Christmas Rewarded

I have just returned from a trip to the south of the UK, visiting friends, many of whom I knitted for.  First was Linda, who I have been knitting Spring Cloud for, and here she is wearing it with the matching stole:

Then we stopped by Karina's flat, although she was not there she had kindly let us stay there for a night, so in thanks I left here these:

from Anna Wilkinson's Learn to Knit, Love to Knit.  I don't need a learn to knit book, but this had some lovely advanced patterns in it, which these handwarmers are not, but they are a good way to use up the Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere I bought at Purl Soho, knitted into a cowl and then ripped because it shed too much!  The grey edging is Windemere Bonus Aran, left over from Apple Strudel (A Cardigan for Scotland).

We then went onto Julia's where the hat trio was well-received, particuarly by her 6 year old who loved her pink and grey one so much she wore it to bed!

There was much wind and rain during the whole trip, so I wore my Star Cross'd hat, by Natalie Larson, (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/star-crossed-slouchy-beret) throughout:

On route, I knitted Elizabeth's Toe up, Afterthought heel sock (http://www.naughtyknitterz.com/patterns/Toe%20Up,%20Afterthought%20Heel%20Sock.pdf ) out of the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock I wound on Christmas Day:

and here is the little satin drawstring bag I made to transport socks-in-progress in:

When at home (before we left, and last night), I worked on the Rocky Coast Cardigan (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rocky-coast-cardigan) by Hannah Fettig out of my own handspun, and readers I am thrilled to bits with how it's coming out:

This is the bodice; I am already near the point for dividing sleeves from body, and still have a large skein left to start the body with - the yarn has gone much further than I thought it would, and I am gaining a rare sense of satisfaction in seeing my own hand spun, home processed, yarn turn into a garment.

Christmas Knitting

Readers, I have completed my obligatory Christmas knitting - although I do still have things to do for others, there are no real due dates on these - and today I have decided to just knit for myself.  Christmas is a quiet day for us if we are in the UK, so this afternoon I should get some good knitting time in.

I did receive a knitting-related present, from Peter Hunt's Blackaller Bees and Jacob Sheep - two dove grey skeins of pure Jacob wool - they will make a great hat.

After a morning of international phone calls, pancakes, a bike ride and present unwrapping, I have prepared for my more relaxing afternoon by winding a skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the colourway: Robot Overlord.

I plan a vanilla, toe up, afterthought heel sock for this, as I have some journeys to do between Christmas and New Year.  I have also wound my fifth ball of Cream and Chocolate handspun:

 and even though I shouldn't really as I haven't got it all spun yet, I might just cast on the Rocky Coast Cardigan and see how far I get!  A very merry Christmas to all.

Completion

I have spent the first few days of my winter break taking stock - and repairing/refashioning - my sewing projects.

I have

• taken up the hem on a pair of MaxMara black trousers, so they worked with the flats I wear for work.  I wore them during the week before I broke up, and they were great.
• lightly felted and cut the fingers off a pair of lilac Ralph Lauren lambswool gloves, which were wearing through but too good quality to throw away.  They are now thick fingerless gloves, and again working very well.
• Refinished the seams on my handmade gold top:

This is a great xmas favourite from last year, and I plan to wear it on xmas day this year, but the slippy viscose doesn't hold stitches well and it needed tidying up.  Done!

• I also refinished the seams on my first, practice, pair of wide-leg, elastic-waisted lounge pants.  They also do not hold stitches well and need much tidying.  I am wearing them today, but the stitches are already slipping again, so their future might not be bright!

• I attempted to address the fastenings on a lined wrap skirt I made some time ago.  Not sure if this will have worked, but I will road test it sometime soon.


• I refashioned a vintage dress bought by my sister and I at a antiques market some years ago - when we got it home we found it was tight in the bodice for both of us, and it languished for a while in my closet until I saw an idea on Pinterest and did this with it:

I slashed the back with a stanley knife, and then hemmed both sides (after this picture was taken).  I will either wear as is with a lightweight shrug, or sew some netting or lace into the back panel.  Here is the front view:

Sorry about the poor pic, bobby socks and messy spare room, readers!  But you get the idea I'm sure.

