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The easiest fruitcake recipe ever!

2009-12-20T21:01:00.009+10:30

I don't usually make a Christmas Cake ... there's only two of us in the family that eat it, and a whole cake seems like too much hassle (and too much on our waistlines), so I tend to have a tiny shop bought one, albeit usually dry and pale and not very Christmassy ... buuuuut, this year will be different ... I found a recipe for the easiest, richest fruitcake ever :) It was so easy that I'm thinking of making another one to ice and have as a centre piece on the table on Christmas Day. I made this one today, and of course, HAD to cut into it to see how it tasted ;D (Now that it's cut, I might use some of it to make Christmas cake ice cream and maybe some rum balls) ... anyways, here's the recipe, (and don't be put off by the small ingredient list!)

1kg dried fruit

600ml iced coffee or iced chocolate

2 cups self raising flour

Soak the fruit in the iced coffee in the fridge overnight (you'll know when it's been long enough when all the liquid gets absorbed)

Stir in the 2 cups of flour

Place in a large greased and lined cake tin, and bake at 180 degrees for an hour and a half

...that's it!!

I'm thinking that with my next cake, I might swap the iced coffee for Baileys, just to make it a bit more festive, but still less boozy than a traditional cake :)

Still de-stashing

2009-11-03T12:24:00.013+10:30

...yes, the de-stashification process is still going strong :-) It has been hard to stop myself from adding to my supplies (I came very close to caving in at Spotlight this morning!)... buuut... so far, so good :-D
It took me a while to figure out what to make with my two lonely balls of Sean Sheep Armytage. It's too scratchy for baby things, and far too prone to accidentally felting for a teething, drooly bub (although it would have made an awesome looking earflap hat!), so in the end I settled on my old faithful,' go to when in a knitting funk pattern', the One Skein Wonder. I followed the pattern without modification, phew!!, and it pretty much saw all of my two balls :-)

I made a few pairs of toe-up socks. The white pair here were made with some old 'no label' acrylic, and the pink ones were Lincraft Cosy 8 ply wool. They're basically the same sock, 8 ply yarn with 4mm needles. Turkish cast on (12 sts) increasing to about 24 (or whenever the sock fits snuggly over your toes), work straight in any stitch (on my lace pair, I did plain stocking stitch on half the stitches, for the sole). I tried a Short row heel this time, instead of the Afterthought one, and really surprised myself with how easy it was, although I do need to practice it more to eliminate the little holes on either side. After the heel it was just ribbing on all stitches until I was happy with how they felt on :-) I found this elastic bind off, which made a heap of difference to getting the socks on and off!
....and finally, I attacked my fabric stash, and started making random quilt blocks...not sure what I'm making with them yet, but I'm pretty sure that a baby quilt will be following shortly ;-D

Just using what I've got ...

2009-08-21T11:10:00.007+09:30

...seriously, I need to stop buying yarn and fabric! I do know that I have tried this before, but this time I'm going to try really, really hard!! I have got so much stuff that it's gonna take me forever to use it! I'm on a definite mission to drastically de-stash - use what I've got as far as possible without going to the shops. I guess the only exception will be to buy buttons and things to finish off items, but I will try my hardest to make do :-) (I'm slightly worried that Big W will do one of their annual yarn sell-offs soon to make room for the summer stock, and if that is the case, I'm not sure that I can resist buying 50c balls of yarn!!!... but, we will see) :-D

...so, to start me off, I made a couple of things from my stash :-) The sweater actually started off as a Bad Penny, but after wearing my other one for a while, realised that I didn't like the wool so close to my neck ... too itchy, so I frogged and used the yarn to make this basic top down, scooped out neck version instead (this time I just made the pattern up as I went along). I still love the Bad Penny pattern, but just not with the Sean Sheep Armytage that I was using. I thought that I only had 5 balls of yarn, so I just knitted down until I ran out (I then found another ball in my stash, after it was finished, but by then, I couldn't be bothered to lengthen it. I just tend to tug at it now if it rides up :-D) The bag was made with some fabric oddments that I got from a local sheeting seconds outlet (Talking Textiles at Christie's Beach) ... at the time, I think I got 10 various sized pieces for $1. Not bad, a bag for $2! The free pattern is here. The only thing I will change on it next time, will be to place the internal pockets nearer to the bottom of the bag. Other than that, it's perfect ... comfy to carry, great size, especially since South Australia banned all plastic check out bags from supermarkets. My everyday bag now has to be big enough to fit in my small shopping bags and my Woolworths roll up ones ... oh, and I quite often have a nappy, bottle and dummy to carry as well :-D

