Yarn Galore!

So I've been spending a bit of money on yarn lately (my PayPal balance is rather empty).

But it's all gorgeous and mostly from new NZ dyers that I haven't tried.

First up:
Featherbrush Yarns Superwash DK in colourway 'Enigma'

This yarn I actually purchased a while ago (when I was buying yarn for the MYB swap) but I never posted about it on here.  Then, Rachel, the dyer, moved house and put the business on hold until things were all settled down.  She's just started up again with her first yarn stocking last Sunday and theres lots of great extras going up for sale in the shop lately, including WIP bags, stitch markers and cute handmade buttons.

I'm still deciding what I'm going to use it for, possibly something for the baby, though it is quite a boyish colour and we don't know what bubs is!


Olive & Emma 8ply Superwash in colourway 'Baby Blue Eyes'

This gorgeous yarn I actually 'won'!  Every so often, Emma, the dyer, runs a different kind of yarn stocking method via her FaceBook page called a Ballot Sale.  This is where for a certain period of time everyone that's interested in purchasing can comment 'sold' on the yarn photo and then, using Random.org, Emma draws the 'winner' of each colourway/yarn.  Normally it's a matter of first in, first served (and I never manage to be online at the right time!) so it was nice to be able to browse the yarn and not feel so pressured to make a split-second decision on the colourway I wanted the most.  And I figured, that because I won the only yarn I asked for, that it was meant to be!

This I was thinking would be either for the baby or MiddleMiss (this sort of blue suits her really well).  I figure a soft blue like this is fine for a baby girl (if that's what bubs is) when mixed with pink in the outfit (BigMiss wore blue and pink together as a baby).


Jodulbug Creations DK 8ply in colourway 'Squashed Snifters'

This yarn I had to have because of it's name.  And because it hadn't sold immediately (I thought about it for a full day saying 'if it's still there tomorrow I'll get it!'), I decided it was another meant-to-be!  Jo, the dyer, dyed up a collection of yarns to match her 'Memories of being a Kiwi Kid' moodboard and Snifters certainly hold memories for me too!

This I plan to use for bubs as there just isn't enough of it for anything decent for my girls and it really is a perfect neutral baby colour (not to mention I have several different chocolate browns in stash to choose from that will go nicely as trim yarn).


Knitsch Yarns 100% Merino Sock in colourways (clockwise from top): Odelay; Looking Glass; Pencarrow; Georgina and the Jellyfish

Last Saturday, J wasn't home and I'd just noticed the night before that Craft 2.0 was happening in Wellington.  So, as the house was tidy already and there was nothing else much pressing to do, I told the girls to get in the car and we would go for a ride.  An hour and a half later we were in central Wellington on a freezing cold windy day (when isn't it in Wellington?) looking around for Chaffers Marina.  We did manange to find it rather easily and the girls had fun looking around at all the stalls and deciding what to buy (they'd raided their piggy banks and had $20 each to spend).  A little while later we all came out with a parcel or two.

My purchases were all made at Knitsch Yarns' stall where I (foolishly, maybe?  I think you buy more yarn in person than online!) let the girls each pick a yarn for me to make them something out of.  BigMiss chose the Odelay for a hat, MiddleMiss chose the Georgina & the Jellyfish for some gloves/mitts (to match her cowl - the colour is similar, though it doesn't really look it from the photo), LittleMiss chose a teal-coloured DK called 'Peacock' for a cowl (my new pattern) and the Looking Glass & Pencarrow (as matching trim) are to be made into something for the baby.

The girls' purchases were pretty good too - they each came home with some type of hair accessory, a super yummy Gourmet Caramel Apple (you have no idea how delicious these are!) and a packet of fizzing sherbert.  And because I didn't feel like coming home so soon after driving all the way over, we went to Te Papa (NZ's national museum) for lunch and a look around (I love that it has free entry!) and were back in time to make dinner!


