150 flowers done!

A little bit of crochet and the last row of flowers are done! Feeling good now. 150 flowers all ready to crochet into the finished blanket - at last! This is the bit I've been waiting for; the balancing of the coloured edgings against all the other flowers in situ - should be fun:) I might not be able to see the floor for a few days/weeks, but at least it will look colourful! I also have a feeling the cat will decide that this blanket should belong to her....of course;) I will try to catch her on the camera sneaking into prime comfy position - right in the centre, I'm thinking!

The weather here is very wet and dismal today so perfect for snuggling inside for some hooky time. Now, just need to find a good film to watch and I can get started. No deadline for this really but I need to get back on a roll and keep the crochet mojo going;) I haven't seen any finishing rows/borders on other versions of this - maybe nearer the time crochet blanket experts may have some suggestions for me? Maybe it won't look as if it needs one..... but all ideas would be very welcome!

Righty-ho, I'm off for some flower hooky fun. Starting the count - 149, 148, 147...... :))  See you all soon with another update!

143 hawaiian flowers - nearly there!

Today the sun came out again after a very grey, wet and windy week. At last! The sun can make you feel so much better can't it? And this being the longest day today - summer solstice - it felt fitting that it should feel like summer at least;) Anyway, the sun came shining in the window and brightened up a pile of crochet stashed in a shelf waiting to be finished. The hawaiian flower blanket! Yes, all the pretty little flower motifs were glowing brightly and shouting 'Finish me! You know there isn't much to do....' and you know? they're right!

Half the problem with this project was I hadn't decided just what size I intended to make at the start. It swung from being a cot blanket to a kingsize throw - in a giddy moment of enthusiasm:) - then swiftly back again when I realised just how many motifs I would need for that large a project! So I decided to count the flowers and see just how many I would need to turn this UFO into a ta-da baby blankie. 143 is the count so far, but what size is that in real baby blanket terms? Hadn't a clue so I ran upstairs and laid out all the motifs on the bed to see the scale so far......

Forgive the photos - the sun being out for once affected the tones of the bright colours. Weird. Anyway, this is what 143 flowers looks like. I get 10 x 14 rows with 3 remaining flowers. I would say that looked big enough to me;)) So I've decided to go for 10x15, crochet another 7 flowers and call it DONE!

It will still need the final round of edging to create the petal look which means I can join as I go rather than have lots of ends to sew in afterwards. Well, that's the theory. And it will make it a little bigger - possibly, although I have left gaps in the layout to compensate for that final edging. I think it will look nice and jolly once it's all done - and I won't feel guilty every time I look at that shelf now:))

I'll keep you posted....;)

Little red swing jacket

A little finished piece of Christmas knitting for you - yes, I have one piece crossed of the list:) Okay, it's only little baby size but it makes me feel I am one step nearer getting there:) Also in chunky it knits up nice and quick! The pattern is the Baby tiered swing jacket/cardigan by Lisa Chemery - ravelry link was all I could find. It's quite a versitile pattern as you can knit 0-3 mths, 3-6mths, and 12-18mths with the option of a cardigan or jacket version. I personally wanted the jacket which is just a tier longer than the cardi as I thought it visually balanced better as well as being all the more snuggly for wintertime.

This is a nice quick knit too as it's knitted top down so there are no seams to worry about. One thing I would suggest if you are thinking of knitting this,  is to read the pattern through first as although the instructions make sense, they aren't placed in a logical knitting order on the first page. Yes, you need to remember the buttonholes throughout but do the neck increases first, then think about where the first buttonhole should be:)) Otherwise, there is a lot of ripping back when you realise what you've done! (Treat the buttonhole section in BIG brackets and go straight underneath for the increase row).

It is a lovely pattern though and I really enjoyed knitting it. The way it swings is lovely! And I thought the little ladybird buttons worked really well - not too contrasty but enough detail to make them be noticed up close. Shame this is just on the small side for me:)) Although I haven't forgotten my dream of knitting a red version of Sylvi.



pic by Sadie Dayton on Ravelry

But I'm waiting on finding the right amount of yarn at the right price first as that will be a mammoth knit but oh, so worth it! I wonder if Sylvi is a top down knit..... imagine how heavy that would get on circulars!! Ouch! I can feel the weight:) By the looks of the picture, there are definite seams and I'd imagine the flower pattern is charted from the bottom up. Probably more manageable that way anyway. But, that will have to wait till the rest of the christmas list has progressed somewhat. Still, one down:)) Welcome little red swing coat, I'm sure you will be appreciated by one happy, bubbly niece. But shhhhh, it's a surprise!

