FNSI October

So the last 2 weeks have sped by in a blur of yarn in all the colours, (oh, and the landscape, and planes of last weekends short break in the country).

Tonight I'm prepared for a quiet night in with a number of projects in various stages of completion. A comfy couch and a project for every eventuality...

The blanket is ready for a final stripe in the pretty green, the orange and blue are a sock in progress, well it is cast on, the blue with all the speckles are mitts awaiting their finishing touches and the red is waiting to be cast on, another hat and mitts coming up!

Wonder which of these will get the most attention tonight?

Hope there are lots of your favourite colours in your creative space this weekend.

Sunshine, blue skies and knitting...

a perfect start to the school holidays here.

My weekend was spent mostly with knitting friends - which allowed me to work on getting some of those partners almost finished. Just the ends to weave in on this pair.

Saturday afternoon while at Unwind Craft Cafe with friends I finished the second of the Twisting mitts in Bendigo Woollen mills, Luxury 4 ply, Aquarium. This mitt may be my favourite yet. The pretty design is quite elastic making it suitable for a range of hand and wrist combinations.

Not wanting to rest at one for too long, I cast on the second of the Icy Flames mitts and have this one almost done after a little Sunday outing for more knitting with friends. Just the thumb ribbing to go now. 

Bendigo woollen mills Athena - wool/silk/bamboo mix, 4 ply in Ice Blue, (not whatever colour I called it last time).

This yarn is delightfully soft to knit with and perfect for this type of lace pattern that requires my full attention as every one of the 24 pattern rows is different.

The second red/orange twisting mitt is well on its way now too, though the first one will undergo a little surgery soon. I have a limited quantity of this yarn so they will need a shorter cuff. They will still be warm and cosy for when the cooler weather comes back, in a couple of days.

Hope your week is off to a great start and you get some time to relax in the sunshine.

Oooh - Shiny

I was lucky enough to accompany friends last weekend on a little yarn trip to Bendigo where our destination was the Woollen Mills.

I picked up some new yarn from the back room - Athena 4 ply in the Ice Blue colourway, along with other goodies. The Athena is a lovely mix of Wool, silk and bamboo and turns out to be delightful to knit with. Lucky as I managed to snag another colour too!

Unable to contain myself I cast on just as soon as I could to make another mitt in this pretty lacy pattern.

Today there was a little train knitting, the mitt is working up quickly.

I may soon be looking for some one handed people as it appears I am incapable of completing pairs this month?!>#@?

May your hands be cosy wrapped in a little luxury.

Similar to something you've seen here before

Or succumbing to peer group pressure,

Playing with the pattern I used for the twisted mitts last month.

And while they look the same on this side...

The blue is Bendigo woollen mills Luxury 4 ply in Aquarium and the Red/Orange is unlabelled 4 ply from the back room at Bendigo. (I was there again on the weekend and got quite the haul).

The hand side is different and I think a slightly better fit, sorry Fiona.

What would you prefer - the texture of the moss stitch or a plain stocking stitch on the palm side?

Spring is definitely in the air here but the evenings and mornings are still cool enough for mitts. I really am enjoying working with these lovely bright colours.

Wishing you some bright spots in your week.

August Finishes

It appears August was a good month for finishing projects including a bigger one that had been on the needles for a while. Cape I'm looking at you!

Coffee Cape in Bendigo woollen mills Classic 8 ply Java
(There will be a post dedicated to this project soon)

The baby blanket was nice change of pace - the design is very rhythmic and the colours really were just a lucky dip from the 4 ply cotton stash. I already mentioned that I am ridiculously happy with this one and luckily I don't need to send it out immediately so I am enjoying looking at it draped over the chair while it waits for a bath.

Round ripple afghan in 4 ply cotton with a 3 mm hook

I whipped up this little Mandala while out and about on Friday with leftover cottons from the baby blanket. There is another of these using different colours but it was sent on its way before I thought to get a picture.

I think I'll use this one for a coaster or candle mat.

Pattern from here

Look here - two socks from the same pattern and yarn! I finished the first pair of the Father's socks with a whole week to spare. I will deliver them next Sunday when I venture out to say Happy Father's Day.

I enjoyed both the pattern and the yarn on these. I really like all the colours and have enough yarn left to make some for me, Yay!

Forbidden City socks design by Qianer in Regia Design line - Eggplant 

There were two more pairs of mitts this month, I have to say the portability of these projects makes them perfect for working on while travelling. 