Retro Baby

2009-07-21T19:03:00.013+09:30

After I finished knitting this cream coloured hoodie, there were a few things about it that I thought could be better ... so, not to let it beat me, I did some tweaking to the pattern, and came up with this blue stripey (and much improved) version :-) ... really!, I'll use any excuse to do some more knitting!! The main thing that I wanted to change was the front neckline, as it came way too high, making the top button sit scarily close to mouth level (the top button is undone and flipped back on the modeled photo). I also tapered the sleeves on the first one, but then found it hard to get them on over his other clothes ... sooo, the new and improved hoodie now has, a scooped out neckline, non tapered sleeves, and I also made it a bit bigger to allow for a wriggly baby! :-D

RETRO BABY ... (so named because it made me think of my Mum's patterns from the '60's!)
I made it to fit a 6 month old, which the cream version does ... the blue one knitted up bigger, just by upsizing the needles. Basically, the two patterns are the same (other than the parts mentioned before) The cream one was knitted Top Down seamless, and the blue one was done Bottom Up seamless ... there was no real reason for this, guess I just needed a change! :-) The hood is not seamless, but I'm sure that it would be fairly easy to change ... soooo, here's the improved pattern :-)
The pattern I am writing is for Top Down, but changing it to bottom up is easy ... just start with 80 stitches for the body, and23 for each sleeve.

The size is roughly 6 months
The gauge is 13sts x 24 rows to 4"using 6mm needles with 2 strands of yarn held together (cream), and 12.5sts x 18 rows to 4" using 7mm needles, again using double yarn (blue)
I used 3 100g balls of Carnival 8 ply acrylic (gotta love Big W!)

TOP DOWN
Using yarn double throughout, cast on 18 stitches.
Knit the first row placing markers after stitch 1,2,16,17
Working in stocking stitch, increase both sides of the markers on every knit row, work 7 rows
On next row, also increase at beginning and end of row
Purl 1 row
Remembering to increase still at the raglan seams, cast on 8 stitches at both ends
Keeping the first and last 4 stitches in garter stitch throughout, work 3 more rows in stocking stitch
Buttonhole row, knit to last 4 stitches, k2tog, yfwd, knit 2
Work 5 more rows stocking stitch
Work stitches to first sleeve, put sleeve stitches on holder, cast on 4 stitches, work to the second sleeve, put sleeve stitches on holder, cast on 4 stitches, work to end
*sorry! there seems to be a mistake here ... it should read 20 rows of stocking stitch and 6 rows of garter stitch before the cast off* Work ~~13 rows~~ stocking stitch, keeping garter edges, placing buttonholes at rows 25, 35, and 45
Cast off
Return sleeve stitches to needles and cast on 2 stitches at either end
The sleeves can either be knit flat and then seamed, or knit in the round (I did mine in the round using magic loop)
Work 26 rows stocking stitch
Work 4 rows garter stitch
Cast off
For the hood, cast on 63 stitches
Work 4 rows of garter stitch
Work 5 rows stocking stitch
Decrease one stitch each end of next row, then every following 3rd row 5 times
Work 1 row
Cast off
Close up any underarm holes, sew the back hood seam together, sew the hood to the jacket neckline, and finally, sew on the buttons :-)
The hood turns out pretty big, but I like that because his other hats still fit on underneath it, (and I think that most of the time, the hood will just be for show). If you wanted to change the size of it, just cast on a few less stitches, but work the same amount of rows to make sure that the hood and neckline match up.
Don't forget to post any finished piccies on Ravelry! ... would love to see them :-)

Quickie Mini Mitts

2009-07-03T10:48:00.004+09:30

I wanted some baby mittens to match the hat that I made a couple of weeks ago ... I tried about 4 or 5 different patterns, but none turned out how I wanted them to look ... so I thought I would try taking the parts of each pattern that I liked, do some knitting pattern fusion, and this is what I came up with :-)

Quickie Mini Mitts

This pattern fits about a six month old, but with it being a top down pattern, it's really easy to adapt to whatever size you want (just continue the increases until it's the right width, and then just keep trying them on until the length is correct).

The yarn and gauge don't really matter either ... I used Moda Vera Harmony with size 5mm needles, which knitted up to 18 stitches and 24 rows.

