Finished object file: Campside Shawl | Nunnaba Artisan Yarn Gradient

One of the great knitting moments in life are when you finish a project and it becomes an immediate favourite wardrobe item. My recently finished Campside Shawl designed by Alicia Plummer is one of those items. I have been wearing this shawl a lot and it's just a delight.

The pattern for this shawl was offered as a free pattern on the Pom pom Magazine blog about a year ago and you can access it here. The post also shares Alicia's story of what inspired her in the design for this shawl. Campside is reminiscent of her childhood summers spent at a family cabin. For her the pattern connects with her memories of comfort, warmth and shelter. It is a deeply personal story but one that resonates with all and when I wear my Campside I feel wrapped in soft comforting wool and it warms my heart.

The pattern has a few issues making it challenging to follow but nothing that an experienced knitter can't work out. It only has charts for the eyelet lace pattern and sometimes the lack of written instructions can leave you making some deductive leaps with the knitting. Basically there are some points in the charts where you could deduce that an extra eyelet and decrease is missing but you can also knit it as charted too and it doesn't really affect the overall look of the shawl. I figured at the end of the day, this was offered as a free pattern, I shouldn't get too uppety about errors. 

For this great wardrobe staple I used some deliciously soft high micron merino from White Gum Wool that had been hand dyed by Nunnaba Artisan Yarn into a gradient colourway called 'Blue Jay'. When I ordered this yarn I requested that the gradient colours be spread over the 300g as a long gradient. I didn't want to receive 3 skeins of standard gradient dyed yarn because that would make a bigger project slightly more challenging. 

When a gradient comes in a single skein all the colour transitions are contained in that single length of yarn. This poses the challenge of finding the perfect pattern to match with the yarn; where all colours will be utilized. If you find a small project that requires approximately the same yardage as one skein of the yarn then perfect, you'll get all the colours and no leftovers. However, when you do this you might find yourself limited to small projects like kids garments or hats because you won't have enough yardage to make anything bigger. 

Over time I have figured out a few ways to work larger projects with gradients, so here are my suggestions. One way is to alternate skeins of the gradient and depending of how many skeins you are prepared to juggle you can double, triple, (or even more) your yardage. 

Another idea is to add on skeins of the trim colour. The trim when a dyer offers a semi solid colourway that is the same as the outside colour of the gradient skein. When knitting, you get to the end of the gradient but need more yardage you can continue knitting in the trim colour so that the colour transition is not interrupted. 

If the trim option is not available you can just use the gradient as a feature and then finish off the pattern with a neutral colour. For example Kelly Brooker's Conscious pattern is designed with gradients in mind. The yoke can be knit out of a gradient and then the rest of the pullover is finished off with something else.

Then lastly, there is what I did with my Campside project; specifically ordering a long gradient so that the colours were spread across the whole 300g of yarn. It made knitting this shawl so much easier because I had one large cake of yarn to knit through that needed no alternating or changing of colours. 

There is so much to love about this shawl and I must say the result is exactly what I wanted. What I have achieved here has helped me be less afraid of working with gradients and given me many ideas for how to tackle similar projects in the future.

What experience do you have with knitting with gradient yarns? Have you tackled the challenges differently? Do share your thoughts and tips.

Finished object file: Sawmill River Hat | Brooklyn Tweed Loft

I finished this hat about a week ago but with the busyness of kids at home on summer holidays I haven't had much time to think about blogging.

This Sawmill River Hat by Bonnie Sennott was a spot of selfish knitting that gave me the opportunity to have a play with Brooklyn Tweed's Loft (fingering weight) yarn. Just before Christmas, Yarn + Co., a LYS in Melbourne got in a shipment of BT and to my knowledge they are the only Australian stockists of this much sought after yarn. I was quite beside myself with excitement and didn't hesitate to pick up a few skeins as a Christmas present for myself.

When it came to picking a pattern for this gorgeous yarn I wanted a single skein project and something with cables. Bonnie Sennott's hat pattern fit the bill exactly I even went with the sample colour, Hayloft.

When swatching with the loft the yarn broken as I was casting on with the long tail method. I had read that this yarn due to it's woollen spun nature was very delicate and this break just confirmed that. So my first few rows were knit quite gingerly for fear of breaking the yarn again. Once I got going I was more confident and familiar with the feel of the yarn in my hand so that nervousness disappated.