Bendigo woollen mills - Luxury 4 ply - Purple Storm - a new design in the making

These Blue Caracao mitts used up some unlabelled 100% wool yarn and they are thick and warm all ready for next winter.

Baranduin Mitts by Amora Designs

Cables have been the flavour of my knitting this winter - I see that all of the knitting projects here included cables and yet they all have a different look about them.

Maybe Spring will see me change direction or not?

Wishing you a wonderful September.

Clicking needles

The needles have been clicking, but it appears I forgot to get pictures!

Pretty purple, (blurred) lovely to knit in the sun when it shines.

The father's socks were not finished by the deadline after I encountered a severe tangle last week, the yarn is lovely but likes to stick to itself so untangling proved quite a challenge.

I did win this time and managed to get this one off the needles so he could try it on for size when I visited for his birthday. Now I need to spend some time on the second one so he can have two that match, instead of two singles.

Wishing you a weekend with sunshine.

Turning corners

Weekend socialising included a little knitting and now I really am on the home straight of the cape.

This is the bottom edge, just a few hundred rows of the braid to go! Nice short rows which add up quickly, especially while I waited for the workman to come and do his thing today.

Kallan Cape in Bendigo classic 8 ply, Java a cool medium brown colour.

Mixing things up a little I finished this mitt, which is a test for a fellow raveller, seems others like cables as much as I do. These are thick and toasty warm in this simple but effective design.

Chunky yarn and needles mean this grows quickly.

One down, one to go! (apparently people like two warm hands?)

A little grey in a light weight yarn for taking out and about. The most delightful yarn to work with in this pretty textured pattern.

Hope the sun was shining in your happy place today.

Brightening my days

While the sun was shining on Thursday I spent some quality time at the sewing machine and made progress on my pretty daisy project. The happy colours in this fabric kept me smiling long after the weather changed back to cold. Almost done.

In the cool of the evening I got cosy on the couch with some warm knitting. 

The cape is at the point now where it functions just fine as a blanket while I am working on it or even when I take a break and do a few rows on a smaller project.

The blue is another fingerless mitt from some unlabeled worsted wool yarn from the stash. I really like the texture of the yarn, which is quite different from the Classic I am using for the cape, these will be warm mitts for sure.

Thanks to those ladies who took the time to answer my questions regarding hand size it really does seem that my wrist/hand proportions are a little unusual from this small sample. 

I called in Mr Random to help me decide who would receive a pair of my handknit mitts.

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:4Powered by RANDOM.ORG
Lucky number 4 is Fiona, I'll be in contact shortly to get some preferences.
Warmest wishes for a cosy weekend.

Not Much...

New mitts for me - Yippee!

These red mitts are just right in so many ways, perfect for driving as they don't cover too much of the hand and the longer cuff means no breeze gets up my sleeve.

Red and shiny mitts in Bendigo Luxury 4 ply Brick

The third pair of Platinum mitts are longer in both the hand and the cuff, super comfortable to wear.

Maybe I'll keep these ones too?

Kallan Cables untangled in Bendigo Serenade, Platinum

This is all I managed to finish for the month of July - starting all the things really inhibits the finishing bit.

There has been progress on some of the other projects including the Coffee Cape where I am working on the final 25%. So close and yet so far, I am really enjoying making this cape. As this is my third time working this design I am much more relaxed doing a few rows on it when out and about and watching it take shape.

The pretty fabrics that I was playing with last week have been waiting patiently for some action this week, maybe I'll get back to them tomorrow?

Today I had a little outing to Unwind Craft Cafe and succumbed to the yarn temptation - of course I changed my mind between when I arrived and left about which colour I was going to add to my yarn collection - Purple storm in 4 ply luxury Won! I have a plan after I finish something else.

Thanks to Kris and Peg for hosting OPAM.

Happy creating.

Looking different

Recycling the yarn from the misshapen mitts, I made this pretty red one that fits.

Now I just need to make her a matching one, while this pattern is very effective it takes a lot of concentration so I can only work on it at home. Fortunately there was nothing pressing on the agenda yesterday so I made a start on the second one. 

I'm confident there will still be some cool days to wear mitts when I am done with these, because they will be mine.

Red and shiny - Bendigo woollen mills Luxury 4 ply in Brick

Saturday a friend and I went to see the sea and while the day was mostly overcast and drizzly, before we left to come back the sun came out brightening things up a little, there was of course no change in the temperature which was definitely on the cool side.

