::Knitting:: Head Amongst the Clouds Scarf

The beginnings of this scarf go waaaaay back.
I got the yarn in a goodie bag I got from Sarah's 1st anniversary event (in July 2012) that was held at Threads & More back when they were in Sherwood.

Sidenote Sarah has started making and selling laser cut wood jewellery that she crochets too! A-may-zing! Check out the Aunty Bea & Co Etsy store and Facebook page and Instagram! I'm not getting compensated for this plug, I'm just sharing my friend's awesome-ness!

The yarn and pattern hung out in my stash since I got them. Meanwhile, the whole time I was thinking that I should probably knit it up.

I started knitting it earlier this year, following the pattern by Threads & More that came with the yarn. After knitting one ball of the two I had, it came up way too short. So I frogged it, which was a bit tricky with this mohair yarn because it is quite fluffy and got tangled easily.

I decided to cast on half the number of stitches and hope for the best. I struggled through and finished it. I prefer longer scarves, but it was free yarn so it is what it is :)

Here is the scarf on Ravelry where I've posted notes.

~Changes I made this time~

• Cast on half the stitches called for in the pattern.
• I changed up the row repeats a little bit *cough*accidentally*cough*

~What I Like~

• It feels so lovely.
• The shorter length means its not going to flap in the breeze and get snagged on things.

~What I Don't Like~

• The yarn that I knitted twice is looking a bit worse for wear
• A bit annoyed I had to frog it

~Changes for Next Time~

• I may try this pattern again using some other yarn.

~Numbers~

Pattern	Free	$0.00
Yarn	Free	$0.00
Notions	None	$0.00
Time	Didn't count the number of hours, but there would have been a lot (* $17-ish Australian minimum wage)	Too many $
Total		PRICELESS :)

~Final Comment~
This scarf is so lovely and soft. I'm not sure if I'll keep it or give it away. While I was making it a few people were eyeing it off. So I might just have to give it to someone for Christmas.

Do you keep supplies in your stash for a long time before you use them? If so, what do you consider a long time?What is the longest you've kept a supply before you've used it?
Have you recently made something from supplies you've had in your stash for a long time?

Until next time,

Let's connect online :)

::Knitting::FO:: Cold Back There Shawl

~Inspiration~
I've been knitting, I guess it's the cool weather in Brisbane.

I've wanted to make a shawl for a very long time and I finally finished it this week. Lately I've been trying to stash bust instead of buying, so I dug through my stash and found some cheap bulky 100% acrylic yarn I've had my stash for years. I cast on and just knit my way through the ball of yarn and cast off when I thought I was near the end.

It's a bit smaller than I had envisioned but it still does the job. The colour is not too bad. After all it's just for schlepping around home.

Details and construction notes on Ravelry.

Lately I've lost my sewjo. I've got a couple of projects cut out and waiting patiently to be put to action, but I'm just not feeling it at the moment.

~Changes I made this time~

• None this was a completely improvised make.

~What I Like~

• the Tassel!
• it sits quite well

~What I Don't Like~

• Not as wide as I would like

~Changes for Next Time~

• Perhaps making it a bit wider by increasing on every row
• changing where I put the increases so they're not at the very edge.

~Numbers~
I can't remember how much this wool was but I can't imagine I'd have bought it if it was more than $10.
I didn't record my time with this make, but at a rough guess I'd say maybe 8-ish hours.
So materials were cheap, but it took a while to make.

Pattern	None	$0.00
Yarn	In stash - from pre-blog	$8.00
Notions	none	$0.00
Time	8 hours (* $16-ish Australian minimum wage)	$128.00
Total		$136.00

~Final Comment~
I'm pretty happy with my shawl. It sits well and was a bit of fun to make.
My favourite part is the swishy tassel.

Do your sewing/knitting/creating habits change with the seasons? Have you done any stash busting lately? I'd love to read your comments :)

Until next time,
 

P.s. About my last post. It was quite a personal post. I've thought about taking it down because it doesn't really fit with the 'theme' of this blog. But I've come to the conclusion that it is still a part of my journey so I will keep it published. 

Lets connect Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

::Knitting:: Norwegian Purling or Trying to Knit Faster

After releasing my cowl pattern on Ravelry I've gotten a real buzz from the reaction it has received.
I've really enjoyed the experience of sharing something that I have created with the world and being able to see the reaction people have.
So I'm really interested in designing more knitting patterns.
So in order to do that I've got to find ways of knitting faster.
I'm not speed knitter, but I did teach myself how to knit Continental style.
However, I'm not very good at Continental purl stitch.
So I've been looking for alternatives and I think I may have found one.

