November 2007 – Knitting Box

New socks

This is what I’m up to with my Firestarter socks at the moment. I’m using my prize yarn, Live 2 Knit’s Elizabeth merino in ‘first light’. I’m loving the colours and the way it’s striping. Yes there’s a bit of pooling around the gusset, but that’s unavoidable in this pattern I’m afraid. It’s not so bad, so I’m still happy.

The pattern itself took a little bit getting used to, the chart looks rather different from chart format that I’m used to. Specifically, the way the cable crossings and twists are marked can look a little strange at first. It’s not just that it uses different symbols, but the crossings themselves are marked in between rows instead of on the rows themselves. The pattern has included explanations on the symbols used in the chart, as well as teaching you to cable without a cable needle. But I don’t really understand the explanations. So instead I just go by the chart and tried to make sense of it. And I think I’ve got it worked out, judging by the result. And I do love the result. I think the trick is just that you do the cable crossings on the row that the arrows are pointing at. And when you think about it, it does make sense that the chart shows the cable crossings in between rows, because after all when you knit cables, after you do your cable crossing, the crossing itself sits in between the current row and the previous one below it. Clear as mud? 🙂 Email me if you want to ask me questions on that, or ask the pattern designer 🙂

I’ve been knitting quite a few socks now, and many times Annette would ask, “Are you knitting socks for me, Mummy?” And it always breaks my heart to tell her No. So now I’m making a pair of socks for her. No particular pattern, just a toe-up sock, with short-row toe and short-row heel, 36 stitches a round. The yarn is Socks That Rock medium-weight in ‘January One’. I had quite a lot of this yarn left over from this project, and it would be a waste not to use it because I love that yarn and that colourway. So vibrant.

When Annette saw me put on the Firestarter sock to take a picture, she insisted on trying on her half-finished sock as well so I can take a picture. Future knitblogger??

And finally, socks for my mum. I’m making her a pair of Roza’s Socks, pattern by Grumperina, from Interweave Knits Spring 2007.

I’m not sure what this yarn is. I got it from Belinda, but she has lost the ball band, so we don’t know what it is. All I know is that it’s cotton, and I’m loving the random striping. Anyone recognise this yarn?

27 November 2007

High

Don’t you just love that ‘high’ feeling you get when you just finished something? I sure do. Still high from making the shorts, yesterday I got this finished.

It’s the Note Taker pattern by Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio. I made the small folio, which fits a 5″ x 8″ notepad.

This one didn’t quite take one nap time like the shorts, but still a reasonably quick project. I cut out the fabrics and started some of the sewing a few days ago (choosing the fabrics took a bit longer actually), and then finished off the sewing yesterday, and added the button today.

Some details…

Fabric covered button and a hair tie elastic as closure. Works very well!

Mmm… lace trim…

A scrap of japanese linen tape as pen holder loop.

This one is for me, and I love it!! I have a few more planned as gifts. Great pattern, by the way, easy to follow, and I learned quite a few things while making it too, me muttering to myself, “Ahhh, so that‘s how you do it…” 🙂 I think you can learn a lot from following patterns, you get to see other crafters’ take on how to make things. Thanks for a great pattern, Kathy!

21 November 2007

Warming up

Yesterday I finally stopped procrastinating (gasp!) and got on with the plan to make Annette some summer clothes. About time, really, as the weather is starting to get summer hot. At first I was going to make a sun hat from this japanese patterns book (isbn 4579110544). But then I got distracted by the shorts pattern (from the same book) instead and thought that it would be easier to make, to get me warmed up.

And yep, it was very easy to make! Once you found the pattern that you need to trace, that is… I used the bright and colourful mushroom fabric from Spotlight. Very quick project, all done in one naptime, from start to finish. Now that’s instant gratification!

My sewing machine is nothing fancy, but it does have this zigzag stitch that has an overlocking effect and stops the edges from fraying. Very handy to know, especially if I want to start sewing clothes. Incidentally, my hubby was the one who first pointed out this feature to me, back when I brought up the idea of buying an overlocker/serger. So buying an overlocker is put aside for now 🙂

20 November 2007

Two sides of Elmer

Kinda looks like an elephant…

… but not just an ordinary elephant, it’s Elmer (the patchwork elephant)* !

