Journey to my knitting patterns

Easterner Cardigan nearing completion

2012-01-08T21:43:00.004+11:00

I'm working on a cotton cardigan; the Easterner Cardigan. It's in Rowan Cotton Glace 5 ply, using earthy tones and a diagonal stitch pattern. I'm using larger needles to create a more open, summery knit. I'm having my usual plant-based-fibre tension/gauge issues. The back had to be knitted twice to get the expected length. I'm waiting to have the whole garment knitted and put together before I expound my theory on gauge for cotton. Bet you're waiting with bated breath!

Naturally I've run out of black yarn when there are only three more rows of it needed. I hope I can get more of the same dye lot, or that black doesn't vary much with dye lots.

So far, we haven't had too many hot, sweaty handed days where I don't manage to knit. I've been ploughing on. I've been doing a little sewing as well, and have a night dress completed, but for the hem. It's hard to see the point of buying such simple things, but it's hard to manage time for everything that needs to be done. The pattern also includes winter pyjamas, so maybe I'll make some of those when I need more! Thankfully no collar is involved. I find it a bit tricky to make sewn collars look good.

Garden City Scarf

2011-08-22T21:28:00.006+10:00

I've been participating in a Knit-A-Long with the Budding Designers Downunder group on Ravelry. This month's KAL is the Garden City Scarf by Sheryl Greenfield.

And here is my finished scarf!

It was a fun, quick and elegant knit. Now, who's going to be the lucky recipient? I'll keep you posted.

I was lucky enough to have a design published in the June issue of Yarn Magazine. It's the Lace Front Cowl.

Now I'm working on some fingerless mitts for an upcoming issue. It's so exciting to see one of my designs in a magazine! That professional photography makes me swoon. (The photo above is mine, not from the magazine, as you can probably tell).

A while ago I mentioned a mosaic stitch scarf. Well, in between all these other things, it is slowly progressing. It's a great project to work on while chatting etc, because the pattern is so easy to memorise, and you just keep going and going until it's the right length! When/if things quiet down a bit, I'll show a picture of it.

Pattern Available - Bea Fair Isle Pullover

2011-08-15T20:38:00.003+10:00

The pattern for the "Bea Fair Isle Pullover" is now available.

It's a lovely warm stranded pullover. The colour work is very easy, as there's only one contrast colour and one background colour for each motif. The yarn I've used is a Heirloom Merino Magic 8 ply, which has a fantastic range of colours, even though the one's I've used are fairly subtle. It's knitted flat, from the bottom up. A colour chart is included. This is my first foray into collars, and I love how this collar has worked out.

Bea Fair Isle Pullover
Knitting Pattern

Yarn Suggested: Heirloom Merino Magic 8ply or any other 8ply/DK yarn. 50 gram balls, 98m (107 yds)

Gauge: 24 sts = 4 inches in Stocking/Stockinette Stitch

Needle Size: 4mm

Meterage: 1470 - 1666 m (1608 - 1822 yards)
7(8,9) balls of main colour
2 balls of contrasts A, B and C
1 ball of contrasts D and E

Sizes Available: 84 (100, 117)cm, 33 (39¼, 46) in

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 5.75

Ill Knit by Moonlight

2011-08-01T21:50:00.003+10:00

Further to last weeks post, the pattern for these fingerless gloves, "Ill Knit by Moonlight", is now available. When I misheard the title of the movie “Ill met by moonlight” on late night TV, then a couple of weeks later read the obituary of one of the real life players in this WWII event, I knew this had to be the name of my next design. Perfect for your next undercover assignment.

They are nice warm fingerless gloves with an all over, small textured twist stitch pattern. The yarn used is a beautiful soft and warm Merino, Alpaca, Silk blend, Heirloom Silk Touch. The gloves are knitted in the round and have a thumb gusset. A stitch chart is included.

Ill Met by Moonlight Fingerless Gloves

Knitting Pattern

Yarn Suggested: Heirloom Silk Touch 8ply or any other DK/8 ply yarn

Gauge: 24 sts = 4 inches in Twist Squares Stitch

Needle Size: 4mm

Meterage: 199 m (218 yards )

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 5.50

Fingerless Gloves completed and gorgeous.

2011-07-25T22:36:00.003+10:00

Here are the completed Fingerless Gloves, looking gorgeous on their gorgeous new owner. I'm in the process of typing up the instructions at the moment. I learnt a few new skills with these - Knitting into the back of the second stitch, and knitting fingers. There's always something new to learn in this game. :)

I hope to have the pattern out in the next few days. I'm glad there's some winter left for them to be worn in!

My next venture is a scarf knitted in a Mosaic stitch. This is a pattern where two colours are used, but only one on each row. By slipping stitches, or some other method, it looks like two colours are used on the one row, when only one has been used. The particular stitch I'm using doesn't used slipped stitches, but knit into the stitch below. This effectively drops a stitch to mix the colours. It's easier than I thought it would be. It's lots of fun having so many stitch types to try. This is producing a fantastically light, soft fabric that will be great for a scarf.

I think I can... I think I can...

2011-07-18T23:00:00.005+10:00

I'm limping along, step by step, to the end of these gloves. There's nothing particularly difficult about them. Once I'd worked out how to do fingers, the second glove should have been a cinch. Maybe I've got second glove syndrome. Or it could have been the school holidays. I can't think of a really good excuse, so what the hell, I'll get there in the end.

The gloves are currently blocking, and hopefully will be dry enough to weave in the ends in the next couple of days.

I can hear True Grit (the old one) in the background which is slightly distracting. It's hard to ignore John Wayne.

While I'm waiting, I'll be preparing a test swatch for another magazine submission. My previous success has emboldened me to have another go. This time I thought I'd try some fingerless mitts. Might as well push my luck on the whole mitts/gloves thing.

Edward Scissorhands?

2011-07-03T22:38:00.001+10:00

Am I making my very own Edward Scissorhands? No, but this is very much what it looks like, I have discovered, when one knits gloves. Even more so, when you have a half completed finger with three double pointed needles in it. It's a fascinating process. This glove is now complete, though not yet photographed as such. It's taken quite a lot of glove pattern study, and quiet thinking and calculating time to work out how to do the fingers. But it all makes sense when it's broken down.

These gloves may seem quite long, but that's how they should be, according to the teenagers in my life.

Legs are now warm!

2011-06-19T22:41:00.000+10:00

The leg warmers are now complete. I've decided not to publish this design, as it bears a remarkable similarity to a pattern my daughter found, to use as inspiration for these. Even the colours used are similar.

She's finding that they slip down a little, so I'll probably put some hat elastic through the top of them. I don't think they slip too much, but it won't hurt to do this anyway.

My next project is a pair of fingerless gloves for the other daughter. She wants quite long gloves, and why not? A nice smooth yarn was requested, and so I'd decided to go for Heirloom Celone, only to find that it seems to have dropped of the face of the earth. I've found another Heirloom yarn, which seems even softer.
It's Heirloom Silk Touch which is exactly the same blend of fibres - 85% Merino, 10% Alpaca and 5% Silk - but not a crepe yarn as the Celone was. I bought this at Mooroolbark Wool.

Having already done a pair of fingerless mitts, I thought I had the whold Thumb Gusset thing down, but after three attempts at all the calculations, and still ending up with an unexpected number of stitches, I'm beginning to wonder. Hopefully, all will be fine by my next posting.

One down, one to go

2011-06-01T20:04:00.000+10:00

A leg warmer on the leg is worth two on the needles. Well at least one leg can be warmed! The length is fine, despite my anxieties. This is a fantastic demonstration of how different a colour can look, depending on the colours it's beside. There are four stripes of exactly the same purple in this. As the variegated yarn changes, the look of the purple changes too. I'm halfway through the second leg warmer, so there's not long to go till there are equal rights for legs.

I can't wait to get to the newsagents tomorrow morning for my copy of Yarn Magazine to see my first magazine published design. How exciting!