Norwegian Purl stitch. Check out the vid below.

Do you knit? What do you knit? Which style do you knit in-English, Continental, Other? 
Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you :)

Until next time,

::Knitting:: Isabella Riff Cowl

I've been getting my knit on.
You know, practicing my post-apocalyptic skill

I have a goal to use 10 skeins of yarn this year so I thought I'd just go for it and make a cowl using some yarn in my stash. I knitted a swatch and then went for it.

It's a cowl, I made up the pattern as I knit it, the yarn is Moda Vera Isabella. Bam! Name created.
Here is my Isabella Riff Cowl.

It's mainly knit, purl and a dash of YO's (yarn over) and K2tog's (knit to together)
More details and pattern on Ravelry.
Download the free pattern here - that's right I've got a Ravelry Store. BAM!
ETA 20Jan2014: Isabella Riff Pattern is now also available on Craftsy too!

What post-apocalyptic skills do you have?
Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you :)

Until next time,

::Knitting:: Hope Cowl

I made a cowl.
I used up some yarn I'm not particularly fond of.
Silly time to knit as it's in the middle of summer down under.

Too hot in Brisbane for a cowl right now 

Details on Ravelry

Have you made something that would suit a different season to when you finished it? (Did that question even make sense? If it did,)  What was it?

Until next time, hope you are creating sensible things for your climate,
V xo

::Knitting:: Test Run Bandana Cowl

I really liked the Purl Bee Pattern for a Bandana Cowl ever since I first saw it. Which based on the date it was posted on the Purl Bee website was October 2011. It's been sitting in my Ravelry queue ever since. Finally I decided last year in September that I was going to finally start it. I cast on and got to the short row part and just stopped and didn't pick it up again, then frogged it.

Then one day I was on Craftsy and there was a free class on Short Rows with Carol Feller. I took the class and knitted the set-in sleeve in some terrible terrible cheap orange acrylic yarn. That was last year, before the crazy of the festive season began. So this year after I knit the Pink/Grey Purse Stitch Cowl I thought it was about time that I knit the Bandana Cowl.

 

Now at the moment I'm on a mission to use the yarn from my stash. I have a yarn that is recommended to be knit up on 7mm needles. But I wanted to make a test the pattern out first. So I cast on some 8ply yarn on 4mm 80cm circular needles and used the magic loop method.

I was a bit disappointed that the bottom of the front was a but puffy. At the bottom front of the cowl is a section of short rows.

I think the puffing is because I wasn't using the recommended yarn or needle sizes. The puffiness settled down a little bit after blocking (which is why the picture above was taken on my washing machine - I had just blocked the cowl).

So that's my Test Run Bandana cowl. I really enjoyed the experience of  using short rows and I've made something that I can gift mini-humans.

Until next time, are you testing any techniques out?
Vanessa xo

::Knitting:: FO Pink/Grey Purse Stitch Cowl

Crafty Monogamy has paid off. I finished my latest knitting project (mentioned here too) on the weekend. I had some me time last Sunday so I finished it off.  I didn't weave in the ends straight away, but the state of Queensland was having terrible rain storms on the weekend and we lost power on Sunday evening. So to keep myself occupied I wove the ends in by candlelight.

As I mentioned here, I've had this yarn for years and have been meaning to make something for my sister out of it. I was going to make a scarf, but I only had one ball of yarn and it was a little short. I used a three needle bind-off to join the ends. The join isn't as pretty was I would like, but I'm glad it's done. The join can be hidden by wearing at the back or covering it with the overlap if wearing around the neck doubled over.

I really like the pink/grey colour combo. When we bought the wool we didn't see the white as it was tucked inside, but I don't mind it. The purse stitch gives the cowl a lovely stretchy airy quality.

Funnily enough I read this post from Kestrel Finds and Makes the day after I finished my cowl. Yep. I'm pretty proud of my skillz! And I finished this project in under a month!

Ravelled here.

Until next time, I hope you're crossing projects off your to make list,
Vanessa xo

::Life:: Working to Make (or is it Live?)...

Do you live to work or work to live? I work to make things live. I have been working/training for work for 12 days straight. Blech! I'm way over it and and getting super frustrated extra easily.

So I haven't been dedicating a great deal of time on my making. I've kind of been a bit out of it when it come to blogging/sewing along/making. It's super frustrating seeing as I started my year with blogging/sewing along/making gusto.

Don't mean to be whingey. Just letting you know what's keeping me making and showing things I've made.

