princessdeia

Yarn: Texere’s Good Fortune Cotton in Wine (6)
Pattern: Twin Set from Vintage Knits by Sarah Dallas.
Needles: 3 mm, 3.25mm and 3.25mm circular.
Notes: Those of you, who read my blog regularly, will remember my Mum asked me way back last May to knit her the twin set from Vintage Knits. I brought the yarn in July and made the sweater by September.

However, she has been waiting a long time for the cardigan. Back in February, I decided that cardigan would look to plain in stocking stitch so made it in diamond stitch pattern.

All the cardigan needed was the button band and add the buttons. Finally, over a year later the twin set is complete.

I am having a very busy weekend in between a quick day trip to Le Touquet for a booze cruise/shopping trip, and a visit to Birmingham for a trade show, I have just got time to start my clean sweep for Project Spectrum.

Tools
My faithful Chibi - which holds all my needles.
A crochet hook.
A kilt pin brooch.
Various buttons.

To beginning, I am rewinding the calander to March and my Pink/Red projects. To complete, (from the bottom of the photo).

1. I have my Striped Sweater, which I cast on just in March and have slowly been knitting over the last few months.
2. Then, my Mum’s Twin Set cardigan which was started long before PS (last autumn), but I was planning on finishing it in March (I am awful I know).
3. Fast forward to June, when I was watching the World Cup and meant to be knitting a cardigan, this has been pushed to the bottom of my knitting bag, as I am so embarassed that I failed the challenge.
4. The Circular Shrug, I was unsure if this colour was more green or blue and unsure when I should be knitting it - so it was forgotten.
Also, am currently blocking my Stash Busting Bag and Cleo Clutch.

One of the problems with not blogging regularly is I didn’t get a chance to flash the latest additions to my stash. Most of this was purchased in the January sales.

• Debbie Bliss Maya (half price in the John Lewis sale), which I am using for my circular shrug.
• Some cheap pink acrylic sock yarn, I think I will make some Jaywalkers with this.
• Paton’s Essences in the bright pink, probably with become the Anthropologie Capelet from Craftster.

Having spent the majority of the last week waiting for news from the hospital, I have managed to knit away; the twin set is almost complete. After about 3 months I have finally blocked the sweater, I was concerned that the cardigan would look too plain also in stocking stitch so I added a little pattern – based on the diamond stitch pattern from diamond sweater also in Vintage Knits.

The body and sleeve of the cardigan are done and being blocked. All I just need to do is knit the button band however, I think this is going to be like Lucky and take me the most time to complete. I would like to have this completed by this week before Project Spectrum begins.

As a distraction, I started this circular shrug, this is my unofficial Knitting Olympics project (I didn’t think I would finish it in time), this pattern knits up really quickly, two nights worth of knitting and I have completed 7 inches - I guess I could have finished it in the 16 days. Especially, as I can’t wait to wear this project.

With all my Christmas knitting project now finished I can resume, my normal knitting schedule and in true knitting style I have several projects on the go. First off, I am making another Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf in the Hip-Knits Silk I brought last year, it was meant to be a summer top for me – but with the winter months rolling in a frogged it and have now decided it will be perfect for a thick winter scarf ready for our trip to Chicago next week.

Even though I have stopped knitting gifts, I seem to be busy knitting things for other people. My poor mum has been waiting since last May for her twin set, I finished the sweater part last September and it has been sitting in my knitting bag waiting to be blocked and for its partner to be made. So that has not been cast on, I am using the pattern from Sally Dallas’ Vintage Knits (I think this is the 6^th Pattern I have done from this book).

Next on the needles is a pair of socks for my sister. She has the most awful trainers – Nike Air Rift, or pig’s trotters as we like to call them. The problem is you can’t wear normal socks with them – as there is a separator between the big toe and the rest of the toes. So when I saw the pattern for Geisha Socks in SpunMag, I immediately thought of her.

