adventures in knitting

Christmas spirits with hats!

Posted on December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Someone very kindly sent this my way this morning.

I am a little bit of a grinch when it comes to Christmas. I prefer to celebrate Boxing Day test match day.

But I did get into the Christmas spirit and decorated my wine rack.
(It would be better if I decorated the spirits rack but there was a gin incident last week and it’s all looking a bit depleted.)

So these little hats are the perfect way to use up those mini-skeins I always seem to have lying around.
It was also a great way to relearn double-pointed needles.
These hats are made before I’m sick of needles hitting me in the chest and am ready to throw the project across the room.

I also used it as an opportunity to learn how to cable without a cable needle. I still need loads of practice with that though.
I think my problem is I’m pulling it all too tight. I think I need to loosen up until the last stitch.

Also! Two finger pompoms! These are pompoms I can actually make.

So all in all a lot of learning went on.

And if I need to give anyone a last minute pressie, these are just the things to make it a little more special.

~~~
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Geeked out knitting.

Posted on December 11, 2012 by bekswhoknits

It’s the countdown to Christmas, and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a dalek.

So much for rhyming.

I got a swag of doctor who goodies in the mail last week, including Doctor Who monopoly! Which I need to ~~con~~ persuade someone into playing with me.

Apparently Monopoly is banned my bloke’s family due to its rage inducing properties.

But my little brother loves doctor who and monopoly, so I may invite him round for a game.

(Can I congratulate myself on a smooth segue?)

While I was watching all of series 6 & 7 on the weekend, I needed some themed knitting.
As I’m doing dishcloths for Christmas this year, I found this adorable dalek cloth.

So little brother, this is your Christmas present (to go with your Lego storm trooper alarm clock you’re getting for your birthday).
I’m such a cool sister.

~~~
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I heart bunting

Posted on November 25, 2012November 26, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Well after being in a funk last week I made it my mission this weekend to snap myself out of it.

I ignored all the cleaning I ‘should’ have done, kicked the Bloke out of the house (well he had other things to do anyway), and took myself to the Internet.

That inspired me enough to try some new things (paper embroidery), put some things on the ‘things to make when I have a shed’ list (metal stamping), and finished some projects that were hanging around unfinished.

I made these little heart shapes a while ago, and then didn’t quite know what to do with them.
So I made them into bunting!

It’s such a simple project which really brightened my day!

I also dyed my hair which always puts me in a good mood. Except that it hasn’t worked out exactly. But I’m still grateful that is light teal, and that I can have it this colour all the time.
And it reinforces that I look terrible as a blonde. And that I only have one facial expression when taking photos of myself.

~~~
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In a funk

Posted on November 23, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I’m in a funk, a rut, whatever you want to call it I just don’t care at the moment.

I’ve been knitting but it’s all boring. I’ve been listening to the same songs on repeat, and eating crappy food.

Blah blah blah.

This shawl is the best metaphor for the way I’m feeling. It looks uninspiring at the moment, but I have a feeling it’s going to look awesome once it’s finished.

I just want to skip to the end.

At the moment I just want to fast forward time and skip to summer, when there’s cricket planned, southbound, festivals, sun and music.

I’m forgetting that sometimes anticipation is half the fun.
Instead I’m being an ungrateful so and so.

I have so many plans I just want to get started, rather than wait for supplies.

I’m just waiting for things.
And I’m waiting loudly.

~~~
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Garden creatures.

Posted on November 12, 2012November 12, 2012 by bekswhoknits

What a delightful weekend.
Test match cricket is back! This makes me a very happy Bek!
Also the weather was fantastic. We spent a bit of time in the garden. I did some knitting. And there was some cricket watching.
That’s my kind of weekend.

~~~
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Embroidering things

Posted on November 9, 2012November 9, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I’ve been embroidering. I asked a question on A Sheepish Girl‘s (oh so lovely) blog about what stitch she uses for her text, I’ve been itching to try back stitch ever since.
It’s just like knitting but in lines. (In a kind of not really sort of way.) but a lot easier then stem stitch.

So I opened up phonto on my iPad and typed in a couple of quotes. (If you then set that image as the home screen it makes it easier to trace.)
So once it’s traced onto the fabric, I used back stitch to make the letters.
And things just clicked. More so than they did with stem stitch.

It is really relaxing. Not as much as knitting. It doesn’t have the same TV watching options (I don’t think you could ever embroider with your eyes closed, or during a really important scene), but it’s great for listening to music.

But quotes!!! And music lyrics! I have so many things to embroider on cushions and to put on walls and I can see a lot of decorating until my Bloke gets fed up with embroidery and I have to start decorating my BFF’s house (who reads this and can now request embroidered items. I promise I want embroider a doily for you!).

I digress! Here’s my embroidery attempts.
The quotes are from Silversun Pickups, Wolf Parades, and Parks And Recreation.

~~~
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The weekend I tried to teach myself to stitch

Posted on November 5, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I really only want to know embroidery so I can write/stitch really cool quotes and phrases. And then I can hang them on the wall or put them on cushions.
But I have a lot of practicing to do first.

Also on the weekend, we cleaned out the spare room. We now have room to swing a cat, or do a full 360 revolution when I’m at my sewing machine.

