FO: Aestlight Shawl

[Ravelry Project Page]

Pattern: (name, author, source) Aestlight Shawl by Gudrun Johnston from The Shetland Trader (available via Ravelry, but I’ve provided a link to the author’s blog for non-Rav folks)

Size(s): (to fit, finished size) Small, one-skein, version; 140 cm/55 inches along edge and 40 cm/15.75 inches from top to point

Yarn: (name, fibre, weight, colour) House of Awesome Mean Girl’s Yarn Club June Shipment (Aunt Sarah’s Pussies), 100% superwash wool, sock/fingering weight, chocolate, toffee and peppermint colours, approx. 310 yds

Needles: (size, material, style) US 5 Denise interchangeable plus 5 mm crochet hook to cast off.

Knitting style: (for stitch patterns) Combination/Eastern Uncrossed

Modifications: None. Nada. Not a one.  I know.

Notes: Love the yarn, love the pattern.

The yarn is soft and really suits this pattern.  I’ll admit that what the colour does may not be to everyone’s taste, but I love it!

The pattern is very well written and suitable for adventurous lace-knitting-beginners.  This particular slow-coach managed to knit the whole thing in 2 weeks and one day.

Seriously, that’s all I have to say so I’ll leave you with more photos, okay?

More photos here on Flickr

Old Red-eyes is Back

Oh hayfever, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways …

Can I count to negative 3 trillion?

So in between the allergies, the not sleeping, the random crying for no reason and Wimbledon (totally wrote Wibbledon there – subconscious slip or what?) I’ve been concentrating on two new knitting projects.

Thusly;

Aestlight Shawl by The Shetland Trader in my Mean Girls Yarn Club June shipment

Before and …

during!

I less-than-three this pattern greatly and can see myself making it again. And again.

A much less colourful project is a pair of socks for my mum in Regia Silk.

The pattern is The Traditional Gansey Socks from Socks from the Toe Up.  Yes, I may well be making every pattern from this book.

I’m cannibalising another sock to make these because I’d made it too short and instead of ripping the toe out and adding a few centimetres, I’m knitting a whole new one!

I think that’s what we call “Knitter’s Logic”?

Oh, and I finished the Leprecaun sweaters (thanks MrsDrWho for the name!)

I made those wire hangers myself while watching the series finale of CSI!

I’m a little behind on blog-reading again (always?) because I need to be in the right mood to make nice comments and that particular mood isn’t happening too frequently at the moment.  Oh, well, have to keep swimming, right?

FO: Gusset Heel Basic Socks

Pattern: (name, author, source) Gusset Heel Basic Socks (Ravelry project link) from Socks from the Toe Up by Wendyknits

Size(s): (to fit, finished size) Women’s Large to fit 9″ foot/ankle circumference

Yarn: (name, fibre, weight, colour) Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in “Devon”, wool/nylon fingering/sock-weight

Needles: (size, material, style) 2.25 mm bamboo dpns

Knitting style: (for stitch patterns) Combination/continental throughout

Heel and toe style: Toe-up, wedge toe, gusset heel

Modifications: None.

Notes: I may not be the fastest sock knitter in the world, but I get there eventually!

This was a well-written pattern and the fit is great.

I found two small errors, one in the heel instructions and one in the ribbing.  For the largest size, the heel turn sould read K33 not K35 and in the ribbing, if you don’t decrease or increase two stitches before starting the ribbing, you end up with 4 knit stitches at the start/end of round.

If I ever need a basic sock pattern, I think this is one I would gravitate towards automatically now.

(UFOs) Unfinished Found Objects

In a fit of peak I decided to tackle my two boxes of unfinished objects.  (In my defence, they are small boxes)

With courage in hand, I went through the boxes to determine what to persist with and what to abandon.

Turns out, most of the space was taken up with single balls and skeins of yarn, not abandoned projects!

