Zuzana K

Camera case

2012-01-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

So I ended up doing little bit of everything. I sewed the case from a fleece fabric I had in my room, did the blanket stitch around the top edge and knitted a strap from Rico Creative Cotton yarn I have.

It's nothing special but it's ok for now.

New camera

2012-01-20T02:45:00.000-08:00

I used to be an aspiring wannabe-photographer. I bought a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H2, which was a camera for "serious amateurs". But that was before I had children. Since the camera is larger than a simple point-and-shoot, I had to be either carrying the camera or the baby. And my children were not the pushchair type. They wanted to be carried all the bl***y time. So the camera got left behind and I ended up taking pictures with my phone instead.

I didn't want to buy a compact camera. What. Me? The almost-professional-photographer? No-no-no. It took me few years to actually give in and buy one. Because pictures taken on the phone can only do so much, they are great as the phone wallpaper or occasional F-book upload, but you can't really print them out and hang them on the wall, can you?

Today was THE day. My new camera arrived. After some thinking and deliberating, I decided to go for Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. It's tiny, my phone is actually bigger. But that's what I wanted. A camera that can be on me all the time.

The battery is charging so I'm thinking about the case I am going to make. Should I knit one? Crochet one? Or sew one?

I can't wait to start taking pictures again.

And poor-old Sony? It's got broken. I don't know when or how it happened, maybe when we were moving or maybe it was the kids? Who knows. Shame, the camera has taught me a lot, all pictures on the blog were taken with Sony. It had a good life, I think. But it is time to move on - hello Canon!

New project

2012-01-17T06:07:00.001-08:00

Although I still have the Manu cardigan on my needles, I've already been looking around for something else. Preferably something that won't take 2 years to finish (and I think I'm being optimistic here, I started Manu 1.5 years already and I'm not even half way through).

But anyway, I found this lovely cardigan: Safire by Hillary Smith Callis, aka Yarniad. This short and sweet and shouldn't take me longer than, uhm, couple of months? Did I just say couple of months? I regret it already :-).

I need to finish a report I'm writing for school first. Once that's done, I'll start with Safire.

Unidentified crocheted vest

2011-12-30T01:36:00.001-08:00

Do you remember this vest

I found the pattern! It's called Chevron Lace Cardigan and it's free on Ravelry. Looking at the pattern, all I omitted was the sleeves. Not so bad, then!

I was looking for something to do and crocheting is usually much faster than knitting. But I didn't find anything I liked, it usually looks quite chaotic and messy and I much prefer the neat order of knitting.

Or I could just finish something that's already on my needles?

Does this thing still work?

2011-12-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

It's been so long, I even forgot my blogger password. I'm hesitant to say I'm back because I've said it many times before and I never came back! Life got in the way. But the same life has been gently pushing me in the knitting direction so who am I to resist?

The reason I was offline for so long is simple. I started University last year and the workload is kind of tough. It's completely manageable alongside my other duties, children, housework, but there is not much time left for anything else. So even though it hurt, knitting had to go.

But it's been stalking me around, no matter what I do and where I go, knitting is there! My first (and probably last) pattern Mariam's bootees has been getting some lovely attention, this blog has had some comments, my Ravelry account too - and I feel like I'm really missing out on some knitting fun. Also, since I'm studying psychology, I know that knitting can be an official therapy - and who doesn't need therapy in this mad world?

I think I'll change the design little bit and hopefully, I'll start posting more often. Dare I say see you around?

Oh, and by the way...

2010-09-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

... I'm back from my holiday so I should get back to blogging regulary.

And on my holiday I knitted about 9'' of Manu cardigan. And I learned how to knit (and purl) and read. So that's good. Because I also managed to read 2 books.

There is nothing better than multitasking, is there :-)

FO: Elijah and Sophia

2010-09-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

Pattern: both are from Ysolda
Yarn: Elijah made of D.Bliss Baby Cashmerino and Sophie is made of some unknown yarn from my stash. It is 100% wool, I used it for baby soakers before, but that's all I remember about it.
Mods: None. None needed. They are perfect.

I made Elijah first. And I fell in love. I never knew what was all the fuss about, why was Ysolda so popular. Ok, so she is so young, and so talented... but... ? In the end, it is just knitting that we are talking about here.

But now I get it. She is just really good, you know? Her patterns are easy but she has a great attention to details.

I mean, to make a face like this? With decreases? So simple and yet so effective.

So now I get it. She is just good.

Knitting these two guys actually made me think about myself and where I was going. I know I wanted to make my own designs, but, honestly? I don't think there is a point. I can knit, yes, I can. But I simply don't think I would ever produce anything special. Maybe this little dream of mine is meant to stay a dream. Maybe that's all there is to it.
I don't know.
Anyway, for now I'm just going to knit someone elses designs. And maybe one day I'll return to my dream.

But having said that, I do have an "idea" sketched in my notebook. I might just knit this one up and then put my dream aside. We shall see.

FO: Mouse

2010-08-21T07:01:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Nibbles the Mouse (rav link)
Yarn: unknown from stash
Mods: none

Finished in couple of hours on saturday morning. Made my son really happy :-)

WIPs and to-be-WIP

2010-08-18T02:07:00.003-07:00

I cannot actually reveal what I am making as they will be presents for a dear friend of mine.

So just a little tease:

The pinky thingy is already finished, just waiting for some last touch-ups.

Blue thingy is going to be finished in next few days, it's on the top of my list!

We are going on holiday in few days so I spent last few days looking for the right projects to take with me. Nothing too elaborate, nothing too boring, nothing too heavy (have to think about the baggade allowance!).
As I still have not made any cardigan for me (long and boring story, ugh), I decided just to go for the first one that I find interesting. It doesn't have to be special or the "best cardigan ever". I'm over that now. It has to be nice and it has to be made from 4ply wool because I found the greatest bargin a knitter could imagine the other week - I bought 9 balls of 4ply pure new wool in a charity shop :-) It cost me 8 pounds. Wow, right? Just wow :-)
So anyway, first I was going to knit up some socks but what would I do with the other 8 balls? So I decided to look for something bigger than socks - a cardigan.

Do you want to know what I found?

Look!

Yes, it's going to be Manu by Kate Davies from Needled.

I don't know if I told you but not only I like to knit, I also love reading about knitting. The history, the different techniques, I love to read about the yarn, where it came from, well, I love to read just about everything that has anything to do with knitting. I'm simply fascinated by this craft. One day I'll tell you about all the books that I have here :-)
So anyway, Kate is just amazing. Not only she is a great designer, she is a writer as well! I'm actually going to print out her posts and take them with me to read while we travel.
Yeah, I'm a knitting geek.

So I already swatched for Manu, I will cast on before we leave and by the time we are back I'm hoping to have something to show you.

And welcome to all the new readers, I know I'm not updating this place often enough but hopefully it will change. But now I'm off to start packing.

FO: Lace tam by Susan Rainey

2010-08-18T01:34:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Lace tam and scarf by Susan Rainey
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK
Mods: None. Although I should have made it smaller :-( Unfortunatelly the brim is just huge, and even though I tried adding an elastic thread to it, it just isn't right.

See? Huge.

The yarn is lovely and soft (blend of Merino, Cashmere and Microfibre) so it deserves the right project. So I'm going to rip this hat out and do something else. It's not that I don't like the hat or the pattern but, well, I'd be bored doing it all over again! So I'm looking for a new beret pattern.

