It's Complicated...

I'm a bit CONFLICTED by this hat...

I feel like there's a lot going on -

so many different stitches and colours,

that I don't quite know where to look first...

And it AMUSES me that from some angles,

there's a little bit of a mohawk going on!

Here's one final photo, to prove that my model wasn't COMPLETELY sullen during this shoot...

A Wolf Skin Blanket...

Have you ever attempted to make something - and found that the end product didn't look at all like the picture you had in your head? I hope so, because it happens to me all the time!

It's not necessarily a bad thing actually. I mean you're the only one who knows how it was SUPPOSED to look... so no one else will be any the wiser.

Unless you tell them.

And I'm kind of confessing to you right now, that this one didn't come out as planned!

But I fell in love with him anyway.

In my mind, he looked more like a wolf (and less like a fox). Maybe a little fiercer. With a shorter, wider snout, I think...

But here's the thing:

I LOVE HIM JUST THE WAY HE IS.

He's cuddly and snuggly, and I love the simplicity of the garter stitch.

I especially love the fuzzy bits inside the ears...

He may not be the fierce wolf I was aiming for - but what child wants to snuggle something fierce?

 

 

Now, I've written the pattern for this blanket - and it's been fully tested.

So if you'd love to make your own wolf (or change the colours and make him a fox) then head on over here for all the pattern details, and the link to purchase the pattern.

As plain as the nose on your face...

I thought I was so clever...

Teddy was finished and no sign of the baby yet...

Something looked a little odd about the bear.

But I convinced myself that it was just the eyes...

All the other bears I have made from this pattern have had embroidered eyes - so these safety eyes make him look really different!

And then one of the kids announced:

Mummy. Why doesn't he have a nose???

Hmmmmmmm....

THAT'S why he looks odd!

Baby Gift Time

My next door neighbour is pregnant.

Really - Really - Really Pregnant!

Overwhelmingly Pregnant...

Like "due last week" kind of pregnant!

So I've gone back to my traditional baby gift teddy...

I've made so many of these guys over the years - at least 30 or more!

My book is almost in tatters from overuse.

I should probably know the pattern off by heart by now - but I don't.

Here's all my pieces - seamed and ready to stuff...

I wonder if I will finish before the baby arrives???

More Mitts...

Yep.

It's ANOTHER pair of fingerless mitts...

The fourth pair I've made from this pattern.



Little Miss Katie has claimed these ones for herself.

I thought they'd be huge on her - but they're not that bad!

Preparing for November...

As you know, in my group over on Ravelry, we have a new challenge each month...

(Anyone is welcome to join in the fun - just pop on over.)

At the beginning of the month I offer a pattern for a particular project. Everyone makes their items, then posts photos when they are done. I choose my favourite - and the winner tells me what to design for the following month...

I've had so much fun working on these designs... and I'm really EXCITED about the upcoming November Challenge...

In the top photo you can see my swatching...

And in the photos below I have started on the piece... trying to avoid tangles!





So, I want to know what you think it is...

Because I think NO ONE will be able to guess correctly...

Go on and prove me wrong! I'd love you to!

And as a clue: here's a sneak peek of the sketch.

Success!

I think I've finally found my own rhythm with this Continental Knitting...

Notice I say KNITTING.

I can now work the knit stitch with even tension and no white knuckles. It takes a really long time to relax your hands when learning a new technique. You're concentrating so much on holding your fingers in new positions - and having them perform different roles than they normally would - that the poor things cramp up! Seriously. You can only work in short bursts because it it so exhausting for the Poor Little Fingies. I know that it sounds pathetic, but it's true...



But I'm confident now. And relaxed. I can knit Continental Style.

Just don't ask me to knit two together.

Or increase.

Or purl.

Those skills are going to take A LOT more practice!!!!

As you can see, I finished that third mitt.



Do you think it was a match with Loose Tension Mitt (the 1st one I knit) or Tight Tension Mitt (the 2nd one I knit)???

Come on - you know the answer. Just think about which would be the most annoying outcome!

It matched NEITHER.

