Crafty Lis

FO: Bainbridge Scarf

2010-03-10T09:30:00.002+10:00

Here's another long finished project that I had yet to add to my blog, so off we go...

Pattern: Bainbridge Scarf by MintyFresh

Web Link: here

My Rav Link: here

Needles: 4mm

Yarn: Lincraft Angora Plus

This yarn is so soft and has a great drape.. it's super warm and heavy though, not all that great for Queensland knitting XD. I really enjoyed knitting with it though... shame it was so expensive.

The pattern really is quite ingenious, it's so simple and easy, but has great results.

I shared it with everyone at my local knitting/spinning group and they were all very impressed with it as well, and many of them have since made 1 or more themselves.

FO: Aestlight I and II

2010-03-08T09:45:00.004+10:00

I fell in love with this pattern as soon as I saw it. There aren't many out there for shawls that work really well with variegated yarn, so that made it even more exciting.

The main body of the shawl flew off the needles, and was great tv knitting, but the edging became very tedious towards the end. I found it very fiddly, but it was worth it to see the results, and the magic of blocking is always like unearthing a completely different item.

I finished this over 6 months ago, so yes, you could say that I'm a bit behind...

There is more rambling on my project pages on Ravelry.

I loved the results so much that I decided almost straight away to cast on a second shawl. This was very much surprising itself, because I am not one to knit something twice - when there are so many amazing patterns out there. I decided to ditch the edging for this one, after seeing a few others do the same, and convincing myself that it would cut out a lot of the work. (gotta have an incentive to counteract the laziness!)

Pattern: Aestlight Shawl by Gudrun Johnston

Web Link: here

My Rav Link: Part I and Part II

Needles: 4mm

Yarn: Part I - The Knittery handdyed 4ply sock, Part II - Claudia hand painted merino

Click the photos to enlarge in flickr.

I'm resuscitating my blog!

2010-03-08T09:41:00.001+10:00

I know it's been an awfully long time since I updated here, but I need to find some kind of return to motivation, and this might help! I even let my paid flickr account expire... shame on me :P

First I'm going to update with some finished objects. Though there haven't been many of those around lately, either. Even if I don't really have much more time, with one child at school, it sure is a lot more peaceful around here lately... so I'm going to attempt to get the crafty thing happening again! Especially since it's rained every day here for over a week. I'm not sure how I managed to get washing dry - a feat in itself!

At least that was an excuse to dust off my camera...

FO: Liesl

2009-07-23T16:04:00.002+10:00

Wow, I have a lot to catch up on all of a sudden...

Pattern: Liesl by Ysolda Teague
Web Link: here
My Rav Link: here
Size: Large
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed
Needles: 7mm

This was a really fast knit, until I got to joining for the sleeves, and then I had a bit of an ARGH moment, because it's not explained all that well how to do it in the pattern, and magic loop and I aren't the best of friends yet, but I plowed through it. The finished object looks better on a hanger than it does on me, sigh.
But I am not sure if it was just a bad combination, or the lack of shaping in the pattern added to the problem, or my gauge was off, or I made the wrong size, or what. But it really doesn't fit me as well as I'd like it to. The underarms pull, and the yoke bunches - whenever I move my arms, and I really should have done the sleeves a little longer. I figured that they would grow and stretch, since that's what this yarn seems to do, but instead they bunched up and became shorter. Just can't win lol.

The yarn was a disappointment. I got it in a destash, for quite cheap, so I'm glad I didn't pay full price! It seems to lose it's shape very easily, and is lumpy and uneven, and has a lot of grass/vm in it. It's also weak and breaks very easily.

I'm hoping I will like it more with wear, we will see...

whoops.

2009-07-04T20:00:00.002+10:00

wow, I think I almost forgot that I had a blog to update. *blush*

I have been working on a few things knitting wise, but no photos or rav projects yet.
I will share some of my latest handspun, instead!

stardust...

2009-06-05T15:29:00.001+10:00

stardust02
Originally uploaded by Lis_

superwash merino from Ewe Give Me the Knits.
love love love!

FO: Sage Remedy Top

2009-05-29T14:16:00.001+10:00

...aka: Purple People Eater.

The sicky bugs have been traveling around our house the past week or so, and I haven't had a chance to put this up on my blog yet. It took me just over a month to complete.

Pattern: Sage Remedy Top
Web Link: n/a
My Rav Link: here
Size: Medium
Yarn: Moda Vera Bamboo/Cotton
Needles: 4.5mm

This was my first finished adult sweater/garment. The finishing was very tedious, but I am glad that I persisted! I won't retype everything that I wrote in my rav notes, you can go there and read them yourself.

They deserve to be on display!

2009-05-23T21:58:00.002+10:00

stash04
Originally uploaded by Lis_

Some of my yarn stash. (the pretties lol)
I have about 5x this in other places- the boring commercial yarn, or odd balls, or no-name yarns that I seem to collect :P

I had this toy storage that wasn't being used, so I cleaned it out and made a lovely decoration for my bedroom wall :-)

Music to my ears. erm, I mean eyes.

2009-05-17T21:49:00.002+10:00

I just read a wonderful post on a blog @ St. Seraphina Knits

"I need 2,000 yds for the shawl I want to make. I am making this yarn one strand at a time on a tiny drop spindle....
But some of us like the process as much as the result. We don't count the hours other than to count them as hours well-spent making something beautiful with our hands.

...I have no idea how many hours it took! When I work with fiber I feel like I am outside of time.

Those of us who love to spin don't count the hours. We count the pleasure, and we count it as a very high pleasure indeed!

....We modern people spend far too much time counting the time. If you spin, don't spin in a hurry. If you're thinking about learning to spin, I'd encourage you to do so, and discover what it means to live a few hours each day outside of time."

So true, so true.
I <3 my spinning wheel. In the few short months I have been using it, I've really had many pleasurable, relaxing hours lost in the "outside of time".

coffee

2009-05-17T14:22:00.001+10:00

coffee
Originally uploaded by Lis_

coffee on the beach... :-)

WIPs

2009-05-17T09:41:00.002+10:00

Here are two more things that I've been working on:

These are some handspun fingerless mitts that I have been working on. I spun and dyed the yarn myself, though the colourway was a bit of an accident. The pattern is based on the Monkey sock patter from Knitty. More details when they are done ;-)

My other main WIP is the Sage Remedy Top aka the Purple People Eater in a bamboo/cotton yarn. I love the colour, and love these 2 colours together even more.

FO: Handspun Feather and Fan Shawl

2009-04-30T10:03:00.002+10:00

Pattern: Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl
Web Link: here
My Rav Link: here
Yarn: My own handspun and Lion Brand Nature's Choice organic cotton in pink and natural
Needles: 6mm

I love how this turned out. The colours all go together so well, and it is soo soft and cuddly. I have left it unblocked, so it's thick and squishy. (albeit a little curly at the edges :P)
I wasn't sure about the fringe, but decided to go with it, as the shawl turned out a little smaller than I would have liked. The fringe suits it, I think!

Something has happened to our Autumn weather, it has decided to still travel along masquerading as Summer. Caitlyn wouldn't model it for more than a second, and threw it on the ground declaring it was much too hot and itchy :-)
Good thing I have appreciation of my projects around here LOL.

Shawl is done!

2009-04-26T16:09:00.003+10:00

handspunshawl8
Originally uploaded by Lis_

Finally finished! It took almost a month, but I have my first 'real' item from my handspun.
I love it - it's so soft and snuggly and (hellishly on this disgustingly hot autumn day) warm.
Will post more details later.

