Oh, look! Something Sparkly...

I'm sorry I've been away, life happened. I am back now though, and I have a new project to share with you!

I've had The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief in my Ravelry queue ever since I saw Tami's project way back in June '11. I've been dying to knit it, but could never find the perfect yarn for the project. On Friday, the perfect yarn finally came along.

Branching Out Scarf
Click picture to enlarge

It came in the form of King Cole - Galaxy, in the Venus colourway. I originally used it to knit the Branching Out scarf by Susan Lawrence. For several different reasons (which I won't go into), I ended up frogging it. So, I was left with two gorgeous skeins of sparkly yarn that I had idea what to do with. It wasn't until I spoke to Sarah (from Crafts from the Cwtch) about the next Shawl KAL that I got the idea to knit the long awaited Age of Brass & Steam Kerchief.

I enjoyed learning the Garter Tab technique, it looked scary at first but I used this brilliant photo tutorial and it all made sense! I also learnt how to make one left, and make one right. So, despite it being an incredibly simple pattern, I still managed to learn three new techniques.

I'm about 70% through now, but it's looking smaller than it should be so I'm going to add another three or four sections to make it larger. I'm really happy with how its looking, and it will be mine once I'm finished - hooray! I'm starting to get the hang of making things for myself (I now have a total of 5 knits, just for me!), and I'm starting to plan projects for me, for a change, so that is progress! :)

I have noticed since knitting this shawlette, that I'm getting a little sparkles obsessed...

Yarn, knitting (I also have to sparkly beanies I didn't show you), hair clips, make-up, nail polish, bangles. Sparkles everywhere!!

Click the picture to find more YOP posts for this week! :)

Squishy, Squishy Cables

Can't believe Sunday has come by again! Well, this week I have two projects to show you, so lets get started :)

When I added my Swirling Gauntlets project onto my YOP list, I didn't think I'd ever get round (also translated: "be bothered") to finish them. Amazingly, though, I did finish them!!

Left Gauntlet

Swirling Gauntlets is a cabled fingerless gloves pattern by Susanna IC (zuzusus on Ravelry). Rizzle asked for a pair in Dark Blue, so I chose to knit them with James C. Brett Top Value DK in Royal Blue. I knitted the left gauntlet up very quickly, but things started to go badly wrong on the cable section of the right gauntlet, and that is how they came to be a hidden WIP.

Fast forward 9 months and here we are. A couple of days ago, when I had nothing to knit, I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and just get them finished! I had to completely frog the right gauntlet as there was no way I could work out where I had started to go wrong. After a lot of squash, wine gums and a few episodes of Larkrise to Candleford (I'm slowly working my way through the series, onto series 4 now!) the right gauntlet was finished.

Right Gauntlet

So, that's my fifth finished YOP project! I'm pretty pleased with that :)

Now, onto the best knit, A Very Braidy Cowl by Maryse Roudier. I fell in love with this cowl at the first glance. What was even better was that I had the perfect yarn for it - Lion Cashmere Blend by Lion Brand in Dusty Blue. Michelle was having a stash clearout (cannot understand how people do that!) and very kindly gave me four skeins of this delicious yarn. I used one skein for Mother's Irish Hiking Armwarmers, so that left me with three squishy skeins. 

I knitted this squishy cowl over the course of a day, and I can tell you it was such a fun knit. I decided not to do the provisional cast on, and then graft the two ends. Instead I decided to seam it, next time though I will give the grafting a try. 

All I can say is that this my favourite ever knit. Yes, I was proud of my first pair of socks, and I'm rather jealous of Abby's Blanket, but this Braidy Cowl beats them all. 

The cashmere makes it incredibly soft,and the merino makes it lovely and work, basically it's the perfect neck cuddler (cowl). 

And for a change, here I am modeling my knits rather than Rizzle! 

Yarn is darker than in this and the following photograph

So, that wraps up this weeks post. The yarn for Mother's Seven Seas blanket arrived this afternoon (think it got misdelivered to one of my neighbours at first), so come back tomorrow to see my yarn choices :)

Toodlepip! x

For more Year of Projects posts, either head on over to the Come Blog-a-Long group on Ravelry, or search 'YOP1213' on Google.

Black Horse & the Cherry Tree

I've had the Swirl Hat by Mandie Harrington in my queue for well over a year now, so when I was compiling my Year of Projects list for this year, I decided that it was finally time to knit the Swirl Hat and added it to the list.

I'd ordered the yarn for Mother's humongous blanket/throw thing that will eat me alive, on Wednesday evening, so as usual I was expecting it to be sent the next day and I'd receive it sometime on Friday (because the only option is First Class on Deramores, so you expect First Class delivery)... but it never turned up. The needles that I'd ordered from eBay, had arrived, just no yarn. So last night I was without a project, and you know I can never sit still without my knitting, as a result I decided to cast on a small project, and that small project was the Swirl Hat.