FO: Unindentified crocheted vest

2010-08-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

So I was cleaning up my boxes full of yarn the other day and found a half-finished crochet vest I started some 2 years ago.
I "finished" it one evening in front of the TV.

So let me introduce you to the Unidentified crocheted vest.

Pattern: ?? I wish I knew. It was a free pattern I found somewhere on the net. If you recognize it, leave me a comment and I will link to it
Yarn: RYC Cotton Jeans
Mods: I didn't finish it. It was supposed to be much longer and it had sleeves. But because I picked it up after about 2 years of hibernating, I didn't have the pattern nor the yarn to finish it. So I just double crocheted it all around and left it as it is.

It's not that bad but I don't think it will be a favourite piece of clothing.

FO: 9 - 5 socks

2010-07-17T06:13:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Nine to Five socks by Nicole Hindes
Yarn: Cygnet Truly Wool Rich, 3.25mm size needles
Mods: None, I just made them bit longer for my giant feet ( I was going to say for my mum's giant feet but that just sounds wrong... So although these socks are for her, the size is based on my feet :-))

The pattern was well written and clear but I guess I'm just not a sock-knitter. I got bored pretty soon and was pushing myself to finish them. I don't know why, next socks will have to be either really intrigue or fair isle.

WIP - 9-5 socks

2010-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Almost there. The plan is to strike it off my to-do list tonight. And move on to Frozen Leaves.

Oh, didn't I tell you? I made a half-year resolution. Must not start new project until these two (socks and Frozen leaves) are done.

It's working.

Somehow.

Good.

WIP - Granny squares blanket

2010-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Simple Granny Square blanket
Yarn: Rowans Pure wool

This is my relaxation project. I work on this whenever I don't feel like any serious knitting/crocheting but would feel guilty for not doing anything at all. So I crochet this little piece. I'll just keep going round and round until I run out of yarn. Or patience.

I'm actually further along than this picture suggests. I'm almost finishing my second ball of yarn. But still, I have a long way to go.

To rip or not to rip

2010-07-12T08:24:00.001-07:00

I'm working on my new design, a sleeveless cardigan.

I think the armholes are too big.

Do I care enough to rip it all out?

Not sure...

Blah.

FO: Playground shirt

2010-07-11T23:52:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Playground Shirt
Yarn: Patons Linen (rav link)
Mods: Few. I made a garter stitch border under each underarm and the ribbing was in garter stitch as well. Also, when casting on the required number of stitches for the underarm (6? I think), to prevent the first loose stitch that I always get, I casted on 2 extra stitches on (8 instead of 6) and k2tog the last stitch from the front piece together with the first casted on stitch from the underarm and SSK last stitch from the underarm together with the first stitch of the back piece. Does it make sence? I made it some weeks ago, I'm sure I'm not explaining it properly.

I did run into problems towards the end, I run out of yarn just few rows before finishing the second sleeve. I ended up having to rip out few rows on the bottom of the shirt and on the first sleeve to get some extra yarn.

I think it was worth all that extra trouble!

Playground shirt

2010-06-21T02:22:00.000-07:00

I have few projects on my table.

Firstly, I have been knitting a Playground shirt for my son (almost 3ys). I saw the shirt on Soulemama and thought - why not? I have been wanting to knit something for my son for a while now, most of my recent knitting was for my little girl (4months old) so I felt he was left behind a little.

I almost finished it, just have to work on the sleeves. I modified it little bit, I will write down the mods when it's all finished.

I've also been working on a new design, this time it will be a vest. The prototype will be in a child version but the idea was to design a vest for a woman. But I want to try it on a smaller scale first, just in case it doesn't work. I'm not that confident in my abilities yet :-)

Another change I've been going through is that I realised I'm really overthinking most of my knitting. I mean, I still haven't found the perfect cardigan, can you believe it?? Don't know what I'm waiting for... So instead, if I like something, I'll just make it, I won't go looking for something nicer because there will ALWAYS be something nicer.

I'm really inspired by few ladies in the knitting blogland - for starts by Julie from Knitted Bliss and Hilary from The Yarniad. They just knit, knit, knit and it all looks wonderful! Most of the things they made I would make too. And it's much easier finding patterns this way (on other people blogs) then going through Ravelry. Don't get me wrong, Ravelry is super great. Especially when you already know what you want to knit because, chances are, there will already be tens or hundreds people who already knitted it.
But if you don't know what to knit? It's overwhelming.

So in next few day I'm hoping to cast on on any nice cardigan because I just need one. Who would have thought :-)

I'm back... for real

2010-06-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I wrote anything here. I'm sorry. I think I lost all my readers now but well, I'll give it another try. I have been blogging over at Knitted, my second blog. Knitted is more personal than this blog because people who read that one know me personally. But it's not in English! Never mind, though, you can pop there to look at the pictures at least :-)

So anyway, what have I been up to?

We have finally moved houses and kind of settled. Still waiting for some furniture but all in all, I can finally sit down with my feet up and relax. I love our new house and its surroundings. Very inspirational indeed. Just walking around makes me what to knit, knit, knit!! My head is busting with new ideas. If I could do everything in one day, I would have had a whole collection of outfits based on our new home. But unfortunately it doesn't work like that with knitting. Knitting takes time, as you all know. So for now, I'm sketching and writing notes and, hopefully, soon enough I will start the "real" work. The knitting, that is.

So what have I been knitting then?

Not much. Moving took a lot out of me. And the new baby. And visitors. I tried to knit here and there but was making too many mistakes. For this reason I put the Frozen Leaves shawl aside for now. I reached the transition row and from this point on it will get little bit more complicated. And I can't afford to make any mistakes. I love this shawl and I hate ripping so, well, it will have to wait until I am more concentrated.

I'm also knitting socks for my mum. They were supposed to be finished before she came to visit me. Uhm, .... she is going back home tomorrow and guess what... they are not finished. One sock is. The second one is half way done. I'll have to send them by post :-(
They are the Nine to five socks by Nicole Hindes, by the way, I think I forgot to mention that.

I also made a little facecloth to accompany a lovely soap my mum bought for my grand mum.

Very simple one. I was going to look for some pattern but when Ravelry gave me like hundreds of different patterns for facecloths, I decided to just do it my way. Too much hassle going through the patterns, really.

It took me few hours and it's done. Ready to be delivered to its recipient.

The instructions for this Kool Facecloth can be found here.

Eye candy

2010-05-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to look at something pretty after seeing too much of white paint. Yes, I've been painting the new house so that it's ready before we move in - and it's been overwhelming. I'm exhausted and it's still just a beginning...

So I sit here, it's early morning and it's my "day off", meaning I won't go to the new house today but will spend the day cleaning the old one instead. I had my morning coffee already, fed both kids as well and have about 1.5minute before I have to get up and wipe some one's bottom or fix some one's clothes or... you know, whatever.

I was looking at pictures of things I would love to make. Eventually. When life returns to normal. Like in 5 years or so :-) So here they are:

Sagrantino Shawl
So unusual and so beautiful!

Hemlock Ring Blanket

Imagine this in a lovely soft wool. Then, imagine yourself sitting in a mountain cottage by the fire, in winter, it's snowing and cold outside but you are snugly and warm inside. Thanks to this blanket. Aaahhhh...

