Jaeger purple skinny scarf

Had one 50g ball of this fantastic but sadly discontinued silk in purple which limits the options somewhat in terms of what can be made - so thought a skinny scarf would get the most mileage.

Jaeger purple skinny scarf
Yarn: Jaeger silk 4ply, 1x50g ball
Sticks: 4mm bamboo
Time: started in April 2006, finished in early June 2006 - in between a heap of other projects
Pattern: customised a vintage glove pattern from Jane Waller's A Stitch in Time (published in the 70s) - picked up the pattern (a 12 row repeat) but had to experiment a few times to get the edging right - lots of ripping back and starting again (and I hate that) but I'm pretty happy with the end result - a good length (nearly 2m) and the right level of skinniness!

Now I have two balls of this silk in a beautiful deep red which I have to decide what to do with...I'm thinking a crochet scarf with circles joined by chain strings at random intervals. Will sketch it out and see how it looks...

My first socks

Reading knitting blogs and the Yarn Harlot's Meditations for Women who Knit Too Much (not that it is possible to knit too much, clearly!) made me yearn to experience the thrill of knitting socks, and the chance purchase of Jo Sharp's Knit vol 1 gave me a pattern, in 8ply wool and so I gave it a go and made Husby a pair of socks...
Details
Wool: Filatura di Crosa Zara (so soft, a beautiful wool 8ply, 2 and a bit 50g balls
Sticks: 4.5 and 4mm bamboo dpns
Time: Two weeks (I was amazed - how quick!!) I think it was in April
Pattern: can't remember the name of the pattern but it is in Jo Sharp's Knit vol 1. No shaping on the leg but in 8ply I don't think it matters so much. Was so pleased with the end product although I do have a couple of little ladders and turning the heel scared the crap out of me. Found a great internet tutorial (socks 101) and the best advice - just follow the pattern and it will work - and it did!! (I now apply that to all my knitting - mostly it works...). Since I can't sew my labels on I decided to personalise with the red toe, which will be my sock signature! Because there will be more socks, I am hooked! Husby also loves them and so yes, I have to make him more!

shoesshoesSHOES!

More pretties! Jil Sander - my first wedges...if anyone can tell me how to keep cream suede clean I will love them forever; Ferragamo d'orsays - mmmm red shoes; Escada - I should have hated these, stylised love hearts are so not my thing...but something in these shoes called to me and would not let me go without buying them, and I love them; Bally - green trim rocks!

Chicks with Sticks 22 July 06

Our most recent CWS meeting was at mine last Saturday - by amazing (and indeed happily for me) coincidence we were all working on red projects - so clearly it was tops!
KO and her wrap cardi - as her baby turned out to be a boy, she sewed on press stud closures and a tractor applique to make a funky double-breasted cardi. Then me, with the second of my red socks (from Nancy Bush's Vintage Socks) and KT with an almost complete red bootie, for her almost complete baby! KO ensured my (empty) champagne glass was in the picture - for what would a CWS meeting be without some bubbles to help it along. I don't even think I made one mistake!!!

Singa Shopping Spree!

Some of my favourites - all bought in the Great (oh yes it is!) Singapore Sale in July 2005. Lucky for me I'm a 39 in shoes - that is about the largest size you can get in Singapore.
L-R: Anya Hindmarch, YSL, Christian Louboutin, Gucci
Things I love about these shoes: The buckles on the ankle strap on the Anya Hindmarch shoes are bow shaped, which is the logo - and the sole of the shoe has a bow embedded into the toe point and a quilted insole; on the YSLs - the ankle strap closes with a covered button, and the shoes are RED and PURPLE (my first and second favourite colours); on the Louboutins - well, the whole shoe really but especially the RED sole; Guccis - well, clearly they're PURPLE. I feel a little like a Stepford wife clipping around in them though...But the thing I love the most is that wearing these shoes makes me feel superfantastic!

J's crochet top

J's Crochet Top
Cotton: Lana Grosso Jaipur - 50g 8ply 100% cotton - a beautiful yarn to crochet with, although does tend to be a bit splitty. Great sheen and rich colours. I think I used around 5 balls altogether.
Hook: 4mm
Finished: January 2006 - for J's birthday. Took about two weeks (crochet is soooo fast compared to knitting!)
Pattern: Custom made based on the "swimsuit issue bikini" top from Candi Jenson's Hooked on Crochet (lots of modern crochet patterns, including a great skirt which I would make for myself if I had a much smaller rear end). Have now made 3 versions of this crochet top - one which is backless, the other the same as J's top but in lime green with purple trim (colours chosen by recipient, N - actually look quite good together!)

