Happy socks

These are happy socks in more ways than one.

I’m so happy with the matched stripes!

The colour palette is very spring like and makes me hopeful that soon Spring will arrive in more than name.

Also, they are knitted in Wendy Happy 4ply.  The yarn is 75% bamboo and 25% nylon and have been a delightfully squishy knit.  A bit splitty, yes, but not annoyingly so.  And a bit prone to tangle in the ball, but sorting that out is work for husbands…or mine at least, he’s got far more patience with these things than I.

Last but not least, a new pair of socks always puts a smile on his face, and that makes me happy too.

See…happy socks indeed!

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Larry

The Sweater of Doom is finished.

Hurrah!

I sewed the final seam on Saturday afternoon so it was ready just in time for the Mr’s birthday on Sunday.  This was a result…but more good luck than good judgement 😉

He is delighted with the sweater and promptly pronounced it to be cosy and warm, which is a blessing here at the moment because although Spring has sprung, it’s still cold and wet (though nothing like our Canadian and North American cousins have been experiencing, so I’ll shut up). He also declared that it’s his favourite knitted-by-me sweater, which makes all my cursing worth while.

But enough of my waffling…here’s what Larry looks like on him:

Pattern:

Larry by Berrocco Design Team – available free on Ravelry

Yarn:

Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Spirit Chunky in colourway Dignity.

Pattern review:

This is a super, simple pattern that could be knitted by any adventurous beginner. If you can cast on and off, knit, purl, do simple decreases and pick up stitches, you can knit this sweater.

It’s also the perfect thing to knit in front of the TV because of it’s simplicity.

The end result is a rugged, casual sweater that is a great wardrobe basic.

Things I’d do differently next time:

• Make sure I had enough yarn!  Having to alternate between old and new yarns because they were different dye lots really slowed me down.
• Not sit on one of my lovely wooden needles halfway through, snapping it and ending up having to dig an old pair of metal needles out of the needle jar so I could crack on and get this finished.
• Realise sooner that this needle change would affect the tension and that was why, even though I’d counted the rows on the sleeves, the second sleeve was shorter than the first.  Doh!
• Not use recycled yarn.  As this is a loosely spun yarn it was quite keen to stick to itself which made the knitting process less fun.

Would I recommend this pattern:

Absolutely.  I can definitely see another one of these being knitted next winter simply because he loves it so much.

Work in progress

The problem with making progress on projects is that there is nothing really to show for it.

Larry is becoming known as the Sweater of Doom in these parts. I am Beyond Bored with knitting this simply because I’ve already knit this yarn before. Knitting it again is Tedious (yes…with a capital T!).

The Sweater of Doom…it really just looks like a pile of knitted fabric at the moment.

Thankfully, I finished the first sleeve last night, and the second sleeve will seem less Tedious because I’ve got the row count written down, so I just need to crack on and tick off those rows as quickly as possible.  I’m waiting in today for a courier so I’m planning to make use of the time by watching Marple box sets and picking up that second sleeve.

I do have an added incentive at the moment.  Not only does The Husband sit next to me on the sofa each evening making sad eyes and muttering about wanting to wear the damned thing before the good weather finally arrives; but I also didn’t have enough yarn.

*grits teeth to refrain from uttering stream of invective and expletives*

As this yarn is now discontinued (of course) tracking it down could have been tricky, but the lovely folks at McA have some in stock and sent me 3 balls, aaaaannnnd are holding another 3 for a few weeks, just in case.  I suspect I may need one more of them for the neck.  We shall see.

We are also making progress in a project I’m calling “Shabby to Chic”.  Our house hasn’t been decorated since before the kids came home.  With 2 adults, 2 kids and a large dog, the place is starting to look more than a little bit worn around the edges.  And the middle.  And all points in-between.

The need for a complete rewire has created the impetus to do a complete top down spruce up.  The sewing loft is to be ripped out, remodelled and turned into our bedroom.  Our bedroom will become The Boy’s.  His bedroom will become my new sewing room…eventually.  Just as blasted Ikea are withdrawing their fabulous Expedit range.  What possessed them?

This is a huge project that will take a good couple of years to finish, I think, but at the end of it we will have replaced all windows and external doors, rewired the place with many more socket outlets and more usefully placed light switches, and will be using all the space in the house more efficiently.  Oh and the hideous porch at the front of the house that has plagued me for years WILL  finally be replaced.