Using Emily Ocker's cast on, cast on 8 stitches.
Knit 1 round.
Knit front and back into every stitch.
Knit 1 round.
Kfb, k6, kfb, kfb, k6, kfb.
Knit 1 round.
Kfb, k8, kfb, kfb, k8, kfb (24 sts)
Continue knitting around on these stitches for about another 13 rows (I used the magic loop method).
K1, yarn forward, k2tog across the next row (eyelet row).
Knit 4 rounds.
Purl 1 round.
Knit 1 round.
Purl 1 round.
Knit 1 round.
Cast off.
Make two wrist ties to thread through the eyelets, and one long connecting cord to attach both mitts. I found that the easiest and neatest way, was to do a simple crochet chain, but an i-cord or ribbon would do the same :-)
(Emily Ocker's cast on is awesome ... I've been trying to get my head around it for ages, ever since I read about it from Elizabeth Zimmermann ... I just couldn't figure it out from Elizabeth's instructions, so googled it, and came up with the above link ... really it's heaps easy and really effective ... I also found a version used for starting crochet circles, which is pretty much the same thing ... it's called the Magic Adjustable Ring)

Warm ears and cosy sleeps ...

2009-06-17T13:51:00.013+09:30

Finding a hat pattern to perfectly fit a baby's head is not that easy ... finding an online hat generator however, to design a hat in your own yarn, and to your own measurements, is as easy as clicking here :-D ... how cool are those ear flaps?! I thought that I'd made some sort of mistake whilst I was knitting it... having never made (or worn) ear flaps before, I imagined the flaps to be exactly opposite each other, but (very cleverly) they're not, they are positioned a lot nearer to the back than the front. The result is a hat that fits so well, that it doesn't move about, or need adjusting every few minutes ... love it! ... my only change to the pattern was to do a few less rounds in the main body of the hat ... other than that, I followed the pattern (surprised eh?! ... yep, me too!)
I finally finished a baby quilt that seems to have been waiting around forever. The top is all machine pieced, so that really didn't take too long ... the waiting was just for the quilting to get started (but as soon as it was, it only took a few days to complete). I placed the quilt top directly onto the backing, and hand quilted it, using 3 strands of embroidery thread. I'm not sure what the backing fabric is called ... it's got a really soft fleecy/furry kind of feel (it's the same fabric that heaps of this seasons dressing gowns are made out of) ... I'm sure it's got a name, but I just didn't think to look when I bought it from Spotlight ... maybe I'll remember to check next time I'm there :-D (but, whatever it's called, it's soft, warm, and very snuggly ... and perfect for this Adelaide winter)

Mattress Stitch....who knew?...

2009-04-21T08:17:00.011+09:30

I've never been a big fan of sewing my knitting together...I know, I'm not alone ;-D
My mum taught me when I made my first sweater in primary school...but I don't think that I ever really got it right. She lays out the knitting with wrong side facing up, and carefully catches just the edge stitches together, resulting in a perfectly flat seam ... when I do the same, yep, I get the flat seam on the inside, but a sometimes ugly seam on the outside ... unlike Mum's, which look perfect front and back...!?
So I figured that it was time to try a different approach ... and OMG, I am so in love with Mattress Stitch right now ... admittedly, the inside seams are a bit on the chunky side, but the look on the outside is worth the sacrifice ... and, and, and! not only do they look great, but I'm actually really enjoying doing them :-) I made this sweater for our new grandbaby, to practice the seams on something small, and I love the way it turned out :-)

The specs ...... I used just the basic baby, drop sleeved pattern from my Knitware program, with some Shepherd 'Colour For Me' 8 ply yarn (bought cheap, as usual from Big W's yarn stock clearance last year (woo!)).
The awesome tutorial for Mattress Stitch can be found here.

A Quilting Ravelry....

2009-02-09T09:54:00.007+10:30

...how good is that?! Anybody that has ever used Ravelry for their knitting addiction, will know just how awesome that site is. I've been reading on people's blogs for ages, how everyone wants a quilting equivalent, and yippee!!!...it looks like there may be one forming :-) Quiltgroup is now in the process of sending out invitations. Mine came within a week, and so far, it looks like the site will be a good one! My username over there is Linda

It's still been too hot to knit here in Adelaide, so I got to work on a new quilt instead....I've got no real plan in mind for it, other than I want it to be 'liberated' and busy!
The quilt so far....

