I can't knit... or can I?

New Blog

2009-04-26T20:56:00.003+10:00

New Blog! <--- click there

(Who knows, I may even write in it one day. ;-))

Oh me, oh my

2008-12-14T21:13:00.006+11:00

I think it's official: I suck at blogging.

It's been forever and that "running total" list over there is so out of date it made me laugh. Actually, I might just go and remove that while I'm here!

Anyway, don't hold your breath just yet. I'm actually thinking about starting a new blog on a different site (I will post an announcement here when it happens, of course), but in the meantime, I'm afraid this entry doesn't symbolise the return of my blogging mojo.

Nope. It's just advertising, because I have an Etsy shop now, and you can find it here. In case this blog still has some followers, you can see what I've been up to over there. :-)

It's been HOW long?!?

2007-08-22T21:06:00.001+10:00

Wow, haven’t I been a lazy little blogger! And a lazy knitter too, for that matter. I’ve just finished another pair of Jigsaw socks that I’m going to send to my dad, and right now I’m working on a pair of socks with Online yarn that I ordered recently – colour 928 on this chart.

Apart from that, I haven’t done a lot (I’ve been working on the crochet blanket every now and then). I’m starting uni next week and I’ve finally started working on a novel, so I don’t know how much time there will be for knitting.

I will try not to leave this blog unattended for so long again! :D

My first craft injury

2007-07-16T12:27:00.000+10:00

Owww. My wrist hurts. I think I have RSI. Too much crochet, although I don’t think I did that much over the weekend (did lots of other things, too!). Well, about 10 stripes… 500 stitches per stripe… you do the maths.

Either way, I think I’ll have to take a break for a few days. :-(

Crochet love

2007-07-13T21:05:00.000+10:00

So, it’s been a year since I took up knitting! :-)

Right now it’s all crochet though. I love, love, LOVE working on the striped rug. I’m on stripe 14 right now – or is it stripe 15? Doesn’t matter… either way, I’m going strong and enjoying it.

I found a picture of this guy the other day when I googled something to do with crochet:

http://www.hobby-handarbeit.de/anleitungen/anleitung-elefant.html

Isn’t he adorable? Unfortunately it didn’t come with instructions, but I did some more googling and found the above link. Good thing I speak German. :-)

So yes, I think he’s going to be one of my next projects. DD would just love him.

New project

2007-07-09T17:11:00.000+10:00

Ha, I can see that my previous post begging for comments went down really well. ;-)

I’ve started a new project:

Hard to believe these are the beginnings of a blanket, isn’t it?

It’s going to be all stripes in every colour of the rainbow, in random order. This is what I’ve done so far. The next stripe is going to be orange, then a multicoloured one, then yellow, then green, then another shade of blue… after that, who knows? Whatever I feel like at the time. I may just have to buy some red yarn - that seems to be the only colour I don’t have (not a fan of red).

It’s all double crochet. It’ll keep me busy for a while!

Comments/Kommentare

2007-07-07T18:23:00.000+10:00

Now that I have that nifty counter thing (on the right hand side of my blog, underneath the archives), I can see where my visitors come from! :-)

And on that note – I really really REALLY love comments! Don’t be shy. And you don’t need a blogger account to leave a comment. But if you do have a blog, I’ll do my best to return the favour.

Ich spreche auch Deutsch… und falls Ihr das Obenstehende nicht verstanden habt – ich liebe Kommentare! :-)

Boooooooooring! ;-)

2007-07-01T21:35:00.000+10:00

I know, I know… you’ve seen enough socks to make you want to walk barefoot for the rest of your lives.

Well, here’s more. :D

Crochet hat

2007-06-28T20:31:00.001+10:00

I was right… I did figure out how to make a crochet hat. I eventually gave up on the instructions and did my own thing. Unfortunately I didn’t write down what I did, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make another one exactly like it. That’s typical for me - I don’t like following patterns and often do my own thing (not just when it comes to crafts), and I always think “I’ll remember!”, but more often than not I don’t.

I also bought a book on crochet yesterday, so I hope to tackle another crochet project soon – I just have to decide what to make. It’s a nice change from knitting.

