Charity Knitting

Last year, my knitting groups in the libraries decided to spend some time knitting for charity. We decided to make hats for pre-matured babies.

I came up with a pattern so that the hats can be knitted in one piece without seams & we ended up with these....

.... more than 40 hats !

Some are knitted.

Some are crocheted.

I then contacted the local maternity hospital & made an appointment to meet the lady in charge. I went to the hospital & found this nice elderly lady in a little room sorting bags & bags of knit wear.

Unfortunately I was told that crocheted hats are not suitable for preemies as they are too rough. She told me that they are in need of cardigans as they give away more than 500 every year to babies in Special Care. She gave me a pattern & I took a quick look. It was a pattern for a v-neck raglan cardigan knitted in many pieces - fronts, back, sleeves & even the button bands are knitted & seamed.

I knew that I will not be using this pattern & asked if it's alright to knit the cardigan from the top-down & in one piece. She said that she was not familiar with seamless knitting but would be happy to see one knitted up. One of the problems that they had with the cardigans are the bulky seams which are not comfortable for the new borns.

I told her that I will convert the pattern & knit up a sample. So during the holidays, I have been working on this little cardigan & came up with 2 versions .....

.... the little blue cardigan (using Bendigo's baby wool) is for preemies & all in one piece, even the bands are knitted at the same time. The only problem is the neckline which is not v-neck. I am not sure if the crew neck will be an issue.

.... the variegated blue/purple cardigan (using leftover sock yarn) is for new borns & also in one piece and the bands are picked up & knitted all round the front & the v-neck.

Both cardigans are knitted from the top down & the sleeves are also knitted in the round with dpns. I am happy with the results & now I will have to buy some buttons & write out the patterns.

Spinning By The Bay

The Spinning Guild held it's 1st event for 2012 - a spin-in by the bay.

It was a lovely place & we were able to spin under the pavilion with a nice breeze from the river. There were quite a number of spinners who turned up & we ended up sitting outside the pavilion.

It is so nice to be able to spend time with my spinning friends but I left at noon as the weather became hotter & it was not pleasant to continue spinning. It's a pity that the start of the year is in the middle of summer.

I managed to finish spinning this .....

..... a blend of merino, alpaca & silk. The silk makes the spinning a little difficult as it's slippery & I cannot spin a thinner yarn. So the result is a thicker yarn but I quite like the look of it as a single & decided not to ply it .....

Now I have more than 600 yds of this handspun & I love the colors. What should I knit? It will be a tough decision.

Dpns or Circulars

I have heard & read a lot about this debate. It's an issue that I am also debating about every time I cast on a project - should I use magic loop with the circular needle or should I just go with my dpns ?

I even taught a few classes on the magic loop & every one who attended the class love it & think that it's the greatest invention. Even 1st time sock knitters love it & would not even attempt using dpns. In my knitting groups, the scenario is the same - there are more knitters magic looping & less using dpns. WHY ?

As I cast on this pair of mittens for my niece, I was reminded again of this great debate. I just don't understand the love affair that everyone is having with magic loop. I have tried it many times & always ended up changing to my dpns as I just can't carry on pulling & pushing the cord. It's was an agony for me to finish a pair of socks & a pair of mittens for my class. I can't imagine using the magic loop for the rest of my life.

I have just cast off the mittens & enjoyed knitting every stitch with my dpns !

Yarn U

I was approached by the author of this app, Yarn U, to review the app on my iPad. Yarn U is an app with a database of yarn.

The above is a page from the app showing information on a specific yarn. The information include fiber content, stitch gauge, yardage and even pros & cons of the yarn. There are also recommendations for projects, where to buy the yarn & the retail price.

I find all these information very useful as it helps me review the different yarns that I can use for projects & the app also allows you to share the information with a friend.

There is also a picture gallery where you can see the various yarns & the projects associated with a specific yarn.

This app is really handy for a knitter as you will then be armed with a database of yarn information. The only issue that I have with this app is that I can't find information on one of my favorite brand - Handmaiden & Fleece Artist. Well, I am sure the list will be expanded in time to come.

This app is available in iTunes for A$2.99

My Last FO .....

...... for 2011. I had been working on this project for the last 4 weeks & I did enjoy all the garter stitches. It's an easy project to work on especially in the car. Anyway, I managed to finish it on the last day of the year.

It's Trillian & it's knitted in Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20. I love this yarn - it's so soft & lovely to knit with. As this scarf/shawl is for my niece & she is quite tall, I decided to use up the 2 balls of yarn (800m) & ended up with a really long scarf/shawl (250cm long & 50cm at the widest part).

The construction is really interesting & I love the simplicity of the eyelet border.

As I cast off this final project for 2011, I started to reflect on all the projects that I worked on. I had done a lot of knitting but my designing had taken a back seat. I decided to enjoy the process of knitting & try not to make too many modifications in a pattern. I wanted to enjoy working on patterns of other designers. So I did a bit of test knitting which was really enjoyable & enriching.

I managed a little designing especially for my classes at a yarn shop & also enjoyed the teaching experience. I would love to teach more classes but unfortunately there was not sufficient interest.

My greatest pleasure in 2011 - I knitted 12 shawls & I enjoyed every one of them. Shawls are my current favorites & I love the semi circular shapes.

My only regret in 2011 is he lack of sock knitting. Somehow, I lost my sock knitting mojo & only ended up with 2 pairs of socks for the whole year. I have always love knitting socks & I want to knit more socks. Recently, I heard of the new tomato heel technique by Cat Borhi & would love to try this technique. So for 2012, there should be more socks.

I don't usually make new year resolutions but for 2012, I will try & work on more socks, continue with shawls, update my winter wardrobe (as I need more thinner cardigans) & maybe along the way come up with some designs. One last thing is that I will try & post more regularly - hopefully once a week !

What are your knitting plans for 2012 ?