Frank the frog

2009-04-22T12:23:00.004+10:00

Last Friday Caitlyn spent half the day in hospital having a small operation.
She was not a happy camper for awhile, and Grandma gave me some money to buy her something - so she'd have something to look forward to when it was over.

This is what she said she wanted lol.
Frank and Fifi the frogs. I must admit, I think I will be passing Fifi onto Grandma to knit ;-)

Lachie has claimed it for the moment. Gotta be a part of everything!
Rav link

more handspun...

2009-04-15T14:24:00.001+10:00

3plyhandspun3
Originally uploaded by Lis_

my first 3 ply yarn.
80% merino/20% silk
approx 100g/75m.
heavy worsted weight.

:-)

Third handspun + WIP

2009-04-14T13:29:00.004+10:00

*warning, photo heavy lol*

My third handspun yarn was the same fibre as the first/second lot, which I dyed with food colouring again.

It turned out a lot better than I expected it to. I spun and plied it with a commercial yarn, into about a DK/8ply weight.

I matched it with some organic cotton to make the feather and fan shawl.
It's a very enjoyable, relaxing project.
After all the excitement and seeing everyone at Easter, on Sunday afternoon while everyone was still down at the beach, Lachie had a 2 hour nap at my sister's place while we watched Bruce Almighty and I knitted.

That photo is from last week sometime, I haven't taken another updated one yet.

Pattern: Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl
Web Link: here
My Rav Link: here
Yarn: handspun and Lion Brand Nature's Choice organic cotton
Needles: 6mm

Handspun love + first project

2009-04-14T11:08:00.001+10:00

I have no idea how many times I have sat down to do this and been distracted by something (or a child :P)
I have become fairly obsessed with the spinning wheel, and creating my own yarn. There is a fair amount of cheap thrills involved in knitting something that was made with fibre that you dyed, spun and then created something with.

First up is my very first project made with my second ever handspun. I am way too proud of something that is so ugly, but, meh. :-)

Here is the fibre, after I dyed it with food colouring:

After spinning:

Pattern: my own improvised design.
My Rav Link: here
Yarn: Approx 35g of DK/sport weight single ply yarn
Needles: 4mm (I think?)

As usual, more photos on my flickr.

First Handspun

2009-03-14T08:34:00.001+10:00

firsthandspun
Originally uploaded by Lis_

I finally got the spinning wheel up and running. This is my very first hand spun yarn!
It's not all that even, and there are a few lumpy bits lol, but hey, at least it actually looks like yarn.

FO: Revontuli/Northern Lights Shawl

2009-03-05T09:04:00.002+10:00

I'm all done!

Pattern: Revontuli -huivi/Northern Lights
Web Link: here
My Rav Link: here
Yarn: Kauni Effektgarn 8/2
Needles: 5mm

More photos on my Rav page, or in Flickr
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially after all the problems I had with the yarn. Great pattern~!

2009-02-23T09:23:00.001+10:00

Here's the top that Grandma just finished making for Caitlyn. It's very cute!

Pattern: Tropical Lily
My Rav Link: here
Web Link: here
Thanks Tikki!

Yes I'm a slack blogger...

2009-02-19T09:55:00.004+10:00

I have actually been knitting in my absence though :-)

I have been working on this shawl for a few weeks, on and off. I think I am almost near the end, I only have one repeat of the chart left to do... but each row seems to take forever. I never thought I would enjoy purling 100s of stitches back but I like not having to count the purl row ;-)

Pattern: Revontuli -huivi/Northern Lights
Web Link: here
My Rav Link: here
Yarn: Kauni Effektgarn 8/2
Needles: 5mm

I found this pattern a bit hard to get my head around at first, probably because the author is from a non-english speaking background, I think. Not her fault anyway :-)
After a few repeats I didn’t really have to look at the chart anymore, so this shawl has happened rather quickly! It’s a lot of fun watching the colours play out, and I’m finding it pretty addictive.

I am seriously not happy with this yarn though. I just wound it into a ball to check for joins/knots and found one knot, and then another join where GREEN was joined with PURPLE.
Then I had to somehow work out where exactly I should cut and rejoin it.

After knitting with the 2 part balls that I have rewound, I have completed the purple section. I have noticed that the purple - instead of gradually fading to the next colour, (like the other colours have) - is plied with a light blue, creating a tweed effect that is completely different to the rest of the yarn. It appears that there is no dark blue at all, just purple that is plied to light blue, which then fades back to green.

I am pretty bummed at how the colour sequence had to turn out (no choice after removing all the knots and dodgy joins).
I’m sure I’ll be more happy with it after it’s done and blocked.

still not sure about this...

2009-02-02T14:09:00.001+10:00

lachiebeach
Originally uploaded by Lis_

Birthday

2009-01-29T20:37:00.001+10:00

Birthday
Originally uploaded by Lis_

Happy Birthday Lachie!

2009-01-24T11:42:00.002+10:00

I can't believe he is 2 already! ... I really, can't... believe it.
I don't have a baby anymore :-(

Don't have much time, just a quick photo of the birthday cupcakes. It is so hot and humid here today, the icing is melting within minutes... I had to go put them in the fridge...

Thanks Lesley for your great recipe!

(no comments about my crappy icing techniques please LOL)

Chocolate Milk...

2009-01-14T13:03:00.001+10:00

How do you like Caitlyn's choice of nicely matched PJs? haha.

"I wanna press the cook button, Mummy"

2009-01-10T16:53:00.002+10:00

lachiecooking
Originally uploaded by Lis_

Overdue photos part 1....

2009-01-10T13:55:00.002+10:00

These photos are all from the couple of days that we spent at the Kalahari indoor waterpark/resort.
You would not believe how strange it is to be swimming and riding water slides while looking out the window and seeing snow falling.
We had a really great deal on the room that we stayed in, and it was amazing, we had an electric fireplace, and 2 bedrooms... ours had a king size bed, and ensuite with a spa, and there was a big LCD tv in the living area. (and a tv in each of the bedrooms- which I don't think were used once!)

What's wrong with this picture?

2009-01-06T09:35:00.002+10:00

I couldn't resist taking a photo... when we were at Kalahari.
More photos to come.

Yarn ahoy

2009-01-04T09:49:00.000+10:00

I know I have been slack and not updated here for ages, and I have a ton of photos to upload, and posts about Christmas etc, but first some yarn!
I bought these all at LYSs while we were in Madison.

I got some other bits and pieces and some boring yarn too... still have to take photos of those though.

2008-12-09T12:07:00.002+10:00

Last night Kev's cousin Ian slept over, because his parents and older brother were busy doing the tour of his new college campus, and so Caitlyn and Ian could have a bit of fun playing together. Last night after he went to bed, Caitlyn cried when she heard that he was going home today, and then this afternoon when he left, they both had overtired, too-much-sugar meltdowns.
They had a lot of fun making cookies and decoorating them yesterday afternoon after the football game finished on tv. And Lachie even joined in their hide and seek game last night.

A lot more photos in my flickr account --here--

aaargghh!

2008-12-09T11:42:00.000+10:00

(11pm Sunday 7th Dec)

This computer really is horrible to use. Maybe I am just used to being about to have the ability to run more than ONE PROGRAM AT A TIME! I can't even type in this box without it getting a delay and having to catch up on what I have typed.
Consequently, I don't feel much like stuffing around withh it and uploading more photos. And donn't even get me started on how hard this tiny keyboard is. I won't remove typos from now on andyou will see what I mean, I'm sure. I don't even know how anyone cantype on these things.

