Getting it right

On my new quest to get knitting right, without the mistakes I ignore and put down to my excessive creativity, I have continued to be a serial unpicker. I loved knitting this hat in 4ply leftovers which now has no mistakes. The crown was not working out well with the decreases not matching up with the colourwork but I got there in the end. I feel better for knowing it is right.

but oh the ends... once it was complete, I popped it in my present box for next Christmas. I enjoyed working this pattern and hope to make some more.

After the hat, just before Christmas, I had a run of bad knitting luck. I started my new Avena sweater by Jennifer Steingass but my yarn choices were not a good match. I ordered a chestnut brown for the main body and a ball of king Cole riot to use as a graduated colour section. There were several problems, none of which stopped a capricorn like me from knitting on, the coloured yarn was too hairy and kept dragging on the brown working yarn making the twists for colourwork impossibly hard. I ploughed on. The next problem was that the coloured yarn was a much thinner DK gauge than the Drops Lima producing a very pixelated patterned section. 

It was when I stopped loving the yarn that the mistakes crept in. I knew a few rows were not right and I thought I could fudge the stitch count back to the correct number and use a crochet hook to turn any stitches from brown to the colour as I spotted them. But alas it was not working. It then felt an incredible waste of yarn and time not to make this beautiful jumper properly so I frogged the whole yoke which, by now, was only 4 rows from completion.

I ordered what I think will be a better colourway yarn and this time I will do a test square to check first. Because I knit every evening, I wanted to start a little filler knit while I waited for my new yarn to arrive. Step in this little baby waistcoat but even this was not without its woes. I knit two thirds of the back from a hand rolled ball of dark green yarn from the knitting basket, started a brand new ball of stylecraft to continue and found that the first bit I had used was not the same!!!!! It must have been a spare bit from one of the girls crochet bags that had been picked up off the floor and dropped in the nasket for hoovering purposes.

Frogged it. Swore a bit. Emptied the dishwasher. Went to bed.

Annnnyyway, this is the completed waistcoat which is for a friend of a friend who has paid me to knit it for her little boy. 

I dare not cast on my new Avena until I have a few successful makes under my belt so presently I am knitting another sheep hat because they give me such joy. Friends always offer to buy them from me when they see Andy wearing his so I thought I would get one on the needles. It is not profitable but it pays for my yarn or sometimes my yarn buying mistakes!

Are you knitting at the moment?

Jo xxxxx

Being Good

We were hoping to go to Wonderwool again this year again in April (but alas I think not) so I thought it was time to clear the basket of small quantities of wool and make room for some new purchases in the future.

This is the last of my Drops yarn from the basket and luckily they were very harmonious together. The last bit of each ball made a pom pom. This hat will wait patiently in the present box probably until December.

Whoops! I seem to have worn it with the join right in full view!

The pattern is free. It is an easy colourwork pattern from ravely here. 

I work as a TA and also a teacher in a Primary school three days a week so I am in work for the next few days with a class of children numbering around 10 who are children of Key workers. Both of my girls are coming to school with me, one goes to the same school anyway but my Year 8 girl will come in to Primary so that I don't have to transport her to a different location on a limited bus service. It will be a different term this one but all teachers are looking forward to working with children and making it a good experience for them. Andy works for a company that make paper roll, mediwipes and toilet roll for commercial, medical and domestic sales so you can imagine how flat out they are. He has also been classed as a Key Worker.

How is it going for you folks?

Jo xxxxx 

All done #27 - Hand Dyed Mittens

Seriously, I have surprised my self. All done number 27 means that I have used up some fabric or wool to its very end 27 times in 2 years. I encourage you to try it - it is so satisfying.

The reason I have finished up so much end of project yarn and fabric lately is because it makes very inexpensive Christmas gifts for my family and friends and a heap of room for guilt free January Sales shopping for me.

This little set has given me a lot of joy. It is the rest of a DK merino single skein called Manchester Tart which I bought in a singles bin at Wonderwool in April. It was £11 for one skein and I bought two to make some extra special boot socks. The socks have been well used (and hand washed!) however there was a little ball left over.

Firstly, I made the hat using stripes of Merino with some cotton yarn. I went to make the pom pom for the hat and call it a day but I still thought there was a bit left in the ball. I remember my friend making lots of mittens a few Christmas' ago and found the pattern on ravelry here.

