Tuesday 5 January 2010

Round Up

So I counted up my FOs for 2009 and I reckon I completed 29 projects, broken down thusly:

Cardigan: 3
Sweater: 2
Scarf/Cowl: 4
Baby: 9
Charity: 4
Dress: 1
Socks: 4
Lace: 1
Afghan: 1
Hat: 1


Out of those FOs, what was knitted for me:
Socks: 4
Scarf/Cowl: 2
Lace: 1
Cardigan: 2

So I think I was a fairly generous knitter last year! I also think I went baby mad for my friends little girl. Not as many FOs as 2008, but not far behind and they did include the Afghan. I'm rather pleased with those stats! Apart from the lack of socks. 4 pairs is not good.



Right, onto my first FO for 2010!

Pattern:Cauchy from Sock Innovation
Yarn: Sirdar Pure Cotton 4ply, one ball
Needles: 2.5mm Addi bamboo dpns

I barely had enough yarn to finish these, check out the leftovers below!

I was very nervous towards the end I can tell you! There must have been only about 12 inches of yarn left. And this yarn has been discontinued, so I was in trouble if I ran out!
Thankfully I didn't and hubby loves them.


I started these on Dec 5th and finished on Jan 5th. Not bad when you consider all the madness that was in between! Hospital waiting rooms are great fodder for sock knitting.



My first project for 2010.
Swallowtail Shawl Take Two!



I decided to make a Swallowtail Shawl from my gorgeous Qiviuk. Behold the loveliness (sigh).
I had to take a picture of it in the recent snow we had. I LURVES it.

So here's the progess so far. I'm actually really proud of this. The first time I tried to make it was a total disaster. I suppose that shows how far I've come since I last tried it. It's going great now, although I still find it difficult to concentrate on it if the tv is on.
I was thinking of using beads instead of nupps, to make it that bit extra special. What do you think? I've nothing suitable at home, all the beads I have are a bit large or the wrong colour. Maybe I should splash out and get sparkly Swarovski beads? After all this is the king of yarn.

If I do decide to get them, I'll have to buy them online, so if anyone knows of a good site or what size beads I should get (laceweight yarn) I'd be very grateful.

I've been trying to come up with knitty resolutions for 2010, but so far I'm drawing a blank.
I shall ruminate on them for my next post.

I'm back to work on Thursday (ick) after a lovely long break. Not long enough, but that's life!
In the meantime we are trying to enjoy the last two days we have off together.
I give you Sprout, the Snow Duck:

It hasn't snowed enough for a proper snowman, so we improvised and made a duck with sprout eyes and a carrot beak. Isn't she great?

Good knitting!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that was cutting it close on the socks. Glad you had enough yarn to finish. They look great!

I think beads or nupps are both fine. Maybe beads will give it more sparkle, making it dressy? Either way, the shawl is sure to be scrumptious.

Tara said...

I think you did very well for 2009, all things considered! And adding Swarovski beads to the shawl is a GREAT idea! Dunno where you'd get them online though... Google is your friend? :)

UnderMeOxter said...

I say go for the Swarovski beads - definately very fitting for the Quivet. *Then* put your swallowtail in a bank deposit box in Switzerland.
I love the look of your Swallowtail and am struggling to overcome an urge to cast one on! but it's not on my list - gotta stick to the list... yeah right!

Unknown said...

Hahahaha loving Sprout, the snow duck! Ingenious.

29 FOs -that's pretty impressive and I'm just drooling over the pictures of your swallowtail shawl. Gorgeous!

Happy 2010!

kelgell said...

Wow! Wow! That's stacks of FOs in my opinion. You must be fast and always at it! Ha ha. Your shawl is looking great. I don't know this quivik but I've heard the rave so the bead additions to your shawl sound well deserved. (And I don't know what nupps are...) And I like sprout the snow duck too. What fun! We rarely get snow where I live and if it does snow it's even more rare that it settles.

Bionic Laura said...

Well done on all those FOs.

The quivit looks scrumptious. The swallowtail looks like it's going really well so far. I'd say it will be amazing when it's finished. Beads and Bling in town do swarovski crystals though you might find them cheaper online.

Nic said...

Really love Sprout the Snow Duck. I'll bet you have enough snow for a whole family of ducks by now.

Your Swallowtail looks fabulous. I love the idea of the Swarovski, but the real test would be to sample them and the nupps too.

Happy 2010!