• After these somewhat successes, I had a go at putting in elastic to cinch in the waist of an old (but much loved) snow parka I bought in Copenhagen years ago - but couldn't really get it to work.  I have left it to think and do more research and in the meantime will cinch with a belt a la Michelle Obama...

Still to do sewing-wise:  Final touches on the two bags I did earlier this year, and buttons onto the second Battleboro hat I have done for a xmas gift for a friend.  Then I will start the new year fresh, with fresh projects to sew!  A feeling of completion reigns.

Cowl and Thrift

I have managed to combine two knits today, and paired the recently completed Cable and Rib Gaitor from One Skein Knits with Intoxicating from No Sheep for You.

I also had a thrift store find - 6 skeins of a pretty vintage cotton. It's not the time of year for knitting cotton, but in a while it will be, and I have a Rowan pattern in mind for this.

A House Full of Christmas Surprises

After giving Karina her Christmas decorations and apple and rosehip jelly last weekend, I have ready a trio of hats for another friend and her children:

I used patterns already to hand just to get the stitch counts for an adult, 5 year old, and 1 year old, and based this on Stephanie Japel's hats in this photo:

 So I just knitted plain for a series of inches, then worked the crown.

I added a kidsilk haze flower brooch onto the adult hat (which you can see in my photo above) - pattern from a Rowan workshop I did a while ago).

I finally photographed (although not particularly well!) Linda's finished Spring Cloud and stole:

I have added a pretty key-style scarf pin, which you can just about see.  These two projects were recreated from their first incarnation as this:

I also have a cloche hat to add to Linda's haul, as she has been waiting for Spring Cloud for some time!  I must say I am enjoying this run of knitting for other people, although I am careful to choose people who will appreciate the time and effort.  My list of requests keeps growing.  And last weekend I got a little gift in return - two skeins of German sock yarn infused with aloe vera and jojoba oil, in a soft light khaki shade, given to me by a hat recipient recently.

Today's knit, as it is of course a weekend - Juliet, from Zephyr Knits.

More Weekend Knits

Yesterday I had an all-day course to attend, so decided to change up my usual commuting black for my mustard coat, and added in a hand knit scarf from a couple of years ago:

My mother bought me this Vera Moda yarn, which changes every 20 rows or so, and I knitted a free form scarf from it last time I stayed with her.  In the poor light of my spare room at 7.30 am in December it does not show up so well, but you get the idea.

Today I reached for the old reliable (already! - it is a fairly recent knit) - Apple Strudel (a cardigan for Scotland).  I have recently removed the buttons from this, and am just pinning it with a shawl pin, which is working quite well.  I might not bother putting any more buttons on it!

This is a very wearable cardigan indeed, and super-warm.  Although I am kind of tired of anthracite grey in my wardrobe (no more!) it is, it has to be said, useful.

On the knitting front this week: well, flooding rain to Yorkshire once again has meant slow commutes for me, so I have progressed on the husband's Christmas jumper, and should knock off the back today.  I also plan to work on Julia's hat trio tonight, or Linda's hat.  I am seeing both just after Christmas, so I need to get on.  But overall I am feeling relaxed about my Christmas knitting - it is relatively in hand.  Still nothing OTK for me, but since I sorted my American yarn into one place two skeins of Lorna's Laces sock keep catching my eye.  A sock after Christmas perhaps!  Or maybe to cast on, on Christmas day....

Happy Crafting

As I think I have said previously, I am not normally a Christmas knitter - occasionally I will do one or two things, but this year everything I'm giving seems to be home-made.

