Funny pink socks

I've been looking after my DD today who has some sort of weird virus which I haven't seen before. But we have a nice time keeping each other company and chatting.

I have been finishing off these socks this week. I started to knit these for the solid socks January KAL on Ravelry but didn't get them finished as I got sick of the tiny cables and decided that I wasn't sure they were going to fit anyone. I can't seem to get toe-up socks right. I think these should have been knitted with thicker yarn and fatter needles to fit someone. Anyhow there must be someone I know who would like them. They are the Bouton d'Or socks. Yarn is Cocoon by Cleckheaton. Very splitty for some reason. The pink is less mauve than the picture. They are very tight on me.

I have been making good progress on my Noro blankie and am now up to 12 finished rectangles.
Lots of lovely colourways in there but I have a few duller ones to provide contrast. Of course the weather warmed up again this week.

Last I have started on this

This is not the February lady but another garter rib cardi which is also quite popular. I'll tell you more when I have progressed a bit further.

have a good weekend everyone. Cheers

Guess what

This is going to be.Does this help?

Or this?



Have you guessed yet. It's been a favourite pattern that I have been preparing for for a long time. Collecting up different colourways of Noro Kureyon from different places and I've finally started and it's fun. I have to knit about 20 of these rectangles and then join them all together. Even though every piece is the same pattern the different colours make it interesting. I've done about 9 so it should be ready for winter which we have had warning of this week. In fact I have had to get out my warm hand-knitted socks.

Here's a last picture of my cat, Misty, helping lay out the Noro rectangles.

Sorry not the best photo. Now she is helping me by chasing my yarn around the floor.
What am I knitting. It's this.

Cheers

Socks and lace

Hope to keep this going a bit more regularly from now on.

Said goodbye to my DS who went off to university in Christchurch a couple of weeks ago. I'm missing him but I know he is fine. It's very strange as he has hardly ever been away from home but seems to be adapted really well.

I have been knitting. Mostly socks of various kinds as you can see. Find details on Ravelry as I can't remember them all.




This which is the Chic Pulli is now finished but I haven't got an up-to date photo. Great pattern and I especially like the neck which has a simple lace rib and a nice shape. Made in Brown Sheep cotton fleece.

I have counted up my sock projects which are started and I have 3 single socks, 2 pairs about 3/4 finished and another single half finished and my sock-knitting mojo is disappearing. This is especially disappointing as I have two installments of Vintage Purls Summer Sock Club unstarted and they are both so gorgeous. Perhaps when winter comes it might come back. Right now I am contemplating which cardigan or pullover project i might start or should it be a lace project. I have recently acquired 2 skeins of lace-weight yarn from Vintage Purls. Here is one of my Vintage Purls skeins. Wonderful colour - a real teal blue.

It actually darker than this but I love it. I also have a purple one from Vintage Purls. What shall I make. I see Kiwichicknits has made a Woodland shawl which looks rather good and which I just realised is in my Ravelry queue. But maybe I'll try Twinings from Knitspot which I bought a while ago. Any suggestions for a shawl which looks good but isn't too complicated. Think I'll have to browse in Ravelry again.

Enough. See you soon Cheers

Just discovered SSof S is on again

And I would like to be in again but I am going to be very careful about what I promise. Have been knitting socks and acquiring stash all year so am looking forward to this. I want to try out new ways of making socks. Also would love to take part in a swap. cheers

Sun at last

Hi, thought I had better get back to this. It's been a long wet miserable winter here but we are finally coming out of it and today the sun is shining mostly and there is only a mild breeze. The bluebells are out.

I have been knitting (of course). Current favourites are:

The Myrtle leaf shawl with willow border from Victorian Lace Today in Dream in Color Baby, colour Strange Harvest. I bought the yarn from The Loopy Ewe and the shawl is for a KAL for a project using this yarn. I started knitting Madli's Shawl which is in Interweave Knits Summer 2004 but I was defeated by the nupps and the wavering pattern which couldn't be tamed by markers. Perhaps I'll try it again when I am more experienced with lace knitting. The Mytle leaf shawl is a delight to knit and although I haven't memorised the pattern it is easy to follow.
This is a funny photo but this sock is based on the scroll socks from More Sensational Knitted Socks with a different toe and heel. I love this yarn it is soft and stripes beautifully. It's Zen String Lotus Toes. She hasn't got any at the moment but other shops might have some. I think this also came from The Loopy Ewe.

