Yarn yarns pt3

but wait, there's more!

An ombre Potae -

A Pink Orchard cardi for Lexi -

A Fierce Little Dragon for a little boy's birthday -

A pair of Zigging hats -

A Kaipara shawlette for the ravellenic games -

and a Zagging skirt -

and there's still a couple of things that I haven't got finished photos of yet!!

three....

(well actually, what i gathered from years of watching sound techs do sound checks is that "three" in "testing, testing, one, two, three" is really redundant, so they don't do it. in reality sound checks often sound more like "one. one. one. one two. two. teeeooo. teeeooo. yeah. yeah. yuh. teeooo. puh. puh. one teeooo..." ad infinitum. no three.)

annnnnyway....

another test knit, this time thankfully an item that i had been intending to knit this winter!

though i was intending to knit it for ME.

it's a Lizette Beret, part of a beanie/beret pattern just released by my friend Sheryl!

it's got a very nice cable & lace combo, but is surprisingly easy to knit!

i'm not normally a hat kind of person, so i'm being a wee bit adventurous! i'm really enjoying wearing it though, so it's well worth it!

Testing, testing... one...

My crafting life (ok, *whole* life) of late has been dominated by test knitting...

testing knitting is great because you get to try out new patterns, sometimes with very little, or even no, idea what the finished product will look like, you get to help out designers with their new patterns, checking for proof reading errors, technical knitting errors, and checking for how the pattern fits.. sometimes the patterns are pretty much perfect, but the testing process kicks off the nice pattern project gallery bit on ravelry!

and it has the bonus of sometimes meaning that you get patterns for free, that would otherwise cost money ;-)

one recent effort was my Danube Cowl -

it's a great big loop of cables..

i really, really like it, but won't be knitting it again.. once is enough! but i do love it & wear it often :-)

it was what inspired me to invent my own grafting technique, because when you have a big loop of swirly waves, who wants to have to think about where the seam is, and where to hide it?!?!

Knit Geekery - Grafting

I've just finished knitting a scarf/cowl thingy that is essentially a long strip of knitting that needed the two ends joining together to make a loop.

which is just fine if you are using plain stockinette stitch, or at a pinch garter stitch, because you can just use good ol' kitchener stitch...

BUT the scarf/cowl thingy i was knitting had cables, lots of cables in fact, and after much googling i discovered that grafting any kind of rib pattern seemed to be largely in the too hard basket, even plain ol' kitchener stitch seems to land in said basket too!

so i devised my own way to invisibly graft any kind of knit/purl combo, without having to remember any special technique mantras (ie "knit off, purl, purl off, knit" yadda yadda), and without having to risk losing stitches by using provisional cast-ons...

(ok, so someone might have come up with it first, but nowhere that i saw, so meh, here it is again then!)

i'll try to explain-

the easiest way to begin is to start the edge of the project that will need grafting in a contrast waste yarn, knit a few rows in pattern with this waste yarn, then switch to your main yarn & start the pattern properly....

notes

- if you are doing cables like i was, most cables have rows that aren't cabled, just plain k&p.. you want your sewn graft row to replace one of these plain rows, ok?

- you can do this with a provisional cast-on, i did, it's just that when you free the stitches to graft them, you're going to stick them onto a needle & knit a few rows, in pattern, in your waste yarn to guide you through the graft..

when you get to the other side of the graft, switch to another contrast yarn (DON'T cut your working yarn!) & knit a few rows again... feel free to gently drop all the stitches off your needles now ;-)

so now you have two matching edges of knitting, with a few spare rows on either side...

now with a really long tail from where you finished your main knit - i like to leave 4x the width that i'm going to graft - you're going to start following the pattern that your contrast yarns take through the main colour, in this case my scarf is the blue...

so starting on the white edge, i took the yarn down to the red side & through the first stitch, following the direction that the red yarn takes through the first blue stitch, then back up to the white side.. here you can see my needle following the white yarn through a knit stitch-

you keep going from top to bottom following the path of the waste yarn stitches through your main colour stitches, tucking them to the back like they're not there-

it doesn't matter whether the stitch you are grafting is a knit or purl or changing from one to the other, because you are just copying the waste yarn stitches underneath (just like doing duplicate stitch for embroidery, or sewing in your yarn ends!), this pic shows me sewing two purl stitches together-

at first your sewn stitches will be all loose & messy, but don't worry about that, you can fix that later...