In my hand the yarn felt rustic but not itchy. It is a lovely tweedy yarn spun from  American grown Targhee-Columbia wool. I don't know much about this breed but I must say the wool is a delight to wear against the skin. At first touch it may not feel very appealing especially to knitters who are mostly merino users. It does not have that same squishiness of merino wool but when you look closely at the strand it is clear that it is undoubtedly soft, lofty and delicate. 

Shortly after I cast on this project I was browsing around Bonnie's Ravelry group page and noticed that she was hosting a 'Selfish knitting KAL'. My project met the requirements of the KAL; being a new project cast on in the new year, it was one of Bonnie's patterns and I was knitting it for myself. I joined in the chatter and was quite excited that I was ticking off my goal of attempting more KALs this year. I finished well ahead of the cut off date and I just enjoy watching and commenting on my fellow knitters' progress now. There is also a pretty good prize on offer but I don't think my chances of winning it are pretty high.

Such well defined cables from the BT Loft.

I did make a few modifications to the pattern and you can read my project notes from my Ravelry page here.

I liked knitting with the BT Loft and I really enjoyed the cables of the pattern. I am happy that I have another soft and snuggly hat ready for me in the winter and now that I've experienced this highly talked about yarn, I'm dreaming of more projects that I can make with it.

Finished object file: Waterlily Tee | RRHY Cherie Gold sock

It's been a while since I've had a finished object to report about but today I proudly got to wear my newly finished Waterlily tee so I feel it's only appropriate for me to write a bit about it. You can also look at my Ravelry notes here.

This project was my spring knit and thank goodness that I finished it with one and a half months of the season left to enjoy it. Back in August as we approached the end of the winter I had this itch in my hands to work on something for the warmer months. I began trawling Ravelry for tee patterns and projects that were knit with linen, silk or cotton blends. In my pattern stalking adventure I saw some beautiful finished objects of this Waterlily tee from Pom Pom Magazine's Spring 2014 issue.

It is a lovely tee with lace over the shoulders and bust area, then stockinette stitch down the rest of the body and finished with a garter stitch hem. Knit from the bottom up it was a breeze to whiz through the stockinette and while I was working on that part the project was my perfect travel knitting for trips in the car or while at swimming lessons. However, once I reached the lace section it became my 'need to concentrate' project so sadly it got a little less attention then.

The lace pattern was not overly complicated but with a high number of yarn overs I really had to be a bit more conscious of my knitting to make sure I didn't miss one. The other tricky part with the lace was to pay attention to when I needed to do a K2tog or a SSK decrease because that affected the direction of leaning in the stitch pattern. Also, when I was working the neckline for the front panel I had to play around with the decrease to ensure I decreased 1 stitch at a time. To maintain the pattern some rows I would do a sssk or k3tog to do a double decrease and other rows I didn't decrease at all due to the varying stitch count produced by the pattern. I also followed the advice of other knitters and alternated p2tog and p3tog when knitting the back of the neck so that it wouldn't be too saggy. 

I stashed dived for this project and found 2 skeins of Red Riding Hood Yarns Cherie Gold Sock that I had purchased in a preorder last year. The colour way is Princess Leia from Hannah's Star Wars theme and I had originally purchased it intending to make something for Miss L but this tee was calling and I don't regret using it for myself. I am so in love with the colour and the sparkle and I think it works well with the Waterlily pattern. The dominant colour is purple with some subtle bronzey variegation which is not swallowed up in the lace section.

The yarn being a merino, nylon and stellina blend is probably a bit warmer than the Kettle Yarn Co. BFL/ silk blend that the pattern was designed for but I'm wearing it today when it's 23 degree Celsius and I'm comfortable. I want this primarily as a Spring top but I think I can pull it off as an evening top on a mild summer night too.

I am quite happy with the fit of this top on me. It is such an achievement for me to have a well fitting handmade garment in my wardrobe; actually this is the first time I have hit the mark for myself. Love this tee and I'm going to love wearing it.

Finished object file: Iron Man Mitts Mark 2

I finished this little knit a while back and they have been a hit so I thought I should take a moment to write up a post about them.

Earlier this year when my boy asked for the toy Iron Man gloves I rolled my eyes and said, "I can knit you some cool Iron Man mitts just like the ones I did for R's birthday present last year." Sir S still insisted on the toy gloves but that's one I'll leave for the grandparents to get him for Christmas.