I left the pom pom and started the mittens.

There was just the right amount to make a full set of mittens and add a squishy pom pom with not a scrap left over. I LOVE it when that happens! As I made these mittens, in the pub or at home, I kept making people feel them because they are just so cute.

This set will be winging its way to my friend's boy.

Still busting some stash.... Are you?

Jo xxxxxx

All Done #26 - Drops Nepal

This is a long lingering sort of All done post. A love hate relationship developed around this yarn. A cosy blend of wool and alpaca; I absolutely love it to knit with, wear, wash and buy economically but the pattern made me start to hate it.

I fell in love with the Beatnik sweater pattern on Ravelry but was unable to concentrate on the intricate cable pattern with so many family interruptions. "Mum can we have a snack?, Mum can we just... Mum can you help me with .... Mum can you sign this.... Mum can you play that...Mum what is a double treble..." It was an endless round of 3 rows forward, 6 rows back. I started it in March 2018. I started it 5 times. Then I passed it on to my dear mother to try and have a go for me. We decided to make the front cabled and then simply chose to knit the rest in stocking stitch. I didn't want to burden my mum in the same way it had been so problematic for me.

Anyway many months passed and Mum arrived with my sweater a few weeks ago on 30th October 2019 and I have not had it off my back since.

It has those celebratory features of being just right in the hip length and perfect in the sleeve length. Thank you so much mum xxxxx

The wool that was left over made a hat...

A knitting bag, incorporating Drops Karisma...

And over this last week I used the last 4 and half balls to make a cosy jumper for a friend's little boy. It was a free new pattern for me but a delight to whip up. It is made from the bottom up in the round. I added a bit of detail along the bottom. I watched a video for a very stretchy neck bind off which was brilliant - highly recommended this for a child's neck hole. 

This wool has all gone but do you know what? I love it so much I have bought a few more balls to make some Christmas hats. That is what using up all of your stash is great for; having some guilt free yarn shopping time.

Thanks for dropping in as ever. Jo xxxx

All Done #25 - Drops Karisma

I had a girl with no winter hat! Can you believe that? She had a lovely hat from last Christmas but it is now too small. Time for an 'All done' project to use up my Drops Karisma scraps.

There was not much left over after making my Rainbow sweater...

and the recent knitting bag...

but enough to make some stripes with some Drops Nepal for a hat. Nepal is softer than Karisma so it is a good choice for the headband. I wondered around Ravelry looking for an aran pattern to use up the leftovers. I came across this wonderful winner of a pattern. It is called the Scrappy Ski Hat. They would make excellent Christmas presents by the way.

She loved the hat shape which is in Adult size only but I knit the band on 3mm needles to make the right size for her head and returned to a 5mm circluar needle as stated in the pattern for the main hat. Drops Karisma is a DK and Drops Nepal is an aran yarn so it turned out to be a sloppy beanie shape which she really liked. The pattern has been used many times so if you look through previous projects you can find someone who has made the size you want and copy their cast on. To use up the final scraps, she made her own pom pom.

She happily wore it for the rest of the day indoors on Saturday and it spurred her on to have another go at her scarf. She is a left-hander but manages to knit right handed. Clever girl.

A photograph of such woolly proportions that it melts my heart. All Done now with Drops Karisma, not a tiny bit left. Get in!

More on the Drops Nepal story later.... Jo xxx

All done #21 Holiday hats FREE pattern links

 Preparations before our holiday in May offered the opportunity for another one of my All Done posts where I use up some fabric stash to its very end.

I have sewn my way to holidays in the past: I have handmade swimsuits, shorts, cotton tops and a hat all ready to go every year. This year, I made a couple of hats for the girls and I thought with all this glorious weather I should share the free pattern links in case you would like to make one.

I have used two patterns. The bike one is a favourite shape because both girls have long hair which is often in a pony tail. It is from Love Sewing: issue 15. I used the left overs of my 1960's dress which has an air of french cycling about it.

The blue one is made from a free pattern you can download from Oliver+s here. It only goes up to a large toddler size but I found a modified pattern on pinterest for a 21/22" version here which was great for Big sis. This is a stretch cotton, left from a pair of summer capri trousers, which made it simple to ease the crown onto the brim. 