The hat is mostly trebles:

I put some crochet flowers on it:

But I didn’t really like them, so I took them off again. The hat looked a bit unfinished without them, so I put a dark green border around it. It still didn’t look quite right, so I added another single row of lime green. I think I’m happy with it now!

Still here

2007-06-23T16:51:00.000+10:00

Wow, looks like it’s been over a week since I last wrote in here!?

I haven’t stopped knitting, that’s for sure. Having a productive day today… the boy was hogging the computer for hours and I used that time to finish some projects, including a crochet bag that I’ve had lying around since January. I even made some crochet flowers to go on it (I didn’t know I could do that, but apparently I can). I just need to sew them on and then the bag will be done.

I also started on a crochet hat, but the instructions were a bit confusing and it became clear after a few rounds that I was doing something wrong. Oh well. I will figure it out. I always do.

I’ll leave you with a preview of my new scarf.

More pictures coming soon!

Gift socks

2007-06-15T13:45:00.000+10:00

Some more socks I’ve given away (they’ve all reached their destinations) – I’m almost done with sock pictures, I promise!

Hot pink ribbed socks, 100% wool – they went to a friend who just happens to LOVE that colour:

100% acrylic (Big W yarn), I knitted those on the train:

These were made with the same yarn (different colours, obviously) as these socks & beanie:

This was my second pair of socks. They were intended for the girl, but turned out to be too small for her. 100% acrylic with leftover yarn from the crochet bag in this entry (which reminds me, I need to tackle another crochet project):

Prolific

2007-06-11T17:56:00.000+10:00

I’ve heard that word a few times lately… a few people have called me a prolific knitter. :-)

I think there’s two main reasons for that (apart from the fact that I enjoy knitting and need an excuse to keep buying yarn):

1 – I knit fast

and

2 – I’m in a hurry! There’s so many things I want to try and learn… I’ve never even attempted a jumper yet… I want to dye some yarn one day soon… heck, I’ve never even used a stitch marker or a row counter…

… I haven’t really lived, have I? :D

Mummy socks

2007-06-10T13:31:00.000+10:00

Yes… more socks! These are ones I made and kept for myself.

This pair was made from acrylic yarn from Big W. I’ve worn them a few times and they already look pretty terrible (felting and worn out), even though I hand washed them. One thing I’ve learnt is that you (mostly) get what you pay for when it comes to yarn.

This pair was made from acrylic yarn from Lincraft - I love the colour combo. They seem to be holding up a bit better than the above pair:

These ones are made from Panda Magnum yarn (also acrylic):

My son took this picture, I like the angle:

This pair is also made from Lincraft yarn, I haven’t worn them yet (except to try them on). As you may have noticed I usually rib the entire leg and this is the only pair where I only ribbed the first inch or so – I noticed a lot of people only ribbing the top part, so I had to try it. But I definitely prefer the longer ribs, so this pair will probably be a one-off.

Jigsaw socks

2007-06-09T14:45:00.000+10:00

Here are the Jigsaw socks I’ve knitted so far. I’ve got two more full balls, as well as the leftovers from the socks below, which I’m planning to use on a pair of interesting “leftover” socks.

This pair went to a friend (she requested short legs):

This pair is currently on its way to the USA (yes, that’s the sock from this entry):

And this pair is mine! Miiiiiiine! Mwwhahahaha!

In this picture you can also see some wooden Swiss cows. :-)

Opal

2007-06-08T14:52:00.000+10:00

Yes, I ordered some. How could I not? It was on special (and I’ve been wanting some Opal wool for months)! :D

To be completely honest, I’m a bit disappointed with the colours - they are not as vibrant as I thought they would be… more pastel colours, and I’m not a huge fan of those. But I guess I’ll knit a pair of socks with it and I’m sure they’ll look fine. And I still want to order a ball or two of the Feelings range one day.

You’ve probably noticed by now that I love stripes and multicoloured wool. In fact, of all the socks I’ve knitted over the last few months, there’s only been one pair that was all the same colour! :-)

Drool with me

2007-06-06T20:41:00.000+10:00

Droooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.

