nearly finished

knitting
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

Joyce's tea pot is smaller than the one that's modelling the cosy in this picture so it should fit a bit more convincingly.
I'm now back on the preemie knits until my BSJ pattern and wool arrive (or do I have to wait for 1st June to begin that because of the knit-along? I've not participated in a KAL before so I don't know how it works)...

meme from Rosie

The Rules

Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:

Having a year out before university. It was a little longer than a year in the end (two hospital admissions and some time working for the British Society for Human Genetics) but I did get there eventually.

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
To do: mark the practice essay that I've been sent; go shopping with my mother (coming for a visit); sew up the tea cosy; read through my 12000 words of primary material for the shepherds; go on Newton to find catalogue references for the books/articles I gleaned from an MLA search yesterday.

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Pass

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
buy a flat; secure my parents' retirement; buy my brother a house; buy him a new car; go back to Eritrea and secure the future of the libraries in Agordat plus sort out the water.

5. Places I have lived:
Eccles, Patchway (Bristol), Harpenden (Herts), Solihull and Great Cambourne

Well, that was the easy bit. Now I've got to think of people to tag but I don't have any readers for this blog so I'll just leave it open!!

tea cosy

tea cosy
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

I haven't posted in ages and ages. The past month's knitting has mostly been premature baby clothes. I have a bag full and decided I needed a change so went to Sew Creative in hope of inspiration. I bought a ball of Twilley's Freedom Spirit, browsed Ravelry for patterns and decided to make a tea cosy for my great aunt's birthday. She taught me to knit when I was small so she likes seeing my finished work. This knits up incredibly quickly. I cast on last night and have already nearly finished.

Oh and I've ordered wool and a pattern to make my first Baby Surprise Jacket with the BSJ knit-along...

Frogged!

Photo 112
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

The calorimetry is finished, the size of a tea towel and therefore frogged.

Back to knitting for preemies I think ...

starting Calorimetry

starting Calorimetry in WWMDfK T shirt
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

I'm not a creative knitter... well that may not be 100% true. My many poodle creations ended up having very little to do with the original patterns, each one with varied colours and yarns making different textures and "fur"-length.
But for garments, I'm terrified of straying off pattern. I don't really understand gauge and stitch ratios, etc. So imagine my surprise to find myself choosing to use up the end of my Rowan Holiday yarn with a pattern that calls for a completely different kind of wool. I think I've worked out a ratio from the gauge (there are 5 stitches of the pattern wool per inch versus 3 for Holiday). And I've tried to scale down the pattern accordingly.

We shall see if it works...

wraparound cardi

wraparound cardi
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

A weekend crash course in crochet (requiring lots of help from Ravelry fora) and the pieces of the cardi finally got sewn together with the edging around the top.

The knitting was by far the easiest part of this project. I nearly gave up after my third botched attempt at crochet, and again when I was struggling to set in the sleeves. I'm glad I persevered though.

crochet attempt

crochet attempt
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

Hmmmm. I'm not one of nature's crochet-ers. but surely the fringe for Rosa shouldn't be quite this... well... big! I'm following the pattern and it's been keeping me out of mischief tonight but I'll reserve judgement on the frilly bit until I've gone all the way round.

bootees from Bliss website

bootees from Bliss website
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

These are an incredibly quick knit. Just need to tuck in yarn ends and work out where I am supposed to send them. I've now started the hat from the Bliss pattern leaflet

teeny tiny vent hat

april
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

it's finished apart from stray bits of yarn and apparently it needs a button somewhere.
I have no idea whether it looks right because I've never seen a vent bonnnet....

Vent bonnet in progress

Vent bonnet in progress
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

I do hate knitting with 4-ply but the pattern is so simple that i've no excuse for not completing this. You can see the little vent flap thing in the work in progress on this photo.

Premature baby knitting

vent bonnet
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

I haven't quite sewn up the cardigan yet but my pattern leaflet from the bonnie babies special care baby appeal arrived today so I cast on the vent bonnet with some 4-ply I happened to have. I *hate* knitting with 4-ply so this will be an endurance test for me...

cardi....

cardi
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

... is nearly finished. But despite five completed pieces, I haven't quite got around to sewing it together yet.

Present given

and a positive response received!

I've completed the back of the wraparound cardigan. It's quite a short style: more like a bolero

one finished; another started.

The birthday project was completed the other day.

I've now started a wraparound cardigan from Rowan's Tuscan Retreat book. It uses their now discontinued yarn: Holiday. This was in the sale bin at Sew Creative on Saturday when I went in to get the pale blue ribbon you can see in the photo of the completed jumper above. 

I was afraid the lace pattern would prove too fiddly for me (I knit while reading so get frustrated if I actually have to concentrate on the knitting!) but it's remarkably simple.

This is what I have managed so far:

getting there

back
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

the back is now complete and one sleeve is in progress. I had to visit John Lewis at the weekend because I was a bit worried that I was using more yarn than I'd anticipated. So their clearance bucket was emptied by me of pale blue Cashmerino Astrakhan.

Just to prove I can

Ribbon twist
Originally uploaded by LindyB28

After yesterday's post, I thought I should actually try wearing the only cardigan I've knitted for myself! I made it at the end of 2004 and like it. Trouble is a) it's too bulky to wear under a coat and b) it doesn't fasten up. There's a cord that ties with pom poms but that doesn't keep the two sides together.
Still it's OK for wearing in the house.

knitting jumpers

My current project. It seems, finally, to be working!


Considering the amount of time I've spent knitting, one would expect me to be on more than my second jumper. However, the awful result of an ill-conceived plan with Sirdar Wow! a few years ago completely put me off. The expense of buying so many balls of wool to produce an item more suitable for a weebly doll or a teletubby was a steep learning curve and encouraged me to stick to my favourite comfort knitting items: Jean Greenhowe toys, delicate baby knits and (of course) the poodles.
I knitted myself a cardigan in Rowan Ribbon Twist. I love it... but never wear it.




So maybe these experiences have contributed to the nightmare of beginning MummyB's birthday present. The pattern isn't difficult; it's well within my capabilities, but I've struggled with it ridiculously.
I think the worst is over now. The size looks about right. The lace pattern seems to look accurate and I'm on to a nice chunk of straight stocking stitch.

Present

Making something for my mother's birthday seemed like a good idea when I was in John Lewis yesterday. The Debbie Bliss cashmerino astrakhan in the sale basket was in her colour (she's a summer) and half price. I found a Rowan pattern that looked like a style she might actually wear.

But the first 10-15 cm of knitting have been hard work. Thankfully I've progressed beyond the photo above and have now completed the rather tricksy edging and lace section at the bottom.

one down...

.... one to go. These Saartjes bootees are reminding me just how much I hate knitting with 4-ply. I think they are going to be a nice present for a newborn though. They barely take any time at all; and I learnt a new technique today having never before come across longtail cast-on.
Once my registration pieces have been submitted on Tuesday, I think I'll go over to John Lewis to find some buttons for these bootees and (I hope) some nice wool for a birthday present for MummyB. I've seen some possible patterns on Ravelry...

Exciting

My photo on Ravelry of the Jean Greenhowe nativity is now the photo set for that pattern. I feel rather honoured by this, even though the photo is a bit rubbish: taken on the stairs of our old house, it's hard to see the detail of the figures.