So... we are supposed to get 8-12 inches of snow tomorrow night and tuesday!! That sure will beinteresting! They were also sayingsomething about blizzard conditions. Last year at this timethere had been a record snow fall, and we are already almost double that....going to be a long, cold winter, me thinks.

Lachie has a cold and stil is not much impressed with the cold weather. We went shoppuing yesterday and just walkingfrom the car park to the front door was bad enough. We decided to walk from one store to another across only a parkinglot and my god was that ever a bad idea! The wind was literally fierce enoughto take your breath away, and my hands, face, and ears were all numb and aching by the time we stepped and smushed and slipped our way through the snow.

I will post some photos tomorrow ...hopefullly from the other computer. goodnight!

2008-12-03T06:11:00.004+10:00

I can't believe that we have been here for a week already! I have been taking photos, but haven't had any chance to upload or post since we've been here. So, hello, everyone!

It snowed for the first time onSunday night, and that was pretty exciting for everyone, lol. There was snow on the ground when we first got to Madison though, and that's what the first few photos are from, at Lynn's house.

Yes, it is cold! Yesterday was a maximum temp of about -1.

There are more photos in my flickr account, it is getting too painful and taking too long to post on this computer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisphotos/

FO: Multidirectional Scarf

2008-11-12T12:04:00.006+10:00

Another finished object to add to the collection for going away. This was a really quick knit but I put off finishing it because I got bored. I think it would look better in a colourway with longer colour repeats, but it still looks cool.

Pattern: Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf
Web Link: here
My Rav Link: here
Yarn: Four Bags Full Merino by The Yar n Cafe - DK / 8 ply Merino
Needles: 5mm

Scarf turned out quite shortish, but it's still long enough to be wrapped around your neck twice. Yarn is lovely!

FO: Starfish Cloth

2008-11-11T16:22:00.005+10:00

Another finished item... I'm on a roll!

This one is the Starfish Cloth that has been doing the rounds lately.

Pattern: Here
Yarn: Peaches & Creme Ombres

by Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc

Worsted / 10 ply Cotton
Needles: 5mm

I finished it in one day, and it was definitely addictive! My Rav link is here.

FO: Forest Canopy Shawl

2008-11-06T17:50:00.004+10:00

It's done!

I love love LOVE this s hawl.

I am so proud of myself, and right now very elated at finally having finished a big lace item. This was, in most part, due to such a great pattern. I am so glad that I purchased it, and I can understand why so many people have made shawls from it. It was the perfect mix of activity without being too brain mushing, but also without being boring.

I will definitely be making another one of these.

(I hope Mum doesn't read this in the next week before she gets it, probably not....lol)

Blocking the lace was a pretty big learning curve, as I haven’t really ever done that before. I think I learnt a lot, and kept seeing ways to go back and fix it, and line the sections up better than they were.

More photos on my Rav project page.

Almost FO: Pixie Hat

2008-11-01T10:01:00.004+10:00

I’ve been working on it in 5minute stretches when the kids are playing nicely….

Finished in 2 days!
Well ok, almost finished… I think I might pick up the stitches and knit a band around the bottom, since it’s a little short. Though, it will fit Caitlyn nicely, I’m sure.
Whether she will wear it or not is another thing…

And I am proud of myself, I grafted it together!
weeee!

And: I did end up knitting a band around the bottom, but it looked weird, and didn't sit right, and it was hard to get the ribbing lined up, so I frogged it again. I'm just going to add icord ties instead.

Linky to my Rav project.

Quick knit hat

2008-10-30T12:09:00.003+10:00

Thought I needed something quick to have a break from some other WIPs.

I found this hat and it seemed the perfect thing to whip up!

: Pointy Rib Pixie Helmet Hat :
Pattern: here
Yarn: Cleckheaton Cocoon and Patons Caressa
Needles: 5.5mm

I am holding 2 strands of yarn together from these 2 balls, and it's ending up a bit bulkier than a worsted yarn, but I want it to be pretty warm for our trip to the snow!

Couldn't seem to get the colours right, my camera is being obstinate again :P

hmmm disturbing?

2008-10-27T12:00:00.004+10:00

Does anyone else see something seriously wrong with this?
There were a bunch of these "homecare" catalogues in the mailbox today, and I thought I'd have a quick look... for some unknown reason. I would never buy anything... gah what a money trap.

Anyway, the first thing I noticed was this:
Santa's Trousers.
Imagine the delight on Christmas morning when your children wake up to find Santa's left his trousers behind and they are full of gifts! $7.90 (presents not included)

So I don't know about you, but if I was a child, I think I'd be rather horrified to know that some old man was running around my house without any pants on. And that's without even considering WHY he had taken his pants off in the first place? But maybe that's just me...

And as for the rest of the stuff in these catalogues, it just disgusts me, most of it. Do people really not have enough stuff to spend their money on without wasting it on junk like this? I can just hear Peter Walsh groaning.

Cause we all know we need a set of Tasty Watermelon Bowls or perhaps our very own set of Charming Cockerel Mugs.
But wait! The must have item of all time, the Easy lace-look shelf decoration!

Caitlyn's crocodile

2008-10-26T12:52:00.003+10:00

raawwr.
She cut it out with her new scissors and then taped it together herself :-)

One cotton jacket = ...?

2008-10-26T08:07:00.003+10:00

I found this size 18 cotton/acrylic jacket at kmart yesterday for a whole $17.25.
It was soft and not too bad of a colour so I thought I'd give it a go at frogging it.
Result...600g of double stranded yarn. I think it must be about a 4ply weight, doubled.
The seams were a bit nasty to deal with, and I had to cut the ribbing off the sleeves, because it was just a huge mess to try and undo.
Now just don't ask me about the bajillion little pieces of fluff all over the house...

Who wouldn't....

2008-10-23T17:39:00.004+10:00

....visit the beach most days if you live 2 blocks away, and summer is almost upon us?
;-)

Lachie is so much more confident going near the water than Caitlyn was at that age... but she's quite adventurous now!

Recycled shirt.

2008-10-22T17:51:00.004+10:00

Follow on from this post.

I tried out the tute on transforming a man's shirt into a dress, and it worked pretty well! The dress could probably do with an iron, and the batteries on my camera died, so not much in the way of decent photos... maybe of the next one.
The dress is also now in a wet sandy heap after a trip to the beach, where the warm waves were too tempting for Caitlyn to resist :P

Oh, and yes, I haven't trimmed the threads properly yet, or hemmed the bottom... call me lazy. lol.

Button obsession?...nooo, not here.

2008-10-22T13:04:00.008+10:00

op shopping...

2008-10-21T18:52:00.004+10:00

There's a new Lifeline here that opened recently that is in a huge big warehouse. I assumed this meant they had a lot of stuff, but it is just spread out more :P
We went there this afternoon in search of some interesting things like buttons, or knitting needles, or a lampshade, or some men's shirts to use for this idea. I have had the link in my favourites for ages, and never gotten around to looking for some shirts.

I did find some today, so I might give that a go tonight... bring on bed time!
I think the green one will be for practicing lol.

Part 3... Seaworld

2008-10-17T12:51:00.003+10:00

I finally got a chance to go through the photos and have a few more to put up here... mostly from our trip to Seaworld. Tired is an understatement after that day...
But we all had fun. And we managed to not buy a thing at all except for an icecream each as we were leaving. No junk food for lunch, no crappy made in China souvenirs, no rip off merchandise! Gotta love that.

