princessdeia

February 6th 2012
Filed under Finished Projects 2012, General, Making Monday

Jason is still in contact with a lot of friends he went to school with, even after leaving their home town for university or work, they still would make the effort to meet up several times a year (and always on Christmas Eve) in the Old Town area of their home town. As a result they lovingly refer to themselves as The OTB (Old Town Boys).

As they entered their twenties, several of them moved down to London, they started having serious relationships, and as a result a a group of WAGs joined the OTB, and we would still meet up semi-regularly in London and always on Christmas Eve in the Old Town. As they entered their thirties and some of them moved overseas, they started to getting married and having children. That’s where the strange thing happened all the children where girls.

Two summers ago, I thought it would be nice to knit something for the newest OTB girls, after seeing Ysolda’s Poppy doll at Knit Nation I thought that was the perfect pattern. I had a practice run making a doll which eventually ended up with my sister and then started the mass production. Making three that summer for the two newest babies and ones older sister. Then that Christmas I made three more, this time for older girls so I made a few extra pieces of clothing.

Last of October another OTBg was born, with my lack of knitting mojo I never got around to knitting her a Poppy. However this past weekend it was her Dad’s birthday and attended his surprise 40th party, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to make another Poppy, this one to live in Leicester.

August 29th 2011
Filed under Making Monday

I brought some Freedom Organic Cotton and was planning on making another Bamboozelle baskets, but having looked at the yarn more closer at home, I decided it wasn’t at all suited to the pattern (it is loosely twisted 6 ply yarn), plus the pattern was pretty hard on the hands and I didn’t think that my hands needed that amount of tormenting again. So instead I opted for a simple crochet square basket, adapting a pattern that was meant for Peaches and Creme Cotton.

Unlike the Bamboozelle baskets this one didn’t need to have a cardboard base as it is sturdy, but I did want to line it so they “matched” the other baskets. Seeing as the pattern originally asked for PnC I also decided to make another mini basket with some remaining PnC, so now I have a nest of pretty baskets.

EDIT I’ve just looked at the photos I have taken for this post and they are awful so I will add some photos in the morning. I just wanted to make sure the post was ready for Making Monday.

August 26th 2011
Filed under Finished Projects 2011, General

Here it is the finished Hexagon Sock Yarn Blanket, two years in the making, days worth of knitting and hours worth of seaming. It still is a little “small” for a blankets – about 42 X 42 inches wide – it really is more a lap blanket, perfect for covering your legs whilst watching TV, knitting or both.

When I look at this blanket each little hexagon reminds me of another project I have knitted, the Opal yarn from my first sock, the Chocolate Old Maiden Aunt Yarn from my Ishbel shawl or the Pink and Green from last year’s Knit Love Club (the sock I was too scared to knit). It is almost like a love letter to my past knitted projects. I will be honest I am not 100% happy with the blanket, the edges aren’t perfect, I think I will crochet a little border in grey. I’m going to leave it for a while – enjoy using the blanket rather than working on it anymore.

Whilst, I have been obsessing over my lap blanket, the rest of knitters out there are obsessing over the Beekeeper Quilt, which I do love I just can bring myself to commit to another long term project right now. I still have a little sock yarn leftover which I am willing to donate to any knitters out there who are knitting the Beekeeper Quilt.

I spend last night watching Mad Men season 4 and wrapping these mini skeins around an old notebook (25 times around is about 15 yards) putting together complimentary colours ready to send out. Some of the yarn include it Lorna Lace, Knit Witches, Knit Picks Palette, Cherry Tree Hill or Alchemy Juniper (I will include a complete list with the package).

So if you want one set of 5 mini skeins to add to your Beekeeper Quilt, all you have to do is comment below with your email address and the colours you would like. I don’t expect anything in return just remember to pay it forward!

EDIT: All the sets have now gone!

March 2nd 2011
Filed under Finished Projects 2011, General

Over the last few weeks, I have been having a major sort out and de-clutter of our bedroom (before we re-decorate). As part of it I have found a lot of old knitted projects that I have long forgotten about. Like the Circular Shrug, I made back in 2006, the pattern was a Craftster redesign (I think of an Anthropologie Shrug), I wore it a few times, but have to confess when I put weight on I decided it didn’t suit me anymore, but I love the colour.

Rather than just donate it to charity, I decided to rip the shrug back and knit something else. The yarn was the now defunked Debbie Bliss Maya – that I think I brought in the John Lewis sale after the yarn was discontinued, it is handspun so is slightly think and thin – but I thing that adds to the hand made look. After ripping back the shrug, I ended up with with just under 390 grams of yarn.

As the yarn is the aqua colour, I am planning to decorate our bedroom in I decided to make a cushion cover to sit on the bed. Currently I have a sad looking beige cushion, that was brought cheaply in Primark of TK Maxx using this cover as a template I knitted simple stocking stitch stripe (17 inches by 36 inches), with a two inch button band (in reverse stocking stitch).

