Chasing My Tail

It feels like I'm running just to stand still at the moment. I'm getting very little done, but wearing myself out doing it!

I was back at the hospital on Tuesday, but not for me this time. It was for my 85 year old Dad, who has been told he has cataracts and needs them removed. I was the moral support. He will hopefully get the procedure done next Tuesday, or the Monday after. Fingers crossed all will go well and he can get back to driving and normality again.


In other news, I have two FOs!


Pattern: Phyllo Yoked Sweater from Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan.
Yarn: GGH Safari Solid, 7 skeins
Needles: 4.5mm


I love this sweater, I think it's really cool! It will need a top underneath it, as it's quite "airy" but it will be perfect for summer evenings as it's linen. It was an easy enough knit too, the pattern is quite hypnotic, and it's done in the round from the yoke upwards, so very little seaming and that's always a good thing for me. I modified it slightly to make the sleeves about elbow length so it is more suited to summer wear.


Another FO -my first intarsia



Pattern: Exploring Socks VII Argyle Socks
Yarn: KnitPicks Palette, just over one skein MC, and less than a quarter skein each of the CCs
Needles: 2.75mm and 2.5mm


A great introduction to colourwork and I will definitely do more after this! The bloody blue lines did my head in though, it was very hard to get them to line up!


I also splurged and bought 13 skeins of this:



Debbie Bliss Prima, 80% Bamboo, 20% Merino. The colour is much more of a lavender shade than appears here. I have this earmarked for the Medallion Top from the Spring/Summer 08 Vogue Knitting. I can't believe I'm actually going to make something from Vogue, to me it was always a bit "out there" when it came to wearability, but there you have it!


It's a bank holiday weekend here this weekend and hubby is off to London for a work conference from Monday to Wednesday. My daugher also starts her summer holidays from primary school this Friday so there shall be much merriment and fun making whilst Daddy is away!!! tee hee!

It's a Beautiful Day

I can't get that U2 song out of my head recently. Probably because of the fabulous weather we've been having. Really hot and sunny yay! And I'm off to recuperate in it! What could be better?


I got my staples out on Tuesday so it's just stingy now, but well on the way to healing fully thank God.


So, what have I done this week? Well, lots actually!



Pattern: 15-15 Drops Kids Cardigan with Lace Pattern from here (free)
Yarn: Zettl Colorado 100% cotton
Needles: 4.5mm



This knit up really quickly. I'm not super happy with the underarms of it, they're very lumpy at the seams. It's my own fault though. The arms are increased out from the back and sides of the cardigan and then seamed together along the top and bottom of the sleeve. I increased using backwards loop cast on, so the edges were very uneven for seaming. If I were to make it again, I'd knit into the front and back of the stitches to increase more evenly.






I finished one of the argyle socks! I know the chart didn't work completely, but I'm happy with it for my first intarsia project. They're definitely winter socks though, that KnitPicks Peruvian wool sure is warm!



I'm almost finished my first Belle Époque sock too. About 1 more inch of foot and then the toe decreases.


I treated myself and went shopping yesterday after a fellow enabler at my SnB told me my LYS had yarn reduced. How could a girl be off work and not check that out?


Here's what I got:



Lang Venezia Color 2 skeins, €1.95 a skein. A steal. I'll probably make a scarf or something from it.




Sirdar Town & Country sock yarn, 2 skeins each of grey, black and navy/stripy for €2.95 a skein. I see lots of socks in my Dad's future!


Sirdar Pure Cotton 4 ply, 1 skein €4.95 I see socks for my wool hating hubby.


Regia 6 ply sock yarn for my daughter, not on sale :(


The guy ringing up my purchases is normally very uncommunicative, so imagine my surprise when he very drily says, "You like to make socks?" I resisted and just smiled demurely.

Have a good weekend!

Back from my hiatus

Where have I been, I hear you ask... well, I have been in hospital having a small surgery but it has taken a lot out of me and I'm really tired most of the time (not to mention high from the fabulous painkillers!) I'll be off work for another week and a half so hopefully I'll get lots of recuperation and knitting done!

Anyway, back to the knitting.

May I insanely proudly present:


Pattern: Tangled Yoke Cardigan, IK Fall 07
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool 8.5 skeins
Needles: Mostly 3.75mm circs and dpns

I am so happy with the finished product! It doesn't completely fit me, bit I still think it looks great left open over a nice top. The buttons match really well too I think. And, it only took me 6 goes at the cable to get it right! ha, a mere trifle. Yeah right, they nearly killed me! But it was all my own fault, the biggest one being forgetting the 4 stitches either end in stockinette. But, doesn't it look great???