Cosy Leg Warmers

2011-05-22T22:40:00.000+10:00

I have some leg warmers underway. I'm doing my usual trick of slowing down to a complete halt when I have doubts about what I'm doing. The problem this time is that my row gauge is so different to normal that I like to use measurements in my patterns rather than number of rows. That's fine for "until you reach the armholes", but for stripes of about one inch, it doesn't work too well. By the time my stripe measures an inch, what's still on the needle is going to add to the length, for each and every stripe. It seems that making mistakes is a mandatory part of learning. I'm learning a lot! These leg warmers may end up a couple of inches longer than they are meant to be. I should plunge on, and see if that still works OK for my daughter's legs. Just scrunch them up a bit! Extra warmth! But no. I crawl to a halt. Must . . . . . keep . . . . . going. If they need to be re-knitted that's fine. Have I convinced myself?

I officially give up trying to show the true colour of these leg warmers. There is a repeating purple stripe in these, but it looks a different colour in every stripe! The miniscule viewer of my camera doesn't help. The colour is actually better than it looked through the viewer.

If I can't reproduce the colour of legwarmers, I'll try our Liquid Amber.

Not bad! The colours this autumn are absolutely gorgeous. According to news reports, the season leading up to now has been perfect for producing these beautiful colours. They certainly cheer up a grey day. :)
My Fair Isle Pullover is being test knitted. The colours my testers have chosen are fantastic. So bright! I can't wait to see them finished.

Tying up the loose ends

2011-05-01T16:09:00.000+10:00

I've been finishing up a few things. I actually finished this bookmark a couple of months ago, but it's taken me a couple of months to get around to taking a photo of it. It's the Tell Me a Tail Bookmark designed by Christine Jeffery. It was, notionally, for a February KAL. Well, here it is May, and I'm finally posting the finished product.

Next on the finishing pile has been my scarf to enter into this year's scarf festival. I have to send it off in the next couple of days or I'll miss out. : ( I've knitted it from Sublime Soya Cotton which I found at Wondoflex. It's a type of yarn I've not used before and felt very much like cotton to knit with. I've made it fairly short so that the weight of the cotton won't drag it down. I banged it out fairly quickly, but hopefully it's deserving of a place in the festival.

Tragically, I have nothing on the needles at the moment. I'm all lined up to do some leg warmers for daughter number 2. Our trip to Spotlight to choose yarn was very disappointing, so we're off to look elsewhere tomorrow. The idea is for stripes of purple and multi-colour purple, in a cable rib pattern. Stand by. I'll keep you posted.

Fair Isle Pullover in testing mode

2011-04-24T21:44:00.000+10:00

I've finished my Fair Isle Pullover, as pictured, and it's now up for testing. I've rewritten the pattern to hopefully line up the pattern on the sleeves with the body pattern. If I get a couple of test knitters, this rewrite can be proved or disproved.

I find collars very flattering, and I'm planning to try out different types of collars in upcoming designs. This first attempt at a collar is a polo collar. I wasn't very optimistic about how it would turn out, so I'm really pleased that it actually came out as it's supposed to. Yay for me!

I'm forging ahead as fast as I can on a scarf for the Scarf Festival mentioned in my last post. The pattern for the main body is very easy to remember, so I've had no trouble knitting during our family Harry Potter fest. We're hoping to watch all the movies before the next one come's out. Tonight we saw the Order of the Phoenix. It's a shame that chunks of the book have to be left out so that it doesn't go for too long. Enjoyable all the same, though.

Once this scarf is complete, I've had a request for some leg warmers. I haven't done those before, so that'll be something fun and new to try.

Fair Isle Pullover nearing completion

2011-04-08T12:19:00.000+10:00

I've been in a big rut, just not feeling 100%. I'm on the way back up now.

Here are some photos of a Fair Isle Pullover sleeve, one in progress and one completed.

Although I don't have any photos to show it, the pullover is now nearly finished. It's all sewn up, collar knitted, and I'm now in the process of weaving in ends. There are tons of them! I spent ages on it last night and there's still lots to go.

I used Shirley Paden's "Knitwear Design Workshop" to work out how to do a polo collar. It's worked out beautifully! I'm feeling like an awesome clever clogs!! :)

I wanting to get this finished so I can get going on a scarf for this year's Scarf Festival which is being hosted by the National Wool Museum in Geelong. I haven't done this before. It should be fun!

Go on. Take the plunge and design a scarf for this festival! Entries close on the 6th of May. This year's theme is the Rhythm of Life.

Scarves are great to start designing with. No shaping issues! You can just knit till you've had enough and then stop. Entry forms are available from the linked page.

The trouble with sleeves

2011-03-12T23:10:00.000+11:00

Well, I've learnt a few things about designing sleeves over the last couple of weeks. Most designs I've seen have a whole number of pattern repeats for the body and sleeves of a pullover. If you want a fairly close fitting sleeve and have large pattern repeat, this is where we strike problems. With this Fair Isle pullover I've had the problem that, for the smallest size, two pattern repeats were too narrow, and three were way too wide. I had about a third of the sleeve knitted before I realised I had to pull it out and re-plan the sleeves. Another problem was that I had the sleeves to fit fairly closely at the wrist, then gradually increase to the upper arm. But of course my arm doesn't gradually increase from the wrist to the upper arm. Doh! The widest part of my forearm is 8cm larger than my wrist, then my upper arm is only 3cm larger again. So although sleeves generally increase gradually, a lot of our arm increase is in the first 14cm. What to do? As the far as the Fair Isle patterning goes, I saw the options of:

going totally plain for the sleeves, which works really well were I've seen it done
having 3 pattern repeats so the sleeve would be too wide rather than too narrow
using fractional pattern repeats

I was on the verge of going totally plain, but after quizzing a few fellow Ravelers for their opinions, I decided on fractional repeats. So, as in the photo, I've got two full repeats with a few extra stitches at either side, keeping it all symmetrical, and including extra ease, so that hopefully my forearms won't be squeezed to a pulp. Going by the measurement table I've been using, it seems that my arms may be a tad larger than standard for my bust size.

The armholes for the front and back were planned using the original amount of sleeve ease to calculate the depth of the armholes. I have no idea if the sleeves will fit into the armholes, given the changes that I'm making. My current feeling is that I'm going to make them fit, whether they do or not! I can rewrite the pattern for future use, but I don't feel like reknitting the whole pullover. Bad girl!

Wish me luck.

Abundance Pullover Pattern Now Available

2011-03-05T21:47:00.000+11:00

The pattern for the Abundance Pullover is now available.

This is a Boat Necked Lace Pullover, knitted in a Bamboo Cotton blend. The yarn I've used is Sirdar Juicy DK, which is beautifully soft and has gorgeous drape.

Abundance Pullover
Knitting Pattern
Yarn Suggested: Sirdar Juicy DK or any DK/8 ply yarn (preferable a bamboo blend)
Gauge: 18 sts = 4 inches in Bluebells Stitch (wet blocked)
Needle Size: 4mm
Meterage: 942 - 1130 m (1030 - 1236 yards )

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 5.00

A retro game is aired.

2011-02-22T21:19:00.000+11:00

Due to the miraculous appearance of some time, DH has been doing a major clear out. In the process, Frank Hyde's Footy Game was unearthed and it came out for an airing this afternoon.

Growing up in the Aussie Rules state of Victoria, I managed to get through my whole childhood not recalling having seen one game of "Footy" on TV. I refuse to be drawn into the specifics of whether it's Rugby, Rugby Union, Rugby League or whatever you wish to call it. The NSW connections of DH may explain the appearance of this game into his dim, distant past.

Here's the field in play. Notice the the recuperating dental surgery patient, wearing a bandage as a badge of honour. I'm not sure how the game went, but I noticed both players scoring at least one 'try'.

Here's a closer look at the players. DH noted that the rules have changed a bit. (One card described a player being dumped on his head!) The rules may have changed, but I'm sure I've seen this done on occasion.

And here's the spinning wheel which determines which of your players has the next move.

You may, like me, wonder who the hell Frank Hyde is/was. If so, here's the news.
Feel free to tell me that this game is now worth lots of money!

On a more sombre note, I've been watching, with horror, the news about today's earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. It's very scary. I really feel for everyone there dealing with worry, fear, injury and even death. I hope everyone who's still trapped can be freed safely.

