It may be a disease...

There was a lot of hat knitting going on last month, when we just happened to have the hottest October in forever! 

So there's a couple of red hats - one with cables and one with lace in some vintage Cleckheaton crepe from the oppy. The yarn is lovely to work with and a good strong red colour. The pumpkin orange hat was to rescue me when I left home for an entire day without my knitting! I went past Lincraft and picked up yarn and needles to cast on immediately. Emergency averted. 

The last week of October was all about playing with all the colours. Lots of brights paired with some darks to make the very colourful hat. And for a completely different look reds and browns together with varying degrees of contrast.

The odd couple were also completed in October. Socks are good for all the seasons. 

I now have three almost finished mittens, just thumbs to go. 

I don't need reminding that we're expecting a long hot summer!

I'll be ready for the cool mornings (if they ever return).

Hope you're enjoying your week so far.

Making in May

Lots of fun with soft fluffy yarn - new slippers just in time for the chilly nights of winter.

 A fun hat complete with a little colour experiment,

a lonely Kangaroo hopping past.

These two used up some of the yarn that has been languishing in the back of a cupboard for a few years, not quite as many as the fabric I used to make a skirt last week, which is already in its teens! 

This week has been all about finishing the next cape, a pair of socks and new fingerless mitts.

Cape in Cascade 220, lovely greens and purples, and socks in Araucania Ranco Multi, the next photo is a better representation of those colours.

While the socks are done, I'm not sure whether the others will make it to the finish list this month or next.

You'd be right if you're thinking I didn't do anything else with May.

I have started on a new adventure which is both exciting and a bit scary. 

More on that another time.

Wishing all who come this way a colourful weekend in your creative space.

June finishes (and socks)

Brookes blue mitts which I don't have a completed photo of still (but she was wearing them on the day she went home). The brown hat on the right was made for me with the leftovers from my Jacket and the blue hat is for a friend who has generously donated yarn to my cause in the past. Everything else has been here before.

More good stash busting

The Poppy socks are both at the same point now only legs to go.

I do like the effect of the positive/negative pair, there may be more like this in my future.

The Mauve Miette is coming along nicely too, now that I have figured out how to knit the sleeves in the round without tying the whole thing in a knot.

May you have a lazy Sunday afternoon in your creative space.

Cosy hands and toes

Sunday was the last day of Knit in Public Week and just happened to coincide with a monthly yarn group which meets at a cafe, there was lots of lovely knitting going on.

I took along both my in progress projects and managed to do most of the finishing there, though of course when I came home I realised that I am not very good at counting in public and needed to redo the top of the second mitt to make it match the first one.

Finished Strawberry Ripple Mitts - a test knit of Ripple Mitt pattern by Alicia made in vintage Patons Bluebell.

The pattern makes the mitt cling to the hand and while this is actually a little on the small side for my hand it shows the pretty pattern. I already have a willing volunteer to takes these off my hands - Ha!

The Mauve Triumph socks are a perfect fit for my feet. While I was unsure about crochet socks and put off trying them I think these will be perfect for wearing with boots. The sole does not have the same lace pattern as the top of the sock so it is a little thicker than a knitted sock but very comfortable to walk on.

These really a pinky mauve colour - but blue is what you see in this cloudy weather

Triumph Socks by Victoria Selnes and Bendigo Woollen Mills 3 ply baby yarn. 

The crochet socks took a little more yarn than knitted ones do - bonus for the stashbusting efforts.

Back to gift making - I'm thinking a pair of crochet socks for The Father as he has requested more socks!

Enjoy your Monday.

The same, But different

Sure there has been a little knitting and some crochet too.

New to me stitches - practised here

The first of the strawberry ripple mitts is done and the second is cast on but I have been distracted by my hook for the last two days (the sock is considerably further along now).

