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.

'What to knit Wednesday': patterns I'm stalking

Clockwise from top L: Lemon, Fairchild, Rosebud, Cirrus, Baya, SofTrope Sock in Weld

If you're a Ravelry user you'll know what I mean when I say, 'I'm pattern stalking.' Basically pattern stalking is when a pattern catches my eye and I queue it and want to knit it desperately. I think about it a lot and I start investigating yarn options and I look up other people's projects to see what they have done. There are so many great patterns that are available on the Ravelry database, so you can imagine that I pattern stalk a lot.

Here are some of my current pattern crushes.

1. Baya by Mindy Wilkes.

This shawl was featured on the cover of the summer 2014 issue of Pom Pom Magazine. I saw it and couldn't stop thinking about it, so buying that issue of Pom Pom was inevitable. 

The pattern is a crescent shaped shawl that has a beautiful lace edge that sit against a simple garter stitch body. The two sections can be knit in tonal colours or colours in contrast. The pattern designer used two yarns from Canadian hand dyer, Sweet Georgia Yarns. I have had a look at their colour palette and it is seriously sweet looking yarn. So, in truth I not only have a crush on the Baya pattern I also have a crush on the Sweet Georgia line of yarns. However, in my efforts to stash less I will have to be content with a substitute yarn and I think I'll use the SofTrope sock in weld colourway for it.

2. Fairchild  by Bristol Ivy.

Here's another Pom Pom pattern and it was on the cover of the Winter 2014 issue. I am a fan of Bristol Ivy's patterns and this sweater is no exception. It has an interesting design where deep pleats are knit in the front to create a sort of pocket for cold hands. I don't usually attempt sweaters for myself but I am drawn to this because I think it will be a great challenge for me to learn some new techniques.

There is no way I am going to source the suggested yarn without spending way beyond my budget. The Uncommon Thread range is a luscious hand dyed range that is based in the UK. The Posh DK is a 70% Superwash BFL, 20% silk and 10% cashmere; a very luxe yarn that I would one day like to try knitting with. Instead I'm going to try knitting the Fairchild with Shilasdair's Luxury DK in thistle bloom. The Shilasdair is still a really really nice yarn because it's a naturally dyed wool, angora, camel and cashmere fibre and it's stocked at Sunspun.

3. Cirrus by Nancy O'Connell.

I am always drawn to big drapey garments and often think that I need a poncho. The Cirrus pattern is kind of in between a sweater and a poncho. It is a drapey, sleeved garment that looks super comfy and sophisticated. I can see myself wearing this a lot and I would also very much like to try knitting with the Shibui yarns that it is designed for.

4. Lemon by Helga Isager.

I want to knit more garments that I can wear in the Spring/ Summer seasons so that I can keep wearing hand knits all year round. I like this Lemon pattern because it is a simple styled tee that I can see myself throwing on during those warmer months. 

5. Rosebud by Jared Flood.

I have wanted to knit this slouchy cabled hat for around a year now and I have now decided that I'll give it a go with some super soft The Fibre Company, Road to China Worsted. I wanted to make this hat for myself with something that is super luxe and I think this alpaca, silk, camel, cashmere blend is just gorgeous. I want to knit more cable and I think this hat will be a good project to get started with since it only has one main cable panel set in garter stitch.

As you can see, all the patterns that I am stalking is for myself. I dream of doing more selfish me knitting but realistically I am not under any time pressure with these projects. I will take my time and leisurely enjoy the knitting so that there will be no risk that the joy for the craft will be lost.

What are you pattern stalking at the moment?

Finished object file: Newborn Vertebrae | Patons Dreamtime 4ply

A wee wooly gift for a wee little bub

Today I had the pleasure of packaging up a little woolly gift to send to my friends in Sydney to welcome their new daughter. I love handmade gifts and I love being able to give something that I lovingly made myself to my dear friends.

Not being 100% sure that they were expecting a girl I opted for a gender neutral item. Kelly Brooker of Peka Peka Designs has a great little pattern that is available for free called 'Newborn Vertebrae'. It's a very simple buttonless cardigan but sometimes the simple items are the best for newborns. What is the point of having an extremely pretty piece of clothing that will get puked on and be grown out of within a few weeks? Also, how clever is this buttonless design? No small fiddly buttons to deal with for overtired parents. LOVE IT!

