The shawl collar cardigan!

Well what can I say about this?

I picked up some bargain yarn at this shop just recently, and picked a simple pattern to make a little cardigan to put away for Sophie for a yuletide gift. So aran yarn, wool content, stocking stitch cardi - easy don't you think? Poorly mama wanted as easy as can be for those late nights spent upright and aching. Cast on the back, follow the pattern - fine. Same for the right front. Do a quick tally of the yarn left........oh dear! One and one third skeins used for the back, around two thirds for the front. Taking a guess that each sleeve will use one skein and a further two thirds for the left front, leaving just under half a skein for the shawl collar. Hmmm, maybe my tension is out a little? Nope, all fine there. Did I mis-read the yarn requirments? No again, five stated and five bought. Oh well, maybe the collar won't use as much as I'm thinking. But just in case I cast on a sleeve next. Just as I thought it used exactly one skein, with only just enough left to stitch it up. So I set aside one skein for the other sleeve, and enough yarn for the left front, stitched the shoulders of the right front and back, and picked up the stitches for the shawl collar. I hoped that I would get this half of the collar completed with half of the remaining yarn. It soon became clear I wouldn't!

But then an even bigger problem became apparent. Following the pattern exactly was not going to give me the collar shown on the picture. I doublechecked the pattern, squinted at the picture to ascertain the number and formation of the stitches. No way was the pattern going to result in that collar. The shawl collar on the picture ended in a button closure at the chest, the shawl collar in the pattern  vee'd all the way down to the bottom edge of the cardi. So after banging down my knitting and snapping a lovely wooden needle taking a deep breath, I pulled back to where I thought the pattern was going wrong and started on the alternative top-of-my-head shawl collar. This turned out better than the original pattern but I still wasn't 100% happy with it. And I used over half of the collar yarn too! Although I have to say considerably less than I would have used following the pattern. So after acquiring an extra skein of yarn I put the cardi away and went on a little R'n'R break.

After a couple of days away and some non-taxing and therapeutic hooking of the Granny Stripe Kingsize Throw (capitalizing for such a mega project is essential I think?) I decided to face the  cardi again and so knitted up the left front and second sleeve. When it came to the collar I decided to follow the pattern once again,  and then showed  anyone I could bribe into caring  interested housedwellers the mutant-looks- finished-but-why-does-it-have-2-different-collars? cardi and see which they preferred. And the overwhelming opinion of all three bored interested people (I tried to get an opinion off  the 15 year old boy on his way to the fridge but strangely he didn't appear to be that interested) was that the revised collar was the winner. So I ripped back the original, pattern followed, odd collar and tried to remember my own. A bit more moaning and groaning later and the collar was finished. Still not how this knitter imagined but the general opinion is that Sophie will like it, or more importantly, that her mum will!

And if you read my yarn along post on the other blog yesterday you will already know that I have casted on for the same cardi again in Heather's size and an even lovelier colourway. But this time I know what I'm doing with the collar. And it definitely isn't the one on the pattern......or the one I ended up with above!!

So just in case anyone else wants to buy a pattern that shouldn't be followed, or knit a very oddly shaped shawl collared cardi, or maybe even show me exactly how I could have gone so wrong, here are the technical details :)

Pattern used (kind of): Sirdar 2275

Yarn: Sirdar Click aran shade 0148

Amount: 5.5 skeins (although pattern states 5 and would have used at least 6!)

Size: age 6-7 (although this fits cain who is actually a small 5 year old, luckily the same size as Sophie)

Needles: pair of 4mm (plus one extra for snapping!!) and pair of 5mm

Cost: 6x£1.39 - £8.34 from this sale (no idea why the price states £1.49, it was only £1.39 instore).

Yarn left: approximately 35g including short lengths.

I would love to hear if any of you have knitted this cardi, or will knit it, and how it has turned out for you.

And yes, I have yet another finished item to share with you all, so don't forget to come back soon.

-x-

Complete bed in a day!

