Vested Interest

The Jelly Belly Vest pattern by Jenny McElhinney from Yarn issue 1, December 2005.

SIZE: One size 12-18 months

YARN: 2 x 50g balls Nastro Four Seasons cotton/acrylic blend donated by Spidey, leftovers from one of her lovely creations. It's a weird yarn. 2 chains of different colours, in this case a pinky apricot and a cream that sit flat like a tape. Knits up pretty, though, and has an interesting texture.

ALTERATIONS: Knitted in the round to the underarms, then flat so there were only the shoulder seams to sew. Also, I used the same finishing on the armholes as the neckline instead of the pattern's double rib, mostly because I was concerned about running out of yarn. As it turns out, the concerns were well founded and I have a scant 4m left.

This is item four for the Yarn Knitalong. I goes in the box for the women's refuge.

FO Par

Lest it appear all I do is chuck stuff out, here are a few things I've created.

A souvenir of Singapore from TSS, given the stitchmarker treatment.

It's OK, she gave it to me with this in mind.

Mum's rib and lace socks from the Patonyle sock book. The anklets take 67g to make.

The Stanbridge socks for me from Ornaghi Filati Luna Park a prize won from Yarn magazine.

Star quality

A day's leave from work today to attend my nephew's Speech and Drama Class Concert.

Here he is - the one with his head on one side trying to work out why his aunt is photographing him through a beanie-in-progress.

He did a great job in the speech choir pieces and in the two-hander with his mate Adam. There's video footage, I won't bother posting it to You-tube - you can thank me later. ;p

Due to a communication error, Mum and I got to spend 3.5 hours at the school - that's 3" of a 4ply baby hat on 2.75mm needles. Some of the time I was taping performances, but most of it was knitting.

The whole primary school attended and the children were beautifully behaved - more so than the mother behind me who took several calls on her mobile during the hour and a half concert and chatted and drivelled while the children performed.

While we were over that way, popped into the Crafty Frog for leather thonging to finish the Christiane Collar - ta da!

Ditte Larsen's Christiane Collar from Yarn issue 7, Winter 2007. The yarn is a wool/ack blend reclaimed from an op-shop jumper. The colour is gorgeous and it has these little felty bits through it.

Finished off with leather thonging and boodle wooden beads.

Do not call 000

but I need some advice on cr***et.

A woman I work with also works at a group home for the handicapped. There's a guy there who has been cr****ting chains for years. He just likes doing it. He chains until the ball is used up and then he starts a new ball if there is one, or he uravels what he's done and starts again. He is 63 - there's a ship-load of chain.

He'd like to do something with the chains and my colleague wants to help but doesn't cr****t, or indeed knit. I've given her a big bag of yarn to help keep going but she needs ideas.

So far I've come up with

• find a bigger hook and use the chain as yarn for another chain (I have no idea if that would work),
  
• use the chain as you would French knitting and make rugs/placemats/trivets,
  
• use the chain to weave with by making a loom out of a picture frame or old tapestry frame. Again, I have no idea if that would work.

Ideas?

While you're thinking, here's some novelty yarn, stash-busting, side-to-side scarves.

*edited to explain that I include photos of novelty yarn scarves to show that I, too, can participate in maligned crafts activity - make as much fun as you like.

Half past monsoon

TTWC 2007.126

The black is old Crucci 12ply bought at the Smith Family last year and the blue is an odd ball of 12ply crepe donated by Spidey. She really gave it to Mum but it's too thick for the wrist warmers so back it came.

Still loving the slip stitch. This one has a very Ska feel to it.

Concerning the birthday books - thanks for confirming my choices :). Canberrans, of course, will get a chance to drool and read - eventually.

It is great to be getting a "gift" that is exactly what I want. I'm kind of hoping they don't arrive on the day because there'll be a family dinner and I won't be able to spend quality time with the books that night.

The EZ titles have been on the wish list for quite some time. They complete my EZ collection, except for the DVDs, but had I bought them I would have had to miss out on the other books. Another time.

I have Anna Zilboorg's, 45 Fine & Fanciful Hats to Knit and Fancy Feet: Traditional Knitting Patterns of Turkey . She does gorgeous colour work and like EZ, treats her readers with respect. The older I get the more I appreciate the heretics and original thinkers in all areas of life. I've ALWAYS appreciated outspoken women.

