A non- post

A definition of a non- post: a post in which all I can talk about is that what isn’t happening…

I really wish I was proudly presenting a tailored jacket that I have been working on (for myself) for a fairly long time. *SIGH* I came across a number of complications and challenges… but before I got really fed up with it, Karen witnessed my enthusiasm and kindly alerted me to the fact that Spotlight had a massive sale on Vogue patterns.

(I put the amazing jacket on hold and will definitely return to it…)

Then all of a sudden “this” happened, and I cannot speak about it, but it will keep me very busy.

Then this arrived yesterday, and I am not allowed to touch it, until “this” is over. 

And what good news can I blog about? I think I never posted a photo of the suits I made last year for Friday on my Mind, the EASYBEAT’s story… so there, have a great weekend!

Proudly Presenting: Katherine the Great

I have just finished a wonderful scarf! I decided to call it Katherine the Great, since I completed the final stitches of this project at a lovely friend’s house and her name happens to be Katherine and yes, she is GREAT.

But something else occurred to me, whilst christening this wonderful new item in my wardrobe – this scarf is not just great, but also large… larger than it’s original, which I made a few months ago for my niece Rebecca. Moreover, I realised that I never posted a picture of the wonderful scarf that Rebecca took home to New York, duh!

First things first… the inspiration came from a pattern called Rusty Pearls. The yarn (2 ply baby alpaca) came from my knitting buddy, soul mate, chief adviser for all things important and trivial, Sue. And funnily enough, the silk used in the crotchet edges came from yarn I bought with Sue at the craft fair in Darling Harbour many years ago, at the very beginning of our friendship. Here we are, still loving each others’ company (and in this case, celebrating Sue’s birthday).

I loved the little scarf so much, I had to have my own, but a larger version. The playful edging is giving this scarf such a gorgeous finish, especially in a contrast color and texture. 

I have to admit, I never managed to uncurl the top edge of the scarf 😫, I tried and tried… I finished it with an I-cord and various hand and crotches stitches that according to various online resources promised to stabilise stockfinstre stitch fabric, but alas… nothing worked… and fortunately it did not worry Rebecca.

For Katherine the Great, I just kept adding stitches, and when I nearly ran out of the 100gr skein, I started introducing another one, stripe by stripe, to blend the slightly different shades of off white.

When I thought I had surely done enough knitting I loved working on the crotchet edge with my final bits of silk… but I thought the scarf was actually not big enough to snuggle up in. No problem – I just picked up more stitches and carried on knitting until I truly ran out of yarn and worked another silk edge, until I ran out of that, too.

I just LOVE this…

Little Things

I think some completed knitting should go on record… I love knitting things for babies – it’s so fast!

Two months ago, Esther’s basketball coach and his partner had a baby. I made a little newborn outfit and then very quickly a jumper from the same pattern one size up… because babies just keep growing!

Morning Tableau

We had an amazing anniversary (married for 21 years, 😊) hike on the weekend. Deep in the bush, in winter, in the middle of nowhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I seem to have acquired this horrible cold that is going ’round and I have woken up again way too early with that dry cough. It will take it’s course and I will be fine, so I shall stop winging right now.

The upside of waking up early is sneaking in a bit of knitting time and HUZZAAH I have finished the socks I started in 🇩🇪. This is a pattern from my aunt’s old knitting book.

For my little project I also received from my aunt this gorgeous hand made project bag – I just love it 😍 .

I have quickly filled it with some yarn for the next small project – a hat for my brother in law Chris, which he has requested years ago. I know how cold it is here now, so I can imagine how cold it is in Canberra, so I must get on.

I treated myself to some fancy new knitting needles in Germany, since I could feel a ‘sock-knit-obsession’ coming on. Not sure what to say about them.

The tiny circular needle is strange to hold in the hands, since there is nothing to hold on to! They are great though if you knit a pattern that spans over a significant width, possibly over your dpns.

The set of light dpns is lovely, but since I knit fairly tightly, it irritates me when the yarn gets stuck in that tiny ridge between the wood and the metal. Am I hard to please? I simply think there is not really anything wrong with my ancient (bent) sets of dpns… sometimes I think all this new stuff is just a jazzy marketing ploy…

 

Proudly presenting: Masterpiece

I made the Masterpiece for my friend Jo last year and had never seen it on her, but today she brought it along and I was sooo pleased to see how nicely fits. In the meantime, I have made my own Masterpiece out of cotton. I finished it 10 days ago and am virtually living in it.

Masterpiece is designed by Jutta von Hinterm Stein and it is a rather challenging project. It is a top down knit, where revers and set in sleeve are simultaneously managed at times… I did plenty of ripping. It’s shape is very tailored, which makes the look feminine as well as formal, which I really like. The edge around the front and collar is seriously something that requires a lot of patience and knitting needles! Stitches are picked up around the edges, then a 4 row band is knitted with mitered corners. And THEN one needs to  pick up the picked up stitches on the back and knit another 4 row mitered edge on the back of the work, which is then cast off together with the front edge (3needle bind off).