It still needs some buttons, I am thinking chunky bamboo or wooden ones, as we are getting a beige duvet cover. I still have 150 grams of yarn left, but I have another project in mind for that.

January 13th 2011
Filed under 101 Things, Finished Projects 2011

So one week on, I am doing pretty good with the plan, but awfully with the blogging. I send out several Thank You cards from Christmas, a little late I know, but we mainly received money this year so I wanted to wait until we had spend it to thank everyone.

I also have been knitting and baking! I am planning of cooking a cupcake a month – maybe try and theme them along with the month, e.g. Strawberry in June, Pumpkin in November. January is just plain Vanilla as I wanted to perfect my frosting before I experimented.

On the knitting front, this week I finished these plain socks, made using the Knit Love Club Wollmeise  (from October). I could not get the pattern right on these sock, it involved elongated stitches, that I seemed to knit too tight! I even tried knitting the larger size, but that was too big. As I am determined to knit with all the yarn from the Sock Club, and I loved the stripes, so I opted for plain socks (knit over 63 stitches to get the spirooling*)

* Spriooling – a yarnie term Alice has been using to describe the Spiral Pooling varigated yarn does – not to be confused with self striping yarn.

March 26th 2010
Filed under General

As promised from last week, here is the finished version of my Rumpled socks, I found it very strange knitting with the yarn – it was 6 ply so was extremely awkward to knit the lace part of the sock with – however, the thinker yarn also looks so good in the pattern – so I guess it was worth it.

I also managed to finish my Skew socks just in time for the second Knit Love Club sock to arrive – and I have to say it is a “scary” pattern!

February 5th 2010
Filed under Finished Projects 2009, Socks, socktopus club 2009

So I finally finished all 6 socks in the Sock(topus) Club from last year. I was hoping to finish them all within the 365 day period but according to my project pages on Ravelry it was 336 days

For me this sock club wasn’t just 6 lovely yarns and patterns by 5 talented designers, it was a jounrey into different constructions of socks. I considered myself an beginner to intermediate sock knitter, I have knitted numerous pairs of sock -  but I tended to pick patterns that were similar. Cuff down, with a heel flap, decreased gusset and toes. Each of the six socks in the club were constructed differently.

Om Shanti

Toe-up.
Short row toes and heel.
Kihnu Vits and corrugated rib.

Over the Garden

Toe-up (with a square toe cast on),
Heel cup
Reverse heel flap
With added vine and pod details.

Heart & Sole

Toe-up
Bias shaping for the arch
Reverse heel flap
With a lacy cuff.

Scadenza

Toe-up (with the pattern included in the increases)
Gusset increases on the sole of the foot (again in pattern)
Reverse heel flap
Cable needle-less cables
Hundreds of twisted stitches.

Socktopods

Cuff down
Dancing socktopods around the leg
Decorated heel flap.

Mince Pie Mayhem

Cuff down
Heel expansion in pattern
Heel cup
Toe decreases in wedges (more like the crown of a hat).


My favourite pattern varies almost daily, when the new shiny silver package arrive, it contained my new favourite pattern, as a knitted the sock my love for that pattern grew, then I would rediscover a previous pair of socks in my draw and fall in love with that pattern again, another day I might see the yarn and be reminded of my love and again my favourite would change!

I have already cast on, the first sock from the Knit Love Club – and again I am loving the pattern – I am having issues with the yarn but only becuase it’s colour is out of my comfort zone (I will post more about that later).

October 23rd 2009
Filed under General

After all the grief with the drunken wave on the first sock, it took only a few days to knit it’s partner. Finally, I was able to join the masses and have a pair of wollmeise socks.

I have also been knitting away on a pair of socks that are a secret present – as part of the SoSeSaSwa. I realised I haven’t done any swaps this year so to make up for it I have signed up for three Christmas swaps, a sock kit, knitting a sock and a mini tree decoration.

July 16th 2009
Filed under Finished Projects 2009, General, Socks, socktopus club 2009

So a few weeks ago we all awaited the arrival of our shiny silver parcels aka the Sock(topus) Sock Club! Inside was the most amazing yarn dyed by Theyarnyard I have to admit I am not a big fan of red – but I love this colour,  it reminds me of poppies (the photos don’t do it justice). Also a simple yet unusual pattern by Ysolda (I am a big fan for her beret pattern so was looking forward to this months instalment).

It took me a while to understand how this pattern was going to work as it omitted the short row for the heel, rather than ponder too much about the construction, I got out my needles and knit and knit and knit! With in no time I’d completed the sole and the heel magically appeared.

In no time I was wearing my socks! .
More photos here.

June 8th 2009
Filed under Finished Projects 2009, Socks, socktopus club 2009

Finally, I have finished, my sock club socks! The actual socks took no time to knit, it just took me ages to sew all the vines, pods and flowers onto the sock.

My only concern with the pattern was the lacy parts in toe – I was worried this area might stretch or become weak after washing and wearing, so I extended the vine down over the lacy part for extra support. I am thinking of doing the same thing on the heel as this can be a stress point on some socks I have knitted in the past.

More photos here.