FO: Honeycomb Vest

I finally have a photo of my finished Honeycomb :D I am very very happy with this project, not least because I finished it within the Ravelympics deadline. The yarn is Rowan Purelife Organic DK - my birthday present from the BF, a mere 300g of it. I knit it pretty much to the pattern, apart from adding an inch at the hem, and it fits wonderfully - better than in the photo in fact. It looks somewhat lumpy around the middle for some reason. I swear it's not. Nor am I (My lumps are beginning to position themselves on my hips instead - too much cake). I think this is probably a result of it being scrumpled up into wrinkles at the foot of my bed. I CAN'T HELP IT! It gets very hot in this bedroom, there is much flinging off of jumpers.



Also lookee! New haircut! I got a fringe cut last Tuesday for the first time in about 8 years. I regretted it so much when I first had it, probably just because I felt I didn't look like me, but I really like it now. It has a bit of a split personality too, sometimes it's wispy (as above), sometimes it's straight. I prefer the wisps, they are more friendly to people who miss being able to see their foreheads, but I'm getting used to the straight fringe as well though (it's more fashionable - I'm not accustomed to being fashionable). It looks cute with hats too :D I think I may be brave enough to knit a beret next time.

Watch this space for me experimenting with more wooly hats and passing out because the sun has now decided to come back to England.

My heels do not need hats.

I just saw a kitchen fire in the block of flats opposite me. I could see the guy looking unconcerned in the next room while the grill got more and more insane so I called the fire brigade and they were already on the way! The family in the flat knew! They were perfectly aware that their kitchen was burning and they were just....standing there. Making no effort to usher their YOUNG CHILDREN out of the building. People astonish me.

(They are all fine now. Fireman Sam arrived and they have a very black kitchen but nothing worse.)

Anyhoooooo, I got my vest finished the day before the end of the Olympics and it looks fabby. Still haven't bothered to get photos taken. I'm not fond of posing - despite the fact the America's Next Top Model is my latest guilty pleasure. I unironically love that show. Oh the shame.

In the mean time, I have an older finished object.



These are the Hat-Heel socks from Knitty, knit up in stripy Regia. They were quick - I started on my way up to my parents at the beginning of January and I think I was finished by the end of the month, but I'm not entirely convinced I like them. I don't thinkt he heel's the right shape for me, it's a little baggy and I don't like the pick up ridges. Interesting to knit, but not something I'd repeat. I will repeat the Surprising stretchy bind off though, that's brilliant.

I have moved on to bigger and better things now with little purple lacey wotsits from the Cookie A. book!

Whoosh

I'm not really quite sure how I've managed to knit this so fast, but I no longer have any worries about finishing this before the end of the Olympics (of course, I've now jinxed it, so four of my fingers will fall off today). Admittedly I haven't been watching much of the Games. I had planned to but, egad there are a lot of different ways to move over frozen water. I got behind and it was clogging up the Sky Plus box, so I've given up and I'm just watching the twirly girly ice skating and ignoring the rest now.

Since I've been zipping through the vest so fast, Iive also entered the Aerial Unwind event to frog old project fails (getting a headstart on reknitting later in the year too). I already frogged Rapunzel earlier in the month, with the intention of starting again from scratch (sob), and last week I demolished Chloe and the Snapping Turtle skirt.

These sad and weary projects are no more.


This was something I was designing myself, but I didn't touch it for ages, kinda lost track of what I was doing, and the yoke's looking somewhat funky. It'll probably be re knit into something vaguely similar, but starting from the top.

This was all but finished, but YACK, so unflattering. FAIL. This will be something completely different, possibly a stripy hoodie.

Better luck next time

FO: Candy

I finished my jacket :D It's not perfect - I was working from my own gauge so I really should have made more of a plan before I started knitting, and I changed things and made them up as I went along - but I'm pretty darn proud of it anyway. I was mildly hungover in this photo - that's what I'm blaming for the slightly confused expression. The plastic furniture background has to be blamed on my camera, which spazzed out and over-exposed EVERY OTHER ANGLE in the garden. Hey ho.

Pattern: Based on Candy, before being fiddled around with a bit.

Yarn: 100% wool bought from the Knitting4Fun stand at last year's Woolfest.