I found this cute free pattern designed by Irene McCormick last year when I was looking for something quick to knit up for my friend's Avengers obsessed boy. They are designed to be knit flat and then seamed but it was a no brainer to modify it into a in the round pattern. I didn't change a thing with the pattern's numbers and simply joined the stitches in the round after casting on. Here's a link to my Ravelry notes if you're interested in the details of this project.

When it came to making the thumb hole this time I tried an adapted YO K2Tog buttonhole by doing two YOs and then when I came round again on the next round I knit these two YOs as two new stitches. However, I'm not 100% happy with it because it is still a little tight for my little guy's thumbs. Since making these mitts I have listened to Pam Allen and Hannah Fettig's Knit.fm podcast episode discussing buttonholes and bands. I like the sound of Pam Allen's favourite buttonhole that is a double YO hole that is knit over three rows. It has the same construction idea that I had with my double YO attempt but is better designed and structured, just goes to show why she's an owner of yarn company and an experienced designer and I'm just a humble knit enthusiast. Pam's instructions for this buttonhole from the Knit.fm page is:

Pam's Favorite Buttonhole: double yo

work row 1 (RS) to 2 stitches before the buttonhole stitch.

make a double yarn over by bringing the yarn through the needles to the front, then over the RH needle to the back, then to the front between the needles again.

knit the next 2 stitches together, knit to the end of the row.

work row 2 to the yarn over, purl into the yarn over, letting the second wrap drop from the left needle, work to the end of the row.

work row 3 to the stitch above the buttonhole, knit into the hole (not the stitch above) and carry on.

-Pam Allen             

These mitts have been a hit for the Sir S. He hasn't complained about the yarn which is Cleckheaton's Australian Superfine Merino 8ply (DK) and Filatura Di Crosa's Zara line. Sir S definitely needs the supersoft hypoallergenic yarns. This is the second accessory that I have made him with the superfine merino and they are the pieces that I get no complaints about. 

Overall, this is a super easy and super quick knit for the little kids in your life who like a bit of superhero fun while keeping their hands warm.

Finished object file: Canopy Shawl | Skein Merino Silk Sport

It is such a joy to finish a project that is a beautiful pattern knit with gorgeous yarn and a bonus when it is a KAL project that has been completed within the deadline. The project that I am gushing over is the Canopy Shawl knit in Skein yarn Merino Silk Sport.

When Kristen, the owner and dyer of the beautiful Skein yarn company announced on her podcast that she was going to host a shawls KAL I was so excited to join in. I was keen to knit another shawl for myself and I had two skeins of Kristen's Merino Silk Sport in Poppy colourway that I picked up last year at Sunspun's Spring sale. 

I have knit with this blend before in a different colourway and there are so many reasons why I keep returning to this yarn. The 50/50 Merino Silk blend is so soft and it has a delightful drape. I think it drapes so well that I'm probably able to get away with not blocking the shawl. The colour is fabulous; I love how it is very subtly variegated and there are tones of red, purple and even a bit of a bluey grey.

I had been eyeing off Melody Hoffmann's Canopy design for a few weeks and decided that the yarn and the pattern were going to be the perfect pairing for this KAL. Actually all of Melody's mandarine's blog is beautiful. I have a serious crush on her designs and love the photos and anecdotes from her life. I also highly recommend her podcast because she is so delightful to watch and listen to.

The pattern is equally as beautiful as the yarn that I used. It is a triangle shaped shawl with alternating panels of stockinette and a lace pattern. The lace pattern taught me a couple of new stitches which were simple techniques that created a very nice visual touch. The stitches I learnt were how to make a right and left twist to create a pyramid shaped motif along the lace panel. So easy but you do need to concentrate just enough to remember to always maintain two stitches when knitting the twists because it is not a decrease stitch technique. There were a few times where I must have forgotten and got to the next lace row and found that my stitches didn't add up right so I fudged it a bit and picked up stitches to "correct" the stitch count. It's all lace and an extra hole here or there isn't really that noticeable, so I tell myself.

I knit an extra set of lace and stockinette panels because I had extra yardage available from the two skeins of Skein yarn and finished with only a few metres to spare, so I'm doubly happy with that result. A big tick for the stash busting challenge.

I can't wait to wear this shawl out in the sunshine. I think with the silk content in the yarn all the colours of the variegation will not truly shine until it is seen in proper light. I think this is going to be my perfect Spring shawl because it is lightweight and has just the right amount of warmth for a mild Spring day.  With that being said, I'm still going to wear it today when I go to kinder pickup because the sun is shining and I want to enjoy it immediately.

