{annual summer knitting}

Every year, as it gets hot, I'm overcome by the illogical impulse to knit a thick and woolly blanket. In 2010, it was a little faded pink, basket-weave project for Tilly. Last year, it was a gigantic patchwork throw for my sister, Alice, to take to university. And this year, I bring you the grey stripes -- a baby blanket for our forthcoming little winter elf.

Though the knitting is now all finished -- happily, it worked out that I could cosy up with it while in chilly England this May -- all those stripes means a few dozen ends to weave in. And end-weaving-in is top of my list of unexciting projects. But hopefully by December, it'll be ready to wrap around a new little person... you know, if Texas temperatures ever decide to drop down to blanket-wearing weather!

{on the needles: patchwork cushion}

Cool sea blues, lime-in-a-Corona greens, whipped-cream whites. 

Perhaps there is such a thing as summer knitting.

{curly purly vase}

What, you thought I was joking when I said I like to knit all summer in 95 degree weather? Now that the giant Neapolitan blanket is finished and folded, I've been finishing off some things I started a long long time ago.

Before Tilly was born, I was in love with the idea of using cloth diapers, and made several little wool soakers for her (from this pattern by Curly Purly). In the end, we didn't end up using cloth, and while I could give away the ones I'd finished, one little half-done pink striped soaker was still sitting on the needles.

With a bit of tweaking, adding and subtracting (i.e. knitting on the fly, making up the pattern with each row without really having a plan), that little soaker grew longer and longer, fatter and then thinner again, and rather than having two leg holes, it just had one big opening at the bottom. Perfect for covering a freebie glass vase!

And while I seem to be fine spending the summer surrounded by yarn, Tilly is no doubt very grateful not to be wearing this woolly monster on her bottom! 

{blanket neopolitano}

Three panels. Each forty stitches wide, and perhaps 300 rows long. Approximately 36,000 stitches. Done.



It started out very pink. So I added a little of white to lighten it, and then a bit of brown for contrast. And suddenly, it became a giant slab of patchwork ice cream -- strawberry, vanilla, chocolate.



Only a few hours in, I realised that this blanket wasn't for us. We, the house of a million blankets, in the land of eternal humidity, do not need 5lbs of heavy wool.

Instead, it is destined for a certain little sister of mine (I'm banking on the fact that, mid-IB-exam-prep, she doesn't read my blog, so other family, please don't tell her!) who'll be heading off to university this autumn. Though she's a Snuggie fanatic, I'm hoping this'll come in handy when dear old Snuggie is in the wash.



And what's lovely is that the whole of our family contributed: Tilly chewed on the wool as it went from ball to needle; Bella donated a few of her own hairs (albeit, accidentally) for added warmth; Justin knitted two whole stitches on his own-- his first attempt at knitting, and, sadly, probably his last; and me, I just knit and knit and knit, all the while thinking back to my first year of uni and hoping that Alice's first year is equally, more and less momentous.

The Second Annual Bird-Brained Blanket Project

What better way to spend a hot and humid Texas summer than knitting a heavy woolly blanket?

Last year at this time, I was just beginning Tilly's basket-weave baby blanket -- a labour of love in dusky pink, on the tiniest needles known to man. Ten months, it took. I actually started to hate knitting for a bit.

But this blanket is different. Bigger needles, brighter colours. In fact, I'm using up all the sorry little left-overs of other projects, knitting them up into long panels which I'll join together. It feels doubly wonderful to be making something out of stuff that's getting in the way anyway. It's like a patchwork quilt... but with no seam pressing.

The finished blanket will hopefully be something like the lovely ReadyMade one above, but perhaps just slightly pinker, as so many of the wools started out as Tilly hats and cardigans.

So, it promises to be a warm summer, no matter what the weather has in store!

The Zen of Mismatched Needles

Our home is now well and Tilly-proofed: covers on the electrical sockets, sharp corners padded. But none of that does a bit of good if there are sharp metal eye-pokers and pointy wooden bottom-spearers (i.e. my un-put away knitting needles) lying on every chair and table.

So, with two large rectangles of my favourite IKEA fabric, a scrap of twill tape, and a collection of little numbers cut from the selvedges of fabrics, a little knitting roll was sewn up. It houses quite a motley collection of needles -- some colourful aluminium loners inherited from a friend, some wooden widows who lost their partners to a ravenous puppy Bella, and everything from a set of seven double-pointed size 0's to a pair of pink hunka-munka 17's.