L's Top Dog

L's Top Dog
Yarn: Rowan Summer Tweed 50g - 2 balls oatmeal colour - a bit nubbly to knit with but produced a good fabric for an animal pattern!
Sticks: 4mm (not 3.75 as per pattern)
Time: A while (due to various other knitting projects in between) but finished just in time for my nephew L's birth in November 2005 - hence the hospital paraphernalia in the photo as I forgot to take a photo beforehand.
Pattern: Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Little Cherubs (again). I was pleased with this project as it was the first time I had picked up stitches in anything other than a garter stitch baby jumper.

Husby's project!

Am very excited - husby has asked me to knit him a jumper! Went through the pattern books and he's chosen "Beau" from Rowan's Vintage Knits - am very glad as uses Aran weight wool (Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran) so will be (relatively) quick to knit - although must refrain from starting it until I finish my own cardi (will post on that shortly...). Bought the wool on eBay - got a good deal as it has been recently discontinued - why does this keep happening to things I want to make...it's already hard enough to buy the huge range of great wool in Australia as it is!

Some recent finished objects

As current FOs are going to be a bit thin on the ground for a while, I'm going to post some from the last 12 months or so.

Denim Pinafore

Wool: Rowan denim 50g - 6 balls
Sticks: 4mm plus 3.75mm and 3.25 mm.
Finished: January 2006 (just in time for recipient's 2nd birthday). Took a few months but mainly in between a lot of other projects.
Pattern: From Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Little Cherubs - a great book which I love. Great classic patterns with nice touches such as the armhole and neck shaping you can see on the pinafore. This is for 3-4 year olds although can be worn earlier - looks very cute with white t-shirt and stripey stockings, as worn by the very cute recipient. Had a bit of trouble with the picot edging (my first one) but got the hang of it on the second try.

More FO's further up...

Kanga

Had to stay up past midnight to finish but finally got Kanga done in time for J's farewell - and she loved it!! We were chatting before the dinner (before the gift-giving) and she mentioned she had a koala for her daughter but hadn't yet found a nice kangaroo for her son - I was so excited I almost ran and got it to give to her there and then. But I held off - it was so good!!! I was really pleased with how it turned out, and such clever construction, particularly the large legs - really clever design (although a pouch and baby roo would have finished it nicely - if I'd had time I might have given it a go, although might have had to crochet little roo!).

So, details:
Kanga
Wool: Cleckheaton Country 8 ply Naturals 50g - 3 ball col 1832 (rust tweed) and 1 ball col 1806 (oatmeal tweed) - the tweedy fleck in the wool was great as it gave a greater impression of "fur" than plain wool. Plus small amount of brown for embroidered face and claws
Sticks: 3.25mm (not the 3mm recommended by the pattern, to cover off my tight tension)
Completed 13 July 2006 (approx 1.5 weeks knitting time - lucky I took a week off work or would not have finished it!)
Pattern: Cleckheaton Wildlife in 8ply (book no. 095)

Last day of holiday...

Have had a lovely week off - the sun has shined every day even though it is winter - lots of sitting on the new deck and knitting. Have almost finished J's kangaroo - have to give it to her on Thursday so it is all rush rush rush. Am not very good at sewing it up, so that part is a bit dodgy, but I figure that just gives it some handmade charm! Was thinking about it this morning, the type of knitter I am - definitely not a perfectionist. I avoid ripping things out unless it is the absolute last option to get rid of a huge glaring mistake. If I can hide it or shortcut it I will, rather than ripping it out. I use the "handmade charm" tag a lot - also "unique"! I suppose I also consider it a reminder that everyone makes mistakes, although that's probably a bit too deep for knitting!

Tech isSSsues

I can't work out how to post photos (I think there's something wrong with my explorer version...) so will be relatively boring without photos until I fix it...

Am making double choc chip biscuits - had to chop up the white choc as the corner store didn't have white choc chips. Would be lost without the corner store - it has saved my baking many times. It is something I really love about where we live. Wish it was a bottle shop as well. That was one of the great things about London, you could buy snacks and champagne whenever you felt like it!

Haven't done much knitting yet today, only a bit while watching an episode of Buffy after I finished lunch. The guys are back finishing off the deck now so is too noisy to watch any more tv. Shame. But the deck looks great, it will be fantastic to sit out there in the sun.

Better get the biscuits out of the oven - don't want to burn them...

Welcome to my blog

Am on leave this week so have finally set up a blog - after being inspired and entertained by many others...hope you enjoy.