Knitting, the Universe, and Everything!

Having a new teacup-human in the family (fantastic turn of phrase by AndiSocial) means that you get to knit lots of cute, tiny things. This weeks teacup-human knitting is the Jacket with Moss Stitch Bands and Moss Stitch Shoes, both of which are from the book Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss.

The Moss Stitch Shoes, are really pretty. And you'll probably remember me blogging about knitting them not too long ago. I forget why I ended up frogging them... but anyway! Now they're back, and I've really enjoyed knitting them!

Click to see it bigger!

They were really easy to knit, and very fast too! They're sat in my knitting bag now... waiting to be sewn up. So hopefully on Sunday you'll get to see the finished result!

Back Panel

Now, I am knitting the Jacket with Moss Stitch Bands. As it is my first time knitting a garment, I decided to pick something simple to get me going. I started it yesterday, and I'm amazed at how quick it is knitting up! Yesterday I managed to start and finish the back panel, and today I've almost finished the front left panel :)

Front Left Panel

It is basically stocking stitch with (you guessed it) moss stitch bands. As it is a 'mindless' knit, it has meant that I can read while knitting. Which is great news, because I'm really behind on my reading goal already this year. But, more on that tomorrow. 

So now I've entered the world of 'proper knitting' (as my Mother calls it) I've lined up a few more cardigans to try my needle at in the next few weeks. They are: Simply Shrug by Ida Olniansky, Peggy Sue by Linda Wilgus and Dress with Eyelets by Debbie Bliss.The first two for myself, and the latter for my niece Daisy! (Who is going to be the recipient of the Moss Stitch Shoes & Cardi)

So, now its time for you to head on over to Tami's where WIP Wednesday has reached its 80th week - can you believe it??

Have a great week everyone, and don't forget to pop on by tomorrow for the 2nd week of the Thursday Book Challenge!

Knitting the Town Red

Yesterday afternoon was the ultimate lazy day. I stayed in my pyjamas, watched films and knitted 'til my hands hurt.

I logged onto the computer in the morning and read the Yarn Harlot's latest post. She was knitting mittens and it inspired me to get out my beautiful Strawberry DK from Candy Skein that I bought back in July from the lovely Tami and start knitting the Emanelle fingerless mittens I had queued for Year of Projects.

For some reason I thought I was doing Moss Stitch (seed stitch) so it took several attempts to get 6 rows of 1x1 rib. Finally I got the 'base' of the mitten down and I could get my teeth into the pattern.

I loved, loved, loved knitting these gloves. The Yummy DK is soft to touch, glides across the needles and the strawberry colour just looks delicious. I cannot recommend this yarn enough.  Just buy it, and you'll know what I mean.


Anyway, back to the gloves. Well, everything went swimmingly. The 8 row pattern was easy to remember, and I was soon able to knit without consulting the pattern. When I knitted my Bright and Bold cable bag, I found it a little boring despite the constant colour change. With this cable pattern however, I was knitting with only one colour and  had only one cable to combat, yet it was a lot more interesting. I'm not sure whether this is because I was infatuated with this skein of yarn, or that I genuinely liked the pattern.

I finished the first glove just before dinner, and the moment it was finished it was slipped on my hand and shown off to the family. I waved at my Mum as if I was the Queen while saying, 'Helloooo, hellooooo' in my most regal manner (trying to show my glove off as much as possible). She got the hint and said, 'What a lovely glove, did you knit that yourself?'

I didn't fall asleep until 4am last night (... or should I say this morning?) so I got to work on the second glove. I knitted while wearing the first glove for as long as possible, until I got too hot and had to lay my handy work by my side. I finished it in an hour and a half, and became a happy owner of my first hand-knit gloves.

I'm really pleased with how they turned out, and can't wait to wear them out tomorrow afternoon. Fortunately I have enough yarn for another pair of gloves, so I thought I'd make a pair for my best friend. Not sure if I'll use the same pattern, I'll have to look through Ravelry and see if I can find another pattern to tackle.