Triumph lace socks in mauve and Strawberry ripple mitts

Inspired by a crochet sock here, I have started my own sock - I know different pattern and heading in the other direction. The pattern is Triumph Lace socks from Dragon Heart Designs and the yarn is Bendigo woollen mills 3 ply baby yarn in mauve (yarn inherited from granny, probably '80's vintage).

I can't be sure whether the sock will be a success or not as while I got gauge with a smaller hook than the pattern suggested, all the patterns warn of the lack of stretch in crocheted socks compared with the knitted ones. The fabric on mine has quite a lot of stretch!

I'm currently reading 'About Time - Growing Old Disgracefully' by Irma Kurtz, it takes a look at the privelege of the aged and how similar they are to the young in society. Both entertaining and enlightening with actual accounts and reflections on a lifetime lived by the author and a cast of characters still working well past the 'normal retirement age'.

Joining the yarn along here where I'll find a whole lot more inspiration for new projects.

Happy creating.

Beautiful Weekend

Sharing a lovely sunny weekend with family and friends - Perfect!

A little knitting for World Wide Knit in Public day. (no surprises there)

Strawberry ripple mits

A lovely tour of the Botanical Gardens - there is much to see no matter the season. 

Plenty of people were out enjoying the winter sunshine.

The leaves that forgot to fall

There are some amazing structures and monuments around the gardens.

This monument to Queen Victoria actually has four separate poses celebrating different events in her life.

excuse the finger!

There was cake, well this long weekend is in celebration of the Queen's birthday.

Delicious.

This model of an old treadle sewing machine is animated like the real thing and plays music when you open the drawer. 

A gift from SJ - about 6 inches tall

Hope the sun is shining in your part of the world.

Friday Night with Friends

Thanks for your company ladies I was most productive with almost a finish and a start.

The blue mitts just need the thumb of the second one to be completed and the ends woven in, as this yarn is a very dark navy I have mostly worked on it during the day.

When the sun went down I got out this pretty pink yarn and started a new mitt. The colour reminds me of Strawberry milkshakes and the pattern is a ripple. A perfect match I think.

The best bit about mitts is they are super quick to make.

I'm off to enjoy the sunshine.

Wishing you all a wonderful Saturday.

The Gatecrasher's...

almost became lunch.

(a certain person suggested a little rotisserie chicken)

Today's gathering at Mill Rose cottage was a lot of fun with much laughing (it is a wonder there was any progress) and some very special guests. There was gorgeous show and tell, but you wont see that here, my camera forgot to get out of my bag!

My new project which is not a sock!

A simple idea which my neighbour was stitching - too sweet.

 Hope your Sunday was as much fun.

January...

around here it's all about relaxing with a good book, walking along at the beach (sometimes even in the water) and keeping the needles busy. This year it was the knitting needles.

I finished The Father's Christmas socks, a pair of socks for BD's birthday, a pair of mitts and matching hat (they really are the same colour despite what the photo's show).

4 January OPAM finishes

Now to deal with all these loose ends so I can call these finished and gift them this weekend.

Oh and for the last day of January the weather turned on a perfectly cool day with just a little too much water! I sure hope some of that rain fell on all the fires around the state (and country).

Have a wonderful February.

Matching

'cause you never can tell when the temperature may drop!

Mitts knitted from the hat leftovers (and more), with the same cable and lace pattern to match.

She just wanted to help.

And for the other hand.

See two.

(Just the minor issue of a few loose threads)
Now they're ready for gifting just as soon as the weather changes to cold.

Time to get back to the second pink sock.

Happy Creating.

Triple Yarn Along

New yarns

The Waikiwi is a wool/nylon/alpaca/possum mix - very nice.

Happy by Wendy is a bamboo/nylon mix - too pretty.

New sock knitting in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4 ply - Ghost and brick. 

(It even looks a little like the pattern!)

Another pattern from the Knitting Knee-Highs book by Barb Brown.

The sock I started on the weekend has grown some, the yarn is Moda Vera Noir from Spotlight.

