On a roll!

Two posts in one day, who'd of thunk it?

I should have saved this one for tomorrow really because there will be no crafting tomorrow as I'm in work all day and Heather likes lots of mummy cuddles in the evening if we've been apart all day. But I was far too excited at finally getting a long thought of project started and finished all in one day that I'm here and sharing with you. Remember the last post I mentioned I really wanted to knit up the Aviatrix hat for Heather? Well I cast on this afternoon whilst the children were playing together and it worked up so quickly and easily that it is already cast off and finished!

What do you think?

I first came across the pattern here, and the model looked so pretty in it I knew I would have to make one for Heather. 

Technical details:

Yarn - James C. Brett 100% merino DK shade PM1

Amount - 43g

Size - 18 months

Needles - 3.25 and 4mm straights.

Pattern - Aviatrix, available on Ravelry, or this blog. (Thank you to Justine for sharing her hard work).

Now all I need is for Heather to wake up so I can get her to model it for me.

(Oh and the yarn was from the stash proper so I still have one 50g ball and around 25g of another ball left to make something to go with the hat.  I think I originally bought 4 balls of this wool as it was so lovely and soft and knitted some of it up into these pants (don't look at the date!) before storing away to await a fitting project.)

So nearly seven weeks into the year and still not a single scrap of yarn bought. Actually better not let dear husband read this, he will feel justified in his comments that I have far too much!

-x-

All done.

Well, I did it. I beat "second sock syndrome"! It took some discipline I can tell you. I cast on the second sock immediately after I finished the first. Within minutes. And worked a few rounds. Later I took out my little bag of crochet squares.and then put it away again. And worked a few more sock rounds. 

 

I almost got waylaid by this lovely blog into yet another tank top. But I stuck with the sock. And of course there's this hat I want to knit up too. But still the sock held out. Well apart from a little sewing make, special little valentines gifts for three special little people:

(Apologies for sharing photos across blogs - how lazy of me).
And how differently the same colours look under different lighting conditions. The socks are more this purple combination than the pinks of the previous post!

But here we go. Second sock finished. Finally, a make for the gift box. 

Technical details:

Yarn used - Opal sock yarn, but label missing so shade unknown!

Amount - 53g.

Size - approximately UK 5-6.

Needles - 2.5mm DPN's.

Pattern - the often used one in my head!

So did I say two a month? Better get cracking on then!

-x-

Hey, did you see?

There's an entry at last under the gift makes heading over to the right!

That's right, I decided to take a little break from the scrap stashbusting and work on a little something from the stash proper:
  

And what better way to start:

A pair of socks. Or rather,  half a pair of socks:

And because I am one of those knitters who get bored halfway through (do you remember the socks I was making for John to take to the TT in June 2009? Yes, the ones that I blogged about finishing around October 2010.....), I made sure I got started on it's partner right away. And of course when you cast on a pair of socks the first few rounds are always such a nuisance don't you find? You know, you have to keep going to the point where you realise you don't have to keep checking the round hasn't twisted and that you just know the rib sequence without watching the stitches like a hawk? Well for me at least it takes 3-4 rows before I feel I can safely put them down and know that they will stay how they should:

Right I'd better get the housework done so I can get on with the partner!

-x-

And so I gave in.

I wasn't going to rely on the old fallback - scarves and throws. Honest I wasn't. And then I came across this old brochure that provided my crochet breakthrough. Before this I just couldn't get my head round it at all. It's very old, and I've no idea how it came to be in my knitting bag one day, but I'm so pleased it did:

And so a flick through the pages and I came across a very simple pattern for a blanket made from the easiest squares ever. And very addictive in the hooking too. First one: 

Then lots more in this odd brown shade which has lingered in my bag for months or even years:

And once the brown had been turned int ten lovely squares I began on the scraps of lemon:

Then pink:

I just couldn't stop:

And so I am heading towards that thing I said I wouldn't do - turning my whole stash into one lovely cosy, crochet throw.