You can read my Ravelry notes here if you're interested.

Finished object file: Mini Moto Vest | Cascade Ecological Wool

A few months ago I knit a Moto vest* for myself as part of a Woolful KAL and I love it so much. I wear it pretty much everyday as I find it perfect for layering. I love it so much that I decided to make a mini version for Miss L. 

I finished this project a few weeks ago but have been so busy that I haven't had a moment to take some proper photos of Miss L wearing it but wearing it she has been and a lot too. We have even received many comments about it and some people have even noticed that we are wearing matching vests.

I knit the Mini Moto with some left over Cascade Ecological Wool. This yarn is a bulky weight Peruvian wool that has minimal processing and is naturally coloured grey. It is a beautifully squishy yarn that has a lot of warmth in it. I am not certain but I suspect that it is a woollen spun yarn.

I cast on 46 stitches on 6.5mm needles to give a width of 6.5" wide. I knit the same 2X2 rib pattern as I did for my adult version until the scarf part was 36" long and made the back 8" wide by picking up 30 stitches from the middle of the back at a rate of 3/4 rows. You can find my Ravelry project notes here.

When I first put it on her I found the collar a bit too bulky around Miss L's petite little neck and it didn't quite sit well on her shoulders. It was not staying on too well on it's own so I grabbed a large safety pin stitch holder and pinned the front together. This gives it a quaint little touch that is reminiscent of that style of tartan skirt that used to be pinned together by a large safety pin. I remember wearing one of those skirts when I was little and love the retro look of it.

It is a perfect little vest to throw on Miss L when it's a bit chilly in the morning or when we are about to leave the house to pop over to church. I just know that we will get plenty of wear out of it and could make another one in the future because it is such a handy piece to have in the wardrobe.

*You can read about the adult Moto Vest from this post here.

Finished object file: Crag hat | Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

School is back and I'm going to aim to get back into the swing of things. I must confess that I do find the balance between blogging about knitting and actually knitting hard. When on the kinder days I only get a couple of hours completely kid free during Miss L's nap I often choose to knit rather than blog because I have so much knitting I want to get through. However, since I keep starting new projects I don't think that status is going to change any time soon, so today I'm going to keep the needles aside and update the blogosphere about one of my latest finished objects.

After asking my friends and readers to help me choose between the Bartek and Crag hat patterns to make for my husband as an anniversary present (you can read about that here) I went with popular opinion and knit the Crag.

I wanted to use up the charcoal Debbie Bliss Cashmerino from my stash but after making two swatches with the aran (heavy 10ply) weight yarn I was starting to lack confidence in my choice. Using 4mm needles for the main pattern was still slightly off gauge but I didn't want to go any smaller because my hands were finding it uncomfortable knitting such heavy yarn on small needles. I kind of fudged it because I rationalised that if I kept my tension tighter for the actual knit and because the Hubs does have a bit of a big head I think I can get away with it in the end.

For the actual knit I started on 3.25mm needles for the ribbing and used a crochet cast on that my dear friend Jenny (Tatterz on Ravelry) taught me. I was leaving this present to the last minute so I decided to skip the tubular cast on because I just wanted to get onto it rather than fiddle with a third needle size and learning a new technique. 

Once I got going into the main body of the hat it was pretty easy to memorise the pattern and it would have been a really enjoyable knit if it didn't hurt my hands. I found I could only do about one set of the pattern repeat before I needed to rest my hands. 

In the end I didn't finish it in time for our anniversary but I did have it done for our time away in Marysville. The Hubs wore it when we went up Lake Mountain to take the kids tobogganing and he said it was perfectly snug and at times he had to take it off because it made him too hot. All credit for that goes to the beautiful cashmere and merino blend of the yarn. You can't go past good fibre when you want warmth.

My latest lesson that I have learnt after knitting this Brooklyn Tweed design and also the Rosebud hat is that I should substitute with either a light worsted or even a DK weight yarn rather than use aran. I have never used Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter yarn for which both these hats were designed for and I hope one day to get the chance to use it but for the time being I am definitely going to select more carefully when substituting for future BT projects.

Finished object: Castilleja Cowl | Spud & Chloe Sweater

Castilleja Cowl knit in Spud & Chloe Sweater.