I'd already made my eldest niece, Tilly, a fair isle hat for this winter, which left her little sister, Daisy, without one. I didn't like the idea of knitting this in one colour, as I thought it would fall quite flat and feel one dimensional. So for this particular knit, I knew I wanted to be rather daring with my colour choices, which meant that pastels were completely out of the question. A quick hunt through my stash produced a ball of black DK. Now, I rarely ever see black used in baby knits, which made it quite a risk, but one I was willing to take. I decided to team it up with Raspberry Special DK (which seems like a never-ending skein of yarn!).

I knitted the 2x2 rib brim in black, and the body of the hat in Raspberry. The body of the hat only consists of  a one row repeat, making it a quick knit! When I was finished it felt as if it needed a little extra something, so I had a look through previous projects of the Swirl Hat and came across ashleybobbi who added a bow to her's. I stole the idea and whipped up a bow in black, to match the rim of the hat.

Without further ado, here is Daisy's Swirl Hat!

The colours for this hat remind me of the song, Black Horse & the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall, so that is why both the project and post have a rather strange title!

I have put the directions for the bow on my Ravelry project page, if you are interested :)

That's another YOP project ticked off the list, wahoo! Come back tomorrow for not one, but two more finished YOP knits :D 

If you want to find out more about Year of Projects, head on over to the Ravelry group, Come Blog-a-Long, where I am a moderator :) There you can also find more finished projects, but if you're not on Ravelry type YOP1213 into Google to find YOP blog posts :D

An Unblocked Cowl and a Finished Fair Isle Hat!

I was out all day last Sunday, so didn't get chance to blog about my finished Origami Cowl! I had about an inch of yarn left after I'd casted off, so don't have enough to sew the hem back like I was hoping to. I tried popping it on as soon as I'd finished, but couldn't get it on! So, yes, definitely needs blocking. I haven't had chance to do so yet, so here it is unblocked:

I'm not a big fan of it I have to say, but Rizzle loves it so perhaps it'll be going her way! You were all in love with the yarn I used, and made a point of telling me that I should knit something I love with it. But, what I neglected to tell you was that I have 2 skeins! So I can make myself something I absolutely love. I'm not sure what they'll be yet, perhaps another cowl, or mittens... the possibilities are endlesss! 

Hopefully next week I'll be able to model the blocked version for you, but we'll just have to see what this coming week has in store for me!

After I casted off the cowl, I was in need of a quick evening knit, so scrolled through my YOP list and found the pattern Scrappy Gems Fair Isle Hat by Tina Edgar. I decided to make it for my niece Tilly, who has just started school. The yarn I chose was Stylecraft Special Double Knit in Plum, Pale Rose & Pomegranate. If you've been reading my blog posts over the past week you'll remember me using them for Abby's Blanket & Molly's Scarf & Mittens set. 

I read through project notes for this pattern, and I noticed a trend of people mentioning that the hat turned out a smaller size than they cast on for. So I chose to play it safe and cast on for an adult hat, hoping it would turn out child-size, otherwise Rizzle gets her mitts on another hat!

Normally I'm not a fan of doing colourwork but I love doing Fair Isle. I find it quite therapeutic. About four hours later I casted off, it turned out Tilly size - woo! 

I reaaaaaally enjoyed knitting this hat, and the pattern is perfect for a quick knit to add to the present bundles I give to those expecting bubbas! One day in the future I'd like to edit the pattern so that it comes out as a slouchy beanie as I think Rizzle would love very cute in a blue ombre one!

So there we go, not one, but two projects to tick off on my YOP List! I can't decide what to knit next, either  the Very Braidy Cowl or, the Scallop Lace Hat. Decisions decisions!

To find more Year of Projects: Year 2! posts, search Google for 'YOP1213' or, head on over to the Ravelry Group and check out the 'October 28th - November 3rd' thread.

A Second Year of Projects: The List

I tried to take part in A Year of Projects last year, but life got more than out of control and I was forced to back out. Life is slowly calming down, and in another 4 or 5 months it should be back to normal - whoopee! So, I thought I would have another crack at A Year of Projects (YOP).

For those who are unsure on what YOP is, let me shed a bit of light on the matter for you. Basically those who choose to take part, post a list of projects they plan to accomplish between 1/07/2012 and 30/06/2012. This list could compile some or all of the patterns in a particular book or magazine. Some, like myself, have chosen to pick a few patterns from their Ravelry queue and others are working through their back-catalogue of WIPs. Once you've blogged your list, it's time to get started! Then every Sunday you blog about how you're getting along (you don't have to blog every week, its up to you!). Hopefully by June 30th you'll have finished your queue! You can find out more by heading over to the YOP group over on Ravelry, Come Blog-A-Long.

At the moment my list only consists of 13 patterns, but I shall add to it during the course of the year. I have a mix of Ravelry patterns, patterns from books & WIPs in my lovely list :)

(Note: None of these patterns are in a specific order)

1. Twin Leaf Fingerless Mittens by Sashka Macievich 

-  I'll use Life DK by Stylecraft in Melon & I'll keep them for myself. 

2. Origami Falls Cowl by Teleri 

- I'll use Finullgarn by Rauma in Orange. I can't decide whether to gift them or keep this for myself. I'll decide when its knitted up.