Next onto my hospital knitting.
Belle Époque socks from 2-at-a-time socks. My second attempt at 2 at a time. And my second failure. I put this one down to me getting so confused I couldn't see the woods for the trees. I'm fairly sure had I stuck at it for a few more rounds that I would have got it, but I just lost my temper with it, and I didn't need the hassle when sitting in my hospital bed, so I gave up and went one at a time again.
The more observant of you may have noticed that this is the same yarn I was using for my Pomatomus Socks. Yep, they bit the dust. I just wasn't feeling the pattern love. Maybe with a different yarn at another time, but not with Lornas Laces, well not for me anyway.

Look, I can do intarsia!!!! I am so multi talented (ha). I cast on for these Argyle Socks last Tuesday at SnB and I think they're going great! I know I have made mistakes in the pattern, but I've kept on going as they really are just a learning experience for me. Still, they look gpod and I'm really enjoying them! Apart from the knots in all of the yarns dangling down! Since this photo today I've finished the colour chart and am on the heel. It took me about an hour to weave in all the ends!

My husband bought me Simply Knitting magazine, May issue to read while I was in hospital. I saw the pattern for this, and cast on as soon as I got home. It only took me one day!

Pattern: Tidy Twist from Simply Knitting May 2008

Yarn: Craftspun Yarn Donegal tweed, half a skein of blue and red.

Needles: the pattern calls for 6.5mm but I used 5.5mm

I have enough yarn left over to make another one with the main shade red and the pockets blue. I think I'll make it for my parents, they're always losing the remotes!

So, even though I haven't been blogging, I have been busy knitting.... whether it's any good is another matter altogether; drugs do strange things to you...

2 at a time cheats and other things...

So this week I have an FO to show, albeit a cheat:

Pattern: Sugar Maple Socks from 2-at-a-time Socks
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Cotton 100
Needles: 2.5mm circs

This was meant to be done 2 at a time, but I failed miserably and just did them one at a time.
On a good note, as per my previous post, I have obtained a ball winder so I will try again and am sure I will prevail!

I have cast on for another pair of socks in the meantime...

Pomatomus Socks by Cookie A from Knitty.

I have been dying to make these socks so here I go. I feel like socks are all I have been making recently, but they are perfect commutev (car) knitting, so I laways have some on the go.

The tangled yoke saga continues. I got to round 7 of the cable chart and all was going swimmingly, but I omitted 2 stitches from each repeat up to the centre, so I have to rip back to the beginning of the row and start again. Boo. I have ripped back so many times that the yarn is nearly beginning to felt! It's in time-out now until the weekend when I will have time and patience to devote to it.

I have also cast on for my first colourwork project! I am truly a fearless knitter lol. It may all go belly up, but at least I'm trying! It's a pattern one of the girls in my SnB gave me for a pair of argyle socks.

These are the colours I'm thinking of using:


The pink will be the main colour and I'll figure the others out as I go.

I've got as far as the beginning of the colour chart, and am terrified to go any further! I just don't know what to do next!
I downloaded the ebook, Stranded Color Knitting by Nanette Blanchard so I'll try and follow that and see how I go.

Exciting or frustrating times ahead! Let's hope it's more of the former than the latter...

I also picked up the Spring/Summer edition of Vogue Knitting yesterday. I am mad keen to make the gorgeous blue lacy top that's near the back! It's just gorgeous! I'm amazed that they have a garment I'd actually wear; usually they are very "conceptual" and that it's patterened in a size that will fit me! yay!

Happy knitting!

Noro Sock and Other Goodies

Squee! I had a great purchasing weekend to make up for my disappointing knitting week last week.


On Saturday morning, I ventured off to Craftspun Yarns in search of a ball winder and swift. I had heard rumours that such existed there, the only Irish place I could find that had any.
After about an hours drive I eventually found the place. (It's in a very rural location) But, to my joy, they had a ball winder and swift! And for just €35 each! That's great value IMO.

Have a look:




















I also couldn't help myself and snapped up two skeins of Donegal tweed for just €6 each. It's 100% handspun Irish wool, so I will try and felt something with these. Maybe a small bag??









Then yesterday I could resist no longer and hit my not so LYS and gave in to the Noro Sock yarn. I don't know why I was so mad for this, I've never used Noro yarn before, but I just had to have some! So, while I was there I bought 2. Onr for me and one for my daughter. It's good value as sock yarn goes, €14.50 for 420m. That's not bad!