Four years ago we found this in a car boot sale for Sophie:

Well a week or two ago Sophie and Emma brought it round in a real sorry state. The frill was pulled partly off, the pillow had a paint splash and the canopy was torn. Sophie wanted to know if I could make it nice again. So today I set to work and within an hour or two we had this:

So there you go - a complete new bed set in a day. Not bad huh? Now come on, you didn't really think I meant a real bed when you read the title did you?

Other news - no Woolfest visit. If you read the other blog you will know already but unfortunately my plans were scuppered by the beginnings of a virus, which coupled with my hayfever and the sudden change to very humid weather meant that I felt awful yesterday morning and couldn't even get out of bed, never mind do the 100+ mile trip to Cumbria. Oh well, there's always next year. And I did feel a little better this morning so managed a potter round the car boot sale where I found some lovely bargains which I'll share with you all tomorrow.

How about you? Did you manage any crafting this weekend?

See you all tomorrow.

-x-

Mitts and bits for christmas.

So I'm cracking on with the christmas list now. Finally got around to knitting the mittens to go with Sophie's hat and scarf:


Knitted on two needles so very quick and easy, the pair completed in one evening. I'm thinking of maybe appliqueing a little something on them just to pretty them up a little more. Emma likes very girly things for Sophie! The scarf is knitted in stocking stitch and so the sides curl inwards. To combat this it is going to be lined in some lovely pink cotton fabric and I might use the leftovers for the appliqueing. But no definite decision yet as sewing really is not my strongpoint.

And another pair of mittens, only not quite so easy and definitely more time consuming:


I've knitted these for Owen and his love of all things Thomas. The intarsia wasn't too bad, nor was the extra embroidering of features. The worst and most time consuming part was the sewing in of loose threads. Or more to the point, sewing them in neatly with such a limited working surface! All these threads (and more) to sew into one little mitten:


I have another handmade beautiful thing to show you today. This lovely little dolly made especially for Heather for me to pop in the christmas stocking:


Oh how I would love to be able to sew as well as this. But I can't. And so special thanks go to Pippa for creating this little doll just for us. Heather has already had a sneak peek and just didn't want to let go so I'm sure dolly will be much loved. Thank you Pippa.

Now I think I should go and finish sewing up that second mitten before little one opens her eyes. And maybe even start on the hat to match.
Happy crafting all.
xx

That scarf! And those fruit!

Well I finally managed to get a photo of that scarf knitted for Owen. It's a yummy scarf, knitted with love and care. Do you want to see? Here goes............

So what do you think? It's great isn't it? And do you know why it's so special? Because Helen knitted it for her little brothers christmas gift! She only learned to knit in the summer and her first project was a rough scarf from super chunky wool for herself. This is her second project and I think she has done a fantastic job. Knitted in simple garter stitch, all work her own, from a 100g ball of Robin DK, all used. So she has started her next project which is a scarf for Sophie, this time in stocking stitch which she is just coming to grips with. Not quite what a woman who is about to turn 18 on Saturday is expected to be doing with her evenings in this day and age..........

As for the fruit, well that's finished too. Knitted, packed and in the hands of the Royal Mail as of today. A little picture of the finished work:

You know I'm sure my camera doesn't like green! The pears are a lovely shade of green but they look so washed out on this picture. All knitted from scraps of DK. The orange is acrylic, the apple is something silky from an unremembered source and the pear is merino.

And finally a picture of the hat for Sophie:

Again a simple stocking stitch hat knitted in about 50g or less of a Robin acrylic DK, just like Owen's. Very quick and easy to make, perfect for beginners. In fact Helen is going to make one for Heather after she finishes the scarf. I think I might supply her with some nicer yarn though, maybe a lovely, soft merino......

Well that's the christmas list moving along nicely. Although today the postman brought me a pattern for a jacket which I want to knit for myself with the wool John found in a car boot sale a while ago. I really want to start on that but not sure if I can spare the time with so much left on the christmas list. Although I don't want to see the christmas list as a chore preventing me from getting on with other things. Maybe I'll start the jacket and a christmas project too and see what happens ;-)
Well time to start the evening meal before the family return and Heather wakes. See you soon. xx