Starting today, I am aiming to complete a list of 10 things over the next 101 days – all designed to stop my putting off all the things I should be doing, and encouraging actually live my life, most of it is irrelevant to my knitting blog – however, I will trying to knit 10 scarves as Christmas presents and be regularly posting photos in the gallery (although I still haven’t got the batteries for my camera).

In knitting related news, I finished the sweater part of my mum’s twin set – both she and I are pleased with the finished result, it just needs blocking. The NLLALM sweater is slowly coming along – I keep getting distracted by other projects, currently it is my Harry Potter scarf. I am itching to start on my Branching Out as well :(. I am being to think this sweater will never be finished.

be sorted @ nimbo.net

I signed up for the Another Weasley KAL, I am going to wait until Saturday to start as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is on Sky Movies - and even though I’ve seen it a million times, I thought it was so perfect to start the scarf then.

In other news I have started my Mum’s twin set - that is going to take a long time to knit, I am knitting the sweater on circular needles - knit stitch all the way - so I am hoping it will be a little quicker… if it goes well I think I will final invest in those Denise Inter-changables I have been dreaming about.

All my orders from the weekend arrived this morning - I love post
So I have a nice stash enhancement – luckily all the wool is earmarked for projects.
My orders included:

• Good Fortune Cotton in Wine.
• Destiny Mohair in Petrol
• Hipknits Silk in Surf

The cotton is going to be turned into a twin set - I think the one from Vintage Knits. I brought the mohair for a scarf for me - I am planning on making scarves as Christmas presents - yes I am thinking that far ahead), I was going to use Rowan Kidsilk Haze, but thought I would try this out as an alternative. I adore the colour, the shade was petrol - but it’s a dark turquoise, and in a certain light a jade green.

I got so excited about the Hipknit Silk - I have seen so many other people in blogland use this wool and I was so eager to start knitting with it - I rolled into into balls by hand and what I read is true it does shred, It is really hard to see in this photo, but it is shades of sky blue, mint green and a pale turquoise I am pretty sure it will become an Arabella.

I have done about 12 inches of Marco - I wanted the jumper to look really chunky (even though it is in cotton), so I did the rib in 3 stitches of purl and knit.

I think I need a a session in front of the TV watching some cheesy show or a DVD, so I can just relax knit… oh it would be even more perfect, if I could convince Jason to bring home a bottle of wine.

Not much knitting was done this weekend :(,
Both my parents have requested I knit them something - Mum wanted the twin set from Vintage Knits and Dad wanted Marco from Rowan Magazine 35, but didn’t like the pattern - so it’s going to be plain.

On Saturday, I went shopping to John Lewis in Kingston on Saturday - hoping to get all the wool, however the trip was very unsuccessful, we couldn’t find the colour for that Mum wanted - and eventually we got a nice navy for Dad’s jumper. I also wanted to get some dark chocolate merino for my Mini Sweater - but no luck. I guess I am going to have to hunt around online - see if I can find aubergine cotton anywhere.

I did manage to get some lovely semi-precious beads and wire to make some more stitch markers - it seems I am making them as quickly as I am start new projects. I had to make some wider one to use on the mini sweater as I am using 6mm needles.

Also Melanie at Pink Lemon Twist has revealed a completed version on of her Mystery Stole, it looks amazing - I am thinking it will make am amazing baby blanket - but I don’t know anyone who is pregnant - I guess I will have to save it.

I noticed she has also started a Mystery Shawl Along - but I don’t think I have the time to knit this as well - but it might be interesting to keep an eye on.

All of a sudden I have loads of Summer Knit Projects.
After finishing my sisters Beaded Bolero, I have been asked by my Mum and Dad to knit them both something in Cotton - it’s a good job I love this wool.

My summer list is now…

• Florence from Rowan Magazine 35.
• Cotton Jumper for Dad, I’m thinking Marco also from Rowan Magazine 35 - but I’m not sure about the strips.
• Cotton Cardigan for Mum - I think this will be a simple crew neck - she just needs to pick a colour.
• I still would really love to make Alice, but I think it will be Christmas by the time I have finished all them.

I finally signed up for Secret Pal 5 - I guess I should keep updating my journal so my pal can find out what I like.