I also received two different yarn club installments in the last couple of weeks which I might do a post about another time as there are still some international parcels to arrive.
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A Knitterly Update

It's school holidays here at the moment.

Which is why it's taken me this long to write a post! 
(I always try and spend extra time at work the week or so before holidays so I can spend less time there during them!)

A lot has been going on for me crafty-wise.  Knitting like crazy to finish things, buying yarn, getting yarn club parcels in the post and, would you believe it, I even did a spot of sewing!

So, here's a quick photo round up of a few things I've been knitting:


I knit this little NB hat for an online friend's new baby girl.  She's named Rose which is why I thought this was the perfect hat pattern for her!
It's Rosy Scalloped Hat by Tot Toppers/Kate Oates knit in Vintage Purls sock yarn (held double) colour Amythestos.


This is the progress I've made on my cardigan for LittleMiss that I first mentioned here (for Red Riding Hood Yarn's KAL).
It doesn't appear that it will be finished in time to be included in the KAL (even with the deadline being extended to the end of this week), though Hannah did mention that 'started, but not finished' can be included in the WIP category.


Because I couldn't see me finishing the cardi, I decided to whip up a quick cowl idea I'd been wanting to try for the girls to be included in the KAL.  This is based on the stitch pattern of the Big Herringbone Cowl and knit in RRHY's Riche (worsted/10ply) colour Sweet As Pie Light Trim (this was a custom colour Hannah dyed for the sleeves on my Sweet As Cardigan but I only used the darker trim).

As this colour was technically MiddleMiss' (as the cardigan is hers) the cowl had to be for her too.  Now I have to make another one for BigMiss as it was her that I'd promised it for first (but the yarn she chose wasn't RRHY so couldn't include in the KAL!)

And as soon as I've knit the next one, I'll be putting the pattern up for free on Ravelry!  (It's so simple and quick - knit on 10.00mm/US size 15 needles - that I got this one made in two evenings!)


Sharing with the other crafty types at My Creative Space.

P.S. I'll try catching you up on all the rest of my crafty stuff in posts to come - I have lots of fantastic new yarn dyers to talk about (and show off yarn purchases from!) as well as other things I've been working on.
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WWFY

KAL, WIP, FO* - if you're not a hardcore knitter, you're probably wondering what all those letters mean!  And now another one to add to the mix - WWFY.

WWFY stands for Will Work For Yarn.

Basically, if you have the yarn ready for a project but not the time to knit it you can ask to 'hire' a knitter.  Usually you pay in yarn (the equivalent yarn as that being knitted) or shop vouchers to the same value or even just any agreed upon payment for the service.

There's a group on Ravelry set up for Australian & NZ people that I've been keeping an eye on so I can score some "free" yarn.  And I've recently offered to knit someone the very funky Ashworth Scarf in exchange for a mystery baby knit kit.


Though, I'm hoping I haven't over-committed as the scarf is knit in laceweight (2ply) on 2.75mm needles!


Now, I say mystery knit kit because I'm discovering that I'm a very indecisive person when it comes to choosing yarn colours for projects.  I'm much happier letting other people decide for me (within general guidelines depending on the project - i.e. neutrals, bold, girly, etc) and said so to my partner.


So, anyway, yesterday I received in the post a lovely package from Tangled Yarns (the person I'm knitting for is in Australia), wrapped up really gorgeously.


And inside were four balls of Biggan Designs DK Merino in the colours Light Khaki and Crimson and a single button to match (it turns out that there were suppose to be 10 buttons, so I have 9 more on their way!)

I'm just waiting on my person's package of project yarn which she's told me has the mystery pattern that goes with this yarn.  Though, it does feel a bit strange to receive payment for a job before you've even started it!

And even though it looks like the scarf knitting is going to keep me busy for a while, I'm actually looking forward to it.  I really enjoy knitting in laceweight and it's mostly stocking stitch anyway so should be easy mindless knitting.