Wallis by Rowan is another must. Didn't want to take someone else personal picture of it so I'm just linking to a Ravelry page. It's so beautiful and so me. Not that I'm beautiful. It's just something I would definitely wear. A lot.

I've just discovered Kim Hargreaves. I can't link to just something from her designs because I love them all. It's as simple as that.

I also found few new blogs lately but unfortunately my 1.5 minutes of freedom is over. So next time than.

'tis Friday

2010-04-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

I admit I have not been a good blogger. What is the point of having a blog when one does not update it... like... never? But, let us not forget that I have had a baby, in laws visiting for something like 2 months and we are about to move houses. Yes, the timing is impeccable. But I won't complain, I have done enough of that to my friends, I grew tired of complaining now. I have to look at the bright side of things, baby is healthy and cute, in laws will eventually leave and just think of the endless possibilities of decorating a new home!

So as of today, I decided to be positive and upbeat and optimistic!

Wish me luck :-)

Wednesday

2010-04-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I wrote anything. The baby took over my life completely and although I'm knitting as much as I can, it's not much at all.

I'm still working on Frozen leaves shawl but I only manage to do one or two rows a day. Partly because the rows are pretty long now and partly because the baby does not understand that mummy needs some mummy-time as well. So the shawl is growing but sloooowlyyy.

I had to rip out my Mrs Darcy cardigan because I made it several (hundreds) sizes too big. And I didn't get around to it ever since for the above "Baby reasons".

Right now I'm just trying to survive the dreaded baby colics and hoping that I'll be back to my regular knitting soon.

I have few more blogs to share with you but not today, I'm still reviewing them :-))

Frozen leaves shawl

2010-03-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure if I like lace knitting at first. I did my first shawl in February, casted on another one pretty soon after, but wasn't sure how I feel about them. Yes, they both look ok but were they worth the work?

But I still couldn't resist casting on another one. This time it's Frozen Leaves pattern and I'm using the lovely Malabrigo lace yarn.

And I am hooked. Seriously.

Travelling woman

2010-03-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Impossible to take a picture of a shawl :-(

No photo-editing done.

Using just one finger to type this, baby is taking over the rest of my body.

Oh well, yet more reasons to just sit and do nothing.

'Till next time!

On my needles

2010-03-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

I don't have a picture yet but I have already started my new knitting project. I finally found the cardigan. THE cardigan with capital "C".

It's Mrs Darcy. I'm following Wakenda's modifications plus I'll do my own, partly because I'm using a DK weight yarn (instead of Aran) and also because I'll want the body to be bit longer. So the stockinette stch part will not be just 19rows but bit longer.

I like this cardigan, it's simple yet beautiful and I'm learning a new skill while knitting it. Reading. Yes, I moved on up one level and now I'm trying to knit without looking at my hands. It's easy when it's just simple knit and purl stitches but I'm still little bit careful. I check my work every 10 or so stitches and so far - no mistakes! All I need now is a good book/website to read.

I've only done like 15 rows of it, I'm knitting it in one piece and it's not going that fast. But it's ok because I've already ordered my first ever lace weight yarn (and nothing less than the famous Malabrigo!) to start my new lace project! I'll be knitting Frozen leaves by Anusla (Rav link). I can't wait, I love this shawl and it will be a real challenge for me, new baby, new routines, new yarn... But I need something challenging on my needles, I need to have something to come back to when I have a moment, something else than poo-ey diapers :-)

As far as lace knitting goes, I finished the Travelling woman, it's being blocked now. I wasn't particularly happy about it, it's nice but nothing special, but we learn from our mistakes, right? Now I know that it's stupid to try to save on yarn, especially when you are knitting something as time-consuming as lace. Travelling woman was easy enough so I don't feel that bad but imagine knitting something for weeks and weeks only to find out that the yarn you chose is rubbish? Completely unsuitable?

That's why I ordered Malabrigo. Plus it's not even that much expensive considering there is like 430m in 50g :-)

Anyway, pictures to come in the next post.

Off to knit few more rows on The Cardigan ;-)

A lovely sunny day

2010-03-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

I would buy these flowers just for the pots. I love the pots!

We have had quite a few of those lately. But I was housebound, tired after the birth and recovering from a tummy bug the whole family caught :-(

But today, today we ventured out! We went to a local garden center, so local that until just few days ago I had no idea it was even there. But now I know and I'll be spending lots of time there because it's just lovely.

And here are few pictures:

I have a thing for mugs. I'm always on the lookout for the special one. At the moment I have Cath Kidston mug but it's dying on me, I think it's time to find a new one.

Oh yeah, little bit of knitting wouldn't hurt, would it? So this is the Wraparound in use. I'm really happy with it, it fits perfectly, and the girl looks so cute in it :-) As far as the pattern goes, it's on the list, people, it's on the list!

Mariam

2010-03-09T04:35:00.000-08:00

Don't be fooled by the blue clothes. She is a girl. Really. Just suffering from the second child syndrome :-)

Just to let you all know I have given birth to a beautiful baby girl last Tuesday. We named her Mariam (duh :-)). We are both doing well.

Knitting will have to wait for the time being, I keep thinking and reading about it, I'm just not doing it.

Will be back in few days? Weeks? Who knows...

Just one more thing

2010-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

I've discovered plenty lovely knitting blogs recently. Until now I wasn't that lucky, I had loads of sewing/quilting links but not so many knitting ones.

So here are my new additions:

Joli House - is a lovely blog written by Amanda. She lives and knits in the UK. She has a very talented daughter Lily who, at a tender age of just 11, is knitting herself and even designing!! Wow, talk about talent. I love the pictures, I love the projects, I love that occasional picture of a horse on their blog (I LOVE horses) so yeah, very inspirational blog indeed.

The Rainey Sisters - this is a blog of two sisters. From what I understood (I have not gone through all the archives as I usually do yet), they both live in the USA but quite far away from each other. Knitting is their passion so they blog about it. Love the pictures again (I mean, when did it become obligatory for knitters to also be a great photographers??) and the projects.

Mamma K - this is my friend's blog. She knits, she sews, she cooks vegetarian dishes. Her blog is very inspirational and I'm especially grateful for the recipes! She is like the big sister to me, and it does help she is just a short train journey away from me.

Ze Steknova - ok, this is not a knitting blog. And it's not even in English. But this lady is very special to me (and she would laugh hard if she knew I just called her a lady :-)) It's just an ordinary mum of 4 kids with not so ordinary problems. I would call her my big sisters as well but she is like half my size so I can't :-) I admire her nevertheless, her inner strength, her patience, her unconditional love for her family.

I'm sure I forgot about someone but please bear in mind I'm not myself lately.

Sunday

2010-02-27T23:56:00.001-08:00

This place has not been as busy as I intended it to be. I am knitting but things are very slow recently. I'm waiting for this new baby to come and it's tiring and I'm not in the mood to write about knitting when I feel like I swallowed a watermelon.

So I will be back but I just don't know when exactly. Soon, hopefully.

x

I have not dissapeared

2010-02-22T01:42:00.000-08:00

(Sorry, don't have a better picture yet)

Nor have I given birth yet. I was waiting for the perfect day to take some perfect pictures of my perfect shawl but, well, it never came. There were few sunny days lately but I just couldn't be bothered to get up and get my camera. It is the end of pregnancy bug - all I want to do is sit and do nothing. Hear nothing. See nothing.

But that doesn't mean that I've not been doing anything as far as knitting goes.

