knits and knots and natters

The other day I went looking for a bag of green flecked wool that I knew I had but couldn't remember where I'd put. I searched high and then I searched low and found it under my bed with a bunch of other bits and pieces of the woolly persuasion including the start of a granny hottie that I hooked up last year. Fancy that! I fully remember making that red one but I wonder why I started and then stopped this green one. I'd better finish it off don't you think.


After I found the green wool I cast on some Emerald Fingerless Mittens to swap with a potter for some beakers. It feels a bit funny to be making something for someone I've never even met in real life but a bit fun all the same. I hope she likes them.


In the middle of all this I turned around in my desk chair one day and contemplated the stacks of vintage sheets that I have been collecting but neglecting for years. Piles of them all neatly folded and colour coded. I thought about cutting out and sewing a dress for someone but it's not really sundress weather. So I pulled some down, tore off some 3cm lengths, found a 10mm hook, crocheted a 26 chain stitches and started a rag rug.

The beginning was quick and fun but then it started hurting my hands and curling up at the edges so I took a break. It's so cold and there's so much knitting to be done that I can't really afford to hurt myself right now. Or ever. I think I've got a 15mm hook around here somewhere that might help  to make it looser and easier.

If you were an oversized crochet hook where would you hide from me?


The minute before I put my rag rug aside to rest it occurred to me that my time would probably be better spent making something woolly and wearable. In these crazy cold days something that protects against the chilliness must be valued higher than something pretty, every single time.

So I systematically searched through my stash, found three bandless balls of something that looked 12plyish, found a pattern on Ravelry, swatched and cast on. And despite the fact that Indi said I would never wear that colour, I knitted on.

It was a quick knit and after about two nights I found myself nearing the end of the first ball which in turn made me happy and then concerned. Happy because I could imagine myself wearing my thick, cuddly cardi by the end of the week. And then concerned because there was no way I was a third of the way into the knit and yet here I was a third of the way into my wool.

That's when I realised I had underestimated the amount of yarn I would need. And I got out the kitchen scales and weighed it all up and realised that I was right, I was way under. Oops. I'm so used to knitting 8ply that I had forgotten that the same weight of 12ply would give me less length. And being wool from the Bendigo Woollen Mills back-room I knew there wasn't much chance of getting any more. Bum!


After that I knitted up some Small Fry Fingerless gloves for Pepper. Look at her cute little meditation hands.


Next up is socks. Wish me luck.

Or maybe I'll have to put all that on hold to knit with the smooshiest yarn ever that just arrived in Jodie's Jellywares Winter yarn club. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Decisions. Decisions.

So that's me all caught up creatively.
How about you? What've you been up to?

I hope you're feeling inspired and creative. I hope you've got a fun project on the go.

Ciao!

xx

knits and pieces

Hello! How are you? Is it hot where you are or freezing cold like it is here?

Here it is seriously cold, that sort of cold that seeps under your zillions of layers of clothing and chills you to the bone. That sort of cold that makes it look like twilight all day long. That sort of cold that burns your skin and stings your nose when you breathe. That sort of cold that feels difficult and heavy. And to be honest I started this week feeling quite crap about it all. Winters are looooooong here and this is just the very beginning.

But then while I was driving home from school drop off and planning the rest of my Monday in my mind, it occurred to me that if I worked it out right I could have a lovely winter, we all could. Winter in fact is when a lot of my favourite things to do, make the most sense: baking, knitting, eating soup, crocheting, reading long novels, playing board games, drinking lots of hot coffee and peppermint tea, crafting with my kids, listening to podcasts in the bath, wearing thick stripy tights and getting stuck right into a TV series and watching it on my lap-top night after night after the girls have gone to bed.

With these happy winter thoughts always at the back of my mind, and two home fires blazing at all times, I think I might just be able to have a happy winter after all.


Oh did someone say knitting?

Well first I knitted Miss Jazzy a pair of slippers in her chosen colours.

Ravelled here.


Then I made myself a pair and wow I LOVE them!!


So often making the same thing more than once drives me a little crazy, but these slippers are so quick and fun to knit that I would have even been happy to knit a fifth pair. But, I was told in no uncertain terms that Miss Indi would not be giving up her uggs in a hurry and no thanks. Teenagers eh?!


After that I knitted her a beanie in her chosen black. And it almost killed me. You know how you can barely see the design in the photo? Well that's how it was to knit. I was squinting and carrying on the whole time. At one stage the stitches even came off my needles in my basket and I had to rip it out and start again from the band, ahhhhhhhhhhh. I only hope she wears it now.

Ravelled here.


Then I pulled down the basket with last winter's blanket project in it and knitted a pink square. The 43rd square in this book. I had thoughts of knitting a bit and then stitching it all together bit by bit...

....until Miss Jazzy came home from school yesterday with freezing hands and a request for some little fingerless mittens. She chose the wool I'd bought at a garage sale years ago and I found a pattern and cast on. Now Miss Pepper says she needs pink ones next.

Ravelry details here.

So that's me, happily sitting by the fire wearing my slippers, finishing off Jazzy's mitts so she can wear them to school tomorrow.

What have you been up to?
What's you best winter warming trick?

Big love,

xx