I have made Christmas decorations to give away (from Simply Knitting's December issue):

These have now had their little silver hangers attached, and are ready to go - I used scraps of Louisa Harding Coquette in green, and Debbie Bliss Cathay in purple with silver lurex as the accent.  A great way to use up odds and ends, and they look great - better than in this rather naff photo!  And so much fun to do - instant gratification as they take about an hour, tops, each.

I have also been frugal and foraging - and made apple and rosehip jelly from windfall apples and rosehips, both from my autumn garden:

This was phase one - I had to reboil it to set it but it has come out beautifully now, and at least one friend will be getting a jar of this in a few weeks time!  I used a recipe from the River Cottage Community site.

Next to the jars in the photo are two home-made soaps, which I made from a kit bought in a charity shop.  I am a little anxious about soap making as I know how quickly it can catch fire, so I started slowly, and did these two bars as testers:

The kit came with moulds, fragrance and dye - these are fraganced, but not dyed and I used a fish and seashell mould.  They are ok, but not good enough for gifts - yet.

I have also (hallelujah!) completed Linda's sweater and stole, and will add in a shawl pin for her present - a pic will follow soon.

OTK: The annual husband sweater - this year in Jacob chunky pure wool, in a design of my own based on a rather nice sweater seen online, and Julia's hat trio, for her and her two girls.  Nothing for me!  But strangely ok with that at the moment.

Bella

An ancient Rowan pattern by Kim Hargreaves, knitted in an Arucania chenille, last autumn.

Another knit - Surface

A favourite knit from last autumn.  This has got tons of wear.

Today's knits

I have continued my efforts to wear handknits at weekends, and here is today's effort:

This is the Garter Stitch Tunic from an old edition of Creative Knitting Australia, and the Handspun Handwarmers from my beginner's spinning booklet.  I was attempting a Rowan vibe in this photo, but not sure it really works!

Knitting wise I have not achieved much this week, but am having a better go at my obligations now the weekend is here. Note to self - make sure a commuting knitting project is packed up ready to go on Sunday night!

Is this the beginning of Holiday Knitting??

As the autumn has arrived I have been reviewing my closet and resolving to wear my handknits more. Yesterday saw A Cardigan for Scotland/Apple Strudel being worn with dark denims and a long sleeved black t-shirt with a red necklace for colour; but today's dismal start of thick fog made me not want to wear grey, so I dug out Kristi Porter's Intoxicating, from No Sheep For You, and layered it up for the cold weather:

I did this in the colours suggested by the pattern, but used bits of yarn I had in stash - the green is Rowan Hand Knit Cotton, the purple Debbie Bliss Cathay, and (not able to be seen in this self-portrait) the orange on the back is Debbie Bliss Pure Silk.  The silks add a luxurious feel and the fit of this sweater is particularly good; I don't know why I don't wear it more. 

I was planning, when I saw the weather, to spend most of the day knitting today and I have a great deal of obligation knitting to get through at the moment, so the first thing I did was make a list, and try to make a start.  In the end, however, I have spent a lot of the day hanging new curtains in 3 of my downstairs rooms, and as a watery sun came out in the afternoon, giving the garden an autumn tidy-up, but I did get a chance to address the first two items on my list - Linda's Spring Cloud and stole. 

Here is Spring Cloud, complete:

It is pretty, and fits fairly well now.  I am not sure I like the sleeve length (although I am taller than Linda), or the eyelet increases, but I have fiddled with this so much now I think I just need to show it to Linda and see what she thinks.

So I cast on a stole for her as well, from the other yarn that came with this Gedifra Samina:

This is kind of a bobbled, popcorn type yarn that is shades of brown, orange and green.  I am planning a simple stole - garter stitch, 30 stitches, work until no more yarn is left.  I don't mind no-brain knitting, but this is VERY basic... but as the yarn is so textured, there is no point putting in any pattern.

Next - and long overdue - a hat for Julia and her girls.  I am planning to surf for an old Steph Japel pattern that I have used for families before.  I'll do a grey one for Julia and pink ones for the girls, with co-ordinating buttons (perhaps a pink button on the grey hat, and grey buttons on the pink ones!)

