Knitting - February 2004   back to knitting blog

27-02-04

It's been a busy week!  Contrary to what some of you have been implying I HAVE been studying very hard!!  It's amazing what you can get done in the odd half hour.  Charlotte is now blocking on my floor, not anywhere near the measurements on the pattern, but looking pretty good to me.  There's no way in hell she's going to be 38 inches long....I'm not sure if the problem is with me or if that's a misprint.  Anyway, there are a couple of blocking pictures in the gallery.  I'm going to start fringing now!  I've never done a fringe before!  Not that I don't like fringes, just that nothing I've ever made has required one.

Today I got my copy of Stitch 'n Bitch!  My auntie ordered it for me for Christmas and it was back-ordered, but now its here.  It's bags of fun.  I've been wanting to try harder patterns recently, but I am tempted by loads of things in the book.  Just cos something's easy, doesn't mean it doesn't look good.  I will definitely be making "Under the Hoodie" as I love both pouch pockets and hoods.  I could go on about the book for ages but I know everyone else got it months ago, so I'll refrain!

I've done a little on Pia, but no other knitting news.  I hope to have a finished Charlotte soon, woohoo!

24-02-04

I've finished all the knitting on Charlotte's Web!  Pictures in the gallery.  I'm doing the crochet border now, and will block it in a day or two, and make the fringe while it's blocking.  There was very little left of the 2 outermost colours.  I wanted to do the crochet border in the last colour, but there isn't quite enough.  It's two rows of loops, and the second row is going to have to be in the second to last colour.  Which I'm sure will look fine.  This means that all the fringe will be in the three other colours.  I would worry, but it's such lovely wool that I'm feeling confident it will turn out well. 

I have also started ANOTHER bloomin' project!  I realised that if I'm going back to London in 3 weeks I'd better get the majority of knitting on Pia done in case I need more yarn/have an extra ball to take back.  I got the All Seasons Cotton for Pia in London just over a week ago.  There's not really anything to see there yet, I've just swatched and knitted a few rows.  I really like ASC, and the colour I'm using is really nice, it's one of the "Melange" colours, it's a very subtle shade.

I've made zero progress on the socks, as I was desperate to finish Charlotte, but hopefully they will move along when Charlotte's blocking.  I hope to have some photos to show next time!

18-02-04

I'm having a horribly work-packed week, but I've got a little knitting done in breaks.  Charlotte's Web is crawling toward the finish post - I'm now on the last of the nine stripes, and each row is now taking me over 20 minutes to complete!  I've only got 14 rows to go, which sounds really good, but it will take me about 5 or 6 hours!  I can't wait to block the shawl, and see how it can possibly increase so much in size.  It will be lovely to see the lace pattern properly, instead of all squashed up on the needle.  The colour I saved for the biggest stripe is my favourite - P200.  You can see it in photos, it's got pale blue, dark red and a lot of pink in it, including hot pink - SO pretty!

I've also finished the knitting for the bag - already!  When you're holding 4 strands together things go quickly!  I think the whole thing took about 3 hours to knit.  It's got to be lined, which I hope to do soon, probably when I get the sewing machine out to do some mending.

I'm going to my parents this weekend, and I'm not sure if I'll update until I get back - I've got a lot of studying to do.  But with any luck there will be things to show next time!  Have a good rest of week.

16-02-04

Firstly, thank you everyone who commented on my jacket!  I've never had so many comments!

On Saturday I went to London to meet Kerrie and Brooke, and go shopping.  It was really lovely to meet them, it's strange meeting people who you've "known" for while over the internet, like meeting famous people!  I got a fair bit of yarn - some to make a bag and some for the Pia tank in Rowan 35.  The bag needed so much yarn, and now I've started it has become obvious that I need exactly half the yarn to complete it!  Infuriating!  Since I bought it in London I don't know if I'll be able to take it back....I might have to make another trip there at the end of term.  Or I can always try taking the extra balls into the yarn shop in town and seeing if they'll exchange it without a receipt!  Worth trying first I suppose.

