I'm back

It's been about four months since I posted on here. I have a dozen reasons but I needn't go into them. We're coming out of a cold polar blast of snow (snow! I can't believe it), sleet, hail, wind, blizzards. Spots of sunshine in small pockets too. How bizarre! Wellington hasn't had snow like this in 40 years, and no snow at all since 1995.

I lost my camera a while ago (one of the reasons for the break in posting) so have had to make do with cell phone pictures.

On crafting news, I have completed so many projects but haven't been able to photograph them. Except this ballet cardigan for Georgia. She's been enjoying the warmth and softness of pure alpaca all term in the cold ballet hall. Ah bliss.

I find the crafting and cooking quite comforting while I nurse myself back to 100% and keep my mind from wandering into fits of worry and anxiety. Domesticity grounds me. I feel the warmth of generations of women homemakers who have also practised these simple (and some not so simple) skills for their families and themselves. I cherish quiet times when I can pick up my knitting and sink into a safe cocoon of my small world at home, a complete world, timeless and perfect as the children grow a little each day and we adults replenish our energy for the day ahead.  I am trying hard not to get overly excited or overwhelmed by anything. It's difficult having to slow down, but there are benefits for the whole family.
And so much wonder in the nature that surrounds us, we needn't go far to find it.

Containers of vegetable seeds grow beside our fireplace, reminding us of the season just around the corner. Spring is coming soon and I hope we have a full vegetable garden this year.

spinning

Having had my hands busy spinning yarn for the last few weeks and spending part of that time thinking about the merits of knitting, I stopped to watch this spider spinning its web on our shed. Isn't it marvellous how it knows instinctively how to balance the sticky threads for strength and support, using all its limbs to feel its way. It makes my attempts at knitting look amateur.

Although, progress is looking good so far on the Aidez cardigan. The wool arrived and so far I've used three balls. I really can't wait to wear this!

baby bolero

Another Hadley Fierlinger pattern from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies.

This one is for summer, though knit in wool to offer some real warmth when needed to the Adelaide's core. It's really cute and cuddly and goes with everything. I also love that it has no front so spills and food stains aren't a problem.

  This knit really changed with blocking. At first I had a puckered mess that wouldn't sit flat. After washing and blocking it now has a nice look. And she's gorgeous in it.

As if we needed a reason to love her any more...

My notes are on Ravelry here. 

knitting ahead

I have cast on for the child's tomten jacket for Hugo. It's an Elizabeth Zimmermann pattern from Knitting without Tears. More on Zimmermann later. The gauge directions were for a newborn (5 stitches an inch) which I got with my needles and aran weight yarn.  So I added 8 stitches as directed to get a toddler size. How annoying then, that what I have is HUGE, much huger than Hugo. Perhaps he will fit it when he is five...
Anyway, it has been an ok knit. Lots of garter stitch, well, all garter stitch. I have switched to continental style knitting for this one because it's faster and less stress on the wrists. That style doesn't suit purling though, so it's only good for stockinette in the round or plain garter stitch on back and forth knitting, I've found.

 Also on my knitting radar are some gorgeous knits FOR ME! I have never knitted a garment for myself (or any other adult size) so this (Aidez) will be 'the big one'. What an awesome free knitting pattern website! I have only just discovered it after finding the pattern on Ravelry. It answers all my wants for something cosy and warm, bulky but shapely, chunky but detailed in the cables, and it calls for thick wool so it won't take too too long to knit.

The yarn for it is on its way. Chunky merino in a denim shade. Yay! 40 balls of it. Yay! I can knit anything without worrying if I'll run out of yarn.

Also with this wool, another 'big one' for me: the ever popular Owls sweater. Can't wait to have one. It will be denim coloured too. I'll  be wearing a lot of denim blue this winter. Beats the greys and blacks of all my previous winters!

This little 'milo' vest for Hugo is another matter. I have only 2 balls and it doesn't state a yardage (or how many metres/yards per ball). I'll have to wing it and if I run out near the end I'll add some colour work to the yoke. It's a very popular pattern. I finally bit the dust and purchased a copy (pdf download, so easy, wish I'd done it earlier). It's well worth the AUS$ 5.00 because it has sizes up to 6 years and variations for the cable panel in the front and every size adjustment is all mapped out for you.

This cone of wool was a dud purchase (though only $12). I thought it would be softer, but alas, it's as scratchy as those old handknits that made acrylic so popular in the 1970s. I can't think of a use for it, other than knitting dog jerseys for Mum's three, or just keep it as a giant cone of string for household use.

