Finished Objects, New Project and Samples!

It's high time I posted again so here goes:

I have been busy "doing" stuff since I last wrote so here is a little insight into what has been going on in my life recently - the knitting part, at least!

Yes, the Tomten Jacket is finished at last! It was sitting around for several weeks until I finally picked it up again and wove in the threads and sewed on the buttons. No photos of it on little T but there is a closeup of the buttons I put on. Suitably cute for a little one, no?

A few weeks ago I needed a small project to work on in the car so I looked around in my stash and came up with a couple of balls of Sock It To Me yarn I bought from Elann a couple of years ago. Kiwi knitters will realise that there is a real shortage of nicely coloured sock yarn in our LYS's, although the selection is a little better now than it was. This was why I bought some sock yarn from Elann - good price and pretty colours! It is maybe not quite as soft as Opal yarn but maybe it washes up softer. I'm not sure, yet, as the only socks I have made from the skeins I bought were gifted. This is the first pair I have made for me from them.

I am knitting these socks using the Wildflower Socks pattern from Fawn Pea. I quite like it in the colour I'm using but I think if I knit this pattern again I would knit the socks toe up instead of cuff down - I like the little "flower" pattern better that way! Still cute, though. A closer look at the pattern is below although I still don't think you can see the pattern clearly. Sorry!

I have also made another pair of Maine Morning Mitts from Clara Parkes' book A Knitters Book of Yarn. A nice, easy pattern when you need a gift quickly. Which is what I knitted these for. A gift for a friend. She likes them!

So she should, too! These were made in Cleckheaton Vintage Twist which is a very softly spun, and plied, 100% woollen yarn. One ply is spun in a series of colours and the other in one co-ordinating colour - very easy to emulate for spinners. It knitted up very softly but I did have to be careful. I normally use a long tail cast on with my thumb, a very easy and versatile cast on. However, this cast on slightly untwists yarns which have been plied Z as this yarn has been. (I have just had a closer look at the yarn and it seems that it has been both spun and plied Z! No wonder it is tender!) Because of the very soft spin, the yarn began to untwist and drift apart, not what you want for a cast on edge. When I discovered this, I got out a crochet hook and cast on over the needle with that (like a provisional cast on), very carefully. It worked and, as I had done it loosely, it was a nice stretchy edge. I also used two circs to make these but only one at a time as I only had one ball and didn't want to tie myself into knots using both ends at once. I was very happy with the resulting mitts.

Spinning has also been carried out recently as our group is taking part in the Creative Fibre fleece challenge this year. The fleece being showcased in 2008 is Corriedale. Our group was given a 2.5kg fleece to use for the challenge. A bit more than we had anticipated (we were thinking of making a couple of items of babies clothing) but it seems we are the only group in our region to participate so we got the whole fleece!

I have washed about half the fleece so far. Some members may prefer to work with the wool in its greasy state so I won't do the whole lot. I'm not sure if that is a good idea, though, as it may be too much like merino for that. As it is, I think it really needs another washing as it still feels a little, well, not squeaky clean! I always wash the yarn when it has been spun up, so it isn't a problem for me so I'm not going to worry too much about it.

I have prepared and spun up a couple of samples so far and would like to get one more done before the next meeting on Thursday. The first sample I prepared using my Majacraft minicombs and spun the wool in a 2 ply worsted style. The last bit on the bobbin I navajo-piled. This sample (photos next time, maybe) is soft and controlled-looking. Looks how I expected it too.

The second sample I prepared on my hand carders and spun up using a long-draw woolen style (well, as close as I could get. I'm not too comfortable with this style, yet.). It has come out beautifully soft and puffy but, perhaps, could have had a little more twist both in the singles and in the plying.

I would also like to try carding a little on the drum carder and see if there is any difference between this preparation and the hand cards. There's nothing like playing around like this to put off the decisions of what I will actually make! But it is fun, and a great learning experience.

What have I been up to?

Five weeks since my last posting! Oh, my, sure has been a long time. But I'm back again. I have been so busy recently with one thing and another - a new granddaughter, D having an angioplasty, K leaving to go back to Britain for another nine months plus a myriad of other relatively normal happenings. My poor head has been spinning (unlike my hands, unfortunately - nil to show in that respect!)!