So, that is my first completed Year of Projects project this year completed, woohoo! I'm casting on for my Abysall Shawl as we speak, which is the next YOP project I'm going to attempt. So, if you fancy reading some more Year of Project posts head on over to When Did I Become a Knitter where the creator, Kerri, is holding a Mr. Linky. Or, you can pop on over to the Year of Projects group on Ravelry, while I go and help myself to a Galaxy Promise. Yummers. 

Keep Calm and Carry On Knitting

While on my blogging break I was mulling over my Year of Projects choices. I had initially decided to knit my way through the book Mug Hugs by Alison Howard.

I've been thinking about this for a little while now, and I have decided to scrap my first list and start afresh. I am not in any way saying that Alison's book is a disappointment, it is very good and I'm pleased I bought it. The reason for changing my mind is that I'd like a bit of variety, and a smaller list. You may think, Mug Hugs oh pish posh. I could knit them in my sleep. And I'm sure you could, but I have found some of them too difficult and beyond my skill level for the moment.

In the future I would like to work my way through the book, but for now I would like to have a go at something a little easier.

For my new list, I have a few easier knits but I also have some that will demand not only my full attention but some new skills as well. I want to not only come out of this... 'experience' with some lovely projects, but I would like to come away with new skills that I can use in the future.

So, here is my shiny new list. It isn't particularly long, but that is due to the fact that it is January and I have only 6 months to go until the end of the project. I may add some more projects if I feel I can manage it, but for now I think this list will do me just fine. I will talk more about the patterns when I start knitting them, as I don't want this post to be too long and boring for you all.

In no particular order, here are my Year of Projects! (Or 6 Months of Projects, should I say?)

Moss Stitch Shoes by Debbie Bliss

Jacket with Moss Stitch Bands by Debbie Bliss

Emanelle by Nancy Ricci (completed - see here)

Lazy Days by  Val Pierce (Not yet on the Ravelry Database)

Tuck Stitch Helmet by Sirdar (Not yet on the Ravelry Database)

Beanie Hat by Kirstie McLeod

Monarch Shawl by Denise

Abyssal by Karen and Karyn

Honey Bear by Norma Cambell (read all about my history with my bear Henry, here)

© Helsbels3

I am excited about this new list, I  I'm going to cast on the swatch for the Moss Stitch Shoes this afternoon. I hope they look half as good as Helsbels3 pair!

If you would like to see more Year of Project posts, type YOP11-12 into Google, or head over to the Come-Blog-a-Long group on Ravelry.

The Restart

This is only my second YOP Uptdate since the project started in July, which I feel really bad about. But now things in my life are starting to calm down, normal blog service shall resume :)

In my first update I showed you the beginnings of the Tiny Tags hug. I'm pleased to tell you, that I finished it!

Once I got into it, I had a blast. The tags were easy to do once you got the hang of them and the hug worked up pretty fast. My Mum loved it so much, she asked if I could make her one for her French Press. I flicked through the Coffee Cozies book (also written by Alison Howard) but alas there was not one there. So, I designed my own! It took a lot longer than the Mug Hug, but it was still as much fun to knit. You can download the pattern for free on Ravelry!

I am made Stripes, which after On the Edge, is the easiest Hug out of the book. I used yarn from the yarn kit I got free with Issue #31 of Let's Get Crafting: Knit & Crochet Made Easy magazine.

I weaved the yarn ends in as I went, which is a lot quicker than leaving them to the very end. Which I'm sure you'll agree, takes the fun out of any project. As it was just plain Garter Stitch the Mug Hug knitted up very quickly.

As the work-in-progress, I attempted a lace pattern earlier this afternoon. Long story short, M.E brain fog caused me to make it about 3x too big, chose yarn which meant you couldn't see the pattern, and I kept messing up. I'm going to have a rest this evening and try again tomorrow. I'll keep you informed on my progress.

Now, I'm off to cuddle up on the sofa and prepare for the last round of Auditions of the UK X Factor. I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the panel this year, and the talent. But that's another post for another day. Have a great one!

For more Year of Projects post by bloggers from around the world, either type YOP11-12 into Google, head on over to Kerri's - the creator of this fine project -,or make your way to the Ravelry group Come Blog-a-Long.

Definitely An Accidental Knitter

You know how my blog is called 'An Accidental Knitter'? Well I am about to live up to that name.