3. A Very Braidy Cowl by Maryse Roudier 

- I'll be using Lion Cashmere Blend by Lion Brand in Dusty Blue. I can't decide whether to gift this or keep them for myself. I'll decide when its knitted up.

4. Swirl Hat by Mandie Harrington 

- I'll be using leftover DK in my stash, not sure which one yet. I'll be gifting this to either my niece, Daisy, or little friend Amber.

5. Spring Beret by Natalie Larson

- I'll be using Craft Cotton by V&A  Products Ltd in White. I can't decide whether to gift this or keep them for myself. I'll decide when its knitted up.

6. Scallop Lace Hat by Leah Coccari-Swift

- I'll be using Special Double Knit by Stylecraft in Wisteria. I can't decide whether to gift this or keep it for myself. I'll decide when its knitted up. 

7. Later, Gator! by Amanda Berka 

- I'll be using Morocco by Patons UK in Jade/Smaragd. I can't decide whether to gift this or keep it for myself. I'll decide when its knitted up.

8. Hugo the Couch Potato Monster by Rebecca Danger

- I'll be using Supersoft Aran by Sirdar in Bright Pink. This will be knitted for my niece Tilly, whose been asking for this little for a while now. I've been putting it off though, as there are a few techniques required in the pattern that I've never tried before. 

9. Herringbone Lace Socks by Ann Budd

- I'll be using Special 4 ply by Stylecraft in Aspen. I can't decide whether to gift these or keep them for myself (as I do not yet own a pair of hand-knitted socks!). I'll decide after they're knitted up. 

10. The Age Brass and Steam Kerchief by Orange Flower

- Not sure on the yarn choice, or whether it'll be gifted or not. We'll have to see when it comes to knitting it!

11. Kitty Lue by Kristine Jorskogen

- I'll be using leftover Life DK by Stylecraft in Melon, and white 4 ply I've found in the bottom of my stash. This particular project is for Rizzle! 

12. Swirling Gauntlets by Susanna IC 

- This is a WIP that I've been putting off finishing for a while now, it'll be nice to finally have these finished and warming up Rizzle's hands!

13. Brain Fog Blanket by Charlotte Dunning (yep, that's me!)

This is a blanket I designed for my Mum, but am yet to finish! I hope to knit a few squares each week, so by June it will be finished!

So, that is my list! I've already started work on the Oragami Falls Cowl, and will be finished by Sunday - I hope!

Origami Falls Cowl

Yesterday I spoke about the Horseshoe Cowl I was casting on in favour of the Slouchy Bubbles Beanie. Well, its finished! So I shall share it with you on Friday. As per usual, I can't knit just one of a certain type of object (i.e beanie, cowl) I have to knit a whole load of them in a short period of time. Last night I cast on another cowl, which you could brand as cheating, as this pattern is apart of my Year of Projects list I was going to blog about on Thursday.

The pattern is Origami Falls Cowl by Teleri. I thought this pattern was absolutely gorgeous, and couldn't get my head round why it only had a project count of 35. I decided to use Finullgarn by Rauma in what I call, "Essex Tan" (bright orange for those outside of the UK). Finullgarn is a 100% wool, fingering weight yarn from Norway. My very lovely friend Myriah sent it to me when we were paired together in a swap, this time last year. I've been umming & arring over what to knit with this yarn for months (12 of them in fact!), so I'm pleased I finally found the perfect pattern.

I cast on using a set of 4 DPNs rather than the circulars, or 5 set the pattern calls for, meaning I have a total of 40sts on each needle. The cowl has no purl at either the top or bottom to stop it from curling (which got pretty annoying when I was trying to photograph it), so I am going to have to sew the hem to the first row of knit stitches on either end of the cowl to get it to sit straight.

I have always struggled following charts, I either read the pattern the wrong way (your meant to read right to left on RS, left to right on WS) or get confused with the different symbols. So for the past few lace projects I've 'translated' my charts into written patterns, as I find it much easier to follow.

I've been finding this pattern knits up very slowly, I casted on yesterday afternoon, and despite there being a stitch of only 120, I've done a measly 31 rows (3,720 sts to be exact). I hope to get my fingers flying and get to at least halfway through the second repeat by this evening. The fact I'm knitting so slow could be due to the fact I'm working on thin needles and thin yarn, but I'm not really sure.

Now that the pattern is beginning to form, I find I don't love it as much as the pattern picture. I got talking to Megan, from A String of Purls, via instagram. She told me that she cast on this same pattern a few months ago and like me, found the pattern didn't have enough depth to it as the picture makes out. But, that is just our opinions. What do you think?

When I took a closer shot, the camera, rather annoyingly,
dulled the yarn colour. 

I'm off to re-watch last nights episode of The Paradise, a new British Period Drama which I'm a little addicted to.

Click the picture below to be taken to Tami's, where she is showing us pictures of the Vista Fibre Fiesta she attended over the weekend, plus all the goodies she snagged while she was there!