Pictures!!!

Pattern: Daffodil Stitch Tea Cosy
Yarn: Heirloom Easy-care 5ply
Needles: op-shop tortoiseshell straights

Flowers - a variety of patterns found via the flower page on Knitting Pattern Central, odd balls of Cleckheaton and Spotlight yarns, 4mm dpns

time: about a week (on holidays, with many many car hours)
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Sockyness

If you've been over at the Southern Summer of Socks blog, you'll know that I've joined up again AND that I've finished a pair of socks!!! (mind you, they are the monkeys that I started during the last SSoS!!!)

These were my second or third attempt at this pattern, so I had ended up using 3mm needles to get them stretchy enough to fit over my heels. They are a little looser on my leg than I'd like, but otherwise gorgeous!
Yarn: Jolly Jumbuck 'Hercules' in Bruised Plum
Needles: 3mm bamboo dpns
Mods: Eye of Partridge heel, and a few extra heel rows for depth and stretch.
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Another One Done!

I know, you don't believe the title, it can't possibly be true, something must have happened to make me type the wrong words - but NO!!! It is true!! The Alpine Cardi is DONE!!

To prove it, photos of me in my work clothes - I wore it today (unwashed/unblocked ::gasp::!!!) with a sweet little shawl pin in place of the un-discoverable fasteners, and later, at home, in dressed-down mode:

Verdict: very nice. Just the right weight for these not-quite-warm spring days, comfy, warm around the shoulder blades.
Modifications: next size-up sleeves, added shaping to the back neck, used 8ply for the last few rows of the neckband and changed the bind-off to be occasional picots instead of continuously loopy loops.
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country 12ply (and 8ply), KP Harmony circ 5mm, 6mm, and 4.5mm for the neckband 'coz Miss 2.5 scattered my needles everywhere and I can't find one tip of the 5mms.
Pattern: Alpine cardi from Berrocco.com (will check and add links later).

Time for the next little cardi! (After these socks, and the doll and the other socks for the Show, and....)

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One down...

In a fleeting hour of virtue I sewed up the seams of the Spring baby cardi before starting on my purple wonder. Wish me luck and a good strong lamp behind my shoulder tonight.

(I think I'll do shoulders and neckband tonight and perhaps leave the sleeves and side-seams until morning)



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Spicy Orange FO

1. Spicy Orange Socks, 2. Spicy Sock architecture, 3. side on, 4. Sock recumbent

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

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Showing the Knitting Who's Boss

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Sunday, Sunday...

I took some pics of the house etc today, but I need to work a little more on my thoughts before I show you why I live where I live - so hang in there!

Instead, let me share a (partial) Monkey and an FO:


The tiny socks were intended to be toddler socks, but came out too small for my small person, and also freakishly long. I ripped the toe (and about another 2cm - freakishly long) from #2, reknitted it to a sensible length, then unpicked the graft on sock #1, ripped back to the corresponding spot where the toe began on #2, and knitted the toe. Then I put them together. Not. The. Same. Size. Two hours of prime knitting time last night spent on ripping, knitting, grafting, ripping, knitting and grafting, for socks that are more like second cousins than siblings. Apparently, not writing down how many rows I used for the heel flap, and then not being able to count the rows correctly due to on-again, off-again version of Eye of Partridge heel, meant that I did not make the heels the same size, so the gussets were not the same size, and I also did the decreases on a different stitch for each sock, and I think #2 is much firmer fabric than #1 - and, all in all, I believe that these socks were destined to be doll's clothes.

But all is not lost. See my Monkey? It is growing.

Wait a moment - what is that corner of white intruding upon my pictorial posing?

Let's take a closer look, shall we?


SQUEEEE!!!!


My order from Elann finally arrived - on a Sunday!!! Today's fondling tells me that they are nice strong colours, fairly smooth, not as soft as Patonyle (but what is?), nice medium twist - oh, but wait!
Can you hear that?
Those delicate, enticing voices?
Look! They're jumping out of their skeins to be the first on my needles!

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TdFKAL Wrap Up

As the riders in France begin the final, fearsomely anticipated stage of the tour, chez moi it is a time for reflection...
My goal for the Maillot Vert was to design and knit a vest/une tunique for ma petite fille, et voilá l'Ondulation:

Verdict? I am really pleased with this! It was knitted in the round, designed on the needles, guesstimated and tinkered around with as it reached the bodice (Miss V let me put it on her for about 10 seconds to check for chest fit 10 days ago), and ended up being a great fit! (I know that Jet relaxes, so it shouldn't be as snug after a wash) The shell stitch edging around the bodice, and more open version around the hem, were my first attempt at edging a knitted item with crochet, and I'm glad I did so - it was not as beautiful without them. The buttons were the best I could do with the range on hand in Spotties, but I doubt I'll bother trying to find better ones - they are turquoise butterflies on a purple background, and very sweet.

