adventures in knitting

FO 3 – mystery yarn socks

Posted on March 18, 2014March 18, 2014 by bekswhoknits

The first pair of socks for 2014 are off the needles.

They’re made with mystery yarn that I forgot to catalogue on ravelry, didn’t keep the ball band, and couldn’t understand the language it was written in.

But I liked the colours and figured it was probably a fingering weight.

As my beloved 2.5mm addis currently make my fingers all tingly when I use them (thanks old lady bones) so instead I found a pattern that used 3.5mm needles.
Which doesn’t sound like a lot but that 1mm makes a big difference on my tingly fingers.
I’ve got three pairs on the needles at the moment, 2 on bigger needles again (3.75 & 4.5mm) which also are helping the old lady bone situation and one on 2.5mm which are in hibernation due to the finger tingles.

The pattern is ampersand- upside down, and predictably was knit toe up & two at a time. Let’s not get too crazy here.

I substituted in a fish lips kiss heel which looks pretty good and is really comfortable to wear.

There is still enough yarn left over for at least one other pair of socks. Or maybe something else. Lets see what the mystery yarn tells me to do.

Thanks to Moo for modelling but they are a bit too big for his tiny cow footsies.

FO2 – Parcel

Posted on March 7, 2014March 7, 2014 by bekswhoknits

My first ever jumper is off the needles.
Well it was finished last week, but it’s been too stinking hot to try and model it. (It’s officially Autumn and today is set to be 38 degrees. That’s 100 for all you Fahrenheit folk.)

I started Parcel over a year ago. I remember knitting it at Perth Festival last year. When Perth Festival came around this year I decided it was time to knuckle down and finish this damn thing. As much as I liked the set in sleeves it did mean that whilst knitting them I had a jumper on my lap. Fortunately Hewhofishes likes living in an igloo so it wasn’t too bad.

It was a well written pattern (having no experience to compare it to) and I chose it carefully wanting something with cables, that was knitted in the round, and didn’t have any seaming.

So here it is! All ready for some cooler weather.

I still haven’t figure out how to take a good picture in my crafty room and don’t know whether to blame the model or the lighting.

I knitted a jumper that fits!!! That’s a pretty big achievement.

Ravelry Pattern Page – for those who want all the gory details.

Dull and uninspired. But not really

Posted on February 11, 2014February 11, 2014 by bekswhoknits

I feel like I haven’t done anything recently.
I’m feeling dull and uninspired about everything.

And then I looked at my camera roll and realised that even though I’ve been in shoulder related hibernation, I’ve been really busy.
In the past 7 days there was the annual superbowl party, the Perth Scorchers won the grand final, and laneway festival.

The time difference for the Super Bowl means that we’re watching the game while everyone else is on their way to work. Always a unique experience.

Then Perth won the Big Bash Final!

There was much wooing.

And then some more wooing at Laneway Festival.
HAIM rocked my socks off, plus frightened rabbits, unknown mortals orchestra, and chvrches made for an awesomesauce day.

And my crazy cat earrings went out of an excursion and of course there was some knitting. Every though my shoulder was a little worse for wear afterwoods.
Totally worth it.

Seriously how cool is this sandcastle!!!

Blankie progress

Posted on January 24, 2014March 18, 2014 by bekswhoknits

My crochet blanket is coming along like a house on fire.

That’s a pretty bad analogy considering all the bush fires in Australia at the moment.

But it’s coming along really quickly.

I’m bound to slow up soon.
At the moment I’ve got the squares memorised.

I still think I’ll be lucky to finish it this year but I’m making a go of it.

Sending snail mail to friends – FO1 – may your WD-40 be ever cozy

Posted on January 13, 2014January 13, 2014 by bekswhoknits

Firstly let’s back up a little bit.

My dad is ridiculously difficult to buy presents for. You can pretty much rule out any of the usual golf/alcohol related/fishing/ sports merchandise ideas that the catalogues have as their ‘fathers gift guides’.

