Sweet Earrings

This is a very short post. I haven't blogged in a while and my next post will explain why, but in the meantime, here is a picture of some sweet earrings I made today. It took all of 5 minutes, but I love them.

I love it when I find a small gem in amongst all the jewellery stuff. They will go beautifully with the buttons on my Bacall.

Bolero Adjustments

Further to my rather lengthy post this morning. I managed to get the buttons sewn on to the bolero, in time for my knitting group meeting tomorrow. I had received instructions to come wearing it, or else.

First of all, here is a photo of the back of the bolero, without the buttons.



Then here is the back, after the buttons have been added.



As you can see, the back is pulled around the body more closely. It's still not perfect, but I will now been seen out of the house wearing it, without feeling horribly self conscious.



I decided that it needed three buttons to hold the bolero together. I had intended to only use 2, but the middle gaped without the extra point of contact. I bought 4 buttons as I intended to put one button on either side of the bolero. I will definitely buy a couple of extra buttons so I can still do this, as it will make more of a feature of the buttons, which definitely deserve the attention.



Aren't they pretty. I won't be doing any more photos of this bolero as I am sure you now get the idea, you don't need to see it with 3 extra buttons sewn on, now do you?

Changed my mind - as usual!

I am soooo fickle! I can't help myself. I have all these grand plans about what I am going to start next, then something bright and shiny catches my eye, and the next thing I know, the queue has grown and something totally new has been cast on. In my defence, the new thing I have cast on, does have a very definite and useful purpose.

I have cast on Joan McGowan-Michael's Shapely Tank. This is a very simple tank top, that helps you modify it, depending on your bust size. This has been my problem with clothes for most of my life - if it fits on my bust its baggy everywhere else, if it fits everywhere else it pulls on the bust. Knitting was always supposed to help me with getting clothes that fit. This Shapely Tank pattern is the start of that process.

The Bacall bolero I just finished, looks great from the front, but you will notice I did not show off the back. This because it is VERY baggy. Clare, my lovely LYSO has helped me solve the problem of the baggy back, which is to add buttons to the front of the bolero, which will pull in the back at the bottom and hopefully make everything look intentional. I have bought the buttons and as soon as they are attached I will take more photos. So, though this problem has been corrected, I became very aware that I didn't want this to happen again. I did not want to spend time and money making something I love, that doesn't fit right, so I never wear it.

I decided that before I cast on the lovely Sirdar Peru, I would use up some of my stash and do the Shapely Tank. I certainly do not want to waste that lovely wool. I want to be able to add short row shaping to the nice gilet pattern I have, to ensure I have a perfect fit. The stash yarn I have used is, Sirdar Click with Wool.



Sorry its not a great photo, it was one of my early ones, taken before I understood about close ups of yarn. The yarn is not gorgeous, but it was very cheap and I bought LOTS of it. I have heard that it washes and wears well and blocks out really nicely, so I have hope that it will be useable when I have finished my tank.

The tank is designed to be a close fit, but I have decided to give it a 1" ease all over, because I intend to wear it over blouses. The yarn is quite heavy and can't be worn next to the skin. I also decided that as I was going to use this as an exercise is making a garment fit, I was going to go the whole hog. I decided to mess around with all the measurements to ensure it was the right length and fit. My waist is much smaller than the standard bust, waist, hips ratio allows for, so I had to up the decreases and increases in the pattern, but I decided that though I basically had to re-write the pattern it was worth doing.

Here is what I have so far.



I have to say, the yarn is knitting up slightly better than I had estimated, so hopefully, if the fit works, I will get some wear out of this garment. Here is a close up of the short row increases.



I'm quite proud of how neat they are! They are much neater than when I did my short row socks. Obviously my first try was on 4-ply so double knit should be much easier ( I always did try to run before I could walk).

I think that making this project next, really was the right decision to make, and wasn't just because it was nice and pretty. It was decided upon for a very valid reason, and I am sure that in the long run, I will be glad I did it.