Or in this case, a pincushion Elmer 🙂

Elmer is one of Annette’s favourite picture books. I love Elmer too, because he’s patchwork, and I love patchwork. I’ve always had this idea buzzing in my head to make an Elmer softie. I thought it’d be a cute pincushion too. Or, can just take out the pins and use it as a softie 🙂 I’m planning on making another one for Annette to play with. This one had been given away at a blogmeet yesterday, I’m sure this Elmer will be very happy in his new home.

* For those who haven’t come across the Elmer books, Elmer is a patchwork elephant who one day gets tired of being different from the other elephants, and so he tries to make himself the same as all the other elephants. It’s a funny story.

10 November 2007

Little Majolica

Pattern: Little Majolica from Interweave Knits Fall 2006. I was aiming for the smallest size, but because of the gauge difference in the yarn that I used, I followed the instructions for the middle size.
Yarn: Moda Vera 100% Merinos Fine, 3 balls of pale green and 3 balls of deep brown.
Needles: 3.00mm (neckband), 3.25mm (hem and cuffs), 4.00mm (body and sleeves).

More photos on flickr.

If you’re making this, check the errata. There’s supposed to be an extra row that’s not included in the original chart. I realised this when comparing my knitting (after I finished the back) with the photo in the magazine. But I decided that it doesn’t look too different, and that it’s not worth ripping back.

In the middle of making this, I started worrying that I would run out of the brown yarn. When I bought the yarn, I wasn’t planning on making this particular project, I was going to make a scarf, so I only bought 3 balls. The pattern specifies 3 balls of each colour, although that was written for a bulkier yarn. Still, Annette is petite, and it would still work out, I thought. By the time I got halfway through the second sleeve, I only had half a ball of the brown yarn left! There’s no way I had enough to finish the sleeve AND the neck band. This yarn had been discontinued at Spotlight, and there were no more left in store. So I contacted Becky-Dee, who had mentioned to me that she had several balls of the brown yarn left over from another project, and we agreed to do a swap. In the meantime I kept knitting with the yarn that I had left, and you wouldn’t believe this, turned out I DO have enough yarn. (!!) With about a couple of metres left over. Oh well! Better to have too much yarn than to run out I guess! At least now I can still make a scarf as Becky-Dee sent me 3.5 balls of the yarn 🙂

Side B

A look at side B

Some thoughts on this project:

— Colourwork / fair isle is not really that difficult. It is slower for me, because I can’t get the hang of holding a colour of yarn in each hand (which is the way to go to knit fast with colourwork). I can only ever hold the yarn in my left hand, so I pick up and drop the yarn strands as I need them. But after a while I got used to it and I got a little faster. And I tried to keep my tension even, “tried” being the operative word 🙂 My knitting is not that neat! But thankfully, the magic of blocking covers over a multitude of wonkiness 🙂

— I’ve worked out that I don’t hate seaming. It’s actually quite nice to see the project coming together. But oh I hate weaving the ends in!

— Having said that, seaming this thing was hard work. You see, this sweater/jumper is made up of colourwork pieces knitted flat, and when I knit colourwork flat (as opposed to in the round) my edges get a bit… messy, with two strands of colours being carried around the selvages. At first I tried to work the seams one stitch in, as I usually do, but it turned out that this made a very loose seam, and you can see holes through the seam. Not good! So I had to do the seams two stitches in, and that seems to do the trick.

Overall, I love the result. Hopefully it will still fit Annette next winter. Colourwork looks great, but I’m not sure if it’s really for me… I guess it’s good to get it out of my system. I would still consider knitting colourwork in the round though (as I did enjoy knitting these), something I don’t have to seam. I like the look of this and these. Perhaps even steeking someday, dare I say? Well that’s for another day… 🙂

7 November 2007