My Tangled Yoke is not going well. I ripped back (sob!), re-did the set-up row, all was grand. Did Row 1 of the chart, knitting 4 sts before the chart began, using stitich markers to separate each pattern repeat, moving the markers as I went along, knitting 4 sts at the end and i still had 6 stitches left over AARGH! So, I will try once more. I will not let this beat me! But, equally I will never knit this again, there's just too many stitches to keep track of. Still, it's all part of the learning experience.

My niece was christened on Saturday, and much to my joy, they used my Trees Breeze afghan as the christening blanket! I was so proud!

I'm almost finished Sugar Maple sock No 1, and will try and rush through No 2 so i can properly try two at a time now I have my super dooper ball winder and swift!

P.S. I hope these pictures show up ok. I'm blogging from work (I know, me bad) and they block Flickr here (grrr) so I can't see the pics, just clear squares where they should be.

Tangled up in cables

I'm totally lost on my Tangled Yoke. I successfully joined the sleeves and am on row 7 of the cable chart. I'm going to have to rip it back to the start - thank God for lifelines! - as I've got it all wrong. I'm not so hot on reading charts so that doesn't help. Am I supposed to knit 4 at the beginning and end of each row before I start the chart? How many times am I supposed to repeat each section? I'm making the second largest size. On the set up row, it says to repeat the sections 12 times. Does that apply to all further rows? It's the only thing I can think of.

*sigh* I'm so lost and to be honest, a bit pissed off with it. It was going so well until now! I had read of others having difficulty, so I suppose I should have been prepared, but I don't like getting things wrong. Any helpers out there?

In other better news, an FO!

Pattern: Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty Summer 07

Yarn: Lily Sugar n Cream large balls, about 1 1/2

Needles: 3.5mm, 4mm, 6.5mm

Mods: I used the I cord handles from the Elisa Tote Bag

I loved this pattern! It was so quick and easy to knit. The yarn was fab too, I'll definitely buy it again when I hit the states in October!

My progress on the Swallowtail Shawl hasn't been as good as I expected.

I reckon it's a chart reading issue again. I think I'll just have to give up and start all over again.

I also cast on for a new pair of socks.

Sugar Maple from 2-at-a-time socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I'm using a ball of Lana Grossa that I have for a while. I tried valiantly to master the 2 at a time technique, but to no avail. All I ended up with was a tangled mess of yarn. I really need a ball winder (and swift!) to be able to split the balls in two to do this technique. Fortunately, I've found an Irish supplier, Craftspun Yarns, who say they'll sell me both for €38 each which sounds good! I'm going down on Saturday to have a look. In the meantime, I've decided to continue these socks on one circ, one at a time.

So, overall a bit of a frustrating week knitting wise!

From worst to best!

What a turnaround... from my worst FO (poor David Bowie) to my best (I think!)

I present Trees Breeze:



Pattern: Trees Breeze from Cover Up with Nicky Epstein
Yarn: Zettl Sportimo 4 ply acrylic
Needles: 5mm


I am so proud of this afghan. I think it turned out brilliantly. I didn't have enough yarn so I omitted one round of repeats of the tulips each time on it, but I don't think it takes anything away from it. This is a christening gift for my sister in laws baby girl. I really hope she likes it! I think it would make a perfect christening blanket. I am amazed I created something so lovely.

I particularly love the tulip leaf border, it's so pretty! Although it took almost as long as the afghan to make! I did try and crochet the border to the blanket, but failed miserably. I just find it hard to get the hang of it. I must get one of the ladies at my SnB to show me and then go straight home and practice! I ended up sewing them together, but I think I did a good job, there's no gaps and no lumpy seam! yay me!



In other news, the Tangled Yoke is coming along.

I'm almost (9 rounds away) finished the second sleeve and then I've decided to knit a few more rows onto the body of the cardi as I think it's a bit short for me.


I've also cast on a new project:



Swallowtail Shawl from IK Fall 06 by Evelyn Clark. I have seen so many beautiful examples of this on Ravelry that I had to try it. I'm going to try using beads instead of the nupps for a bit of sparkle as I'm going to a world premiere of a new musical here in Dublin in May and thought it would be nice to have something glamorous to wear.



Other good news, we're not moving! yay! I managed to persuade hubby to stay for another while and pay off our mortgage here first. It was greatly helped by me managing to get car parking near the new building. Thank God, that was the biggest worry. So, all's well that ends well.



Happy Easter everybody! I leave you with a picture of my gorgeous daughter who is 7 tomorrow (how time flies) modelling the Easter Bonnet she made for the Easter Parade at school.
Happy Birthday, light of my life. xx