Aloe Driftwood :: WIP

I am just loving knitting top-down and in the round.  Check out these sleeves - so clever

Yes, I am still around!

My menfolk have fallen sick one after the other, over and over again these last 5 weeks.  Liam has become so bad that when it was time for the long-awaited ENT appointment he was sufficiently infected, swollen and pus-oozy that the ENT surgeon declared "grommets! tonsils out! adenoids out!".

Surgery has been booked for 6 week's time, right on my birthday.  So I have a hot date with my gorgeous little 4 year old, in overnight accommodation with lashings of ice cream.  And you know, with the lack of sleep I have had lately, it sounds delightful.  But seriously, I am thrilled about the surgery.  You see, Liam has sleep apnoea which finally a medical professional has admitted could be causing his seizures (I knew it was something to do with his ears, nose and throat issues!!!).  There are no promises but I can't help thinking that it will relieve the situation.

Sleep apnoea in little children can cause learning difficulties and behavioural issues.  His deafness caused by glue ear is causing poor speech development.  His tonsils and adenoids are causing the sleep apnoea and excessive dribbling.  And. so. on.  I am scared to pieces about a surgeon cutting into my little boy but I am praying praying praying!

Right now I wish I could have my tonsils removed.  I have shared my bed for the past few weeks with sick little boys, breathing their germs and being drooled on so it was only a matter of time and sleep deprivation before I succumbed!

This is supposed to be a craft blog too.  So enough talk of sickness.  This is what I have been up to in between playing nurse-maid.  With the weather getting warmer, I fear it won't be worn this season.  Nevermind.  I'll give you all the details when I finish.






Do you have something on the needles that won't make it before spring?

xxx

Wednesday's WIP Out :: Hannah's Quilt

I cut the sheets into 5" strips and then again into 5" squares.  When I set up my piles of fabric on the living room floor ready for assembly, Rick thought it wasn't going to work.  He didn't say anything.  But as I was laying them together while he was watching the telly, something amazing happened.

Rick looked away from the telly during an ad break and exclaimed "wow, it's looking good!".  He then went on to say that he initially had doubts and couldn't believe how well all the fabrics were working.  He even said that he would keep it if it wasn't destined for his daughter Hannah.  That is a huge compliment from Rick.  He is really quite good with colours and is a bloke's bloke.

So this is it in its development.  I will machine quilt it even though I don't have a walking foot.

What are you working on?

Wednesday's WIP Out :: Green Tea Leaves Part 2

She's coming along.  Autumn blew in on ANZAC day and I resented not spending more time on knitting this cardi. You can see that I am on the first sleeve which is knitted in the round.  The red yarn is just a marker, it was holding my stitches while I completed the cardi's body.  I love that this cardi has no seams!  I am knitting it on smaller than recommended needles as I didn't have the right ones.  This means that the yoke doesn't look as it should and hopefully it will still fit me!

Using the wrong sized needles isn't the only error I have made due to my lack of experience.  I have run out of yarn.  Sadly, Bendigo Woollen Mills have run out of this dye-lot and I am on to the next.  Thankfully it is almost a dead match.  So I have learnt not only to read the pattern properly but to remember that Bendigo Woollen Mills do run out of dye-lots quickly!

I have also discovered that I haven't been doing M1 stitch accurately.  I stumbled across this fact when thumbing through my knitting bible looking up another stitch.  I was not twisting it before knitting it.  Oh well.  Explains all the holes I was getting in my garments thus far.

I am looking forward to trying out this increase technique too.  I discovered this after I made my increases under the sleeve so I will have to try it out next time.

Ok so I am going to knit like the clappers and get this on for Monday.  What do you think my chances are?

Wednesday WIP Out :: Green Tea Leaves

It will be a little while before this one is featured on a Made It Monday post methinks.  It is one thing to whip up a child's beanie in two evenings, another when knitting a cardi for me!  Better get clickety-clacking  . . . .

Wednesday WIP Out :: An angel with tension issues

I've seen this lovely Angel Scarf crocheted by many a talented lady.  The pattern looked easy so I thought I'd give it a go.  I have my MIL in mind for this one.  But now I am wondering if I should give it to her as my crocheting tension is shocking.

I started out nice and loose and relaxed.  And now my crocheting is firmer and neater but not nice and loose as before.  I know blocking can cure some tension issues, but will it fix this one?  Should I unravel and start again?  I need to complete it by mid June. 

I am seeking advice so please comment, add a link or commiserate!

Wednesday's WIP Out: Circles Quilt

This is the quilt that started it all  . . . but it will be my third.

For my birthday back in 2010, Jen gave me the circles, all neatly cut out from Amy Butler's gorgeous fabric and said "I was going to make you a quilt for your birthday but I thought you'd might like to make it yourself, I will show you".  How fantastic!  And how scared was I?  I didn't even own a sewing machine then. 

I have since purchased the goods, done a couple of trial runs on other quilts and am finally ready.

Here's the work in progress:

I have been loving every stitch of this quilt and will not look forward to the post-quilt-completion-deflation that I have felt on my other two quilts . . . this must be what drives one to create another.

What makes you quilt?