with a lace fold down cuff. I made these in size small so they knit up very quickly compared with the usual large size I make. There will be a bigger pair soon.

Layna Anklets in Bendigo Athena 4 ply Ice Blue (I really did pick up a big bag of this last month)

Getting ready for some summer fun - I hooked up a couple of pairs of the barefoot sandals in cotton with my 1.5 mm hook.

These are perfect for dressing up feet without wearing shoes.

No purpose other than fun.

Hope your week is off to a fun start.

Swapping

I recently participated in a swap over on Ravelry for a little something handmade with yarn. Oh, and some little extras too.

I got lucky with this gorgeous cowl and hat set knit especially for me and some yarn to keep me busy for the next little while, well after I get through some of the current projects.

These are the other goodies that turned up in my box - pretty buttons, a bookmark, lip balm, hand cream and a gorgeous and practical bag.

All of it is lovely!

Of course I had fun putting together a little package too, included were the blanket you've seen here before and the finished Nessy Pecker.

I put my sewing machine to work to make a project bag from some Australiana fabric that was taking up space in the cupboard and made a matching little pouch for keeping the little things all together in there.

Two of the coasters that have been flying off my hook lately also made the trip.

All these goodies are now happily residing in their new home. 

Hope you found a little spot of sunshine today.

Because apparently one is not enough

I started another sock.

This time I'm making an old fashioned anklet just in time for some warmer weather.

Wishing you a sun shiny weekend.

Ooh Look!

That would be one sock with just the toe graft to go!

Yarn Regia design line - Kaffe in Eggplant and fog

Eisern design by General Hogbuffer, with my modifications in the twisted stitch section where I was too big for my 'Socks' thinking I knew what came next and not checking the chart for details. It all worked out in the end and the fit is perfect.

 A successful weekend knitting project.

Wondering if one is enough?

Happy Monday

Works in progress...

So I've been flitting around in and out of the craft space without achieving much at all!

The purple pecker is still a work in progress though it is nearing completion. Just a little more assembly and embroidery - maybe there will be a finish this week?

A new sock project started a week ago using leftover's from the most recent socks made for the father and a friends leftovers of the same yarn in an alternate colourway.

Yarn - Regia design line in eggplant and fog, Pattern - Eisern by General Hogbuffer

The sock itself is not a challenge but the combination of yarn and mostly working on this while out and about has presented it's own problems - dropped stitches in this yarn are difficult to retrieve. There have been many dropped stitches so far!

I've been busy in the sewing space too, now that the sun is putting in a more regular appearance.

So far it has been all about the cutting but I'm confident a whole day at home would ensure good progress on these pieces. We'll see how long it really takes.

Hope your week has been colourful.

Hearts and flowers for spring

 A couple of weeks back a bag of crochet cotton came into my possession. It just happened to be something I had been looking out for, a lovely range of 1970's colours in a thin weight. I thought they would work well for an ageing project that's been patiently waiting for a little injection of colour. I haven't yet pulled out said aged project but I decided to have a play with some of the colours anyway.

A little Christmas crafting.

What about three colours together?

Pretty new coasters for Spring in all the colours.

Various crochet cottons, most unlabeled, and my 1.5mm hook - using Mandala pattern found here.

These have been multiplying while I neglect to finish all the half started things.

I hope I have some colours left for the ageing project when I'm done with these little beauties!

Would you use these on your table?

There's something new growing in my project bag too - among the neglected projects.

Wishing you all the colours in your creative place this week.