I finished my first lace shawl, the Heartland Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark. I still can't believe I finished it, to be honest. It looks much more complicated than it actually was and it is beautiful.

It's just magical, the whole business of lace making. It looks like complete mess on the needles and I do admit I just wanted to threw it away more than few times. But I didn't, I finished it, washed it, blocked it and fell in love with it. Too bad it is a present.

Never mind, I'm already making another one for myself. This time I've chosen the Travelling Woman by Liz Abinante. The yarn I'm using is Sirdar Click DK with wool (70% acrylic, 30% wool) from my stash. I don't know if this is the best yarn to use for lace as I have no idea how I will block it. But it is just so nice and soft, I couldn't resist.

The shawl itself is rather easy and simple, I have already memorised the pattern and if I work hard, I could finish it in few days. But I'm not going to work hard, simply because I enjoy making it and also because I think I will run out of yarn and I will need to order more. So I'm taking it easy.

I will either use it as a shawl for myself or as a blanket thingy for the baby. It is lovely and soft so I'm not worried it would upset the baby's sensitive skin.

I have not started knitting the cardigan yet, partly because I don't know if I like the pattern anymore :-) That's just me. Me and a cardigan. Never ending story. I know how I wanted it to look like but I just can't find the right pattern. I even though of designing my own one but I don't dare to - after all it is a bit bigger and more complicated than the baby things I designed.

So I wait and I search and I hop,e that maybe one day, the perfect cardigan will come my way.

On my needles

2010-02-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

So in between the February Baby Sweater and the Wraparound, I casted on the Heartland Lace Shawl.

This is my first ever lace shawl. Or a proper lace project. It is strangely satisfying, even though it is not my kind of thing at all. I usually go for instant gratification, fast knits. But this... I've been working on it for a week and it still doesn't look like anything. It's a mess. Lots of random holes. I know that the magic comes with the blocking and I know that until it's washed and blocked it WILL remain a mess. So I keep knitting it. Even though at the moment I do not like it. The rows got longer, it started off on 2 stitches and as of today I have 179 on my needles. And when I finish I will have like 250? It's not hard to knit but it needs my undivided attention and concentration. All these yarn overs can get messy.

I want to finish it in another week or so. I need to. I think if I leave it for much longer, I'll start hating it and never finish it.

So to calm my nerves and fingers, I decided to finally knit myself a cardigan. After few days of looking through Ravelry patterns I chose Girl Friday cardigan. I have 10 balls of Rowan Cashsoft DK in my stash in a nice violet color so this is what I will use. The pattern is written for a worsted weight yarn and I have DK so I will need to do some calculations first.

Yesterday I knitted a swatch. I'm trying to decide whether I should stick to the Diamond Lace pattern or whether I should change it a little bit (one of the knitters omitted the purl stitches).

Yesterday I liked the simple stockinette stitch + yarn overs version, but today I like the original Diamond Lace pattern more. I think I'll leave it for few more days and then I'll decide.

So that's all for now. I think I've said enough :-)

Finally...

2010-02-09T01:58:00.001-08:00

... I have something to show you.

I have been quite busy over the last few weeks, reading, thinking, knitting... The due date is fast approaching and I want to do as much as I can before the baby's born. Being this pregnant has one advantage - I cannot sleep much and so I work. And one disadvantage - I am so tired most of the time so whenever I do work, everything takes very long.

But anyway.

This is the official picture of the EZ February Baby Sweater:

Like I said, it turned out ok. Considering it was my first ever lace project, I am happy. I am not very happy with the yarn I used but it was in my stash and I wanted to use it for something eventually so why not this.

Next, I finished designing the Wraparound. This is the 0-3months size.

It turned out very well, exactly as I envisioned it. Knitting it was a pleasure, I run into no problems at all and I hope that will be the case for whoever decides to knit it as well. I really like this simple, plain design, something that you can either leave as it is or you can embellish it with buttons/flowers/embroidery.
Sometimes I think maybe I should not knit everything so plain. But I just don't want to impose my ideas of prettiness upon other people. Keeping the first knit plain encourages the knitters to add their own personal touches to it. At least that's how I see it. But maybe I'm wrong. I would appreciate YOUR input on this.

After spending a good amount of time in my local J.Lewis, I finally chose these shell buttons. You can call this my personal touch. I didn't want the buttons to be too plain, white or cream-colored, nor too bright. I love the shell buttons, I think they make the sweater special.

I'm writing the pattern down at the moment, then I will size it and send it to test knitters. I don't think it will be published for another few weeks, which is a shame, because I really want to see how others knitted it.

And what's currently on my needles? Stay tuned...

February Baby Sweater and WIP

2010-01-29T01:52:00.001-08:00

So the FBS is finished. It has been finished for few days but it's still blocking. It's ok, I think I will only properly appreciate it when it is on a baby, not on a foam mat :-) It was a nice and easy project, although the sleeves were a bit of a headache. But it's finished so that's all that matters.

Picture will be posted as soon as it's blocked and dried.

I have been working on something else. Pink Rose Pullover (PRP) will have to wait now as I realised I actually need something that will fit the baby as soon as it is born, not months later. PRP was designed bit bigger so I decided to leave it for now and work on something smaller.

The working title is The Wraparound. I'm using nice thick aran weight yarn, cream color. It will not be too girly, I'm aiming for something that could be worn by both, boys and girls, something, that will be easy to accessorise/customize.
For some reason my gauge is 4st/1", instead of 5st/1", something that I expected from an aran weight. But it's ok, it's not tight or too stiff, it feels just fine. So I will leave it for now.
I've been playing with the design, I want to keep it simple but I will include some twisted stitches and the travelling stitch.

So the swatches have been done, I actually casted on the real thing last night but due to miscalculations I had to rip it out in the morning. I'm going to start on it again now, hopefully it will work out this time. This is something I actually enjoy, the suspense, the "drama". Not knowing if the design (that works very well in my head) will work in reality as well. And when I find out that it does work, the feeling is just great. I don't mind ripping it out as long as it is a small-ish project, I can't really imagine feeling this way about an adult-sized garment though :-)

So back to work now. Here is a swatch for you :-)

Pictures

2010-01-20T01:38:00.000-08:00

February Baby Sweater

Rainbow Mitts are finished!! I actually bought another skein and made the second mitt again. The colors are still different but at least there is no bright purple/pink there anymore. I'm very happy with them.

February Baby Sweater and Book reviews

2010-01-20T00:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry, pictures to follow, we are suffering from low light conditions again...

I took some time off from writing down the pattern for Pink Rose Pullover. Simply because I really want it to be right, even though it is just a baby item and it doesn't have to fit much, it will look cute anyway. Hopefully.

Last few weeks I spent studying various books I got on the subject of pattern writing and designing in general. I'm like that, I can't do anything half way. It's either properly or not at all. So I got these books:

Knitter's Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes

Sweater Design in Plain English by Maggie Righetti

Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann

In addition to these I already have the Knitter's Almanac by E.Zimmermann as well.

Every book is great and every book is unique. E.Z. books tend to be more of less the same, she has (or had) a good way of explaining things and after reading few of her patterns (or chapters), you will kind of guess how the others will look like. But like I said, the value of her books lies elsewhere. She makes you believe that you can do it, you can design your own knitwear.