Masterpiece is well worth the effort!!!

 

the Little Shawlcollar Cardi

I am really not up to date, sharing the progress of my projects! I have been living in this little cardi all winter! I chose to knit a fairly firm fabric, so the shape has kept well after wearing it for all these months.

Again, I found a nice image on the net, maybe this was called ‘Nimbus’ originally? Anyway, different yarn, different gauge, detail, etc. I added this little slit at the side seam at the waist. I like the finish, since I bound off front edge and hem with an I-cord.

Off memory, I knitted the body bottom up and the sleeves top down. This is a real “feel good” piece!

A Poncho

Ponchos do not feature in my wardrobe! They are too … Unfitted, drapy, uncontrolled… I tend to opt for the fitted little cardigan or jumper that shows of great craftsmanship and know how of fit and body shape. That’s the tailor in me… But I found some Noro yarn heavily discounted and could not walk past the glorious colors! After searching for a good (fitted!) pattern idea, a highly skilled fellow knitter pointed out that this yarn does not hold shape and wears out quickly, if the garment is too fitted.

So I thought I should go into new territory. A poncho for my friend Karen. I started at the neck (cast on 88 stitches) and worked my way down. After 20 cm/ 4″, I increased 4 times 8 sts every 2nd row (front, back, shoulders) and then continued increasing 4 sts front and back only (2 at the front, 2 at the back), whilst increasing twice 4 sts every 4th row at the shoulders (2 x 2 sts) and then no more at the shoulders…

When it was nearly long enough, I increased front and back only 4 sts every 4th row (2 at the front, 2 at the back).

to finish the neck, I picked up 88 stitches from the inside of the neck with 1/2 size smaller needles and knitted all the way up to my cast on row. I then cast off my sts with a 3 needle cast off, incorporating the cast on sts.

For the hem, I did something similar: I picked up sts 5 rows above my final row and knitted down to the hem in slightly thinner yarn, then I did a 3 needle cast off with my new and hem stitches. I am very pleased with this neat finish.

I am very happy with the result! I used 5mm needles and 380gr of yarn. This poncho measures 56cm/22″ from below the neck to the front/ back tip. Easy peasy.

Proudly Presenting the Basketweave Henley

I am definitely behind with posting my projects, yikes. I finished this lovely little Henley many weeks ago! It is great to wear for many reasons: it is fine wool, so not too warm. It is well fitted, so it’s ok to wear under jackets. It is figure- hugging and simply makes me feel a bit sophisticated :).

Not sure it needed the neckband to be thinner at the centre front, but hey, that’s what I did.

A final shot to celebrate the waist shaping and the set in top down sleeve (tutorial a few posts ago).

And a photo of my new work space.

Happy Easter!

Time flies. Excuse me for stating the obvious.

It’s been too hot to photograph me in the cream coloured Henley that has been the subject of this blog a few weeks ago. But all of a sudden the mornings are cold and I have started wearing the gorgeous creation! But when I return home after work it is too dark to take a photo…

So, I have started knitting a gorgeous cardigan from some ancient yarns donated by my darling friend Sue… Needless to say that what you see on my lap is the second version – I entirely ripped the darn thing last weekend and re-knitted it in a week… so it’s a bottom up cardi with set in sleeves (which are knitted top down) and a cute wrap collar which I am trying to work out in the fading light, on my verandah, enjoying the screeching of the cockatoos and the croaking of the froggies… 

and I think this glass of white wine is probably my best friend, holding my hand in this endeavour… but do look at this photo (courtesy of daughter Jo) and you can literally SEE my impatience: I have knitted the grown on button band AND sewn on the buttons, you can spot a set of double pointed needles of a nearly finished sleeve and possibly you can see a random circular needles which holds the stitches of the second sleeve cap… Well… If not… Let me tell you, Holmes, that I am also well and truely past the half way mark of the collar by now…

This marks a nice  Easter weekend. We were going to go away but simply missed the boat by being too late with the planning. So we enjoyed a nice few days in Sydney. Some good communal chilling out, preparing for (one lucky family member’s) the Europe trip, hanging the kitchen curtains, chatting, playing board Games, having Sue and Michael for dinner, visiting the Ruined Castle In Katoomba, staging an epic Easter egg hunt for 4 teenagers, checking out the Sydney Biennale at the Carriageworks… It sounds like we did a lot. Phew. Happy Days… Happy Easter!

All this is just as well. “Aladdin” is going into fitting stage now and I have a very chaotic (and gratifying) 2 weeks ahead locking in shapes and sizes. It is very exiting, but no doubt tiring… So it’s very nice to have had the chance to relax before going into the final and mad throws of the production!

 

Proudly presenting: A lace shawl

I knitted two of these gorgeous lace shawls last year, whilst skiing with my son. I got a friend to block them, since my first attempt didn’t succeed as well as I had hoped. This is very beautiful (if I may say so myself…) and was great fun to knit!

I found the pattern online, it’s ‘Echo Flower Shawl’ by Jenny Johnson Johnen.