And yes, the new scarf book looks amazing. I've seen some of the items online and they are wonderful. There is a freebie online of The Shag *snigger* and it's a mind-freak. I played around with it a couple of weeks ago before deadline knitting hit. I'll go back to it soon, maybe when the book arrives.

Takin' a toque

When is a Tam not a Tam? When it's a toque.

I used Wendy Bernard's Last Minute "Purled" Beret as the base for shaping. Everything went well until it came of the needles.

I prefer the decreases on the starfish one but like the ribbed band better on this. The little stalk at the top makes me smile. But it toqued when it should have tammed - odd.

Desperation is the mother of invention - my continuing love affair with garter stitch scarves

So what's a knitter do when she has 8 days to create three special gifts which should be the same but different?

Firstly she drops by the Boodle Boutique to see what's in stock. Ah, 4 x 100g balls of that gorgeous hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn from Boorowool, each in a different colourway. 3 of the colourways match the recipients' tastes. Score!

100g should be enough for a simple skinny scarf accessory that showcases the colours and texture of the yarn, but a garter stitch scarf looks far too amateurish to give to women who have watched (and disapproved) of my knitting in meetings for 4 years. Even they know how basic a garter stitch scarf is, even in gorgeous wool. But garter stitch on the bias? That looks impressive and is just as easy to knit and most importantly, looks as good on either side.

So off I went on 6.5mm needles to give the scarf good drape and open the fabric up to showcase the yarn, increasing until it looked wide enough to be elegant without being skimpy (21 stitches or about 9cm). Within minutes I was bored witless and started throwing in a rows of yarn overs just to keep myself awake interested. The first scarf, now relegated to the bottom of my scarf drawer, was OK as a test piece, but the yarn over rows were unevenly placed and the edges a bit wonky. I knitted until it was long enough to sit around the neck hanging to just above waist level (114cm) . Astonishingly the scarf took 47g - a little less than half my ball. Whacko!

This is the colourway I called "Blue Gum" - teals, olives and browns.

Immediately I cast on again in the same colourway and made a much more acceptable scarf with even edges and well spaced rows of yarn overs for interest.

The third scarf was even better. I was getting the hang of working with the uneven yarn and the colours were absorbing.

This colourway I call Gum Blossom. Those crimson pinks, bluey grey greens and olives are divine!

And finally the best knitted scarf in a colourway I call "Roosters" because it's red, blue and white. I liked this colourway least in the ball, but knitted it has an amazing chocolate which I'd never have thought to put with blue and red - it gives it great depth.

The toffee apple colourway I'm saving for something else but the remains of Roosters and Gum Blossom will probably become YO! scarves. My recipe for the scarf is here.

YO! Diagonal garter stitch scarf recipe

RECIPE:
Using 50gm of 8-10ply thick and thin yarn and a 6.5mm needle, cast on 1 stitch.
Knit front, back and front into this stitch (3 stitches)
Next Row: Slip 1 purlwise, k across the row
Next Row: Slip 1 purlwise, k front and back in the remaining two stitches (5 stitches)
Increase Pattern:
Row 1: Slip 1 purlwise, k across the row
Row 2: Slip 1 purwise, k front and back of the next stitch, k to second last stitch, k front and back, k1. [I used a safety pin to mark this side of the fabric so I could keep track of my bias knit row - this made it a REALLY mindless knit]
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have 21 stitches on your needle, ending with a Row 1.
Main Pattern:
Row 1: Slip 1 purlwise, k front and back of the next stitch, k to last three stitches, k2yog, k1.
Row 2: Slip 1 purlwise, *yo, k2 tog, repeat from * to last
Row 3: Slip 1 purwise, k front and back of the next stitch, k to last three stitches, k2tog, k1.
Row 4: Slip 1 purlwise, k across the row
Repeat rows 3 and 4, 7 more times to complete pattern repeat.
Complete rows 1-7, 9 more times (10 pattern repeats), then rows 1 -4, once.
Decrease Pattern:
Row 1: Slip 1 purlwise, k2tog, k to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1
Row 2: Slip 1 purlwise, k across the row
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until 3 stitches remain.
K3tog, break of yarn, draw tail through stitch and darn in ends.
If necessary, lightly steam press under a cloth to block.
Finished dimensions of my scarf in this yarn were 9cm wide and 115cm long.
Fabulous quick knit (less than 4 hours) - great for handspun.

TTWC Jr 2007.125. Recycled jumper yarn on a 5.5mm needle.

There's a LOT of this yarn and it's so bright and gorgeous for kids. Another few of these on the way.