While the book Sweater Design in Plain English is different. Both books are of older date, the designs there are not modern or "in" these days. But the lessons are invaluable. M. Righetti talks more about the background of design, the things you don't see, things you don't think about. Like how to measure one properly. How different designs do different things to body shapes. How colors can make a real difference. How different kinds of stitches behave differently, when should you use one and when the other. There are patterns in the books as well but each pattern is a lesson, teaching you different things. You don't have to make the item, all you need to do is read.

And the Knitter's Book of Yarn? Lovely book with beautiful pictures. Talks about different kinds of yarns, how they behave, what are their qualities. I still have to read most of this book. I've looked at all of the pictures now though. I just love them.

So this is what I have been doing. Reading, reading, reading. Taking notes. Reading.

In the midst of all this reading I really wanted to do some knitting as well. Mindless knitting. And as the due date approaches, I really have to make some baby items. The Drawstring Pants are way too big for a newborn :-( So I took the same yarn (RYC Cotton jeans) and decided to cast on the famous February Baby Sweater from the book Knitter's Almanac. I have seen other people using 100% cotton for this project so I though why not. It's going well, I've only worked on it 2 evenings and I'm about half way done with the main body. I will be knitting the sleeves in the round when the body is finished. It is my first lacy pattern as well and I am really enjoying it. It's so much better then simple stockinette stitch :-)
I think it would have been nicer from a different yarn but well, never mind. I think I'm kind of fed up using 100% cotton now, have been using it for ages due to my son's eczema but I've had enough. There is nothing wrong with cotton yarns but they are just too harsh on my hands. It's like knitting with number of threads twisted together. No elasticity. No body. Nothing. Just a plain fabric. Wool is much softer and more accommodating to one's mistakes.

I will take some pictures later on. So you will see for yourself.

I'm also ready to carry on with my Pink Rose Pullover. I might have to frog what I have done so far but I have much better understanding of how the whole design business works.

So that's all from over here. For now :-)

Pictures

2010-01-14T04:55:00.000-08:00

So I finally took some pictures.

Here are the Drawstring pants #2:

They are ok, although definitely NOT the newborn size. I followed the pattern, even the swatch was on the spot, but there you go... Yet another reason to just do it my way.

I also finished the Rainbow Mitts I mentioned last time.

They look ok.

Or they would look ok, if...

I didn't run out of yarn at the very last moment and therefore couldn't finish the thumb on the mitt #2 (duh, really, can you believe it??? All I needed was like 1 yard of yarn)

I knew that the color between Mitt #1 and #2 would be different... but I was shocked to see how much different it is. I would wear mitts that are not exactly the same color, but this??

I really don't know if I'm that wild. Oh, don't notice the overall difference in appearance, at least you can see the magic called blocking. Mitt on the right has not been washed and blocked because of the *&%^& thumb.

Do you understand my frustration now? Do you?

Do I really need to buy another skein of yarn just to finish 5 teeny tiny rows? Or should I just make another mitt, hoping the colors will work out better? I will have to do something because I just LOVE the first mitt:

I love the colors here, I loved the cable, I love the yarn. The pattern was nice and easy and it fits so well. So I guess I have no other choice but to finish the other mitt in some way.

Pattern: Mums Cabled Mitts by Jessica Jensen, blogged here
Yarn: Creative Poems Aran by Rico Design

And in the meantime...

2010-01-13T01:07:00.000-08:00

The baby drawstring pants #2 have been finished. But the light has been so, so bad around here that I just can't take any decent picture of them. So you'll just have to believe me.

I have also started working on some wrist warmers (or fingerless mitts) from a yarn I bought last week just because I loved the colors. It's 100% wool aran weight yarn, self stripping (kind of rainbow colored) and I have one mitt finished. It's really nice! Funny thing is that the second mitt will be basically a different color alltogether, first mitt starts off nice and pink and then the color changes into dark purple/blueish/greenish. Second mitt will have some pink again and more of blue. But who cares, right? So I'll have two different mitts. I'm that special :-)

I'll post pictures later, when the days get lighter and brighter, although I do hope I won't have to wait for weeks.

I'm also working on my Pink Rose pullover design and I have put down some details of another piece I want to make. I don't know why, I don't even bother looking for a pattern now, if I come up with something I like I simply try to do it myself instead of spending hours on the net looking for someone else's pattern.
And who is to blame for my totally unreasonable self confidence?

Elizabeth Zimmermann and Ravelry.

One thing I read in EZ books: "So what if your stitches are kind of uneven, are you trying to imitate a shop bought sweater or are you just making your own thing?" (very much paraphrasing).

And she is right. If I wanted something that I can buy in the shop, I would just go and buy it. It would definitely be cheaper and less stressful.

Another thing I read somewhere was along the lines of: I knit my own clothes. Now my wardrobe has things I love and love to wear instead of just things I found in the shops and thought - well, they look ok and I do need to have something like that anyway, so I'll buy it.

So I'm embracing all the imperfections in my work, the uneven stitches, the funny designs. And it feels good.

Mariam's bootees pattern free PDF

2010-01-09T06:47:00.000-08:00

So I have my first free pattern! It's not yet published on Ravelry as it takes some time to be hooked up as a designer there but that wouldn't stop me from publishing it here.

I do hope that the link will work, if not, please leave me a comment and I'll do all I can to fix whatever mistakes I'm about to make.

Here we go...

There have been lots of lurkers on this blog but no comments. If there ever was the right time to post a comment, this is it! Please let me know how you like it.

The Pink Rose Pullover

2010-01-06T01:22:00.000-08:00

... is what I have been working on recently. I consider it my "Big Project" because I'm designing it all by myself, and because it will be a real pullover. Eventually.

It is going to be a present for my baby #2. I do hope it will be a girl. Can't imagine a boy in lovely pink outfit. But we will see.

The idea came to me even before I did the Mariam's bootees (the pattern should be published in next few days, I'm waiting for the last tester to finished knitting them. If you search Ravelry for Mariam's bootees, you will see other tester's finished bootees and I have to say, I love them all!! I know, it's my "little baby", so I am kind of biased, but I really thing I would love them even if there weren't "mine". But anyway...)

So the Pink Rose Pullover. I had this image in my head of a baby wearing a lovely pullover, pink but not too pink, not too complicated but not in a simple stockinette stitch either. I searched for a pattern, consulted my books and I couldn't find anything. So I just let it be. Then one day, while working on the bootees and reading E.Zimmermann's book Knitter's Almanac, I though to myself: Why not design it myself? That's the beauty of E.Z. She makes you feel like you can do it. Like designing your own knitwear is easy-peasy. You don't need to have schools and special software, you can just sit down and try it yourself. What can possibly happen? Either it will work or it won't. And if it doesn't, you will have definitely learnt a lot. So basically you will not loose either way.

So I got my notebook and drew down a simple design. To be honest, the picture does not look like a pullover at all. The ability to draw has somehow escaped me. I cannot do it. I cannot even copy things. But I knew what I meant by that scribble so that was good enough. I put it away looking for the right yarn. Which I found at the J. Lewis sale. It's Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Pink color (what a surprise). I made two swatches and started working on the design.

As of now I know this:

It will be pink
It will be a pullover, not a cardigan
It will have raglan sleeves
It will have some cables

I have made another swatch for knitting in the round. It ended up being a whole sleeve. I just though, well, I have to swatch for knitting in the round anyway to check my gauge so why not try it as a sleeve. If it works, I will have made a sleeve. If it doesn't, I will have made a swatch. It worked. So now I have one sleeve and I think it's time to start working on the body.