Point Lonsdale pier

I needed a simple project for working on while being the passenger so I started this cable mitt using more of the Bendigo Serenade, this yarn works up beautifully making a lovely fabric. I'm going to be a bit disappointed when this ball is finished as this yarn is no longer available.

 Another mitt waiting for a partner!

Thank you to those who provided measurements on this post the information is most useful and proves what I thought, my wrist/ratio is quite unusual. There is still time to leave a comment there if you are interested in being in the draw for a pair of mitts made by me. 

I'll close it Thursday and draw a winner Friday.

Hope your Monday has been sunny.

Trying to finish some things

While I was admiring all the pretty colours in my new yarn (see previous post) and dreaming of what they could become, I managed to get some work done on a couple of the projects already in progress.

So the pretty coloured mohair project is almost done and will be toasty warm to wear, I want it done real soon, as it seems that winter has finally decided to grace us with her presence. Only armhole bands to go and some ends to be woven in. Speaking of weaving in ends I did some of that on Saturday and finished a project that has been waiting for more than a month for those simple finishing touches. It's true you don't see it here as I gave it a wash and laid it flat to dry but something happened and it is much bigger than I expected so I am still considering it's fate!

Mohair vest and crochet cotton squares

The blue and green crochet squares are for another project I started on Friday, it may or may not be a success, though the yarn is lovely to work with so if it needs a rework I wont be devastated. 

I made the second of the giant mitts, this time in red and at a tighter gauge, it's better than the blue one but still too baggy around the wrist. I really want these to fit as the pattern is lovely but we have ascertained that my wrist/ hand dimensions are rather unusual. As I've completed my testing obligations these will be frogged and something I can use will be knit with this yarn instead.

Wishing you sunshine in your creating space.

On Friday night...

I sat in the comfy chair and did a little clicking.
A new mitt that I'm testing, it has turned out rather large but that may be the yarn which while a lovely wool and silk mix, knits into fabric with no structure! Looks like it wants to become something drapey so I've started over with an old fave.
The coffee coloured hood is getting a body, nothing new, just another version of the cape.
Red and grey Bendigo Luxury for my new blanket project, (and no I haven't finished the blanket I started at the beginning of the year).
Thanks Cheryl for gathering all the creative ladies together for a virtual stitch in.
Hope your Sunday includes stitching and sunshine.

Road tripping and mittens...

Monday I got to be a passenger on a road trip, quite a novel excursion for me, and well the destination was a fun place to visit filled with all things yarn.

Guess Where?

Just a few things followed me home and there are plans to get to work on this lot before winter is over, which should be a while yet as it has just turned up in my part of the world.

The red in the middle are two little balls of 4ply yarn great for some colour work I am planning, there are three of those big balls of brown classic which just happens to be called Java - I do like all things coffee, even yarn colours, the cellophane bags are remnants of lace weight yarn that I thought I could practice dyeing with and at 50c a bag they sure were a bargain.

Not in the picture is a ball of Seranade in the platinum colourway, a nice dark grey in a wool/bamboo mix.

I finished the mauve mitts, they are just a bit longer than the original blue ones.

I even made 2 that match, well except that I mirrored the central cable.

Will you be joining Friday night sew in?

 I'm thinking I should get myself organised to finish the projects I cut out and started at FNWF earlier this month.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Yarning

While I still haven't turned the sewing machine on again to finish my projects started last week, my other needles have been busy. Making mitts, I actually changed the right one so now they match, but I don't have a picture of them yet!
Playing with lace for a new cardy and some plain knitting in pretty coloured fluffy yarn.
Must stay home and sew sometime soon.
Hope your weekend was sunny.

Sweet

Winter started out as winter should, damp and grey, so I spent the day indoors and did a little baking.

No fancy styling here and bad night time photography! But they do taste good.

And a lot of knitting.

More fingerless mitts, this time in vintage blue Patons Totem 8 ply.

Just lovely for the cooler days ahead.

Today is back to blue sky and sunshine.

Hope the sun is shining at your place.

In under the wire!

One more finish for May - mitts to match my cape and use the last of the yarn.
A new crochet project using the Bendigo wool/bamboo mix I got with my voucher.
The cape is so close - I only need to attach the collar once it dries, my friend will add her own buttons.
Happy creating.