I don't know what the bush is called but like the yarn it is pretty and plentiful. It must have been easy to propagate because there are many in the back yard.

It's been a while since there was any beanie action on this blog. I spent most of the last week knitting gift scarves (photos and pattern tomorrow), but managed to fit in a couple of beanies and a wee bit of sockage as well.

Is my idea of nothing to do ...

TTWC 2007.124
Blue Sirdar Pullman, not recommended for pleasurable knitting - very harsh in the hand, and some mystery grey 12 ply which is gorgeously soft, at least by comparison to the Pullman.

I stuffed up the first few rounds of the slip stitch pattern but decided against unravelling and just did a different repeat than usual. The effect is ok.

My back issue order of Interweave Knits arrived. I may not surface for some days.

What's their compatability rating, Dexter?

Sometimes you get a pattern and a yarn that just belong together. I reckon this was a Perfect Match. Ooooh ah wooo!

Edgar from Knitty, Fall 2006 in a Happy Spider hand-dyed 8ply wool on a 5mm needle to give it drape.


The pattern is very simple. I only had the usual 2 or 3 attempts to get the first repeat right and then I was flying.



It generated much interest when knitted in public. I only wish I'd had several balls of it at the National Library for the screening of The Librarians - could've made a killing. The knitting was certainly more entertaining than the programme.

Tweedy yarn looks fantastic in stocking stitch, but garter stitch makes it pop like a weasel.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3 ...

TTWC 2007.123 with geranium, or is it a pelargonium? Not sure that I really care all that much - it's pretty.
Cleckheaton Landscape

As much as a day off is always welcome, I rather missed being at work for Melbourne Cup Day.

Melbourne Cup Day is a very social day at work. Public interaction is usually lovely - even better than Christmas Eve because there's less stress all round. We wear silly hats and bring the TVs out and staff and public alike stop and watch the race together.

Because we are open to the public, we don't have a luncheon and indulge in alcoholic beverages in the afternoon like some workplaces. We usually have a breakfast (still no alcohol) and we have sweeps. The guy who normally does our sweeps retired this year and as I had been his assistant in previous years, I was all set to be bookie this year.

As it was, I gardened for a couple of hours this morning before taking the girls on a variation of one of our favourite walks through Westbourne Woods and having lunch at the Oaks Brasserie which is dog friendly and even has a dog menu. I did not buy the girls a lunch, they had a taste of mine and a drink of water instead. They also got lots of attention from other diners.

The Shopping Sherpa declined to join us on our walk, being very occupied in producing things today, so we gathered some supplies and dropped in on her and Nibbs for afternoon tea. I got to see the world's smallest knitted cupcake and we unloaded bargains on each other.

A perfect day except for Peggy frothing at the mouth and emptying the contents of her stomach onto the driver and driver's seat of the car on the way home. She's fine now which is more than I can say for the upholstery. I suspect she ate one of TSS's mushrooms. Stupid dog.

Who are you and what have you done with my father?

TTWC Jr 2007.122 with parsley garnish

An odd ball of 8ply hidden from Mum because I loved the flecks of red, blue and yellow with the teal. I have a short 4mm circ that's perfect for these little caps but they take longer to knit than the big ones.

Conversation with the parents last night on the phone.

MUM: Hi love, we're in Tamworth. We're going to a woollen mill tomorrow....

TAPH: Nundle?!

MUM: Yes, do you want anything?

TAPH: I'm booting up the steam driven computer - I'll call you back. *clunk of phone hitting cradle*.

5 minutes later

TAPH: Hi Mum, have you got a pen?

MUM: Hang on, you're father has a notebook. Right, fire away.

TAPH: *proceeds with very reasonable order considering the circumstances.*..

MUM: OK, here's your Dad.

DAD: Is that all you want?

TAPH (suspecting sarcasm): Dad, 2 balls of 4 ply and some OPTIM/camel spinning fibre and whatever a fibre cheese is, isn't all that much...

DAD: No, really, would you like more than that?

TAPH: (checking for wax in her ears) Dad, that's what I would like.

DAD (quite serious): It doesn't sound like much. We'll be at the mill at 10am. I'll check at the office before we go in - just leave a message at the mill if you want anything else.

TAPH: Um, ok, thanks (whoever you are).

I don't know who my mother went away with for the weekend, but he does a passable impersonation of my father on the 'phone. I'm demanding DNA testing when they get home; particularly if he brings yarn and fibre.