Lachie spent a lot of time in the ergo, and was being a bit of a cling-on. I think he was a bit put out by all the people, I'm pretty sure he's never seen that many people at once before, lol. But of course Caitlyn was in her element, and raced around doing as much as she possibly could. We spent the day with Jill (friend of Judy's, my Mum's sister, who we were staying with) and her granddaughters, Ella and Miranda. Caitlyn played with them last time we stayed at Judy's, when I was pregnant with Lachie, and they had a lot of fun.

The kids wanted to spend all day on the rides, and couldn't understand why we'd want to drag them away to look at other stuff... until they saw it of course :P
Lachie was absolutely enthralled by the Sesame Street show. I think he was the only one of the kids that watched the whole thing LOL.

And yes, that is a big bruise on his cheek, courtesy of a chair. He was chasing Caitlyn around a corner... she saw the chair, he didn't. For about 4 days he had a bruise from the corner of his eye all the way down his cheek. ouch.

The dolphin show was amazing. Lachie went to sleep on me though, so I don't think he was much impressed...

Then we went to see a 4D movie, and had to wear these glasses... horrible photo of Caitlyn LOL, but it's the only one I have. Jill brought a stroller along for the bags to sit in, and for the girls to have an occasional sit and rest in. So I put Lachie in there when he fell asleep, and he slept through the movie, complete with blasting air and sprays of water, and extremely loud sound effects.

Then continued to sleep as we made our way to the water park. The girls had been begging all day to go swimming, Caitlyn in particular... and it was about 4pm by then, so they jumped in, and Caitlyn was blue within about 10 minutes, but that didn't stop her lol.

The Accidental Girly Mitts

2008-10-15T08:34:00.006+10:00

Accidental Girly Mitts

I designed these fingerless mitts during a small burst of knitting inspiration.... and decided to run with it.
I called them the Accidental Girly Mitts because I really didn’t intend on them being so much so. Fluffy yarn + lace + pink/purple = about as girly as you can get!

I've had a few requests for the pattern, so I'll throw a quick one up here. It may be a 'use at your own risk' pattern though, as of course, it hasn't been tested. The basic scallop pattern came from the Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches, circa 1983. Great year, that was ;-)

Size: Women's medium (these are quite snug, if you have larger hands/wrists, I recommend using a very stretchy yarn or upping your needle size)
Yarn: DK/8ply yarn of your choice.
I used Patons Caressa 45% wool/45% acrylic/10% mohair. Yardage will vary, but I used approx 75g, a lot less than 2 50g balls anyway.
Needles: 4mm/US size 6 or larger if you want bigger mitts.

Abbreviations used:
sl1 - slip 1 stitch knitwise
psso - pass slipped stitch over
k2tog - knit two stitches together
rep - repeat
m1 - make one (increase)
yo - yarn over (increase)

When I was thinking about the stitches I wanted to use, I decided on something that could be knit in the round, or flat, as I wanted to be able to knit them in the round, but I was a little fed up with DPNs and magic loop so decided to knit them flat, at the time...lol.
You could easily knit them in the round by knitting all the purl (even) rows, and then purling row 6 (the knit row), as the lace pattern only appears on the right side.

Cast on 54 stitches
rows 1 - 8: 1x1 rib
continue in scallop lace pattern.

Scallop lace pattern:

section 1:
row 1: k1, *sl1, k1, psso, k9, k2tog* rep to the last st, k1
row 2: purl
row 3: k1, *sl1, k1, psso, k7, k2tog* rep to the last st, k1
row 4: purl
row 5: k1, *sl1, k1, psso, yo (k1, yo) 5 times, k2tog* rep to last st, k1
row 6: knit

section 2:
row 7: as row 1
row 8: as row 2
row 9: as row 3
row 10: as row 4
row 11: k1, *sl1, k1, psso, m1 (k1, m1) 5 times, k2tog* rep to last st, k1
row 12: as row 6

You can repeat these 2 sections in any way that you like to create a pattern.
Mine are set up like this:
ribbing - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 - ribbing

Before you finish with ribbing, complete only rows 1-3 of section 1 (or rows 7-9 if you are finishing with section 2), and then continue on with 1x1 ribbing. Then bind of loosely in rib.

I then seamed up the side, leaving about a 2cm gap for the thumb, just below the top ribbing section. Because of the way the pattern is formed, the seam just looks like another set of decreases running down the side, and isn't noticeable at all!

Part 2...

2008-10-12T19:02:00.008+10:00

Ok, so this isn't technically part of the week away, but who can resist a post dedicated to yarn purchases?

You can imagine my shock walking into a small craft shop in Murwillumbah, and seeing a mountain of Koigu yarn. Despite the seemingly enormous price tag, 2 walked away with me. So soft and such beautiful colours.

They also had some clover bamboo needles, so I grabbed some of those too!

Not at all related to the week away, but a package also came from the Yarn Cafe.... mmm.

AND I found the most amazing buttons... here are the pink/red ones.... I will share better photos of the other colours when I have better light.

Trip posts to be continued...

Our week away...part 1

2008-10-12T18:22:00.005+10:00

We're back and we had fun!

Last weekend we went to Brisbane, and spent Sunday at Southbank. Caitlyn was begging to go swimming, but it was just too hot in the sun, and we were there right in the middle of the day.
To get a break from the sun we went to the Sciencentre. It was a bit of a shame that Lachie wasn't really old enough to enjoy most of it, and Caitlyn was really tired and not really into it all that much, but they both loved the touchy-feely exhibits.

Unfortunately my camera batteries died :P, so I didn't get any of Lachie with his face pressed up against this ... which was pretty funny lol.

Sew long...

2008-10-03T17:26:00.003+10:00

...since I did any sewing!

I am pretty pleased with how these turned out, since I haven't touched the sewing machine since, umm.... Christmas last year I think?
I remember Mum making us car bags for trips that we went on as kids, and I had a bit of a search around and couldn't find anything at all in the way of patterns or ideas on the net, so I made it up.
We're going away for a week or so tomorrow, so if anyone misses me, then that's where we are. :P

FO: Calorimetry

2008-09-18T10:18:00.006+10:00

I made this because I wanted to use up the rest of the yarn that I used to make the last pair of wristwarmers. In hindsight I should have used smaller needles, because even though I had heard that they come out pretty big, it is huge!
I really hate photos of me, so I've made it smaller than normal LOL.

Pattern: Calorimetry from Knitty, Winter '06
Yarn: Panda Concorde
Mods: none.

FO: return of the wrist warmers

2008-09-14T18:17:00.001+10:00

Here is V3.

Made for Heather, by request, after she saw LeeLee's pair.
The only mods I used for these ones was the extra ribbing.

I had to rush to get these done as they are going OS in a few days, so I only have a few quick photos taken on Mum's camera late at night lol.

Pattern: Irish Hiking Wrist Warmers
Non-Rav Link

Yarn: Panda Concorde - 70% Wool/ 30% Acrylic

Got milk?

2008-09-08T15:14:00.003+10:00

I do! and it's mmmmmmighty soft!
Ecoyarns had a sale and *as usual* couldn't resist this one.

I do have a project in mind though! something I'm working on in my head... I hope it turns out.

Yarn: SWTC Vickie Howell Collection- CRAFT
65% Organic Cotton 35% Milk Fibre
125m/50g

FO: Ballband Dishcloth

2008-09-05T08:39:00.005+10:00

I made this dishcloth for Dad for father's day. I managed to finish it in time! lol

It won't get to him before father's day, but at least I finished it.

It's such a fun, quick pattern, I can see why so many people have made it. It looks so complicated but it's super easy, a few slipped stitches and you've got a really cool design.

