WIP Bingo

 When it comes to my knitting I am totally disorganised and have way too many works in progress. I am very easily seduced by the new shiny yarn and/or pattern. This has led me to re-evaluate my knitting practices and with the upcoming Westknits MKAL I know I want to free up a project bag, needles and notions so I can have everything together. To that end,  I have joined some fun threads in the Stash Knit Down group on Ravelry and this led me to discover how to make a bingo card of my WIPs to try to concentrate on just a few this month.

Some of these, most of the socks, are not yet cast on and I don't have a current photo of my Bits and Bobs blanket but here are photos taken this morning of where I am with the others.

Shawlography

This is the second time I have knitted this glorious Westknits pattern. I am on part 9 of the shawl on the right-hand wedge.

The yarn is all Ripples Crafts Burras a gorgeous single-ply merino yarn dyed in the northwest highlands of Scotland. The colours are Peat, Moonshine, A Slice of Lime, Crushed Blaeberries and A Cerise that Demands Attention.

As I mentioned this is my second time with this pattern, the first one I gave to my Mum for Christmas.

Dustland Sweater

Bill's sweater is now at the most amount of stitches on the needle stage and is slow going. I make myself knit 4 rounds each day and I enjoy seeing my progress when I take my Sunday photos.

For the yarn details see When it all Goes Horribly Wrong.

Dust of Snow

The wrap is going very slowly, partly due to my concentrating on other things and partly as it has still been a bit on the warm side to work with mohair. There has been some progress though, and I am about to start on colour 6.

Heel Toe Do Si Do

These socks for a friend have only just passed the heel turn on the first sock. This is my only real deadline project as they need to be done by the 28th of the month.

I do hope this system helps keep me on track and that my enormous pile of WIPs sees some reduction over the coming weeks.

Remember to Be the reason that Someone Smiles Today, and have a fun week.

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

Looking Forward to 2019

Hello friends, I do hope you had a good Christmas and that you are having a peaceful end to 2018. I will be having a very quiet end to the year without the usual Hogmanay celebrations as I am on a very strong antibiotic for my tooth which doesn't mix with alcohol at all. So, come the bells I will be toasting the New Year with tea and my favourite chocolate.

I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do in 2019 and the first thing is to try my hardest to post to the blog every Sunday. I have also really enjoyed knitting the socks for Operation Christmas Stocking and the hats for gifts this year so I am going to start filling a box with these sort of things which I will donate to The Salvation Army. These wonderful people looked after my great-uncle many years ago and I have never forgotten their kindness to him.
Another thing I want to do is take my sock knitting out and about to share my county with you. I will try, once a month to get out for coffee and cake and hopefully meet some like-minded folks and who knows I might even convert some doubters to become knitters.

I was asked in a Ravelry group about my knitting around the world and how I came to choose the number of rows I need to knit. I am using World Walking, Around the Globe for this personal challenge. Here is the route I will be taking

And here is how far I am to date, I love how it calculates where you are on the map,

as you can see I have a very, very long way to go. My intention is to use my new row counter to add all the rows I do each week, add them on a Sunday then share my progress with you.

Now at last to actual knitting. Today's cast on will be the 2nd of toe-up Dumbledore's Christmas Stockings using Ripples Crafts Reliable Sock in Early Morning and Drops Fabel in Mustard for the toe and cuff

The first sock is looking so good

I am also making good progress on a pair of commission socks for a friend's daughter. These Fidget Socks are again being knit toe-up as I really do think that is my groove. I honestly seem to knit socks so much quicker doing them this way.

This yarn is Stylecraft, Head over Heels, in the Sugar Loaf colourway. I am just at the point of turning the heel on this sock so I hope to be starting the second one next Sunday.
My Adventurous Wrap has nearly reached the half-way point, sorry no picture, so I have chosen the mini-skeins to go in the second half.

This is such a relaxing knit and a great way to use up mini-skeins or even leftovers from other projects.

I think that is all for now, time to get back to the knitting.

Happy crafting

Mary

Links

World Walking 
Dumbledore's Christmas Stockings
Fidget Socks
Adventurous Wrap
Ripples Crafts
The Sunday Sock Ravelry Group

Blogmas Day 16

Hello friends, here we are 2/3 of the way through Advent. Today I don't have a shawl or surprise package to share with you as I have been distracted by two other pieces of knitting.

First, since it is Sunday is a sock.

I have been rattling along with this and have finished the foot up to the point of the gusset. These socks have been a fast knit using the Milkshake pattern as a template and adding 3 x 1 garter rib for a bit of texture.

Secondly, if you follow me on Instagram you will have seen this photo

There is a pattern I have been admiring for some time on Ravelry and yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and purchase it. The pattern is Adventurous Wrap by Ambah O'Brien. I then went stash diving and pulled out these beauties, in the foreground is Royd Moor cashmere in Perriot and behind are a selection of Blue Moon Indigo minis by The Border Tart. This wrap is mindless TV knitting and last night whilst watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 I got quite a bit done.

See you tomorrow

Happy crafting

Mary

Links

Milkshake socks https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/milkshake-3
Adventurous Wrap https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/adventurous-wrap
Ravelry group https://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-sunday-sock
The Border Tart http://www.tartsart.co.uk/

Blogmas Day 12

Hello friends, can you believe we are halfway through Advent already? Is it just me or are the days passing too quickly? I still have much preparation to do. Lots of wrapping and I still haven't bought hubby a birthday pressie, (how inconsiderate of him to be born on the 21st).

I caught up with the shawl last night when coughing and sneezes kept me awake.

And will add today's stripe as soon as I have finished here,

Hubby picked out the next colour for my Adventurous wrap and I have made a start on that

The yarn is leftover from socks I knitted in 2017 and is a Hubble Bubble from Ripples Crafts.

I also got quite a bit done on my scrappy socks but I am leaving taking a photo until they are finished, hopefully by tomorrow they will be done.

I leave you today with yesterday's supervisor of knitting,

Mysti is not a lap cat at all but will happily sit on the back of the sofa and carefully watch all proceedings.

Happy crafting

Mary

Blogmas Day 11

Hello friends, I am not having a great time today, choked with cold and just wanting to sleep.

I did not manage to knit up my advent calendar yesterday so will be doing it later. I did however manage to knit day 5 of my Adventurer Wrap

Now that I have chosen to use leftovers and have hubby pick out the next colour I am so keen to see how it will pan out. I have been following other people's in the Ambah group on Ravelry and there are some really beautiful wraps and scarves.

Today's advent surprise is just gorgeous

I am looking forward to catching this up and will see you all tomorrow when hopefully I will feel a bitty better.

Happy crafting

Mary