Oh baby, it's hot!

2009-02-02T08:56:00.005+10:30

It's been a while since I blogged, but really..... I do have some good excuses :-D
One has been the weather here in Adelaide...OMG!, we're having an incredible summer heatwave, with temperatures over 40 for the past week, and 38+ to come, with no end in sight (even our overnight lows have been in the 30s!)...so, needless to say, it hasn't been the best time to knit :-D
My other excuse, which I've gotta say, is a whole lot more exciting, is that I became a Grandma!...and yep, he was born in the heatwave (45.5 degrees for his first day!!) ... so forget all the clothes and blankies we made him!....he's been very happy in his nappy and Bonds chesty!!!!
I did knit him a toy a few weeks back that I didn't get around to blogging about, so in the words of Blue Peter, 'here's one I made earlier!'

The pattern is Little Blossom by Alan Dart...it was really cute to knit, but pretty fiddly to sew up (I really need to brush up on my finishing skills!)....maybe next time, I'll try converting the pattern to seamless. I found the pattern in a Simply Knitting mag from my local library (Simply Knitting 29). The only mod that I made was to use a pre-made lace daisy chain for the headband...I had heaps of trys with the knitted one, but they all reminded me more of fried eggs than daisies!!...not the best look for around the head of a cute pink elephant :-D

Free pattern - Baby eyelet cardi

2008-10-27T11:04:00.013+10:30

After finding out that our new grandbaby-to-be is going to be a boy (can you see this beaming smile on my face?!!), I decided to design and make him this cardi. I made the green one first as a test run, and changed what I didn't like about it on the blue...(which was basically just the neckline). This pattern is written for the new and improved blue version :-)

2 50g balls of Patons Zhivago Baby
4mm circular needle
4 stitch markers
Gauge: 19sts x 25 rows = 10cm
Size: newborn
K=knit
PM=place marker
Increase=knit into front and back of same stitch
M1=make one stitch by working (K1, yarn forward) at beginning of row, and (yarn forward, K1) at the end of row
Decrease=K2together

Starting at neck edge, cast on 26 stitches.
Row 1: K1, PM, K2, PM, K 20, PM, K2, PM, k1
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit row, increasing 1 stitch at each side of markers
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: Knit row, M1 at both ends of row, as well as increasing at each side of markers
Repeat rows 4 and 5 until there are 24 stitches for each front, 26 stitches for each sleeve, and 44 stitches for the back, ending with a purl row.
Putting sleeve stitches on a spare needle as you come to them, K24 stitches from 1st front, cast on 3 stitches (for the body underarms), K44 stitches from back,cast on 3 stitches, K24 stitches from 2nd front (98 stitches)
Start eyelet pattern:
Row 1: Purl
Row 2: K2*Yarn forward K2together K1. Repeat from * to end
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: Knit
Repeat the last 4 rows until there are 8 eyelet pattern repeats, finishing with row 4
Cast off loosely
Turn up at the last eyelet row and stitch to inside, to form the picot edge
Return one set of sleeve stitches to the needle (I worked my sleeves seamless, using a circular needle and the magic loop method, but they could just as easily be worked on double pointed needles, or straight needles and seamed later)
Rejoin yarn and either cast on 4 stitches, or pick them up from the stitches cast on for the body underarms. Place a marker in the middle of these 4 stitches to denote the beginning of the row. (30 stitches)
Working in Stocking Stitch, decrease 1 stitch either side of the marker on every 10th row, 3 times
Work 3 rows
Work 1 row of eyelets (Yarn forward, K2together K1)
Work 2 rows
Cast off loosely
Turn up sleeve at eyelet row and stitch into place on the inside
Work 2nd sleeve to match
Sew on buttons to correspond with eyelet rows. Depending on the baby's size, the cardi can be buttoned using any of the eyelets as buttonholes.