All neatly rolled up, even the most curious Tilly can get her hands on it without danger!

Start Now and Knit Your Own Wrapping Paper

As you might have noticed, I've recently fallen back in love with knitting. It's the combination of cold weather and a little tiny person for whom things knit up wonderfully quickly -- there's nothing like feeling you can finish a whole piece of clothing in a week or so!

And with my needles out and itching for new challenges, I've considered trying out this lovely way of wrapping a present:

(source 1) 

Surely, it is just a large rectangle of stocking stitch that has been seamed at the back and the end? What a great way to make friends and family feel all woolly inside.

And for those that can't knit (or those us who can, but inevitably run out of time), there's a cheat: faux-knitted wrapping paper!

And, to write your message, faux-knitted cards!

(source 2 & 3)

Just, please, don't compare the knitting inside the present to the wrapping paper... you'll be sorely disappointed!

Tilly's Cardigan

Today we've got a little guest post from Totally Tilly:

Hello, everyone, Tilly here. Just wanted to show off my new cardigan. You guessed it, it's red. Somebody tell Mum that there are other colours in this world. Seriously. It's nice and warm, but it does make me look a bit like I've got an extra roll of pudge around my middle. I haven't eaten that much banana.

We had a little photo shoot in the garden, which really got in the way of my romping-around time. I can only stay awake for two hours at a time... you think I want to waste that sitting still? 

Anyway, I'm bored now -- where's my panda? I really feel like a big bite of his ear...

Christmastime, Mistletoe and Twine

Over the past week, I've been knitting up a Christmas cardigan for Tilly with this gorgeous red-and-white striped wool, using this free pattern. I love how the two-toned wool comes together -- not too pepperminty, not much too like a candy cane -- and looks like it would be right at home on a little Danish baby!

And all that striped wool inspired me to pull out the roll of baker's twine. Our house at Christmas is almost all red and white (with the exception, of course, of the Russian Doll cones!) and so baker's twine is a perfect compliment.

(source)

Use it to string up decorations:

(source)

To tie a gift bag closed:

(tutorial)

To keep your Christmas cookies neatly in a pile:

(source)

Or, for a bit of simple charm, it would look lovely just wound around an old wooden spool:

(source)

So, don't let ribbon have the monopoly on Christmas trim again this year -- give baker's twine a try! And, as always, please post a link if you do, as I'd love to see!

(linking to My Creative Space today!)

Knitting

I've started on my largest knitting project yet: a baby blanket for little Tilly. It's a lovely simple pattern, just calling for one colour of wool, but it's done in what's called 'basket weave' stitch, which adds a bit of fun, and keeps me interested in knitting it!

(You can see the blanket in the bottom right corner)

It's a lovely dusky pink, and though I do wish it was a bit softer (it felt softer when it was wound up!), I'm sure we'll find a use for it. It takes four balls of wool, and so far, I'm on ball number 2... so still a lot of knitting to go! Luckily, it's rainy today, so I should be quite productive.

Oh, yes, and I've already spilled a glass of pineapple juice on the blanket, so I'm eager to finish it so I can give it a wash! :)

New Projects

It's been a lovely weekend-- part relaxation, part getting-things-done. We went to the cinema, barbequed four of the best sausages I've ever eaten, cleaned the shed, and Justin 'fixed' the vacuum cleaner (i.e. took it apart, cleaned it, reassembled it, and then found I'd been trying to use it while it was on the 'hose' setting... oops!) so I could do a major clean around here.

I've got a few new craft projects on the go, too.

Firstly, a little wool soaker to put over the baby's nappy, which should turn out a bit like this (but in red, of course!):

(Pattern from here)

I love knitting for the baby, as it's so calming, and I feel like all the emotions I feel go right into the wool! And this will actually be a doubly heart-felt soaker, as I knitted the entire thing with a twist in it the first time (assuming, incorrectly, that knitting in the round would 'sort itself out'!) and had to start over.

Secondly, a quilt for Justin (probably for Valentine's day... but maybe 'just because' if I finish earlier or later!)