It's been school holidays here and I have been busy with the kids every day so far.  I have had little knitting time and the blog has been a bit neglected. But today I've managed to get some rest time out of the kids and so it's blog time.

Throughout June I was working between 4 projects and just casually switching between them depending on what I felt like working on at the moment. I've been plodding through my Maeve Shrug and also cast on at the beginning of the month for the Skein podcast shawl KAL. I had also been slowly working on a mini version of the Moto Vest for my girl and an anniversary present for the husband. Between these projects I was starting to feel a little unmotivated since I wasn't getting anywhere near finishing any of them. 

I love the cosiness of a cowl in winter.

Then my little guy got invited to a kinder friend's birthday party and we only had a week's notice. I don't enjoy taking the kids to the shopping centre these days so I decided to knit the little girl something. I figured a quick gift knit might help me get my knitting mojo back.

Sir S choose some yarn out of my stash and we found an easy (and free) cowl pattern  off Ravelry called the Castilleja Cowl. It calls for a worsted weight yarn and I used some grape coloured Spud & Chloe sweater yarn. The yarn is beautifully soft and squishy with a wool and organic cotton composition. 

Simple details kept this knit interesting.

I knit this up in two days and I'm quite pleased with the results. The cowl design has regular elongated stitches set within reverse stockinette stitch and is bordered by fisherman's rib sections. There was just enough variation in it to keep it an interesting knit. 

The pattern is well written with easy to follow instructions and if a bigger cowl is desired it can be adapted without too much difficulty. The pattern needs a multiple of 6 stitches cast on and a wider cowl can be achieved with more repeats of the pattern.

I hope the birthday girl will enjoy the cowl as the cold weather sets in. I guess even though I had wanted to reevaluate my gift making I can't help myself; making gifts still feels better to me than buying.

Finished object file: MAE doll

All ready to go to be cuddled by my niece.

Recently I wrote about making this little doll to send to my niece in America for her 2nd birthday. It took me longer to finish it than I anticipated but I got there in the end and she's ready to be sent off tomorrow.

In my earlier post I explained that a MAE doll is a 'make and embellish' doll. The pattern of the doll is printed onto cotton and all that needs to be done is cut it out, sew it together and stuff it. This cute doll is designed by Jhoanna Aranez and she made it so easy with super clear sewing instructions and even an awesome YouTube video tutorial.

Sir S as my little helper.

After I cut and stitched the doll, Sir S helped with the stuffing and I only took over when he found the legs and arms too tricky. I finished the stitching by hand and though it is a bit rough around the edges I am pretty chuffed with the result.

I hope my little niece is going to enjoy this gift. If she really cherishes this doll I can accessorise her in the years to come. I can imagine a little knitted shawl or scarf to start with and who knows what else.

Finished object file: Bella Shawl

Bella Shawl: off the needles, blocked and ends woven in.

Last week I posted about the commissioned knit that I have been working on. The friend who I have been knitting this Bella Shawl for has been so gracious and patient; never putting pressure on me to quickly finish the project. Well it is with great joy that I have got the project off the needles, blocked, ends weaved in and ready to go to its lovely recipient.

An asymmetrical beauty.

I really enjoyed knitting this project because it was simple enough to memorise but the eyelet lace and asymmetrical direction of the shawl gave it a little bit more to keep my interest. It was something I could take bundle it up and take it around witnh me as a project on the go  and since I memorised the pattern I didn't need to look up the pattern whenever I was out and about.

I purchased 5 skeins of Louisa Harding Grace Hand dyed DK and that gave me approximately 500 metres of yarn to make a medium sized shawl. I made sure to use up as much yarn as possible since my friend was  paying for the skeins and I didn't want to have a substantial amount remaining. I knit 12 squares of eyelet lace on the left hand side of the shawl and added an extra garter ridge on the end of the right hand eyelet panel and this left me with only a few metres of yarn remaining.

The simple yet elegant eyelet lace edge.

The Louisa Harding yarn is a delightfully squishy and shiny single ply yarn. It is a beautiful variegated yarn of pinks and reds of berry tones. There is a little bit of colour variation between the skeins which the yarn label clearly warns about. It is recommended that skeins be alternated every couple of rows during knitting. I initially tried doing this and ended up starting the shawl three times. The first time I cast on I began alternating the skeins at a RS row but because the eyelet fringe is cast off after a set of 7 eyelets it meant that I would have to cut the yarn that I was alternating after each square. So, I frogged it and decided to try alternating the skeins at a WS row and that meant that I was carrying the yarn up the neck edge. I was doing this knit about 10 cms of the piece and decided I didn't like the look of the edge with this yarn being carried up while I was alternating between 2 skeins. So, third time I cast on I decided to just knit each skein up before changing to the next one. The variation is not too obvious in my humble opinion.