Modifications: Well, since I changed yarn weight, pretty much the whole garment, none of which I have notes for. I added some short rows around the back and shoulders to bring the neckline up a bit, and finished off with a couple of rows of pink before casting off.
The ribbing at the bottom edge was too small to meet in the middle due to my impressive grasp of what negative ease actually means, so I had to rip back and replace it with stocking stitch with some increases over my hips. I didn't knit enough ribbing on the bottom of this bit, so if I wear it unzipped it flips up at the back. Rats.
Finally, and again because it was a little too small without, I picked up along the edges and knit a band to give myself an extra inch, and decided on a zip rather than risk it straining and gapping around buttonholes. It is...not as easy as it should be to guess how long a finished zip band is going to be when you're deciding when to cast off the main body. Makes it somewhat awkward when zips only come in certain lengths. So yeah, it's a little longer than it should be and makes weird angles at the top and bottom. Who cares. I shall wear my first finished jacket with pride anyway.

(and the next one will be better thought out)

New additions to the sock drawer

Originally this was just going to be a post of my completed toe-up socks, but then I finished my Jaywalkers yesterday, so I have twooooooooooo pairs! Woohoo!

I finished these just before I moved, just very plain vanilla stocking stitch socks in Regia 4ply Surprise Colour. They're my first toe-up socks, using Amy Swenson's Universal Toe-up Sock Formula and they fit perfectly round the foot, but the short row toe is kinda huge, so I don't think I'd use it for anything with a stitch pattern. My cast off is a little too tight too, so I'll use a sewn cast off next time.

My Jaywalkers are made in Noro Kureyon Sock, a gift from a Monthly Adventures swap. I like the pattern, but not too keen on the yarn. I love love love the colours, but the quality isn't great, much the same complaints as I've read from other people about Noro yarns. It's very scratchy to knit with, though it does soften up considerably after washing, and the way it's spun or...plied or...something (yeah, I'm not a spinner) makes it very tight and prone to twisting up in my hands. I managed to snap two needles while knitting these socks. Oh, and I found a knot halfway through the second sock which was tied to the wrong colour in the sequence. Gah. Shame Noro do such pretty colours. I guess until I can afford the lovely handpainted luxury sock yarns I shall stick to nice practical cheap (machinewashable) Regia.

Just a quick note about the new pair of socks I started last week. These are Cut & Paste socks in more Regia (bright, bright red Silk 4ply this time), and the toe on these starts from Judy's magic cast on. This technique is GENIUS. That is all.

2 days to go!

I am two days away from the end! Not, I hasten to add, two days away from poncey gowns and mortarboards, I still have a little while to mentally prepare myself for that anguish, but my final deadline of the degree (CVs, portfolios and a lovely long evaluation about how wonderful the course is) is on Thursday. I had my big scary finished garments hand in 2 weeks ago, so this one isn't worrying me half as much, and I've been able to knit away to my heart's content in between preparing my portfolio and rather half-heartedly looking for jobs.

Ooh! And the costume I just handed in? Not only is it by far my best work, but I've been told by my Head of Costume that it's one of the best pieces he's seen ON THE ENTIRE COURSE. I am slightly swept away in a tidal wave of Smug right now. (Photos to come in a few weeks, gotta get a good photoshoot for this one)


And onward to knitting...


I have actually cast on at least 6 new projects since I last blogged, but in an effort not to make this post explode with images, I may leave those until later and catch up on some extremely late finished objects.



I finished my stripy jumper! About 6 months ago! (this is how behind on blogging I am) This marks a milesone for me. It isn't the first full size garment I made (that was the blue green and purple acrylic blob), nor is it the first jumper I've made that fit me (that was Tempting), but it is the first full size jumper I've made that fit me and STILL FITS AFTER BEING WASHED!! Huzzah, success at last! I love it, as you can probably tell from my out of focus grin. Ms. Walker is a genius and I look forward to making more garments from Knitting From the Top, though probably not any of the various styles of knitted trousers.

Just before finishing my (incredibly cartoonish) stripy jumper, I made a Kombu scarf from the Manos silk blend I bought in Scotland. I love this pattern, though...err...it possibly would benefit from something a little less drapey in terms of yarn.

The second scarf I made was for a two part swap over at the Monthly Adventures group on Ravelry, the idea being that we sent someone a skein of yarn (along with some presents for them), then they used that yarn to knit a scarf and sent it back. I ended up being paired with Twinsmama a second time for this one! She sent me 2 gorgeous malabrigo skeins which I used to make her a Reversible Cabled Brioche Stitch Scarf. This is another great scarf pattern, it has all the flat, reversible, extra squishy benefits of ribs, with added pretty cables all over it. 'Tis a good thing she picked pink yarn or I would have been sooo tempted to keep this for myself. But I did get a lovely lacy chevron scarf back from her so I don't mind too much!

