Something for the weekend? (FO Friday)

Today's Finished Object is a little wrap and trouser outfit for Pixie Moon.

YARNS: Knitting Goddess Mini-skeins (1 x purple semi-solid, 1 x striped) and 

a little Patons Fairytale Dreamtime 4ply for the trouser tops. 

NEEDLES/HOOK: 3mm & 3.25mm DPNs and 3.25mm circulars

3mm crochet hook for edging

PATTERN: Improvised - project notes can be found on Ravelry

(Pictured with Little Red Dress)

For the waist section I decided to experiment with some shirring elastic knitted into the last 4 or 5 rows of the trousers. It worked a treat and is something that will surely be included in future projects. 

With several lovely mini-skeins in my small yarn stash, I was keen to try them out for something other than just the Beekeeper's Quilt (which is the reason I have them) and it was fun to knit these into something else, although you can see from the picture (right) there was insufficient yarn without supplementing the stripes. I'm planning a further post to highlight some more projects/patterns that suit small quantities of yarn/mini-skeins so please feel free to leave a comment if you have anything you think should be on the list.

Another busy weekend lays ahead of us including a theatre trip with the children tomorrow and a party on Sunday. I'm hoping to get this delicious hand-spun skein balled up and on the needles this evening. I am thinking of making a Pogona with it so I can try out the "symmetrical yarn overs" I wrote about on Wednesday.  It was a surprise from some friends and I can't wait to use it. What do you think?

YARN: 350m of Polworth/Baby Alpaca/ Mulberry Silk 

spun by Catherine from Sunbird Fibre Works

Of course this may just be wishful thinking - we've had both children ill this week and Little Miss started a course of anti-biotics yesterday *crosses fingers for a restful evening and some sleep* 

Whatever you have planned, I hope you have a very lovely weekend. There are more FOs here. 

XXXX

On Yarn Overs, and a problem solved (and some books!)

Some weeks ago I started knitting Stephen West's Pogona Shawl, and unravelled it - twice - because I wasn't happy with the yarn overs which were different on either side of the shawl meaning it wasn't symmetrical.

You can see the problem in this picture, the yarn overs on the right side are much bigger...

You may recall that I asked for help as I really wasn't happy with this. It seemed that most people felt blocking would be sufficient, but when I pinned it out I knew that I wouldn't be satisfied. I'm definitely not averse to bodging, but I wasn't really happy with that answer - there had to be better solution, a 'proper' solution.  A few days after my plea, a new reader (who was visiting for another post) left a comment...

This was the answer I was looking for - thank you Annie! I filed the answer in the "things to come back to" section of my addled brain and forgot about Pogona and YOs until recently I was reading through the pattern for Carina Spencer's Whippoorwill (one of the June Shawl Knitalong options - the vote for this is still open in the right hand sidebar). The pattern includes a whole section on this very topic, which begins "All yarnovers are not created equal - or more specifically of equal size". Carina goes on to describe how Whippoorwill is written to include SYMMETRICAL yarn overs *yay* and this is written into the pattern to ensure that both sides of the shawl are of equal width. I'm hoping that Whippoorwill will win the vote, partly because I really want to follow the pattern to try these YOs, and partly because I love this one and I have the same yarn already in my stash.

Despite balling some mini-skeins and thrifting a teak bowl for them to live on my table to tempt me back to the Beekeeper's Quilt, I confess there has been a lot more reading than knitting this week. I've added just a few rows on Framlingham (test knit for Not So Granny), finished two books and started TWO more!

After a few weeks reading Royal Assassin I have moved onto the final part of the Farseer Trilogy - Assassin's Quest. I love this trilogy and have been pleased to read the comments on my previous posts which suggest the author's other books are as good, for I'll surely be reading those before too long. I've also started Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting by Noel Janis-Norton which I'm blogging about at Natural Mamas, although I'm yet to put it into practice *blush*

Our book club read this month is The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes which I sped through, finishing it in just over one sitting. It's the first time I have read this author and I adored the way he crafted this novella so that it packed much into just 150 pages. I don't want to give away the plot, but this is a story about how we remember the past, how we manipulate it to suit our own perspective and how  this means that history and time are subjective and unreliable:

"History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation" 

Not since my English Lit A-level has a book had so many highlights in it after a single read (albeit virtual highlights) and the ending left me desperate to discuss the book with others - I found a great thread on The Literary Stew. If you've read the book, you may like to read the comments, but if not it contains spoilers!!!

As usual, I'm linking in with Tami and Ginny today for more knitting, crochet and books. Enjoy!

What are happy birthdays made of?

Lots of cwtches.  A morning of pampering. 

Lunch at the pub with the best chips in the world* and great company.

 Then a relaxing night in a beautiful country hotel. 

THAT is what happy birthdays are made of! 

And when the celebrations are over....? A little knitting to get back into the swing of things, of course. 

Back tomorrow with more of what I've been making!

XXX 

*this is a matter of  opinion, rather than fact, although I dare you to find better! 

Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting

I'm blogging about this new parenting book over at Natural Mamas. 

You can visit the first post in the series here. 

x

Q:When is a FO* not quite a FO?

A: when it's been pinched from another project you hibernated ages ago

 PATTERN: based on the motif from Lula Crochet Scarf by Amanda Perkins

YARN: Natural Dye Studio Dazzle Sock

I'm a bit crazy for crochet at the moment, a fact which I'm mostly blaming on the Creative Crochet Crew facebook page - every day I am tempted to the hooky side with all the beautiful pictures. Looking through my crochet bucket (yes, there is one, which is usually neglected) I found these motifs from last summer. I LOVE the pattern and the yarn but had decided it would be better with more colours and so it went into hibernation. When I came across it today I decided to revamp it into a little scarf for Pixie. 

This fabulous book arrived in the post today - a little present to myself which I'm planning to use for at least one of these cushions. But not this weekend. Oh no! Tomorrow I'm off to my favourite hair salon for a little makeover (I've already been treated to a Geleration manicure today thanks to a generous friend) and then D is taking me for a child-free, relaxing night away. Not only is it my birthday on Monday, but ten years ago today, in a rowing boat in Central Park New York, he asked me to be his wife. It was a wonderful day, truly special. At a time in our lives when we hardly see one another (and when we do, we are too tired to take very much interest) it is essential to do this every so often. 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend too. 

xxxxx 

*FO = finished object/completed project