I'm hoping to make something like the quilt my Mum just made for my Dad's birthday, from special old shirts that no longer fit (or have been quietly moved from the wardrobe for fashion reasons!).

Mum's quilt, from her lovely blog, here

(Stop by and visit... you'll love it!)

So, plenty to do!

And... we should find out if our newest family member will be a boy or girl this Thursday, hopefully, thanks to a kind friend with after-hours access to an ultrasound machine! EXCITING!

(My bet's on boy, by the way!)

Freedom!

(from here)

Yes, yes, all those things are good, but what about 'Freedom to craft'? That's what I'm celebrating right now!

It was a great office party yesterday, and the trifle was a big hit (even if people did call it the "cherries and cream thing"... they're strawberries and raspberries, people!). About half way through the party, someone hit the angel food cake layer, and caused a mini-stampede when everyone else who hadn't realized you need to go deep rushed back for seconds. Success!

So, now I have a month. A month to:

*Make Bella's stocking (although that should really be done sooner!)

*Make the final presents

*Start knitting baby clothes

*Look into cross stitch patterns, and hopefully find a copy of the pattern for this amazing pillow:

(from here... my new favourite blog, check it out!)

But first, let's have a morning of email catch-ups and hot chocolate!

Enjoy your freedom, if you're off already!

xo

On the Needles

I'm really working hard on Christmas gifts at the moment, and have decided that warm and cosy fingerless mittens are the way to go this year!

Right now, I'm finishing up a pair for my brother, (who never reads this, so I'm safe!) in the colours of his favourite English football team: Newcastle United.

As he's quite a tall guy, I changed my normal pattern a bit. I found that ribbing the mittens all the way from wrist to fingers looked a bit strange when stretched over big hands, so I simply did the cuff in rib stitch, and then stocking stitched the rest.

A very easy pattern for these 'Man Mitts':

I used two colours (A: black, B: grey), and size 9 needles

Cast on 36 stitches

Rows 1-4: Use colour A, rib stitch (knit 2, purl 2, repeat)

Rows 5-6: Use B, rib stitch

Rows 7-8: Use A, rib stitch

Rows 9-12: Use B, rib stitch

Rows 13-14: Use A, rib stitch

Rows 15-16: Use B, rib stitch (B can be cut as it won't be used again)

Rows 17-18: Use A, rib stitch

Rows 19-40: Use A, stocking stitch (knit one row, purl the next row, repeat)

Cast off!

How easy? So really, you just make a big patterned rectangle, and then take the two sides together and sew it up with mattress stitch (leaving room just above the last stripe of B for the thumb).

Enjoy!

xo

Things I Heart Wednesday

I'm sort of loving these red red doggie rainboots... but don't they look like they're just made out of cut up juggling balls?

Bella would have these off (and chewed to pieces) in about three seconds flat!

I've been making a lot of soup for lunch lately, and the best is definitely cabbage soup, made from my friend Loreal's recipe, with chicken and sausage.

Yes, even my husband, the Texan, likes it!

He says the cabbage soaks up all the chicken flavour... so it doesn't really count as cabbage!

Pair it with buttery white bread... mmmm.

And, I'm enjoying the work of Sebastian Schonheit, a funky designer who takes knitting to the next level! Those needles must be, what, six feet long?

Nap time!

Happy happy happy

xo

Off the Needles

My vertical stripy scarf is now off the needles... and onto the dog!

What a little fox.

She wouldn't go outside this morning because it was raining, so I might just have to make her a little raincoat and some rain boots as well!

It's just the perfect length for me, or for a fencepost.

And much softer than bark...

Can you tell that I like living somewhere where there's trees and grass and doggies and backyards? :)

On the Needles

If you recall, I bought some beautiful yarn three weeks ago, in three lovely colours. The colours weren't officially named, but I call them "Peanut Shell", "Santa Fe Adobe" and, um, "Dark Blue".

I've been knitting it up into a scarf... a slightly unusual vertically striped scarf, so I'm using circular needles for the first time.

Just the dark blue stripe to do, then it's done!

It's all garter stitch, which is lovely and easy, and twelve rows of each colour. But... I cast on 250 stitches, and had a bit of a tail left still, so I kept casting on a little longer, and I'm not sure exactly how many stitches I ended up with.

More than 250.

Less than 500.

I know that much!

