Knitting

Climbing the stairway of sock success

 

I think I am progressing in my sock knitting career. My first steps were
tentative and produced a cute pair of slip ons.






I was a bit more adventurous as I climbed the stairs and my Noro Silk
Garden yarn purchased in New York knitted up into a pretty pair of
socks.








Three quarters of the way on my journey, it's time to tackle some
self-striping yarn. This is so much fun as I watch the stripes appear as
if by magic.






Right up there at the top of the stairs is my final goal.






'Knitting for the Forces'.






Why I am stuck on
knitting
socks for soldiers I just don't know, but I suspect it is because
over the years my mother has often referred to the socks she knitted
during the War and so it has always seemed to me that if you knit socks
you send them off to a grateful soldier. I don't actually know any
soldiers. I do know someone in the Navy, but I think that he would
regard me as a bit of a weirdo if I presented him with a pair of
hand-knitted socks (especially if they had a pom pom on the heel!) and I
can't see him swabbing the decks in Silk Garden or pretty stripes.



Unbelievably, the pattern book my mother used still exists.






How could you resist knitting something for this little trooper.






John is always complaining of cold feet so I think he is going to be the
recipient of my soldier socks. Sorry John, khaki coloured yarn is
impossible to find these days (and probably boring to knit) so you will
have to make do with something more colourful.








When I have knitted my soldier socks will I be a real sock knitter?

 

31 August 2008

One
up, one down

 

I have finished one item from my unfinished objects list and added
another one.








This little jacket is knitted with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino dk yarn. It
is a beautiful soft yarn and gives a fabulous result. The collar is
Debbie Bliss Astrakan yarn. I made it in a large size as the winter is
almost finished here and it would not have gotten much use this year.
The little hat is a beret style. It seems enormous for such a little
head, but maybe it will be better next year.








So that is off the list and now for the new one. For some time I have
thought that something had been lacking in my knitting career and that
something was the knitting of socks. They have always been a mystery to
me. I just couldn't understand how you could cast on stitches onto three
needles, turn heels and finish toes and end up with a sock. It all
seemed too hard. Added to which the knitting of socks conjured up images
of matronly ladies, sitting in cold church halls, knitting socks for
soldiers.



I have tackled difficult projects in the past. I remember knitting a
jumper years ago which was more like a work of art than a wearable item.
I still have the pattern for it. I had so many different coloured yarns
hanging off this work that I spent more time untangling them than I did
actually knitting.








Isn't it awful - but it was the 80s!



Then I saw this project
on the Purl Soho site and
I knew it was time to overcome my fear (and prejudices) of sock
knitting.



I have turned my first heel and I am sure that the excitement I feel is
completely out of all proportion to what I have actually achieved. Sad
isn't it!






I doubt that these little socks would be likely to gladden the heart of
any soldier, but they certainly do it for me. Best of all, they are a
great small project which I can tuck into my suitcase when I depart next
week. Purl Soho here I come (I hope they have lots of sock wool
available.)

 

24 August 2008

UFOs

 

While I might not have much to say at the moment, I certainly have lots
of UFOs.



There is a new knitted jacket and hat for the littlest one (made in a
large size so that it will fit her next winter).








There is a quilt which is almost finished. The quilt top has been in the
bottom of a drawer for ages and I thought I should really get it
finished. I put it away when I had finished piecing it because I wasn't
very happy with it. My tastes in fabrics have changed so much recently.
However, I know just the person who would like this quilt.








And there is the start of a new quilt. These are some of the prettiest
fabrics that I have worked with and I am enjoying this one.








You can see what I mean by changed tastes in fabric. I have gone from
the very soft colour palette to bright and colourful with a much more
contemporary look.

 

17 October 2007

Trash or Treasure?

 

It may not be the most beautiful rug, but at least it is now finished.

Once
again I have completed a woollen article just in time for the warmer
weather and it will have to be packed away until next year when it can
be put to use to warm someone's toes.


I seem to have been doing this project off and on forever and it was so
good to finally get it off the needles and out of my knitting basket.

However, it has kept my hands occupied in the evenings while watching
TV. Now they are idle again and becoming itchy to start something new. I
am not sure what this will be, but I think I am thinking of crochet. I
haven't done this for many years and thought that somewhere amongst all
my old books I had a 'teach yourself to crochet book'. All that I have
been able to find are various ancient knitting pattern books including
Knitting for the Junior Miss, a book of baby cardigans which belonged to
my grandmother (one of which cardigans I probably wore) and, to my
horror, Macrame Magic.


Now there's a craft which I hope never makes a comeback and I will
certainly not be putting my idle hands to use in this way. I think the
author of this book has macramed her hair!

I
actually made some of these nightmares and hung them proudly in our
home.



However,
I am pleased to say that I did not macrame a hanger for the stereo
speaker.