Fair Isle back completed

2011-02-08T23:23:00.000+11:00

The back of my Fair Isle pullover is finished! Yay! The allover nature of the pattern, with 5 different contrast colours makes it so interesting to look at. I know I keep saying it, but I get a better idea of it looking at the photos than when I'm working on it. I suppose it's that big picture that I'm getting - standing back to observe.

In between finishing the back and really getting into the front, I've been knitting a little project as part of a KAL (Knit a Long). I explain that, because you might be like me, and take a couple of years to work out what KAL stands for. There's a great monthly KAL happening in the Budding Designers Downunder group on Ravelry. The KAL supports a different budding Australian or New Zealand designer each month. This month it's Christine Jeffery. I've chosen her Tell Me a Tail bookmark. I'm not sure that the Regia 4 colour sock yarn that I've chosen is exactly letting this pattern stitch shine at it's best, it's still a fun and pretty project. It didn't take long to find a member of the family putting their hand up for this one!

Fingerless Mitts - Pattern Now Available

2011-01-27T21:30:00.000+11:00

Testing is complete, and the pattern for my Leafy Squares Fingerless Mitts is now available.

These mitts are knitted in the round and have a thumb gussett for a comfortable fit. There is a panel of the Leafy Squares pattern along the back of the arm and hand. These are knit in a 10 ply yarn. I've used Heirloom Shetland 10 ply, which has resulted in beautiful and toasty warm mitts.

Leafy Squares Fingerless Mitts
Knitting Pattern
Yarn Suggested: Heirloom Shetland 10 ply or any Aran/10 ply yarn
Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches in Stocking/Stockinette Stitch
Needle Size: 5mm double pointed needles
Meterage: 160 mtrs / 175 yards

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 3.00

Fair Isle continues

2011-01-18T23:39:00.000+11:00

I think this is a pretty good effort for one week of non-concerted effort. A tension square was absolutely necessary, especially in helping to select colours. I'd initially chosen yarn colours from a webpage. When I knitted up the tension square, I could see that a couple of them didn't have enough contrast with the main colour. So I went for a deeper version of those colours, and they're working out really well.

All of the fair isle patterns I'm using have an odd number of rows, so the new colour starts at one end, and finishes at the other end. Odd numbers of rows and stitches do seem to look better in a lot of designs. Maybe that's a standard thing with fair isle; I don't know. I suppose this means the ends will be woven in evenly along both sides, but I'm finding it a bit annoying. I was thinking that having all the ends at one side would mean I could tie them off against each other.

The rib band wants to flip up, so I've had to weight it down with a couple of balls of yarn for the photo.

Both the Abundance Pullover and the Leafy Squares Fingerless Mitts are coming to the end of their test phase. I'm hoping to have more news on them soon.

Exciting news: I've had a design accepted with a magazine! I'll have to contain my excitement until June, when it will be published.

Venture into Fair Isle

2011-01-11T21:37:00.000+11:00

The Fair Isle Pullover I mentioned in my previous post is now underway, as pictured.

It's nice to see it at a distance like this. When I'm knitting, I'm too close up to see how the pattern's really looking. Hmm. Looks a bit narrow, now that I see it like this. I'll have to do another measure, to make sure its's big enough.

My two current test knits which are underway, the Abundance Pullover and the Leafy Squares Fingerless Mitts, are coming along nicely. One of each is finished, and they look great. I'm not sure what to do with the pullover, as my testers are finding that it blocks bigger than it should. When all are done, I'll have to go over all the final measurements, and see if I can adjust the pattern to fix this.

Leafy Squares Fingerless Mitt - In test mode

2011-01-01T23:29:00.000+11:00

My Leafy Squares Fingerless Mitts are up for test knitting at the moment. They look very svelte.

I've had a couple of takers for test knitting already, and am hoping for just a couple more. They don't take long to knit, so I'm hoping the pattern will be all ready for release in a couple of weeks time.

As you can see by the shorts, it's not really mitt wearing weather here at the moment. But that doesn't stop the knitting here, until my hands get sweaty. Thankfully, it takes quite a lot of heat for that to happen to me.

In other news, I've just finished the calculations and rough writing up of a Fair Isle Pullover I'm desigining. My tension square was interesting in helping work out which colours to use. A couple that I'd chosen based on their colour on the computer screen, turned out to be too similar to my background colour when seen in real life.

I was desperate to get this written up, ready to start knitting at least by the end of this month, as I'll be on camp for a little while and must have knitting. It's the ideal opportunity to get a lot done.

Now, where was I?

2010-12-09T23:03:00.000+11:00

The normal duties of everyday life have rudely taken me away from my knitting and design. Dreadful!

But a few things have progressed.

The Abundance Pullover is currently being test knitted by five lovely testers on Ravelry.

After having to re-knit a few mistakes, the cowl is finished and has been sent to a magazine publisher for consideration.

I’ve knit one of a pair of fingerless mitts that I’ve designed, and am half way through the second. I was reminded today why knitting a pattern which requires concentration, and doing increases on every third row, is not a good idea while enjoying excellent company and conversation. Dammit! Yet again, it’s the small items which thwart me.

First with the latest

2010-11-05T23:46:00.000+11:00

Yet again, I’m the first use a new Heirloom brand yarn on Ravelry. Dye lot 001 again! This time it’s Heirloom Shetland 10ply, pictured.

Previously it’s been Heirloom Celone, which is a gorgeous blend of wool, alpaca and silk. And I’m still the only one linking to Celone. My philosophy, if that’s what you want to call it, is to use yarns Aussies can easily find in their Local Yarn Store. Is that a good tack to take? The Celone is a lovely yarn, so I don’t know why others aren’t linking to it. Maybe if the Heirloom company put up some patterns using this yarn, it may get more of a go. Or maybe they don’t have pattern leaflets in the store. I haven’t looked for them.

The Heirloom Shetland is a harder feel than the yarns I’m used to, but I think it’s going to make some lovely warm mitts, which is my reason for buying it.

More irons in the fire.

I’ve put in a submission to a magazine. Yay me! And I’ve been contacted by them with suggestions. So I’m going to go ahead and knit the cowl I’m proposing. If they don’t end up going with it, I’ll publish it here and on Ravelry. But they sound interested at least. This is a whole new world for me. Another learning curve!

Also, I have my Abundance pullover in for testing with a few fantastic Ravelry members. So that’s another job, checking on their progress, being available to answer queries and to correct any errors this reveals.

I’m trying to maintain the rest of my life, while squeezing in this knitting fun. Or is it the other way around.

Abundantly knitted up.

2010-10-26T12:04:00.001+11:00

Yay! All finished and sewn up. I love the look of it. The modelling and photography talent in this household isn’t top notch, so we’re still working on that. But here’s one photo to give you an idea.

I’ve got the pattern pretty well typed up. I just need to put it all together now – pattern, schematic, stitch charts, photos. And it’ll be ready to put out for test knitting. I hope I get a few takers.

I’m just so pleased that following Shirley Paden’s guidelines for shaping armholes and sleeve caps, I’ve come up with such a proper looking pullover. And first time!

I’ve knitted a sample square for a cowl. Next is the laundering and measuring so I can do all my calculations. Onward and upward!

What a difference a blocking makes

2010-10-19T20:35:00.000+11:00

We’ve gone from a crumpled piece of fabric to a smooth, nicely shaped sleeve. It’s fascinating to see them side by side.

Well, all pieces are now made, and currently blocking. I’ll be writing up the pattern, and getting on to making up the pullover. Fingers crossed.

Of course, drawing near to the end of one project prompts thoughts about the next. This time I’m entering the secret world of magazine submissions. This is something I’ve never done before, so it’s all new to me. I’ve started on a sample square for a cowl (and that’s all I can say). Once that’s done, I’ll check the submissions guidelines for my chosen target. It should be an interesting exercise, if only for learning how to submit to magazines.

I’ve changed my PayPal account from Personal to Premier, so can now accept credit card payments. I didn’t know that I couldn’t take credit card payments till yesterday. I don’t know if that’s stopped anyone from buying, but at least it’s not an issue. If your credit card payment doesn’t work, please let me know.

If it looks like a sleeve cap…….

