Well, the original pattern called it Indian feathers - remember this post?
I did finish it in time for the wedding and posted it. It arrived 2 days before the wedding! Talk about cutting it close! Well, due to the time constraints I did not get a picture of it between the blocking stage and the posting stage. So here's a picture of it blocking on the guest bed.
It's the first time I knit nupps, and I don't think I did too badly.
Recently I got involved with Project Halo, a charity organisation that made hats, blankets and small items of clothing for premature babies, and distributed them to hospitals and families in need. They have now merged with Little Angel Memory Boxes, but the work continues.
It was heartbreaking to see how tiny the hats were, and the blankets were barely the size of tea towels. Why do premature babies need hats, you may wonder. Babies have disproportionately large heads. Even full-term babies have heads that are very large relative to their body size, and this is the case for premature babies as well. The babies lose a lot of heat through their heads. When babies are taken out of their little cribs for skin contact with their mothers, hospitals put hats on their little heads to keep them warm. If the hats fall off, it is is replaced with a clean one. You can imagine how many hats they go through daily!
Yes, those are real eggs. I made these hats (and a few others) to donate to the cause. The pattern has been written up and tested and available as a free download on Ravelry. They are called the Archie and Aubrey hats.
About a year ago, Lara, pregnant with twin boys discovered that her waters had broken early. What followed was a mother’s difficult and heartbreaking journey to try to save her boys. She lost one baby in-utero and kept fighting to save the other. In November 2010, she gave birth to both babies. The second baby was born alive but lost shortly after. She named her boys Archimedes Hare and Aubrey Michael. These hats are in remembrance of the precious lives of these babies who are still loved and missed every day.
For these hats you need a small amount of fingering, sport or DK weight yarn. Depending on the size you’re knitting, you need needles ranging from 2.5mm to 4.5mm. Don’t worry too much about exact sizes and gauge as hospitals need hats of all sizes. Each baby is different. The hats are very stretchy and each hat covers a range of different sized heads. I urge you to knit them for your local hospital as neonatal intensive care units always need hats to keep the little heads warm.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Feathers, leaves.. close enough?
I was looking for a shawl pattern with leaves but none seemed to fit with what I wanted and I wanted to knit something tried and tested for once, rather than design my own. I searched Ravelry, I googled and found nothing. Nothing at all.
What I did not account for was that the cast on involves 411 stitches, and it has nupps! I have never knitted nupps! After a brief moment of anxiety, I firmly took a hold of myself and decided it can't be that hard and proceeded to cast on. Now I am about 9 rows into the 27 patterned rows, and it's not looking too bad at all. I am loving it!
Alex loves hoods on his pullovers and jackets. He's still at an age where he loves wearing his mummy-made clothes. How could I resist? He's outgrowing his handknits rapidly. Ihad to whip up another pullover to keep him warm, but I experimented a little. It didn't all work out, unfortunately.
As you can see the neckline is a little wide. It's so wide, in fact, that I don't have to undo the buttons to pull it over his head. I wanted to make the neckline a crew neck but that didn't really work out.
I do like the cable on the sleeves, though. It is a simple 9 stitch 3x3x3 braided cable, and it's very effective in adding some interest to the jumper.
I used a skinnier version of the same cable (2x2x2) on the pocket, but the photos are not clear enough for you to see the cables.
Alex loves his new jumper. He loves it more than I do.
You know me, though. I don't give up. I am now knitting him another hoodie, with a different hood. Same concept as the hoods on my Alex jacket and Lee pullover, seamless from the top down, but a different shape with a lot less room around the face. It will also have a different neckline. That's all I can reveal right now. I'm working out the details and I'll have a picture soon. Interested? I hope to be calling for test knitters in a few weeks' time.
Alex has been nagging me for quite a while about learning to knit. I finally decided that I should give in and at least attempt to teach him. I brought out a pair of old Boye needles and some sugar and cream cotton scraps. He wanted to knit a scarf for his new Star Wars dollie that we bought today.
I cast on 30 stitches and knit the first row and cast off for him. He knit two rows. A pretty good start if you ask me!