Most importantly (far more important than the risk of the electrics frying us all in our beds) I will have a new sewing room.  With storage!  And good daylight!

Until then though I’m sewing on the kitchen table.  I do not like this at all.  I realise I’ve been completely spoiled with the Sewing Loft (however shabby and disorganised), but I’ve got my eye on the prize and a sewing project on the go (in between meals, homework and painting projects that the kids insist on).

Thread Theory Jedediah Pants

Yep…I’m making the Mr the pair of trousers I promised him a couple of years ago. Or maybe 6 years ago.

I’m not counting.

I’m sure he is.

These are the Thread Theory Jedediah Pants and so far I’m really impressed. Printing and taping the PDF was a breeze.  Great tiling.  It bodes well, I hope, for the sewing.

New knits…Made by Ma

My friend Liz has a seemingly bottomless stash of mystery yarn, and every now and again she passes a bag to me to be knitted into something lovely for the kids.

Invariably I pass this yarn to Ma, and she works the magic with her lightning quick needles.

These two sweaters are no exception.

First up is Igor…a free pattern from Drops Design available to download from Ravelry here.

Such a cute pattern….cables and moss/seed stitch get me every single time.

Add in an adorable sea-foam yarn and my sweet little blonde girl, and you’ve got a match made in heaven.

The matching hair clips were serendipitous.

This yarn is soft and has a beautiful drape.  The sweater is just oversized enough to be slouchy and give some growing room.

I know I’m biased, but seriously, could she be any more adorable?

And if that’s not enough…Boy got a new cardigan too.

I love his this James Dean pose.  He cracks me up!

I also love this honeycomb cable.  This pattern is from the Jolly Beachcomber book that Ma has knitted from many times before.  If you haven’t bought that book yet, go an do it now. Please! We absolutely love the patterns and just keep going back to this book time and again.

That smile!  I die!

It being the first dry day of the week we made the most of our trip to the park.

The walled garden is the perfect place for high speed scooter races.

Cool dude!

We couldn’t leave Carter at home.

Blondes!

And finished with a quick pit-stop at the cafe.

Those cheeks…sure sign of an impending growth spurt!

Perfect!

The Almost Orla Mitts

KCW came and went and still the wee small boy doesn’t have a completed shirt. I’ve only the cuffs, collar and hem to do so it will be finished this week. I have 6 days till his birthday (although, and let’s not tell my brain this, I’ve actually got 10 days until his party which is when he’ll wear it!).  So all is well.

However, I did finish the Almost Orla mitts in time for my friend Liz to fly to Australia with them and gift them to her daughter-in-law.  As Liz had done the final stitching on these I’d not had the opportunity to photograph the mitts.  I was really happy to receive these photos from Oz.

Liz also sewed the brown stems on afterwards in duplicate stitch.  I’m eternally grateful.

These little mitts are far from perfect but given they were my first attempt at intarsia and the colourwork was very tiny and fiddly, I’m really pleased with how they turned out.  They haven’t scared me off colourwork, which is a good thing.

More importantly, the recipient loves them. That’s the main thing!

PS…I’ve put all the pattern/yarn details on Ravelry here.

Wet work

It’s cold here.  Damp.  Grey. Windy. Gloomy.

Weather for socks and sweaters and quilts.  For hunkering down and knitting. For hot tea and soup.

The back of Larry is finished.

With the sewing loft in complete disarray as we slowly pack it up (we now have a deadline…it must be done in 4 weeks as the rewire starts then), actual sewing is the last thing on my mind.

But the dreary days lend themselves to mindless tasks such as taping together PDF patterns.

It’s a task I don’t mind and is perfect for days like this when you want to be productive, but not have to work too hard at it.

And so we have the Shwin Designs Johnny Be Good Hoodie

and Apple Loungewear patterns all taped up and ready to go.

I’m saving the 40-odd page See & Sew pattern for another day.  But, could it be true? Could the sewing mojo be waking up from hibernation?  I sincerely hope so! I’m ready for it when it does.

PS:

The title of this post is just to make me smile.  I’m referring to the weather, not some new career path of knife wielding assassin.  

Honestly! 😉

The road to wellness

Otherwise known as sitting on your derrière drinking tea and not doing much else!

Chorley – fashion capital of the North!