once you get to the end of the row you'll have a whole row of faux-stitches, totally out of gauge with your knitting-

you can gently remove your waste yarn knitting from the back now ;-)

starting at the beginning again, you gently pull the yarn through, one stitch at a time, until your sewn stitches more or less match the gauge of your knitting (ie until it just kinda looks right).. here i've done the stitches on the left, but not the right-

once you've tightened all of the stitches, if it looks good, or close enough, go ahead & sew your left-over tail into the wrong side of your knitting!!

ta da!!!!

ok, mine isn't perfect, but that is actually because i stuffed up removing the provisional cast-on, the grafting technique worked fine, and that is why i'd recommend not doing a PCO, just go straight for a waste yarn lead in...

cool huh? give it a go & i reckon you'll find it way easier than the normal method of doing kitchener, AND it works just as well & easily for stockinette, garter, or any kind of rib!!!

feel free to ask questions or let me know if it doesn't make sense!

it's the thought that counts.. right?

Proud mummy moment, kind of...

the kids insisted on making me a birthday cake! and not just any cake, a proper themed cake from the original Women's Weekly Birthday Cake book...

an "Old Woman who lived in a shoe" cake. y'know, the one who had so many children she didn't know what to do? yeah. hmph.

anyway, a certain father who was roped into help, on account of children being too young to bake unassisted, was quite convinced that it would be fine to leave cake baking & decorating til around 4.30pm. I can imagine what seasoned cake decorators are thinking right about now...

So they toddled off to the supermarket in search of ingredients & decorations, perhaps losing sight of their vision (goal and possibly eyesight) along the way..

it was a hot day for making buttercream icing that is supposed to function as adhesive AND cladding... and there wasn't much (any) time to let the cake cool before icing it anyway...

and the lolly selection didn't prove particularly useful when it came to authenticity...

ummm yeah-

any sensible woman with too many children is bound to have a couple of sharks guarding the perimeter right?! and a nice brown moat...??!

ah bless.. :-)

luckily i live by the mantra "if it tastes good (and doesn't involve killing anything), then who cares!!" and it did, so yay! and it's the first birthday cake they've made for me, so it's extra special... and uhhh.. memorable too ;-)

on a slightly more unadulterated note- another cakey effort recently was lexi's birthday cake for kindy... the teachers appreciate it if the cakes aren't too over-the-top and, especially, full of artificial colourings & plastered with sugar!

so i made my favourite vegan lemon & coconut cake-

i decorated it by placing some star-shaped stickers around it, sprinkling with icing sugar, then removing the stars :-) i thought it looked quite effective, and with the minimum of fuss!

whenever i make this recipe i also make a tiny star cake as a RAOK, so this one i made to match for lexi's kindy teachers as a thank you-

cute huh?

going ape.

aaaaages ago one of my friends managed to score us a bunch of merino thermal tops for $10nz, from a factory store, which is fantastic!!

the downside to this particular bargain was that mine was evidently IN the factory store because not enough orangutans were buying thermals from glassons.

no really, look- the neckline is clearly for someone who needs a much lower neckline than the average human, and the sleeves are perfectly suited for "knuckling" across the floor (as Terry Pratchett puts it) -
anyway, inspired by one of my friends who has recently been embarking on all sorts of upcycling adventures, i unpicked the neckline ribbing, chopped the sleeves off, chopped 4-5cm off the shoulders, recut the armpits & back neckline, chopped 8cm off the sleeves & rehemmed them, and attempted to put it back together again!!

ta da!!
thus taking it from faintly ridiculous and decidedly ape-like to actually wearable!!

so if you've got the sewing equipment handy, don't be afraid to attack disastrously fitting clothes & try to make them better!!

home alone

i had some time home alone, and the house was in reasonable order, so naturally i made a mess all over the lounge floor!

i sorted & re-folded my fabric stash-
that's it in it's entirety, the stuff still in the white basket is all nappy fabrics, so relatively speaking i do not have a big stash!

and whilst sorting the stash, i found that i had some left over black knit from making a baby-wearing wrap years ago, so decided to try out making a couple of skirts using this 'yoga' skirt tutorial!

i call them my fat skirts lol, cos i'm 26-27w pregnant in these photos, but you can't really tell, i just look bigger than i am!

