princessdeia

February 12th 2009
Filed under Finished Projects 2009

I ended up with a lot of leftover yarn after making the Advent Booties, that I decided to make some quick and easy mug cozies, I used MKCarroll French Press pattern – but opted for a quick cable pattern instead of the flock design.

The silly thing is Jason and I each have a special Liverpool FC mug that we brought on our visit to Anfield last autumn. It seems like such a shame to cover up this mugs, so when Ravelry user Starkie81 posted a Chart for the Liver-bird Logo, I knew it was the prefect way to keep up coffee warm without burning my hands.

November 18th 2008
Filed under General

When we were children the lead up to Christmas started with the store brought chocolate advent calendar, each day you would have to struggle with the perforated door to get to the tiny chocolate bar behind. Here at Chez Princessdeia we have never really grown up and every November we buy two advent calendars (one each as we never did learn to share). Last year Jason was extremely disappointed to learn that whilst he makes do with this bite sized chocolate every day his niece and nephew where having fun sized mars bars. As at there house, they have a wooden advent calendar with mini drawers to hold treats (some days they might get a toy instead of chocolates).

Whilst on ravelry last year, I found a pattern for advent calendar made of mini knitted hats, I just loved this idea but thought all along I would prefer to make mini stocking (after all knitters love making socks!) My original plan was to use Carissaknits holiday stockings pattern, in fact I had the pattern in my ravelry queue for nearly a year. Last month, I figured it would be quicker and easier to make the baby booties from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.

May 7th 2008
Filed under Finished Projects 2008, General, Hats

Yarn: Cascade 220 Tutu.
Pattern: Gretel Beret from Ysolda.
Needles: 3.75 mm & 4.5mm.
Notes: After I made my version of this beret last year, my sister has been bugging me to make her a version. She wanted something to match both her brown and grey coats so this pink is the perfect colour! This was a lot easier to make the second time around (as I now have the correct version of the pattern), and it was the perfect project to practice cabling without a cable needle.

May 6th 2008
Filed under Finished Projects 2008, General

Yarn: Cascade 220 Paints (Maple Leaf) and Quarto (Purple)
Pattern:BAWK Hot Water Bottle Cozy by Yarngogo.
Notes:I added a flap so the bottle could be removed.

Alterations:
CO 31sts
Rows 1-4: Stocking Stitch
Button Hole Row 1: K7, BO2, K13, BO2, K7
Button Hole Row 2: P7, CO2, P13, CO2, P7
Next 3 Rows: Stocking Stitch
CO 31sts and join.

May 1st 2008
Filed under General

It seems that lately, I haven’t been able to find the time to knit let alone blog. I have had the Baudelaire socks on the needles for over a month now. I have been able to make a few smaller projects, – hot water bottle covers and a beret. I have added them to Ravelry but not updated them here, (my poor blog have been neglected). So the stash busting is going well, I now have more “used” yarn in my Stash on Ravelry than in my “stash” tab. There is still enough for 7 more pairs of socks, and several scarves/shawls. But the great thing is I am remembering why I brought this yarn in the first place and falling in love with it all over again.

February 29th 2008
Filed under General

So I have been part of the Stashalong for a month now, and although I have been lacking in the knitting department, I haven’t brought any yarn! I have even managed to control my Startitis – however, I still hate those final chores to complete a garment – blocking, seaming, even sewing on a button!

March is going to be a different! I have set up a progress page to watch my Stashalong, I have a few small projects planned so hopefully I can there won’t be much finished off to do and I can finally have some true progress.

February 28th 2008
Filed under Finished Projects 2008, General

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heather – Purple Jewel.
Pattern: Fingerless Mitts.
Needles: 4.5mm
Notes: As I always seem to knit scarves as gifts, it was lovely to receive hand-knitted scarf from my sister! A simple garter pattern in chunky wool. I wanted to take it away with my this weekend, and figured I needed some simple gloves to go with it.
The fingerless mitt pattern is amazingly quick (about two hours per glove), simply constructed and I think look fabulous!