I know, it's not the way you usually knit a sweater. But well, who cares what was knit first as long as it ends up looking good, right?

I really like where this is going. If you told me a month ago that I would be designing something, I would have thought you've gone mad. Me? Designing? I can hardly follow a pattern, how can I possibly write one?

Sometimes, the inability to do one thing opens a door to something completely new and exciting. And I think my door have just opened.

Mariam's bootees

2010-01-02T02:18:00.001-08:00

So I wrote my first pattern ever. And you know what, it was really exciting! And lots or work, yeah. I never though it would be so much work. Or maybe it's just the perfectionist in me because I knitted 8 samples. 8 little bootees. Took about 30 photos.

The pattern is written for knitting in the round AND knitting them flat, so I tested both ways. I also tested 2 different sizes, well 3 sizes actually, as the first 2 bootees were like half way between 0-3 months and 3-6. So I amended the stitch count and knitted them again in smaller and bigger size. Luckily it takes about an hour and half to finish one shoe, I can't imagine designing a sweater and having to re-knit it over and over again. I also worked out how many extra stitches to cast on to get bigger sizes.

And then the pictures... what a pain!! I used to like taking pictures and editing them but that was because it was for fun. But when you actually want to publish the pictures, have them as part of an official pattern, it's no fun anymore. I spent like 2 days just playing with them and even now I'm not entirely happy. But whatever. I'd rather pay someone to edit them next time :-)

So the pattern has gone to test knitters now and I'm waiting for their corrections and feedback. Once I have these, I'll amend the pattern and publish it on Ravelry and here. For free.

You know it's funny. Even though it was a lot of work (and I do not want to knit even one pair of baby shoes any time soon now), I'm already thinking of another pattern. This time a pullover for babies/kids. I have an image in my head already, I know how it's going to look like, so once this Mariam's bootees are out of my way, I'll get on with the this one.

I don't know why I want to make my own patterns. Maybe because I've been reading Elizabeth Zimmermann's books and she makes it sound so easy, designing your own knitwear. She makes it sound exciting, she makes me feel like I can do it. I can do whatever I want. AND I learn so much while writing the pattern. I search for different ways to cast on, cast off, what's the best increase/decrease technique for my pattern, which stitches are the best for selvages, etc. I feel like I'm not just following someone else's ideas, I materialise my own ones.

So anyway, all in all, I'm loving it.

Kitty

2009-12-29T05:49:00.001-08:00

Yarn: Sirdar Supersoft Toddler Aran
Pattern: free from Ysolda

I've been busy, part 2

2009-12-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm back.

So what else have I been up to?

Like I said below, I was working on some Saartje's bootees. I've had few friends giving birth recently and as I already have loads of hats, all I needed was bootees to make that special gift. Again, my inability to follow a pattern resulted in me calling myself a designer, simply to make myself feel better. So I am a designer now, is that clear? :-)

The bootees worked out fine, nothing special, just fine.

What I changed was the strap. I just made one strap across the whole shoe, not two straps as the pattern suggested. Although I have, since, understood what Saartje meant and how the straps were meant to be made, I still like my version better. I think for such a small item, two straps made it look too busy. If it was a shoe for an adult, two straps would be just fine. But for a tiny shoe for a tiny baby, two straps simply seemed too much.

An idea started developing in my head. Like the perfect bootees for a perfect baby. Is there even such a thing?

I have no clue how to write a pattern, my knitting knowledge is limited, but I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. So I drew a little sketch, wrote down some notes and started knitting. I have finished the first prototype, made more notes about things I want to change, but all in all it's going well! It even has a name already :-).

When I'm happy with the final item, I'll take pictures and eventually, I will post the pattern here and on Ravelry.

Ok, so that's about it. Oh, and John Lewis has 50% sale on selected yarns, I went there yesterday and bought some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, Rowan Wool Silk DK and Rowan Cashsoft Aran. I'm pretty happy with it, I love the color and it was a good deal. Nevertheless, I feel like I've had enough of Rowan and D.Bliss yarn's, again, I don't know much about yarns but I feel like they are too expensive for the quality they offer. I think I'm ready to venture out into the real yarn world and next time buy something else. But for now, I have enough in my stash, so I can simply forget about spending any more on yarn... Shame. Yarn is nice. Yarn is soft. Yarn makes my life look pretty :-)

I've been busy

2009-12-27T23:43:00.001-08:00

Last few days I've been doing a lot. In regards of knitting, that is. And editing. And writing down.

But let's start from the beginning.

In a spur of a moment i decided to knit another toy for my son. This time a kitty from Ysolda. I used a yarn I had in my stash, Sirdar Supersoft Toddle Aran.

I don't have a picture of the whole kitty yet, I'll try to take it today.
As for the pattern, it was fairly straightforward although I do think few times it was written, well, not right? God forbid, who am I to say this about someones pattern? So probably it was all right, it's just my inexperience that got in the way.
But anyway, I managed to make it. I used 3.25mm needles to make the gauge nice and tight so that the stuffing does not show through again. I also used bamboo needles that I got as a free gift with some magazine. The combination of these two factors meant that knitting the toy was a PAIN. Literary. My poor fingers. Working such a small gauge with a bamboo needles, no matter how soft the yarn was at the beginning, it was really difficult to work it. But I managed.

So I tried to take a picture and again, what a pain! As the yarn is blue, nice dark-ish blue, no matter how hard I tried, the whole picture had a blueish tint to it. So I opened Photoshop and tried to fix it. I'm not experienced with Photoshop at all, I do few things here and there but generally, I have no idea what is happening. And I probably do it all wrong. So I turned to Ravelry hoping for some help. Which I got, from a fellow knitter Fairislekitty. She spent whole day helping me to fix the background, threw in few of her tips in between, let's just say - she is a saint! Patient, patient person. So instead of knitting the kitty, I was being tortured by Photoshop. All day long.

And the outcome? I have some kind of tutorial of how to do what I want to do, I learned about Masks and Levels and Curves, it's still very much confusing but well, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

So when I say that I will try to take a picture of the finished kitty today, what I actually mean is that I will take the picture and try to edit it to my liking. Which might take a day. Or two.

Ok, other news will come in a separate post.

Too much to do, too little time

2009-12-24T06:13:00.000-08:00

I was going to write a post about all the things I need to do or be doing but that would be complaining.
I don't want to complain. Not here.
This is my happy place.

So...

I have finished one pair of Saartje's bootees, I'm working on the second one, one more to go (and one for my baby#2). I'll have to crochet a hat to go with one pair which I am not looking forward to doing. I'm done with hats. But it's meant to be as a present and none of the hats I have made are the right size so I will have to make one more.

I have changed the pattern for the bootees a bit, simply because I couldn't work out how the straps were meant to be done according to the instructions. So I made them my way. I'll post my modifications when I get around taking pictures of the finished bootees.

To be honest, I'm well on the way to becoming a designer :-) Oooh, that sounds posh! Why, you ask? Because I just cannot follow patterns written by other people! I tried, really. But with everything I make, knit, sew, crochet, I always end up doing it my way at the end. I start off according to a pattern but then, well, I change it. I look up instructions on the net, check out few videos and tutorials and that's it.