Link here

mmm, yarn!

2008-08-21T18:39:00.003+10:00

It's been so long since I received a yarn package.

This is what came today from Kel @ Dyelicious.

Some tight twist sock yarn, and some laceweight alpaca.
More details will be on my Ravelry stash page when I get around to putting them up. haha.

Happy Birthday Caitlyn

2008-08-21T10:09:00.005+10:00

We had such a busy day on Monday that I didn't get a chance to do it.

Happy 4th Birthday Beautiful Girl!

FO: Malabrigo Mitts

2008-08-21T09:53:00.003+10:00

I made these for leelee to thank her for helping us move into the new house, and for the child entertaining, lol.
I can't believe I have waited so long to knit with Malabrigo yarn!
It really is so lovely, I love the subtle changes in stitch definition, and the strength and length of the fibres, almost like you're knitting straight off the sheep lol. And the softness! The few people that I have showed them to didn't believe me at first that they were wool.

Must remind her not to put them in the washing machine... eek.

Pattern: Irish Hiking Wristwarmers
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted, about 75g. Pink Frost
Mods: I added a stitch either side of each cable to make them slightly larger than the last ones that I made, plus one at the start and the end, I think...lol (so 8 extra stitches), and I also made them longer than the pattern suggests.
Ravelry Link: here

Despite my dodgy seaming, I really do love this pattern, it's so quick and gratifying, and pretty and girly.

Feb Lady Sweater update

2008-07-16T10:27:00.005+10:00

I am back from the land of no internet access. I can't believe I wasn't online for over 2 weeks!

I have been making good progress with my FLS, and I am happy with how it is turning out, though I'm still not very impressed with the different shades of the yarn I'm using.

Of course its raining and dark and miserable today so I couldn't get any decent photos.

I'm also trying to decide which buttons I should use. I picked up 2 sets on the weekend, and while I like them both a lot, I'm not sure if they are really the right ones for this sweater.
That first set are a green shell style button, and almost match perfectly to the green in the yarn. So I like those because of the simplicity that they offer. They don't compete with the business of the lace. But are they too boring?

This set are really pretty metal buttons, and I love the design, but maybe they compete too much with the pattern in the sweater? They are so different and interesting that I had to buy them.

There's also the fact that the button holes ended up being a bit bigger than I wanted them to be, so I may need to buy bigger buttons... it should be alright though.

I am really enjoying knitting this. It has just enough in it to keep me interested without becoming frustratingly slow.... it will probably be summer by the time I've finished it though lol.

February Lady Sweater

2008-06-26T14:11:00.002+10:00

You might remember my previous post about the dye session that I did one afternoon a few weeks ago.

The yarn was intended for the February Lady Sweater.
I swatched and cast on, and despite stuffing up the first raglan increase, I kept going. From then on it was all pretty cruisy until I came to change to the second ball of yarn. (we won't mention the ugliness of the button holes lol)

I continued on until I realised, with plenty of swear words and angry glares at the knitting, that the second ball was a very different shade of green.

For some reason some of the balls that I dyed didn't take the dye as well as the others. They're about 2 shades lighter and not as variegated in colour. I have no idea how I didn't notice this before. I did a few more rows and hoped that it wouldn't be too noticeable, but it really was :(
So I frogged it back to where I joined the new ball, but the ugliness of the button holes was really getting to me, so I thumbed my nose at it and ripppped it all out. Yes, it did kind of feel good ;)

So now I'm back to square one, with 4 lighter balls, and 8 darker balls. That'll teach me for not balling all of them up at the beginning, I guess.

I'm thinking that I will do the yoke in the darker colours (which are smoother and feel softer, I'm thinking that the lighter balls didn't have as much superwash coating on them, which is why they didn't dye as well and fluffed/slightly felted during the dye process)... and then alternate balls from the lace down.

Oh and I am considering doing YOs as the button holes and using smaller buttons, so putting maybe 5 in instead of 3... then I don't have to worry about my dodgy button hole technique.

What do you think?

huuuge dye session

2008-06-12T09:15:00.006+10:00

I don't think I could stand the stress of doing this again anytime soon lol. But you have to love my huge (as Lucretia put it) "Pot of Doom"....

Lucky I'm tall enough to see into it LOL.

Anyway I decided that I would follow the trend setting crazy people converging on the February Lady Sweater

But I didn't think I had any yarn that was really suitable that I actually liked for the pattern. I think it needs a more smooth, plied yarn than a single ply smooshy yarn like malabrigo or similar single plied yarns that some people are using.... to bring out the stitch pattern. So I actually gave up and just sat back to watch the action. (2280 queued as of this minute!)

Then I remembered that I had a pack of Dashing yarn buried in one of my boxes that I was saving for something. Better now than never, right? It was a poo pale, yucko green. So I wacked it in the dye pot of doom, and set myself up for an afternoon of dyeing 600g of yarn.

I didn't foresee it taking all afternoon, but it took forever and a day for this pot to boil, even though it was only a third full. Here's another progress pic:

And finally the finished green....

It's still drying, so I haven't cast on yet...

Cable Swap

2008-06-10T10:34:00.003+10:00

I received my cable swap today!

I love the colours of these socks! they are great.... and they fit my big feet, thank you swapper!

Lachie was more interested in the bottle of wine than the car...haha.
And yes my feet look like they are weird shaped, but they are really normal shaped feet lol.

flickr

2008-06-06T07:35:00.004+10:00

yanked from Kris :)

1. Not available, 2. extra cheesy salami and mushroom pizza:), 3. Leave me alone, 4. A Splash Of Lime, 5. Another For The Ladies!!!, 6. The best ever mocha coffee, 7. Why is a drop of water clear but the lake is blue?, 8. Japanese cheesecake, 9. Happy Flowers -International Horti Fair 2006, 10. At wallyworld with my kid, 11. Too many Rabbits......in China, 12. turn me off.

Here are the rules if you want to play too:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker).

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?2. What is your favorite food?3. What high school did you go to?4. What is your favorite color?5. Who is your celebrity crush?6. Favorite drink?7. Dream vacation?8. Favorite dessert?9. What you want to be when you grow up?10. What do you love most in life?11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your flickr name

I had a few surprises doing this! When I was searching for my high school (I went to 2, so I picked the one I went to for the longest), the first photos that came up were from my violin tutor that I had in high school! I haven't seen her in probably 10 years.
Then when I was fiddling around searching for my kids names, I found a photo of a family who have 2 kids with the same names as mine... and in the whole wide world, they lived one town over from where we used to live when we lived in 'middle of nowhere' South Australia... how strange is that!

mmm lunch

2008-05-19T13:16:00.003+10:00

tortilla pizzas for lunch .... shh, don't tell Kev lol.
(he's eating left over GF pasta and sausage bake from the freezer for lunch, before he heads off to work)

A food-y post

2008-05-19T11:03:00.005+10:00

First was this dinner I made the other night, I need to post it here so I don't forget, so I can make it again!
We're on a gluten free diet at the moment (the kids and I aren't officially, but mealtimes need to be)
I made meatballs out of lamb mince, a couple of tablespoons of rice flour, and some tomato sauce (plus some herbs and spices and salt and pepper). I then rolled them in rice flour... and it worked really well! I recommend it, even if you don't have to.... rice flour works much better as a binding agent than wheat flour. And they browned up really nicely in the pan.
Then I just added sliced up carrots, zucchini, onions and broccoli, and a jar of sweet and sour sauce (probably would have added a can of pineapple if we had one)
I could have made the sweet and sour sauce, but I was lazy :P
Served it with thick rice noodles, yum! (rinse them in hot water after cooking and they don't stick together)

Today we made some savoury muffins. These aren't gluten free, though I think it would work with GF flour, because they have so many other ingredients in them, they aren't exactly light and fluffy lol.
I used this recipe, but changed it a fair bit.
I used bacon instead of mortadella (yuck).. and I added spring onions instead of fresh chives.
We also substituted some of the tasty cheese for parmesan. And I used some of my Dad's port chutney (I think it was mango and port chutney?... can't remember)
They would have been nice with some olives, and even nicer if you left some of the cheese out and sprinkled it on top instead. But they taste good. Oh and also note to self, grease or omit papers next time:P (although it did keep the kids happy for 20mins picking the cheese off them *grin*)

Yes, he is wearing his sister's t-shirt over the top of his lol.