The book - 'Blood on my Hands' a surgeon at war by Craig Jurisevic, is his own account of the time he spent in the Balkans during the Kosovo war in the late 1990's. Very interesting reading.

 A little more hooking - I am hoping for two mitts before the end of winter in a couple of weeks.

Hope your week is full of colour.

Joining the yarn along.

Because 1 is not enough

I have been casting on again without finishing my in progress projects.

My sock is almost done - this is the second one. Yay - cosy toes in the very near future!

My mitt has progressed but as these are odd yarn leftovers, I am undecided whether I should finish this one or make the second one up to here so I can see how much of each colour I have left for the hand part.

Oh, and the green is the start of something new - guess all will be revealed when I get more done. So far it is very nice - I am liking the softness of the cable detail.

Reading another lovely tale set in the 19th century by the same author as last week - 'Hope' by Lesley Pearce. Mostly set in the UK it highlights the gap between the classes there in this period and the fact that married women had virtually no rights.

Interesting.

Joining in very late over at the Yarn along.


Edit: The sock pattern is Maid Marian Knee Highs from the book Knitting Knee Highs by Barb Brown.

Double duty

Lots of things happening around these parts these past few days, a bit of a shock after my recent inactivity.

So yesterday while I was waiting and waiting to submit some paperwork I started the requested mittens from the yarn I showed a few days ago - the colour is more true in previous post.

Well as I was in the neighbourhood I called in on some excolleagues and while I was there catching up on all the office gossip, I kept my hands busy. Ok so I can talk a lot in real life too, and by the time I left the office one of the Mitts was as good as done.

I made the matching one in the evening ready to be delivered to their new owner this week.

Today I had an all day training session - big yawn!!

To keep myself awake in the morning, (unlike my colleague next to me who took a nice nap) I kept my hands busy and got this little number done.

Yes, it is miniature - a baby sized crocheted beanie.

As you can see I had yarn leftover and as I finished before the lunch break I was thinking I should have made it bigger.

The yarn is very pretty and not plain white at all but with subtle shades of pink, blue, lemon and purple, it also has a sparly thread through it. No clue as to its identity as it came in a mixed bag none of which have labels attached.

Fortunately the afternoon session required some activity on our part so I managed to stay awake.

So as you see I have been doing double duty - hope I can continue this pace in the coming weeks.

Have a creative Sunday in your part of the world and Stay Warm.

Its a finish

Hooking right a long here.

A new hat and

matching mittens.

The photo above is the best colour representation - it is a very pretty yarn with light and dark colours in blues, brown, pink and green. A mixture of mohair, acrylic, polyester and viscose, this is a thicker yarn than I normally use and while I am very happy with the end result the process was hard going.

Finished just in time to send to MsM.

I am making a small indentation on the yarn stash - now if I could just curb the incoming yarn I may free up some space.

This hat knitted from a generous donation from a member of my local craft group.

I am enjoying experimenting with hat shapes and sizes from the different yarn donations.

This one is knitted in Cleakheaton Country pure wool. a very nice yarn to work with and a lovely natural colour.

Planning for some action in the craft room today - I'll be back later if anything actually happens.

Hope your Sunday is a good one.

Hooking good times

Still making flowers, this time from the gorgeous red cotton I recieved from Liri, I need quite a lot of these so just doing a few everyday making a nice stack.

The cooler weather had me reaching in the yarn stash for this gorgeous mohair mix, Studio from Cleckheaton, to make a shawlette for myself.

The design is the South Bay Shawlette from Lion brand yarns it is a simple two row pattern and works up really quickly.

Lovely, light yet warm wrap.

Thursday last I took a train trip to the City to meet a friend from the country, I grabbed some yarn and a hook and whipped up this pair of mitts on my trip. These are super warm and toasty and leave the fingers free for working.

Patternless - simple rectangle design with thumb hole and a little finishing, now I'm ready for more winter adventures.

Hope the sun is shining in your part of the world.