... Love to see piccies if anybody uses the pattern ... :-)

**instructions for a crew neck version of this cardi have been added here**

Some quick knitting

2008-12-16T09:33:00.006+10:30

After being asked by Paula over on Ravelry if I could give crew neck instructions for my Baby eyelet cardi pattern, this is what I came up with. (I've made no allowance for buttonholes, as I think I'm just going to add one or two rows of double crochet around all of the edges). Cast on 44 stitches. With stitch markers, separate stitches into 10 for each front, 2 for each sleeve, and 20 for the back. Work in stocking stitch, increasing one stitch either side of the markers on every knit row until you have 22 stitches for each front, 26 for the sleeves, and 44 for the back. The cardi can then be completed the same as the original version :-)

My other quick bit of knitting this week, was my new i-pod cosy...this really was the quickest project ever, taking just a scrap of 8 ply yarn, a 4mm circular needle, and about half an hour of knitting time :-)
Using the double knitting method, cast on 14 stitches. Knit until your i-pod is nice'n cosy, then remove the stitches from the needle, and reposition them so that you can knit them in the round. After doing 3 or 4 rounds of ribbing, cast off...no seaming or finishing is needed! These new generation i-pods look like they would be heaps easy to scratch, so after declining the advice of the sales guy to purchase an expensive (and ugly) silicone sleeve, we came home and made our own....of course :-D

Lincraft Blossom (Blossom Tee)

2008-11-17T08:58:00.011+10:30

...so here's the way that it usually goes...I see discounted yarn and buy as much as I can afford, or carry, or both!!! (but of course, that's just a given for all yarnies, right?). My next step is usually to take it home, drool over it, plan a million things to make with it, and then put it into storage bins for future use (:-D)...but, this time I was on a mission to use what I bought straight away :-)

Lincraft had a discount bin next to the check-out with their own brand Blossom for 24 cents a ball (24c!!). By the time that I spotted it, there was a very lonely, sad looking, 3 balls left. A trip back there a couple of days later found another 2 balls :-)
I didn't know if it would make a full length top, or whether I would have to stop at cropped, but making it top down, meant that I could just keep going until the yarn ran out.
I made it to fit a woman's size 34" at a gauge of 13sts to 22 rows over 4", on size 5mm needles.

BODY
Starting from the top, cast on 42 stitches
Knit 1 row
Purl row, placing stitch markers after stitch 1, 11, 31 and 41
Knit row, increasing (knit into front and back of stitch) both sides of the markers
Purl row
Continue the last 2 rows until there are 15 stitches for each front, 38 stitches for each sleeve, and 48 stitches for the back, ending with a purl row
Increase into 1st stitch, knit to marker, place sleeve stitches on spare needle, knit to next marker, put sleeve stitches onto another spare needle, knit to end, increasing into last stitch (place stitch markers at both underarm seams)
Work 8 rows, increasing 1 stitch at both ends of every row
Start to knit in rounds starting at centre front - knit to first marker (use this marker as your beginning of round)
Knit 9 rounds
Knit round, knitting 2 together at each side of markers (decrease round)
Knit 3 rounds
Decrease round
Repeat last 4 rounds 4 times more (72 sts)
Knit 15 rounds
Knit round, increasing at each side of markers (increase round)
Knit 3 rounds
Repeat last 4 rounds 4 times
Changing to size 4.5mm needles, knit 1 purl 1 rib for about 12 rounds
Cast off

SLEEVES
Place sleeve stitches back on a size 4.5mm needle and pick up 2 stitches at the underarm (40 sts) place a marker in the middle of the 2 extra stitches
Knit 1 row
Rib 3 rows
Cast off

NECK
Starting at one of the back raglan placements, pick up and knit 102 stitches evenly around neck opening
Rib 3 rows
Cast off

Ta-Da!! ... straight from Lincraft to my wardrobe, without having a stop-over at my stash pile...!!

Nappy Bags

2008-11-04T19:03:00.007+10:30

This is the most awesome nappy bag pattern :-) It's from 'Crafts for Baby' by Alison Jenkins, and it really is worth buying the book just for this pattern alone ... (I'm sure the other patterns are equally as good, it's just that we haven't gotten around to trying them yet). I say 'we' as the book is actually my daughter's (she bought it for $10..what a bargain!). After seeing how good her nappy bag turned out, I had to have one of my own ;-D (Her's is the blue one, mine is the green)With the fabric I had left over, I made a matching shopping bag from this free pattern at Uhandbag ... the fabric worked great for bags as it was block out curtaining from Spotlight. The thermal coating gave it just the right amount of stability without having interfacing. I need to get back down to Spotlight soon to get some more...Here in South Aus, all supermarket plastic bags are being banned from January next year, and my local Woolies has started to get rid of them already... so ... I'll be in need of a boot full of eco friendliness to carry my food home :-)

