How Is It The End of August?

 I am baffled and bamboozled to discover that we will be in September next week. This year has simply flown by, and I have achieved so little. My knitting got off to a languid start this year as I only wanted to work on scrappy blankets which I then did not like and sent off to the frog pond. It was March before I knitted a sock and even then my mojo was still lacking. Things picked up in April and have been motoring along since but I still feel I am way behind where I ought to be, especially with my charity knitting.

This week I have, however, finished a pair of socks.

I knitted these using a motif from the Dustland Sweater and just made them up as I went along. The yarn is Ripples Crafts Reliable Sock in the Learning to Swim V2 colour which was a fundraiser for the RNLI overseas division, so sadly is no longer available. I used a 2.5mm ChaioGoo fixed circular for magic loop.

As soon as these were cast off I started a new pair.

These are for a fellow East Lothian Carers Panel member who has expressed a desire to learn how to knit socks. I am more than willing to teach her but suggested she try a pair first before she falls down the rabbit hole that is sock knitting and spends money. These are the Heel-Toe-Do-Si-Do pattern by Crazy Sock Lady Designs but knitted toe-up. The yarn is Stylecraft Head Over Heels Colours of the World Shade 1161 Sa Pa and again it is my faithful ChaioGoo 2.5mm fixed circular.

The re-knit of the Dustland Sweater got some love this week and I am powering through the yoke.

I am really liking how it is looking this time and hope to get to splitting for the sleeves in the coming week. That's it for actuall knitting this week, however there is some dream knitting to plan.

It's that time of year again!!

I have taken part in the last two years and have loved evey minute, now I cannot afford to buy a kit from Stephen and Penelope but I will stash dive and possibly even purchase a yarn or two to make my own unique kit.

I think that's all for this week, I leave you with a phrase which has been banging around my head since I saw it, and cannot help but think the world would be a better place if we all could make it happen.

BE THE REASON THAT SOMEONE SMILES TODAY

When It All Goes Horribly Wrong

 Sometimes, no matter how well prepared you are, things go awry. This happened this past week when the jumper, (yes I know, I am knitting an Aran weight jumper in the hottest summer on record) I was lovingly knitting for his nibs turned out way too big. Now I had done my homework and knitted a swatch and all was well with that and I had happily ploughed on with the pattern until the body was finished. Bill duly tried it on and OMG it was enormous. I don't know what went wrong but something very obviously did. There was nothing else to do but frog it. He did however love the pattern so it was agreed that I would start over, and I have. I am knitting a smaller size Med instead of Large and using 1 size down needles.

So here we have the Dustland Sweater, pattern by Stephen West, take 2 being knitted in Stylecraft Life Aran in the Natural Nepp colour on ChiaoGoo circular needles size 3.5mm and 4mm.

It looks so much better now, and we are both happier with that.

I had to buy a new needle to be able to restart the jumper so while I was sulking and waiting for it to arrive I cast on a pattern I had in my library for a while, the Dust of Snow Wrap by Curious Handmade. I really had no business casting on something new as I have WIPs galore but as I said I was in the huff with the jumper. 

This beautiful asymmetrical rectangular wrap was designed as an Advent Calander project and so I am using the 4 boxes of beautiful mini-skeins Bill gave me for my birthday, from Ruffles Crochet Crafts on Etsy, and holding it with Drops KidSilk in Moonshine from Purple Sheep Yarns, using a ChiaoGoo 4.5mm fixed circular. It is going very slowly with some subtle colour changes so far but I am delighted with it.

No socks this time round but there will definitely be some soon.

Happy Crafting

Mary