Last minute Christmas presents! These were for a couple of my friends from university who unexpectedly gave me presents at the last minute (eep). Thems on the left are Fetchings, the most popular project on ravelry, for good reason. I think I finished those in one day. Thems on the right I designed myself :D Yup, I made charts'n'everything. I'm currently reknitting these as full mittens with some minor tweaks to the cable, then 'll write out a pattern. (Though it might make more sense if I waited until after the summer. Maybe)




Last one! This is the Limerick Moss Cap in mmmmmmMalabrigo, one of the lovely presents Twinsmama sent me in the scarf swap. According to my project page, this is the last item I finished knitting and I remember wearing it on my birthday. *sigh* that's over 4 months without a single finished item.

Hmm. So much for not having a picture heavy post.

Never mind. Just to cap it off, this is my small selection of current works in progress:

Hmm. I may be overcompensating for the last 4 months...

P.S. I did go and see the turtles at Weymouth in the Easter holidays, they are unbelivably cute! I think they're actually terrapins though. Bah. False advertising. But they are (were) about an inch long and thoroughly confused by the mirrored sides of the tank which more than made up for it.

P.P.S. I also went up to Wembley Arena the day after my final fitting to see the Prodigy play live :D (yes, I took 2 whole days off when making this costume). The Prodigy are, it has to be said, not as cute as baby terrapins, but they do set off this bizarre reaction in me that makes me dance like a broken marionette having an epileptic fit while stone cold sober. I am still on a high from this gig. Though I may remember to wear a sports bra if I ever see them again

P.P.P.S. I finally got round to casting on my second toe up sock, on the same needles, with the same number of stitches, only to find that my guage has somehow changed in the last 6 months. Well, bugger.

I <3 Bosch

I thought I had better write a quick post before it gets to another 2 months with no word. 1930s suit finished and apparently performed in, but they didn't start the dress rehearsals til I was already gone, so I didn't get to see it. Shame. Currently my life is being consumed by this:

Anyone who has done dressmaking might know what a pain in the arse normal jetted pockets are, but curved ones? with 4mm jets? Oh my God. I must be insane. I have my next fitting in 12 days, and because it is now the Easter holidays, only 2 of those days are in uni. So, to make up for my withdrawal symptoms and rubbish home equipment I bought myself a very sexy new iron. It's sleek and black and so powerful I just set off the smoke alarms cleaning it, and it depresses me how excited I am by something that is really just a shiny, expensive LAUNDRY APPLIANCE. This is apparently how I spend the money that normal students spend on clothes and alcohol.

So that's taking up 95% of my waking hours right now, though in my 2 week easter break I have given myself one whole day of free time - I am allowing my boyfriend too drive me to Weymouth on Monday to see the new baby turtles at the sealife centre :D (*squeeeeeeal)

Other than that, I've been keeping myself (almost) sane with a couple of rows now and then on Candy, in the Knitting4Fun yarn I bought at Woolfest. It seems to be a little small at the moment. It is supposed to be knit with negative ease, but I may have overdone it slightly. Oh well, I can always add a massive buttonwrap.

So that's it. I'm well aware that I still haven't shown off my Christmas knitting, or even my finished-months-before-Christmas knitting,but I am also well aware that my degree will be finished in less than 2 months and sadly knitting is not much of a priority. But hey, there's every possiblity that when I graduate I'll be unemployed and living in a box, so I'll have all the time in the world for knitting and blogging!

Fingers crossed.

Old ladies are officially cooler than me.

I was knitting on the bus yesterday and an old lady started a conversation with me about how unusual it is to see people knitting these days. I told her it gave me something to do on the achingly long journeys. She said she used to knit a lot and I asked why she didn't anymore, expecting her to blame arthritis or something similar. Nope.

"I don't really have the patience anymore. I tend to go out and enjoy life instead."

Well, dang. So that's it. I knit because I have no life. I knew something was missing.

Anyhoo, this is what I was knitting:

Ths is my first pair of toe-up socks, using the Knitty Universal toe-up formula, which has a short row toe starting from a provisional cast on. I love this toe, tis genius.

Other than that I haven't done a lot since the last time I updated. The month sort of ran away with me really. The Snapping Turtle skirt is 2 and a half rows down and, man these hexagons go slowly. I finished Mia, and will take a photograph at....some....point, but I didn't get to wear it. The dress I was making for Nancy and Olly's wedding is still in piles of spotty fabric on my desk because (surprise, surprise) my sewing machine broke again, and my fallback dress wasn't quite as shrug-friendly.

I really need to buy myself a new sewing machine.

Hmm. My New year's resolution to update blogs more often hasn't gone that well so far. Oops.

