Peek A Boo!

I've finished the Peek A Boo Cloche Hat from Lace Style:

Yes, I'm in my pyjamas, so bite me, it was St. Stephens morning (the day after Christmas Day) and I wasn't getting dressed for anyone!

I'm thrilled with this project, it was great fun. Once I got around the change of direction to go back up the hat using the new color and the lace pattern. I just couldn't figure it out for some reason. I finished it after midnight on the night before Christmas Eve, just in time for Dad's big Christmas Eve mass.

By the way, my Dad's jumper looked fab on him! He was so thrilled with it and it fit perfectly! He got loads of compliments on it from choir members and he was very quick to point out that I had made it for him, so I was proud as punch. I will post pics of him modelling it next time. He loved the socks I gave him on Christmas day too, and Mam loved her wrap. All in all, the presents went down very well.

Speaking of presents, I got a bounty haul of knitting goodness from Santa!

Elizabeth Zimmermanns Knitters Almanac

Desiree Scales Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar 2008

Nora Gaughan's Knitting Nature (LOVE this book)

Joan McGowan-Michael's Knitting Lingerie Style (stunning pictures though a shame about the lack of upsizing in most of the patterns)

Alison Hansel's Charmed Knits

Judith Durant's 101 Designer One Skein Wonders

Phew! How am I ever going to pick something to knit from that huge haul? I'm sure I'll manage somehow lol. I have a feeling it'll be something from Knitting Nature, I confess to having been a lurker in the bookstore drooling over the pictures in it for quite a while. I'm particularly thrilled with Elizabeth Zimmermann's book, I've always wanted to see what the fuss was about. So far, I love her writing style, so informal and witty, plus the mittens for the May project look fab!

I'm nearly finished the first sleeve of the Premiere Pullover, thank goodness! I am determined to have this beast finished before Jan 2nd, as I am bringing my parents away to a hotel/spa for three nights and this project is not coming with me! I want something peaceful and restful, so maybe the Embossed Leaves Socks using my Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock or I might begin the Tangled Yoke cardigan using my scrummy Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool I got on vacation in Florida. That has lots of stockinette so I could knit away without having to worry about it...

Pre Christmas Update

It's the Friday before Christmas, I've just finished work until Jan 7th so I am a happy bunny!

Let's get to it...

Frankie Baby Sweater

It's finished! I am so glad to have this off my back. It turned out ok considering how much pain it caused me, but I will never knit it again, ever!

Here's a close up of the sleeve detail, I think it's passable. I hope my sister in law (and the new arrival) likes it!

Child's First Sock

This is the progress on the second sock so far. Not so much done, but it has been really cold here recently, so my fingers have been freezing in the car and I haven't been up to much.

I know, I must knit myself a pair of fingerless gloves, perhaps Fetching? That should increase my productivity!

These will probably enter hibernation now that I'm off work (did I say yay?) as they are my commute knitting.

Peek A Boo Cloche Hat

As the weather took a turn for the worse, I began thinking of wintry knits and I have wanted to knit this since I first got Lace Style. I bought the Reynolds Soft Sea Wool online from WEBS when I was in Florida. Yummy yarn. This has been difficult though, I seem to be picking patterns that must be beyond my skill level yet, as I get a bit stuck in places. On this project, the hard part was when you turn the hat to change colors for the outer lacy layer. I couldn't figure out how it worked! Super hubby to the rescue with his logical mathematical mind and I got going again. It took me 3 or 4 rips back to the beginning of the lace layer (spot the purple lifeline lol), but I think I have the hang of it now. I would love to have this done for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, so fingers crossed!

Midnight Mass is my Dad's big night as he's the choirmaster for our parish choir, and he pulls out all the stops for a fantastic carol service that's really special. I am going to give him his jumper early so he can wear it to church. That will make me feel really special if he wears it!

No progress on the Premiere Pullover sleeves. They are so not going to be done for Christmas, but like I said before my friend's birthday is Jan 9 so I think that will do nicely!

I may not blog before Christmas, so Merry Christmas everyone!

Jumper From Hell!

At long last, the progress post.

As I was saying before, I have been working on the jumper from hell for my sister in laws impending baby.

Here is the progress so far: the front, back and one of the sleeves...

It's from a Paton's pattern book and it's called Frankie. I couldn't find a link anywhere for it. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the pattern is like triangles on their sides, knit by using knit and purl stitches to display opposite effects. Sounds simple, I hear you say! And so it should be, but for some unkown reason the pattern is way off in its calculations. I spent a whole night trying to figure out how to do the V neck and keep the pattern correct. Even my husband (who's a whizz at maths) was drafted in and he couldn't decipher it. After much swearing and hair pulling I eventually got it figured out. Not fun. Especially when the baby is imminent, and I needed this finished!

Then I got to the sleeves. The sleeves. They could do with their own sound effect, to be honest, something ominous like in a Boris Karloff movie would be good. The pattern sucks for these sleeves. I just couldn't figure it out. I brought it along to my SnB on Tuesday and one of the ladies who is an expert knitter couldn't make sense of it. The numbers just didn't add up! So, I ended up having to rewrite the thing. GAH! I am not knitting long enough to be able to cope with this shizz... So, I present my version of the sleeve a bit more close up:

Not bad, no? I had to do some plain stockinette along the increases as I couldn't figure out how to work the increases into the pattern, but they shouldn't be visible as they're along the seams. Now I have it figured out, I should fly along with the second one, then knit up the v neck and voila!

I shall post finished pics next time.

In other news, I have completed the first Child's First Sock!:

Mmm yummy. A pattern I found very difficult to master, but it does look lovely. Again, it's hard to tell from the photos (I so want one of those Ebay tents), but the pattern is a lovely scalloped lace type pattern. I loved the heel on these; it uses K1SL1 on alternate rows which makes for a much thicker knit and so should be more hard wearing. I don't know about the toe, it's a bit pointed for me, I prefer a squarer toe but I will definitely incorporate this heel into future socks!

I finished the front of the Premiere Pullover:

The end is nearly in sight for this! I have the two sleeves left to do and I am praying that I don't have a sleeve fiasco like the baby sweater! I doubt this will be finished for Christmas, but it is my friend's birthday on January 9th, so I could always give it to her then instead....

If I don't knit something for myself soon I'm going to freak! I think I'll do the Koolhaas hat first as it's freezing here at the moment.

And so, that is all for the moment. Phew!

Yummy purchases

Look! I bought more stuff!
I must apologise for the photos, they're taken at my desk in work with my mobile phone (sorry Del!) as I have my lunch...








I know, it's becoming a problem but I couldn't resist. I finally got 2 skeins of Handmaiden Sea Silk in a yummy colorway called Rose Garden.




I also got two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Mint. Methinks Embossed Leaves Socks?




I have so much other stuff to report on that I promise I will do so very soon, maybe tonight. I have been so busy with projects that need to be finished asap that I haven't had a minute. I don't like all this pressure, I don't knit well! Plus, one of the projects is a baby sweater pattern from hell that I will explain more about later.

Happy Monday!