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New Socks

July 30th, 2010 · No Comments

I finished these socks which I love! I’ve made them short this time because I want to get 3 pairs of socks out of one skein - pour moi, Bun, and Luca (remember Luca? the best dressed doll in town!) I’ve only knitted one sock each of the smaller pairs as I’ve started using 2mm needles instead of my usual 2.5mm - I decided I needed a denser knit. The yarn is from Fyberspates.

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The Disappearance of Time

July 19th, 2010 · No Comments

Oh, I haven’t blogged for goodness knows how long (er, just check the last entry you doughnut!) I may just claim technical problems (OS upgrade, relocation of pictures etc.) but also I have been having far too much fun with these wee people:

But hang on … they look more like this these days:

Alas, I am back at work again as of last week, but we have had so much fun this year … picnics, days out in the trailer to museums and parks, some old places, some new places, lots of sunny days and sunny smiles. The sort of days when you think to yourself ‘I LOVE being a mum to these kids!’

The craft has been going on although I’ve been skipping from one project to the next like a cat with a knitting needle up its …. so no change there!

Here is a brief craftalog:

Fairy Dresses - made for 3 special little girls (picture please Cartside!) Pattern from Adorable Knits for Tiny Tots (Zoe Mellor), yarn is Baby Bamboo (3mm needles).

A cardigan for Bun:

Cameron’s Blanket (a first venture into colourwork!), Baby Bamboo again on 3mms.

Another first: my first patchwork quilt.

And here is my second foray into patchwork (you can see I’ve caught the bug!) This was a present to J&J for their 40ths. Amy Butler fabric was used for both quilts. More pics of the big quilt soon (this is a weird cropped one). I’m SO pleased with this but more importantly J&J love it too :-)

I have many more projects in progress and a couple more finished (some nice Fyberspates socks, some baby bloomers) but lacking photos and there you go it’s nearly midnight again. Need sleep. Need evening to be twice as long. Need 4 pairs of hands. See you again soon.

p.s. Conglomerate project posts not good idea for categorising. Oh well.

→ No CommentsTags: Amusing Bits · Bits & Pieces · Knitting · Quilting · Sewing

Multi Tasking (or not getting things done)

February 20th, 2010 · No Comments

I was supposed to be working on this:

and finishing this:

but accidentally started a new project, which is this:

You know how it goes:

“Where’s the needle gauge (I haven’t written down what needle size I’m using of course) … ah, in the accessories box … ah, what’s this little box, left over sock yarn … no, I’ve got yarn lined up for next pair of socks … where was that yarn anyhoo? … oh yeah, in one of the stash baskets … look at all this lovely stash! … wonder if I could do a hat in this green, no way, not enough … wonder if I have any other greens … I’ll just look through this other basket… oh look! 4 different bits of green, I’ll just do a sample and see if they go together … whoops, seem to have started a scarf.”

But I can’t get too distracted as I have an Important Project to finish that involves lots of Amy Butler fabric. It’s a special present and I’m a bit nervous about it! Watch this space.

Oh and the nice people at Sirdar sent me 14, yes 14, balls of yarn (Baby Bamboo - again!! I just love it though will refrain from machine washing it again!) as compensation for the shrunken blanket. I’ve choosen colours I think will go together for a blanket for my sister’s baby, due in June.

P.S. No I will not be joining in the  Knitting Olympics … it’s a crazy good idea but I’m not finding much knitting time at the moment so it would just be frustrating. However, my local stitch n’ bitch have said it would be fine to bring wee Bunny along one afternoon for a knit session … now, what are the chances she’ll sleep …?

→ No CommentsTags: Blankets · Kids Clothing · Knitting · Scarfs · Shawls/Wraps · Stash

You can keep your hat on

January 21st, 2010 · 1 Comment

Some while ago we bought Bun a proper winter coat from John Lewis (I love JL - it’s the one shop I don’t mind going into town for because usually I hate city shopping for clothes and the like, but JL is great for yarn, gifts, cookery stuff and the Glasgow store is huge; they have everything!) I decided that I would knit her a hat to match and found this pattern on Ravelry and some wonderful tips on adapting it into a baby/child size here.

I am *so* happy with this hat. I found some yarn in my stash which was the exact colour I was looking for - a lovely raspberry pink - but no ball band unfortunately. My guess is some Rowan 4 ply but I’m not sure; it’s got almost a cottony feel to it and the yarn looks twisted like rope. I’ve got some green in the same line and think I may make another hat for Bunny! Actually this hat may go to her anyway as it is ever so slightly small for Bun and rides up her head after a while.

This was a lovely wee project and knitted up quick on my 3mm Pony circs.

→ 1 CommentTags: Baby · Hats · Kids Clothing · Knitting

The story of a blanket

January 21st, 2010 · No Comments

I blogged a while back about a blanket I was making as a birth gift to my second daughter.

The yarn - Sirdar’s Snuggly Baby Bamboo in shade 132 Putty - was bought for me by my MIL in Wool for Ewe in Aberdeen’s Rosemount area. I had wanted to make a special baby blanket, even though I didn’t know when the special baby would make an appearance (it turned out to be 2 years later!) I fell in love with the yarn after seeing a sample blanket in the shop - the drape and heaviness was perfect for a blanket. The pattern I chose was from Zoe Mellor’s Adorable Knits for Tiny Tots; Hearts and Starts Blanket.

I worked on this project on and off for a year or so. I took it on holiday and worked a couple of rows in the grid. I liked working on it but other projects kept on distracting me and finally I put in the last effort needed to complete it before Christmas as my first handmade gift to Bunny. The blanket was huge - about single duvet size - and absolutely lovely.