I also spied in the latest NZ FQ magazine that deep burgundy reds were back this winter for lipsticks (like the colour of my chair in the picture there). How that pleases me so. It was the 90s when it was last in (my teenage years) and it reminds me of Drew Barrymore and 90210. Denim and burgundy then. Navy and merlot. Nautical and plum. However you name it, it sounds pretty good to me.

ballet blossom

Georgia started ballet yesterday. She and a flurry of baby pink girls fluttered around the mums and bubs then into the hall and emerged very happy 30 minutes later.

It is with much fondness I recall my ballet years. So many hours of practising poise, plies and pirouettes. I never became a ballerina. Apparently my feet would have to be broken and re-set for me to ever succeed in pointe shoes. What a relief. I doubt a life as a ballerina is as glamorous as little girls believe it is. For little girls, it is all about the pink, the pampering and the pirouettes. I was glad to introduce Georgia to this new world knowing she will at least gain good posture, if nothing else (although I think she will gain a lot more than that).

To help with the pink side of things, I am knitting this ballet blossom cardigan, the pattern is again by Hadley Fierlinger. It is alpaca wool, so luxuriously soft and really warm, so it's not needed until the winter months. Good, because it will take that long to knit it. I have some other projects on the go, not to mention the sewing. And one that Georgia is going to help me make too!

What projects do you have 'on the go'?

a wedding shrug

This one was for the bride.

Who knows what the weather will do on a wedding day, and with a strapless gown it's difficult to cover up with a regular cardigan without looking shabby. A shrug is just a shoulder coverer (if that's a word) and is constructed by sewing a little way up the ends of a regular rectangle.

This one I had knitted by a woman from my knitting group because I had only thought of this last minute and had no time.  She did a lovely mock cable throughout as I'd asked for a cable design for a celtic look. She was right that a smaller cable design wouldn't dominate the bridal gown.

Though I was happy with it, I had to pick-up and knit a ribbed band at the bottom to make it longer and keep it from rolling up the bride's back. It has a scalloped bind-off that I made up as I went along - for anyone who's interested, on k2 p2 rib it goes...

*k2, turn, p2, turn, k2tog, BO 2,  p1* rep until you reach the end of the ribbed section then knit last stitches together.

The rectangular section is 50cm across by 35cm top to bottom.
A small cap sleeve and slight collar is created on stitching the sleeve ends.

So easy to make - some fabric ones I made for the bridesmaids coming up soon, well as soon as I can photograph one properly while wearing it.

baby mary-janes

Laidey has a new pair of shoes. Little red mary-janes.

Just perfect for these in-between months when she sits most of the time, will soon learn to crawl and then will need proper leather shoes when she learns to walk. She's too old for typical baby bootees now so these have a bit of a grown-up look to them that really appealed.

I made these with some leftover Debbie Bliss cashmerino yarn in Aran weight. It was just right for this project. The pattern is from Hadley Fierlinger's Vintage Knits for Modern Babies again. I love this book and have a few of her other projects on the needles right now.

I have found this pattern to be an improvement on the crossover mary-janes I have made previously from this Ravelry pattern, but still, the strap was too long (or her ankles too narrow) so I placed the button way back on the button band. I think they need a dome too, see where it's gaping a little?

Anyway, these are really stretchy so I hope they will be useful until we hear the pitter patter of her little feet running down the hall in a few months' time. 

Next, I just have to dress her in her red and white dress with white tights and these shoes - is there a special occasion coming up? Do we need one?

another mobile

While we're on the topic of baby mobiles, here is another I just finished.  By finished, I mean put on the final touches and weaved in the loose ends. I finished it, more generally, months ago. I always dislike the final finishing touches, and this time I can only blame it on the baby. She came along nearly a month early and it put paid to several of my knitting projects at the time. I was lucky to have it in a hangable state, truth be told.

Without further ado, I introduce the Bunnies. All knitted with wool from my stash, most of it collected from rounds at the second hand shops. All wool, not that it matters for a mobile.
The blue and pink bunnies were first to be knitted as gifts to Georgia and Hugo from the new baby. I couldn't stop there - the new baby had to have one too. So I knitted three. Then I only needed to make one more to make the mobile complete, so I knit the fourth. Gold and silver.
The pattern again comes from the lovely Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger. The pattern is called Bunny Mobile and it is made up of Nana's Bunnies. I love all the patterns in this book and will hopefully get a few more done [before] this winter.

