4 Squares In...

I am really liking how this scrappy blanket is looking, I tried it as stockinette and then garter, and garter was a winner because it looked more scrappy with the variegated yarns. Although it has meant the blanket is a lot thicker than expected, and  probably smaller...

 

 At this stage I am not going to stitch them together as I knit (as I usually do) in case I decide to add to it at the end using a new/additional scrappy ball. I worry that it might be obvious where one collection ended and the other start (if that makes sense).

 I must say, 4 and a bit squares down and the ball doesn't seem to be shrinking any!

And a little bit of cuteness because I always have a cute audience when I go outside for photos :D

its 50/50 so I am joining the world of quilting (more).

I have been quilting now for what what will be half my life this year, yep from here on in, in my life I have been a quilter more that I have not... I quite like that. Seems appropriate that I should do something I have not done before, so I am joining a my local guild, and participating in a quilt-a-long.

The Guild part I havent done yet, so I will talk about that when 1 have.

The quilt-a-long, I have. have a look over here at Crazy Mum Quilts this is where Amanda Jean is hosting this great quilt-a-long.

This is going to be a great project for me for several reasons; it works so well with the fabric I received from Lyn at Blue Bird quilts which I have been BUSTING to use, and it is a nice simple block and I tend to get a little to caught up in making complex things at times.

It is a 36 patch and I will be making it with a combination of a cream and other fabrics, some from the fabrics I received from Lyn, some from my stash, some from my nanna's stash (oops) and then I might have to shop for the rest (OOPS).

So I got started today, I hope to make 6-10 blocks per week, probably closer to the 6 :P and I hope to make this big enough for our Queen bed, because despite being a quilter for half my life!! I tend to make quilts for everyone but me, and my bed has never worn a quilt WOW.


So this is my start, I sew mine the full 6 fabric across. I have used three fabrics other than the cream here and will be making 2 from each colour. I hope to cross cut these strips and sew the block tomorrow... maybe :D


Quality control around these parts are very stringent, but I passed, just.....

Harvest is done

I shared Harvest with you all here and again here and while I think the name Harvest is so fitting, it still reminds me of harvest time, it is pretty damn fitting for the winter palette too!


It was knit from A Swell Yarn Shop 'Duet' sock yarn. I just love this wool, it is lovely soft, but very durable. The colourway is just stunning, I have several other skeins from ASYS and none disappoint.

The tunic is knit on 4mm needles and I would guess is about a size 2. It is a little large for Meika, on purpose. it used a little over 200gms.

This is another of my "I can be bothered following a pattern" knits. it has a square yoke, knit in garter stitch, the arms are straight and quite wide and the body has a very gentle flair out, just to give it some shape. All knit in the round. In short very quick and very easy but with a final result that I am rather happy with.

Autumn shrug

This is another "I'm a slack blogger' catch up post. The name kind of gives away just how long aro this should have been posted. It is knit from my own design, made up as I go along! The wool is Knittery Merino, dyed by the lovely Kris over at MonsterKnits.

Hungry Caterpillars

This is a post about an old FO but one I haven't shared before, there will be a few of those, such is the life of a slacko blogger!


Like so many others I fell in LOVE with the Hungry Caterpillar print range. Like so many others I had to have some.



This quilt was super quick to make, with the top done and quilted in about 2 hours!! Helped by the fact that mostly, I machine stipple my quilts (without a frame) and this one is stitched-in-the-ditch. I had forgetten how fast that is. Sometimes we just need that fast gratification, and this certainly did it!


It was made for Anameika, and so is cot sized, which I don't making, because even though they use them on cots for such a short period of time, they are used as kid sized lap quilts for years after. In this house it will see a good 3 years use on the cot though, as it is also used as a toddler bed.

Harvest

Harvest, because the colours remind me of the wheat crops and pale blue skies at harvest. Needless to say, I am loving the colours.

It was 26 degrees on Friday

It is 16 today, and certainly less than that now!

I love the idea of winter, of cracking wood fires, comfy lounges and many hours spent under a blanket knitting away. Sadly that doesn't happen here. No wood fire here, we have forgone the beautiful flicker, the ambiance and that warm that seems to travel to the bone like no other form of heating, for the convenient and cheap natural gas heater, and my knitting is not done on a big comfy arm chair, heck I don't think we would even fit one in, instead it happens on a office chair made from a converted Monza rally chair while I read long and laborious chapters of textbooks.

Somehow, I still love that coziness of winter. It seems that when the heater comes out, so too does the knitting. I cast on a little something today. I am free-styling this baby so it may never see completion, but I am feeling positive.

Oh and this wool is just DEE-vine. I just love garter stitch when it is knit with a lovely wool like this one,

There are 2 little people in this house

And they just got one hell of a frowning for THIS.... there are 5 separate balls of wool, 3 socks and what I would expect will be hours of untangling in this mess.

Sometimes...

... counting sheep really is the only way....

The Dubbo Show 2010

This weekend was show weekend. As a child show weekend came second only to Christmas. Naturally I have been quite excited myself about enjoying this event through the eyes of a child. We didn't stay long, only 3 hours and $100..
This year was a bit of a family event, my parents came with us and so did my brother and his girlfriend, who made excellent ride chaperons, for my thrill seeking boy.
I will let the pictures tell the story...