I also got some Rowan fabric to line the new bag and the 2 felted bags I'm planning on making from the Colinette Skye I got before Christmas.  It was quite pricey but really pretty, and quite stiff as well which is probably best for knitted bags.  It's stripey, I'll just photograph it when I make the bags.  Photos of the bag are in Current projects, and the yarn for Pia is in Stash.

Also this morning I got a package from France!  Becky sent me a lovely note and some gorgeous beads, in shades of red and purple, along with some see-through wire, so I'll be making those up into a stylish (I hope!) necklace later this week.  Thanks Becky!

11-02-04

Yay!  The flounce trimmed point 5 jacket is complete!  It took less than an hour to darn in the ends and make ties for the front, I'm not quite sure what stopped me from doing it a week ago....you know how it is!  Anyway, I'm really glad it's finished, and it's already had its first outing.  I think it will get a lot of wear, which is nice.  I'm going to be buying more yarn this weekend, as everything in my stash is assigned to Winter projects and there are a few Summer things I can't wait to make.  It's still really cold but the new Rowan has inspired me! 

Click for lots of pictures (which are permanently over in finished projects as well).

10-02-04

I'm rubbish I know!  It's Tuesday and I doubt you're going to be dazzled.  I have put up pictures of Charlotte (still only half done, but that's because I only got the circular needle on Sunday), and also I was really naughty and started the knee-high socks before finishing the flounced jacket.  The jacket is VERY nearly done!  I just have to darn in ends (quite a few ends but it's only an hours work I reckon).  So I hope that there will be photos of that up here tomorrow or Thursday at the latest!  I tried it on and I really love it by the way.  It's lovely and warm, I think it will do as an outdoor jacket when it gets a bit warmer.

Also today I got a copy of Rowan 35!  Woohoo!  There is some lovely stuff in there.  I am always seduced by items in 4-ply cotton in the summer magazines, they're so pretty!  But they take ages.  And this year I don't have the time.  I like the Pia vest (with the D-rings on the straps), the crocheted cotton tape vest Brit, and also the collection of knitted bags, especially the 2 with many different yarns held together.  I'll definitely be making a couple of those!

Anyway, come back soon to see the Point 5 jacket, I promise it really is almost finished!

04-02-04

Still no finished items, but a bit of knitting news.  Charlotte was speeding along merrily, but has now ground to a halt - she is too big to fit on straight needles and the circular needle is yet to arrive.  There are 9 sections on the shawl, one in each of the 5 colours and 4 striped sections in between each main colour, and I have now completed 6 of the sections.  But that isn't really as much as it sounds, as the shawl gets wider and wider.  It might be about half though!  It's looking lovely.  I will have the needle at the weekend so look out for a picture on Monday.

I went to Knitsoc for the first time on Monday evening, which was nice, and meant that I finished the last flounce on my Point 5 jacket.  It's being seamed now, woohoo!

The knee-highs haven't been started yet - I only had 4 dpns in the right size (and I need 5) so I had to order another set, which was annoying.  What's more annoying is that the yarn shop in town has such a paltry selection of needles, and I have to keep buying them on the internet.

I've got a lot of Chemistry to do, but come back on Monday and I promise to dazzle you all with lots of photos!

01-02-04

My internet knitting friends have unanimously voted that I make the Charlotte's Web shawl with my koigu, and so that's what I'm going to do - actually I've started!  I had to order a new circular needle, but since it starts from only a few stitches and gets bigger I've started on straights.  I really wanted to try the yarn!  I've had to stop now though as it's already a bit too big for the needles.  So the jacket still has a chance of getting finished while I wait for the circ to arrive.  It starts with 7 sts and ends up with 320 - so you can imagine it's slowing down a lot.  I'm quite a way through - I love the yarn loads and watching the pattern and colours emerge is addictive.  It's all squashed up on my needles at the moment, but when I transfer it to the circular needle I'll snap a picture so you can see how lovely the colours look.

I expect everyone has already had a peek at the new Rowan magazine.......I really like this one.  Including the new Denim magazine I have seen 3 summer tanks that I'd love to make, so maybe I'll have to have a 3 tanks challenge (like Carolyn) too!  Not for a few weeks though.

I'll be starting the knee highs (using the 6-ply Regia - see it in the Stash) in the next few days too - but not until I've finished the Point 5 jacket, come back soon to see it finished!