I actually would have one pattern already for a crocheted slouchy beret that I made last spring. Actually I made like 5 of them, sold them all BUT didn't write down how I made them. Few months later I was asked to make another one and bummer, I just cannot remember how I did them. I checked out the photos, tried to count the rows and stitches but no, it just wouldn't work.

This is the one:

I will look into it again, eventually. I really like the way it looks. Even on the vase :-)

So lately I've been looking into pattern making. Like how to calculate the number of stitches, what are the differences between different yarn weight, etc etc. Ravelry is a great help, so is TechKnitting and other blogs.

Oh, knitting should be classified as science. Because it is, it really is.

On my needles in pictures

2009-12-22T08:44:00.001-08:00

Saartje's bootees

Pattern: free here
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton

Drawstring pants

Pattern: Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: RYC Cotton Jeans

On my needles

2009-12-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

So having finished the bear, I needed another project. Fast. I'm on the roll, people.

I don't have a big stash. Not yet, anyway. So I'm restricted in what I can do. Usually I decide to knit something, then I go to LYS (local yarn shop), choose yarn, go home, find it cheaper on the net, buy it, wait for it to arrive and only then I can start knitting. If everything goes well, it takes around a week to 10 days from the moment I choose the pattern.

I cannot wait that long with nothing to do.

There is only one yarn I have in my stash of which I have more then 1 ball. It's RYC cotton jeans (100% cotton). There is a story behind this yarn, why I have like 15 balls of it. But that story will have to wait now.

So I decided to cast on another project from Last Minute Knitted Gifts book.
Drawstring pants #2.

I already made 1 pair for my son (picture here on my Ravelry page). Now it was time to start working on something for my new baby which seems to be a girl. The yarn I have is orange/cream blend, it looks really nice and the original pattern suggested 100% cotton yarn anyway, so I went ahead and casted on.

I casted on yesterday and I have finished 1 leg already. I'll cast on the second leg tonight, hoping to finish it tomorrow.

I don't know why I just can't take my knitting easy. I wish I could have something on my needles, something I come back to. But I don't. Because as soon as I cast on something, I have to finish it. And I'll work day and night to finish it asap. And if I can't I'll rip it off completely. I'm either completely obsessed or bored. There is nothing in between.

So anyway, I'm already making plans as to what I'm going to knit next. I found a lovely cardigan in the Knitting magazine Christmas 2009, it's called Crossover cardigan by Suzie Lee. Right now I'm searching for the right yarn for it as Debbie Bliss Cashmerino is out of my budget.

Another thing I want to make is a lace shawl/scarf/shawlette. My first lace project. I bought 2 balls of Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK today in lovely red color. So I'd like to use those to knit my first lace project - don't know which one yet. I'm searching for the right pattern now.

So that's all that's on my needles and on my mind. For now.

Winter wonderland

2009-12-18T04:28:00.000-08:00

Last night it started snowing.

In the morning we had good few inches of snow. I know it's not going to last, not in East England anyway, so right after breakfast we went out to have some fun.

Hat and scarf were knitted last winter (and they still fit!)

Trousers were sewn last winter as well (and they will probably fit next year too).

It was great and I do hope the snow will last at least for few days.

Teddy bear

2009-12-18T03:38:00.001-08:00

So to keep up with the "A project a day" theme, I introduce you a Bear. Not very unique name, I know. I'll just wait for my son to find his own way of calling him. For the time being, it's a Bear.

Pattern: Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: Elle Rustica DK (bear), Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton (scarf)

It took me 2 evenings to knit this one up. It would have been even faster if I had 2 circular needles like the pattern suggested. I used dpns and got bit confused when I had to move the legs on them to start knitting the Bear's body. I figured it out eventually.

So there. My first knitted toy.

Lampshade

2009-12-16T06:14:00.000-08:00

Well The Lampshade is not happening any time soon. As soon as I sat down at the sewing machine and started working, the machine decided it was the perfect time to break down :-(

Yes, I have not had it serviced since I bought it like 4 years ago, so it might be little bit my fault. But why did it have to break down now? Aaaaahhhhh...

Ok, back to knitting then.

A Project A Day

2009-12-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

Call it a nesting instinct. But after 2 and something years of living in this house, I finally decided to turn it into a home. About time, I know.

So far I have been working on organizing the little space that we have. Moving stuff from one room to another, that sort of thing. With a new baby coming, more adjustments will have to be done. I'm not doing anything major, after all, it's most just me doing it and I do not plan on spending any money.

I used some of the crocheted stuff that didn't get sold on the fair already. Like these place mats:

It will most definitely not be a project a day but I just like the title :-)

I'm working on a new lampshade at the moment. Unfortunately I didn't take any before photos so you will only get the after ones. Eventually.

Child's Placket-Neck Pullover

2009-12-16T01:23:00.000-08:00

Ta-dah!

It's finished! And it took me exactly 1 week. I'm shocked and pleased. I have never knitted a jumper and when looking at the pattern I had no idea how it was going to work. But I followed it nevertheless. And it worked!! I'm not even aware of any mistakes I made.

Oh, one thing.

It's bit too small. What?? My son is just over 2 years old. I chose the 2-4 years size. I made a swatch. It was ok. And yet, the sleeves are just ok, possible too short already. And the body could have been longer as well. Oh well, what can I do. He will wear it. He has no choice.

When my son is willing, I will take a picture of him wearing it.

Also, the pattern suggested sewing few beads as buttons. I decided not to do that, it looks nice just as it is.

So! What do I do now??

I love and hate finished projects. I love finishing them because it gives me the feeling of accomplishment. That I actually finished something and it looks nice.
But.
I hate the fact that I have to choose yet another project. I have to have something on my needles, something that I can just pick up when I have a minute, something I feel comfortable making. But finding the right project is just too hard! Once I have started, it's ok. But starting is the problem.

So anyway, I want to make a toy for my son. He started sleeping in his own bed recently and I found him hugging one knitted bear he got from a hospital some time ago. The bear is ok but it's made of the hooooorible acrylic yarn, blah :( I know it was probably donated to the hospital so I don't want to sound disrespectful. Someone actually made it and gave it away. Really nice! But the yarn, the sound of the yarn makes me shiver.

So I need to make a bear from nice, soft, huggable yarn. I guess that will be my next project. I also want to start knitting for the baby to come. I have plenty of hats :-) So I think I'll make a teeny-tiny cardigan. Should be fun!

Podcasts

2009-12-10T23:44:00.000-08:00

I have been introduced to the world of podcasts by lovely Alana from Never Not Knitting. I don't remember how I found her, probably via the website Petite Purls. And don't ask me how I found that website, I have no idea. The ways of the Internet are mysterious.

So anyway, before I found her blog I didn't even know what podcasts were. Not just knitting podcasts but podcasts in general. Call me old fashioned or whatever, but I had no idea. So I listened to her first episode and I was hooked. I like the way she talks, I like the sound of her voice. I like how she makes the podcast interesting even when talking about, well, yarn. Yarn is yarn. How can you be excited about yarn? She makes you excited. She makes you want to go to a yarn shop and touch all the skeins you never though of touching. Why would you? Wouldn't that be a bit, ehm, strange?

So anyway, I love how she described her way to where she is now. How she started with dpns (double pointed needles) because she though she was saving money buying 5 needles instead of just 2. And so on. So familiar! Not because I had done the same, no, but having no-one to teach me how to knit or anything about knitting and needles and yarns, I'm sure I would have done the same, given the opportunity.