I think over the years us kids have bought him every single train DVD imaginable. I’ve also bough him reticulation connectors and a dustpan and brush. They were both on his list, so I bought them for him.

This year for his birthday he got a pair of socks, which he dutifully wore on Christmas Day and even colour coordinated his outfit so they matched.

And so for Christmas I bought him a can of WD-40.

Because I am Bek I made a crochet cozy for it.

And again because I am Bek I ended up with a custom request from a twitter friend.

I didn’t quite have all the right colours on hand so I dyed up some yellow.

There was then a slight hiccup with this sizing.

(Fortunately the colours are familiar in this house so HeWhoFishes now has an Adelaide Crows coloured scotch cozy)

So @parhwy a parcel is now winging it’s way (or it will be if I make it to the post office this arvo) to you.

May your wd-40 be ever cozy.

Good bye 2013

Posted on January 2, 2014 by bekswhoknits

2013 was awesome in so many ways.

We bought a house, went to our 6th test match together, saw plenty of live music, holidayed on a houseboat, and I helped out with the Port Adelaide Football Club.

I’ve had green hair, pink hair, purple hair, red hair, and several different combinations.

I participated in the Knitting & Crochet Blog Week. I even made two youtube videos!

And I worked my way through 13 goals.

1. Open my little etsy shop. – Tick!

I opened a shop and closed it just as quickly. I didn’t enjoy knitting for strangers or the etsy fees.

2. Host a giveaway on my blog – Tick!
This was so much fun! And this is where I figured out the I like giving things away more than selling them.
The lesson to be learned is that postage is a killer. In the future small and light will be the way to go.

3. Finish Start the knitting crafting for my Pay It Forward post. – Tick!
Again this was ridiculously fun! And it was the beginning of embroidering fabric to go on a frame.
4. Knit 12 pairs of socks. – 8/12
I completed 8 and I currently have 3 on my needles. I didn’t quite get to 12 but maybe I was being a tad optimistic.

5. Sew 6 cushions.- 10/6 – Tick!

I caught the cushion making bug hard!
I even learnt how to sew an invisible zipper.

6. Write a knitting pattern and post it on Ravelry.
I have started this one yet. I don’t know if I still want to.
Maybe if inspiration strikes I may be able to check this off my list.

7. Post a tutorial or a how-to guide. – Tick!
Seriously making a video was not what I had planned for this. But it turned out to be a really good experience. And now I have youtube subscribers. That’s a weird feeling for someone who only has two knitting videos.

8. Try a new craft, or 2, or 3.
I tried arm knitting, spinning, jewellery making, yarn dyeing. I’m looking forward to seeing what new crafts I can learn next year.

9. Create an artwork for my apartment – Coming Soon!
I never showed you this one. But it did happen.

10. Embroider a whole song (lyrics) onto something.
This is totally my favourite embroidery ever!

11. Sew a garment from a pattern, and wear it.
This is going on next years list.

12. Read a new book every month. (something I haven’t read before) 15/12
I joined goodreads to keep track of it all, so I realised I well and truly met this goal.

13. Crochet a granny square. – Tick!
2013 was the year that crochet and I finally understood each other. I still struggle with patterns and only have one loop on my needles, but the instant gratification is awesome.

I’m currently deciding whether to do 14 in 2014 or, as I’m 30 next year, 30 before 30.
Either way 2014 is going to be awesome. I just know it.

For my mum

Posted on December 24, 2013December 23, 2013 by bekswhoknits

My mum is a pretty kickarse lady. (Who would never in a million years call herself kickarse but I’m telling this story the way I remember it)

She left the country before finishing highschool, but once I was born studied at night school to become a teachers assistant and then when she didn’t really want to do that anymore she retrained again in business studies.

She’s a crafty lady who used to sew me swimsuits. Including one pink + frilly number which I believe I hated at the time [i hated pink – go figure!] but looking back must have been bloody difficult and time consuming to make!

I still have dolls she made and pottery she painted, and pottery we made together. And she did teach me to knit although it never quite stuck.