So the air was positively BLUE when I opened the washing machine door (the instructions read machine washable at 40 degrees, which is what I did prior to blocking) to find my hard worked project F****** Felted! Ok, this is what I thought at first. Actually, after a long walk (ranting on the phone to my sister) I took a closer look and though not felted it had significantly shrunk and was all fuzzed up. I spent 2/3 hours stretching. grooming, pinning the blanket out and left for 24 hours. What I had was this:

You can see (up close) the stitch definately has been reduced but not lost, and the blanket is still a bit fuzzy. But - amazingly - I do love it! It’s much heavier and denser then pre-washing, so really a different project but still lovely.
However, I have written to Sirdar to complain (I’ve just finished a baby cardigan in the same yarn but no way I’m machine washing it as I don’t want it to shrink). They have requested I send in the blanket to them so they can analyze the problem themselves, which makes me a bit anxious but I think I might just go for it. Who knows, perhaps I’ll get some more yarn to try the project again!


→ No CommentsTags: Baby · Blankets · Knitting

February Baby Sweater

January 21st, 2010 · No Comments

The Christmas before last K bought me Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitters Almanac. It has prooved one of my best used knitting books. I love her style -  very dry and witty - and after reading that she used to sit on the back of her husbands motorbike knitting I like her even more!
She ‘unvented’ (her term) many useful techniques for seamless jumpers, the ‘refootable’ sock, baby wear and blankets. The Almanac is a real must have on any knittters shelf and mine is very well thumbed already. The month of February takes a look at some baby knits, and I thought I would give the very popular ‘Baby Sweater on Two Needles’ a shot (to see how popular, just do a search on Ravelry!) I had a few balls of Baby Bamboo I got from Marjorie’s (it took exactly 3 balls) and knit up with a pair of 4mm Bamboo straight needles.
I’m a bit funny about buttons as they make or break a baby knit I think - these wooden ones tone down the rather girly look of the cardigan. I’d like to try this project again with some 100% wool. Also I’d make the button holes further in and do a different increase than the YO which leaves a hole.

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You know you’ve got it bad when …

January 21st, 2010 · No Comments

… you start photographing knitwear you see on the TV!
Here is the delectable Colin Firth in the movie Nanny McPhee. But I wasn’t ogling him (well, ok, just a bit) but his scrummy olive waistcoat!
K thought this was just what he was after too, so I’ve added to the list and maybe, just maybe, he might get a new waistcoat for his birthday (but the list is long and there are the February birthdays to take care of first!) I spent ages trying to find something online. I did find some antique 1920s patterns but they were teeny (heh, men were smaller then) and I didn’t feel confident enough to big up the patterns. Then I came accross the Elizabeth Morrison\’s Professor Vest in Ravelry. I think this looks very promising … so now I just need to find something suitable olivy and tweedy and Colin Firthy. Yum.
Next up is the equally delicious Emilia Fox, star of Silent Witness (what can I say? I’m just such a sucker for forensic pathology … I think it’s because it’s quite, well, nerdy …. all that hitech, scientific analysis I guess, and I just love a good crime story.) But just look at this lovely tanktop/vest! Of course, probably wouldn’t look so hot on me, but I wonder how to go about finding the pattern …?!

→ No CommentsTags: Amusing Bits · Fun Stuff · Jumpers · Knitting

Travelling in Style

November 16th, 2009 · 1 Comment

in chariot1, originally uploaded by julezkeith.

Bunny in her Chariot bike trailer - and first time out in her Arran Romper too! It worked out so well; I’m really pleased with how it fits too.
And thinking about keeping kids warm and dry … we were singing this the other night and the words always move me (It’s Kooks from David Bowie’s Hunky Dory album).
Will you stay in our Lovers’ Story
If you stay you won’t be sorry
‘Cause we believe in you
Soon you’ll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing

Will you stay in our Lovers’ Story
If you stay you won’t be sorry
‘Cause we believe in you
Soon you’ll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing

We bought a lot of things to keep you warm and dry
And a funny old crib on which the paint won’t dry
I bought you a pair of shoes
A trumpet you can blow
And a book of rules
On what to say to people when they pick on you
‘Cause if you stay with us you’re gonna be pretty Kookie too

Will you stay in my Lovers’ Story
If you stay you won’t be sorry
‘Cause we believe in you
Soon you’ll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing

And if you ever have to go to school
Remember how they messed up this old fool
Don’t pick fights with the bullies or the cads
‘Cause I’m not much cop at punching
Other people’s Dads
And if the homework brings you down
Then we’ll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown

Will you stay in our Lovers’ Story
If you stay you won’t be sorry
‘Cause we believe in you
Soon you’ll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing

Will you stay in our Lovers’ Story
If you stay you won’t be sorry
‘Cause we believe in you
Soon you’ll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing

→ 1 CommentTags: Amusing Bits · Baby · Knitting

Disco Diva

November 16th, 2009 · No Comments

disco diva, originally uploaded by julezkeith.

“It’s murder on the dancefloor - that’s why I prefer to practice my moves on the bed!”

→ No CommentsTags: Amusing Bits · Baby · Knitting

Dashing for Darling

November 15th, 2009 · No Comments

Dashing, designed by Cheryl Niamath, knitted by me in Rown Felted Tweed, shade 152, on 4mm dps. These are modelled by me but made for K who they will fit slightly better.

→ No CommentsTags: Gloves · Knitting