But if boredom doesn't set in (which it certainly hasn't yet 22 squares in) then I will hopefully have a lovely crochet work of art to keep us cosy in the caravan on the cold spring evenings.

So anyone else managing to resist the lure of the yarn shop so far this year?

-x-

Rainbow spotting.

Black can be such a dull colour for a little one:

But mixed with rainbow colours:

Neon bright and beautiful:

It makes for a cardi to brighten the rainiest of days:

Yes, finally finished the rainbow bright. This was a pain of a top to work on. I wanted to use up all the jewel like colours in my scrap bag and thought a top for Heather would be a good idea. But how to work the stripes? I didn't want to stripe across and also didn't want to twist lots of colours together so I had the bright (sorry!) idea of working the top sideways in garter stitch rows. So I guessed at the underarm to hip length and began knitting, 2 rows in each colour. I reached the point where I had to cast on for the armhole to shoulder length to come in and couldn't quite get the length I needed. Three times I ripped back before I was happy! And then I was away. I worked the one side and then reversed the stripe combination for the other side. And then I realised I wasn't going to have enough bright yarn to do an allover stripey knit. The solution, after a couple of days deliberating........black! Because I wasn't working the stripes I decided to work this side in plain stocking stitch working from the bottom up to the neck. Much easier to work out the necessary measurements but very boring simple to get on with. I finished off with a black garter stitch edging to the armholes ( I wanted sleeves but was very low on the black by this time), neck and bottom edge. More picking up of stitches for all the edging but much easier than on the last knit, 140sts around the bottom but all in one straight row, no curves to work around this time thankfully.

I did write the pattern for this as I was going along but I really don't think it would be worth sharing as it would need an exact tension due to being worked in two directions. Besides I'm fairly certain I won't be trying it again so I don't think anyone else would ;-)

Technical details:

87g of black DK from the scrap bag

Roughly 15g each of cerise, blue, pink, purple, yellow and aqua DK again from the scrap bag.

Worked on 4mm straight needles.

This took about 11 hours in total over the past week.

The idea came during that hazy period before finally succumbing to sleep.

So it's onwards and emptywards with the scrap bag. I can fasten the zip now without having to push down on it, so it's gradually going down. This is it tipped over the floor earlier whilst I rummaged for a scrap of black to finish the seams on the cardi:

 

Thinking cap back on whilst I decide what next can magically appear from the bits that no-one in their right mind would want.

And tomorrow I might even have a rummage through the yarn stash proper and maybe plan a few gift knits. Or failing that at least share a glimpse of what marvels are hiding in there.......

-x-

Recycling..

I've hit a snag with the rainbow bright. I am trying to decide which of two paths I should follow to compensate for the rapid decrease in yarn to finish the project.So to take my mind of that, or to await a flash of inspiration, I decided to have a play with the sewing machine. I came across a ring sling I made a couple of years ago (an easy make - just straight lines and a couple of pleats) and decided to re-use the fabric for a new make.

I'm definitely getting the hang of this sewing lark as it only took me two hours and one footstamping episode before I came up with this:

It's even got buttonholes that match each side! Go me!

I haven't tried it on Heather yet so it may well end up going back in the cupboard and being long forgotten about. Or pressed upon some poor unsuspecting mum to a smaller girl. But it looks about right. Hopefully.

And in other news - still no gift knits! I'm rubbish at being organised. So now it's February and I should have two items tucked away and waiting to be gifted and another two should at least be in the planning stages. Well actually I'm ahead on that side of things. I have a neverending list of things at the planning stage. It's just deciding what to make next. And of course knowing that I have the stash to work through and plan to.....

So how you all doing with the gift makes? Or the scrap busting? Better than I am, I hope :-)

Off to have another long stare at the rainbow bright and hope for that flash of inspiration to strike.

-x-

PS - And now I'm looking at this post I'm wondering if maybe I should have made the dress so that the straps went under the bodice rather than over.......... although I did think I preferred it the way it is at the time.

-x-