Little T is doing very well as are her Mum and Dad. She sleeps well (usually) and is putting on weight as any good little baby ought to. We have seen her several times but not really as much as I would like. Unfortunately, too much was happening in my life which I could not put off for me to go up there and help out. T's Dad doesn't go to work until mid-afternoon so he is able to help out a fair bit.


My husband, D, had an appointment at Christchurch hospital for an angioplasty (not his heart but the artery to his left leg). After waiting about 8 hours (he was REALLY hungry by then as he hadn't had anything to eat since the previous night) we were finally told that he would have to come back again the following week. (They fed him before we left, thank goodness!) Timaru hospital hadn't sent up his CT films and they weren't coming through by email (technology is not always what it is cracked up to be!). As he was able to go in first thing the following week, we stayed the night in a motel. Christchurch is about 2 1/2 hours away from where we live - to far to get there, and find a park, by 8 am! For whatever reason, he didn't get the procedure done until nearly lunchtime and then spent the next four hours lying completely still on his bed. An hour of sitting up followed this and then we were allowed to leave - but not to go home. No, we had to spend yet another night in Christchurch in case something happened. Nice motel this time, though!


Can you guess what I was doing all this time? Yep, knitting, of course! During the first visit I was knitting a little Tomten jacket to fit Taylor for her first winter. I was using some leftover yarn from a project a couple of years ago BUT did I have enough? I knitted the body and started the hood. Suspicious, I left the hood stitches on some waste yarn and took stock of what was left. No, definitely not enough to even complete the sleeves. I have looked in various yarn shops since then but I believe that Naturally are not making this yarn (Lollipop - a 10ply boucle - 95%merino 5 %nylon) any more. Sad, as it is really cuddly. But I may be able to turn this into a little sleeveless jacket so my time and effort won't be wasted.


During the second time in the hospital I knitted a good portion of a second Tomten jacket.

This time I am using a mauve-coloured yarn from Naturally - Buttons. Quite cute as it has a tweed look about it. I had a lot of trouble finding a solid yarn to use for the trim but I finally found a purple acrylic (yes, I don't like acrylic much, either, but needs must!) which looks quite good with it. I think I made a booboo in the hood, though, as it appears fairly short. I may unfo the grafted seam and reknit this before sewing the sleeve seams and picking up for the band. This will be a four-ridge garter band with buttonholes as I don't like sewing zips in knits.

Meanwhile, I have started a pair of fingerless mitts using a free pattern from Jody Pirrello - Natalya.

For these, I am using some lovely soft angora/merino yarn I bought from Quality Yarns in Milton, Otago. I think they will be gorgeously warm and soft for winter!

And speaking of Milton...we took a trip down to Dunedin a few weeks ago (don't ask me when, it was during the last month - who know's dates anymore!) where I met up with Stella of Knit,knit,frog fame. We had a lovely time over afternoon tea getting to know each other a little better (she even had a present for little T - a bright green bib, so cute!) and showing her some of my loot from Milton. Yes, I'm getting to Milton! As Dunedin is only about 50 minutes from Milton, D and I drove down there to visit the mill shop. Lots of lovely bally of yarn here for really low prices! Well worth the drive. I blush when I think of how much I spent there that day. My, how even low prices add up! But I did bring home quite a haul - 2 kg of perendale sliver, a couple of hanks of undyed 8 ply perendale yarn (for dyeing), some 8 ply 40% possum/60% wool yarn destined to be a jersey for D (one day!), some undyed 4 ply 20%angora/80%merino which I may dye and use for the grandgirls someday and also some silver 8 ply 100% wool which I may overdye for moi. But, I also bought 2 hanks of this...

...a lovely, soft 8 ply yarn which is a blend of 80% lambswool/20% hemp in a tweedy charcoal. I'm thinking of a sleeveless vest for me. Hopefully with a few cables or some textured stitches. Not sure yet. I told you there was quite a haul! On the way back to Dunedin we stopped off at Lake Waihola for some lunch. A lovely spot for a picnic.

The lake is fairly shallow all over I believe and quite a popular spot in the summer holidays. While we were there we watched a small microlite-type plane land on the water then take off and fly around for a bit before landing on the water again. Rather fun!