Another WIP

2008-05-14T13:28:00.004+10:00

My So Called Scarf

I needed a break from the current things I'm working on, and needed to do something that didn't require following along a pattern at every line, or reading a chart. This pattern is so addictive, and I only had to look at it once to remember it.

I'm a bit concerned that the colours are pooling to look like camo :/
But hopefully it will look ok once it's finished ;)

Rav Link

A few more photos

2008-05-05T10:05:00.007+10:00

Lachie is being a clingy grumper today so I have been sitting half the morning with him on my lap. I had a mess around with a few photos cause I was bored lol.
I got some really cute ones of the kids yesterday and this morning, cause I borrowed Dad's digital SLR camera (ohh droool. If only I had $1500 lol). It takes beautiful skin tones... unlike my POS. heh.

I love my new shoes!

A few photos of our camping trip

2008-05-04T08:57:00.004+10:00

Last weekend we went camping near the beach. It was sooo beautiful.
I will tempt you with a few photos here and then send you over to Caitlyn and Lachie's blog to see the rest ;)
We were literally just over a sand dune from the beach. My parents go camping there quite often, and now I know why!

yum, bread!

2008-04-18T10:54:00.004+10:00

I haven't done much baking lately. Last night since we were having leftover minestrone soup for dinner, I thought I'd make some garlic bread to go along with it.
I cheated and used the breadmaker to mix the dough.

I mashed up some garlic and butter and salt in the mortar and pestle, and cut the bread dough into three pieces. I rolled them out into 3 long sausage shapes and sliced them down the middle, spread the garlic mixture in the middle and then sealed them up again.
Then I plaited them together and presto!

Here it is after sprinkling some parmesan on the top and baking it. And it was yum!

Another WIP

2008-04-17T10:32:00.019+10:00

This was supposed to be done a couple of weeks ago as a birthday present. Can't say I'm surprised that it wasn't!
Sorry Sal!
(she understands LOL)

It's the Diamond Lace Shrug from Patons. I am a bit scared because it's a one size fits most pattern and she's a fairly petite person, but I got just under gauge with the needles that I wanted to use, so hopefully it will be all good!
I must admit now that I haven't done it in zhivago, as suggested... but I have high hopes for this yarn, even if it is an acrylic! It's one of the nicest acrylics I've seen, and felt. It actually feels soft and smooth, not squeaky like most of them do *shudder*.

And this is what it will hopefully turn out like... I am fairly sure she won't see this post...

edited to add a Ravelry link

so I'm not usually one for these types of photos...

2008-04-07T13:46:00.008+10:00

...but I couldn't resist.
Today we made brownies... they are in the oven right now smelling delicious.
This is the recipe I used...perfect for those who are on a diet.
hahahahaa... not! I felt the need for a treat though.
I will update on how they go!

I would also like to share this lovely yarn that I got this week. Malabrigo!
I'm making a Koolhaas (sorry, that's a Rav link) for DH and I'm not sure about the pink.... I don't think it's me, so I will probably be making a hat for Judy out of it!
It came from Yarn and Kisses, a new Aussie distributor. Great service!

New WIP (yes, I know, another one)

2008-03-20T07:49:00.002+10:00

Last week, while we were traveling in the car, I started the Slippery Socks pattern. (Rav link here)

It is definitely the most time consuming of anything I have ever knit, so it's challenging me... which is good. I have spent about 6 hours on it so far, and at this rate it will be about 100 hours worth of work for a pair of socks!
I almost won't want to wear them after that....

It's really interesting seeing how the colours are coming out in each section of the sock, and I am liking the challenge, keeping my brain working is good! I'm just worried that it's going to fuzz up too much for being handled for so long... eek.

Tagged.

2008-03-12T17:20:00.001+10:00

Kim tagged me a few days ago, but I only just remembered! ... mind you, I think I was last on her list of "who can I tag now that hasn't already done this" lol.

Firstly, here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2. Share seven facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here goes...

1. I hate eggplant. I think eggplant is the worst food ever invented. It should not have the privilege of being called a vegetable! I have tried to eat it at various times, but honestly to me, it tastes like what I imagine a run over cane toad would taste like.... rubbery nasty outside, squishy, slimy inside. Even looking at it makes my stomach turn.
Have you been sick yet?? LOL

2. I played the violin for 7 years. And I haven't played it now for .... almost 10!
But I surprised myself a few months ago, and managed to pick it up and start playing again, I couldn't believe I could still read music and make my fingers do what they were supposed to do.

3. I'm mostly a loner. A lot of people confuse being a loner with someone who doesn't want to have friends, or who doesn't try/get along with people. But I do enjoy my own company quite a lot. I think that's why I spend time on the computer... I can still be myself, but without having to make so much of an effort, and still be social as well, without wondering if someone is looking at me the wrong way, or catching me pick my nose or something.

4. I enjoy being at home with my kids. I have, at this point in time, no burning desire to go back to paid work.

5. I've traveled to the very northern most point of Australia, on Cape York.... and also the most southerly point, in Tasmania. I've also been camping all over Australia with my parents, when I was younger.. I've climbed Uluru (sorry Tracy, kind of stole that one from you lol), camped in the Simpson Desert, spent Christmas camping in Tas... I've stood in SA, QLD and NT, all at the same time. Yes, it's possible!

6. I love reading, and can consume a book in a couple of days if I have the time. (which is never, now lol)

7. People's lack of respect for spelling and grammar are my pet peeve.... mistakes are glaringly obvious to me, especially in public places like advertising. I have been known to rant and annoy everyone lol. punctuation however... mine is all over the place ;)

I have no idea who to tag... someone suggest someone!

scored again! lol

2008-03-10T13:28:00.008+10:00

I had to go away and pat and drool for a bit before I could come and take photos and update.
I totally forgot that I was expecting this package, and it was a very nice surprise!

Some 100% Alpaca laceweight yarn in the "Peacock" colourway.

And a Symmetry set in the "Cactus" colourway. I love this yarn! Can't wait to knit with both of them.

Lookie what I got!!

2008-03-05T15:17:00.005+10:00

Yesterday I got a wonderful package from The Knittery.
One was a present from DH for my birthday, a set of Knit Picks Harmony sock DPNs. Yay!

And I also had some other money from my birthday to spend, so I bought some 2ply merino/nylon lace in "warm pinks" and some merino/cashmere sock yarn in the "holiday" colourway.

More pics in my Rav stash!

recent dyed yarns

2008-02-14T10:48:00.006+10:00

Here are a few skeins of yarn that I have been practicing on a bit.
I found a box of dyes that Grandma gave me yonks ago, and thought I would give them a try. The black is great, very true black. It ran a bit though, even with rinsing... will need to be careful.
I am thinking about selling some dyed yarns, but I am not sure it's worth all the effort on the business front. And I have no idea where to start in finding a great base yarn that I can get at a reasonable price.

rain and more rain....and then a little bit more!