Oh dear, the 70s were indeed the decade of bad taste.

I must say that John has been very patient and tactful over the years
and has never criticised or complained about any of my pursuits and,
looking back, I think that some of them left a lot to be desired! I
suspect that this rug is in the same category as my macrame creations.
Time will tell.

 

12 June 2007

Done
and Dusted

 

I have had a week of finishing/almost finishing projects which is a most
satisfying feeling. The first was my jacket.


To be honest, the jury is still out on my level of satisfaction with
this. It is a bit bulky and the inevitable question "does my bum look
big in this?" did not need to be asked because it was quite obvious what
the answer would be!


It looks huge! Oh well, we are departing soon for colder climes so
perhaps it will be useful. The huge jacket that is, not the huge bum!

The second item was this miniature quilt.


It is done, but not quite dusted in that I am yet to finish the
quilting. It measures only 50cm x 60cm so it is small and I am not sure
what use it will be put to, but it was a good way of using up some cute
scraps of fabric.

The third item(s) are these wall art frames.


These, together with new cushions and my Vietnamese painting which are
all in the same colour range, are helping to make a drab room much more
colourful.
We hope to have these wall frames available on the website very soon.

 

20 April 2007

Whoops!

 

It has been so long since I knitted myself a garment, I forgot the most
basic of rules - tension.


I got this far before it occurred to me that my knitting felt a little
loose and, sure enough, when I checked my tension I was miles out. A
quick dash to Woollylatte's (with the annoying apostrophe), to see if
anything could be done before I pulled it off the needles, revealed what
I suspected - start again. So I am back to the beginning.

The helpful lady I spoke to did give me a very useful hint. To remove
the kinks in the wool after I had undone my work, she advised me to make
a loose hank of wool winding from hand to elbow and then hold the steam
iron over the hank. The kinks unravelled like magic in the steam. I am
probably the only person in universe who does not know this, but I was
impressed.

 

17 April 2007

Changing Seasons

 

At last autumn has arrived and what better way to celebrate than by a
visit to Woollylatte's (I wish they hadn't used that annoying
unnecessary apostrophe). Woollylatte's what I always ask
myself.


The leaves on the trees have not yet started to change colour, but that
never happens in Perth until very late in the season. The days are sunny
and warm, however the evenings are wonderfully cool and perfect for
curling up with a new knitting project.


This is a Jo Sharp pattern using her silk road aran and DK Tweed, a
blend of wool, silk and cashmere and beautiful to knit with.



I haven't knitted myself something to wear (other than scarves) for
years and for some reason it makes me feel very virtuous. I don't know
why because you can't really say you are saving money by knitting your
own garments. It must be the satisfaction of being able to say 'I made
it'.

 

12 February 2007

More
Treasures

 

Mum’s cupboard has been revealing more of its treasures. This time it is
a knitting and crochet pattern book for dolls’ clothes. It is slightly
the worse for wear and is not dated, but, judging by the beautiful doll
dressed in blue, it must be early 1900s.

It is also of a time when it was not politically incorrect to be a
golliwog.

Some of these patterns are so cute – I wonder if I will ever find time
to knit any of them.

You could get a lot for sixpence way back then.

 

01 December 2006

Woolly
Latte

 

I love my coffee and enjoy drinking a really good cup at one of the
local cafés as often as I can. One of my favourite cafés is Woolly
Latte. This is a wonderful knitting café where you can sip your coffee
surrounded by knitting paraphernalia and dream of all the knitting
projects you would like to tackle (which you could if you spent less
time drinking coffee and more time actually knitting)!



The clever girls at Woolly Latte have knitted a cosy for each of their
latte glasses to keep the coffee warm and they really work. You can even
buy a kit to knit your own coffee cosy.

This jar of knitting needles looked just like a colourful vase of
flowers and would make any mantelpiece proud!

 

15 November 2006

Blues
(not blahs)

 

This is part of an Afghan rug I am knitting. I do this in the evenings
when I am between quilts (it stops me falling asleep in front of the
TV). How did that chocolate get there? OK, I will admit I am a bit of a
chocoholic. I also love anything blue and white.

 

05 November 2006

From this to this

 

I bought this luscious cashmere wool at a recent Quilt and Craft Show. I
simply could not resist those beautiful pastel colours which made me
want to lick the wool. I am pleased to say I did resist the licking! Of
course, I have finished it just as summer is beginning and it will now
have to be packed away until the cooler months. Even Timothy looks hot
(as in warm) in it today as the outside temperature is in the high
twenties celsius. I think my camera needs updating as the colours in the
finished scarf look dirty.



We had a delicious lunch at the John Street Cafe at Cottesloe Beach
today. After a stormy start to the day, the weather was just perfect to
sit under an umbrella outside and feast on caramelised onion, goats
cheese and roasted tomatoes tart for me, tuna and lime cakes for A and
chicken burger for J.