Inspired to Sew

2008-10-17T13:50:00.009+10:30

Now that I'm back home again after my few weeks in the UK, I've got a mad urge (yep, even madder than usual!) to get into my knitting and sewing :-) My instant gratification came in the form of this apron, which, according to the pattern is supposed to be a top (just thought that my girls would give me absolute heaps if I wore this out in public as a top!!)....hence, it will definately be worn as a pinny. As far as I can tell, the only thing making it a top, is the fact that the skirt part goes all around at the back as well as the front.
The pattern was one of my op shop buys for 20c...a McCalls 2 hour sampler wrap top/dress from 1983. I love the finished look of it (although I did have to put a couple of darts in the top, to prevent a drapey neck), and I love that fact that it did take less than 2 hours :-D

Just a few days before my hols, I had an another awesome find in the op shop (another 20c bargain!). I found a really old, coverless copy of Enid Gilchrist's Play Clothes. I'd never even heard of her before, and was really surprised at how many sewing patterns and information were in one book. Of course, as soon as I got home, I googled Enid's name, and couldn't believe how many things she had published, for both adults and kids. I got straight onto ebay and bid on a whole heap of her books. They were all here at home waiting for me when I returned from overseas....sooo....I had a few days of awesome jetlagged reading :-D
When I was searching for info on her, I found this amazing blog called Inspired by Enid. I was really happy to find another Enid fan, and even more so when I realised that the blog belonged to Tracy from Madquilter, one of my favourite crafty bloggers :-D (Tracy, I've got a couple of doubles that I don't think you have..Suits and Dresses 5 to 12 years and the New Idea special publication Baby Book...if you don't already have them, let me know and you're more than welcome to these :-))
I'm not sure yet, what I'll be sewing next, but I'm having great fun trying to decide ;-D

Playing catch-up!

2008-10-13T14:30:00.009+10:30

I've got heaps of stuff to blog about....
Having been overseas for the last few weeks....
I guess I don't really know where to start ;-D

Here's a peek at my crafty happenings of late, in picture form...there'll be more details to follow :-D
(it really is good to be home!)

My Six Hour Baby Sweater

2008-09-01T09:51:00.008+09:30

I know that technically, this is the pattern for the Five Hour Baby Sweater, and although I tried extra hard to knit faster....I just couldn't do it in the five ;-) It's really easy to knit, and I love all of the different variations of it....this one was intended to be the holey yoke version (same as the holes around the bottom). I realised my mistake when I was nearly finished the yoke. Thinking that it looked pretty cute the way that it was, I decided to leave it. To achieve the holes, what I should have done on rows 9, 13, 17, 21, and 25, was to pick up the horizontal loop and knit into the front of it...my knitter's brain told me to knit into the back (for neatness)!!... I'll try the other version next time I knit it, and I should probably make it bigger as well...this one is tiny and by my guess, it should probably fit our new Grandbaby for....oooh, at least a week!! ;-D

I kept track of my progress, so that I could time how long it took....these photos were taken after every hour of knitting....

These are the specs:

Pattern: Five hour baby sweater

Yarn: Magnum Soft, one 100g ball of white (I loved this yarn...really soft and springy)

Needles: 4mm circular

Changes to pattern: I added 3 buttonholes as per these instructions, and I undid the ribbed cuffs and did 4 rows of garter stitch instead (the garter stitch made the cuffs bigger, and were, I thought, more in keeping with the other garter edges)

I really loved knitting this, and it will definately be my new 'go to' quick baby pressie knitting pattern :-)

Baby, baby ,baby!

2008-08-13T13:51:00.007+09:30

......ok, so this blog title was supposed to be sung like this! ... aaahhh, Slade in the early 70's ... how cool is that ;-D
....it has, however, got nothing to do with this blog post, other than the fact that I had the urge to sing Baby, baby, baby!, Noddy Holder style at the top of my voice :-D
The reason why?......OMG,we're going to be Grandparents! (once again, insert said song here!!!)....if vividly remembering early 70's glam rock didn't age me, then the grandma bit sure did :-)
I started knitting already.... I couldn't help myself! I used this free pattern for the white one, and the Simple Baby Cap #2 from Itty Bitty Hats for the yellow. I used an unknown 8 ply for the first one (the ball band was missing), and Shepherd Cuddles4Me for the other (I love this yarn...it has a really nice squishy feel to it). I had a second trip to Big W to buy some more for a matching jacket...can't wait to start it :-)
Tracy, thank you so much for the blog award!...I'm really happy that you read my blog :-D
(Sorry that it took me so long to reply!)