That is all for today, as I’m too tired/lazy for a picture entry right now.

:-)

Conquered!

2007-06-04T20:27:00.000+10:00

I’m happy to report that the sock pile is no more! It took a while, but they’ve all been finished. I’m just about to mail half a dozen pairs to various corners of the earth. :-)

I’m so glad it’s done! :D

Girl socks

2007-06-03T13:48:00.000+10:00

Socks I made for the girl. All acrylic – yarns from Lincraft (first pair) and Big W (remaining pairs):

Boy socks

2007-06-01T20:30:00.000+10:00

These are socks I made for the boy. They’re all acrylic yarns - the first from Lincraft (the same as I used for my first pair of socks), the second from Spotlight, and the third from Big W (“Fair Isle Effects” as seen in the girl’s beanie).

End that sale!

2007-05-30T18:12:00.000+10:00

The craft shop I live near has had a sale on for about a month now! And apparently it’s going to be on for another two weeks. I have been fairly restrained so far (if you can call buying their entire stock of sock yarn “restrained” :-)), but it’s hard to live that close to temptation. It’s constantly in my face… literally!

I guess it’s a good opportunity to get my hands on some quality yarn I couldn’t normally afford. Sometimes I wonder which is my favourite part – the knitting or shopping for yarn? I never thought it could be so addictive, that’s for sure. :-)

Crochet interlude

2007-05-29T20:41:00.000+10:00

I made those bags late last year, it’s just simple crochet (I’m not even sure what the proper term is). The green bag is mine, the blue one is the girl’s and the purple one was a Christmas present for a friend. I sewed some beads on the front of the green and purple bags to snazz them up a bit… after I took the pictures (not sure why I didn’t do it BEFORE I took the pics… oh well).

The yarn for the green & blue bags came from a dollar shop, and was some of the nicest acrylic yarn I’ve ever come across. It feels a lot like cotton and the colours are just so vibrant. The purple yarn is Panda Magnum, available from Kmart and craft shops etc. (and I think Big W sells the same colour too, although under a different name).

More beanie goodness!

2007-05-25T14:55:00.000+10:00

Here’s a beanie I made for myself and have been wearing quite a lot.

It’s 100% wool, in a k3 p3 rib pattern. I wasn’t quite sure how to do the decreases at the top and some of it looks a bit uneven, but luckily that part isn’t really too visible when you wear the beanie.

More to come soon!

Quickie project

2007-05-24T19:05:00.000+10:00

This is DD’s new scarf – it’s been so cold and I realised she didn’t have a scarf. It was a very quick project – started a couple of days ago and finished yesterday. One 50g ball of microfibre yarn from a dollar shop, cast on 18 stitches on 4mm needles, and then it was just knit, knit, knit until I ran out of yarn. I didn’t find it particularly nice to work with, but at least it was quick and DD is very pleased with her new “carf”.

And a close-up:

Beauty

2007-05-23T14:53:00.000+10:00

Got a compliment for the girl’s beanie from an old guy at the post office today. He said it was “a beauty”. :D Made me feel good, although I didn’t really DO anything except knit the beanie… the stripe pattern just eventuated. The yarn was “Fair Isle Effects” from Big W (100% acrylic). I don’t see much Fair Isle, but it looks nice either way. Big W has quite a nice selection of yarns.

Taking after her mama here – photo with flash = closed eyes!

Matching socks & beanie

2007-05-21T16:32:00.000+10:00

The yarn is called “Michaela”, $2.99 per 50g at Lincraft. It’s 65% wool and 35% acrylic. Made in Italy, but distributed by a German company called Gründl. They had about 6 different colours/colour combinations, but this was by far the nicest.

Who would expect this…

… to turn into this?

My first pair of socks

2007-05-19T17:33:00.000+10:00

It’s cold! I’m starting to really appreciate the socks and beanies I’ve knitted.