2008-02-13T15:00:00.005+10:00

Last night we had the most rain that I can remember this summer. It hasn't rained this much since we moved into this house (over 8 months)

We had close to 100mm in just over an hour or so. And here's the photos of our backyard to prove it!

The photos are a little blurry because I was trying to keep my camera out of the rain... which was extremely difficult due to the crazy gusts of wind coming right at the back door. We missed out on the rain the last few times it has come down the coast, but not this time! The last photo is the rain trying to come in the back door!

pay it forward...

2008-01-29T22:46:00.000+10:00

yay! my turn. Thanks Kel!

The first three people to comment on this post will receive a gift from me, sometime within the next 365 days.

Who knows when it will turn up, or what it will be, but rest assured, it will arrive.

All you have to do is promise to make the same declaration on your blog, and send out gifts to three of your lovely readers.

Easy Peasy.

Finished the first sock!

2008-01-29T22:19:00.000+10:00

Last night I finally finished my first ever sock. And I even got the grafting right the first time. Impressive for 11:15pm LOL.

I can't wait to tell my grandma and show her the sock, she will be surprised that I actually got it finished, after my last attempt haha.

My ravelry link is here for anyone who is interested.
And the pattern link is here.
This was a very easy pattern to knit, it was just getting my head around what I had to do that was difficult at first. It's a very quick knit too, so great for a first pair of socks... I recommend it to anyone!

But if you're after pretty socks, this might not be the pattern for you lol. I really want to knit something pretty now. Well as pretty as possible with huge feet like mine....

second attempt at a first pair of socks lol

2008-01-25T10:36:00.000+10:00

A progress shot :)

I started a pair of these socks a few months ago and never really got into it... so it sat and sat and I finally said bugger it, and frogged the lot.

The lovely Bec talked me into a KAL with her and Donna, and I got inspired again, and picked a different yarn. We cast on together on msn (yes we are dorks) and they both charged ahead of me... I struggled along, and finally mastered the gusset.

Now nothing will stop me finishing this darn sock!
wish me luck lol.

On the Sunny Side part 2

2008-01-20T15:42:00.000+10:00

Today I finished the second of these hats.
I am really pleased with how it turned out... despite the few setbacks along the way... including a massive yarn tangle and knitting in a stitch marker that needed to be cut out :P

I think it's really cute, but Caitlyn says that "it's iiiiiitchy!!" and then took it off. doh.

I am so glad that I can cross off another finished item. I have way too many UFOs at the moment. Though not as many as in one person's blog that I was reading... she had something like 45 unfinished objects. ho-ly!

I only have about 5 or 6... but that's way too many to me. I get anxious about finishing and then can't relax and knit anything else until I either finish it or hide it away in the cupboard and forget it exists haha!
This is my favourite photo. I love how the decreases make a spiral.

And despite my best efforts, I still have a bunch of this wool to use up. I'd guess about 30-50g.

What to make... what to make....

Bath Buddy Bag - Pattern

2008-01-18T10:59:00.000+10:00

Here is the pattern that I designed for my kid's bath toys!

Bath Buddy Bag
This bag was invented out of a need to use up 25g of 4 ply baby yarn that I dyed as a test, and also out of frustration in tripping over bath toys all over the bathroom floor!
Yarn used, needle sizes and gauge are not very important for this project, use whatever your heart desires. But obviously, the finer the yarn used, and the bigger the needles, the more open the lace pattern will be.

I used 4ply (fingering) yarn, and 10mm needles.

note: there is no WS or RS for this project.

Loosely cast on odd number of stitches. (I used 39)
Knit 6 rows
Row 7: kfb, continue until last stitch, k1.(I now have 77 stitches: 38 x 2 + 1)
Begin mesh pattern.

Mesh Pattern.
Row 1: k2tog, yo until the last stitch, k1.
Row 2: k1. then k2tog, yo until end of row.
Repeat these 2 rows until your bag is the desired length. (mine is approx 10 inches (around 25cm) unstretched from top to bottom)

Note: Your mesh pattern should look like this when pulled tight:
All the diagonals are going the same way. If you find you have a row with the diagonals criss crossing over each other, then you need to go back and fix ;)
You will find that there is a different definite way in which the stitches sit on your needle (and the way in which they are knit together) for each of the 2 rows and you will learn to recognise how each row behaves as you knit it, and so should be able to pick up any errors quickly.

Now you will continue with a decrease row:
K2tog until last stitch, k1 (I now have 39 stitches again)
Knit 2 rows.

Bind off loosely. (as loose as possible will ensure that your bind off row has as much stretch as the rest of the bag)

Seaming:
Fold the bag in half from side to side, so that the 10 rows of knit are at the top.
Begin at the bottom, and seam the edges together, but stop just before you get to the knit rows at the top. I left these open, so that the opening of the bag wasn't too tight. Depending on what you are using the bag for, and how loose or tight your knitting is, you may want to seam all the way up the edge. I like the frill effect that it creates being open.

Here are photos of the bottom and the top of the bag, showing the open frill.

Creating the i cord: (if you don't know how to create an icord, search google here)
You may want to use smaller needles to create the icord, if you want a neater finish. I used the same 10mm needles that I used to create the bag, to make the icord and it looks fine.
Knit an icord of your desired length, and again, this will depend on what you want to use the bag for. Make sure that it is long enough to enable the bag opening to open right up. Mine is approx 30 inches (around 75cm) long.

Thread the icord through the top row of the mesh pattern. I threaded it through every second hole, to reinforce it a little. Pull it tight to close, like a drawstring. And you're done!

Please contact me if you have any questions, or if I've made a boo boo! :)

Wisp aka 'looks like roadkill'

2008-01-13T15:03:00.000+10:00

Last night I cast on Wisp, Ravelry link here.

I originally started with the suggested 5mm needles, but the yarn I am using is a bit thicker than the suggested, and after ratting up the pattern majorly on the first lace row, I frogged it and switched to 6mm needles.

I was using crappy steel lined plastic needles and I was having so much trouble, so I am using my KPs now and wish I had done in the first place.... they are so much easier to knit with. I would definitely recommend that you spend the money on them, they are worth every dollar!

I managed to stuff everything up a second time, so it seems like the third time might be lucky on this UFO. I have completed the first repeat and it looks passable. (note to self, close knitty page with perfect Wisp photos, as they don't inspire confidence in the mediocre version sitting infront of me.) The mohair does matt/felt/smoosh up a lot. I have a feeling this might resemble something flattened on the road by the time I'm finished with it, hence the name I gave this project.

This was inspired by my need to knit something lace-like. I have just queued up a bunch of different shawls, scarves and wraps.... I think I am developing a lace fetish. LOL.
Now I just need some really nice 2ply lace yarn and I will be set.

I settled for this Cleckheaton Studio Mohair that I found in the reduced pile at spotlight ($20 for 10 balls)... I seem to dig through those a lot lately. I have yarn withdrawals though. There is absolutely no where else to buy yarn in this town.... oh for a lovely LYS.....

Bargain shopper lol

2008-01-09T15:57:00.000+10:00

When I was at spotlight during the 20% off sale, spending my voucher... I came across this bag of baby yarn (4ply) ... 18 balls of it
I thought well, I could experiment a bit with it, and if all else fails, just knit baby items for friends etc with it.

so I turned this...

into this today....