Chloe

Today I have the last of the baby knits - for now, anyway. Little baby girl arrived safe and sound last week and I think I will wait a bit before I knit anything new till I can get a gauge of what size she will need in the future. There is also the matter of summer coming up too when she won't be needing a lot of knits unless lightweight cottons.

So today we have 'Chloe', a lovely stripey ruffled edged little cardi designed by Alana Dakos of Never Not knitting. The design only costs $4 and you can use it from sizes 0-3mths right up to age 10-12. It's also a top down seamless construction so very few ends to sew in - yay! It's extremely well written so you could use the basic structure of increases to knit your own variations - solids, intarsia pattern, lace, embroidered daisies:-) I've also seen longer variations too, with and without the frill, crocheted edgings...... I've got a few new ideas already!

There is no button band so you have to make sure you wrap the alternating colours up the side neatly  - as this will be visible on the inside edge. I pressed it carefully so you couldn't see it from the front at all. A light press with a damp cloth really helped the ruffle lie flat too. (all my yarn is 100% wool though so if you are using acrylic or another man made yarn, don't use a cloth at all, just steam it about an inch or so above without touching your knitting with the iron - she says from experience!)

There is no neckline edging either so your cast on row had best be neat as it becomes your top visible edge:-)) I used a long tail cast on but thats just my preference as it gives nice even edge with a bit of stretch. You can also go to the knitting help cast on videos if you want to have a litle play at learning new cast on methods. I love this site:)

The button loops are just a crocheted chain matching whatever colour stripe was in the right place and the buttons are more jolly daisies - which will match the little red booties for as long as they fit.

The only modification I made was to substitute DK yarn for the worsted weight stated. Worsted is meant to give you 18st - 4"/10cm and my DK was giving me 22st - 4"/10cm so for the 0-3mths, I just went up a size and its worked pretty well. The width is pretty close to size 1 and you can continue increasing every 6 rows at the end if you think the DK is running on the short side. I didn't find that a problem at this size although I'd be more careful if I was knitting a larger childs sizing.

Gosh, that turned into a bit of a pattern review! But best I write it all down now as I'll need to remember these things the next time I want to knit it:-)) Now I think I need something different on the needles - a lace shawl maybe? Like the lovely peacock shawl or Jane's lovely Luiza? I think I may have to dye up some yarn especially for both of these.

I'm also going to reaquaint myself with Vivian this afternoon. It's raining outside, no gardening today although the plants are loving all the water and are growing like weeds - I'm sure the weeds are too! But anyway, a perfect wet day to be sitting inside knitting and watching an old film or two, don't you think?

Little red shoes

At long last I've got around to finishing these little red shoes. The pattern is 'tiny shoes' by Ysolda and they really are tiny! They're only 6cm /2.5" long and very dinky! I'm hoping they will fit straight away but I may have to knit an outfit to match them as they are a lovely bold red.

The original pattern doesn't have ribbon but as the design has a little row of lacey holes around the top as a detail, I thought I could use them to thread the ribbon through. I stitched the bow in place too just for stability although it also makes it possible to gather the edge in too to emphasise the shaping.

The pattern is very cleverly designed using an I-cord for the strap and then the shoe shape developing from picking up stitches from the cord itself. It's much more unusual to knit the shoe from the top down but it flows very well and only needs a little garter stitch grafting on the sole and you are done.

I had a little difficulty choosing buttons for these as the back fastening loops were quite deep and seemed to leave too much of a bump from the inside and I don't want to be bruising little feet now, do I? So I ended up going for a lovely bright daisy and I'm thinking some lovely stitched daisy flowers as a hem on a little red dress could be lovely. I think I likey:-)

Baby Jasmine lace cardigan

Today I can show you the little jasmine lace cardi all finished and I'm really thinking this might be nice adult size:-) But then I always think that of children's clothes! But I may tinker with the idea and see how it translates on a larger scale. But back to the photos!