I must be on a roll for socks right now. I have completed the socks I was testing for Margaret. There's my Royal Pair.
I love them so much I am wearing them now. Nice comfy socks with just enough stretch to be firm but not too tight.
Can you see how the two socks don't match exactly? It's not just the pattern (which is my mistake) but the yarn. I knit it from two 50g skeins of handdyed yarn that I bought in someone else's destash some time back. It's not her fault they don't match - she did not dye them herself. I am just a little disappointed that tone skein had quite obvious grey spots in it and teh other didn't. I amactually glad now that I did nto use the yarn for a scarf like I had intended to at first. the mismatch would have been very obvious when I changed skeins. At least in socks.. well, they are just socks.
I also completed the second sock using my own Toughstuff yarn in colourway "ed". I call teh second sock "Ed Slipped". It is a simple design using a variation of the linen stitch for the leg and the instep. The fabric is firm with a little stretch, but not so stiff that it stands on its own. Another very comfy sock. I like how the slipped stitch pattern breaks up teh varigation a little but still allows some of it to show through.
I am calling for testers now. If you are a Raveler and want to test for me, sign up here.
Friday, September 10, 2010
When you have no time to knit...
You make time. Wait, isn't that what everyone does?
Life's been frightfully busy here. If it is not one thing, it is another. For a start, Alex has a social life. That's right. My 3 1/2 year old has friends and as a result of that has parties to go to. Sometimes I wish I could take him and leave him there so that i can have a few hours to do the grocery shopping or clean the house, but, as I have also been reminded, this stage will not last long. Soon I will be wishing that I am allowed to stay and see what goes on at the parties! Right-o. Enjoy it while it lasts, eh?
Alex loves parties. it's the only time when he gets "party food"- sweets, chips and other "sometimes" foods. I still remember when he was still naive and had no idea that gummi babies are to be eaten. He was offered some, he chose two colours and was marching them along in the sandpit like little toy men. These days, he knows they are edible and that they can be quite delicious. There's no keeping him away from them now. the downside to not having party food at home is that wehn we go to parties, he likes to hover near the food table. I often wonder whether other parents think we don't feed him. Then I look at his little pot belly and his round cheeks and realise that nobody could, in their right minds, call him a starved child. Just look at this face!
That picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. He was modelling one of his new "knit by mummy" jumpers. A better look at the jumper:
Yes, I know, it is a little on the large side. You know what, this child grows like a weed!! It looks big now, but give it a year, or even half a year and it will fit just right. Since it's coming to the end of winter, I am hoping that it will last through next winter as well.
I have been asked for the pattern, but I never did plan to write it up. Perhaps I will, but it won't be for a while yet as I need to get through some of the other patterns I have sitting around first.
I used Bendigo Woolen Mills' Luxury 8ply in Stone and Oceanic to knit this. It took about 1.5 balls of Oceanic and about 1/4 of a ball of Stone for the stripes. Love love love the colour combination and I think I'll knit him something else in these colours. The design is simple. It is knit from the top down in one piece. The neckline is a simple placket neckline and the shaping is just your basic top down raglan with a few simple cables thrown in. I added ribs down the side to help with growth room. Who knows how rotund the kid will be in a year's time!
So, not only have I been busy with the knitting needles - more about that later - but I have also had to sew Alex some clothes. Purely out of necessity. Chris's grandmother, Lola, passed away a couple of weekends ago. Lola was 102 years old, so she's had pretty good innings, I think. Sadly, I never managed to have much of a relationship with her as she did not speak English well, and I did not speak Tagalog well. I still don't speak Tagalog well at all. I understand some words and phrases and can guess what is being said but most of the time I need an interpreter to communicate with Lola. Lola, may you rest in peace.
For the viewing and the funeral, Alex needed black clothes. Now, do you think it is possible to find basic black pants and shirts anywhere? No, of course not. Everything black in the shops is plastered with some sort of licenced picture of Ben 10 or Disney characters or Mr Men or something. Even the button up shirts had stuff across the back and/or front. Don't people make plain clothes anymore? Don't people buy plain clothes anymore? So I sat at the sewing machine on the night before the viewing and made Alex a pair of black corduroy pants and a black corduroy jacket. Poor planning on my part meant that I did not have any black/white fabric with which to make the jacket lining. Oops. The jacket was lined in blue fabric (with colourful trucks, no less) and I hoped it would not be too noticeable.