There’s only one way to repay a crafty lady and that’s with crafty love.

I found some flowers on the Internet, and used the Rhonna iPad app to trace the letters.

I used nail polish to gussy up the frame. And glued a backing to the fabric because I can guarantee that my Nanna, who is a far superior embroiderer than I, will check the back which was not done to her standards.

I love my mum.

FO26 – lettuce of lothlorien

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 by bekswhoknits

Whilst moving house there was 5 days when I didn’t pick up my needles at all.
Every time I thought about knitting there was something slightly more pressing that needed unpacking or organising.

By the sixth day I was getting slightly stir crazy and so I cast on two pairs of socks, untangled some yarn that I needed to finish a shawl, and started a hat.

It is going to be crazy hot here over the next week. So even though a hat isn’t the most practical item of clothing for an Australian summer, it is a practical item to knit.
Urgh, just thinking about having a jumper or a blanket on my lap is making me uncomfortable.

We still don’t have wireless internet at home, so I’ve been making do with using my phone as a hotspot to get the internet through my ipad (definitely #firstworldproblems).
I started the hat working from my ipad, until I had the pattern firmly in my head. I finished the required 4 rounds and then started the decreases.
I did the right thing and checked the decrease chart to make sure I was following the pattern.

Silly Bek picked up her phone, checked the last pattern that was open and followed that not realising that it was not the same pattern.

So I now have a half lettuce / half hues of lothlorien. A lettuce of lothlorien.
I am still pretty happy with it though.
The wide cables are gorgeous (without actually doing any cabling) and even if the decreases could be steeper it blocked out nicely.

If I was to make this again (which I probably will because I do really like both patterns) I would probably make it into a cowl.
And maybe play around with the drape. The needle size & yarn combination only just worked on a hat.

If you look closely you’ll see that there are two side plates inside the hat which I used to block it with.

You’ll also have to bear with me while I figure out the best times to take photos.
Clearly 11pm after I’ve just finished weaving in the ends doesn’t get the best light.

Anne of Green Gables Yarn Collection

Posted on November 21, 2013November 21, 2013 by bekswhoknits

Caity-Rosey made up a fun game yesterday and I wanted to join in.

Imagine being hired by a yarn company to come up with names for all their colorways. Total carte blanche to name them any way I want, using any wild inspiration that tickles my fancy. They pay me big bucks to do this, too.

Caity-Rosey’s collections were based on The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe & Island of the Blue Dolphins. I highly recommend checking them out.

I decided my first collection would be based on Anne of Green Gables. (All of these beautiful yarns are from etsy. Clicking on any of the pictures will take you to the place where you can spend your hard earned money)

Variegated

Tonal

my weekend in numbers – FO 25

Posted on November 18, 2013 by bekswhoknits

12 – the number of sleeps remaining in our apartment.

2 – the number of invisible zips I sewed
1 – pair of shorts I successfully shortened
1 – curtain I was meant to sew up but that is lost somewhere in the abyss that it the spare room.
4 – the amount of times I couldn’t find where I left the scissors
5 – how many pairs of scissors I put away after I had finished.

48 – the number of stitches to cast on with DK weight yarn on
3.25 – mm needles for a pair of socks
3 – days it took these socks from start to finish
8 – the number of times I oohed and ahhed at the way the hand dyed yarn was knitting up
20billion – the actual number of times I marveled at my hand dyed yarn.

5 – the number of fat quarters I bought at Spotlight
0 – how many balls of yarn I didn’t buy because none of it took my fancy

2 – the number of friends who have birthdays in the next 2 weeks
2 – the number of presents I have finished for said birthdays

16* – the number of Bobs Burger episodes I watched on the weekend
7* – the number of Leverage episodes I watched
6* – the number of Parks & Recreation episodes watched.

3 – the number of bands I saw on Friday night
1 – the number of songs that I knew well enough to sing along to.

4 – the number of tacos I ate last night
0 – the number of tacos I made for myself

3 – the number of mosquito bites that I can’t stop scratching.