The merino silk blend was lovely to work with; it was smooth on the needles and not splitty at all which I was a bit afraid of since it is a singly ply yarn. The silk content gives the piece a beautiful drape and the merino in it helps it hold its shape. The yarn also held up well after frogging it 3 times but I did need to do it carefully otherwise it would snag and stick. Overall I think it is a lovely yarn base and the colours are delicious but it is a yarn that needs some care if frogging.

I am pleased with the results of this Bella Shawl and I am happy with the workmanship for this commission. I actually knit this without mistakes, not meaning I didn't make any because I did, but I did carefully back knit and fix anything that was wrong since I was making this on commission.

All ready to go.

So, there it is a Bella Shawl for a bella friend.

Finished object file: Rosebud Hat | The Fibre Co. Road to China

Hi ho hi ho it's a super slouchy hat for me.

Today I finished knitting Jared Flood's Rosebud hat. I mentioned in the post covering patterns that I was stalking, that I have had this pattern queued for at least a year now after it caught my eye. I was drawn to the striking cable panel set within garter stitch and the perfect level of slouchiness in the design. I consider Jared Flood a bit of a genius in knitwear design and anything that comes out of his brand, Brooklyn Tweed is phenomenal. Though this hat is a pretty easy knit it does not lack any of the fine Brooklyn Tweed blueprint.

Originally I had planned to knit this with some Quince & Co. Owl Tweet but I ended up using that yarn for other projects. So, I bought some Dark Amethyst coloured Road to China made by The Fiber Company because I wanted some really luxe yarn for a personal project. This yarn is an aran weight alpaca/ silk/ camel/ cashmere blend and it is the softest thing to touch. 

The Road to China is a thicker yarn than the BT Shelter for which the hat was designed for and I had a tricky time swatching with it. I tried the suggested 5 mm at first and was getting 4 stitches for 1 inch when the pattern's stated gauge is 4.5 stitches for 1 inch. I know it seems like such a small difference but it all adds up when you start knitting the whole hat. When the number of stitches is fewer than the suggested gauge it'll mean the measurements will be larger than the pattern's design. So, I knit another swatch with 4.5 mm needles and came up short again. I then tried 4 mm needles and hit the stitch gauge but not the row gauge. By this time you can imagine I was getting a bit frustrated and I just wanted to get onto the hat because I really wanted to wear it.

In the end I did a very 'naughty knitter' thing and knit the hat with 4.5 mm needles even though I didn't achieve gauge with these needles in my swatch. I didn't go with the 4 mm needles because I felt a bit absurd knitting aran weight yarn on such small needles and I wasn't sure if I should knit the rib band on 3 mm needles or just go down two sizes as the pattern suggests to 3.5 mm. In my eagerness to get into the knitting I knit the band on 3.75 mm needles and then switched to 4.5 mm for the main body of the hat.

I used up almost all of the three skeins of yarn that I had purchased from the online store, Zigo Zago which means that my hat used about 40 yards more yarn than what the pattern suggests and this is the result of the larger size that it became. I am happy that I have merely 3 metres of yarn left so I don't have to deal with remnants.  This yarn has actually been discontinued by The Fiber Company and to my knowledge Zigo Zago is the only Australian stockist to still have some. The US distributors, Kelbourne Woolens are selling off their mill ends on their website and they will ship to Australia but you need to email them to get a shipping quote. I want to work with the Road to China blend again but may try the lighter sport weight and lace weight lines.

As a knit it was easy but the exquisite cable pattern kept it interesting. It was nice to be able to pick this project up as a break from the more mindless knits that I am currently working on.

The result is satisfactory in my humble opinion. It's super slouchy and some might consider it too big but I actually think it looks like the hats that the seven dwarfs were drawn wearing in the Disney version of Snow White. It is also so warm and I know it will be perfect this winter when we go to the snow.

You can take a look at my project page for this hat on Ravelry here.

To be honest, if I knit this hat again I will use a lighter weight yarn and definitely match gauge. After all, you really only need one super slouchy seven dwarfs hat in your wardrobe.