first attempt using the full width of 55" denim-
('scuse the un-prewashed, un-ironed fabric!)
and what actually shows under my mummy-uniform jumper-
and 2nd attempt using some fabric left over from making lexi some pants & a knitting needle case, only used approx 48-50" width + cut it slightly A-line, so it's a lot less puffy-
they're not the world's most flattering garments lol, but since they took under 30 minutes each, including cutting out, it's a great pattern anyway!!

on the flip side

sooo... in exchange for the felt strawberries i made, this is what we received!!(sorry about the pic, it was actually a bit *too* sunny..)

some marigold seeds, that lexi claimed & planted, and a fleece butterfly, an embellished & embroidered felt purse, that lexi has claimed for treasure collecting, a wee designer fabric bird brooch (that is currently decorating my project board, along with a cute stamped card that i didn't photograph oops, making me feel very soulemama-y), an apple tree cross-stitch magnet, and a much needed butterfly print needle book!

cool huh?!

i really like this style of swap, it takes the pressure off from being the *one* thing someone receives lol, and it's awesome receiving such an interesting mix of diverse creations, all along one theme :-)

Project Monday #6

Today's Project Monday is celebrating a wonderful day... after roughly 10 months i have finally finished my...
Tofutsie Socks!!
yay me.

the yarn still isn't exactly to my taste, but never fear, i have a colourway i much prefer ready for the next pair! ;-)

and since i don't have knee-high sock blockers, or indeed any at all, i had to resort to-
(the elastic bandaging is to hold the picot points flat lol)
i suppose feet count as sock blockers though right?! it's a pretty chilly way to do it however..

and as a total sucker for punishment, last night i cast on-
at least this time i have the good sense to do them eli sized!

(and hey sha if you're reading.. that is that Grignasco Strong Print sock yarn stuff, you can see how fat the stripes are on 40sts, so would definitely self-stripe on adult size ones!)

Hoodie for MeMe

i've finished my Corona hoodie!!
(lexi took the pics lol)

i'm rather pleased with it - my first non-sock/glove/hat grown up knit!

it took almost exactly 600g of the new Bendigo Woolen Mills Luxury 10ply, other details & mods etc are on my rav page..

and just to teach me to neglect my blog feed reader thingammy, i've just discovered that i was tagged ages ago by the very crafty & allegedly crazy Jo for a MeMe that everyone was doing, like, ages ago.. ;-)

so here it is-

What is your current obsession?
our new carpet. it’s so soft & squishy!

What is your weirdest obsession?
see above.

What are you wearing today?
jeans, merino top, new hoodie

If you could change 1 thing about yourself, what would you change?
working on the teeth, so would have to be the nose.. sorry, love ya dad, but could do without your nose.

What would you eat for your last meal?
our version of katie’s lentil lasagna (no courgettes lol), really good chocolate milk, hot chips, hot fudgey gooey vegan chocolate cake, with triple chocolate icecream, and fresh strawberries & de spa chocolates on the side. all organic & sustainable ingredients of course, can afford to live up to ideals for last meal if no other time!

What’s the last thing you bought?
carpet.

What are you listening/watching right now?
watching nothing, tv is off while kids are up, listening to kids chatter.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
can’t fit in a broadway show in an hour, so probably some tropical island for a soak

Which language do you want to learn?
welsh or mandarin

What do you love most about where you currently live?
Auckland..? probably access to the zoo, museums, large library system etc (hey when we become a supercity does that mean free access to all the region’s libraries?!?!)

What is your favorite colour?
blue

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
my new hoodie

What were you doing ten years ago?
I was in 6th form lol.. probably sulking/skulking around listening to metallica or some such.

Describe your personal style?
indecisive..

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?
tickets to starlight express. new boots – mine have very little sole left.

What are you going to do after this?
try to get the kids to sleep

What are your favourite films?
LOTR, monty python, i've seen some really good ones but i'm having a mind blank.. looking forward to the new harry potter *blush*

What inspires you?
my friends, ravelry & various blogs – chronic “I could try that” syndrome

Your favourite books?
Terry Pratchett's Discworld series

Do you collect anything?
mess. hobbies.

What makes you follow a blog?
inspiring ideas or crafts, witty repartee, written by friends, often all of the above.

What is your favourite FO and why?
my boysenberry hand knit socks. so warm, so cozy, can wear them over & over & they don’t get smelly! and they fit really well.

Your proudest moment?
having a homebirth with eli, highly recommend it (but get your own baby!)

