Stalled

While I was in a really productive knitting spell, which lasted until a couple of weeks ago, I powered my way through over 50% of this little knitted baby cardigan. Nothing held me up, not the very fine yarn, the 2.5mm needles or the slightly unusual construction.

Then I ran out of the pinky-orangey yarn.

And that's when everything went pear-shaped... I started this project knowing that I didn't have enough yarn to finish it, but also aware that since I'd only bought the yarn a few weeks earlier, I would easily be able to get some more from my LYS. So, on a Saturday morning two and a half weeks ago, I went to said yarn store, only to discover that they'd SHUT DOWN two days earlier!

This really came out of the blue as I know the owner of the yarn store and there had been no warning. The upbeat notice on the window said that they'd moved - TO EDINBURGH. This really isn't a move, she's had the Edinburgh store for well over a year, it's really the closing down of the Glasgow store. It's not like you can just pop round the corner to the Edinburgh store in a few minutes (and for some reason, I can't get their website to function properly on either of the computers I have access to).

Then, to cap it off, it turned out that the knitting meetup which was associated with the yarn store had also been abandoned (and we were due to meet up the next week). Thankfully, some core members of the meetup group got together and organised a new venue so it will continue, but to say we felt let-down would be putting it mildly!

Thankfully, there is a light at the end of this project. A knitting friend who passes the Edinburgh store regularly is going to pop in and pick up another ball of the yarn for me, and some time soon, I'm going to Edinburgh to cash in the completed loyalty cards I was saving to see me through my maternity leave. I've lost the momentum on my knitting though, and this set-back seems to have been the catalyst.

More little hats

I think that I might have this little baby hat pattern out of my system by now, but then again, maybe not... there are still a couple of new or anticipated arrivals that I haven't knitted for.


These two were run off this week, using up more left-overs from my Rainbow Chain Baby Blanket.
The blue one was requested by my Mum as a gift for a colleague who has just had a baby boy.
The pink-red one is for my pilates instructor who has just gone on maternity leave and is expecting a little girl in a couple of weeks.

Details:
The pattern is Berry Baby Hat by Michelle Sabatier, on RandomStitches.
The yarn is all Pisgah Peaches and Creme 100% cotton aran weight.
I used 4mm DPN needles.
I modified the published pattern by going down a needle size and casting on 72 stitches. This made 8 repeats of 9 stitches and I purled the last stitch in each repeat for a bit of texture.

On the renovations front, all the major work is done and we're just waiting for the decorator to get going. Sadly, I misplaced my camera for a week so I couldn't record the changes. Some of the improvements are invisible (work done under the floor in the dining room), others aren't very striking but make me happy (proper wooden window sills in the dining room and nursery and a hinge-down hatch for the attic) and others make a huge difference (building a cupboard round the boiler in the kitchen - hiding the boiler and exposed pipes, gaining a bit of storage and covering up the many hideous strata of aged wallpaper exposed in the boiler corner).

Bog-standard Beret...

... and a little bit of construction!

I had just over two balls of yarn left over once I finished the red scarf in my last post and decided that a nice red beret would finish my winter look off perfectly.

I was a little concerned that I might not have enough yarn, so first time I knitted this, I reduced the diameter slightly, and while it fitted fine, it didn't look good. In addition, there was the best part of half a ball of yarn left over. Since the total knitting time was about three hours and only represented an evening's work, I started again.

The second time, I cast on fewer stitches to get a snugger fit round my ears and worked increases to a slightly larger diameter than first time round, then just followed the pattern to the last row. I added a short icord stem, instead of threading the yarn through the last round of stitches and pulling, as I think that this gives a nicer finish.

This time, the beret fits beautifully, and despite still requiring a wet block on a dinner plate, I've worn it several times in the last week.

Details:
The pattern is Beret by Twilleys of Stamford.
The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cotton DK (2 balls), in Raspberry (038).
I used 4.5mm needles throughout (DPNs and circular).
In addition to the modifications mentioned above, I modified the pattern to work it in the round.

The renovations have also moved on, the day after my last post, there was a ceiling but no floor, but now we have a ceiling, a level floor and new skirting boards!


Today the plasterer is skimming the ceiling and then it's really just a matter of decorating.

New scarf and a bit of demolition...

The relentless march through projects goes on - I just can't seem to stop knitting at the moment and most of the projects I've picked have been fairly quick.

The latest is a bright new scarf with yarn I bought in the sales. This stuff didn't even make it to the stash!