Jasmine cardi on a little flowery spring dress. Even though it is a newborn size and a bit smaller than the lily bolero, it still fits with this 0-3mths dress. I must say I think I like this even better than Lily (Shhh, don't tell anyone:-))

And from the back, it looks like a little jumper/sweater - another idea! In fact, this would be a simple way to knit a jumper in the round and much quicker without all those seams. Although I managed to graft the shoulders, sew all the seams properly and sew on all the lace edgings, I still think they are a bit ugly and if I can make things seamless, it looks more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I do understand that seams are meant to give more stability to a garment and I might well change my mind on an adult sized top but really there isn't that much here to stabilise:-) Maybe that's why the seams seem more bulky - they're out of proportion with the tiny sizing.

I kept to the given picot edging for the neckline and buttonhole band although it does have too much of a garter stitch feel for me. Well, it does at least tie in with the garter lace edging so it balances texturally but I think I should have thought out a smoother alternative to balance better with the wavy edging. (grumble, grumble....;-) You live and learn!

It does look better on the front though and I like the little pearly white flower-shaped buttons. For some reason, purple buttons just didn't work. Maybe purple overkill and it needed a bit of contrast to make it zing? Or maybe I don't have enough buttons to play around with:-)) Does that sound like a valid justification to get some more buttons? You know me and buttons -  I never have enough!

So, baby jasmine lace cardi all done. Now maybe it needs some little matching booties?!  - with some ribbon detailing running through a small lace edging? :-))

Baby Jasmine

Gosh, this last week has flown by! The sun came out and the gardening started and that was it! Woosh! Week gone! But, I have been squeezing in some knitting in the evenings so I do have a little progress to show you.

This is the baby Jasmine cardigan designed by Louisa Harding. The yarn is the lavendar Sirdar Snuggly DK so its very soft to the touch. So far I've knitted the stocking stitch parts and added the lace border to the main section. I'm still knitting the lace border for the sleeves and then I can attach them and finish with a decorative edging around the front edge and neckline with buttons as a fastening. It is so small though - very dinky:-) Even smaller than the lacy lily bolero.

I have made a few alterations with this pattern. I changed the lacy edging pattern as it just had too much garter stitch for my tastes. ( I think it has something to do with too much texture next to all that smooth stocking stitch;-) I substituted a lovely wavy lace design instead and although it doesn't look as if it has as much length as the original as you are knitting, it does stretch out when you block it.  I really wanted to get a little flare to the edging to mimic a little dress shape so I deliberately knitted the border longer to compensate. I sewed it up using a 1:1 stitch ratio - a straight edge would probably need more like a 1:2 - 1 stitch from the lace edge to 2 sts from the body (roughly!)

So far, I've finished one sleeve and should finish the other tonight. If I'm on the ball, I may even get the sleeves sewn onto the body too, ready for the neckline edging tomorrow. Then buttons and finished! Then I think I'll move away from lace and think about colour and stripes! A stripey dress? or a little jumper/sweater? I found a lovely pattern for some stripey dungarees too! I don't think it gave a newborn size though so maybe keep that one in reserve for a few months!

Thinking about using this self striping sock yarn - nice and bright isn't it? This is a bamboo mix so it's lovely and soft to the touch, perfect for that baby softness. It may not be quite so stripey on bigger items like a baby dress though but I'll test it out to see. Still no news on the baby front so I still have a little time left, although it can't be that much longer now, eh sis?:-)

Back soon with some lovely stripey goodness - if I don't get hijacked by the garden again!

Lily cardi finished

Quick update for you, the Lily cardi is all finished! It does look more complete now it has a border. I spent ages trying out different edging patterns till I got one that looked good with this style - I ended up using a little scalloped shell pattern all the way around the edge and cuffs. I'm still deciding whether it needs a fastening like a button or maybe ribbons. Bolero tops never seem to stay in place without them so I think I may try out both to see which looks best without spoiling the look of the edge detail.

I've started another pair of booties as I thought the first ones rather big in size for little newborn feet:-) even though I followed the pattern for 0-3 mths and used the same yarn weight and needle size. The new pattern I'm using seems to be giving a much smaller shoe so I'm going with that for now and see how it turns out. They knit up pretty fast too so hopefully some more pics soon. Anyway, a girl can't have too many shoes! Maybe that is starting her off a bit too early;-)) although she may well grow out of them soon enough.

