Category Archives: Knitting

October 22, 2016 · 2:22 pm

A Knitting Miracle

Scarf progress

Scarf progress

So I completely stuffed up my knitting – not sure what happened, but the Yarn Overs were out of alignment. To the point where I had to fix it. I tried unknitting back to the place, but seemed to lose stitches in the process. Then I tried to rip it back to below the error and start again. This has never worked for me in the past – I usually end up starting again. And I must admit my first two attempts ended badly, but then, somehow miraculously, I managed to get the right number of stitches back on the needle and I don’t even think I twisted any!

I found this video (via Mason Dixon Knitting), which gave me the confidence to have a go – after all it’s only knitting the worse thing that could happen is that I would have to start again.

 

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October 19, 2016 · 3:49 pm

Finding the quiet

Scarf progress

Scarf progress

I have been trying to find the quiet in every day. I tend to catastrophise and my response/attitude makes things worse. So I have decided I need to find some space where I can just be. I don’t want to work on anything complicated just something simple and easy to do. This scarf is perfect – looks complex, but is very easy to knit.

 

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October 11, 2016 · 5:46 pm

Knitting and Listening

Knitting and Listening

Knitting and Listening

So know I am knitting and listening – I’m listening to Tess of the D’Urbervilles read by Anna Bentinck. It is very nice having someone read to you (she even sings drunkenly when Mr Durbeyfield does!).

Still working on the scarf – I seem to be a very slow knitter. I guess I should just think it is about the process and not mind too much, but we all only get so many hours in our lives and I want to get something finished.

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October 8, 2016 · 2:04 pm

Back on the Scarf …

We’ve been away – a relaxing, wintry holiday where not a lot got done. There was even a kangaroo in the garden.

Kangaroo in our back garden

Kangaroo in our back garden

I wanted to take portable craft with me. I took the birds …

More of my birds ...

Birds …

I now only have the back ground to complete and I need to decide what stitch to use. I’ve decided to let it sit for a bit and see if inspiration strikes.

Progress on the second half

Progress on the second half

I also took this scarf away – I am now onto the second-half. It is an easy pattern to remember, which makes it perfect for movie and television knitting (currently watching The Man Who Knew Infinity), although I do often forget the P2tog at the end of every second row (not such a bad mistake I usually pick it up early on the next row).

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August 29, 2016 · 1:49 pm

Mason Dixon Knitting – Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne

Mason Dixon Knitting

Mason Dixon Knitting – Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne

I found this while in Singapore (at Kinokuniya – well worth a visit if you’re ever in Singapore). I have been reading their blog for ages, but never came across the book in Australia.

I loved this book it was witty and light-hearted and had several projects I would like to try. It is a great mix of projects and knitting observation/lifestyle.

I am super keen on a log cabin blanket …

Log Cabin Blanket

Log Cabin Blanket

I am also quite keen to try the wash clothes – although I find it quite hard to find cotton yarn.

Mason_Dixon_02

Here are some of the things that made me laugh out loud

As it turns out, however, a sweater doesn’t look exactly the same on a fortysomething mother of two as it does on the leggy twenty-year-old model who is wearing the sweater (and, often, only the sweater) while cavorting on the moody, misty moors of Yorkshire.My beloved Rowenta [an iron] is right up there with my engagement ring and photo albums on the list of things I would try to grab and take with me if the house was burning down.

The television natters on,politely, as British detectives solve another of the violent murders that are such a plague upon the quaint rural towns of England

And now just a nice quote about knitting

[…] you begin to think that knitting for another human being is the best way to express love, concern and solidarity.

 

 

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August 9, 2016 · 1:33 pm

Unravelling

I am going backwards

I am going backwards

It all went horribly wrong! I just could not get the neck and armhole shaping to work (and the lace went pear-shaped).

As you can see, I am unravelling! (I can only face one ball at a time).

I have decided I need to get head my head around the shaping without any pattern issues. I’ve downloaded Blank Canvas, which I believe was designed for this very purpose (get on top of shaping before trying a more complicated pattern).

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July 19, 2016 · 4:19 pm

Scarf Progress

A bit more progress...

A bit more progress…

I have been away to somewhere warm and sunny (here). There was quite a bit of sitting by the pool – reading and knitting.

The above was taken early on – I haven’t made much progress since the previous photo, however, I have probably knitted those few rows a million times (only a slight exaggeration).

I am a bit loathe to write this, but I think I have the hang of it now.

Some success!

Some success!

I have even managed to fix some mistakes…

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July 1, 2016 · 8:05 am

Easy Knitting Project?

Start of my 'Favourite Scarf Ever'

Start of my ‘Favourite Scarf Ever’

I wanted an easy project – something that was portable and that doesn’t require concentration. Favourite Scarf Ever from Lisa Bruce (sunshinewalks) seemed perfect.

Here’s the pattern page in ravelry

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/favorite-scarf-ever

It uses one ball of (extremely beautiful) misti alpaca sock yarn – perfect (I have quite a few of those on my stash). This one is colourway 46.

What you see above is my third attempt (maybe fourth – I am losing track). It is an easy project, but I get to the end of a row and realise I haven’t done the double decrease properly and my attempts to undo one row always end in disaster. Or I forget to P2Tog at the end and get half-way through the next row before I realise everything is slightly out of alignment. I need to learn how to fix mistakes – is there any course on that?

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May 17, 2016 · 12:22 pm

So many projects so little time

Just some of the current projects

Just some of the current projects

There are too many good things to do and not enough time! I have my bird cushion – I mostly work on this at my embroidery class with Ann-Marie (although I have done a bit at home while watching Murdoch Mysteries – neither requires much concentration). I have my February jumper, which after many false starts is going well, but it does require concentration. Which is why I have a third project – I wanted something small (unlike the bird cushion) and easy to do. I decided on a scarf (Favourite Scarf Ever), which uses a ball of misti alpaca sock yarn (I have a lot of misti alpaca sock yarn and it seems a shame to hide it away in my shoes). This is a deceptively easy pattern – I’m getting lots of compliments on my high level of knitting skill!

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April 19, 2016 · 3:36 pm

Finally – a bit of sucess

Still going well ...

Still going well …

I’ve made it past the waist decreases and the increases back to the original number of stitches – yay!

When the waist decreases are finished the round marker is after the fourth stitch in the lace pattern, but did I pay any attention to that? No … I am such an idiot – hence it all went pear-shaped.

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