2010-10-12T21:21:00.000+11:00

……it must be a sleeve cap. All those calculations must be pretty well correct! Well, one sleeve completed, blocked and fitted (with the aid of safety pins). It seems OK! The blocking has made an enormous difference to the piece. When I’m finished the second sleeve, I’m going to photograph the blocked one and the non-blocked one side by side, to demonstrate the difference that blocking makes. And this isn’t forceful blocking, it’s just laundering the piece as the finished garment will be laundered, and laying it out while still damp.

As usual, as I’m drawing to the end of one piece, my mind is jumping ahead to the next design. DD2 has expressed interest in some arm and leg warmers. I'm thinking about what yarn and stitch pattern to use. I'm thinking of using the same stitch pattern on each, but to a different scale. I've got a few ideas. It will be the absolute wrong season to be working on these, but what the heck. It’s nice to be asked for something, instead of knitting for myself all the time. I’m loathe to knit items for people, unsolicited, as I don’t want to be pushing my interest onto others. I’m very happy for people to ask for something.

Abundance sleeves looking good

2010-10-01T21:11:00.001+10:00

The back and front of the pullover are finished and I’m onto the sleeves. They look a little narrow, but I’m pushing on, so I can finish and block them, then I’ll really know about the size. It is a bit disconcerting when the blocked size can vary a lot from the size while knitting. It makes me very anxious, so I have to force myself to continue, rather than grinding to a halt with worry. The pieces do at least look to be the right sort of shape, so that’s encouraging.

This month I’m the knitting Designer in the Spotlight in the Budding Designers Downunder group on Ravelry. If you want to get in on the KAL pop into the Budding Designers Downunder group and look at the Designer Spotlight – Sharon Slarke thread. I’m hoping I get a few more finished projects of items using my designs. A bit more visibility would be great.

Abundance – well under way

2010-09-24T22:00:00.000+10:00

I’ve finished the back of my Abundance bamboo lace pullover, pictured here. The front is also nearly finished.

I’ve bravely/foolishly carried on without life lines.
a. I’m lazy
b. I worry that evidence of the lifeline can be seen after it’s been removed.

However, I would advise to do as I say, not as I do. I can’t guarantee a problem free run without a lifeline. I’m just taking a risk. I’ll probably use lifelines for the sleeves, as I’m using the top lace pattern for the whole length of the sleeves, and that’s the stitch pattern which caused me to swear whilst knitting the back. That was just a short stint for the back and front, but the sleeves are a whole different story. That stitch pattern is actually very easy, but accidentally dropping a stitch or two off the needles can change your demeanour very quickly.

Edendale Bag (previously known as Trellis Bag) pattern now available

2010-09-17T10:34:00.000+10:00

My Edendale Bag pattern is finished and here it is at last.

It’s a textured bag knitted as a simple rectangle with no shaping. There are only side seams and handle casings to sew. The bag is knitted on smaller needles to create a firmer fabric. The stitch pattern only requires some very basic use of a cable needle. It’s a great showcase for the yarn, Sirdar Escape, and would look good with any self striping yarn.

Edendale Bag

Knitting Pattern
Yarn suggested : Sirdar Escape or any other 8 ply/DK ply yarn
Gauge : 31 stitches = 4 inches in Trellis Cross Stitch
Needle Size : 3.75mm and one cable needle
Meterage : 660 mtrs / 720 yards

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 4.00

Trellis Bag constructed

2010-08-28T22:22:00.000+10:00

The Trellis Bag is complete. My theories on it’s construction were all proved as it went along. I’ve taken photos of varying quality during the various construction stages and a couple of completion photos. When there’s more light and more time I’ll take some, hopefully better, photos. Sewing in the lining, sewing the pockets for the rods of the handles and putting it onto the handles all happened at Edendale Farm in Eltham during a Home Education meet up. So I’ve decided to officially name it the Edendale Bag. A quick search of Ravelry tells me that no-one has used this name so far. I have to try and get pattern writing for this piece, in amongst too many commitments for the preservation of sanity. Here is a photo of the bag during construction.

The summer pullover (working title, “Shells’n’Bells”) is progressing well. A couple of days ago I rediscovered the advisability of a life line. Don’t ask me how. This slippy bamboo yarn seems to make it more necessary than usual. A dropped stitch gets away Pretty Damn Quick. I do find life lines a bit awkward, and would rather not use them, but I must reluctantly admit, they are worth doing. I use sewing thread for my life line, as I have found thicker thread/yarn leaving a slight mark where it has displaced the knitting. So, anyway, I would say I have half of the first piece done.

A new project

2010-08-19T11:23:00.000+10:00

Such is our family schedule, like most others, that it hasn’t been possible to even make a date to go shopping for some lining fabric for the trellis bag. So I’ll move on to another project that’s been on the back burner. Way back in June, I knitted these tension squares. The yarn is Sirdar Juicy DK, 80% Bamboo and 20% Cotton. It’s beautiful and soft and has a lovely drape to it.

My idea is to make a summer pullover in two different lace patterns. One will be for the sleeves and top half of the body, the other for the lower half of the body. The “squares” were laundered, dried and then hung overnight to determine any drop. I didn’t weight the squares as they hung, as the garment is intended to be close fitting, and therefore will be supported more by the wearers body than the rest of the fabric.

The above was written 12 days ago. In the intervening time I’ve had a crisis of confidence about my tension squares. After hanging, they dropped a little, as expected. However, after being put away for a couple of months, they seem to have retracted to their original size. Aaaaargh! What does it all mean? Does this mean that all my calculations based on the hung squares will be wrong? After much worrying, I decided to hang them again, out of curiosity to see what would happen. They dropped again, but not as much as the first time. I’m wondering if I was hallucinating when I took the first batch of measurements. After seeking advice from fellow fledgling designers on Ravelry, I’ve decided to go for a “split the difference” approach, somewhere between the two measurements, which isn’t huge anyway.

In the mean time, I’ve finished all my calculations, written up the pattern, bought yarn and actually begun knitting. It’s my first attempt at designing something with sleeves. To me, working out body and neckline measurements seems pretty much common sense, but armholes and sleeve caps are what have mystified me. In the absence of a convenient class to teach me these things, I have resorted to scouring knitting design books. Some of the instructions for working out shapings have seemed a little on the vague side to me. My most recent book purchase, though, has shed a lot more light on the subject. “Knitwear Design Workshop” by Shirley Paden has clear specifics which I’ve been able to comprehend. It remains to be seen whether I can convert this into a successfully designed garment. I remain hopeful.

Also, since I began writing this post, I have managed to drag DD1 to Spotlight to choose some lining material for her bag. In the next week, I plan to make up the bag and lining and get the pattern close to ready for publication. Exciting!

Birthday Party Preparations

2010-07-16T23:22:00.003+10:00

We’re preparing for a 13th birthday party tomorrow. Cheesecake has been chosen and made as the birthday cake. Junk food has been bought. (And fruit for a fruit salad.)

We have a simple, but great book out from the library, “Fabulous Fashion Crafts” by Tracy Nelson Maurer. There’s a lovely belt in there, to be made from ribbons and beads. This will be a party activity, and the girls will have something to take home with them. I’ve cut all the ribbons to the right length, and here they are, all laid out. I hope they won’t all want to use the same colours. I’m sure we’ll come to some sort of an agreement.

I'm glad I did a trial threading of ribbon through beads, as the holes in the beads weren't quite big enough. Mr Unyewshual came to the rescue with a drill. Problem solved!

Trellis Bag progressing

2010-07-09T23:47:00.001+10:00

I’ve been continuing on for a couple of weeks now, and am making slow, but consistent progress. The simple knit and purl rows are so quick and easy, it’s hard to buckle down for the more complex row, which appears every fourth row. But the stitch pattern looks so lovely, especially in this gorgeous colour combination.

School holidays are still happening, so I’m having trouble remembering what day it is at the moment. We’re short one car just now, which is slightly annoying, as these things always happen at the most inconvenient moment. It is sort of nice to be stuck at home sometimes, though.

Grey Day

2010-07-02T22:01:00.005+10:00

It’s been the wettest start to winter for Melbourne in 9 years. Hopefully this means we're getting back to normal winters, instead of the terribly dry ones we've had for so long. The rain held off for our train trip into the city centre today, but had well and truly arrived by the time we came back.

Waiting for the train.