I do realise I’m very lucky that my recurring lurgies are nothing more than militant bugs taking advantage of my overly stressed immune system.  There are a bajillionty worse things that could be happening. But it was nice to wake this morning for the first time in months and not feel all sorts of off colour. Tired…yes. Sick…no.  Thank you Biostrath, Serrapeptase and Probiotics!

My initial reaction is to get stuck in to some enormous project, but I’m being sensible taking things slowly.  At the moment it’s all about the slow.  Pootling around the house, restoring order after the Christmas chaos.  Sitting and knitting and watching movies. Heavens…I’m even making time to read books as well as blogs. The odd half hour, heavily scaled, CrossFit workout.

I did NOT do this whole workout!

Don’t get me wrong.  I have a mountain of fabric begging to be sewn, and miles of yarn to knit.  The house is in need of a full makeover.  There’s plenty to be done, and that’s not including the ideas that are slowly percolating in my brain.

But…lots of the fabric is already in storage ready for the construction work in the loft.  And the loft is such a mess at the moment that until we pack it up fully there’s not going to be a great deal of sewing going on.

The house makeover can’t begin until the rewire is done.  That’s probably going to be March so I just need to squint at the shabbiness and dream of decorating.

And the ideas…we’ll they just need to bubble a little more and see what pops to the top.

So, whilst I’m enjoying the slow I’m knitting the first project of the year.

The Husband lost a whole load of weight last year which meant that this much loved jacket didn’t fit him any more.

Whitfield Jacket by Anne Hanson

I’m not fond of re-knitting yarn, but he loved this so much I begrudgingly happily agreed to reuse it, as long as I could do a different garment.

He agreed.

I’m knitting Larry, a free pattern from Berrocco.

It’s a super simple knit which is just about perfect for my attention span at the moment.  It’s very reminiscent of Brooklyn Tweed’s Cobblestone, but Larry is knitted in pieces and seamed, whereas Cobblestone is knitted in the round.

I’m also working on a small sewing project for Button.

sneak peek

This one has to be finished in time for a certain little lady’s birthday on Sunday, so I’ll be able to show you the finished project next week.

Until then…have a lovely weekend.  Keep dry and warm (if you’re in the northern hemisphere) and cool (if you’re south).  And, if you can, kick back and relax.

Matilda – Made by Ma!

I finally have something new to share with you.  Although it’s not one of my makes.

This is one of Ma’s!

It’s from the book Labour of Love by Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard.

This is such a lovely book.  The pattern here is Matilda and the yarn is Rowan cotton.

I love this rich cranberry colour on Button.  Especially at this time of year when she’s looking a little tired and pale.  It really perks her up (roll on the Christmas holidays and some time off school!)

I also love how this yarn has beautifully crisp stitch definition which enhances the lovely textures of this design.

Where did she learn to pose like that?

Ma knitted the largest size (a six I think) and we’re of the opinion the sizes run to the small side…but this still works perfectly for Button.  The only change to the pattern was that the neckline was very low so Ma added another repeat of the neck band in a single strand of yarn, rather than doubled as per the pattern instructions.

As always, it’s a triumph!  Thanks Ma!

Felty

Way back in the summer I promised the local library that I’d do a “talk” at their December coffee morning on some, at that point undecided but definitely sewing related, subject.

It was months and months until December at that point and so, obviously, I forgot all about it until a few weeks ago when they reminded me.

Oops.

Cut to this evening.  Although I’d planned that I’d talk the ladies through making some very simple felt Christmas decorations, and I’d collected together all the materials I’d need, I’d not actually done anything with them.

More oops!

So I’ve been drawing simple shapes, cutting some of them out and packing a small box to take with me tomorrow.

This stocking, however, is for another project altogether.

One of The Husband’s colleagues is, Jude, a craft blogger who is knitting up a storm, making little stockings, which she is planning to fill with chocolate and sell for charity. All monies raised will be sent to The NIHR / WT Children’s Clinical Research Facility and the AT Society.

Both the stockings and the photo are Jude’s

When she asked me if I’d be willing to help out a little, of course I said yes. And promptly volunteered Ma as well!

Ma immediately set the needles clacking and whipped up a bagful of these little lovelies in no time flat:

I, on the other hand, am characteristically tardy, but will, on my return from the library tomorrow, crack on and get my contribution done.

With such good causes at stake I really need not to let the side down.

Woolly Walken

Thank you so much to Karen at Fringe Association for sharing these videos.

I couldn’t resist posting them here, just in case you’d missed them.

They are genius!