Ready for the Knit A Long

Okay, I have everything ready for the Central Park Hoodie Knit A Long.
This'll be my first KAL (apart from the disastrous Knitting Olympics effort of 2006 - but I just won't mention it again and it'll disappear, right?)

Remember when I ordered the yarn and then I said I hoped that I could live with it if it turned out darker? I mean it couldn't be that much darker could it? It looked pretty.

Well...I must say it is a very dark plum bordering on a brown. Wild Plum my a** I would have called it a brown geez I should've bought something from Bendigo instead of something fancy.
Okay that's way dark but it does have some pretty bits in it. I wonder if the dye will fade after washing. Knowing my luck I'd end up felting the thing ;)

When I arrived home today I found the Knitscene Mag in my letter box (I hope it's the right one - I'll open it later)

Just to be sure there is some Mariner and Damson on the way from Bendigo. (It's my birthday on Wednesday so this is a present to myself) I think Rogue would be good in Mariner and yeah a purple jacket is to my liking more than this Rowan. I'll swatch it though and see how it turns out. I'm thinking trying to knit cables with it may be beyond my patience.

Nah, I'm sure it'll turn out okay and I have a few small projects to finish off before the KAL starts - Fetching for Miss A which is going good so far.

Fetching is finished

After some furious knitting fetching is now complete.
I did modify them and I am perfectly happy with them. I have put the changes here incase I lose my notes so I'll have a record of them.
I thought they'd look better if the cable up the top was repeated so you have 2 down the bottom and one up the top.

Mods:
Hand
At the end work 5 rows k4p1 rib, then work a cable round then:
round 1: k4p1 rib.
round 2: Decrease by k1, k2tog,k1, p1 all around.
round 3: K3, p1 around.
round 4: Cast off - regular plain cast off.

This gave it a completed cabley (??) bit at the top and made them fit snuggly, just covering the base of the fingers.

Thumb
Pick up 3 sts at each side instead of two and it helps to eliminate holes.
Round 1: Decrease by knitting 2 tog at each side, thus eliminating the extra stitches.
Knit 6 more rounds for a total of 7 for the thumb ending just below the thumb joint.

Working with the yarn was a treat and it took less than one ball. Just don't pull too hard on it because it'll break - I was tightening up a stitch - luckily I still had enough to weave in, but did not pull as hard on the second one.





I can understand how addictive these are, and I am off to start another pair for Miss A. I think hers will be in the pink Cleckheaton Country Silk. I'm itching to knit with that and she wants a pair, so her scarf will have to wait a little.

Next project started.

Okay, so I finished the mittens and was in that dreamy stage of what to start next. It was either the light pink scarf for Miss A in Cleckheaton Country Silk which would have been a rib pattern or Fetching. I couldn't wait to play with the new yarn I purchased last week so Fetching won.



Specs:
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in Festival
Pattern: Fetching from Knitty
Needles: 2 x Boye size 5s

I somehow accidentally, in the second cable, knitted 1 row short before crossing the cables - I must have clicked the row counter on mid-row. It looked a bit funny and I tried to let it go, but I knew it was there so this morning I took a big risk ( 'twas a big risk for me) and yanked out both needles and ripped back to the cable row, carefully pulled the yarn out of a stitch, picked it up with a needle and thread all the way around and carefully put it back on the needles, phew. It is now fixed and even though I was shaking when I did it I figure the more times I do it the less scared I'll be - not that I'm going to deliberately make mistakes just to rip 'em out ;)

I had to figure out how to cross the cables, I now know that the working yarn needs to stay at the very back behind the stitches on the cable needle, and that you don't knit the stitches off the cable needle out of order or from the same side they went on. It has been a great introduction to cables and I can't wait to finish/wear them. Now if I could just get off the internet I may have them finished by Monday like the designer says.

Oh and the yarn I ordered for the Central Park Hoodie is now on the way as well as the pattern for it. Perhaps I should join the knit a long.

Oh Bugger!

I've done it now.
You see if you go here the price for Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran is AUD$31.90 per ball. (and I reckon shipping would be extra) Yep, that's right!

But here the same yarn is only US$7.00 which works out to just AUD$9.34 per ball. You can do the math cos I need to go lie down now. (Turns out a saving of around $330.00 Australian)
So I now have enough to do either the Rogue Hoodie which is a jumper or the similar Central Park Hoodie which is a jacket.

You can see I'm trying to justify it but I hope you'll all agree it was too good to pass up. I just hope I can live with it if the colour turns out way darker than the monitor shows ;)

Now Jess what was that about a yarn diet?? Sounds good to me, lets start tomorrow.

TaDa..

At 6:30pm last night we had mittens!! Want proof? Here it is...

Currently eyeing off the Central Park Hoodie. There's a Knit A Long starting in September..Hmm what yarn to use? Do I go all out and get some Rowan Yorkshire Tweed before it all disappears and if so what colour, and what if the colour is different when it actually gets here? I can't decide.

Mitten update

Last night I finally sat down to knit, I now have this much more of the mittens done:


See Andy's paw in the bottom left corner? Just before he pounced on them!
I hope to have them mostly complete tonight...then I can decide on the next item to work on.
I really want to make Fetching with the yarn I bought yesterday, so I think they will be next. Plus it's a good introduction to cabling.