I took DD2 into town to meet up with some friends to go to a birthday party. Then DD1 and I browsed up, down, round and round, all through Myer, to hopefully use some gift cards she’s received. Too much choice, I’m afraid. At least we know now what a huge range of stuff is available there. We were amazed by the cosmetics counters stretching as far as the eye can see.
I'd forgotten what it was like.

As often happens, we saw a couple of people we know. When the city is so crowded, it’s astounding that you can randomly bump into people you know.

The Trellis Bag continues, but a longer piece of the same thing is not interesting enough to include here.
I’m pleased to report that my sore arm is no longer sore. Phew.

The Trellis Bag is begun.

2010-06-25T17:09:00.004+10:00

DD1 is due back tonight, and I have at least made a start on her bag, as shown. DD2 deems it “cool”. That’s good enough for me.
It’s been a very gloomy afternoon here, but I still managed to take a half-decent photo in the poor light. The camera want’s to use the flash, but the photos always look better without, unless it’s dark dark. A pain in my left forearm is annoying, but I’m sure it’s not knitting induced, and doesn’t hurt while knitting, only in certain non-knitting positions.

This yarn still looks great, even though knitted much wider than the tension square. It's exciting seeing it grow.

I've started using Microsoft Excel, in a very basic way, to help with calculations based on stitches per cm, weight and measurement of tension square, estimated finished size of pieces and weight and length of balls of yarn. I've learnt a lot from Marnie MacLean's excellent tutorials on the subject in her blog. After doing the same calculations over and over in my notebook and trying to remember, "how did I do this last time?", it makes sense to put those standard calculations into a spreadsheet, and just enter the relevant numbers. Voila!
The full sweater spreadsheets are a bit overwhelming for me at the moment, so I'm trying to just focus on what I need to do for this little bit I happen to be working on. Hopefully I'll be able to expand from here. I don't go too well with blindly following someone elses calculations. I need to do and understand each little bit at a time.

Tension squares reduce my tension

2010-06-18T23:42:00.003+10:00

The Sirdar Escape duly arrived. I’ve been away on camp over the long weekend, and was able to use the time to knit up a few tension squares. Some of the Sirdar Escape, I’ve knitted up into a tension square in Trellis Stitch. It’s very cute, especially in this yarn. I’m knitting it on smaller needles to create a denser fabric, as it’s for a bag. The combination of the yarn, stitch pattern and smaller needles certainly makes for a fairly condensed piece of fabric. The colour repetition is very cute, but I know it’ll be more of a stripy look when knitted over the full width.

The next thing to consider is the construction of the bag. The stiff bamboo handles mean that extra fabric at the ends of the handles, or longish splits down into the sides of the bag, will be needed, so that the bag will open more than just a sliver. I’ve been googling to research bamboo handled bags and carpet bags, to see what I can do without making it too complicated. My current favourite is to just leave the side seams open maybe a third, to allow leeway for opening space. This means I’ll still be able to use a simple rectangle of fabric without fancy shaping. Just gathering the top of the bag to fit the handles, and splits down the sides, should do the job. Sounds good in theory at least!

DD1 is away on camp at the moment, and I was hoping to have more than a little done by the time she gets back, but it seems it’s not to be.

Vest Photo Taken at Last

2010-06-05T23:42:00.004+10:00

Winter weather has definitely arrived here. It’s been cold, grey and rainy today and yesterday. Thankfully the full force of today’s rain held off until after the daughters’ netball matches. And both had wins. Yay!

Well I’ve finally got around to having a photo taken of the Sideways Vest. As you can see, I did end up putting ribbing around the armholes. I really like the vest, but I’m not convinced that anyone else would want to knit it. It seems to bulge a little just above the band, which may be off-putting. I let it rest as a “just for me” pattern, and great practice for designing a vest, and a sideways one at that. I'm writing up the pattern properly, just in case I change my mind.

I’m currently waiting impatiently for some Sirdar Escape, which I’ve put on order. It’s to be used for a bag requested by DD1. I’m glad to be making something for someone other than myself. She has chosen the yarn, a general idea of the stitch pattern, and some bamboo handles. I have precious little time for knitting or making calculations at the moment, but nevertheless I am missing the knitting. Those enforced times of waiting are perfect for a few stitches, but alas no knitting for now.

Blocking the Vest

2010-05-15T22:09:00.002+10:00

The Sideways Vest is currently blocking, as pictured. What a difference a blocking makes. It’s finally starting to look like a vest. It’s quite thick yarn, and taking a long time to dry. I’m itching for it to dry, so that I can try it on, and see if it really is working the way I want. The plan is to add on armhole ribbing, now that the length is blocked out to the right size. I won’t decide on that definitively, until I’ve tried it on to get a better idea.

Mother’s Day Breakfast update:
The bacon was beautiful and crisp. The eggs were cooked perfectly.
And it came with fried tomato. What a lucky Mum I am!

Happy Mother’s Day!

2010-05-08T23:29:00.000+10:00

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Younger DD requested that bacon be available, so I’m expecting bacon and eggs for breakfast. Yum! I’ll take some reading material into the bedroom tonight, so I’m all ready for a leisurely morning, eating and reading. Ah, bliss!

Well, I’ve finished the main part of the vest. Too big around, and too short. This will, theoretically, right itself after blocking. My doubts make me slow down to snail’s pace. I’m forcing myself to go on. I’ve done the calculations for the bands, and am about to launch into them.

Sideways Vest adventure

2010-05-01T22:03:00.003+10:00

I’m almost finished the main part of a sideways boatneck vest I’m working on. The yarn is Cleckheaton Kaleidoscope, which is self striping, producing vertical stripes in this sideways knit. The stitch pattern I’m using is a crossed rib. The main piece is knit all in one piece, starting at the right underarm, and working across the back, then the front and finishing at the right underarm again. I’m planning to do a three needle cast off to finish, instead of seaming.

It looks a bit short and squat at the moment, and that’s for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this stitch pattern, in this yarn at least, grows considerably when washed for the first time, so wet blocking will bring it down to it’s correct length. Secondly, I’m planning on picking up the stitches, top and bottom, to add a rib band. It all seems good in the planning. Fingers crossed that it will all work out as I expect. Wish me luck!

Toasty Tweedy Scarf Pattern Available

2010-04-24T21:49:00.002+10:00

The Toasty Tweedy Scarf Pattern has been available on Ravelry for a while now. And I’m finally getting around to putting the links here as well.

It uses a lovely, simple stitch pattern, easy enough for beginners.The yarn I’ve used is the lovely Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. If you’re looking for a sophisticated scarf for a man in your life, or anyone else for that matter, this may be what you’re looking for.

Toasty Tweedy Scarf

Knitting Pattern

Yarn Suggested: Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed or any other 10 ply/Aran yarn.

Gauge: 20.5 stitches and 25.5 rows = 10cm (4 inches) in Window Stitch.

Needle Size: 5.5mm needles

Meterage: 380 mtrs (416 yds)

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 3.50

Tweedy Scarf Completed – Pattern Available Soon

2010-04-08T23:47:00.004+10:00

I’ve finished my Tweedy Scarf. It’s lovely and cosy. The stitch pattern is a classic style, especially with this yarn. I love the simplicity of it. When time permits, I am writing up the pattern properly, bit by bit.

I’m now blocking the tension square for a vest design I’m working on. I’m using the Cleckheaton Kaleidiscope yarn. The square is worked in Crossed Rib, and boy am I glad I'm wet blocking it, because it's spread hugely. That would've been a nasty surprise when washing the garment for the first time. My daughters’ opinions on this yarn, when knitted up, were distilled as “awesome”. It seems like I’ll be using this yarn again soon. I’m glad to be getting a couple of requests. I don’t want to be knitting for myself only, but I’m the best guinea pig while I’m still at the early learning stage.

What, blog too?

2010-03-28T23:08:00.003+11:00

Becoming a home schooling mum on top of my other duties, has seriously curtailed my Ravelry time to a quick look now and then, with no posting. And as for blogging, I have to fit that in too? How is it possible? Geez!! I’ll keep visualising it and it will happen.... occasionally.
Well, I’m still managing to knit. At the moment I’m working on a Tweedy Scarf in a simple knit and purl pattern. It’s showing off the yarn beautifully.