After I’d removed the yarn to a safe distance, I decided that these were the projects worth continuing with:

Clockwise from top left: preemie waistcoat, Knotty glove, Boudica sock, Guided by Love sock, Modular tank, crochet blanket

Not too bad, is it?  Plus there’s the Anniversary shawl (two clues to go), the Gusset Heel socks (just need to finish the ribbing) and the crochet shrug.

I wonder if I set one day a week aside to work on these UFOs I’d be able to stick to it and finish them?

And now for something more personal …

For medical reasons, I’m currently being weaned off some rather important pills.  The withdrawal is Not. Fun.  I’m trying to keep myself “connected” with outside world by being on Plurk and Ravelry, but my blog-reading and blog-writing has suffered for it.  I’m trying to keep up with people’s blogs but if I haven’t commented recently, don’t take it personally.  I’m hoping that these side-effects will start to ease soon (the tremors are new and particularly fun!) and I’ll be around a bit more.

And finally

A subject close to my heart (and the most political I’ve been on this blog since July 2005)

Progress is going forward

Gusset Heel Basic Sock

Anniversary Mystery Shawl 09 (still on Clue 3)

Roundabout crocheted shrug

Don’t Do It Yourself

Can I put up a shelf? Yes.

Can I clean a clogged drain? Yes.

Can I take my MacBook apart to clean the fan without frying one of my memory cards? No.

Do I feel like an idiot for not earthing myself first? Yes.

Moving on …

These are Welsh poppies growing down the side of the house.  I’m not sure if they were planted on purpose or if they just arrived, but I love how un-British they look.  You don’t expect to see flowers this vivid here, but here they are!

After being positively tropical over the past few days, the weather’s turned and is now very much knitting-friendly again.

I’ve started the gusset increases on the second Gusset Heel Basic Socks (from Socks from the Toe Up by WendyKnits)

Both socks together to prove I’m not recycling photographs!

and Springwatch is still providing an hour of excellent knitting-time.

I’m slowing down on the row-progress on the Goddessknits Anniversary Mystery Shawl ‘09, but I think I’m maintaining the same stitch-rate

Beige cotton yarn is the “lifeline”

I’d like to claim the mobile phone is for scale, but I think we all know it’s to hold the cable flat while I photograph it!  Check-out the cameo by my knee!

You increase two stitches per panel (of which there are six) every other right side row to create the “bat effect” (according to Mrs Dr Who!) so, of course, there are 12 more stitches every four rows.  I think I’m knitting the same numer of stitches in each session as before, but the progress appears much slower due to the increased number of stitches per panel.

P.S. This post is brought to you from my Mac.  I had two memory cards and it works with one, so I’m alright with that!

Designation 2 of 5

Although it’s not wearing a slivery spandex bodysuit (calm down) it is the completed second clue (of five) of the Anniversary Mystery Shawl ‘09

I will be spending the rest of the weekend knitting Clue 3 and trying to avoid pollen and barbecue-fumes.  Yeah, right!

Take care, and don’t forget to Slip, Slap, Slop!

Sort-of-random Wednesday

Having spent most of Monday in a half-comatose state following not-much sleep in anticipation of the arrival of the fridge/freezer and cooker, I then “enjoyed” Tuesday by unclogging the washing machine outlet after it did this to my sock.

I spared showing the back of the sock because it looks like something off CSI, but let’s just say it isn’t a tube any more.

Luckily, I managed to get some knitting done!

GAMS09:

I’m about two-thirds of the way through Clue 2 and I’m loving it

Once again, taken with flash to show the lace pattern better

Obviously, my aim will be to finish Clue 2 before Clue 3 is released on Saturday (usually sometime in the afternoon, my time) and so-far-so-good!

Gusset Heel sock:

I actually cast the second sock on (Victory Number 1) and I’m finding Springwatch very good sock-knitting viewing.

I’m knitting from the Baudelaire sock directly.

That’s really all the knitting progress I can report so I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite Project 365 photos (so far).

I was standing outside on Monday, cooling off in the rain and trying to rest when I saw my reflection in this small amount of water in a trug.

It took about 20 photos to get one that I liked.