In order to help myself in the future with designing knits, which you may notice I seem to have started to do, I have treated myself to Debbie Abrahams', Design Your Own Knits in 5 Easy Steps. I have been coveting this book for months now, and as it is my birthday this week, I decided to treat myself to it. I have only just started reading it, but it seems very interesting so far, and I am sure it will be a big help, in future design work I do.

In other knit news, I have finally finished another blanket square. I bet you thought I'd forgotten all about that blanket didn't you? Well I haven't. I have been filled with guilt for ignoring it, so I finally finished another square.



It was another tricky one, as intarsia is NOT my friend. I am very jealous of Susan Crowe's flowers. She has been going all out on her blanket and it shows. I need to up my square rate if I ever hope to get this thing finished by the end of the year. Maybe I'll do some nice plain squares for a week to just up my square rate.

In the meantime I continue with my socks. They are going well and I am on the gusset decreases. I am now starting to panic about how wide I should make the calves and what pattern I should put around the back. I keep trying the socks on and hoping inspriration will strike before I decrease them to the size of a small child's ankles. I'm sure something will come to me soon, it has to!

What to do next?

As always, I have lots of projects on the go. This is to ensure that I have things to carry on with, once a project is finished, particularly a big project, like my Bacall. Here is the finished item.



Do you like the the little brooch I found to use as as the clasp? Here is a close up.



I've had this little sparkly item in my jewellery box for as long as I can remember. I have a feeling that it came from my grandmother, and I think it is just perfect for the style of this bolero.

So now this project is all finished and photographed, what do I do next? I know that I have plenty to be getting on with, but my fingers feel like they should be starting something new, now that a large item is finished. The question is, what item gets started?

This week I got several things that could be used to start new projects:-

1. New wool, found cheap on eBay.
2. New pattern, to use cheap wool with.
3. Baby Surprise Jacket pattern
4. Adult Surprise Jacket pattern.
5. Wire Jewellery Book, bought for p&p from here.
   
6. Bamboo bag handles, from my Simply Knitting magazine subscription.

So lets start with numbers 1. and 2. I have admired a lovely waistcoat, that Clare from my LYS has, for some time. It is knit using Sirdar Peru which is a lovely alpaca/wool blend in non-uniform colourways. The waistcoat is flattering and interesting and I have wanted to knit it for ages, but couldn't justify the cost of the wool. Then Clare told me that the yarn company, Sirdar, wouldn't be continuing with the production of Peru and I began to think again about splashing out on the yarn. Then, whilst browsing eBay I came across a pack of 10 balls of Peru in Blanket Blue, for around half price. Surely this was a sign.



As you can see, I bought it. I then bought the pattern for the waistcoat, from Clare, after coming clean about my eBay purchase. She decided at the price I was paying for it, she should be sourcing her yarns from there!



So now, the requirements for this lovely project are hanging around, waiting to be used. But I think it might be a bit warm for summer, so I am inclined to leave knitting it until the end of the summer, to be in time for the autumn season.

Now for items 3. and 4. I decided to buy both the BSJ and the ASJ at the same time, because I didn't know when I would see the patterns for sale again. I love the concept of taking one piece of knitting and turning it into a garment. All the finished jackets I have seen have been lovely, and I am particularly interesting in knitting the BSJ in the near future. I also have several friends who are interested in doing this as a knit along, which would be much more social.

Item 5, arrived in the post this morning. I had forgotten that I ordered it, but a brief glance tells me that it was a good decision to do so. There are lots of nice projects contained in its chapters.



I may take this book with my to Mary Clare next time I go, to see if any of the beads there inspire me to try one of the patterns.

Finally, item 6, does inspire me to knit another bag. I do love my bags and these handles are a nice size to fit over the wrist. They are definitely filling me with inspiration.

Oh there are so many things I could be doing, I may just end up carrying on with the projects I already have on the go, as they are the ones I should be doing. Maybe I'll postpone making a casting on decision until I have just one more wip off my needles and into the finished pile. I'll let you know what I finally decide.

Quick Update

This is just a few short words, mainly about my post from the other day. I'm pleased to say that Little Cotton Rabbits has finally had her mail acknowledged. Apparently there was a bit of a stir in internet land, I wonder if that is what got things moving?