I’m using Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran Tweed in the Tartan colour way. I bought the yarn at Morris and Sons Melbourne store. It’s toasty warm yarn. If my knees are a bit cold or sore, I drape the completed parts over my knees while I knit. Lovely! There’s not too far to go with it now. This colour and stitch will be great for a men’s scarf. Or anyone!

New Cowl Pattern Available – Hearts and Crosses cowl

2010-03-17T23:36:00.007+11:00

My new Hearts and Crosses Cowl pattern is now available.
It’s a great way to practice your Fair Isle skills without having to knit a whole pullover. The carried threads of the Fair Isle really add warmth. Just what we want! I was a bit rusty, so it took a bit of practice for me to carry the threads loosely enough, no matter how hard I tried. Lightly pressing under a damp cloth got rid of those little stubborn bumps, and it looks lovely and smooth now.

The yarn I’ve used for the Fair Isle pattern is variegated and so has sparked up the whole look.

Hearts and Crosses Cowl

Knitting Pattern

Yarn suggested : Cleckheaton Country Naturals and Cleckheaton Country Prints or any other 8 ply/DK ply yarn

Gauge : 25 stitches = 4 inches in Fair Isle Stocking/Stockinette Stitch

Needle Size : 4mm circular needle 40cm (16 in)

Meterage : 140 mtrs / 155 yards Main Colour

65 mtrs / 70 yard Contrast Colour

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 3.50

New Hat Pattern Available – Mirrors Hat

2010-02-01T22:21:00.007+11:00

I’ve just released a new hat pattern – the Mirrors Hat. It’s very quick and easy, and looks really effective. It’s knitted in a bulky yarn, which makes it even faster, and so warm! I knitted up the sample while I was away on camp, and it went so fast, I wished I’d brought another project with me.

Mirrors Hat
Knitting Pattern
Yarn suggested : Heirloom Easy Care 12 ply or any other Bulky yarn
Gauge : 17.5 stitches and 29 rows = 4 inches in Mirrors Stitch
Needle size : 5.5 mm / US 9
Meterage : 90 mtrs / 98 yards

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 3.50

Very coincidentally I met a fellow Raveller on camp - Minihaha. Here’s her blog. It’s a very small world! She sells some damn fine yarn, rovings and various knitting and spinning stuff through her etsy shop. As a result, I’m now a member of another Ravelry group – Melbourne Spinners and Wool Art.

Lace Ended Scarf Complete

2010-01-15T20:47:00.002+11:00

My new Lace Ended Scarf is finished. So far, this is the design I love the most, out of the ones I’ve done so far. It’s really simple, and maybe that’s the key. To my eye, it looks elegant. It remains to be seen whether others see it that way too. The next thing to do is to write up the pattern, and perhaps have it test knitted. It’s so simple, I’m not sure whether test knitting is necessary, but it’s probably worth doing anyway.

My Lace Rib Vest is currently being test knitted. I can’t wait to see how my testers go with it. No problems so far.

Now, what to do next. I have ideas for a hat floating around in my mind. I’ll be consulting my stitch dictionary as soon as possible to see what I can find.

Lace Ended Scarf under way

2010-01-08T22:06:00.002+11:00

The sample for my new Lace Ended Scarf is fairly well under way. It’s a pretty easy knit. I never thought I’d say this, but it’s a relief to be doing some stocking stitch for a change. After all that lace in the vest, it’s great to have some concentration free knitting. There should be more done than this, but we're still in Summer Holiday mode. :)

Happy New Year

2009-12-30T21:40:00.005+11:00

Well it’s nearly New Year. Hope you had a great Christmas and that you’ll have a wonderful New Year.

My Trellis Rib Vest is complete. I’m currently looking for test knitters to try out the pattern. It’s my first truly “wearable” design (apart from a hat) and am very pleased that it fits the way I intended. As my first multi-size piece, I’m only including three sizes. If they succeed, I’ll feel confident to branch out into more sizes. I’m trying to limit myself to baby steps.

In the mean time, I’ve started work on a new scarf design. It’ll be a fairly narrow, short scarf, with lace at each end. I’ve done most of my calculations, and bought the yarn today. I’m using Heirloom Celone in, what I’d call sage green.

We have baby beans!

2009-12-03T22:43:00.001+11:00

Christmas is approaching and so is the end of the school year. It’s that crazy time of year where there are functions left, right and centre. We also seem to be having appointments, car servicing etc ad nauseum. Not much knitting has been happening, but the weather has been very conducive to veggie growing. We’ve got baby beans! I’m sure I must have grown beans once, long ago, but it’s lost in the mists of time. So this feels like my first lot. And they look beautiful. This is a dwarf variety which, theoretically, doesn’t need staking. They’re holding themselves up pretty well so far.

I’m hoping for less commitments soon, so that I can get back to serious knitting. It’s lovely to have these end of year functions, but they do impinge on one’s time so much!

Hot weather and hot bargains

2009-11-20T17:49:00.002+11:00

The hot weather went and then came back again. We’ve had a bit of a cool change this afternoon and there’s some lovely steady rain falling now. Love that smell!

My gorgeous daughters picked up these gems for me at the trash and treasure stall at their school fair last weekend. They said there were heaps more, but weren’t sure whether I’d want them or not. It was at the end of the day, when they were getting rid of books at $1 per bag.

They’re “Get Knitting” packs from Marshall Cavendish. One of them actually mentions 1987 on the cover, so I know what vintage they are. They contain pattern leaflets for about a dozen garments and a knitting guide with tips for particular techniques. So I’ve now got issues 9 and 26. I probably won’t knit any of the patterns, but they’re great as reference material. Items like this, that are now 22 years old, have historical value as well.

The back of my Trellis Rib Vest is finished now. I love it. As for the front, due to the weather, all I’ve done is cast on and knit one row. I’ll be doing more every day that weather and circumstances allow.

Too hot to knit

2009-11-13T21:25:00.004+11:00

Well, that’s not strictly true. There has been a little knitting, but not enough to report on. Five of the last six days have been over 32 degrees. When it’s very hot, yarn doesn’t run smoothly through my fingers, so it’s time to put the knitting away for some other pursuits. In this case cross stitch.

This is the project I work on when I’m between knitting projects, or when it’s too hot for me to knit. It’s not for any purpose, other than it’s something I enjoy doing. I’m not in a hurry to finish it, so I just do a bit when I want to. I’m certainly not aiming for perfection.

Here’s to some knitting conducive weather over the next week.

First Vest Design Under Way

2009-11-06T21:33:00.003+11:00

I’m now working on my first vest design. It’s in a lace rib pattern called Trellis Rib. The garment will have no ease, and no shaping, apart from a shallow rectangular neck line.

I had thoughts of shaping armholes and a v neck, but doing this in a lace pattern seemed a bit daunting. The fact that each knitter has their own row gauge has been troubling me. It’s one thing to achieve the correct stitch gauge, but achieving both stitch gauge and row gauge can be difficult. How will I know that the knitter will reach the shoulders at the same row that I do? I’ve since been looking at more patterns, with lace and without. I’m learning so much. In a lot of patterns the piece is knit until it measures ‘x’, the armhole shaping is done, and then knit even until piece measures ‘y’. Even with a v neck shaping, which I had always thought continued until the shoulders, there seems to be the instruction, and then knit even until piece measures ‘x’. So although the schematic often doesn’t show it, there is some knitting without shaping at the top.

I want my designs to be useful to all knitters, whether they can acheive row gauge or not.

I’ve just now gone Googling on row gauge, and the consensus seems to be that for v necks and raglan sleeves, getting row gauge right is mandatory. I’m not much for raglan sleeves, so that’s not going to bother me. V necks don’t have to slope all the way to the top.

The time where I can see it will be an issue for me is where a high row number pattern is used, and needs to finish at a certain point in the pattern. The pattern I have in mind is the Boxy Tops pullover designed by Lily M. Chin and published in Knitters Magazine Fall 2001 K64, which I have not been able to find a link to. The pattern repeat in this design is 40 rows, and part of the pattern forms the v in the v neck when it gets to that point. It’s a bit hard, in this case, to say knit until work measures around ‘x’ cm ending with row 6. I suppose there aren’t many designs which would have this kind of issue.

