Back ...

Back from Canada and back to work! Feels like my trip was ages ago now. But I had a great time and got ALOT done in only 6 days. My mum and I hit the knitting sales and I came home with a suit case filled with more wool and fabric then clothing! lol.

                  (Knitting Booty)

I've got a number of UFOs and waiting project now. I got my cable knit project started, after tearing it apart about 5 times. It is now well on its way, with a little instruction from mum...and a better cable needle. I have also almost finished my second Moss Stitch collared jumper, just need to get the arms on it. And I have this little blue striped cardi going as well (not too fussed about that tho.) I also bought the wool for a jumper for my boyfriend which will get some some time in 2011. lol. Just need to find 5 minutes to get my act together....between cars breaking down and getting back into work. I will get it done! ....and  wont buy anything else until I have used what i have! (cough....or until I find something else I want)

Getting things done

Somehow, I have made another jumper in the last 2 weeks. I have remade the Debbie Bliss baby jumper with the moss stitch edging, this time in a baby pink for my Nieces' baby who is due to be born in July. It still needs to be sewn together but I think it will turn out nice.

Heading off to Canada tomorrow to visit my Mum and Dad and Budleigh (our Dog). Knitting is on the agenda. Have been booked into a mystery class on Sunday. My suit case contains my copy of the book "Greeting from the Knit Cafe" and "Baby Knits" by Lois Daykin, 3 balls of wool and about 4 pairs of needles. I hope to get some of my cable knit pattern done while I'm over there. I need some help with it since I have never done anything like it before. I also plan to get some wool to make my boyfriend a jumper... I think he is feeling left out with me always making baby things...(he is probably getting a bit worried as well...lol)

Holiday!!!!

My holiday ritual, Creamy Coffee!

It feels like ages ago now, but, between training for a new position at work, moving to a new store and management training courses in Manchester... we went on HOLIDAY! yeayyyy. lol.

   We went to La Palma in the Canary Islands. I was going to bring some knitting with me, but boyfriend said that it would embarrass him...plus I couldn't find anything that was portable enough for a week in the sun.

So I had to compromise. Knit Lit was the solution. I came across "Divas Don't Knit" by Gil McNeil. I hadn't ever read a book about knitting that wasn't a book a of patterns, and I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Based on the title I thought it was going to be about some brat that would come to find knitting and struggle with it until the end when something miraculous would happen...etc etc. But it turns out that the protagonist isn't a "diva" at all...quite that opposite actually. Anyway, I don't want to give it all away. I would give this book 3.5/5, it is a little bit unbelievable at times but good enough to inspire some projects and I was left wanting to read the sequel ("Needles and Pearls"... which I can't find anywhere!...going to have to amazon-it.).

PIGGYS!

"Pigs and Piglet" pattern from Debbie Bliss' book "Toy Knits"...A pattern I truly love. I did the Pig first it only took me a few days. It turned out to be ALOT bigger then I expected it to be though (it look an entire 250g bag of stuffing to fill and it could have used a bit more!). The piglet can easily be done in an afternoon. I'm going to be making the little piglets lots I think. They would be a perfect gift for new babies and a quirky gift for friends.

                                     

I got my first compliment from a friend on my knitting the other day thanks to these little piggys. We had one of my former coworkers and her boyfriend around for dinner (cough....take away pizza because I don't cook) and she said "oh, I like your pigs" when I casually told her I had made the small one in an afternoon she was very impressed. She hadn't realised I had made them myself. A few days later I saw another woman from where I used to work and was told "Kirsty was VERY impressed by your pigs...we heard all about them" (...blush...)

                       

I Like It!

It was January. It was cold. Work was slow. And I had just bought myself several knitting books with my Christmas money. So I had plenty of projects to do and plenty of time to do them in. 

This jumper is from the book Step-by-Step Knitting Work Book by Debbie Bliss. I bought this book as a reference book to help me get through some other patterns. But it has some really book items in it. The pattern is called "Baby's Top with Moss Stitch Trim". I used Rowan Cotton Glace in shade 814 and it was really nice to work with. Very smooth and the stitches are really even. The moss stitch turned out well also. I don't think I would wan to do a whole jumper in moss stitch though. I can do stocking stitch or garter stitch with out looking at what I'm doing. Moss stitch requires concentration.

 

8/10 for this pattern always room for improvement...but id definitely do it again.

Moss Stitch done right.

Project 2...awful

The more I look at this little cardie the less I like it. I love the colour and the texture of the wool. However I don't think I will be giving this little one away. This was from another Mission Falls book. but I didn't have the list of abbreviations so I didn't realise that this pattern should have done in "Seed Stitch" (abbv. SS) which I would be more incline to call a "Moss Stitch" (aka knit one purl one every row). "SS" to mean means stocking stitch... so I did.

I did some moss stitch for the collar and I think that looks nice. Close up it doesn't look that bad, I suppose. The stitches are even and the colour is nice. Its just the edges look a bit rough and lumpy. At the end of the day if I had only done some moss stitch or a garter stitch at the bottom of the body it may have turned out better.

Oh well. Lesson learned.... read the abbreviations before you start.

Getting back into it.

 

The last time I was in Canada visiting my mum and dad, I decided I needed a project to do. This was last October. In terms of completing a project, "October" meanings "OMG!!! I need to start anything I want done in time for Christmas!"

 

My cousin had her first baby the pervious May, so I thought the perfect recipient of my first project would be my new baby cousin.

 

This jumper is from the book Wee Knits by Mission Falls. I used the Mission falls brand wool. In retrospect it was a really nice experience using this pattern. The wool was a nice texture and it was relatively simple. However there are a few confusing parts of the pattern and I did have to modify the stripe sequence so that the green stripes stuck out rather then in.

  

I was proud of my boyfriend for picking out the little bear buttons. I thought they were a perfect find. The end product was finish by Christmas... but I didn't get into the post until New Years. However it got good reviews from my little cousin (well...his mum said he liked it... I'm sure he will thank me when he can speak.)