And Mamzelle V checking herself out in the mirror was too cute to pass up :>


Pour la bonification, deux versions du Calorimetry:


Et comme les domestiques, qui donnent un peu de la variété, quleques WIPs:


I have enjoyed being part of the Tour de France KnitAlong again this year, and being the captain's understudy was great fun! Watching the gorgeous French countryside was very refreshing in the depths of our far less picturesque winter, although a little exhausting what with being on the other side of the globe and supposedly 'working' at my 'job' all day...
Socially speaking, it was lovely to meet a team of new knitty friends, and to take advantage of the many links to surf around the blogs and Rav pages of other KAL participants. It also gave me a new way to surprise and bemuse my new work colleagues (a TdF knit-a-what??), and Ribby Man has had no shortage of admirers amongst the small boys of my acquaintance!
Speaking of that dashing figure, he assures me that the hero of Team Rabobank, Denis "the Menace" Menchov, will be giving him a personal interview about his success in the TdF, so please stay tuned!

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My Feet Are So Pretty!!

Ta-Da!!!!


Pattern: Falling Leaves, from Knitty.com
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, colour 'Old Rose'
Needles: Knit Picks 2.5mm dpns (mm, pointy pointy!!)
Time taken: about 2 months; finished sock #two at snb today, immediately put them on to show off my pretty pretty socks!
Modifications: I used the Easy Toe, at the end of this article from Knitty, and used a Tubular Cast-off at the cuffs (s-t-r-e-t-c-h-y!!)
Verdict: LOVE THEM!!!

My modelling assistants:


In other news:
* be very careful how you hold full bottles of cordial with slightly loose handles. Ask me how I know.
* I've been setting up my Bloglines account with all the blogs I read, but am finding it hard to remember to then go to the blogs so I can comment. I was a bad bloggy friend in Feb, am hoping to be better in March.
* Sock Knitters Pentathlon started today, 4pm local time, so after I got home from snb I (eventually remembered and) downloaded the pattern, cast-on with 2.5mm dpns - too tight, so am starting again with 2.75mm circ to try the specified Magic Loop. Fun fun fun! (nb Ravelry group link)
* But the best news of all is that my rumpus room is festooned with boxes of children's clothes, racks of freshly washed small clothes, and sorted and folded baby clothes - because we have a new niece!!! Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law on their excellent taste in offspring - their firstborn son receives the pick of my DS's outgrown items, and now their new daughter can have all the other stuff! I am also finding a few small things like cardi, bootees and socks made for my daughter/s that will be passed on and then perhaps brought back for eventual grandchildren (in 20 or 30 years!!)

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Brace yourself Bridget*

...there's plenty to catch up on, so here's the first in a series of What I Did While I Wasn't Blogging About It posts.

First knitting items:

Some flowers for my MIL's birthday (24th Dec), which open out to reveal:

and

The instrucctions were found on the Dishcloth Boutique site, where you will find amongst the many treasures: Yvonne's Double Flower pattern on page 3 of the Knitting Patterns, and the single flower Doily Style pattern on page 2.

I knitted the two facewashers out of Heirloom 8ply cotton in a cream colour (from stash), and it came out so beautifully! 4mm casein dpns, which was a little awkward at the 'cast on 8 sts and join to work in the round' stage, and I think it might be easeir to manipulate, and make a flatter centre, if those first 2~3 rounds were worked on needles a smidgen smaller.
Mods: I added an extra lace round before doing the edging on the Doily Style washer, just to bring the petals to a definite point. I think I'd like to add an edging round to the Double Flower one the next time I make it, just to give it a little more of a finished look, if you see what I mean.
These were quick and fairly easy - if you've knitted a hat in the round, you'll have no problems!! They came out at about 18~ 20 grams each, so I have a little bit of cotton left over - colour-work washers, anyone??

Second knitting items:

These Raspberry Fetchings were started way back in the Great Fetch-a-thon of Dec '06, but the intended recipient has slightly larger hands than I do, and requested a bigger pair. Fortunately, we visited Miss 1's namesake Great Great Great Aunty V (91 and powering on), who is a knitter herself, and she was very taken with them, they fit her, she loves the colour and the bobbles of the picot edges, so on Tuesday (yes, 11 1/2 months after they were cast on) I wove in the ends and wrapped them up in raspberry cellophane like a giant bonbon, and sent them to her via the MIL - I hope she will get some use out of them next winter.