But at least it fell somewhere between the two. Closer to the loose one... So I'm pretending they are a matched pair. Sometimes you just have to pretend a little. Fake it 'til you make it. Isn't that what they say?

Which Mitt Should I Frog?

Well?

One mitt is smaller than the other - so they're useless as a set... but which one do I frog???

My plan is to knit a THIRD mitt, and see which ones match best!



Do you see the little green bag in the photo?

That's another one of Dawnie's creations
- it's for keeping my yarn neat and clean and tidy as I work...

And if I want to work outside, or on the move... I just pop the drawstring around my wrist and off I go - no yarn trailing behind me to get tangled.

Anyone would think she had witnessed my yarn rolling around on the floor as I work on a project!

Surely not!




So this clever bag is made using a plastic bowl.

Dawn has drilled holes all the way around it
- and then crocheted into the holes to work the rest of the bag.

At the top is a drawstring closure. How cool is that???

(It's probably, maybe a teensy weensy bit on the PLAIN side for me - but I'll fix that - and Dawnie won't mind a bit. She's used to me by now, and knows exactly what I'm like. In fact, she's more likely to be SHOCKED that I haven't done it already.)

Edited to add:

I've just had an email from one of my readers, which I'd really like to share with you (and I don't think she'll mind at all)

I taught myself to knit and wanted to suggest what helped me. Continental method is the closest to how you would hold crochet;

the project in your left hand with the working thread wrapped around one of those fingers for tension while you knit with the needle on the right.

Once I thought of it in those terms my tensions became the same throughout.

So... I'm going to start thinking along those lines when I next pick up my mitts, and see if it helps. Thanks for the tip Steph - and by including it here in the blog, I hope it can help others too!

Announcing the Winner...

Time to choose a winner in the Flaming Lamborghini challenge..

There were some very creative bags on offer this month: Just take a look...

See the one on the top left... the Flamingo Bag? Loren knitted it out of PLASTIC BAGS! Yes. The entire thing is made from plastic. Even that striking flamingo...

And the one on the bottom left? T-shirts. Suzie knitted it using strips of old t-shirts. 

How clever is that?

Then you'll notice that the centre right one has a hole in it. 

A beautiful, practical, and intentional hole. 

Melba created that so that her yarn can stay safe and clean inside her project bag, 

while she is crafting...

Centre left we have the Icicle Bag. By changing the colour palette,

 Julie has entirely changed the feel of the bag... taking it from flames to icicles...

And look closely at the other two bags there... Jorel and Debbie have been quite sneaky. Instead of weaving in their yarn ends at the tip of each flame, they have left them loose as a bit of a design feature - creating a small tassel.

I love all these different versions, but I haven't shown you my favourite one yet:

Daphne has created the Africa Bag.

What amazing dedication to her theme... the yarn choices... beads... and the lining...

At first glance, it looks like some wonderfully intricate colour changing yarn has been used. But these are all individual solid colours, and it's Daphne's technique and timing with the changes that makes it look so awesome!

So a HUGE congratulations to Daphne...

and I will wait patiently to hear what she would like me to design for our next Knitting Challenge

(that part always makes me a little bit nervous - and excited at the same time)

Meanwhile.. the Flaming Lamborghini Bag pattern is now available for sale

PDF Knitting Pattern available for AU$4.50

Mitts that Fit!

Ooooohhhhh... I'm loving the way these mitts fit!

One is finished, and the other one - ALMOST done... 

Just need to knit up the thumb, and stitch down the top and bottom hems.

I'm making them from the Alpaca Yarn which was in my Prize Pack.

Here's the Project details...

I made the small size.

Pattern: Susie's Reading Mitts - free online pattern

Please note there is a small error in the pattern (for the small and large sizes). Errata is available on the Ravelry Pattern Page which I have linked you to.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns, Alpaca Lana D'Oro

The pattern calls for a DK weight yarn, and the Alpaca I have used claims to be a Worsted - but it feels more like a DK to me!

Needles: 3.25mm circulars

The pattern calls for 3.75mm size... I don't own any that size, and chose to go down rather than up because I work loosely.