And look at her now. Look at the things she knitted! She even sells her own patterns! I'm very inspired by her, honestly.

But anyway, enough about her.

So it went on from there. After being on a break over the summer (first trimester joys), I came back to discover that the world of podcasts huge. All you need is to pick what you fancy.

As for me, I'm kind of complicated. I don't like having music played in the background or in general. It makes me switch off, stop listening, stop concentrating. That's why I can't listen to many podcasts and that's why I like Alana's.
I'm still searching for the ones I really like. At the moment I'm listening to Cast On, a podcast by Brenda Dayne. I'm slowly going through the archives. Yes, she plays music, but I usually fast forward through it. The reason I'm sticking with her nevertheless is that she doesn't just talk about knitting. For example in episode 83 called Rinse, Repeat, she talks about the proper way to wash your knitted garments and she even interviews a woman (can't find her name, sorry!) about how the washing was done in the Victorian times. Very, very interesting and informative! Yes, one would never think talking about washing your clothes would be so interesting.
I definitely have to listen to that episode again and make some notes.

Thanks to Raverly, I have a list of podcasts I want to check and before I do, I won't say their names. The list is huge and it might take me weeks. But if YOU have a favourite podcast, please let me know in the comments!

And lastly, why do I love podcasts? Thanks to them I know things I would never read about (like how the washing was done in the Victorian times :-)), I get to know things about yarn I wouldn't know where to look for and because I'm immensely inspired by all the people out there that started like me, with no knowledge or knitting background, and MADE it.

WIP - Child's Placket-Neck Pullover

2009-12-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

It's going well. Two days and about 10 cm done. I'm pleased.

On my needles / kind of Book review

2009-12-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

These I will eventually make into a category on their own.

With the fair madness over I am finally able to do something else then hats. So I chose to knit a jumper for my son that is just over 2 years old.

If I had to choose a book, a knitting book, that I appreciate the most, it would have to be Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I have quite few books and magazines, not just about knitting and crocheting but also about quilting and sewing. I like to flip through them, I get inspired by them. But I hardly ever use the patterns published in them. I don't know why, it's not that I don't like them, I just prefer looking at the pictures :-)

But with this book I have to say that I actually use its patterns. There are about 33 of them in this book, if I counted them well (but it is only 7.30am so you know, I might be wrong here). They vary from easy things you can make in few hours to more complicated things that need more time. There are children booties, plenty of scarfs, few hats variations, few tops/jumpers. Raverly link here (you do have to be registered on Raverly to be able to view them).

I have had this book for just over 2 years, I think I bought it when pregnant with my son. So far I made these projects:

Kerchief Scarf from page 44
one of Kim's Hats from page 60
Baby's Denim Drawstring Pants from page 76

And now I come to what is on my needles at the moment. It is Child's Placket-Neck Pullover from page 72 and the plan is to make one or more of the Lovable Toys from page 104.

I don't know what's so special about this book. It's not super great or inspiring. Just normal, everyday stuff. Maybe that's what it is. Everyone needs hats and scarfs and jumpers. The patterns are written well so even I understand them and am able to follow them.

As for the Child's Placket-Neck Pullover, here is the link to it on the Raverly.

I was looking for the right yarn. Son has an eczema so I have to be careful about what I put on him. Until now I had only used 100% cotton but I think it's time to move on to other things. I didn't want to spend too much on the yarn because I am not an experienced knitter and I have never knitted a sweater. So the yarn had to be on the cheap side but nice and soft enough for him to be able to wear it without scratching himself crazy. I went to my local yarn shop and ended up buying Rustica DK by Elle (80% Superacrylic, 20% Pure New Wool). I'm not so happy about acrylic, to me acrylic yarn was this horrible, scratchy yarn from the 80's. But there is acrylic and acrylic. Even acrylic can be soft and kind of nice. And this yarn is. And very, very cheap. I bought it for £1.25 / 50g ball (165 yards). Wow. It was on sale, this is not the retail price and it is discontinued, as far as I understand. I bought 4 balls which should be more then enough to knit this sweater.

I casted on yesterday and give myself about 3 weeks to finish it. You would be able to knit it in few days only but with life getting in the way, I don't want to push myself too much. It's meant to be nice and easy knitting, no stress involved.

So this is what is on my needles at the moment. Oh, an few wrist warmers as well. But those will have to wait.

Next post will be about the podcasts I listen to. Stay tuned.

After the fair

2009-12-08T23:00:00.000-08:00

This was my first fair. I have nothing to compare it to as I never even attended one as a visitor or a potential buyer. But I think it was ok. Kind of slow or at least it felt that way but ok. I sold few things and surprisingly - they were all for adults. I always thought that things for babies/children would be more popular. Because you know, people don't save money on children, do they? Well looks like I'm wrong. Because from as far as I could tell, nothing for children that was there was selling well. Don't take my word for it, I could only see few stalls and obviously, I did not watch them all the time. But from where I was standing it looked like jewelery and handmade soap were the hit. EVERYONE was buying those. Another preconception overcome - there are too many jewelers. Looks like there aren't. Or maybe this seller was unique? All the best to them, honestly, only now I see what a hard job it actually is to create something new and special. Only now I'm able to properly appreciate the kind of work that goes into handmade things. It's not just the act of making them, it's not just the idea, it's the ability to offer your goods to others, the confidence in them AND yourself.

All in all, I'm very happy to have attended this fair. I feel like it has pointed me in a certain direction - now I know what I want and how I want it. I feel more confident in myself and in my abilities. And even if this was all I got, it would have been enough.

One day to go

2009-12-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

The final preparations are taking place.

I'm not nervous any more nor stressed. There is nothing more that I could possibly do in one day so I may as well just relax. I'm looking forward to a day in company of other similarly-minded people. Adults. That can form a sentence. And know how to use a toilet. Funny how little one needs to be happy :-)

So with the fair crafting over I'm searching for a new project. My toddler needs a jumper. Fast. Poor kid doesn't have anything warm to wear. Also the baby to come will need clothes. And I still haven't found my special cardigan pattern to knit for myself only.

I'm looking forward to new beginnings.

Just before the fair

2009-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Few days before the fair is a little bit too late to start documenting the preparation for the fair, isn't it? Well, one has to start sometimes!

And so I start...

Handmade treasures is my little adveture into the land of crafting and making. I used to be just the opposite of a crafty person. I could not even sew a button on to a shirt. But then I was expecting my first child and something happened. For some reason I started to fancy a knitted booties and mittens for my son or a cardigan. Or anything, really. And so I sat down with my computer and searched the world wide web for tutorials. That was over 2 years ago. Since then I taught myself how to sew, knit, crochet. I can do a bit of all. I knitted few booties, mittens, socks, scarfs, hats, although I'm still waiting for the right cardigan pattern to come along. I sewed few baby quilts, that makes me a quilter as well, I suppose. I also sewed some clothes for my son and myself. My latest addiction is crochet. I crocheted many, many hats and flowers and hearts and snowflakes. I even attempted the cardigan. Never finished it though and don't think I ever will. Anyway, that's another story.

And so this is what I do now. I make things. And in few days I'll be exhibiting my treasures at the local handmade fair. I don't expect to sell much, I do it for the experience and so that I can say: I have done it.

We will see what else will come along my way as I'm expecting my second child now and, well, my past proves that hormones do funny things to me...