Alex had a great time at the wake playing with his cousins. We don't see them very often, but every time we do, I am reminded of how much fun it is to have cousins. We really should make a point of keeping in contact with them more often. Seeing each other's updates on Facebook really isn't quite the same. Alex was qute attached to a coupel of his cousins and he spent hours playing with them outside. Look how red his cheeks were, and it wasn't even a hot day!
Okay, on the knitting front, what else have I been up to?
I realised that I never did announce on my blog the launch of two patterns.
First there's the Lazy Sunday bedsocks.
It features a spiraling rib on the leg and short rows on the heels and toes. There is absolutely no seaming or grafting needed on this design. It is knit using 8ply (DK) wool and is great for lounging around at home. Designed to be a comfortable fit, and loose enough to not "strangle" your feet and ankles whilst firm enough to stay on all night or all day, as the case may be. It is a downloadable purchase on Ravelry. I think it is an ideal introduction to socks - no grafting to worry about and no teeny tiny stitches on teeny tiny needles to manage.
The other pattern that I neglected to announce here on the blog is the Hoo hat.
It comes in two variations, with the other having a band of owls around the hat.
This design was originally inspired by the baby owl vest by Jodi Haraldson. I thought theuse of cabels to knit the owls was really clever, and made it up to knit a hat, but the pattern sat on my computer for months and months waiting for me to get round to tidying it up and having it tested. Finally, a couple of months ago, I got my act together and now the pattern is published. My pattern is knit on 10ply (worsted) weight yarn and is sized ffrom newborn to adult. It is a pretty cushy hat.
Here's one of my nephew modeling the hat:
Isn't he a cutie! He's wearing it with the ribbing folded up. There's lots of stretch and plenty of room for growth. that's in teh smallest size, and I think it will probably fit him till next year. He was only about 4 months old at the time and has since grown heaps. The last time I saw him with the hat was at Lola's funeral, and it still fitted well, with room. Have I ever mentioned I love "room for growth"? No use spending all that time and effort knitting somethign only to have it fit for all of 2 or 3 months, right? Besides, I think little boys look kinda cute in oversized clothes, or maybe that's just my excuse.
Also, I did not announce the re-launch of the Scallops on the Bias hat. I took it off the store for a couple of months while I modified it to fit in with my pattern template and while I was at it, I added more sizes and instructions for an alternate crown.
The new crown looks like this
I have seen it knit in both solid and variegated colourways and both work well with the pattern. It is now sized from newborn to adult.
Okay, that's it for teh sales spiel. no more patterns to talk about, but it's not the end of teh knitting news. Yup, I have been a busy little bee!
I finally completed my regia socks. Which Regia socks? These ones
I started them back in 2008 and then lost the mojo to finish them, so they have been sitting around in their half finsihed state for about two years. Finally got round to finishing them, and they're a great fit. I can't remember what the pattern is called. it's a Fibertrends one and it's got somethign to do with railway lines or tracks or something of that sort.
Having finally tackled that sock, I felt more confident to sign up for the testing of Margaret'sRoyal Pair socks. I am midway through the second sock now. Now that i have found my "happy knitting place" with this pattern, it is working up quickly and error-free.
I boo-booed on this sock and the leg has 2 repeats of the chart instead of three and I made the second set of twisted cable stitches too long. On the second sock, I knitted two repeats again but fixed up the error of having the cables too long. So I have two socks that won't match, but that's okay. We can all be Dobby sometimes, right? I am really enjoying knitting this. It's a brilliant design.
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 blame it on Ravelry. I really do. I keep my stash and projects pages on Ravelry updated (for the most part) and you, my dear blog readers are sadly neglected. I thought I'd do better this year, and the year was off to a good start with a couple of posts in January but it looks like I have fallen back into old habits. Old habits die hard, but this one will die! So, here's my first update for April - the first of many, I hope.
