Averill

So having said I'd lost my knitting mojo, I find myself feeling much better about knitting today as I am wearing for the first time my new Averill vest (from Knitscene, Spring 2012)!

Here is the back detail:

I love how this has come out - I had been worried that the flashes of gold might be too much, but I think as long as I keep the rest of the outfit plain it will work.  Today (a Sunday) I am wearing it with a 3/4 length sleeve white tee and black skinny jeans from M&S, and suede knee length Aerosole boots which I picked up in DC.  You can't see my hair in the pick, but I have accessorised with a peacock feather hair clip to pick up the colours in the vest.

Feeling my knitting mojo returning, I picked up a knitting magazine earlier - time to cast on...again!!

In which I pick up my sewing again.

Hmmm - the last week or two has seen me slightly losing my knitting mojo.  I completed the Darlington Cowl, but am unconvinced; even having lengthened it somewhat it still is a bit short.

Here are a couple of shots of it being worn:

It's cute - and I love the colour of this King Cole merino blend yarn - but it's too short.  I might lengthen it more, or I might just rip it and knit a heavy shawl out of the yarn.  I have plenty more.  Decisions, decisions.  I am also wearing a handknit in the above photo - but my only contribution to this was finishing it, as it came (in pieces) in a bag of cotton yarn I picked up at a thrift store in DC.  This striped cotton pullover has a boat neck, kind of dropped or dolman sleeves, and is long line but quite fitted through the body.  It's perfect for spring, and actually I wear it a lot. 

I am still thinking about the Portnoo Poncho, so that is hibernating after my swatch.  I am finishing a thick wool sweater for my husband, but that is rather boring to knit... and due to my travelling life, I need lightweight, small, interesting but not too challening projects - socks and shawls of course.

So yesterday saw me returning to my sewing, and I cut out and started a practice run on ... sewing my own trench coat/mac!  I am using some drab brown/beige cotton I had in stash - I don't mind if it doesn't work out, and if it does it might just work in a vintage, ration-book WW2 kind of way over a tea dress (think Sam in Foyle's War).  I am using a McCalls pattern for vinyl and heavy-weight fabric trench coats.  I am doing a simple belted trench, unlined (although I might put a lining in) with front facings and a collar.  Many of these techniques are new to me, so this will be a learning experience - hence the practice piece!  Now I haven't really been applying myself to my sewing challenge, but I am enjoying it at present, so I might start catching up with my goals.  I have a plain A-line black skirt ready for some finishing (January), and have a vintage Vogue pattern lined up for trousers (February) and blouse (March).  I also have underwear cut and ready to sew for later in the year.  I'll get there, but perhaps not in a month to month way!  As usual, I am sewing on my vintage Jones CS treadle (straight stitch only, but what a lovely machine to use), and hand finishing where required.

Cast On Fever

It happens this way sometimes, when I finish a project (the Averill vest, see previous post). On Saturday afternoon I stopped by the newsagent for some printer paper and came across the magazine Yarnwise, which despite being on its 57th issue I don't remember ever seeing before. I immediately saw 2 projects in it I wanted to cast on - the Portnoo Poncho, for wrapping up when watching tv in the evenings, or reading in bed, and the Darlington Cowl.

Here is the Portnoo Poncho swatch - I am trying to use my many, many single skeins from my many yarn store visits in the USA but I am not sure the lighter shade works here:

I may try a little more of this, or I may replace the lighter shade with a tweedy grey... I don't usually swatch per se (very bad I know!) but I start projects and sometimes restart differently if I don't like how they're going.  It is swatching of a sort.

I frogged a project (the Vicky Howell shrug, which always annoyingly slipped off my shoulders) on Sunday to start the Darlington Cowl during this week;

I am ashamed to say I haven't got too much further than this during the week!  It is a good travel sized project, and now I am into the moss stitch (strangely had a lot of trouble with a very simple run of decrease and increase rows; might have been tiredness I guess) it is rather mindless and good for tv knitting.
I did a little spinning last weekend too, so another 2 skeins lie waiting to be knitted up into the Rocky Coast Cardigan.

The Averill Vest

Complete, as yet unblocked (the lace rib bottom edge and single crocheted neck and armhole edges require it). Love, love this super soft Aussie merino (Morrris Empire 8 ply, in the colourway Plumage). The pattern, from Knitscene Spring 2012 was reasonably clear and accurate.