Kelly also sells the Vertebrae pattern in sizes for older babies and kids in a combined ebook. As well as that she has also designed a mama sized one too. I like the idea of a mama sized Vertebrae as a stylish and simple open cardigan that perfectly complements a growing baby bump.

Simple designs are often the best for newborns

Also thrown into the gift is another Crooked Little Baby Bonnet that I had previously posted about in the blog. This one was knit quite a few months ago out of Quince & Co. Chickadee wool. I had held off gifting it to anyone because I thought the size of it came out a bit too small even for a newborn. My friend's new bub is a wee little girl born at 2.2kg so I think this will be perfect for her.

This is my favourite baby bonnet pattern for little girls

Since I cannot give her a big auntie cuddle I can send her my love and prayers and wrap her up in some comfy woollies.

Do you have any favourite newborn knits? What are your essential 'must have' items for new babies (not necessarily knitted)?

Happy with High Water

A perfect fit for Sir S

I finished the High Water pullover for Sir S recently but had to wait for some cooler weather before I could convince him to try it on for some shots. Today's not too hot and I resorted to the ol' bribery, "I'll give you a whole Zooper Dooper if try this on and let Mummy take some photos.".

I always love photographing this little guy's facial expressions

One of the joys of this pattern was that the use of worsted weight yarn plus lots of stockinette stitch made it a very quick knit. The last pullover I knit for S took me about 7 months to complete because it was using fingering weight yarn and Miss L was born in the midst of it.

Other than the concerns that I have with the choice of green stripes because of S's colour blindness I did blunder up the right sleeve. When I got down to the rib cuff I realised that I was one stitch short and I have no idea how that happened; the most likely possibility is that I picked up one less stitch under the arm when I was starting the sleeve. Hence why I subtitled this blog, "the (mis)adventures of...", I always manage to make some little mistake in all my knits.

Of course he chose black buttons because it's a colour he is definitely able to see

Regardless of the missing stitch the jumper fits very well on my skinny mini and I am certain that it will last him this coming winter season.

This was the first time working with the Cascade 220 worsted yarn for me. It has really great stitch definition and a lovely springiness that holds the structure of the garment well. But, I was a little disappointed that it was not as soft to touch as I had hoped it would be. However, I read the comments on Ravelry and there are claims for other users that it softens with washing. Sir S has commented that it feels scratchy against his skin but I'm hoping that he will be able to wear a long sleeve baselayer in the winter with it to buffer his skin from the wool.

I made a MOD with the sleeve cuff because Sir S requested "sleeves like mittens". I knit in some thumb holes and made the whole cuff 10cm long (2cm more than the pattern suggestion). If I make thumb holes again I will try a different technique because I think my bind off, knit two rows and then cast back on method is a bit sloppy. Next time I will do it like a buttonhole with a K2tog then a yarn over in the next row.

roaring fun thumb holes

Overall, I love the stripes and the boat neck collar. I used exactly 2 skeins of the Cascade and just under 10g - approx. 14m according to Ravelry calculations - of the Spud & Chloe for the stripes. It felt good to stash bust some of this yarn that I had purchased so long ago.

I love the classic and simple stripes design

I look forward to the winter and taking some more photos of Sir S wearing this jumper while in action.

Missy Minzy Cards

I love homemade goodies and I love them even more when they are produced by WAHM (work at home mums). I know the challenges of juggling a busy home life with little kids and I really admire those mums who are brave enough to add work into that. And for those mums who create and sell their own products I am at awe at their creativity, dedication and organisation.

Today I got some cards from a good friend of mine,Irene aka Missy Minzy. We caught up for a play at Bounce Inc. (which by the way is a fantastic way for little ones to burn off some energy) and she gave me these beautiful cards.

I only asked her yesterday if I could buy a set of cards off her since I needed a card for a birthday party we are attending this weekend. My lovely friend not only provided me with a set of cards she also made two fresh designs just for me. I am blown away by her creativity and touched that she worked hard overnight to make a new design for me.

Thanks Irene for the gorgeous cards. I can hardly bear to gift them to their recipients.

Missy Minzy products can be purchased from her Etsy store or at Down That Little Lane. Follow her on facebook and instagram too.