Must go and finish the other one. I'm already wearing the first, and it's soooo toasty and warm!

Have really enjoyed the way these mitts work up - and I'm planning to make a second pair, using the burgundy alpaca from my Prize Pack. My Mother-In-Law has been complaining about how bitterly cold it is at the moment... and she LOVES that shade of red...

Scrappy Blanket - Complete

It was worth it!

Saving all those leftover threads...

Tying them all together...

Knitting up the squares...

And joining them all!

I am totally in LOVE with this Scrappy Blanket.

It has been the perfect time of year for piecing it all together.

We're in the thick of Winter here at the moment - and the evenings really do get mighty cold. The heating system here is one of those central systems, where you have to heat the whole house... and I really don't see the point in doing that - especially if I am the only one up!

I've been toasty and warm though.

With the blanket sitting on my lap as I work - I've been warmer and warmer with every square that was added.

So my new Scrappy Blanket is now the Couch Blanket...

Mr Goldfish loves it - and so do the kiddies. I've made it a single bed size - which means it's large enough for two people to snuggle under - or even three...

And there are loads of squares leftover, too!

As you can see, I've joined my squares in a basket weave pattern... where one square sits horizontally and the next one vertically. I love the effect of the stripes all criss-crossy like this.

Just LOVE!

Now what to make with the leftovers?

(I haven't counted them yet - but I'm pretty certain I've only used about half of them)

Could be another blanket - Because I know there will be tussles over this one...

You voted me INSANE! and I love it

So last week I asked you to vote in a poll... about whether it was INSPIRED or INSANE to save teabag strings for the purpose of knotting them together into yarn...

The results were closer than I expected, but not surprisingly the insane vote won out:

The most received comments about this latest recycling phase of mine, went along the lines of:

"Don't you have enough to do with your time already?"

and

"Won't there be a lot of knots?"

And the answer is a resounding YES to both questions!

Yes, I do have a lot to do with my time already,

but this is Fun, Challenging and Free...

Yes, there will be a huge number of knots,

but I think that is part of the charm...

Like my Scrappy Blanket.

Remember I keep telling you to save your ends? Even the short ones?

Well I've been saving mine for a while now - and many of my Craft Buddies have been saving their ends for me to. Gotta love the enablers of the madness!

Anyway.

The ends have been knotted together...

 and rolled into balls of yarn.

Then knit into squares

(mostly while I was pregnant with Charlotte, and a bit brain dead in the creativity department)

Then those squares sat around in a bag for a year and a bit...

 

And now they're becoming a blanket...

Aiming to finish it up today, so I can share a finished photo with you tomorrow.

(and best thing of all - NO ends to weave in!!!)

July Challenge.

Hello July!

I know that I'm a few days late, but it's time for My July Challenge. And would you believe that it's not a toy this time? Instead it's a bag. This fabulous, bright, chunky knit bag - which looks just a little like a Jester's Hat gone wrong...

Come and join us in my Ravelry group if you are interested.

Debbie was the winner of Our Dragon Challenge and so she had the fun of choosing the design for this month - an Olympic Inspired Bag...

I had to tiptoe around this theme a bit. You just have to be so careful with registered trademarks and the likes. So there could be no coloured rings, or logos, or anything which would clearly identify the piece with the Olympics.... Aaaargh!

So I started thinking along the lines of vaguer Olympic references... 

like the torch... and began to feel a little flame inspired instead...

Now are you wondering about the name?

Well, I was just starting out on the bag when I received some photos via email from my Dad. They were snapshots from his recent Malaysian holiday. Harmless enough, one would think!

But NO... here he is in a local bar drinking a Flaming Lamborghini. The entire length of the bar is in flames. And there he is, calming sipping his drink through the straw - as the flames dance up and down the bar. Who are you and what have you done with my real Dad???? 

It was all VERY bizarre!

So I've gone with a theme of fire and flames, and thrown it all together in this little bag,

which kind of has a bit of a jester thing going on too!



And if all else fails - you can always wear it as a hat!

Come and join in the fun.

You never know, YOU could be the one choosing the next challenge.