Ravelry

Happy New Year!

I only have 3 weeks of maternity leave left. Where did the time go? I will be going back to work 4 days a week and Anna will be going to nursery.

Anyway, back to the title topic: Ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/

I love Ravelry, although it becomes really addictive and I have lost track of time on a few occasions. I like the way you can look up other people's versions of patterns and see how they turned out.

Go check it out!

Grand plans...

...have fallen by the wayside. I had planned to knit all kinds of baby clothes for Anna, but I just haven't had time. Unfortunately, I had bought lots of yarn in small quantities for small sizes and they will no longer fit if I knit them now! I decided to buy more yarn for the patterns I really want to knit.

I'm currently knitting a pink and purple stripy Debbie Bliss baby cardigan in baby cashmerino (from Book 2 where it is green/ecru stripes). It is meant to be 9-12 months and the clock is ticking as Anna is now 8 months!

I just discovered I'm evil (or rather it has been confirmed). A bit of fun:


How evil are you?

Baby cardigan

Ribbon-edged cardigan (without the ribbon!) from 'Special Knits' by Debbie Bliss. I used baby cashmerino in pale pink and knitted size 0-3 months (2 balls). It was straightforward to knit and this is the first garment I have ever knitted (e.g. one needing seams etc). I'm pleased with the result for a first attempt.

Unfortunately the knitwear model doesn't look too happy!

Sari Ribbon Lace Scarf

I have finished my first ribbon knitting and I suspect it will be my last! I used Sari Ribbon to knit the Lace Scarf from Louisa Harding's Accessories book. I think that the combination of ribbon yarn, lace pattern and slippy wooden needles make for very hard work! I had to restart at least 5 times and ended up using lifelines to be able to complete it. I was happy with the end result though, which is the main thing. The picot edging is pretty and I like the lace pattern. I gave the scarf to my Nanna for her 75th birthday.

My First Socks!

I'm very proud to have completed my first pair of socks! I used Opal Ladybird sock wool and a beginners sock kit from Get Knitted for them. I blindly followed the instructions and hey presto they turned out really well. They fit me just right without having to adjust the pattern (I take a 5 1/2 shoe). I wish I had noted where exactly I started the first one, because it was hard to make the second one identical. Nevermind! I'm happy with them as a first attempt. Next I'm going to make DH a pair of bedsocks ready for winter.

Fickle fingers scarf finished

Just in time for the spring weather I finished a cosy woollen scarf! It is the Fickle Fingers scarf from Interweave Knits magazine Winter 2005 with a couple of modifications.

I used the recommended Zitron Ethno in #10 multicoloured, but used 3 balls instead of 2 to get a longer scarf. After restarting a few times because I didn't like the tension or the width of the scarf, I switched down to 5mm needles and used 17 stitches in the set up row instead of 19. The fingers are created by casting on and casting off 5 stitched at the beginning of each row. The main body of the scarf is in moss stitch. The Ethno was interesting to stitch with and the resulting scarf is very cuddly and warm (especially now the weather has warmed up!).

Sock planning

Even though I'm still knitting my first sock, I've decided there will be more and I have the sock wool ready and waiting. Taking advantage of a free shipping offer from the US, I bought Fleece Artist, Cherry Tree Hill, Opal Handpainted, Cascade Fixation and Sisu glittery sock wool:


Of course I need sock patterns to make socks and I bought Sensational Knitted Socks, Vintage Socks and Folk Solks to get some inspiration. Just need lots more time now to knit them!

I also decided to knit a Fickle Fingers scarf from Interweave Knits Winter 2005 magazine. The only place I found to buy the Zitron Ethno wool was in Germany and a couple of balls of Trekking sock wool also found their way into my basket. I like the subtle tweedy effect and should be able to use these for a lace type sock without detracting from the pattern too much.

Curly Wurly Scarf

Hot off the press - I just finished this Curly Wurly scarf in time for Mother's Day. I used Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb in Watercolour and a free scarf pattern from Get Knitted. I started out using 60cm circular needles and had to switch to 80cm because the 700 stitches on the needles didn't fit! I also changed to a cable cast on because the colour changes looked much better along the edge with this method compared with the thumb cast on.

Rhapsody in pink

I'm now the proud owner of a hat and scarf set:

I used Rowan Chunky Print in shade Rhapsody to knit a moss stitch hat and a chunky rib scarf. Both patterns were from 'hats gloves scarves' by Louisa Harding. The hat was a little taller than I expected and I adjusted the seam position to take out some of its coneheadedness. I have to wear the brim turned over to be able to see though! The scarf is seriously long at 2m - it could double as a draft excluder if necessary. It was a relief to knit something fast and simple as a change from the lace pattern scarf and I really like the colours together.

My next project is going to be the Daisy scarf from Rowan magazine 38. My brother bought me the wool for Christmas and I'm using the same Kid Classic in Battle as the scarf shown in the magazine. The 'cluster 5' pattern seems to be quite challenging, so I have done my homework and found some additional intructions before starting. Just need to finish off my Leisel scarf - only a couple of pattern repeats to go now!