Details:
The Pattern is 'Brooke's Column of Leaves' by Brooke Nelson.
The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in Raspberry. I used just under 5 balls for a 60" scarf.
I used 4.5mm needles throughout.
I made no modifications.

I'm normally veer away from Debbie Bliss yarns (although I still have some old examples in my stash) as they tend to be poor quality, with lots of knots per ball and pill horribly on wearing. In addition to this they tend to be expensive and not good value yardage-wise. While this yarn is quite short on yardage, I only found 1 knot in 5 balls and, in the sale, the price was right. The colour is also fabulous for winter and lifts my brown coat and matches a long-line jumper that I should be able to wear right up until my due date.

In tune with the relentless march through projects, the relentless march through pregnancy also continues. The Resident Radiologist and I are now starting to make serious progress towards a nursery. The room had a cracked ceiling and non-level floor and events are in motion this week to rectify the situation.

When I got home last night, the room no longer had a ceiling at all and I've been assured that, while there will be a new ceiling this evening (cunningly preserving the original mouldings), there won't be a floor! Roll on the weekend when structural integrity should be restored.

Leyburn

This pattern was a dream to knit - the eight row repeat just kept things ticking over nicely and progress was fast.

Sadly the socks are too big for me - the pattern instructions said that the quilted lattice pattern was pretty inflexible, so I cast on four more stitches than usual and scrupulously made sure that the stitches were well-spaced when working the lattice, but they came out just too loose. Happily, they fit my sister perfectly so she now has a new pair of warm socks for winter.


I modified this pattern fairly drastically so I'll discuss this here rather than in the details section: The pattern is written in a toe-up format with short-row toes and heels. I personally don't mind knitting socks this way, but find that they tend not to fit me very well. I re-wrote as follows for top-down with a heel-flap heel...
Cast on 72 stitches and knitted 2x2 rib for 10 rows. Used quilted lattice stitch pattern as written (for in the round) until leg was desired length. Worked heel-flap over 35 stitches using heel-stitch and turned as usual. Picked up stitches for instep and worked foot in round, but only with quilted lattice stitch (as written for working flat) over top 37 stitches. Did usual decreases back to 72 stitches. Normal toe with kitchener grafting.

Details:
The pattern was my adaptation of Leyburn by Pepperknit.
The yarn is Marks and Kattens Fame Trend sock yarn which I brought back as a souvenir from my trip to Uppsala in October.
I used 2.5mm DPN needles throughout.
I modified the pattern as detailed above.

The resident radiologist has indicated that he likes these socks and that the diameter was fine on his foot, so there might be another pair of these in my near future!

The Final Installment

December saw the final installment of the Old Maiden Aunt Preview Sock Yarn Club. Both previous parcels had been lovely, but with this one, Lilith outdid herself.


First of all, there was the yarn. A merino / cashmere /nylon blend base that feels so soft and lofty. The colourways are 'Derilict Daughter' - the purpley one and 'Seen the Ocean' - the blue one. These are definitely my favourite colours from this club- really vibrant with great depth to them.

Next there was another stitch marker - a seahorse to go with the Seen the Ocean colourway.

Then there were two mini-skein keyrings. The red one is the 'Last Night's Red Dress' colourway and the brown one is the 'Brass Taps and Oak' colourway.

Finally there was a little jute tote bag to put it in...

All in all, a lovely parcel to get just before Christmas.
This year's sock yarn club for me is going to be the Fyberspates Sheila's Sock club, and already I can't wait to see what Jen comes up with...

Just in time

Just before we went away to the in-laws for Christmas, I finished the knitting on the Chaton Minet felted cat basket. It was huge, approximatedly 24 inches across when laid flat and very very floppy.



I had a day off work before we left and many loads of laundry to do so I put it in an old pillow case and added it in with the coloured loads. Three 40C cycles later, it was felted nicely and felt really firm so I stretched it over the lid of my big cake carrier to shape and dry.



Within three hours, the cat was in it, and with the really cold weather we've been having every since, she hasn't ventured far from it. It's perfectly Splat-sized (don't ask about the name - it's a vet thing) and makes a great warm bed when positioned in front of the radiator!

Details:
Pattern : Chaton Minet by Caroline Dlugy-Hegwer.
Yarn: Icelandic Lopi Roving from Twist Fibre Craft Studio, held double throughout.
Needles: 9mm circulars.
Modifications: None.
Felting: Three 40C cycles in front-loading machine.