Your biggest weakness?
having no patience for medium-large purchases once i know i have the money & need (or concocted need at least)

The rules:1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own. 2. Tag eight other people.

soo umm.. i'll try to pull some adjectives out of my bloggy hat- domestic, challenging, sufficient, addled, creative (or umm late), naked, satisfying, and a goodie!

Intermission

*doo-dee-doo-dee-doodoodoodoodoo. doo-dee-doo-dee-doodoodoodoodoo. doo-dee-doo-dee-doodoodoodoodoo-doo-doo!*

sooo....
a) the power supply for our puter packed in = no puter
b) school hoildays = kids who interfere with precious puter time
c) we've been busy ripping up the carpet = no table for puter to sit on (umm yeah, hi dad. we've ripped up the carpet.)
d) still knitting hoodie of certain doom. ok, so i exaggerate really, it's actually going rather well, and i only have this much more to knit -> until i run out of yarn anyway, hopefully that will be enough to finish the pattern too! ;) fortunately if i do run out the sleeves are orangutan-worthy, so i have a bit of yarn retrievable from there...

other than that it has been pretty ho-hum here on the crafting/making stuff front, except for this little morsel...

waaaay back last summer we grew our own popcorn. mini black popcorn to be precise-
which we finally popped one cob of - strangely resulting in the whitest popcorn i have ever seen!
tasted good though :)

radio silence..

yeah i know, i've been quiet for a while, bad blogger!!

but it's because i've started knitting my very first adult sized jumper, for me!!

and it even has never-attempted-before cables!!

see-
very proud i am..

but anyway, hopefully i'll have it asap, then it'll be back to a regular sprinkling of bits n bobs from me!

Guilt freeeeee!!

my fantabulous friend sharon surprised me a little while back with an awesome gift - the vegan holy grail...
a marshmallow kit!!
so yesterday lexi & I mixed it up, deciding to do the mint variation from the Angelfood website, and they came out really well! And very, very minty!

paul doesn't like them at all, likens them to eating toothpaste.. but the rest of us do, so more for us!

thank you sharon!!! no more pesky HOOF to avoid now ;-)


eta- i've been quiet recently because i'm busy with something secret.. hopefully will be revealed in a couple of days!

little black bag

my first attempt at a bag...
using the fabulous Tiny Happy shoulder bag tutorial!
It's got a cherry red lining & two internal pockets.. it completely doesn't comply with my 'sew from stash' mission, except for the button. The button is proudly from stash ;-)
I'm not usually a bag person, but i'm pretty happy with this!

mmm toasty!

i was getting a touch bored knitting the leg of my 2nd tofutsie sock..
so i cast-on lexi's winter cardi..
(you can hear the 'one project at a time' resolve flapping away out the window..)
which is an A-line garment knit entirely in one piece..
naturally i got bored of doing that too...
so i knit these-they're wrist warmers from the "last-minute knitted gifts" book, knit using Yarn Bee Down to Earth soy/cotton blend...
they're not knit to gauge i don't think, cos they're quite small, thus perfect for my hands, and being soy/cotton they don't have the elasticity of wool, but i think the ribbing will compensate for that!
i added an extra pattern repeat in the wrist, and reversed the pattern for the second one, so they spiral in opposite directions.. i also found a mistake in the pattern, but i won't mention it, cos then you won't spot it! ;-)

i'm liking these a lot already!

oh yeah.. they took me a day each to knit, which means they are *super-dooper* fast!!

grown up stuff!!

my first adult sewing!! some merino pants for me in winter -
luckily for me they are just for round the house, cos i used a kids PJ pattern that goes up to age 15... and they are HUGE around the waist on me! and really, really show off why adults shouldn't wear fully elasticated waistbands... but they are super comfy & should be nice & warm when it gets cooler!

So i'll give them a 3/5 as my first attempt :-)

what i've been reading

The Attachment Parenting Book - William & Martha Sears (10/10)
Great book that really explains the reasoning & science behind the Attachment Parenting philosophy.. Packed with info, anedotes, advise.. and not at all preachy! It really challenges the western norms of parenting, but also dispells many of the myths surrounding the AP style... really interesting

The Permaculture Home Garden - Linda Woodrow (7/10)
Quite fascinating, great info about pest control (or not!), made me want some chickens.. Not that useful however, unless you have room in your garden for 7m diameter circles..

The Long Emergency - James Howard Kunstler (10/10)
A must read in my opinion.. really makes you think about the future, and the not-too-distant future at that! Deals with the global oil crisis, climate change, political relationships, epidemics etc etc