About two weeks ago, before I went to stay with friends, I made my Aunt and Cousin a Mug Hug each from the book, Mug Hugs (Cozy). I made On the Edge and Waffle Weave. 

The Waffle Weave Mug Hug was a lot of fun to make. To set the pattern, you simply slip stitches. So on the first two rows, you knit with yellow, knit one slip one etc, a little different for row two, then on row three you swap the colour blue (carrying the yarn to the back, as if you were doing fair isle) and do the same. 

Simples!

Once you get the hang of it of course. It took quite a while to knit, an entire day in fact. But by the end, it looked fabulous, and I was really proud of myself.

Here is where the 'Accidental Knitter' part appears.

After making both the Waffle Weave and On the Edge Hugs, I packed them away in Mum's Suitcase, forgetting to take a photograph of them for my blog. Now there somewhere in the North of England, and I'm unable to get a picture of them.

*Ahem*

As I didn't photograph it, I felt as if I was cheating if I counted it towards my year of projects. So, I quickly knitted up another On the Edge Mug Hug! 

It's a really easy knit, and was a great way to ease myself into a Year of Projects. Instead of a button hole, you simply cast off, and join the two ends together at the top and the bottom! It makes it a lot easier to keep the Hug on the Mug, even if it is a little awkward to get on in the first place.

The post doesn't end here my friends, oh no, I have another Mug Hug to show you!

After I finished my Cable Bag on Friday, I found myself with two lovely, squishy skeins of Sugar N Cream Stripes: Modern. A quick flick through my book, and it was finally decided that I should try my needles at the Tiny Tags hug.

Making the button hole was a new learning curve for me, to make it you cast off three stitches in the middle of your row, then the row after cast the stitches back on. It was certainly a different technique, but not one I like to be perfectly honest. After you make the hole, your left with a big line of yarn in the middle, which will make it rather difficult to squeeze the button through.

Despite all the negativity though, it does look rather funky! 

I love how the yarn has pooled, and I think the 'tags' are really neat idea! Here is a closer look:

I'm looking forward to seeing the green come into the mix, and even though I'm not an avid tea/coffee/hot liquid drinker, I might keep it for myself!

So that wraps up my Year of Projects post for this week, if you'd like to see some more posts you can search for them on Google by typing in YOP11-12, or heading over to the Come Blog-A-Long group on Ravelry!

Have a good one! :) 

A Year of Projects

Beautiful graphic by Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch

A Year of Projects was started by the wonderful Keri over at When Did I Become a Knitter. As the name suggests, all those involved pick a certain amount of patterns either from a book, magazine or Ravelry queue that they believe they'll be able to knit in a year, and blog about the highs and lows of knitting a certain number of projects in a fixed amount of time. If you'd like to find out more, head on over to the group on Ravelry called Come Blog-a-Long, we'd love to have you join us!

It was a real struggle to choose my Year of Projects, as there are so many aspects to take into account. Time, Money, Skill, whether I'm up to learning a new craft (like crochet!) etc. It took me a while to decide whether to use a book or make my own list, but after encouragement from the lovely Tink, I decided to work my way through the book Mug Hugs by Alison Howard.

There are 30 gorgeous projects in the book, which means I need to do 2 and a half Mug Hugs every month. Here is the complete list (in no particular order)! (click each one to see what they look like)

1. Simple Snug
2. On the Edge
3. Stripes
4. Bits and Bobs
5. Moss
6. Fits any Size
7. Tiny Tags
8. Frothy Coffee
9. Waffle Weave
10. Sideways Cable
11. Herringbone Cable
12. Eyelets and Ribbon
13. Tutu Frilling
14. Ears of Corn
15. Butterflies
16. First Base
17. Random Rib
18. Mistake Rib
19. Daisy Stitch
20. Cream and Coffee
21. Bluebells
22. Tulips
23. Rainbow
24. Culture Smock
25. Getting Personal
26. With Love
27. Llama
28. Regular or Grande
29. Felted (never felted before, so that shall be interesting!)
30. Big Bucks

As I'm not going to need 30 Mug Hugs (although I'm sure my family will protest), every month or so I will have a give-away!

Check back next Sunday for my first YOP post, have a great weekend everyone!