Since all this has been happening, we have been up to Christchurch yet again (told you I've been busy) - this time to take K to the airport for her trip back to Britain. She'll be overseas for about 9 months before coming home again - hopefully for good this time! Unfortunately her journey back to Britain was not terribly smooth this time around. She slipped in the tunnel leading to the plane to take her to Auckland and scraped her elbow badly. It turns out that Air New Zealand planes (even large 777's as this was) don't have a proper first aid kit! They could only find two little bandaids, one being a finger one!

She then had trouble with the flight to LA and was told it didn't exist. It seems that although it was techniquely an American Airlines flight, the plane was a Qantas one (great food, K says!) which normally flies through Brisbane but was going through Auckland this time. Confusing. Once in LAX, K freshened up and had a sleep on the floor before boarding her British Airways flight to London Heathrow. With her bag safely checked in she got on the plane and had quite a pleasant journey in a plane which had several empty seats. On arrival at Heathrow she waited for her bag. And waited, and waited and...no bag! About 20 other passengers were in the same plight some with connecting flights to worry about. BA have been very unhelpful and very unapologetic over the whole business. They gave K a few little toiletries (not fullsize) to help tide her over. Ha! Six days (and one canned interview because of not having suitable clothing) later and her bag still hasn't arrived! British Airways suck - but, from what I can gather from other people's experiences, so do most other airlines. Not good at all.

Anyway, that is some of what I have been up to recently. Told you I had been busy!

What have I been up to?

Hmmm...Ravelry has been eating has been eating a reasonable portion of my time lately! Yes, I'm in and slowly getting to grips with the place. My name there is KathyR (what else?!) if you are interested in finding me.

But I have been busy knitting, too. I finished the sleeves of a baby singlet which I had started, well, a couple of years ago! It is Margaret Stove's pattern in a Heritage Collection leaflet. I used 3 ply baby wool so it should fit a baby up to about a year old. I have used this pattern before to make a smaller vest (I must have used 2 ply wool then) and ws really pleased with it. The pattern is really easy (I knitted it in the round) but quite cute. Lots of side ways stretch, too.



I also finished the Baby Surprise Jacket along with a tiny pair of Saartje's Bootees. These were made out of Cleckheaton Merino Bambino 4 ply. This is a really soft, machine washable woollen yarn but I did find it split quite often so I needed to be careful while knitting with it. I was really pleased with the results. I just hope the little ruffle around the neck isn't too reminiscent of a clown's collar! I wanted something that was more girly than a plain collar. I really love the little bootees, too. Both should fit an average newborn.

I have also cast on for a cabled jacket to fit a 3 month old. I was at a LYS looking for yarn to make a little cardigan from the Dale of Norway pattern book I bought a while back but I didn't find any in the colours I wanted. Also, this pattern book seems to call for really fine yarn - 2 ply, maybe - as all the garments are knitted with 2mm and 2.5mm. If I wanted anything other than white I would have to dye it first. So I kept on looking (as you do!) and noticed a Cleckheaton pattern book (# 951) with really cute baby patterns in it and bought it. All of these patterns called for 4 ply wool of which I had a small supply - don't you love using stash yarn? Of course I did need to supplement with another 2 balls, but that's ok! I wanted to make something a little brighter than the normal pale baby colours but the bright pink on its own was rather loud! I chose, instead, to make the jacket in a blue-violet with the bright pink for the ribbing. I'm not certain how much I like it though. Maybe I should have done corrugated ribbing using both colours. I'll think about it. It would be even better if I could get M and R's opinion on it. After all, it is for their baby!

In the meantime my DH, D, is still slowly getting through the tests to see if he has a blockage in the veins/arteries in his legs. More tests next week and an appointment with the specialist the following week. It is a real nark getting older and the body breaking down little by little.

The spinning year is coming to an end next month with our final meeting and then our Christmas outing at the end of November. Hard to think that the year is fast coming to an end but we have been quite busy this year for a change. Things are slowly coming together for the Festival in 2009, as well. More hard work to do next year for it. I have been spinning a little every now and again but progress there is slow. One day I may even get around to taking photos of the skeins already spun and post them here!