There is lots more to tell you (another FO, the exponentially-expanding nature of Xmas lists, the Dance Concert, the visitors, the germs, the thing I cast on the other day that I knew I shouldn't have but did anyway.... and still more), but the ham bones need skimming (ham and potato soup tonight to chase away rainyday gloom and fight off those germs), and I may have to convince myself to do the tiniest teensy bit of housework before lunch.
And I have to take photos of some of the Things I Want To Blog About.
So this will have to do for now!



*for the slightly perplexed, the title comes from a creakingly old joke:
Q: What's the Irish definition of foreplay?
A: Brace yourself, Bridget.
(boom boom)
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The Good News Is...

I finished it.

You can't tell that the last moss green row is only half as thick, but you can see that picking up from the cast-on edge and doing a three-needle bind-off does not work with this garter-stitch fabric.

The Bad News?
It is not fit for Human Hattage. It fits a Madagascar Penguin.

I believe, as does the relevant page in Knitting Rules, that this hat is meant to be a teacosy.


Do you want to know the Great News???
the Chocky Tychus was a success!!

I can't show you the wearer's face, because he is not a dentist :>


Comments Housekeeping:
Kate: It's not paranoia when you've got proof of persecution!!!

Carol: Thank you, but my cunning plan allowed me to get to the end of that *&^$#$%^&* row. And I really do have a big head. 57cm. 22 1/2". Plenty of brain-room, for when it grows back.

Nat: Thank you. I like to believe that the knittyverse directed your vibes towards me finishing the Chocky Tychus with panache, and the Penguin Cosy with persistence. I will not be beaten by my own needles and wool!!!

Esther: Friends like to make friends feel good :)

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So much to show you!!!

Firstly, there has been some spectacular weather:

Can you see the faint second rainbow above and left of the bright one??

So much wind and rain and wind and a little hail, and freezingness, but then the rainbows, and what could be more fitting as a backdrop for the finished Stormy Rainbow Socks???

Total time: about 3 weeks (but not faithfully every night, I'm too easily bored for that)
Pattern: Broadripple
Yarn: Online Supersocke Summer Colour wool/cotton
Needles: 3mm bamboo dpns
Modifications: slightly less length in the leg, and an extra pair of rows in heel flap
Verdict: love love!!

I haven't been keeping up with the Southern Summer of Socks blog this week, and I'm so far behind!!!! Looking forward to seeing all the funky things people have been trying, even as I try a Turkish Garter Stitch Heel (ie afterthought heel in garter stitch) for the heel of my Mermaid sock - I think the target-circles of the stripes will look cool!! I am really enjoying playing with my Lucy Neatby sock book - so many combinations as soon as you look past the first picture...

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JAZZ HANDS AND A HAPPY DANCE!!!!

As the knitters at this afternoon's meetup can certify,
the Technicolour Dream Cardi is
DONE!!!!



A little blocking is all she needs
(and redo the shank of one button)

And how much yarn do I have left?


(better pics as soon as I can bear to take it off and block it)

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A modelled shot of Rosalie

Miraculously, Miss 4 agreed to being photographed while wearing her Rosalie mitts!

While I still have quite a lot to do on Sandrine (like 5 1/3 of 6 pieces), Miss 4 has not been completely neglected :)

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Jean-Pierre est FINI!!!!!

I had one row to many on one armhole, and had to rip back four rows to redo the decreases before binding off, otherwise this would have been two days ago!!!

Sandrine's role in the TdF KAL has turned out to be a 'domestique'!!! 2/3 of one sleeve so far, will keep going and post pictures when the MOMD remembers (which he had better!!) to bring home the good camera!!!

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Jean-Pierre à l'envers!

Inside out and a pile of ends???

Jean-Pierre est fini!!!!!!

Time to knit: 1 week
Time to sew up and do the edgings: 2 weeks
Time it should have taken to do the edgings: about 3 nights.

No artificial performance enhancers were used in the course of this knitting; only TdFKAL host-approved substances (tea, chocolate, wine) were used to reward and encourage superior performance. Go Cadel Evans!

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Girly Pink Fairy Princess

a fat rectangle of fluffy pinkness for Miss S to wrap around her shoulders on those cooler evenings

Variegated pink mohair blend, I think Filatura di Crosa something or other
*K2tog, YO* to last, K1
Needs a clip or tie or something, preferably that small hands can manipulate by themselves :)
Miss V's thoughts?

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