Linda has also ordered hats, and I am planning a button up vest for my dad, as well as christmas baubles and a meerkat for another friend, a scarf for another relative, and a few other things besides what I already have on the needles (two sweaters and an ongoing spinning project, plus my sewing and crochet experiments).  I don't generally holiday knit - but it seems I am this year!

The Purslane Beret, and Progress on the Women's Sweater

Dear readers, other pesky life things have been occupying me over recent weeks so I have not blogged much at all, but I have managed to squeeze a little knitting in.  This is the Purslane Beret, from the latest Knitscene (Fall, 2012):

It was a fun knit, and although I made tons of errors in it it blocked out well - almost too well as it ended up a bit of a tea cosy:

But once I reknitted the band in a smaller needle size, it fitted it's recipient well:

I have also continued with the Women's Sweater, made in the wonderful, beatiful rare comfort of Jo Sharp Mohair...

I've also cast on another sweater for the husband, but more about that some other time. 

Rare Comfort

The Women's Sweater, from Jo Sharp Contemporary Knitting, is cast on. The beautiful yarn and mindless knit and purl are both, indeed, a rare comfort.

Sew Sunday

I took a break from knitting today and instead took up my needle and thread and hand finished the skirt I started some months ago...

Apologies for the naff photo - it is draped over the trunk in my living room here.  I used a vintage 1990s pattern for this A-line, drawstring waist skirt, hand stitched the black lines around the hem, with black knitting cotton and knitted a black cotton corsage out of the same yarn to decorate the waist - I sewed a large black coat button, reclaimed from an old coat, in the centre of the corsage.  This skirt is based on one I saw in The Guardian's weekend style pages some years ago, and I always thought it wouldn't be too hard to recreate, and would look nice with a black top and black boots.  I have a theatre trip next weekend, and might just wear it at that, if I can make it work.  The white fabric is embossed curtain material, and it's lined with a light cotton.  I have tons of this white curtain fabric, and am dreaming of making this out of the rest:

This is Amy Butler's Rainy Days pattern; although there are a few other trench coat patterns out there as well that I am considering, as I find AB's patterns rather overly-fiddly.  I am a fairly beginning sewer, and rather unorthodox as I use a vintage machine and lots of hand sewing, so I asked my big sister for advice on the phone today, and she suggested making a lightweight shirt first - a good suggestion which I think I will do.

Following completing the skirt, I worked for a while on my quilting project - a wall hanging t-shirt quilt of my husband's many travel t-shirts.  I only did a little on this, as we took advantage of the fine autumn afternoon to do a little gardening, and take a walk out in the fresh country air.

This weekend I can also report that I picked up my spindle again, and spun a little, although knitting has been slow.  I am rethinking my yarn choice for my current WIP - the Northampton Neckerchief - as the wool yarn is very scratchy against the skin and the neckerchief is designed to be worn, of course, against the neck.  So that project has stalled, and instead I am knocking out another Classic Beret, from Jenny Lord's Purls of Wisdom for Karina's mum, who saw Karina wearing hers and loved it, while thinking about what to do next...

Masham Sheep Fair

This afternoon the husband and I stepped out in our raingear, drove about 15 miles down a dales country road, and spent a lovely few hours at the annual Masham Sheep Fair, in Masham, North Yorkshire.  There were sheep entered for judging:

There was Morris dancing:

And there was yarn and spinning supplies for sale. Here is my purchase - a skein of handdyed Teeswater:

There were also competitions for spinning and knitting handspun, which were lovely but I didn't want to photograph them, as I wasn't sure if the contestants would like that.  My goal?  To enter my own handspun/handspun article next year, AND then buy a little fold-up Ashford spinning wheel!

One Skein Accessories from America

Although I have not posted for a few weeks - I mostly post at weekends, and we have had guests for the past two - I have been quite productive, knitting up my American skeins into one-skein accessory projects.