I wasn't sure if it would take the dye, or if it had been treated with something (and it was a really cheap brand after all, AFAIK...), it did say handwash, so I was hopeful lol
but yay, I am so stoked by how it turned out.

and the best part?
18 balls for.... a whole $8!

now what can I make with 25g of dyed wool? lol

Sun Hat Version 1

2008-01-02T07:20:00.000+10:00

Here's the first finished sun hat made for Caitlyn.

I made it with the same bamboo/cotton yarn that I have been working a lot with lately. I find it very hard to knit with because of the way that it splits, and how slippery it is. But it is really soft, and lovely to feel.
Who knows if she will actually wear it :P ... but it was a fun, easy knit, and I've started another one, using Monster Knits BFL... which is turning out nicely, and is much, much easier and faster to knit with. It will probably only take me half as long.

I think I buggered up a few of the decreases in this hat, but you can't really tell, and it's not like it matters lol. I also added a band of the contrasting yarn to the middle of the body of the hat, because I was trying to use up that pink/grey/brown yarn, and I didn't have enough to make a whole hat out of it. I think it looks pretty cool.

Swap

2007-12-15T07:27:00.000+10:00

These are a couple of things that I made for a swap on one of the forums that I'm on.
I'm almost certain the person I'm making for won't read this so I can post some photos.

I was making for a 4 year old girl, and it was tough to think of anything at first.... but Carmen gave me some ideas! It was only supposed to be worth $10 I think, and I have no idea what these things would be worth, so I hope it was enough!

I decided to make a couple of bandannas and a knitted belt/scarf/headband/whatever you want to call it. (I had to guess how long to make it cause Caitlyn was at childcare and I didn't have any measurements handy. I hope I made it long enough for a belt, I was getting fed up with it in the end because it was taking longer than I had hoped to make, and Lachie was hanging off me... sorry swapper! lol)

I think the belt turned out pretty well. I made it from a bamboo/cotton yarn. It was soo splitty, but I guess you get that buying cheaper brands. I love the colours though, and it's so soft.

I have another few balls of it to make some dishcloths, and I've started knitting a bookmark out of the rest of this ball. Yay me!

(says she who is avoiding the bamboozled)

Bamboozled update.

2007-12-12T21:48:00.000+10:00

getting there...
I'm a bit further on than this photo. I needed to post it to give myself a kick though. (that is a kick in the pants to get going, not a kick as in a 'woohoo' feeling LOL)

I just have no concentration for knitting this tonight.
I'm starting to lose interest really. nooo!
must focus...

Bamboozled (me) lol

2007-11-29T13:49:00.000+10:00

Pattern found here

This is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. It's not that hard really, it's just the amount of concentration that is needed to try and work through each line. It really does hurt my head.
I am not really surprised that it has turned out a bit silly looking because of the variation in colours in the yarn, but I guess it still looks okay. I have spent so long fiddling with it and holding it that it has become partly felted LOL.
Luckily this one isn't going to anyone else.

It also badly needs blocking. I can't believe how many hours I have spent on this for what result I have. *embarrassed*
Woe is me... but I will keep soldiering on.

And what's more... the author lists this as a "quick knit". *snort*

Note to self, next time follow chart, not line by line. Also don't pull slipped stitches too tight in the beginning unless you want something that resembles a knitted poo.

Ravelry link to my project

Go hard,
.......... or go home:P

New dyed wool

2007-11-25T16:52:00.000+10:00

Here are some photos of the yarn that I dyed the other day. I think I am getting a bit better.

Thanks to Bec for her pointers, and fabulous advice!

This one is probably my favourite, but the other one was a bit of a disaster... ;)

Imagine black dye all over the kitchen. whoops!

Cable Bag

2007-11-13T18:33:00.000+10:00

I should start updating here again now that I actually have time to update! (and more importantly time to create lol)

I'm working on the Drops Bag with Cable Pattern in Eskimo and so far I'm enjoying it. It's the first project that I've made with cables, and they really are much easier than I was expecting. I'm not sure what I was expecting really. :P

I am using up some wool that I had laying around that I didn't like the look of up until now, but it works well for a bag. I'm pretty sure it's 100% wool.

I'm using crappy needles because my addis aren't long enough, can't wait until I get KPs!!

feeling knitty

2007-04-26T11:15:00.000+10:00

I've been meaning to try this for awhile... knitting 2 balls of 8 ply together to make a soaker or shorties or something. It's interesting the way the wools wind together, though I'm not really sure I like the two colours that way. It's kind of harsh the way they blob against each other.
But wow it's fast to knit! gotta love finishing something in half the time LOL.

I might try it with some white and varigated wool, or some complementary colours rather than contrasting ones...it may be more visually appealing:P

Now I have to decide if I want to keep knitting this or wait until I get colours I like more....but L does badly need longies for nights..so maybe I'll just see how fast I can knit some lol

mmm friands.

2007-04-19T08:19:00.000+10:00

ok so not technically crafty, and not technically made by me (haha) but still tasty. Caitlyn and Dad (Pa) made these friands (oops I just typed friends LOL) today. They are so bad for you (you would not believe the amount of butter in those little critters) but they taste sooo good. They made mixed berry ones and almond ones.
Caitlyn wore her new cook outfit that I bought for some crazy cheap price when they were having a sale at kmart a couple of weeks ago. I think it's cute! but it is so cheaply made it just annoys me that they can sell stuff like that which will quite literally fall apart after not very long. Maybe I will design and make some myself...and maybe even sell them if they turn out. I definitely think it's a good idea to be selling some things that aren't just for the nappy-wearing.

nappy storage.

2007-04-15T09:34:00.000+10:00

I found these canvas baskets at kmart and thought they were perfect for putting nappies in. Only trouble is how many of them I would actually need to fit all the nappies in (oops).
They fit perfectly under the change table too.... which is really cool.
I have had time to do a few silly things this morning while L has been having a sleep. I am sooo not used to having time to myself, it's very odd.

New Projects 2

2007-04-14T14:49:00.000+10:00

This fleece is for a secret project I'm working on.
...... If I ever get time to design a pattern and actually cut the stuff out.
And NO I am not addicted to lime.
(maybe a tiny bit) ;)

New Projects

2007-04-14T14:31:00.000+10:00

I have a couple of projects to work on. I bought this fabric a couple of weeks ago and haven't gotten any further. argh! lol.
I am going to make another wrap sling so that I can actually wash my hug-a-bub. I am that attached to it that I am scared to wash it in case I need it while it's drying LOL.
So it will be interesting. I searched all over spotlight to try and find a suitable fabric but couldn't really find any, so I'm just going to try this and see what happens. The green fabric may not have been such a good idea because it's been shedding all over everything already haha.

some links

2007-04-13T10:04:00.001+10:00

Here are some other links that might interest some of you. :)

Caitlyn and Lachie's Journal

Their photo album

Photos of our stash!

here I am...

2007-04-12T21:36:00.000+10:00

After being inspired by the lovely Bec and her blog, I've decided to create a public blog for all my crafty related things. I have a personal online journal, but most of it is private and I'd rather keep it that way... but at the same time I wanted to share things as well, so here I am. (nevermind that I kinda really hate the whole blogger thing (a LJ girl from way back, so maybe just biased)...it seems to be what most people are using in my circles at the moment.

My first post here is the rainbow shorties (longies) that I made for lachie recently. The wool is some that I had for probably over a year, and I could never bring myself to use it because I loved the colours so much and didn't want to waste it. I just hope you can't see my crappy knitting in these photos ;)