Libby has tagged me to reveal 6 random facts about myself. Here they are:

1. I got married on New Year's Day in Perth Western Australia with only family attending and had a great time. Great to have such a low key day and so relaxing. Our friends were a little peeved that they weren't invited.
   
   
2. I am also a quilter as well as a knitter. I started knitting much earlier though but I love my quilting just about as much. I once won a price for one of my quilts - much to my surprise.
   
   
3. I decided that looking after my children was much more important than having a career and spent about 8 years out of the workforce and now only work part-time. I was lucky to be able to do this.
   
   
4. I have two children who are now teenagers. They seem to have turned out okay although some of the teen responses are a bit hard to deal with.
   
   
5. I once knitted a Kaffe Fassett cardigan - it was a dotty pattern. I used his tie lots of different yarns together trick, mixed up lots of different weights of yarns. It turned out okay except that it made me look like a sausage - my son called it my balloon jersey but it was very warm. I have since felted it (despite the acrylics in the yarns) and I think I will cut it up an make a bag (if I can be bothered).
   
   
6. I come from a small town in the South Island called Motueka. When I was a child the main products of Motueka were hops (for beer) and tobacco. Now Motueka is booming on the back of tourism. I was happy to escape from there when I went to Uni.

Now I am supposed to tag some more people which is a challenge. I am tagging Brooklyne, Nikki, Beverley, ennavic, Michelle and Hazel.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

Back again

Hi there

It's been a while since I posted anything on here but I haven't been idle. Projects completed include:

Serendipity socks from the Socks that Rock sock club - January - STR lightweight

Tangled Yoke cardigan from Interweave Knits Fall 2007 in Naturally Yarns Harmony 8 ply.

Leafling socks, Socks that rock sock club - March STR mediumweight
and Salvia from Knitter's magazine No.86, made with Yarn Bee, Hues of Opulence #088 - not quite finished. I'm just working on the i-cord which finishes the fronts.
I joined the Dream-in-Color classy KAL with the The Loopy Groupies on Ravelry and am making Bristow using the Blue Lagoon colourway. Here are the sleeves which look as though they could be pants - done on one circular in the round up to the armhole. A bit tricky at the armhole but okay.


I am also making a scarf in white tencel/acrylic ( Moda Vera Jaclyn) for my DD because she says wool makes her itch. The stitch pattern is Close-woven basket lattice from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara G Walker. Still have 4 balls of yarn to go and quite slow knitting. Hope she wears it.

I have also joined the Rowanette exchange this year and have cast on for my exchange gift but that's a secret.

Cheers

Sock/ yarn clubs

Hi, how are you all? I was lying in bed last night about midnight planning what I was going to write here. I'd been at Stitching Group and had come home all hyped up with looking at everyone's work and thinking about my own. Love going to my various groups but I often can't sleep afterwards.

Stell asked about my sock clubs. Actually one of them is a sock club and the other is really a yarn club. I have just got the first posting from the Rockin Sock Club 2008.

I was thrilled because red has got to be my favourite colour. The pattern is a little bit lacey. You'll see it when I have made some progress but I have already cast on and am a little past the cuff ribbing. Love knitting around and around to see how the colours develop on the sock. I think this one is pooling rather than striping but I like that. This sock club is a yearly one with 5 postings. I had to pay the whole amount for the year upfront which was a bit of a blip on the Visa. The wool yarn is lovely and soft although I have heard it doesn't wear very well might have to strengthen the heels.

The other club I belong to is the Spunky Club. Here are most of the yarns I have received over the past year.
There is a mix of sport, DK and fingering weight yarns. Some are pure wool, others are a mix of nylon and wool or tencel and wool. Each is enough to knit a pair of socks, a hat or scarf. I like this club because there is no pattern that I feel I should knit and I can pay monthly not for the whole year.

There are lots of other clubs out there here are some of shops which have them:

Simply Socks Yarn Company
The Loopy Ewe
The Wool Girl
The Art Walk Sock Yarn Club
The Tvyarn Sock Club
Sockamania
Harmony Semi-Solid Sock Yarn Club
Hipknits Project Club
The Yarn Tree Sock Club
The Zen String Sock Yarn Club
Joslyn's Fiber Farm

Well that's enough for now. I'm sure there are lots more out there. There are also clubs for roving for spinners as well.

Have to go. Work calls.

Cheers