Size matters

I've been working on my frogs. It's a pattern by Arne & Carlos and beautifully written. The problem is I need more than one set of 2.5mm needles in order to work on two legs or the body and arms and so I had to resort to using my Kollage Squares. Don't misunderstand me please, I love these needles. That are beautiful to hold, are really strong (although I've noticed that they are becoming bent like the rest), and they make the most exquisite shaped stitch. I have indeed spent a lot of time looking at these stitches and others and the neatness is amazing. The only criticism I have is that they are really really pointy. So pointy infact that I often poke the point through my fingerprints and draw blood. And then I fall out of love with them. You can see the points on the needles and the spot on my finger where it went in and it's really sore (BooHoo).

Anyway, I've had to use these needles with a set of Karbonz and KnitPro Novas to get this frog knitted. after finishing the two legs and then joining to make the body, the different sets of needles have made two distinctly different legs.  I ditched the skinning and made another rounded leg.

Lesson learned. Use the same equipment to get a similar result. The squares will go back to being sock only needles.

Me-Made-May'15

 'I, Kerri, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear a handmade by me item each day for the duration of May 2015'.

This is how it starts. Then I panicked. Its 20.50 and what did I wear today. Then I remembered socks. I made my socks. This is them in the dirty washing pile of today (sorry). (That's an ankle brace btw, not dirty knicks).

Made with 10ply wool in a magenta colour, they are the perfect work sock to wear with my work boots. So there you are.

A day at the gardens.

A group of beautiful friends periodically organise a flash knit in public. I don't mind knitting in public; I knit on the bus, waiting for the bus, walking to work, at work, in lines waiting for coffee, and so on, but not usually with others, so it was a really unique experience being part of the cool group, enjoying ourselves, doing what we love doing.

The Tea House at the Geelong Botanic Gardens today was buzzing. I will venture to say the weather was perfect. The gardens themselves were gloriously green and the air was fresh and we had access to plenty of pots of tea.

I started work on a Greenery Beret by Melissa Labarre, using Noro Silk Garden Lite.
Hopefully it will look less like a coral when it's finished and blocked.

I will work outside more. Well, in summer anyway. Thanks Joy, Kerrie, Sharon and Mandy.

Gadgets plus

I know, I can's help it. I found the Knitmeter widget and I had to play with it. So obviously I've knit more than 34.5 metres this year but it's a start. I'm actually halfway up the second leg of another Arne & Carlos doll. This one is already called Rosie and it is yet to be determined whether she goes to Albany or not. The pattern is technically easy but fiddly with dpns going all ways. And after struggling to follow the instructions on the first foot and then second foot, I found errata on the Arne & Carlos group on Ravelry....where I should have looked first.

The KAL shawl by Stephen West is still neatly hiding in it's bag. The KAL for MaryMary (Andrea Black) stalled. My Gelati sweater (Craftsy)....stalled. Leaf Garden socks (Brewers Knitting Co) frogged and being reknit. A red Puerperium cardigan (Kelly Brooker) for the twins has been started.

In the meantime since finishing O Possum socks, I have completed a cherry red February Baby Sweater (EZ) for a one year old; Fern the doll and Fern's boyfriend jumper; a pair of lace socks for Chloe, and a green Puerperium Cardigan for one twin.

I have also been shopping at Jimmy Beans wools and purchased a set of LM sox stixs 6in in Ebony and a starter set of Addi Clicks, because it came with the three different types of tips and I could then try and decide which ones i like the best, and to top it all off I bought a dress form from Sew Much Easier.

LIfe is so short....

Septermber 11.....Our world changed. Please remember families and those gone.

Post sock breather

After knitting furiously for six days, Kendal's socks are done and making their way to Melbourne. I chose Waikiwi prints yarn. It has a really lovely feel and knitted up absolutely beautifully. They were in a variegated blue and close gauge meant they were quite thick. The pattern was a free Ravelry one, called Gravel Grid Socks by Jessica Baird. She's done a marvellous job writing the pattern, I didn't have to interpret it at all.

It has been really interesting knitting with 2mm needles, they are sooooooo skinny but because I treated myself to a set of Sox Stixs, knitting was amazingly comfy. However, I am waiting for a reply from the shop I bought them from about replacing one.

I knit the entire leg with 4 of the set (there are 5 in a set) and finally, smugly picked up the gusset stitches and started to knit when the 5th needle snapped. I wish I could have seen my face. John thought I was having another heart attack. Apparently, there was a swift intake of breath which was held, a muffled moan, obviously because the breath was being held and then a squall of tears. I truly think that the histrionics at this point were quite necessary, because at $6 a needle, these bits of stick are really expensive. So then afraid to use them anymore in case another baby snapped I used the cheap bamboo ones which, although only 2mm thick felt like they were 17 metres long. They were far from being perfect for the job but they were utilised for the rest of the foot. Yesterday I replaced them with Knit Pros and so socks got done.


Just finishing an EZ February baby cardigan in "Monza Red" (can you tell my ex was a car man), and desperately want to go into town to Mandy's and purchase Arne and Carlos's doll book and perhaps some yarn to make a doll. Maybe flippery is just what I need.....

Test Failure?

There was once a time when quite honestly I could say I was as healthy as a horse. And apart from some problems at the end of my pregancies, the occasional flu but mainly colds, and a couple of back issues, it's been pretty much smooth sailing. Until the heart-attack. Then without warning this have to change. Quickly and almost dramatically. But after a year I've joined a gym, can go my version of flat chat for 45 minutes, which is actually better than before. But the doctor wanted me to do a stress echocardiogram test. So instead of cramming at the last moment I have spent the last 2 months exercising and stuff, jokingly I referred to it as training for the 'test'.

But I think I've failed, or at least not passed with flying colours nor a pat on the head for good cardiac function. Instead, there were mentions of "have you seen the images" to the other staff in the room, and my three amazing medical attendants went quiet when they looked at the scan. It was asked in passing when I was going back to the doctor, and then like "I'm sure ********* meant to see you before January. I'll give *** a call so *** can contact you." Brought up like I was, I actually apologised for my results as I left. And now I have an appointment on Monday next week instead of January 2013. Wow. So I'm feeling a bit scared, and overwhelmed, and disappointed.

Which unfortunately has flowed onto other things. I was making a EZ (solemn bow of the head) baby sweater on two needles (February baby sweater) for Knit1 Give1, because they asked for more baby jumpers and I felt so clever that I had a stunning red in my stash from a large chain store with the word 'craft' in it's name. So I figured I would have enough for the main piece and would dash out today to get another ball for the sleeves, acknowledging that the dye lots would of course be different. Well the large craft store had NO stunning red. In infact it had no black, dark blue, bottle green, or even a royal purple with which to knit the tiny sleeves with. It only had baby cack brown, olive bluck green, something that looked vaguely tan and one pink ball. Might have to take little cardigan to Mandy's and see what I can find there.
Gelati still in a vomit pile but it's back on the needles. Mary Mary is sooooooo beautiful but so delicate in Lace Merino after Gelati in Taiyo. Socks in project bags too numerous to actually admit to.......HEEHEE.
John's in Melbourne, Rob has a new mobile phone, Jo pregnant and Mandy I'm not sure about. Chris will be here for dinner tomorrow night so better make chocolate cake. Mum's paving done. I love my family. Life should be good, But I feel flat. I know, I'll be fine, but there's so much stuff waiting to be done, so I better start.

good intentions

I tried so hard to control the frogging. I had a lovely ball of yarn but I got lazy.........yarn vomit....pure and simple. My challenge now is to knit this into cardigan before bed.