Happy day

Is the sun shining for you today?

It is shining here after what has seemed like a very long time, of overcast, drizzly grey and cold days.  The sun has popped out occasionally, only long enough to grow the grass but not dry out the ground beneath, so we are kind of swampy here.  The front half of our house has a musty mould smell which is driving my constitution to almost failure.  But the sun has come out and so have my spirits!

The weekend was spent frolicking with friends and ended with wood fired pizza! Yum.  In between, there was church, outdoor fellowshipping and furniture moving to maximise what little sun we get in this ice cave of a house.

And the sun is shining again today.

After my daily dose of coconut oil, this time atop slabs of fruit loaf from Morpeth Sourdough Bakery with slices of strawberries, the boys and I ventured out.  First to their playgroup then to the park.  We ate a picnic, threw the frisbee, chased the ball (the wind was a wild opponent) and played tip till my teeth ached from panting cold air.  Then some of our friends joined us and extended the fun.

And the sun is shining today.

I gave wee little Tiago his present and his mummy loved it.  She is a good one to give handmade to.  I know it is not everyone's cup of tea, but it is lovely when it is.  Very satisfying.

The pattern and other details for Tiago's wash cloth #2 are raveled here.

 I think that this has been an awesome start to the week.

We have played lego and we saw this view.

And Liam will turn 4 this week.  Crazy!

Have you got happy expectations this week too?

xx

Knitting in Public :: The Perfect Spot!

Remember on Tuesday I said I was off to take the boys to Bunnings?

Well, I took my knitting too!  The very wash cloth I was telling you about.  And let me just say that Bunnings is the perfect place to take kids to get some knitting done.  I put them in the cage playground to play (this photo is staged, they were happily playing not desperate to get out!), sat down in the comfy outdoor seating display and clickety-clicked to my heart's content.

And Voila!  It is finished.

Thanks also for the tips on how to crochet the edge.  Seeing as the young recipient is a boy, I thought simple and un-frilly would be best.  My crocheting definitely leaves much to be desired so I may ask Tiago's mummy to remove her glasses when opening the present to get my best chance at a good first impression!

I think odd-numbered gifts work nicely, so I am knitting up another free-styled cloth and will buy some Gaia baby wash to complete the pressie.

Deets for Tiago's wash cloth #1, including my pattern, is Ravelled here.

xx

Tiago's washcloth WIP

Thanks for all your comments on my watermelon dishcloth.  I feel like I have a bit of a knitting groove happening for the simple, functional and fun.  Dishcloths are going to be my new junk knitting- you know, the quickies between the biggies.  I think I might leave my usual junk-knits, the beanies, alone for a while and churn out more dishies.

I asked yesterday if you knew whether Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton is any good as a hardworking dishcloth but alas no one has used it so you advised to just try it out myself.  So I will!  And I will report back here with my conclusion.

Right now though, seeing as the cotton is super soft, I am knitting a couple of wash cloths to give to a brand new human, Tiago.

I'm free-styling with a good old simple stitch combo (K4, P4, repeat) x 4 rows, swap.

Then I thought I would mix it up a little and toss in 4 rows of seed stitch.  Pattern is therefore 12 rows which I think I will repeat a few times but end on row 8 of pattern.

I am using the colour Parchment and I will attempt do a simple crochet boarder in Latte.  Any advice?  How would you do the boarder?

And I will make another in the reverse colour combo or perhaps with green.  But I think the second one will be a different pattern. Either way, I have to have it finished by Friday!

This is a welcome distraction right now as I have started another project for me, well . . . hoping that I get to keep it . . .  not like my Green Tea Leaves which now warms my beautiful Mother in Law's (Mam) shoulders.  I have pulled the first 3 rows back several times as I'm getting in a muddle over M1L and M1R, right side vs wrong side.  My stitch markers never seem to be in the right spot.  It doesn't help that I keep attacking attempting the pattern at night, in front of the telly.  But I am super excited about it and can't wait to show you.

Right-i-o then, I better be off.  It's a drizzly day in these parts and my micro men are restless.  I promised that they could watch Play School and then I will take them to Bunnings!  They love Bunnings hahahaha.

Happy Tuesday Peeps!

xx

You know you love knitting when . . .