I've been trying to do some monogamous knitting. I have managed to knit a little on the train to and from work.

Until next time, I hope you're squeezing a little making in your life,
Vanessa xo

::Knitting:: Awesome knitting tip!

Hey all,

I've got a hankering for some knitting. This is a little strange seeing as we're in the middle of summer here in sunny Queensland. Anyway, I stumbled across this knitting gem and I had to share it immediately. This is a great tip especially for people who are starting out and may make a few mistakes. It's a really simple concept, but I would never have thought to do it myself.

Take a look at Staci's website for more great knitting resources - verypink.com

Until next time, get your knit on!
Vanessa xo


Disclaimer: This is not a paid post.

::Knitting:: Pink/Grey Purse Stitch Scarf

Pink/Grey Purse Stitch Scarf, a photo by Simple.Fibre.Life on Flickr.

My latest knitting WIP. This yarn was bought years ago to make something for my sister, but I'd not found the right stitch for it.

Details:
~Pink/Grey Mix Delight Yarn
~Purse Stitch
~5mm needles
~CO 2 Jan 2013

::Show and Tell:: Catch-up Time!

Hello there!

Where have you been? Oh wait! It's not you it's me that's been away for aaages. Well, I've been a bit busy DIY-ing, going on holiday and other such nonsensical things. Here's a quick run-down :)

Moving House
We moved into our house and instantly had to fix a blocked sink drain and leaky toilet. Grrr. Note to home buyers out there. If you're buying a house that is 10 years old or more, check things like drains, taps and toilets. There's other stuff too, but when you get a building and pest done, they don't usually check these things unless you especially request a plumber to come out and inspect too.

Holiday Pale Blue Cotton Seersucker shorts
I went on holiday to Vanuatu to visit my mum and dad recently and I really wanted some simple shorts for the trip.
I had some pale blue cotton seersucker and I thought it would be the ideal fabric to use for shorts. Especially if I was going to be doing some frolicking in the water. Mostly because it would dry quickly. Awesome!
I wanted to them to be super simple so I decided to make them using the pattern I'd used in the past to make the house pants I made earlier this year and my pyjama pants from the Pyjama Party Sewalong this year.

Gardening
When we came back from our trip we went to the shops and bought some seedlings. We kept them in their store pots for a week and they were starting to dry out so I transplanted them into some pots. Here they are about a fortnight ago and they've grown a whole heap since.

Sorbetto
I had planned to have made this before we went on holiday, but after having taken soooo long to complete it I'm kinda glad I didn't push myself to finish it before we left. It would have been a disaster!

Granny Square Throw
I've been working on this a little bit. A granny square throw intended for the Mr's soon to be 3year old nephew.

Craftsy Classes
I've been on a bit of a Craftsy class kick lately. I took the free short rows class and made this.

I've also signed up to "Beginner Serging" and "The Couture Dress".

And that's about it really. That brings you up to date.
Do something that makes you smile :)
Vanessa xoxo

::Knitting:: Reader Request - Balmain Scarf

I got a lovely email this morning from Sue in Western Australia wanting the pattern for the ruffled Balmain Scarf I showed you in my last post. It was from the Better Homes and Gardens Bumper Knitting Book.

Sooo much ruffle!

The trick to the Balmain Scarf is the yarn-Katia's Park Avenue. There's not much to the pattern however I'll give you a couple of details.

• Measurement: Length about 160cm
• Supplies: Katia Park Avenue (75g): 1 Ball (for the version in the book they used colour 106); 7mm knitting needles; wool needle; 40cm waste yarn or sewing thread in same colour as yarn. 
• Tension: Correct tension is not required for this piece.

In the book they start off by saying,
   Undo skein and retie the knotted ends neatly.

I found the cast on and the instructions a bit confusing. So I found some videos instead :)

Firstly there is the one from Better Homes and Gardens here.

And then I thought what better place to look for resources on how to knit with Katia yarn than the Katia website. Katia have a fantastic pair of videos that show you how to knit AND crochet with their yarn. They also have a handy PDF with illustrated written instructions too.

There's also a vids on YouTube. This one is from Halcyon Yarn.


So that's the middle bit covered off in video form. You knit this way until you reach the end of the ball.

In the book it says to do the following to finish,
Cast off as foll: Sl 2 sts from LH needle * to RH needle, then pass outside st over inside st.* Sl rem st from LH needs and re from * to *. Using wast yarn or thread, overstitch last st to WS of scarf end. Neaten edges of other scarf end by folding and sew in a similar manner. Shake out the work to get the full effect of the ruffles.

