Wednesday 19 December 2012

Last primary school teacher gift

The last primary school teacher present I will have to make.  It is Cameron's s final year at primary school.  I love this pattern, Woodland Grace, by Luise O'Neill. Using handspun merino yarn.



Tuesday 20 November 2012

Spring Shawl.

 
 
The original pattern is called Spring Shawl, by Emma Fassio. It's a gorgeous shawl pattern (when you read it correctly! I made a mistake in reading the original pattern, and decided to make the error into a design feature, instead of ripping back 10-15 rows. This is handspun merino and black silk.




Saturday 10 November 2012

3 Hour cowl, that took me 6 hours

Obviously I am not the world's fastest knitter, and this project was a good indictation that I must be a slow knitter, (although I wouldn't have thought so), anyway, this cowl is lovely.

I bought this handspun silk on the Isle of Skye at The Shilasdair Shop. The silk has been sitting in the stash for a long time, as I have not found a pattern that I thought would show of beauty of the yarn.

Pattern 3 Hour Cowl by Ijeoma Oluo

It was a fun pattern to do, and knits up really quickly. I think this pattern would be interesting made up with some art yarn.

Thursday 1 November 2012

Art Yarn Handwarmers

I knit the art yarn into hand warmers to see how they look and feel.

No pattern, just played around until I found the "right" amount of stitches to put on the needle for a comfortable fit over my wrists.

I love the randomness of the colours



Wednesday 24 October 2012

University Blues

I'm still here creating things, but university work got in the way, and wow, has there been a lot of reading this year.  I have enjoyed it, but sadly my grade results do not reflect the effort and enjoyment in the subjects I did, However I passed, (so far, just waiting for 1 more assignment result).  Gutted when you think you have done a really great job, to get the feedback that you have missed something..  Assignment marks aside, this year I have really enjoyed the subjects that I did. 
Here is Fergus...who is a joy to have in our house!! 

Monday 15 October 2012

Charly Visits

Charly from Ixchel Angora Bunny and Fibre   came to visit us at our Spinning group.  
It was so much fun, and Charly had so much amazing hand dyed fibre to choose from. 


 Charly bought Tilda along and demonstrated how to remove the fibre from a bunny.
 
So, for the scientific purpose of trying everything at least once, I bought 1 fibre plait of each different type.

That should keep me going for awhile!

Thursday 11 October 2012

Claudia's 18th birthday present, my Möbius #2

Möbius #2.
This möbius scarf is very addictive.
Handspun, chain plied merino top

At the end I added a simple K2tog, YO for the lacework pattern

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Möbius #1

Taught by Bernadette how to cast on the Cat Bordhi way, I have fallen in love with the Möbius scarf.

This one is using handspun yarn I chain plied.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Onion Market Wrist Warmers

Love these, made with handspun merino top, hand dyed by Carmel.  Spun by me.

Onion Market Wrist Warmers by Sybil Ramkin
 
 
 

Semester 2 spinning

After full on days of study, modules read, and assignments submitted, it was a relief to sit down after dinner in the evenings and spin for a few hours.
Again, I surprised myself with how much spinning I managed to get done this semester.
I tried my hand at some art yarn, in particular core spinning which I really love doing.  A bobbin fills up quickly, and I am going to knit some hand warmers with the art yarn.





Just before the semester began, we moved house.  We are now very proud home owners, and are very happy with the place we have bought.  Phil installed some rails above the sink in the laundry, and I am able to hang up skeins of yarn.  So here is this semester's hand spun yarn ready to wash, when the weather is nice, and the last assignment is sent off for the semester.

Sunday 30 September 2012

Majacraft Magic Camp

What a great weekend I had at the Majacraft Magic Camp, run by Mandie and Janet.  Caroline and I drove up to the back of Bacchus Marsh (detour at Gisborne for a needed coffee break).

I did a few different workshops, how to cast on for a Möbius, using the Cat Bordhi method.  That was great fun.  I cast on 2 Möbius scarves to keep me going, so I could check with Bernadette if I had cast on properly.  I also did a workshop on spinning yarn for socks with Carmel, Combs with Glynis, and weaving with Donni.

 The fibre sandwich everyone contributed to. 

  Everyone took home 100grams of fibre

 My messy experiment with weaving techniques.  I managed all this in less than an hour.  I can see why weaving is so addictive....it's so quick once the loom is warped up.
This is the stash I brought home.  This should keep me going for awhile!

Tuesday 24 July 2012

2012 Tour de France project.

This year while watching the Tour de France, I knit this vest.  It's been on the to do list for many years.

The pattern is from Patons book, #1235, called Asymmetric Wrap Vest.


Friday 6 July 2012

Lacy Rib Socks

These socks have been on the needles for a few years.
Finally completed them.

Pattern, Lacy Ribs Socks by Wendy Johnson

Saturday 16 June 2012

Left over blankets...

So I have a leftover sock wool blanket, for the left over sock wool I have from projects, and balls of sockyarn I bought, but don't want to use it for socks.
Pattern is Ten Stitch Blanket by Frankie Brown (I am only using 5 sttiches on this one)
and, I have a leftover-leftover sock wool blanket for the small bits of leftover wook from the 1st blanket.
Patterns is Ten Stitch Twist by Frankie Brown
Now I have started my 3rd leftover blanket, using handspun yarn I have leftover from projects, as there is no way I can possibly throw out left over yarn that I have spun.
Pattern is called Lizard Ridge by Laura Aylor

Saturday 9 June 2012

2012 #23rd & #24 Table Runners

still more pinks....
Last of the pinks of this shape. It's nice to see that I can be used up.

 


 

Friday 8 June 2012

Premmie Beanies and scarves

With some left over Rico baby wool, I made these beanies and sent them up to the premmie ward that Alexander spent some time in after he was born.
Pattern from Carissa Browning, Premmie Hats for Charity.
With some left over yarn in the stash I made 8 scarves for our charity run at out Spinners and weavers group.  These scarves went to the Prahan Mission.
No pattern, just cast on and knit each row until wool runs out.

Baby Jackets

Using up left over handspun yarn, I made a few baby jackets.

Pattern is Baby Yoda Sweater, by Cari Luna

It is such a great pattern to follow, and something small that can fit into your handbag, and knit while waiting to pick up kids from sports and school



Saturday 26 May 2012

2012 #21 & #22 Table Runners

There seem to be a lot of pinks left over from quilts.

Saturday 12 May 2012

2012 #19 & #20 Table Runners

Still working on these shapes that were cut out for quilts a few years ago.
Now for the yellows.


Wednesday 2 May 2012

Mobile Mittens

Alexander asked me to knit him a pair of mittens for riding to school.  It is getting cold here.

Pattern is called Mobile Mittens by Maria Moesby
Yarn, Naturally Vero


Monday 30 April 2012

Reversible Scrap Quilt blocks

Spending a bit of time after working through the box of 2"strips, to tackle the "less than 2" strip box. (I know, it's crazy). 
Using leftover 10" x 10" squares of wadding, I am sewing all the strips to the wadding.  Eventually I will make some quilts out of them.  It surprises me how many blocks you can make with the leftover strips that I couldn't bear to throw in the bin because they were small, but not that small. 

(On a side note, anything less than 1" gets thrown away)






That's all the less that 2" strips for now.  One day these will get sewn into a quilt.