February 1st 2008
Filed under General, Project Spectrum, Project Spectrum - Elements

For me and my knitting February means the start of Project Spectrum, this year’s theme all about the Elements and linking them to colour and crafting…

The project is starting of with FIRE incorporating oranges, reds, and pinks. I am hoping adding elements to the project will really help me get a little more creative, I am apart from just experimenting with colours now we have a theme, knitting Flickering Flames Socks or Candle Flame Shawl.

I want to experiment more with colour for me, I live in a uniform of jeans and tee during the day and dresses in the evening. All are shades of blue, black or brown. Occasionally, I buy a red or pink t-shirt and only wear it once. I would never dream of wearing something orange or yellow (I barely even wear green). My home is exactly the same, shades of blue and brown, the only colour is on the beds with a pink or lilac duvet cover.

For Christmas, I got the Kate Spade Style book, I love the ways she talks about colour and it’s relation to the world around us, from, people to film, to clothes to everyday objects. She also then gives tips to add colour to our lives. I figure this is the perfect time for me start examining colour and also experimenting with it in my life.

As this is a knitting blog, I guess I should show off the firey yarn in my stash.

1. NDS – Dazzle, for a special project, 2. Cascade 220, for a Hot Bottle Cover,
3. KnitWitches Sock Yarn, 4. Knit Picks Shimmer – I have not idea what to do with these yarns.

January 28th 2008
Filed under General, Stash Enhancement

1. NDS – Mirage, 2. NDS – Dazzle, 3. Cascade 220 – Paints,
4. Cascade 220 – Heathers, 5. Cascade 220 – Quarto, 6. Cascade 220.

I did have big plans to start the year as a two-project-gal, to stash bust and not to develop startitis. Of course this wasn’t going to last long, I went a little mad online, was planning on finally getting around to ordering my Knit Picks Options Needles and Nickel DPN sets. (I got even some cash for Christmas I wanted to spend), then I wanted to buy some Cascade Yarn to make felted hot bottle covers (I went really mad here and brought four types), and then I remember the lovely mirage sock yarn Emms was using at Alice‘s Knitmas Party, so of course I have to buy some.

I have been really good in regard to not starting projects, for most this month I have only had two pairs of socks on the needles. I was planning on casting on the Ene shawl (as it was the poll winner last month), however, I am not sure if Shimmer is the right yarn for this project – I think I will get some Knitwitches Silk for this project.

Instead I cast on a Short Row Scarf, using Wendy Fusion yarn, I felt the colour runs where too long to really show off the entrelac pattern, this pattern is much better suited, as each section seems to be a “different” colour.

*Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy

June 18th 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum, Stash Enhancement

I am doing a pretty bad job of avoiding the World Cup, the idea of meeting up with everyone in the pub to watch the game or staying in and watching crap television isn’t really a fair contest, especially when there is cold beer involved! I watched the England game in the pub on Thursday, and although my knitting was in my bag, the pub was too crowded and the idea of knitting in the smokey atmosphere did not appeal.

My stash has also been enhanced with some Cascade 220, when I started knitting again two years ago, Stitch ‘n’ Bitch became my bible and the Internet was a constant source of patterns, amazingly a large amount of pattern (especially felted patterned) called for Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride Bulky, and these yarns where impossible to get hold of – now Get Knitted has started selling both these yarns so I had to check them out – now all we need is got Knit Picks to export to the UK and I will be able to find out what all the fuss is about.

Luckily I am not on a yarn diet, as I brought more yarn on Friday afternoon, when I was meant to be shopping for my Secret Pals when I invested in some Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran for me – I think I will turn it into a summer scarf.

Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to knit much this weekend, as we saw the Foo Fighters in Hyde Park yesterday – undoubtedly a gig I will tell my children about, gorgeously hot day, one of the London’s most famous landmarks, 85, 000 people and members of Queen performing the encore – my only complaint was the set was too short!

Today, I have completed a Blue Square for knit-a-river.