 . . . you win Kate's giveaway and feel like you've won lotto!

Yes, the random number generator (believe me it would have to be random to select my comment), selected my entry and now I am like a kid in a lolly shop trying to decide which 5 Tikki patterns to choose.

It would be good if Georgie's designs were few, but there are quite a number AND they are ALL good!

Have you checked out Georgie's Tikki Pattern Store?

Have you knitted one of her clever yet simple patterns?

I have only knitted one of her patterns, Jane (pictured above) which I showed you last week.

But that is all about to change Whoop Whoop!!


Thanks Kate so much for this giveaway, but more than that, for being such a supporter of yarn crafts, for churning out beautiful creations, that you photograph so beautifully on your gorgeous models.  And thanks Georgie for your wonderful  patterns.

Right-o, all I have to do now is buy more yarn!  Coz a girl can't have enough yarn.

xx

Shelley's Watermelon Dishcloth

I'll blame the dodginess of this photo on my iPhone, shall I?

Shelley loves watermelon.  Watermelon anything.  So when I came across this dishcloth pattern I just had to knit it for her!

I am not sure if Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton was the right choice for a dishcloth as it is so soft and slightly fluffy.  Have you had success with this yarn for dishcloths?  Please tell as I don't want to keep going on my dishcloth bender if they will all fall apart or leave a fluff trail.

Perhaps as a washcloth it will be ok.

Ravelled here

Have you knitted/crocheted a watermelon themed item?  I'd love to see it!

xx

Isabella's Cardi

I purchased this pattern a while ago, not knowing who I was going to knit it for.  And then I met Isabella.  She is an adorable 2 year old with equally exquisite parents so I just had to knit her this darling cardi.

I wasn't sure if this colour was appropriate for a toddler but it is good to venture away from true pinks I think.  This is Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8ply in Nectarine.  I couldn't decide if it was pink or orange.  But for a spring cardi, I think it will work.  And team it up with aqua or white or cream or whatever!

And can I just say how much I am impressed with the layout of this pattern.  It is so clearly written and it has no seams! Joy!  The only challenge, and this is a challenge for me only I am sure, is the picking up of stitches.  I always seem to struggle with picking up stitches.  But it turned out fine!

The other slight disappointment in my current knitting skillage is my use of DPNs.  I didn't have the suggested 30cm length circular needle so DPNs it was.  It means that the sleeves look a little gappy here and there, even after pressing (as pictured above - I won't mislead you, I am very much still refining my technique!)

And you know what else?  I didn't realise this pattern was a Tikki Knit by Georgie Hallam.  I only realised this when I was entering Kate's giveaway!**

You can find more patterns by Georgie Hallam here and check her blog out here

For the Ravellers out there, deets are here

xx

 **this week only- the winner will be announced 23 July 12 so click over to Foxslane if you haven't already (I know you, you have already entered, haven't you?!  Good!)

Liam's Vest

I wasn't sure whether to show you this or not!  I am not pleased with it.

I started knitting it late April but needed some quick fix beanie and dishcloth knitting in between.  So it sat in the knitting basket.  Then I took it with me to Hervey Bay in June with every intention of finishing it there.  But another beanie jumped onto my needles!

Even though I learnt basic knitting as a child and dabbled in my 20's I really hadn't progressed.  So every garment I have made since (last 2 years) has me learning something new.  In this case I learnt to join the shoulders using mattress stitch.  Actually, I now know how to mattress stitch, but this knowledge came about after I joined the shoulders.  You see, I pulled the stitches too tight so it still appears as a seam instead of flat and invisible.  And, as it often does with knitting, one mistake here can lead to further problems there.


Because I pulled the stitches too tight, it made the armhole slightly smaller and therefore the stipulated number of stitches for the armhole are now too many.  But I didn't realise until the end.  And I am a bit of a lazy knitter at times.  If I go too far past the error, I tend not to unravel.  Pah!  So now Liam has little upturned armholes!  He won't be in it for long as he is getting tubbier by the day.

And as to the stripe, I ended up with my original combo of grey, white and yellow.

You can find my ravelry deets here

What do you think?  Should I unravel and do the armholes again?

I should pull out the neck band too and then redo the shoulder seams but I can't. be. bothered.  Too many other knitting expeditions are awaiting!

xx