I have also finally finished my Bacall. It needs pressing, because it has a rather curled up hem, but once that is done, I will post pictures. I will also post details of my next large project, which is gazing up at me, expectantly.

Ball of Spun Wool

As promised, I took some photos of my set (washed and dried) skein of spun wool.



Doesn't it look pretty. Here's a close up, just because...



I also wound it into a yarn cake, using my ball winder (still love that gadget, even the OH approves of it's cleverness).



And here is another close up, just because. Well actually, it is because, I am trying to practice using the macro function on my camera, and wanted to share my progress. Sorry if it is a bit repetitive. Plus I want to make sure I have my first yarn all catalogued in case I actually use it to knit something, which is a possibility I am playing with.



I used my handy little wpi (wraps per inch) tool to measure the yarn. Remember the tool? I do love this little gadget, and yes I confirm my fibre geekiness, with every posting, I know.



Using this useful gadget informed me that my yarn is, apparently, Super Bulky at 5 wpi. However, as this was my first spinning attempt, there are sections of the yarn that go down to almost DK (double knit).

The weight variation is why I am debating whether to knit up the yarn, because for one thing, it will have an interesting texture, and for another, I just want to knit with something that I have hand spun. If I decide to go ahead, you can expect more pictures, because I am that obsessive.

Oh by the way my Bacall Bolero is coming along nicely. I am on the final sleeve, so I will only have to sew it up, add the trim and the collar. This has knit up very quickly, especially considering all my side projects. I can't wait to be able to wear it.

A Trip Down South

My other half and I had a little trip down south this weekend. I am only just recovered from all the travelling so can only now tell you about the crafting that took place. The trip was to South Somerset to visit the in laws. We had a lovely time being pampered and being force fed very very nice food. My in laws have recently moved to South Somerset, which is much further for us to travel and this causes me to be much more tired and sore when I arrive, however it does give me more knitting time! I find that knitting in the car helps me focus on something other than my twinges when we go down bumpy motorways, though it is sometimes harder to read the pattern.

I finally finished my Noro Stripy Scarf that has been hanging around at various knitting groups for months.



I'm very pleased with the way the scarf ended up looking and the length is perfect. I even have a ball of the yarn left over which may stretch (along with the rest of the scraps) into a hat. I will probably leave that until the winter though.

After finishing my scarf I cast on a brand new project, that I have not mentioned before. I have been looking for a garment to make for myself. I didn't want to spend a small fortune on wool, which is tricky when you are of ample measurement around the chest area. I also wanted to make something that I could use straight away and wouldn't have to sit around until the winter months to be worn. I found the perfect project in Rowan Magazine No. 44. I decided to make a Short Sleeved Bacall (Rav Link)by Sarah Hatton. This is a lovely short sleeved shrug made of Kid Classic and should take me through Spring right through to Autumn. I was very tempted to make it in a pretty teal colour but decided to be practical and settled on a silver grey instead.



This project grew very quickly over the weekend and I already have the back finished.



I am approximately a third of the way through the front left section and as I am enjoying the knit so much I think I will be finished by the end of the month.

While in Somerset I was encouraged by my MIL to try a new craft that I had never heard of before, Encaustic Art. This involves melting wax on an iron and then applying it to a shiny card. You can use different heated tools to "paint" with the wax. My MIL only had the iron but it was great fun to play with. I produced this....



It was such fun, and I intend to play with the set again next time I visit. I don't think my Other Half will play again after managing to singe himself though. It has given me all sorts of ideas, as you can apply the finished picture to fabric, which is washable. I may have to take some fabric next time.

After my return home I started work on my April Kitty Swap kitty. I think she is going to be a bit of a glamour puss this time.



I may finish off a little furry jacket for her to wear, I haven't decided yet. It will depend on who my swapee is, as to what her finished look is. I did make her a little handbag though, which is even properly lined, using the scrap of fabric left from lining my fair isle bag. I think it matches well.



Once again, I think I will find it hard to let go of this kitty. I may have to keep it for my SIL who requested a kitty for Christmas, that way I get to keep it for a little bit longer.... hmm I've got time to knit another one for the swap, don't I?