Zoomy socks

2008-06-03T14:27:00.007+09:30

...another pair of easy, easy socks :-) They really are just a magic looped tube with a bit of tweaking on the toe and heel
Yarn: Just over one ball of Panda Zoomy (I used 115g)
Gauge: 12st x 19rows = 10cm on size 7mm needles
Using the Turkish Cast On, make 8 wraps of the needle (16 stitches in total, 8 for each side), then increase each side, every other round, until there are 14 stitches on each side. Continue knitting without shaping for about 20 rows, and then work half of the stitches on waste yarn for an Afterthought heel. Finish the sock with a couple of rounds of stocking stitch and some ribbing before returning to the heel. Pick up the 28 stitches, and a couple of extra stitches each side to eliminate any holey bits, and decrease each side, every other round until there are 15 left....then it's just casting off the remaining stitches using the 3 Needle Bind Off.
These socks are great for wearing around the house in the winter ... warm, cozy, soft ... and they let you do an awesome Tom Cruise Risky Business style slide across the hardwood floor ...
not that I would do anything that silly of course ;-D
... although, I've 'heard' that it IS a great way to dust!

Less slouch!

2008-05-12T13:14:00.012+09:30

So....this was my second attempt this weekend at making a beret! I found this free pattern through Ravelry, and loved the idea of making it top-down, AND with my own gauge :-)
The first one I made had way too much slouch happening, so on this one, I just eliminated the 3-4" of stocking stitch between the increase and decrease rounds....much better!....it now sits on my head nicely.
I was aiming (as ever!!*grin*) for chic, but felt that the bigger slouch factor, made me feel less chic, and more Maggie from Extras :-D (NOT that that's a bad thing!..just not where I was heading at the time!)

Here's the first one (I had to turn the ribbing back on itself to stop it from enclosing my whole face ;-D)

Thanks to everyone for the awesome feedback I got for my grey sweater (last post) ... I liked it so much that I'm thinking of starting another one this week....I'm thinking maybe pink...?

Op Shop Top

2008-04-30T13:00:00.012+09:30

Finally....I have a knitting FO to show :-) (and just in time for Adelaide's cold snap!)
This was a jumper that I started in December after buying a bag of grey yarn from the Op Shop....it was just a mixed bag of assorted yarns in different weights and textures, that only cost a few dollars.
With knitting it top-down (thanks as always to Barbara Walker's 'Knitting from the Top'), I was able to knit each stripe until the yarn ran out. The first one I used was Patons Cottage Knit, which was a chunky, slubby mix - this determined the gauge (very roughly!), and the needle size. With the rest, I then just doubled or tripled them to give a similar gauge. I added some shaping through the waist, with 4 darts, and by using a slightly thinner yarn. The neckline had a 'roll' happening that would have been annoying to wear, so I just crocheted a row of htr's around the top to pull it flat...it still needs blocking to help it to sit better, but hey...that can wait until the jumper needs washing ;-D

....and of course, as ever!...for every one FO, there are one or two!!! UFO's waiting in the wings....;-D

Book goodies!

2008-04-07T08:17:00.008+09:30

...so...not a lot of blogging has been happening these last few weeks due to my rapidly failing camera...but I'm back, armed and ready with my new Fuji Finepix Z5, which (oh yeah!) has a blog ready photo setting :-) What to photograph first?...aaah my new book goodies :-D
I took a trip to Dymocks to see what new craft books they had...just browsing you understand ;-D (apart from these two, which just looked too good not to buy!).
To be honest, the Sew What! Fleece book wouldn't usually have gotten a look, but because it was in the same format as the Sew What! Skirts book, and knowing how awesome that book is, I flicked through it. If you look past the fact that everything is made of fleece (!!), there are some really nice, basic patterns (like the skirt book, they are based on your own measurements and marked directly onto the fabric). I was hoping that there would be a pants, tops, sleepwear edition in the Sew What books, but really, this book has a pattern for all of them :-)
now...off to find some pants fabric...more piccies to follow

First 'non raglan' top down!