I'm hoping that this top will last a good few months as I'd imagine it will fit maybe up to 6 months? at least 3. By then I'll have knitted a good few more things I'm thinking:-))

Righty-ho, back to knitting pair of booties no 2:-) Back soon and have a good Easter!

Baby Knitting progress....

Some baby knitting progress for you. A lot has been going on unfinished behind the scenes over the last few days but now I have managed to snap a few pics for you to see. Just as well I took advantage of the sun as the heavens opened just after I finished and we are back to dull, heavy rain forecast for the whole weekend - sigh! Not quite the start to April I was hoping for weatherwise. But on to the knitting!

First pic is the lovely baby booties - pattern is Saartje's booties. These were a very quick knit and with very simple shaping, you sew these together into booties. I love the crossed strap detailing and I got a chance to use those lovely green apple buttons I've been saving too. I used the fairytale DK 100% wool for these for a sturdier and more durable knit -I'm hoping. The colours were chosen to match a  little dress I've already bought and also to match the lily cardigan I'm knitting.

Progress on the lily cardigan so far.....

This little bolero styled cardigan is based on a magazine pattern but I have modified it heavily substituting their stripes for a lacy pattern and dumping the original frilly edging. So far, I have sewn all the seams and now need to choose an edging that suits this style. I'm thinking a little crocheted scalloped edge all the way around and then a nice button to finish.

I also modified the pattern to knit the body in the round rather than have side seams - as you can see from the blocked pieces. I only had to sew the top seams and inset the sleeves. In theory if this were a solid piece of knitting, this works well but it also means I couldn't mirror the lace patterning for the two front panels so they don't look as symetrically pleasing as I would have wanted.  But maybe it's not too noticeable to everyone else and you know how much of a perfectionist I am!

The lace pattern is a quatrefoil eyelet pattern which is nice and soft, not too lacy and just enough detailing for a solid shape. I stretched this out for the photo so you could see the pattern better but I did relax it a bit when blocking to the right garment measurements, don't worry!! I had fears of stretching this too big and ending up with  6-12months size:-) Lace is so stretchy and I had to remind myself this shouldn't be stretched as much as a lace shawl - habit!

So minus the edging for now, this is what the cardi will look like with the little dress. Now add the booties - all a matching set!

Now, off to finish the edging and then plan a dress or two.....:-)

Soft and snuggly

Well the baby knitting is now well underway with one top blocking as we speak. Alas, the rain hasn't really let up for over a week now so good light for photos is a bit scarce so no pics as yet - but I can show you the  lovely colours of baby yarns I'm planning to use.

I first bought Patons Fairytale DK online thinking all baby yarn would be reasonably soft but as it is 100% wool, it does have a bit more roughness than I was hoping for - although the colours are rather lovely.  The pinks and the apple greens are especially nice for some stripey numbers, I think. Maybe this will be better for heavier cardis and tops that aren't directly next to the skin. I do also want to be practical and acrylic is hardwearing and easily washable so I wanted to get some acrylic too but it had to be soft.

So my trip to the wool shop found me some Sirdar Snuggly - sooo soft! I didn't manage to get all the colours I wanted but the main ones were there so I was happy enough:-) The deep pink is lovely although I did want to find another mid pink to go with it but no. I do have one ball already (top left ball in box) but one may not be enough. But, I'll wait and see.

So what am I intending to knit with all this lovely yarn then? Oh, I have so many ideas! I've been looking for inspiring patterns and projects on Ravelry and in magazines for shape, pattern and colours. I'm trying to think of things that will be versatile as well as lovely, like cardi's that can go with lots of tops and dresses, or knitted dresses that can be worn over long sleeved tops if it's a bit cold. Here's a little look at some pics I've been inspired by so far:

The top that's blocking is a little cardi with a small lace motif in a solid colour. But while I'm waiting for it to dry and be ready for seaming then some crocheted edging, I'm thinking of casting on a dress...... but which one? Sis, any preferences?

Other knitting - Vivian made some good progress and is at 12" high. Saying that, I have noticed one cable is longer in height than the rest which means either dropping stitches at each cable down 12 rows to fix which is taking ages or  shoving in a lifeline and ripping back the 12 rows..... so it's on hold while I think which one would be less painful. At this moment in time I'm favouring more drastic action as in all honestly it may well be quicker!

Righty-ho, off to sort out the baby dress patterns..... see you soon!