In the mean time, I’ve seen a number of vest patterns which are simply two rectangles, and they look lovely. I’ve decided that for my first vest adventure, discretion may be the better part of valour, and I’ll go with simple, rather than my normal habit of biting off more than I can chew.

Gloria Tulip Hat available

2009-10-30T23:17:00.002+11:00

The pattern for my Gloria Tulip Hat is now available.
It uses a Tulip Stitch lace pattern from the Creative Knitting stitch dictionary around the bottom, and the crown is in reverse stocking stitch.

I was very pleased to read that an Australian Aboriginal Artist, Gloria Petyarre, has had a scarf design selected and used by the acclaimed French company, Hermes.
Well done Gloria. I thought I’d name my hat pattern in her honour.

Gloria Tulip Hat
Knitting Pattern
Yarn suggested : Heirloom 8 ply cotton
Gauge : 22 stitches = 4 inches in Reverse Stocking Stitch
Needle size : 4 mm / US 6
Meterage : 100 mtrs / 109 yards

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 5.00

A light weight, mid-season hat knitted in the round. The stitch pattern comes from volume three
of a 1980’s English knitting series called Creative Knitting. No details of the publisher are available in this edition. The stitch count will vary from round to round of the Tulip Stitch pattern, as extra stitches are added, then removed in subsequent rounds.

Hat Finished

2009-10-23T21:07:00.003+11:00

I’ve finished my sample for the hat pattern, and I’m really pleased with it. The colour, which I wasn’t sure about, looks lovely knitted up. The stitch pattern looks good. The decreases for the crown seem OK to me.

I have a request for test knitters open on Ravelry’s Free Pattern Testers Group. I’ve had two takers so far, and am hoping for a few more. I’m really excited to see how people go knitting from my instructions, and to see other people’s version of the hat.

First Ever Hat Design Under Way

2009-10-19T18:28:00.003+11:00

This strange looking creature is the beginning of a hat, which I’m having a go at designing.
I’m using some basic instructions from Debbie Abrahams’ "Design your own knits".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Your-Knits-Easy-Steps/dp/060061638X

This book is very good, but it will say something like "calculate the number of rounds you need to knit for the depth of the hat", but doesn't actually say how to calculate this.
Yes, if you know the distance and the guage, you can calculate it, but not if you don't know the recommended distance.
This sort of thing happens again and again in this book. "Calculate the number of stitches for the width of the back neck and the shoulders", but the body measurements for these distances are not mentioned. Is it from shoulder point to shoulder point? I'm battling on, but it does seem a bit like it's written for those who already know how to do it.
I suppose it's not "Design your own knits for dummies".

I pored over the page on hat design over and over again looking for information about the recommended amount of negative ease. I gave up looking and guessed, and then when following the steps, one by one, there it was, in black and white, right in front of my eyes.
5cm (2 in). Sadly, this sort of thing seems to be a common occurrence for me lately.

I'm having a look at the Vogue Knitting "The Ultimate Knitting Book", with a view to perhaps using it for vests, pullovers etc.
I do tend to skim over pages looking for key information, rather than methodically reading through each part. I must learn patience in this area.

Since taking this photo, I’ve actually finished knitting the hat, but haven’t yet taken another photo. I don't know if I want it photographed on my ugly head though. I may have to recruit one of my daughters.

It uses the tulip stitch pattern for the bottom of the hat, and reverse stocking stitch for the top.

I'm really pleased with it, for a first attempt. I plotted out the curve of the decreases on graph paper, but it does seem a bit like a star at the top, though not when it's on my head.

I can't find standard measurements for crown of head to forehead or base of skull. Circumference is easy enough to find. All of this is fine when designing for oneself, but if designing for others, what are these measurements for baby, child, woman, man?
The list of questions is endless. Persistence is the key.

Knitting Pattern Available – Crocus Bag

2009-10-12T20:02:00.007+11:00

Despite appearances to the contrary, I haven’t disappeared off the face of the earth. Life’s normal trials and tribulations have continued. For now, at least, I have fought my way to the surface to bring my knitting pattern for the Crocus Bag out into the open.

Surprisingly enough, it’s knit in crocus stitch, with an Irish Moss Stitch base, band and strap. It’s a basic rectangular shape. Some woven fabric is required to line the bag.

The crocus pattern is from the knitting series “Creative Knitting”

Crocus Bag

Knitting Pattern
Yarn suggested : Heirloom 8 ply cotton (or any other DK/8 ply yarn)
Gauge : 23 stitches = 4 inches in Crocus Stitch
Needle size : 3.75 mm / US 5
Meterage : 360 mtrs / 394 yards

This pattern is available to buy from Ravelry for $US 3.50

A light and lacy bag for summer, knitted in the round with only the strap to sew on. The bag is knitted on smaller needles to create a firmer fabric. The stitch pattern comes from volume three of a 1980’s English knitting series called Creative Knitting. No details of the publisher are available in this edition. If you wish to top to draw in a little more, use a K1, P1 rib for the band. Some woven fabric is needed to line the bag.

How hard can it be?

2009-08-21T21:47:00.002+10:00

My Crocus Bag is nearing completion.
In this picture, it’s about to be cast off.

As I’m knitting it in the round, and because of the structure of the stitch pattern, the beginning and the end of the round have the stitch pattern overlapping.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t conceptualise how to write the instructions.
I had to actually knit it to work it out. Even then I wasn’t sure how to write it. Doing a couple of repeats of the pattern, and jotting down what was happening during the second repeat, made it clear.

It’s amazing that the more familiar I became with the stitch pattern, the more mistakes I made and had to go back to repair.
I knew it so well, I’d relaxed into not concentrating so much. A fatal error.

Since this photo was taken, I’ve cast off, and am not sure how to finish it. It looked nice on the circular needles, gathering in at the top. Cast off, it seems a bit too wide open at the top. The possible ideas I have in mind are

Folding the top over and threading a drawstring through.
Weaving some fine elastic through the band to pull it in a little.
Dunno

Once this is decided I’ll know whether straps are required, and think about what type would look good.

Free Knitting Pattern – Lace Border Bag

2009-08-12T17:52:00.004+10:00

This is a quite simple bag, knit in stocking stitch, with a lace border and a ribbed edging. It’s a basic rectangular shape. Some woven fabric is required to line the bag.

It would pay to brush up on your slip stitches knitwise, and your p1 tbl or you’ll have the troubles that I initially did in the lace border.

The lace pattern is Wigwams from the knitting series, “Creative Knitting”

Lace Border Bag
Knitting Pattern
Yarn suggested : Heirloom Easy Care 12 ply (or any other Bulky / 12 ply yarn)
Gauge : 19 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in Stocking (Stockinette) Stitch
Needle size : 5.5 mm / US 9
Meterage : 195 mtrs / 214 yards

This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

download now

A fun, and handy bag, quick to knit, and interest added with a lace border. The bag is knitted on smaller needles to create a firmer fabric.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Monday, August 10, 2009
Make no allowance for the talk (7)
I’m pretty sure this is lecture but I have no idea why.
Either my brain is failing, or the cryptic crossword is getting harder.
I’m ready to give it up.

Crocus Swatch

2009-07-30T21:50:00.002+10:00

As per standard operating procedures not much action has taken place knit wise.

I’ve done a swatch of crocus stitch using circular needles. I’ve done a couple of measurements on it, but no calculations yet. I like the look of it, and it seems to suit the yarn quite well.

Other than knitting, a lot has been happening.
There’s been an Aussie Rules match to attend.
There’s been a 50th Wedding Anniversary to attend.
There’s been activities to transport children to hither and thither.
There’s been a school music concert to attend.
And of course the usual everyday working, shopping etc.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Thursday, July 30, 2009
Exist in macabre Athenian ritual (7)
I must admit, I’ve just this moment opened the paper to find the crossword, so I haven’t done any of it.
This doesn’t immediately jump out at me. I have a feeling it may be an anagram of Exist in
Don’t know much about Athenian rituals. Maybe if I have time to mull over a few other clues, it’ll come to me.

Indian Summer disappears

2009-07-22T20:47:00.005+10:00

It’s been a spring-like couple of days, which today disintegrated into a cold rainy afternoon. On the home front life has been very busy, rudely cutting into my knitting and designing time.