Happy knitting ;)

The trip to the yarn stores was great fun, it's just a pity there aren't many of them and we can't go more regularly. ( I don't think their stock changes too much) Unfortunately I didn't find much that I really wanted to make something out of so my total purchases were:

Patonyle in cream to dye, I am planning to make a variegated pink pair, with a few stitches in each colour shade of pink from very pale through to very dark. Might be able to do it this Sunday.
Some Jo Sharp DK Tweed for Fetching, and Cleckheaton Country Silk because I liked the colour and thought Miss A might like it for a scarf.

More things to add to my 'to do' list! I still haven't done anymore on the mittens, I am so slack these holidays, although I have the best intentions of actually knitting it just isn't happening.
I plan to watch some episodes of "Buffy" and knit - I really do but the weather is so nice at the moment I can't settle inside.

I did however dye something else. I have this Bodymate pillow which lays across the back of the pillows on my bed and it had been a very bright peachy pink - a little like the top colour below. I did go looking for a purple cover for it but at $30 I couldn't justify buying a pillowcase. So my next option was to try and dye it purple. After one and half hours (and $11.00) it is now a beautiful royal purple colour, darker than the bottom colour, but you get the idea.


Not wanting to let the dye bath go to waste I searched for other items that I could dunk into the mix.
The t-shirt in front was next, followed by some white towels, flannels and socks. They didn't turn out a nice purple though, but a paler blue. But it was fun to do anyway, and I'd definitely recommend it.

Dye used: Dylon Cold Dye A26- ultraviolet.

I conned asked Miss A to make us some muffins so I'd better go and eat one get 'em out of the oven.

Yo Ho, Yo Ho or I want to be a pirate!

Because it's the holidays we have a list of things that Miss A wants to do. One of them was to go to the pictures. It was either Over The Hedge or Pirates 2, and after Piglet's Big Movie I will not let her pick the movie ever again! - I haven't fallen asleep at the cinemas since. So I had to talk her into seeing Pirates 2 - which wasn't as difficult as I thought it would have been, we've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean heaps these holidays and I don't mind watching it over and over, really ;) Aah, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Ice skating was another activity that I promised her these holidays so yesterday we forked over $27, donned ice skates, and for 2 and a half freezing hours I saved Miss A from breaking her neck/arms/legs/fingers etc, on the ice. I hadn't skated in, ooh about 17 years (used to go ice skating regularly in high school) She of course, has never strapped on a pair of ice skates in her life. Last time I went I'm sure you had to tie them on, now there is a ratchet/lever system to secure the blades to your feet.

If you were lucky you could snaffle a chair to push on the ice which helped with stability. So once she was able to get her hands on a chair whe was off. After about an hour with the chair she was ready to try it by herself. Not too bad for a beginner. At least I can say I didn't fall over or cause anyone else to fall either, it was quite fun and I reckon we'll go again.

Now a knitting update:
I am not knitting very much at all and really should get stuck into it while I have the time.
I have only this much done on my mittens:

At least they won't take much longer to finish.

Unless....Jess and I are off to the LYS's this afternoon! We did plan to go last week but Miss A was hit by a virus that makes you ralph a lot and lay there like a limp ragdoll who can't tolerate light of any kind. That was scarey cos it came on so suddenly but luckily only lasted for a day and was recovering the day after. Thankfully she didn't pass it to me, normally she shares her bugs.

Just don't know what to buy yet, maybe some sock yarn cos we all know I really need more of that.
I want something to dye, something for Fetching and Coronet perhaps.

So buying yarn and knitting said yarn will be taking place today, better go and get ready.

Red sky in the morning...

This was the sky that greeted me this morning, (yes, it was that red) I remember this old saying whenever I see a wicked sunrise/sunset:

Red sky at night shepherd's delight.
Red sky at morning shepherd's warning.





Shepherd's warning was that he should get the sheep in quickly as it was going to be a stormy day. Well it was quite windy here overnight, settled now and the sun has started to come out, it's supposed to be an okay sort of day, a top of 18, but tomorrow's forecast is rain.

Yesterday afternoon was spent at knitting group, and I've come home with an 'I want to make that' attitude. Although I have my mittens to finish, Coronet and Fetching are now on my to do list.
Now as to the yarn, I don't think there is anything in my stash that will do so perhaps a trip to the yarn stores should happen these holidays.
I should put a 'To Do' list in the side bar but I fear it will grow waay too big, then I'd have to add all of my UFOs and that means a hunt through all my knitting stuff but now I am happily in denial and don't have to admit that the mermaid toy has not been finished or the blanket that was going to keep me warm during winter is just a really long scarf right now. Perhaps confrontation would be good and make me finish them off.

I do have some finished items I haven't been completely slack:
Last week I completed Miss A's grey/pink mittens - well they were supposed to be mine but they are a bit small so she can have those and I started another pair. A work colleague admired them and I sold them to her :( Now I have to knit another pair for myself. Next time I will knit to a price as what I sold them for barely covered the yarn. Lesson learnt.



Pattern Specs
Yarn: Piuma from Spotlight - 2 balls
Pattern: From Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns
Needle size: 5.5mm (US 9) - 2 circs.

School Holidays are here now and there are two whole weeks of prime knitting time.
Miss A should be suitably occupied as she now has one of those sets of knitting ring/looms from Spotlight and thanks to Miss B we can now make Scoobies. What do you do with them once they've been made?...we are yet to find out. But Miss A is loving them, so I can see another packet will be purchased when we come across them next.