Winter Warmers

So the weather has turned extremely chilly of late, prompting the need for some warm winter knitwear. Nothing like cold icy winds to put the pressure on when you're being slack in finishing up an item.

Therefore, I present one quick fix for cold icy weather.

Yarn: Wendy Dennis Polwarth 8ply

Pattern: Mitts in Seed Stitch by Cleckheaton

Duration: Started 6th June 2010 - Completed 12th June 2010

These gloves were actually quite a quick knit, and were well received by my five year old niece, who immediately put them on and didn't take them off all weekend!

I picked the yarn up at the Bendigo Wool and Sheep show last year and I live the stitch definition. I made sure to pick up some more of this again this year.

Next up we have a Noro striped scarf that I knitted up for Mum. I made one of these for myself last year and had to go to great lengths to keep my mother stealing it on me! I originally started this with the intent of giving it to Mum for Mother's Day, but it was nowhere near finished at the time. However I did finally get this finished recently, when we had our coldest day in two years. Needless to say it was another gift that was definitely appreciated.

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden - Colours 87 & 284 (2 balls of each)

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood

Modifications: Knitted this using 49 stitches rather than the 39 stitches the pattern calls for, as Mum requested hers to be an inch wider than mine, as she likes wider scarves.

Duration: Started 4th April 2010 - Completed 29th June 2010

I purchased this yarn at Easter last year while on holiday at Daylesford, so this counts as using up souvenir yarn as well as knitting from stash.

Then we have another pair of fingerless gloves, also made for Mum. An attempt to use up some of my steadily growing stash of Sanguine Gryphon Bugga, while knitting something nice for my mother to wear while at work.

Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga - David Attenborough

Pattern: Fingerless Gloves - One Pattern Three Looks by Clare Vallans

Duration: Started 29th June 2010 - Completed 11th July 2010

I love knitting with this yarn, it's so soft and warm and squishy - I'd stop my knitting almost every five minutes just to admire the yarn!

Eventually though these were done, and the super high cashmere content of this yarn has ensured that they have been steadily worn since they were gifted.

Last up, we have a little finished object I knitted for me. I actually started this last year, but decided I needed a nice bright scarf to go with my new winter coat, for my annual pilgrimage to the Bendigo Wool and Sheep show, so this came out of the UFO pile to be completed.

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted - Amoroso

Pattern: One Row Handspun Scarf by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Duration: Started 14th August 2009 - Completed 14th July 2010

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On a sad note though, I think I'm going to have to frog what I've done of the Evenstar shawl and start over. I seem to have a mistake along the way, putting some yarn overs where they shouldn't be, and of course I didn't use a lifeline. Off to the frog pond with this....

So to wrap up, lots of finished objects to show you this time. It's amazing what a motivation a bit of cold weather can be!

Socks, Socks and More Socks

Well, it appears that the upside to being made unemployed / redundant, is that I now have a lot of free time on my hands to knit. Specifically to knit socks and try and make my way through the mountain of sock yarn in my stash before it collapses on me. So, in the interests of not being buried alive under a pile of yarn, I've finished off these little pretties.

The first is a pair of socks that I knitted for my mother for Mother's Day. In a change of routine with me and deadline orientated gift knitting, I actually finished these with time to spare (as opposed to my usual routine of staying up till midnight knitting my fingers to the bone, trying to get the present completed).

Yarn: sKnitches Cinema Sock Club - Feed Me Seymour
Pattern: Sock Recipe: A Good, Plain Sock by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Duration: Started 27th February 2010 - Completed 8th May 2010

Nice and bright, these socks were well received, and I was left with a clear conscience to knit on something for me.

Orange is not normally a colour I like to knit with (think the ugly burnt orange of 70's appliances if you want to know why), but I saw the design process on the Knitspot blog, and I had to knit it.

Yarn: Dye Dreams Classy Sox - A Sockwork Orange
Pattern: Fishbone Gansey Sock by Anne Hanson
Duration: Started 28th April 2010 - Completed 25th May 2010

Then, because my dad has finally stopped picking on me about the fact that I knit, long enough to actually request something, I had to start these.

I love socks!

Another Pair of Socks to Show

I started this par of socks way back in January, on the same day as the Summer Lovin' socks in fact, but I only finished them recently.


I love knitting the Nutkins pattern, and the wool is so soft and squishy, but I kept on getting distracted with other projects (I know, how unusual for me *eye roll*).


Yarn: Jolly Jumbuck Hercules - Wild Orchid (purchased Melbourne Stitches & Craft Show 2008)
Pattern: Nutkin by Beth LaPensee
Duration: Started 10th January 2010 - Completed 18th April 2010

Anyway, they're done now, which leaves me more time to focus on other projects like this:


And this


On a sadder note, my favourite podcast Lime 'n Violet has just finished after 105 episodes. Unfortunately I never got to download them all before they were removed from iTunes, and now I don't know what I'll listen to while I knit. Any suggestions?

Finally, a Finished Object to Show!

I knitted these socks for a special friend's 50th birthday. Unfortunately they weren't finished in time, but as she had a "no presents" policy at the party, I was saved - Whew!


Duration: 11 August 2009 - 4 October 2009

Yarn: Sock yarn used was Moda Vera Socks, and was only $4 a ball! Needless to say, I stocked up on it when I saw it. So not only cheap socks to knit, but stash reduction as well.

Glad to finally have a WIP off the needles, but I can't seem to stop casting on new projects to add to them. Currently on the needles, I have a sock in progress, two pairs of socks suffereing from SSS, another pair of gift socks for another friends birthday, a scarf, and a jumper for my niece!

In addition to this, I still have to cast on a Ravelry Xmas swap project, another pair of gift socks for Xmas, and another dishcloth!

Am feeling a sudden urge to lay down for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to find somewhere where all the WIP's won't be able to find me - their stalking skills are starting to scare me....