Finish object file: Moto Vest for Woolful KAL

No shots of me wearing it yet because I'm just no good with selfies.

In my last post I wrote about my progress on Shelli Wescott's Moto Vest and today I'm pleased to say the vest has been finished, blocked and worn. 

I took on this project as a quick knit after I finished all the projects I listed for March on my making list. Ashley Yousling's Woolful blog was hosting a knitalong with this pattern and I wanted to take on the challenge and join in for my first knitalong.

I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this and I also enjoyed looking at the other finished objects as they were posted on the Ravelry discussion thread and instagram (via #woolfulKAL). Each person who has knit this vest has done it with their own flair. Though the pattern was originally designed for bulky yarn Shelli also posted many mods for different yarn weights on her Knitterly blog. Other ways that it could be adapted were the length of the vest, the width of the back and even doing away with the K2, P2 rib and knitting an entirely different stitch pattern.

The length of this vest falls at the hips beautifully.

I knit scarf styled front to about 52" long and went for a thinner back that was about 8" wide. In my last post I mentioned that I wanted to make the bottom of the back wider by doing some increases but with Miss L being very sick this week and needing a lot of attention I went with the mindless knitting option and kept it at the same width. Once I seamed the back together with the front it pulled the ribbing out wider anyway and I found that pleasing enough.

In my humble opinion, the combination of 1 strand Isager Alpaca 2 and 1 strand of Sport weight RRHY worked really well. I like the marled effect that the grey alpaca yarn gives to the handdyed blue yarn.  Gladly, I think the colour is very wearable with jeans and many of the tops in my wardrobe.

This spot of 'me' knitting was very satisfying and I am pleased to be adding this item to my handmade wardrobe. I want to be making more items for my wardrobe in the near future and trying to wear more handmade in the everyday too.

Now, onto my April knitting - read my making list post to see what I've got set out for this year. I've got a few birthday presents to whip up this month for family members and as we approach winter I look forward to knitting some warm woollies for them.

Finished object files: Dragon Aviatrix | Cleckheaton Superfine Merino

He's so chuffed with his dragon hat that he's proudly telling people his mum made it for him.

For my big boy's birthday this year I knit him a dragon hat. He is a big fan of the 'How to train your dragon' movie and has been asking me for a 'Toothless' costume and I'm not quite ready to try my hand at sewing a dragon costume yet so I stuck to what I know best, knitting. 

To make this hat I knit a large child sized 'Aviatrix' hat and then knit a set of spikes that I then whip stitched onto the hat. If you read my 'top 5 baby hats' post earlier in the week you will have read my thoughts on the pattern. I chose this over other dinosaur/ dragon hat patterns that are on Ravelry because I love the earflaps and the shaping of this hat. I also thought that the hat's design of stockinette stitch sections bordered by a row of garter would be perfect sections for each of the spikes. To knit the spikes I took the stitch pattern the 'the ninja herself' blog and before I stitched the them onto the hat I stuffed my yarn tails into the triangles to puff them up a bit.

The hat is knit in black because that is the young sir's favourite colour and I suspect he likes it because with his colour blindness, black is the one colour that he feels confident he sees it correctly. But, if I was going to knit something in such a boring colour I decided to choose something nice to knit with, so I picked Cleckheaton's new Australian Superfine Merino. This is a seriously soft and bouncy yarn and it is so good to see Australian farmers producing such a magnificent fiber. I used up 1 whole ball for the hat so I knit the spikes with some black acrylic. The difference between the textures is quite obvious but since the spikes were not going to be worn against the skin anyway I decided to go with it.

Just need to add this mask and the costume will be perfect. Image source: MyBFC

I know that the hat doesn't really look anything like 'Toothless' from the film but I found this really cute mask on Etsy and if Sir S wears the mask with the hat together I think it will give a pretty accurate picture.

With the completion of this project, I have crossed off all the items from my Feb/Mar make list. However, I'm not going to get cracking into my April projects just yet because I want to take some time to work on a 'me' project. I realise that I've been knitting gifts since I started last year's Christmas knitting and that the last thing I knitted for myself was my Mara shawl. So, I've cast on a Moto Vest for the March Woolful KAL (knitalong). I'll write more about this later but suffice to say this little bit of 'me' knitting is quite soothing for the soul.

Do you too find that you knit more gifts than projects for yourself? How do you achieve a balance between gifts and 'me' projects?