Anyhow, I'm liking the colours together, and am very excited to see how it'll look off the needles, and how long it'll end up being! But, in my mind, a scarf can never be too long, (you just keep wrapping it round your neck, right?!) so I'm hopeful it'll be a success!

Hello, Weekend!

Hurray for the weekend! We've had a yummy morning of Shipley's chocolate-frosted doughnuts (for Justin) and Shipley's sausage-and-cheese-bun-things (for me).

Plus, I've been living it up on amazon.com. I was given a gift card for my birthday, and have finally decided what I'd like: CRAFT BOOKS! Yay!

We spent two or three hours in Barnes and Nobles last night, just browsing, and all of the knitting books seemed so not me. Either the projects were really hard (umm... I don't even know what Fair Isle knitting means) or really ugly (baggy waistcoats, no thanks) or really lame (why would anyone wear that), or full of baby designs (not yet, thanks!), or full of dumbed-down 'this is a knitting needle... DUH' mindless info.

I was sad.

But, online, I found a couple that seem just my cup of tea:

I love that this one breaks projects down into who they are for: mothers, sisters, friends, men, etc.

So... if you're related to me, and expecting a Christmas present, please DON'T look inside as it'll give away what you're getting! :)

Also looks useful... it promises 'easy sweater patterns' so I'm excited about that!

And yay for primitive embroidery! My Mum had a great book of primitive, folky designs when I was little, and I just loved the quirky birds, the sweet sentiments, and the hearts on everything!

So, come on, Mr. Postman, I'm waiting!

Shortie Fisherman Scarf

This was supposed to be my on-the-road project: a scarf for Justin to wear fishing. The yarn is actually three yarns rolled up together, which gives it this lovely multi-coloured effect. A bit like tweed, a bit like camoflague! I love it:

Unfortunately, I only bought two skeins. (EVERY other project I've done, I've had a whole extra ball left over, so I was frugal!)

It was on special sale, so when I went back today, and they had no more.

Eek!

I've used up all the yarn I have, and it's only this long:

Which, on Justin, just goes round his neck, with nothing to spare. So, I'm getting creative. Problems like this are how the best new ideas are born, right? Well, that's what I'm telling myself!

What I'm going to do is add onto the ends in this lovely brown mohair mix:

It's very 'tweedy' too, and will bring out the browns quite nicely, I hope. I'm really not sure the added stripes will look okay, but I'll try it! Nothing to lose, right? Give it some long tassels, too, and it'll be much longer in no time!

Beaver in a Bow Tie

What happens when you leave a beaver alone with the moving boxes for an hour?

She's been feeling a bit cheeky ever since I made her that little red bow tie. It was meant to go on her head (so that everyone stops thinking she's a boy beaver) but she kept slipping it off, so it ended up going round her neck. Very dashing!

I've been out, scouting the local knitting shop. Thus far, I've only been buying my yarn from Michael's (and the first few from the infamous 'Peter Jones' in London! Ooh la la!) and it was such a treat to walk into Kiwi'sKnitting company in Tucson, Arizona, today and see colour! All colours! I walked around for a while with a gorgeous spotty muted pink (which reminded me of raspberry ice cream), then I switched it for a lovely eco-friendly banana yellow, then I switched that for a so-soft alpaca grey on sale, then I put that back and got these:

(Please excuse the moving boxes... it's the only backdrop I have right now!)

It's Peruvian Kettle-Dyed Cotton, made by Manos del Uruguay, and I think it's the new love of my life. So soft, lovely earthy colours, and it's got this wonderful natural wave to it. The lady in the shop asked me what I planned to make with it, and I told her,

"To be honest, I really just want to wear it as it is!"

After which she kind of gave up on helping me and disappeared into the backroom!

I do want to make something... and that something is almost defintely going to be a scarf. A striped scarf. I'm just wondering whether to do a normal horizontal repeating stripe, or try a vertical stripe. I think big blocks look best with special colours... hmmm. You know, with three of these skeins, I've probably got enough to try it both ways! When in doubt, avoid choosing! :)

Yes, so that is what I'll be doing on our 18 hour road trip to Texas... (Justin says I'm not allowed to drive the U-Haul... which is probably a good idea) or for as many as hours as my fingers can take it! Endurance knitting... can I go the distance?