We’ve been following Masterchef rather sporadically, but did watch the final episode. It was quite compelling. There’s not much I watch that doesn’t put tears in my eyes these days.

Anyway, knitting wise, the Lace Border bag is nearly finished. I just need to put in a lining and sew in the straps. I’m really happy with the way it’s looking. I hope to have the pattern ready to publish next week.

Yesterday I bought a few balls of Heirloom Cotton 8 Ply with a view to making a Lace patterned bag. I’ve started a tension square. The yarn seems thinner than I expect an 8 ply to be, but it’s knitting up very nicely on the suggested needles. There’ll be enough to measure soon and then I can make my adjustments.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Monday, July 20, 2009
Methodical rearrangement of messy attic (10)
This one wasn’t too hard. It’s an anagram (rearrangement) of messy attic = systematic
Methodical = systematic

Free Knitting Pattern – Lacy Boucle Clutch

2009-07-15T22:24:00.011+10:00

The knitting pattern has been available on Ravelry for a few days and now it's here too!

This clutch uses a biasing lace square pattern. It's not exactly obvious from the photo, but not important. It’s more like, a bit of lace here, a bit of lace there. The biasing lace squares create wavy edges, hence the finishing angle of the flap. Rather jaunty, don’t you think?

There is a heavy satin used for the lining, to give some body, and shine. (Sounds like a hair care ad!)

Lacy Boucle Clutch
Knitting Pattern
Yarn suggested : Touch Yarns Boucle Solid
Gauge : 12.5 stitches = 4 inches in Bias Lace Squares
Needle size : 6.0 mm / US 10
Meterage : 40 mtrs / 44 yards

This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

download now

A soft, luxurious, mohair clutch for your evening must haves. The flap finishes with a jaunty angle.
Stitch chart included.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Monday, July 13, 2009
Checked retro model fits some (7)
I’ve got no idea about this one, although the last letter must be D

Lace Border Bag continues slowly

2009-07-10T21:18:00.003+10:00

Life has gotten in the way of knitting this week.
The remains of my cold, children’s school camp preparations, an impending birthday, and being a parent as psychologist have all conspired to prevent me from doing as much as I would have liked.

However I have done most of the second side of the Lace Border Bag and it is pictured here to show that I’ve done something.
The photo worked better this time. It was pretty overcast at the time, so maybe that’s the difference. Who could have guessed that I’d be wishing for grey skies?

This time I’m using a coarse sewing thread for my life lines. It’s some thread I used to repair the edging stitching on a mattress, so it’s fairly tough stuff. It has lasted well on the mattress, so my choice was good way back then. As it’s much finer, I’m hoping it’ll leave no mark when I remove it.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Thursday, July 9, 2009
Let us say it’s a vegetable (7)
This one jumped right out at me. It’s lettuce!

Lace Border Bag under way

2009-07-03T21:34:00.004+10:00

I’ve been laid low with a cold this week, but despite or because of this, I’ve managed to get one side of the Lace Border Bag knitted.

Please excuse the awful photography. The red seems to be making things difficult.

You probably can’t tell from the photo, which may be a good thing, but I think I’ve learnt that the thread for my Life Line should be a great deal thinner than the yarn I’m knitting with. Marks have been left where I’ve pulled out the thread. How annoying! :) I’ve tugged it this way and that, but to no avail.

The Lacy Boucle Clutch is in the same state as previously. No magnetic clips have appeared. Next time I’m at Spotlight I’ll see what press studs I can use instead. Or maybe it’s time to delve into my sewing box to see what’s hiding there. There’s bound to be some left over gems that will do just the trick.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Thursday, July 2, 2009
It can capture a scene in private (6)
This one’s got me stumped. From another word I’ve got, I can tell you that the 4th letter is “E”. But this doesn’t help me at all. Maybe you can work it out.

Clutch 95% complete

2009-06-26T18:06:00.007+10:00

The Lacy Boucle Clutch is virtually complete. I’m still waiting to hear when my magnetic clips come in. Now I’m starting to doubt whether they’ll be what I want. There were none of any size in the shop, so I couldn’t see how to attach them. Maybe you can’t sew them in. Maybe they need to be glued or some such thing. I suppose I’ll just have to be patient and wait and see. If they’re not suitable, I’ll probably end up using press studs, although I was trying to avoid the tugging on the fabric that they tend to entail.

I won’t publish the knitting pattern until it’s completely finished so I can photograph it in it’s proper state, and maybe have some contents in it without it gaping open.

While waiting, I may as well go on with the next idea.

My thoughts are to do a bag with a lace border at the top.
Yesterday I went in to Morris & Sons with the idea to get some Lana Gatto Super Soft yarn. I’d seen it on their website, but it wasn’t in the store. Probably just as well, as it’s not cheap.

I ended up getting Heirloom Easy Care 12ply, which was what I used for the Chunky Sampler Bag. All of which means, I could’ve quickly gone over to Mooroolbark Wool to get that, rather than going all the way into the city and making a day of it. I haven’t been able to find a 10ply wool yarn available locally, which was why I thought I’d go for the Lana Gatto. It wasn’t to be. So I’ll use 12 ply instead. It certainly worked very well for the Chunky Sampler Bag. It’ll be interesting to see how it knits up in a lace pattern.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Thursday, June 25, 2009
A firm figure put in on the first, a Tuesday (6)
The answer must be “statue”. I already had the second t from another word.
first, a Tuesday = statue
This seems to be drawing a long bow, but who’s to say how these clues are constructed.

Clutch under construction

2009-06-19T14:44:00.005+10:00

Well I got further than I thought I would. As it’s small and the dimensions don’t matter too much, I’ve used the piece as my tension square, after first knitting a little piece to see whether lace was visible with boucle yarn.

So here’s the back of the bag, with the flap open and the lining just temporarily stuck inside, to hopefully show up the lace, which is in a pattern of squares, if you can’t tell.

The bag has been sewn up, and the lining almost finished. I need to shorten the lining a bit, and then hand sew the final seam and secure the lining into the bag. When I bought the lining fabric (satin) from Spotlight, I looked for some small magnetic clips to close the bag. I think they’ll be easier to open than studs. With the help of a very friendly staff member, I found where they were meant to be, saw their spot empty, and ordered a couple. All things being equal, I’m supposed to get a phone call when they come in (within two weeks).

Look out for the finished product next time.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Thursday, June 18, 2009
Holy man grows older in steps (6)
The answer must be “stages”. I already had the g and the last s from other words. I knew the answer must be stages. I thought it was something to do with a sage being a holy man. But as I was sitting down to type this, it came to me.

Holy man = saint = st
Grows older = ages
Therefore – stages!
Sometimes I know what the answer is, but can’t work out how to get it from the whole clue.

First Post

2009-06-12T22:41:00.004+10:00

Here goes with my first entry.
I’m going to try to post once a week. I’m sure I’m not the first to say that, and I won’t be the last.
This blog can be my online coach. It’ll be here nudging me to do more. There’s a word floating… accountability … that’s it!

I was waiting to get my last design finished before I started here.
I want to start fresh with a new project, rather than being halfway through one.

Maybe here I can indulge in free association, one thought to the next.
How pretentious!

Well, onto the project of the moment!

Today I made the 45 minute drive to Wondoflex Yarn Craft Centre to buy a skein of Touch Mohair/Merino Boucle.

It's a dark olive green which you may not be able to tell from the photo.
I have thoughts of using it for a clutch purse.

Apart from when I was doing my own spinning, I haven’t had to wind a skein into a ball. Well now I do, and I suppose tonight’s the night.

Hopefully next week I’ll at least have a tension square to show.

I’m mildly interested in cryptic crosswords, so each week I’ll include a clue from our most recent copy of “The Age” cryptic crossword.
If I can work it out, I’ll give what I think the answer is.
If not, I can laugh at the weirdness of the clue.
We never get the paper with the answers, so I’ll never know if I’m right. This may seem like a pointless exercise.
This week’s clue, from “The Age” Thursday, June 11, 2009
Give the right to name following leaderless men (7)
I have no idea!
Leaderless men could be en
Can’t think of anything else.