And there you have it. I hope this helps you Sue, and anyone else who wants to knit the scarf.

Until next time, I hope you have something lovely to knit or crochet,
Vanessa xo

::Knitting:: Knitting Patterns Book Gift

In knitting news (well this news is a bit old, but I'll share it anyway) My friend D's really nice mum gave me a knitting pattern book insert from a magazine she bought. What a thoughtful lady!

Better Homes and Gardens Bumper Knitting Book

Here are some of my favourite patterns from the book.

This great looped scarf in fantastic moss stitch. It would be a great practice piece to get my moss stitch into gear. Although maybe a double moss stitch will drive me less insane :)

Mmmosss Ssstitchhh

This blanket cape would be fantastic for keeping warm on the couch, or even while out and about. It would probably take me forever to finish, but it would be sooo worth it. But if I'm going to be looking at making another blanket-esk thing I should really look at finishing this puppy off first!

Blanket Cape or if you prefer Blankape :)

These awesome scarves. The left and centre scarves are knit longways and the one on the right is a lace pattern. I might try that one. I've never knitted lace before.

Scarves are such great gift ideas.

This totally digable beret. I would probably make this in some really soft baby wool or something. I made a crocheted beret out of wool ages ago (you can see it here) and rarely wear it because it makes my forehead itchy :'(

Gotta keep the old noggin warm!

Then there was this scarf....

Whaaa!

It's made from Katia's Park Avenue Yarn. There are are few interesting videos on the internets about how to use this yarn. This stuff seams pretty simple to knit, but it soooper ruffly. I'm not sure of how I would wear it if I made one. I think this yarn might be a bit of a 'trend' like 'Fluffy' yarn. Do you remember that?

That's enough crazy yarn lady ramblings for now :)

Until next time I hope you are participating in something creative that brings you comfort,
V xo

My First Knitted Neck Scarf

Hey there!

Somewhere in my travels on the interwebs I stumbled upon this knitting pattern on Martha Stewart's website and posted it on my Tumblr.
I later, after I had started knitting it, found that Purl Soho had done a very similar scarf BEFORE Martha which I posted on my Tumblr here.

I've made it following the Martha instructions and I really like it. Quick easy and a little bit fancy. I think I want to make more. I might try the Purl Soho instructions and see if I get a different result.

My First Knitted Neck Scarf

What do you think?
Ravelled here.

Fondle some yarn if it makes you smile
V xo

Have you ever had one of those weeks....

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing seems to go right?

Things have been a little crazy with me lately, and I've been neglecting my creativity.

After I posted the blog about me moving to Blogger I was told that Mr and I were accepted for a rental property and we had to move in That Weekend! Argh!

So I spent all of the week before last packing the heck out the share house we were living in. That weekend we moved the heck into the new place.

All was going well until the Monday afternoon after we moved in, when Mr went home and they had so kindly turned off our electricity. So no lights, no cooking and no hot water. Blah! So we spent all the evenings driving to the old share house or the Mr's parents house to shower and eating takeaway most of the week. Ugh!

We finally got our power connected on Thursday morning - Hello 20th century and it's been not to bad since then. Phew! We still have to get a washing machine so last weekend we went to the Mr's parents house to do our laundry. 

We are still settling in, but I'm going through internet withdrawals as we still haven't sorted our internet out. Oh! I haven't been neglecting my creativity entirely. I have been knitting this...

On my train rides to work. 

I think that brings you up to date friends.

Until next time, get crafty and make something you love,

V xoxo

Knitty Problem – Solved!

Hey There,
I left you last time with a half finished scarf that I had no idea how to fix…it looked terrible didn’t it? It was all loosey goosey and blech! (The photo didn’t help, but meh! )

Scarf all loosey goosey

A couple of days after my last post I sat down with my Marshmallow yarn and some much, much smaller needles and had a play. On the side of the yarn band it says you should use 12mm needles,

Look at the label-12mm needles. Pfft whatever!

but when I went into Spotlight the other day the swatch that was on display looked like it had been knitted up on much smaller needles and looked a lot better than what I had knitted on my 12mm needles. So to the person who decided that 12mm needles should be used I say FAIL!

So anyway, anyway, anyway. I went home grabbed my 4mm needles (and had my 5mm on standby) and I knit the cord between the puffs twice. Sounds confusing I know, but if you ever work with this yarn you will know what I mean.