*KAL=Knit-A-Long, WIP=Work-In-Porgress, FO=Finished Object
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Knitting A-Long

On Ravelry, Red Riding Hood Yarns is having a KAL (Knit-A-Long) for the month of June (start and finish any project in RRHY during the month of June and share your projects on the way).  I was undecided if I was going to join in as I have so much knitting I should be doing and the plans I had for my RRHY skeins were not on my list of 'have-to's.

But then I finished my Billy vest (the re-knit) and had none of my planned knitting ready to go so I did a little swatching, then tweaking of pattern numbers and cast on (yet another) new design using the Nymph colourway (first installment in the Winter 2011 Yarn Club).


This club installment yarn came with a set of perfectly colour matched mermaid buttons so I had to design something that would use them both together.  The plan is for this to be a jacket with simple cable panels down the front and sleeves and pepped up with pockets and a belt.  I just have to make sure this size 5 uses exactly 5 buttons as that's all I have!

The picture shows the collar so far, which is where I was up to last week (and never got around to posting on here about at the time).  I'm a lot further on now, due in part to lots of driving on our weekend away to Taupo (being stuck in a car for hours is great for guilt-free knitting time!) but seem to have mis-placed the camera so can't show an updated progress photo just yet!

Joining in again with My Creative Space.
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More Baby Knitting

My hairdresser, who is lovely and I see quite often (I'm cursed with premature grey hair - I'd look older than my mother-in-law if I let it show!) had her first baby a little while ago.


And, in my usual fashion, I knit a baby gift for her that took me a month to actually give.


Though, in my defense, she did have the baby a whole month early!  So, technically the gift wasn't really that late.


I had wanted to give it to her at my last appointment before she went on maternity leave but hadn't sewn on the last three buttons and blocked it.  But she wasn't there for that last appointment anyway, because her little man had been impatient to meet his mum!


So, you want to know the pattern details of course!
The cardigan is Beyond Puerperium by Kelly Brooker; made in NB size; using Vintage Purls Sock in Abilene.  I didn't do the garter borders, but did all over stocking stitch using m1 increases (instead of the kfb) and bordered it with single crochet using left over VP Lace double-stranded.
The booties are Stream Baby Booties by Julia Noskova done in the same yarn to match.


And it's got me all a little nervous about how disorganised I'm am in preparation for our little one arriving - what if s/he decides to be early also?!  I don't even have clothes to bring him/her home in!
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Opps, I Knit too Much!

So, in the excitement of knitting out all my goodies in my Magic Yarn Ball, I didn't really pay enough attention* to how long my vest was getting and started the pockets too far down.


So now I have to frog it all the way back to 6cm above the pockets and do them all over again!

But I should look on the bright side - it'll give me a chance to get better photos of the pocket construction so I can include a tutorial for it in the pattern (I did take some, but they turned out really blurry).  And I'm thinking I might make the pockets a bit wider too.

Joining in with the crafty makings over here.




*It was actually an error in my measuring rather than a 'just kept knitting' mistake - I measured from the underarm instead of from the back neck!
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More Goodies for Me!

Remember my MYB swap?

I've been really good and knit out my goodies rather than just unwinding the yarn to see what I got.

And here's what I got:


  • Three very cool Ravelry stickers
  • A tube of yummy smelling hand creme
  • An envirosax bag
  • A set of six kiwi buttons to match the yarn
  • A set of six 'Owl and the Pussycat' buttons from The Bird and the Fish (in case bubs is a girl)
  • A set of six spaceman-themed buttons from Buttons by Robin (in case bubs is a boy)
  • A set of ten stitch markers from Velvet Hippo
  • A gift pattern of my choice from Ravelry (I chose the wee Austin Hoodie pattern)
And just to prove I did actually knit it all out:


That's my in-progress Billy vest for the baby.

I'm loving the yarn - it's from Little Plum Yarns in 'Mocha' on Superwash Merino DK.  I definitely think I will be wanting to purchase more in future - this yarn is so soft!
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