Quick post. Work today and tomorrow. See you soon. Enjoy the sunshine. Jo xxx

It was meant to be...

2017 has see me make a substantial dent in my stored up craft stash. The yarn is obviously going at a slower pace than my fabric but I had a weak moment a few weeks back. It reminded me why I had been, but why I shouldn't, buy impulse bargains. 

I saw three balls of this beautifully soft alpaca in a charity shop in my lunch break for 50p a ball and I bought it. On the drive back to work I had that old feeling I used to have. I wondered why I had felt the need to buy wool with no reason. What was it for? Who was it for? What was such a paltry amount going to make anyway? etc. etc. I felt like I had slipped back into an old habit.

On my return to the office, my manager told me that he and his wife were going to have a baby which they had wanted for a long time. He even told me it was going to be a boy due in December. BINGO!

My manager keeps bees and I found these in the bottom of my button jar to finish this tiny baby sweater. I mean it was meant to be wasn't it? It did remind me however that buying random bargain bits of wool is not a thing I want to keep repeating so I reckon I just got lucky this time. The pattern is free from ravelry here. It is called Garter Yoke Cardi which is an easy top down knit.

With one ball left, I was determined not to put it in the cupboard for a few years so I made a hat in stocking stitch whilst being dive-bombed by ladybirds at the cabin. 

Next, I looked under the sofa. I found two balls of DMC denim cotton which was in a goody bag from DMC at the CHSI craft show in February. It made the perfect pebble vest. I LOVE this pattern. It knits up in two evenings and can use any combination of buttons from a jar. I like the way you can just fold your baby into it like a fajita. 

I have plenty of other knitting I need to be doing but I got a bit side-tracked with baby knits because they are so quick and easy to finish.

Thanks for dropping by. Today I am linking up with Sum of their stories for handmade Monday. Lots of inspiration in all crafts. Do pop over.
Jo xxxx

Sudoku Knitting

I don't do Sudoku or crosswords or brain training puzzles. Knitting patterns are my equivalent. I really enjoyed making this hat recently out of left over stash. It is a thinking knitters project.

The yarn is the last ball of King Cole Merino blend aran left over from my crochet bag and the green Wendy Serenity Chunky is the last bit of yarn left from my oh so wearable green jumper. 

I had to adapt the pattern to use up the wool I had but that was half the fun too. The rib is single not doubled over, I was unable to complete the individual snowflake stitches towards the top but as the pattern was written for DK and I was using chunkier wool, I didn't have room for that bit of pattern anyway so I motored on with the crown decreases.

I also had a go with the tassel maker I had for Christmas but in truth, it was no better than wrapping yarn round a piece of card but there you are, it was fun all the same.

I will leave you with a few wintery snaps from a walk which have no particular narrative or link other than the theme of 'cold' to go with the woolly hat.

Another stash busting gift for the present box. 

Thanks for dropping by. 

Jo x

21 days without buying craft materials, Whoop!

Beret Good (eventually)

My friend wears a beret in winter. She has been wearing the same one for as long as I have known her, maybe she really likes it or maybe she would like a new one for her birthday, we'll see.

I have another ball of the Cygnet Boho Spirit yarn that is really soft with beautiful colour runs. Seriously folks, this yarn is 2.99 a ball for 230 metres! I started this hat 12 days ago...

The pattern is on straight needles but I tried it in the round on circular needles by omitting the K1 at the beginning and end but I kept loosing the lace row stitch count.



I cast on 4 more times and still couldn't follow the pattern. I am sure it is not the written pattern that is the problem but it was driving me crazy. Time started to become an issue (I need it for Sunday) and that is no way to be knitting a lace hat.I am so rubbish at lace work, it is because I don't concentrate. I use knitting to numb the mind in the evenings so I am not always thinking about what I am doing.

In the end, I used the row counts from this pattern to get a sizing but did stocking stitch for 5 rows then 2 rows of knit to get the garter pattern. I repeated this 5 times and then followed the pattern for the crown decreases.

The pattern is called Silky Merino Beret by Michelle Meadows which can be found free on Ravelry. I am definitely going to have another go at it when I can relax and concentrate more.

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy the weekend. Jo xxx