Just finished my Christmas presents in time (had to get up at 730 to bind off my boyfriend's before he woke up!) I have photos of them in use somewhere, but I think I'll have to go on a hunt for them.
Moss stitch scarf for me brother, which I've been told was mistaken for a Ted Baker (ooh, swanky)














Tychus for my dad. Either my guage is still way off, which I don't think it is, or the guy Tychus was made for has a huge head. I only used 4 of the 5 sections in this.














Tychus No.2 for my boyfriend, minus the mistake I made on my Dad's seam.














So I'm back onto knitting for myself now! (yay!) The back and left front of Rapunzel are done, and I'm gonna start my gloves soon, which probably means they'll be finished by about May, and I've promised something for Clare's babber, which is due in February.

I got my last SP6 package in the post last week, which was lovely, especially as it included things for my Mexico trip (so thoughtful!) and a pattern that's actually been in my favourites for a few months without my pal's knowledge!
So, I got: a mosquito net, a sleeping bag liner, a massage thingie (technical term that), some lovely fruity candles, this corset pattern, some simple bag patterns, and a skein of Noro Blossom, which smells of lovely fruity candles and is wonderfully soft and squishy.




























Finally finished my socks after Christmas as well, they're keeping my feet nice and cosy right now, and they do look fab, but I don't think I'll be sock knitting again, far too much hard work for something that gets hidden beneath shoes.

My mum picked me up a present in an antique fair last week. Isn't it sweet? Heh.

















Christmas presents are going very slowly at the moment, I havn't had much time to knit. I've started knitting Tychus for my dad but I'm gonna have to start again. For some reason, my gauge for yarn A was right, my gauge for yarn B was right, but when I put them together in stripes it all went tits up and if I carry on going I could probably fit 3 heads in it. Well, I could keep going for the novelty value

Photos!

So, now that I can actually get some photos online, here is the finished Tempting (hoorah!)



















I can't believe how big the pattern is, I did a size smaller than I usually wear and went down several needle sizes for the top and it still slips about like crazy. It looks navy but it's really a teal blue.

And then this is all my lovely yarn from the knitting and stitching show :D Very sorry if you don't have broadband, far too many photos for one post.













Mystery cheapo £1 a ball stuff, no idea what I'm gonna do with this, the white stuff is really odd, feels almost like raffia.













Lovely neutral coloured yarn for a scarf for my brother.













Bargain grey Jaeger merino wool, probably for a jacket of some kind.













'Black Watch' lambswool from Touchyarns New Zealand, which doesn't photograph very well but has bits of dark green and blue throughout it. Ooh, gorgeous.















More lambswool from Touchyarns, this one's for Rapunzel and did look a lot prettier before I balled it up, but is knitting up perfect all the same. I started knitting on the train up to Norwich to see my boyfriend at the weekend and managed to make a grand total of 5 false starts. I think I may have underestimated how long it would take me to get used to knitting from a chart. Thankfully it clicked into place on the way back and I'm now a few inches in and totally in love.

And finally, my second package from my secret pal, all with an underwater theme. Except for maybe the sweets.
















So, there is: 2 pages of fishy cartoon stickers, for sticking on windows I think...please correct me if I'm wrong before I go and wreck my glass, 2 pages of metallic fish stickers - I'm vaguely thinking about holding a underwater themed party to raise money for the conservation project in Mexico so they'd be good for the invites, if I don't do that (knowing me, I won't), I'll save them for a photo album when I get back, - a candy necklace which I'm eating as I type (in the proper fashion of course, whilst wearing it), and a tropical fish inpired ball of sock yarn, which is most likely to turn into a pair of gloves, so I can show it off without removing my shoes!

Right, I'm now off to knit some more of Rapunzel in front of the telly.

Yesterday was a gooood day. Firstly I went to the Knitting and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace and spent, um, £82 on yarn. Oops. Budget out the window a bit. Secondly Tempting got her first outing and received many a compliment from total strangers, and thirdly, I got back home at 7 laden with bags, to find a second package from my secret pal! This lot should keep me going for at least 6 months.

O...K... I don't seem to be able to put any photos up at the moment so I'll have to show off all my goodies next time. Nuts.

Just enough time for a great meme I found on Stacey's blog. Paste "(your name) needs" into Google and list the best 10 results.

Hannah needs...

...so much expensive care

...a home and a good daily walk

...to go into the tunnel and face the prisoner

...to apply lots of make-up so she can perform in her latest dramatic role

...to sleep now, she cannot feel her feet

...more than Taggert can offer

...an intermediate to advance confident rider who is gentle on the reins

...a little sister from China

...to be naked at all times, eats kebabs

...puppets

Hmm, I should really be less lazy about updating this blog, particularly when SP6 is going on.