I have been knitting like a madwoman, with not much to show. I do have a couple of patterns up my sleeve, one of which is being test-knitted. Let's start with that one.
Salsa Verde
I have this pattern written for 4 sizes - skinny 8ply (DK), broad 8ply (DK), 4ply (fingering) scarf and 4ply (fingering) stole. I am tempted to extend it to include a 2ply (lace-weight) stole.
The scarf is knitted from both ends and grafted in the centre, with a scalloped edge and three lace stitches. The centre panel is stocking stitch making it easy to graft, and giving the wearer a nice warm neck or back covering.
The one in the picture above is knit from Wollmeise Twin "We're Different" Mistelzweig. While we're on thesubject,I should confess that I have jumped onto the Wollmeise bandwagon. The colours are simply amazing!! I have acquired some.
Yes, just a few skeins...
The colours are even more vibrant and more magnificent in real life. No wonder people go nuts over this yarn and at every store update there is a mad rush to grab whatever Claudia puts up. Even the "We're different" "rebel" skeins are gorgeous.
I do have to admit, though, that I found the Twin a little stringy to work with. It split, even on my very blunt Addi Turbos. I was very worried that I'd end up with a stiff scarf that could stand on it's own (almost) but once washed, it softened up nicely. It's nowhere as stringy and stiff as it was when knitted - thank goodness! It is, in fact, quite lovely. I heard someone say that it sheds, but I had none of that problem, and with the state of my allergies, thankfully too!
What else am I working on?
This is the triangular shawl version of salsa verde. I don't think i will put a scalloped edge on it. Instead, I think I will put some Bell lace on the edge so that we have nice pointy edges. i think the scalloped edge may look too heavy for such a light shawl. It's still work in progress and I doubt I will have the pattern ready for testing by the end of this Easter weekend.Charting it is quite a nightmare, and I think I may have to re-think my stitch count.
The loom was neglected for a little while but I pulled it out last week to weave a scarf for a swap.
It's actually all done, twisty fringe and all but I have no pictures. It's just a little lightweight scarf that she will be able to wear under a coat. I hope she likes it. I will be sending it along with the DK skinny version of the Salsa Verde scarf and a few other little things. I do love swaps.. I never know hat I will get but it is lovely knowing someone else put some thought into it and made something just for me.
About a week ago, my sister-in-law gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy. You'll just have to take my word for it that he is gorgeous (and I do assure you that he is) as I am not sure how she'd feel about my plastering pictures of him all over my blog. No photos of the wee one, but I do have a photo of what I made for him
The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mill's Luxury 8ply in Brick. It washed up nice and soft, and best of all, it's machine-washable! Perfect for a new mum, I think. I know not everyone wants to hand-wash their woollens, and with machine-washable wool, you don't have to. The design is my own, but probably not that much different from what is available commercially. I made it all in one piece so that there are no seams and fewer ends to sew in. I hate sewing in. The real pain in the butt was the zip. The only open ended zip I could find that was not too long was an invisible one. I did end up managing to sew it in securely but it was a major pain. I have been taught an easier method for next time, so I will try that next time.. maybe I'll knit a similar one for Alex.
I have also been knitting hats.
A tiny one for my friend's newborn preemie boy
Another tiny one for a friend's baby who will be born in May - a girl this time.
A couple of girly jackets (pattern written but not reviewed)
So, as you can see, I have been busy.. oh and this is not including the stuff I have been doing for the store.
Some Silken Lace Some Silken Sock Some Toughstuff Sock Some Warmth8 and Warmth10 (DK and Worsted weight respectively - 21.5micron Australian merino, spun locally)
I should also mention that I am hosting a sale which ends tomorrow night. 20% is taken off the price of almost everything in-store. That is everything aside from the samples ($3 a s sample, including postage.
(C) 2004 Celia Ng and Chris Hernandez. All rights reserved. This page designed by Chris Hernandez. Many thanks to Amy at www.IndiGirl.com for the original Project Progress Tracker.
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