2008-03-13T15:05:00.005+10:30

....how exciting :-D
After months of reading my copy of Knitting from the Top, I decided to have a go at a jumper with set in sleeves ... I usually shy away from the 'set ins' as the shoulder seams tend to bug me a bit...but according to Barbara Walker this method should produce "a smooth, unbroken band of knitting over each shoulder, which slopes diagonally downward from neck to arm, as a well shaped shoulder should, yet shows no interruption of the fabric anywhere". Well..I tried it! and yes, I gotta say that I'm pretty impressed :-) Thanks Barbara!
I used some of my $5 Wangaratta yarn from Lincraft in a slightly slubby 8 ply, with different coloured flecks in it. I thought this would help disguise any mishaps with my short row shaping, if needed (glad to say that they looked pretty good!)
Next onto the armholes! (I'm doing the body first method from the book, but I'm looking forward to trying the simultaneous set in sleeves next time)...Why is my head is always jumping forward to the next project!!!?

Doubling up!

2008-03-04T11:02:00.004+10:30

Considering that I haven't blogged for a few weeks, you'd have thought that I could have come up with something original ... but no! ... all of my knitting has been a complete repeat of my last two projects :-) I loved knitting my first Bad Penny so much, that I started another one! (I just love using this Sean Sheep Armytage wool ... in my stash I still have 9 balls of white/blue and 2 balls of mustard/yellow. This Bad Penny only takes 5 balls, so I should have enough of the white to make a long sleeved jumper, and maybe get a neckwarmer and wristies out of the yellow).

The other 'repeat' knitting was another pair of winter socks ... I tried doing the Afterthought heel on two thirds of the stitches this time (as per EZ's instructions), but thought they looked a bit odd, so I went back to using a half ... they're still better than the last pair though, because this time I didn't forget to pick up a few extra stitches at either side of the heel, to avoid holes (I did 4 on each side) ... think I may be adventurous next time, and try a different heel :-D

Bad Penny

2008-02-12T13:42:00.000+10:30

This is my slightly shortened version of Stephanie Japel's Bad Penny. In keeping with my stash down plans for this year (of course, this will only last until Lincraft or Spotlight have their next big yarn sale!!), I used 5 balls of Sean Sheep Armytage (yep, the reason for the shorter length is because I just knitted down until my yarn ran out...couldn't do that if it wasn't knit from the top :-)) I added a bit of waist shaping with the help of Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top and omitted the lacy increases and edgings....but other than that, I pretty much followed the pattern ;-D
I started knitting this top before Christmas, but it was just too hot and sticky to be knitting with a thick wool at that time of year (trying it on all the time to get the fit right was just the worst!!) ... we had a couple of cooler days last week, so I made the most of the change, and finished it off...all in all, it probably only took a few days to knit. I have another 5 balls of the same yarn in a different colour, so I think I may be starting another one soon :-)
I'm liking the layered look again for this winter...just perfect for Adelaide :-)

Thought filled socks!

2008-01-31T08:52:00.001+10:30

I've come to the conclusion that I've been way over-thinking this whole sock making process! Although I've been knitting pretty much my whole life, socks have never been on my to-do list...they always seemed to be too fiddly, confusing, requiring too much concentration, and not worth the effort considering they would probably be eaten up by the washing machine some day anyway!!....but!!....after seeing everybody elses awesome sock creations (oh how I love Ravelry ;-D) I really wanted to make some...this is where the over-thinking came in!... toe-up, cuff-down, 2 needles, 4 needles, magic loop, gusset, german heel, square heel, afterthought heel...????
So, I decided to stop thinking, and just start knitting :-) I used some thick 10 ply yarn from my stash with 4mm needles (2 circulars). After about half a day of trying out different cast-ons, I went with this one (by far the easiest and neatest). I did 8 wraps of the needles (16 stitches, 8 for each side) and increased each side, every other round, until there were 22 stitches. I then knit 29 rounds before adding the waste yarn for an afterthought heel (for which a lot of fore-thought went into!!), and continued for another 10 rounds before changing to a K1 P1 rib for 8 rounds. The heel was finished by decreasing each side every other round until 8 stitches on either side remained, and cast off by the 3 needle method, (just the opposite of the toes).
They were just so much easier (and less fiddly) than I thought :-)
The only change I will make for my next pair, is to make the heel bigger...I made this one on half of the stitches, but I really should have read my Knitting without Tears (Elizabeth Zimmermann) more closely, as she explains that a much better percentage is two thirds.
I now feel confident to try the sock pattern that my daughter requested from Love to Knit (Bronwyn Lowenthal)...the pattern is written for 2 needles, but as always, I have to do it different ;-D