The mobile will eventually move rooms with Adelaide so for now it is simply hung on a picture hook on the wall. For all the hours of work that went into it (compared with the paper version below) I'm surprised at how non-fussed I am at this ill-fitting hanging job. Can anyone give a name to that feeling you get when you've just had enough of a project, still love it, but just don't want to give it any more, for the time being anyway. That's not precise enough. Here's a go - it is a cross between weariness and restlessness (which both happen to be synonyms for boredom). Insouciance.

hand-dyed hand-knitted wool

These lovely handknits had been through two kids and all their puke and spills - they were really stained and were about to head to the 'bottom drawer', meaning they would only see the light of day again as a bedtime cardigan, or worse, never be worn again. Sorry, there is no 'before' photo.

 'After' - Different shades of cornflower blue. 'Before' they were (from left to right) taupe, cream, torquoise and mint green. With LOTS of stains.

Mum had shown me some store bought knits she had dyed a lovely burgundy colour, and I thought I should try dying these baby clothes.

The brand is Rit. The colour is a denim shade of blue (I can't recall if it was Royal Blue or Navy Blue), suited to boys or girls, since I didn't know what I was having, but all our children have to get blue eyes since that is what we have (remembering fifth form science).

So in a bucket of hot water (about 50 degrees C) I followed the instructions on the packet and you can see them here on the website of Rit dye.

They turned out so well. I will always wash them separately though as a lot of dye leaked out while rinsing, A LOT. The process was easy, the bucket didn't stain, the sink didn't stain. The clothes are like new again and I only had to change two lots of buttons.

Do try it (sounding like the Dilmah guy).

buttons

Last year I was talking about my interest in making things to my Oma. We got talking about the old-fashioned art of reusing old materials in times of not having much. She was born in the Depression and lived through the second world war, and learnt a great deal about thrifting from her mother, who could add the first world war to that list (as every other old person out there can!).  They lived on a farm and didn't go to the shops much. Her brothers even knitted their own socks!  Needless to say Oma can never throw out anything that could be useful to someone 'one day'. She has an attic and a basement stocked with things. I love going through these unused possessions and actually enjoy the musty smell.
Getting back to the subject of making things, I mentioned buttons. Naturally she can't dispose of an old shirt without first cutting off the buttons and any other feature that could be used again. She gave me her stash to sort through. I made many jars of different colours and saved my favourites in separate jars, taking pairs and sets into even further separate jars. It took weeks, but was a lot of fun.
Around the same time I had been browsing crafty books at the library. I came across this gorgeous jewellery making one by Erika Knight. She is a master knitter (knitting pattern writer) and for this book has lent her skills to making necklaces. The book is filled with really great ideas, with something for everyone.

I had some small black and grey buttons, similar but not all the same. Using some turquoise embroidery thread I made this necklace.
I've worn it with everything and to all occasions (even a wedding). It can really dress up something casual or make a more formal outfit that much more cool. Had loads of comments. Love it and can't wait to make another button necklace.
Of course, the buttons have been used on all my knitting and sewing. Here's a lovely example of what buttons can do for a garment - mother of pearl on some natural linen yarn (baby now a few months older!)

And the baby surprise jacket, which took on a vintage Miami flavour with the old swirly cream buttons from Oma's stash.
To my surprise I have found perfect buttons for every project from that stash (which I think I'm in charge of now).
So I have joined the button brigade and cannot throw out a shirt without first cutting off the buttons!

My baby surprise jacket

This pattern was truly hard to get a hold of.

But I'm glad I kept trying.

Before even getting the pattern I researched a lot on the web. Here's what I found useful:

This was a series of videos for each stage. I found each one invaluable, especially the first one about sizes, gauge and yarn.

Here were some good tips about colour use and some useful pictures showing where your colour stripes will end up sitting on the garment.

Finally, this spreadsheet, which has been widely blogged about, was useful in the beginning then I stopped using it as I got used to following the pattern. Many others have found it very good.

But honestly, why is this pattern so closely guarded on the net? I understand copyright and all that and totally respect it, but with all this help on the net already, I was only missing a couple of row numbers from being able to knit it without the pattern. In fact, the pattern itself was quite disappointing, only two half columns in a magazine, and poorly written (despite its genius in design). Anybody else think this? 

The books were not available in Wellington libraries, the knitting shops didn't have them, or the worksheets, either. It was some good fortune I asked at my local knit shop and she copied the article from the magazine for me, agreeing it was just too hard to come by here. Send some copies to NZ please (the updated ones with notes and extras like how to knit a hood)!

So until a book turns up (I'm not paying upwards of $18US plus postage) at a local library I won't be able to try my hand at any other Zimmermann designs, and I would really like to. 

My darling looks divine in her EZ jacket anyway. I adore the colours I chose, especially the gold stripes and pink angora giving it a little fluff. The sleeves aren't long, but in fact that works for tiny hands being sucked all day long. 
 Str-e-tch! Oh life's so good being a baby.