Tempting is finally finished (Yay!) and it actually fits this time (Yay!), but I can't find my camera, so no pictures yet (Not so yay!). I've also made a start on sock number 2, mainly so I can get another project over with before I go to the Knitting and Stitching show. Less than a week! Eeee!

My wonderful secret pal sent me Rowan 34, which I've been trying to get hold of on ebay for ages (thankyou again!), so I'll have to look for some yarn for this when I'm there:

















Mmmm...fairytaley. Not sure what colour to do, I don't really wear light colours that much and the pattern would probably be lost in dark colours.

I'm also very fond of these, so if I get my way I'll end up with far too many cardigans and no money.




































And last but not least, I started learning to crochet last night. My sample is laughable as I didn't realise I was missing out a stitch at the beginning of every row, but it's sorted now, and I reckon its not half bad for a first attempt.

It is complete!

Tempting is finished! Well, ish. It's so lovely and soft and I want to take it to bed with me and other things I should be locked up for, but it's a little loose so I'm going to attempt to work backwards on the last 5 rows and re-do them with smaller needles. That should be fun. Photos when I can actually wear it without fear of it falling down and showing my bra.

I finished the knitting part of the Sirdar Frenzy bag at work today and brought it home to sew in the lining, which I havn't bothered to start yet. I still think it's horrible, but my mum, work collegues and random customers keep coming up to me and saying 'isn't that cool', so I shall hold my tongue and call it 'not my taste' rather than 'hideous'. Each to their own I suppose, there are probably many knitters out there who think the yarns I knit with are boring.

And Secret Pal's underway! Yay! I've already emailed my pal, and got a musical e-card (which made me jump out of my skin, I wasn't expecting it to suddenly start singing at me!) from the person spoiling me, and I'm off to buy my first gift tomorrow, if I can actually find what I want. All very exciting :D

Mmm...Fair Isle

My second book came in the post :D




















To be honest I hadn't expected it to be quite so...uh...seventies, some of the garments are really laughable, but it's the charts I'm after and there's loads of them. I just have to promise not to make the boyfriend one of these.




















And for those of you having trouble with people not fully appreciating gifts:




















Now the ungrateful brats know just how much went into this. If you like, you can add 'It's really hard' in the next band.


On the knitting front, I've mostly been doing Tempting, both sleeves now done and attached, looks like a proper jumper now. One for dolls, mind.




















And more excitingly, I've got a job at my local fabric shop! Yay! Only three days a week so I won't get much money, but I get to knit at work! (ooh, too many exclamation marks) Now I just need to spend my first few weeks gaining their trust, then persuade them they want to expand the yarns to more than acrylic and fun fur.

Sleeves and Secret Pals

Finished one of the sleeves for my huge jumper, I think my guage (or possibly the instructions, as I did actually check this time) is off since I magically reached the required length without doing the block of work even I was supposed to do. Oh well, at least it wasn't something important I missed out.

Also been having great fun stabbing myself with DPNs for the first Tempting sleeve. Gah! Why are they so long! What on Earth are you going to knit on DPNs that needs to be that big? Socks for yetis? I think I've more or less got it figured out with minimal puncture wounds now, and worked out that you can work into the back of the first stitch to avoid big ladders. Cunning eh?

And since I've been having trouble with DPNs, it makes a great deal of sense that I just did my guage for Broadstreet Mittens. Of course. Not supposed to be starting this till one of the others is finished, but the yarn is calling to me. It looks like cookies and cream!












And finally, I've just signed up for Secret Pal 6. Eee, v. excited about this, though I imagine I'll waste lots of money buying stuff for myself while shopping for my pal. Not good.

On the Needles

This now the third time I've attempted to update this blog. I'm gonna go and cry if it crashes again. On a lighter note, I found my camera, so I can upload my multiple WIPs

















Lace shawl based on Leaves &Waves, but without the strange block of stocking stitch. Made from a recycled charity shop jumper, which was great fun, especially with my new wool winder, despite the fact that it left mohair everywhere.

















Huge polo neck jumper which I'm worried is going to turn out somewhere between small enough to fit and big enough to look like it isn't meant to. Oh well, maybe it'll shrink in the wash.















Mmm Tempting. I love this project. Especially the yarn, it's so yummy and soft. It's gonna be so hard to go back to cheapo acrylic cack after this stuff.


Right, crossed fingers.