Yes, I am still here. Work has not eaten me alive.. well, not quite yet.
And yes, I am still knitting. I actually do have a lot of completed work to show off, but have been really slack. Where do I begin?
Let's start with my crochet kick. A couple of weeks ago, someone in my online mum's group ( I have forgotten who it was) asked for someone to crochet her daughter a hat. Well, as you have probably gathered from my work, I am a knitter, a spinner, a dyer, but my crochet skills aren't quite up to scratch. for a start, I can't read a pattern to save my life. Anyway, I had to take up the challenge didn't I?
So, a few days later, I had these to show for my little crochet kick
This was the first one, which Alex very obligingly modeled for me. It's more a summer hat than a winter one. It really doesn't do much to keep your head warm!
I have also been testing patterns for others, including this face cloth which I have given to my not-so-newborn nephew
... and this beret, which I have also given away
... and this cabled hat which I gave away as part of a prayer swap on Ravelry
... and this cardigan for Alex
Yup, that's a lot of testing and that's not all but that's all the piccies I have to show for now.
Finally something for myself:
I cast on a jumper for myself this past week. It's knitted in Wollmeise 100% superwash merino in the Dunkle Kirsche colourway. I am loving how the colour is truly a semi solid piece of art with dark bits here and there, and none of it pools. Thank goodness. i really wouldn't want it to pool. There is no pattern. I am winging it. Simple neck down seamless raglan with a (hopefully) deep "u" neckline. I started off thinking I will knit a v-neckline but decided that a "u" will look better. gosh I hope I am right!
What else have I been doing? Let's see.. pattern writing? Yup.
I need a basic sock pattern to go with my yarn so I decided to write one up. It's simple - cuff down, heel flap design, and best of all it comes in 8 sizes! I have tested it in a couple of sizes and have got testers testing the other sizes. Did I mention that it is written for both DPN and Magic loop? That's right. I try to cover all bases, and I think I am nearly there. I have a few people still testing, and those who have completed have found that the socks fit their intended
victims recipients. This one is in Alex's size
I also have a shawl pattern that is at the tail end of testing. It is written for fingering weight (4ply) and laceweight (2ply). It will use only one skein of Surefoot or one skein of Grace. Thanks to my current addiction to Wollmeise colours, I tested it in Wollmeise 100%superwash merino wool (as did one of the testers) and we found that it can be knitted using 1 skein of Wollmeise 100% superwash merino wool. Perfect! 1 skein, with almost no wastage. After casting off, I only had about 5g of yarn leftover. How close was that? The tester who used the same yarn found she had a touch over 6g leftover, I think.
I am very proud of this pattern. I may be a little biased but I think it is lovely. It's easy too! We're right at the end of testing and so you'll be seeing a pattern release next week (fingers crossed).
Last but not least, a baby blanket pattern.
No, it's not triangular. It is square.
Please forgive the poor image quality. I had this laid out on a bed and I was trying to capture the whole blanket without casting shadows. It really was harder than I imagined it to be.
It comes in two sizes - 70cm x 70cm and 100cm x 100cm. testing for this ended some weeks ago but I did not get round to formatting the pattern. I am nearly done now, so it can be released together with the other too.
I have been a busy bee, haven't I?
Labels: jumper, knitting, patterns, testing