I started a whole stack of really cool blogging related projects.
I caved and my blog now has a Facebook page. Go look on your right – there’s a fancy Facebook thingamajig. Currently it’s linked to this blog (obviously), my Instagram, and there’s a spotify playlist for all my passion pop Wednesday (song of the week) picks.
If you’re a Facebook person, go and check it out.
(If you’re a twitter person you can find me at beks_sparkles

I also knitted a whole lot for a blog tutorial. And I’m planning a giveaway!
It’s exciting times.

There’s also exciting news on the family front. There’s going to be a wedding!
Not mine, but my Bloke’s sister (who is one of the coolest people I know).
So I did the dutiful thing and introduced her to pintrest! (YOU’RE WELCOME!)

So it was a pretty awesome weekend. I’m really excited about the future.

(What’s a weekend post without a photo of Max.)
~~~
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It’s an outfit post!

Posted on November 3, 2012November 7, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these.
But I reckon this is a good enough reason.

This is my cardigan! I am still super chuffed that I finished a big knitted project.

And this is my bookcase. The biggest reason that I haven’t done many outfit posts is that our apartment is so tiny, it gets no natural light, and there is no neutral place to use as a back drop.

So in lieu of a neutral place, I thought I’d show a part of my apartment that I’m proud of.
The first place that springs to mind is my cd collection. But that’s right next to the only window in the place and is really awkward to stand in front of.

So the next place is my bookshelf. I love to read. And I love to watch tv. To the left you can see my tea cup collection. And on the top shelf you can see my Dalek (and other assorted Doctor Who merchandise).
It’s forever changing, and being shuffled around, but I’m thinking of doing more outfit posts here. I’d love to know what people think of the location. Too cluttered? Too distracting? Or is it me? Will you all judge me on what you see in my bookcase?
Actually, if you haven’t already figured out who I am, my bookcase will certainly confuse or enlighten you.

So enough chat, here is me, pretending to model, wearing my own knitted creation.
(My jeans are cotton on, my shoes are from rubi, and my tank is from temt)

~~~
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Frogging Friday.

Posted on November 2, 2012November 2, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I was always taught pride comes before a fall. Mostly through Enid Blyton novels, and Sunday School.

After feeling so chuffed with myself, for thinking I may have been able to make a pair of socks in a week, I failed.
Not just made a tiny correctable mistake, I failed.

I didn’t follow the pattern correctly and had too few stitches in the toe.
To compensate I increased randomly in the foot of the sock. In hindsight this is where I should have started the gusset.
So I started the gusset massively late.
When I tried it on to start the heel I started early (again to compensate). Stuffed up my maths with turning the heel which meant I had one really lopsided heel.

And when I tried it on it was about an inch too big.

So the project got flung across the room and a few expletives hurled at it.

I frogged it back to the toe and started again from there.
6 rounds in I realised that it still looked wrong and I gave up.

The next day I started again from scratch.

Just when I thought I was getting the hang of this and getting cocky I realise the value of slowing down and reading instructions.

When I was in primary school (and occasionally in high school) there was a test. It consisted of a page or 2 of instructions. The first instruction was to read through all the instructions and then follow the instructions.
Usually the instructions were things like ‘stand on your chair’, ‘say or sing something out loud’, ‘turn around 3 times’, but the last instruction always read ‘now that you’ve read all the instructions, sit down quietly and don’t so anything’.

It was meant to be an exercise in following instructions. It inevitably turned into people sitting smugly, watching other people making fools of themselves.

By the 2nd time a well meaning teacher instituted this test, my first action was to skip to the end and read the last instruction.

Obviously I was a smart arse and should have paid attention to the actual lesson.
It may have resulted in a finished sock instead of a frogged* sock.

*for those non-knitters who are utterly confused, ‘to frog’ is to unravel a piece of knitting, or rip-it (ribbit) back.

~~~
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sockies, fishies, and another -ies

Posted on October 29, 2012 by bekswhoknits

The weekends are just flying by.

I’m now turning the heel of my socks which I started on Thursday (wow I know!), I did think I would try something new with the heel.
But I didn’t start researching the ‘after thought heel’ until I had finished the gusset increases.
Apparently the two aren’t compatible.

Oh well, maybe next socks.
I had a lot of time for sock knitting as we went for a drive to pick up some company for Max. For those of you who don’t remember, Max is our blue yabby.
We bought 4 Pygmy Perch to add a bit more interest to the tank. We also picked up some more plants.
We’ve quickly got into the routine where we wake up Max every morning (the light on the tank changes from night time blue to day time white), and we greet him every afternoon when we get home from work.
Max is a pretty good listener.
We’re both pretty bad at coming up with names, so we’re going to think about it for a week before naming the 4 newcomers.

I also finished up the design for my etsy shop! All it needs now is some product.
I have three cowls completed. Although one of them isn’t as long as the others and can only wrap around my neck once.
I now don’t know whether or not to put it up any way (after all, just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean that’s not someone elses preference).

But they still need photographs. Is needing a good space to take outfit and product photos a good enough reason to buy a new house?
(I think our angry neighbours and need for more space are probably better reasons.)

So overall a pretty good weekend.

What did everyone else get up to?