Can't wait

I've got to the stage with my Hanging Garden Stole where I'm working on it every knitting minute and just can't wait to finish.

This blob here is 2 repeats shy of the targeted 10 and I've got another lace stole planned cos' I'm hooked!

Strange, only two skeins instead of the three recommended KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud were needed. My tension must be out, but then, the stole when strectched looks like it'd block to required measurements.

Anyways, I'm very pleased with how it's turning out.


I've got to knit at least 5 winter hats by November and here's the stash I intend to use up. They're mostly DK wool except for the self-striping hand painted which is Worsted.


Since I'm not terribly imaginative nor creative, combining them to come up with hats that my teenage receipients will refer to as 'cool' is going to be a fashion challenge for an aunt who dislikes wearing hats.







I reckon if I go with the stripey child's and green hat designs below I won't go too wrong? There's always plain ribbing if I run out of ideas but I very much want to attempt something different. Ideas and links to patterns from you would be most welcome.

Knitting charts

It took almost 2 hours to block, but seeing it all stretched out in its 'glory' was most satisfying.




Pattern: Cozy

Size: 20.5" by 69" (blocked)

Yarn: Bendigo 4 ply cotton in Natural

Skeins: ( 200 + 75) gm x 670 yds = 921 yds

Needles: 3.5 mm






this made knitting much easier...

pinned on kiddie blocks drying near the windows.




I wanted coloured charts and my Hanging Garden, with symbols in black, was driving me cross-eyed, so I sat down and charted another on Msoft Excel which took just over an hour. Isn't this worth it? The right side columns are row counters.

Almost there

I've got a few new projects lined up and no, no, no I'm NOT casting-on any till Cozy and Clapotis are finished. The additional 3 hanks of Knit Picks Twist should arrive for the final lap of Clap in a week or so.

Here it is, almost 50" done and 20" to go, should take another few days, not too difficult to keep temptation at bay right? Thing is, some days I can get more than 10 repeats knitted and some, hardly two!

The 8th Lunar month Autumn Mooncake Festival is just over and every year I loathe to throw out the prettier wooden boxes the cakes come in these days. I'm using them for yarn, hopefully, after much cleaning and airing there'll be no residue scent. There's a few more being aired but these are my favorite. The long ones with satin wrap covers are perfect for straight needles.

........................
DH's jumper, in Rowanspun 4 ply, has to be completed in November which is not that many weeks away but it's such an easy knit that the 300 stitches on 3mm needles don't seem such a lot since most of the knitting is done while watching TV.

Little purse

What do you do with 10 m of hand painted yarn that you can't wait to see knitted up? A made-to-measure toiletry purse for my daughter!(for stuff you'd want to hide on the trip from the classroom to the Ladies)
I tried out the Turkish cast-on which seems easier than the figure-eight technique. Here's the attempt, the purse is knitted with magic-loop and attaching the button is the only sewing needed. Now casting-on for toe-up socks doesn't seem so daunting.



I've just had another satisfying yarn painting morning, finishing remnant kool-aid and Wiltons sitting in the fridge since the last attempt. The colourway is almost the same except this time I have some projects in mind.

I used the 3 hanks of natural wool left from the baby blanket and 255 m of worsted will be just perfect for 2 small winter hats for a niece and nephew.


1. ready for micro-waving..........2. nice and dry...................3. hats....soon

These Rowan offer back issues arrived several days ago and I've got to admit this is the first time I've ever owned one and now I've got 4!!!
All six for GB 25 Pounds plus postage. Now that I'm a true Rowan fan (yarn and magazines) I'll be on the lookout for more offers like this.


All in all, a most satisfying week, don't you think?