Or maybe I'm dying and they haven't told me yet and think wool will soften the blow. Do you think the Starlight Foundation would cover a world fibre-hunting trip? Who would I name as stash heir?

But you'll look sweet...

TTWC 2007.121
The blue was a jumper unravelled and reclaimed in South West Rocks, the grey an odd ball of Cleckheaton 12ply.

We've had a wonderful lot of rain this last week and look set for a bit more. The garden is happy and so am I. Tomorrow the soft herbs and veggies go in the ground.

Spent most of Sunday catching up with casting on TTWCs and fiddling around with a couple of new patterns.

And best of all, tomorrow is a public holiday and the parents are away so I get a real day off. Wheee!

A rose by any other name...

These are identical twins in Jigsaw sock yarn by Heirloom on 2mm dpns. Standard, cuff down pattern.

Cast on for me, Mum decided they should be for her. The knitting has been finished for weeks, I just hadn't got around to grafting the toe. Ms Spider to the rescue, and now they are done. Mum will receive them on Wednesday - they've gone to Queensland for a wedding.

And yes, I do need to deadhead the roses.

Managed to hit myself in the head with doors, twice, yesterday. I spent the late afternoon and early evening on the couch being ministered to by my nieces. A VERY slight concussion, apparently, but I was ok to go home to sleep.

Rosie had her revenge for the bow incident by throwing up in bed, my bed, at 5.30 this morning. Thanks, Rose.

Bluetooth

Heavily based on the Worm Scarf by Julie Weisenberger of Cocoknits, in 100g of Emu "Mikado".


This was the only ball of the electric blue colourway. Sadly there are still 3 balls of the red to be knitted.


Yes, it would appear that I'm stash busting the novelty-type yarns at the moment. But that's a good thing, right?

Basic Instinct

Because sometimes it's all about garter stitch scarves in novelty yarn.

One of the young men at work dubbed this the Sawfish scarf.

Heavily based on the Worm Scarf by Julie Weisenberger of Cocoknits, it's 100g of Emu "Mikado" (bought at the Bargain Hunter in Queanbeyan for $1 a ball) on 7mm needles. As far as novelty yarns go, this thick and thin blend is OK to knit with. 62% acrylic, 20% wool, 17% acetate and 1% metal thread.

As this took about four hours to knit and there are four more balls of the red, and one of electric blue in boodle, I foresee several more Sawfish scarves in my future. I've already cast on the second one.

Boxed in

Beanie 2007.120 with Japanese Box

Double rib kid's beanie on 5.5mm needle using just under 50g of a plain olive green Twilleys Freedom wool (the last of the yarn donated at the Harlot Happening) and some variegated green Lang? 8ply knitted double donated by the Happy Spider.

An intensely satisfying improvisation over late night teev when it was too hot too sleep.

The Casting (on) Couch

TTWC 2007.118 with sage flower (the Control beanie)

The Shopping Sherpa and I are getting pretty good at this movie knitting. I cast on and knit the band prior to the movie, TSS knits to the decreases and I do the decreases during the film. Then I darn in the ends over a bevvy afterwards.

While I'm doing the decreases and finishing off, TSS grabs the next prepared hat. We usually get a full hat and one or two part finished ones done per film.

TTWC 2007.119 in Cleckheaton "Landscape" with my weeny mandarin tree

I love how the yarn coordinates with the crushed brick mulch in the background.

Snow job

TTWC 2007.116-117. The purple one is officially known as "Spring Snow"

Sometimes a freebie is worth what it cost.

Wednesday saw The Shopping Sherpa and I at a free screening of Spring Snow based on a novel by Yukio Mishima at a short Japanese Film Festival. I read Mishima when I was young and desperate to appear literary. The film was 3 hours long. We knitted - beanies and socks. Probably just as well we had some distraction as the 16mm film dragged somewhat and there were two intermissions to change reel (which was quaint).

Sometimes, though, a cheapie is worth much more than you pay. Today we went to 2-for-1 matinee session of Control, the Ian Curtis biopic. Compelling viewing. Made me very glad I didn't marry at 17. The film was based on Curtis' widow's biography and she was one of the producers, so there's a bias up front. Photographer Anton Corbijn directed and the cinematography is brilliant. Each shot is stunning.

Didn't so much want to grab a disapproved of punk wannabe with this one, as yell at some old boyfriends who abused Curits' lyrics to excuse their own adolescent self-indulgences. Time to let go.