I knitted a few rows and I liked what I saw. I wasn’t able to do my slanty stitch thing with this method of knitting because that would mean I would have to think too much so I kept it as a standard squarish scarf. I think that’s ok though, because the yarn gives it sooo much character on its own.
I kept knit, knit, knitting and then I ran out of yarn! It was only about 30cm long…

1 ball's worth - is that all!

and I only had 1 more ball of the yarn. Eeek! I had better get more yarn.

I trundled down to my LYS (for those who aren’t in the know that’s crafty short hand forLocal Yarn Store – that’s right everyone loves acronyms!) which really isn’t that local, I digress, and went rummaging to find more yarn. But they didn’t have any more in the same colour! *groan* I always do that buy too little of a yarn. So I came up with an alternative. I would have to buy a different colour and work something out. So I bought 3 balls of a darker brown yarn and went on my way.

When I sat down with my new balls of yarn and the section I had already done, I HAD to do some thinking, but it ended up being pretty easy. All I had to do was make the 2 ends the light brown colour I had originally bought and make the middle section the dark brown colour that I had just bought. Easy!

And now it’s starting to look smashing!!!

Marshmallow Yarn Scarf all lovely and snugly looking

That is all for now my sweets, until next week. Enjoy yourselves and don’t work too hard – it’s ok not to, the sky won’t fall

Until then, get your craft on!
V xo

A Yarn about a Knitty Problem

An Itch to Knit
This weekend has been pretty laid back for me. But I have managed to get some crafting in amongst all the relaxing and compulsory chores.
I have been crocheting a lot lately. I’ve been crocheting this…

Crochet Project 1

and this…

Crochet Project 2

and I’ve been feeling the urge to get my knit on. It’s been a long time and I just wanted the sweet familiarity of a little knit and purl.

The Problem Yarn
I took a quick look into my yarn drawer – which you’ve seen – and I found some marshmallow yarn. I thought to myself, “this will turn into something interesting”. So I took these…

Moda Vera Marshmallow & size 12 knitting needles

and started to knit… or try to. I didn’t like what was happening to the yarn as I knitted. It didn’t sit right and it was looking uneven and blech. I was wrangling the yarn but it just wasn’t working :(.

I jumped online to see if fellow knitters had worked it out. I finally stumbled upon something saying that I should only knit the cord between the “marshmallows” so I did that and it seemed to work. So I started to knit, knit, knit my little heart out and I was creating a very boring typical square scarf – I didn’t like it. So I frog, frog frogged and started again.

I started knitting the scarf on a slant – increasing the row at one end by 1 stitch and decreasing the same row by 1 stitch at the other end (does that make sense?) – and this is what became of that….

Marshmallow Scarf attempt 3

But I still am not happy with it. It too loopy and there are weird loopy marshmallow bits on some of the rows. But I think I have found a solution – smaller needles .

How I Found My Solution
Yesterday afternoon I was struck with an itch to sew, but I didn’t have a specific project in mind. I was thinking “what is a small sewing project that would be quick to complete and would take the edge off” then it hit me – a mug rug (I may as well give this crazy craze a chance ). So I thought “I’ll just duck over to Spotlight and find some lovely complementary fat quarters and whip up a mug rug”

So after visiting with my lovely friends Miss Sarah – of Stitching Lyrical – and Miss Colleen – her mum who is amazingly creative and cultured – for some tea and scones and some of Sarah’s lovely marmalade, I drove to Spotlight. I was met with a lot of temptation and creative stimulation and it was all a bit overwhelming. At one point a had an armful of fantastic supplies, but then I paused and thought “Do I really need all this? The purpose of me getting crafty is to use up what I already have”. So I walked out with only 2 balls of yarn (which I bought because I already had the same types of yarn but only a couple of each – not that I have to justify it so shut up :-P )…

Yarn from Spotlight

and no fabric for my mug rug.

HOWEVER, I while I was wondering around Spotlight I did come across a sample swatch of marshmallow yarn that was lovely and sturdy and not too loopy. I took a closer look and found that there wasn’t 1 stitch in the cord between the marshmallows but 2! I had what my close personal friend-who-is-no-longer-on-television Oprah would call an ‘Aha!’ moment. The trick is to get smaller needles and knit 2 stitches. So I will try that the next chance I get and let you know how I go.

Sewing Itch
Although I didn’t quite scratch my sewing itch I did manage to sooth it by getting my hands on some of the fabric in my stash. I have cut and ironed my pieces for my mug rug and they are ready to go!

Mug Rug Fabric

Can’t wait to get my sewing machine dusted off! Alas me thinks that will not be until next weekend – but I can wait .

Until then, get your craft on!
V xo

Have you come across any crafty problems? Did you solve them? How? – Leave a comment and share your story