princessdeia

March 6th 2008
Filed under Finished Projects 2008, General, Socks

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Navy.
Pattern: # One Husband Socks
from Whimsical Knitting Designs.
Needles: 2.5mm
Notes: After being with Jason for over ten years I thought I would test the waters around the boyfriend curse and knit him a pair of socks to celebrate our first wedding anniversary! These took forever to knit, I think part of it was me losing my knitting mojo and the other was the size (72 stitches per round).
Modifications:I knitted a plain heel instead of the textured heel in the pattern.

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.

December 6th 2007
Filed under Finished Projects 2007, Socks

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Brindle Heather.
Pattern: Baudelaire from Knitty.
Needles: 2.5mm
Notes:I actually finished these socks a while ago, but never blogged about them, and as I was wearing them today (with my Belle Shoes), I thought I should write about them. This was my first attempt at toe-up socks, I had a little problem with the cuff being too tight – but I changed to a thicker needle for the rib and it was fine.

November 14th 2007
Filed under General

All along, I had planned that this weekend would be devoted to my hubby in celebration of his birthday, so all along I knew I would be missing The First Official UK Stitch ‘n Bitch Day, but it hasn’t stopped me getting jealous of everyone else’s lovely new yarn, so instead this week I am reconnecting with my yarn and attempting to shrink my stash a little, first of I cast on and finished the Monkster Sweater from Kidsknits for my Build-a-Bear in some Wool of the Andes. This was a fab little knit – great for stash-busting and so simple, it took me about 3 hours to finish.

Then I finally, cast on some Monkey socks with the KnitWitches Sock Yarn I brought at Ally Pally, I have to say I get the attraction! I had wondered why over 230 Ravelry users currently have a pair of Monkey’s on their needles – now I understand this pattern in so easy – it looks stunning and they seem to knit up really quickly.

Yes that is a little yarn cake there – I finally got around to buying a ball winder now all I need a swift (I am hoping to convince my FIL in make me one for Xmas).

November 7th 2007
Filed under Finished Projects 2007, Hats

Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Silk in Navy.
Pattern: Gretel Beret from Ysolda.
Needles: 3.75 mm & 4.5mm.
Notes: I started out knitting this pattern really quickly, I knitted the regular version so it didn’t take long at all, I couldn’t get the decreasing right, so I kept ripping it back, and eventually gave up, whilst I was in South Africa Ysolda released a newer version of the pattern and then it was completed pretty quickly.

At first I was concerned about knitting cables on circular/double pointed needles but I found it was pretty easy – this is one of those looks harder that it is patterns – to be honest I think it could be knitted up in a day.

November 7th 2007
Filed under General

We have all heard of Facebook Envy, I am thinking I have Ravelry Envy, I subscribed to my friends activities, now whenever I see a project I like I have to queue it, or else I am coveting a new yarn. The problem is, I am picking patterns that I don’t have the yarn for when I should be trying to get rid of the yarn I have.

Last night, was meant to be the first of the Chiswick Ravelry Meet-Ups but it ended up falling to bits. So I spent the night finishing off some projects, I am actually really pleased with myself – I cast off two projects last night, the birthday scarf is blocking on the ironing board and my Baudelaire are on a wire-hanger-blocker.

I made a promise to myself this morning that I am going to have this many projects on the go at once, has made me so unorganized, I have forgotten the repeats of lace and ended up having to frog the sock more than once, I also don’t really have the place to store this many projects (my flower basket shawl is currently in a tesco’s carrier bag).

October 19th 2007
Filed under General, Socks, Stash Enhancement

The last few times I have seen Laura she has been wearing one of her fabulous shawl creations (really they are more like shawlettes or mini-shawls), I don’t think I would ever wear a big shawl, I guess to a wedding or maybe as a sarong on the beach, but the mini shawls are really wearable. So of course, I had to knit one. I had always liked the Flower Basket Shawl, and I even had the yarn some Knit Picks Shimmer, I brought in the spring. So whilst watching daytime TV today, I have been knitting.

Lolly asked on her blog today about what shoes you wear with your hand-knitted socks with? I have a growing collection of converse boots (I even wore converse at our wedding reception) and I am trying to make matching socks for all my boots, this is newest yarn I have brought to go with my (RED) converse.

This is the second post this week, with my shoes mentioned – I am getting a complex.

August 30th 2007
Filed under Finished Projects 2007

Yarn:Knit Picks Andean Silk in Navy.
Pattern: Fetching from Knitty Summer 2006.
Needles: 3.75mm DPN.
Notes: The write up for this pattern on Knitty calls these gloves an “instant knitting gratification” and I have to agree, I sat down over the weekend to watch a few movies and my the credits of the second movie I had a pair of fingerless gloves.

After reading some comments on Ravelry, I discovered it is adviced to knit this mitts with 3.75 needles rather than the 4mm the pattern suggests. I also added an extra set of the 4×1 rib and cable row, just to make the wrist part longer. Because of the modification, I ended up using a little over one ball of yarn for these mitts.

August 28th 2007
Filed under General, Hats, Sweaters

Over the last week the weather in London has been very autumnal, it is not quite scarf and gloves weather – but we are getting there. As a quick project this I thought I would cast on some Fetching Gloves, I know last autumn these were all the rage in knitting blogland – but I am always late on the bandwagon (I still haven’t made any Monkey socks).

I had brought the Andean Silk with this project in mind, a quick check on Ravelry I found it is a popular yarn for these mitts, and I also discovered it is advised to going down a needle size.

As we had the three day weekend in the UK, why would I cast on one new project, when I could cast on two so I ordered the Gretel Beret from Ysolda, I am also making this in Andean Silk.

Of course, my knitting this weekend did include some work on the Central Park Hoodie, I have now finished the hood and all I need to do is the ribbed edging (what would be the button band without the buttons).

I am slightly concerned that all my knits are blue and feature cables – I have to admit I love the colour blue – but I think this might be a little excessive.

August 24th 2007
Filed under General, Sweaters

About once every six months, Jason has to work night shift, thiis means we get to spend the evening together and once he has gone to work I get to stay awake until the early hours of the morning knitting. This week I have managed to complete both sleeves, for my Central Park Hoodie.

Last night, I worked on and finished the hood. As part of the pattern you have to place the stitches for the cable onto a stitch holder, then cast off the stitches for the neckline. All these stitches are then picked up and worked into the hood, Rather than cast the stitches on the neckline off – I worked then in short rows and added them to the stitch holder.

The pattern suggests using a three needle bind off on the hood, but I opted to graft the stitches, as I think it will sit better and also leave a flat seam, I started the grafting at the cable edge to make use the two cables matched up perfectly – it took quite a bit of effort to make sure it looked like a continous cable – but I am really pleased with the results.