First, I completed the Cable and Rib Quartet Gaiter, from Leigh Radford's One Skein, in Road to China:

I modified the cables, more by accident than design, but it worked and also meant I used up the whole skein.  It is a beautiful colour and super-soft.  I will be wearing this as a cowl this winter.

I then moved onto a skein of Romney handspun, bought at a farmer's market in New England (I loved the fact I could buy yarn at farmer's markets through most of the American states I visited!). I wound it and turned it into a beret:

This is the Star Cross'd Beret, by Natalie Larson, a free pattern on Ravelry.  It is designed for chunky yarn, and I was using what is really a heavy aran, so it came out a little snugger than the pattern suggests, but it will be super-warm in winter.  My cables wandered around a bit, but I like how it came out.

I had yarn left, so used the rest combined with some odd ball chunky in my stash to make Yuko Nakamora's Non-Felted Slippers (free on Ravelry) for the husband:

These are real stash-busters, as the Romney ran out just before I completed the second one, and I had to substitute some more or less matching grey yarn!  It's not easy to tell though, thank goodness.  I will buy some stick-on slipper soles for these and attach.  I followed the pattern, and they are a good size for a man, so would need to downsize for myself.

After these three very quick projects, I decided I was ready to commit to something more - so yesterday cast on for the Northampton Neckerchief, from New England Knits, with some vintage yarn of unkown origin I bought at an antique dealers in Athens, Georgia last year - 3 large skeins (very tangled!) in bright spring green, orange and purple. I considered a Colour Affection shawl for these three skeins, but I have been hankering after a Northampton Neckercheif since I first saw it in the book, so decided to go with that instead. I started with the green:

It is brighter than appears in the photo, and is knitting up at about a light dk weight - heavier than the yarn called for, so I have gone up to a 4.5 mm needle. I don't actually know the yarn content, but I would guess pure wool from it's feel and stickiness. I plan to use some beads from my stash, and will switch to orange next, leaving the purple for the lace border.

Rib and Cable Gaiter, Stash Blanket, and a Foyle's War Project

The completion of Apple Strudel and the Magic Loop socks this week left me with nothing active on the needles.  So I commenced a long-planned project - the knitting up of the many single skeins I bought while in America last year. The Magic Loops socks started this, as they were made from handspun from a New England farmer's market, and so I decided to continue and wound up a single skein of Road to China, a beautiful cashmere, silk and fine wool blend in a berry shade perfect for autumn - it will become a cowl:

The pattern is the Rib and Cable Quarter Gaiter from Leigh Radford's One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet and is perfect for slipping into my work bag for a bit of commute knitting.  The skein was bought at the delighfully named Knit and Stitch Equals Bliss, Bethesda, Maryland, just a short metro ride from where I lived in Washington DC.  Bethesda is a pleasant neighbourhood, so nice for a wander around, and when there my attention was caught by the pioneer statue Madonna of the Trail, as this sophisticated shopping area was a departure point for many wagon trains heading west back in the day, and the beginning (or continuation), of many hard lives for women:

Back at home, I cast on from my scrap bag for the Yarn Harlot's Stash Afghan, which she describes in one of her earlier books - simply cast on however many stitches you want, in whatever needle size kind of fits the majority of your yarn, and knit garter stitch rows, cutting the yarn at the end of each row to form a fringe and using a new yarn each row. This project will also cut down my single skeins, although I am not using any American ones for this - just a bag of older remnants.  I started this last night while watching an episode of Foyle's War, where I saw this cardigan:

The cardigan, from the episode A Lesson in Murder, is knitted in a natural or beige colourway, with flowers duplicate stitched (I think) on top, and a very pretty striped border added all round. It's fastened with a pin at the neck. I think I can put something together resembling this, so will dig throught the stash today for enough natural yarn to do the cardigan itself.  Surfing for a picture was easy - there is clearly a big fanbase for Foyle's War and the clothes from it - in fact there is even a Rav group (which I have now joined!)