Pretty Thing

The little green dress is now finished, but while it's blocking, here's another finished object hot off the needles...

'Pretty Thing' by Stephanie Pearl McPhee. This was a really quick knit and is great for wearing under my winter coat when I don't want the bulk of a scarf, just a warm neck!
I knitted it to match the Rose Red beret I knitted last year in the same yarn and which has become a staple for walking to work in the winter.

Forgive the wierd expression, I was trying to look at the screen of the camera in the mirror...

Details:
The pattern is Pretty Thing by Stephanie Pearl McPhee (Ravelry Link).
The yarn is Orkney St Magnus DK in burgandy (an angora / lambswool blend).
I used two 4mm circular needles and many stitch markers throughout.

Rose Red

This little beauty knit up just as quickly second time round and now fits like a dream.


The pattern is Rose Red by Ysolda Teague and the yarn is Orkney St Magnus DK - an angora / lambswool blend. The finished beret is easy to wear, it can be worn pulled to one side or to the back as a slouch.


I've not really been knitting much lately - just working a little on a pair of silk-blend socks for me with the left-overs from the Resident Radiologist's Christmas Socks. I really want to get on with another 'proper project' such as the Apres Surf Hoodie, for which I have the pattern and yarn, but the mojo just isn't there.


Even this most recent addition to the stash, the February Lorna's Laces sock club from Get Knitted in a colourway that I can't make out hasn't got the fingers twitching!

Instead, I've been working on bead and silverwork. I've decided that this is going to be the year when I take a load of my jewelry to a craft fair, but I've also been toying with the idea of Etsy... To this end, I've been trying to get really good photographs of my pieces using a light box at work. I'll try to put a selection up next post and you can all let me know what you think!

Back to square one...

The featureless blue expanse of Dad's birthday jumper is finished and blocked and awaiting Saturday to be tried on by it's new owner (so that I can heave a sigh of relief if it fits or get knitting again if it doesn't). As a reward for finishing (on time and with my sanity intact), I cast on for this little beauty. I've had the yarn in my stash since hogmanay, just waiting to get onto the needles.


Three evenings later, after several hours of angst that it was going to be too small, I was casting off and beginning to have a sneaking suspicion that the opposite may be true...


Oh yes - much too big. I'm carefully balancing it on my head in the photo above to stop it falling off!
The pattern is lovely and beautifully written and the finished item is wonderfully soft and warm, but not even two hours of watching TV with the beret balanced on my head could convince me that I would really wear it in this state. So (after a few photos) out came the ball winder and the yarn went back to the frog-pond... immediately... before I could convince myself that a light felting might render it the necessary two inches smaller (come on brain - this is 50% angora, even a light felting would render it suitable only for a doll's head).


Finally, after three evenings knitting and five minutes ripping, I was back to this... not so far really from my jumping-off point!


I've already cast on again - this time for the medium size which is a pattern repeat smaller.


Clearly nature was trying to cheer me up about life this morning - this was the beautiful weather on the walk to work - it just about makes me believe that spring is on the way again...