This was my first pair of socks – I made them back in January in 30-odd degree heat. :D It only took me about 3 hours for the first sock – I couldn’t wait to finish and see if it would really be a sock! :-)

These are the instructions I used (with some minor adjustments) – they are really good and very easy to follow:

Socks 101

And this is the pattern – once again, really good/easy:

Sock Page

The yarn is Lincraft brand acrylic yarn.

Biggest UFO ever

2007-05-16T21:52:00.000+10:00

Last year in July I suddenly felt like knitting. Just like that, out of the blue, after more than a decade of me thinking that I didn’t have a crafty bone in my body. So off I went to get some knitting needles and yarn. I thought that a blanket made up of small squares would make a nice project to begin with, and a nice present for my son.

Of course I had no idea about gauge back then. I got yarn from all over the place, mainly cheap stuff from dollar shops. And even though I used 4mm needles and always cast on 30 stitches, the squares are all different sizes.

So here I am, nearly a year later, with a box full of about 120 knitted squares in various sizes and colours (black, every shade of blue, grey, white, cream… and lots of striped and multicoloured ones too), and I still haven’t figured out how to turn them into a decent looking blanket. It’s like a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Knitting all those squares was good practice, though. I got to try out all sorts of patterns and techniques.

For example, I taught myself cabling:

There’s a few really nice squares in that box. I’ll have to take some more pictures to share. And one day soon I hope to figure out how to make that blanket. My poor DS has stopped asking about it (at least that way he’ll be more surprised when I finally give it to him!)…

Proof I don't like to finish my projects...

2007-05-15T16:08:00.000+10:00

That’s the unfinished sock pile on my bedside table!

I’m happy to report that it has shrunk a bit since I took the above picture. :-)

A bit of reminiscing

2007-05-14T13:59:00.000+10:00

Here’s that naughty sock while I was working on it:

It’s finished now. I just have to work in the ends (my least favourite part) and knit its twin.

It’s a great fit, although I’m yet to decide if I will keep it for myself or give it away (if anyone still wants it after reading that it’s been on my foot! :-)).

And this is Arabella!

Cute, huh? :-) She was my first knitting project back in primary school, in year 3 if I remember correctly. I didn’t like those needlework classes. I drove the teacher crazy, and vice versa. They were compulsory, so I couldn’t get out of them. I would have loved to do woodwork with the boys instead (yes, those classes were separate back then). But now I’m glad I learnt some of the basics, and miraculously I still seem to be able to remember them 20 years down the track, at least as far as knitting is concerned.

I still remember the fluorescent yellow and black striped leg warmers I knitted. I think I wore them too! But it was the Eighties when bad taste was at an all-time high, so I don’t think anyone noticed. :D

Battle of the sock

2007-05-11T20:29:00.000+10:00

My current knitting project is a pair of socks (no surprises there!) with some lovely Heirloom Jigsaw sock yarn I got at 50% off earlier this week. Such a bargain, I am still chuffed about it.

Here’s a link (it’s not where I got the yarn from, but they are nice pictures) – I am knitting with colour 25 at the moment:

http://www.ozeyarn.com/category175_1.htm

Last night I had finished turning the heel and was nearly done picking up stitches for the gusset when I dropped a few stitches. They proved difficult to pick up and I ended up having to undo the whole heel to fix it up. Started working on the heel again (at least it looked better than first time around) and was about half way through when the same thing happened again. Argh! I fixed it up and went to sleep – wasn’t in the mood for “third time lucky”. I’m hoping to attempt that heel again tonight. I’m glad I don’t usually drop stitches.

Let's give this a go

2007-05-10T21:54:00.000+10:00

Well, I’ve finally caved and started a knitting blog. I don’t think I’ll write very much as I do my general blogging elsewhere… I just want a public place to share some photos of the things I make… you know… show off. :D

I don’t think of myself as a crafty person and still feel as though I can’t really knit, but I can do socks, and apparently that counts as knitting. :-) And it’s been my favourite pastime for the last 10 months or so.

I will try and post some pictures soon, and I shall dedicate this first entry to Marianne, my lovely kindergarten teacher and friend, who patiently taught me to knit when I was 5 or 6 years old. My first project was a striped scarf for one of my teddy bears. :-)