Not 1 But 4 !

I usually don't knit the same pattern more than once but I have been knitting this particular pattern more than one - in fact 6 times ! It's the Petite Felted Bag & it made a nice gift, so I knitted 4 for my nieces in Singapore. In fact, I didn't actually knitted the whole bag. I just cast on & knit the base, pass it to Lydia & Lynette who will knit the body & then back to me to do the handles & cast off. So for the past 2 weeks, my girls & I made 4 of these bags in various colors.

My original design is a smaller version with 1 handle & for these 4 bags, I have made them bigger & with 2 handles.

Before felting

Base - 35 cm

Body - 96 cm (circumference)

Height - 50 cm

Handles - 56 cm (from one end to another)

After felting

Base - 18 cm
Body - 56 cm (circumference)
Height - 24 cm
Handles - 36 cm

These are just the average measurements as the 4 bags are not of the same size but the variations are not great - about 1-2 cm more or less.

I just love the results of the felting & the colors ! Cleckheaton Vintage Hues is a great yarn but unfortunately it's discontinued & supplies are limited. I have almost used up all my stash & I think there's about 8 balls left which will be enough for 1.5 bags as each bag takes about 5 balls.

I love the colors of these 2 bags & I was thinking of keeping one for myself but I don't think I have the time to knit another one. I will be taking these bags with me when I leave for Singapore tomorrow. I will be away for 4 weeks & hope I will have the time to post & read blogs. I have packed a few projects to bring along - 3 pairs of socks, a lace shawl & my half done summer cardi - hope that's enough to keep me busy while I am there.

As this is my last post for 2008, I will like to wish all my knitting & blogging friends a Happy, Healthy & Creative New Year & may 2009 bring us more knitty goodies ..... 2008 has been a great year knowing all of you & sharing each other's knitting adventures & I am sure we will have more fun in 2009!

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas !

No knitting news today as I have been busy with Christmas preparations - baked some mince pies, made chocolate truffles & shortbread cookies & Lynette did a great job icing them .....

..... then we packed them up & they are ready for the guests. We had a early Christmas party for our neighbors & had a great time ......

Will have more knitting news in my next post but in the meantime .......

Merry & Happy Christmas to all of you !

My One & Only Christmas Knit !

To reduce the holiday stress for this year, I decided not to knit any Christmas present. However, there is a special person whom I know will really appreciate a pair of hand knitted socks, so I made an exception & knitted these .......

Pattern : XOXO Socks (my own design)

Yarn : Fleece Artist Somoko (Earth)

Needles : 2.5mm Harmony dpns

These socks had been gifted to Gosia who is the Lady-In-Charge of one of the libraries that host our knitting groups. She has been such a great supporter of our group & has become a great friend to many of us. As Gosia is leaving for a family holiday to Poland, I knew that she will appreciate a pair of warm socks in her favorite color.

Gosia loves cables so I decided to come up with my own design & found this lovely cable stitch pattern .....

..... which creates Xs & Os as the cables twist & turn. In between the column of XOXOs, I added a simple 2 stitch baby rib & another 2 columns of baby rib that run along the sides of the socks .....

I am happy with the way the pattern turned out but it is not very prominent in this colorway & I have cast on with another semi solid yarn so that the pattern will show up more. This is the 1st time that I am knitting with Somoko, a lovely & soft yarn & I am sure I will be using it again. Here's the socks, in their new plastic sock blockers, all ready for Gosia !

The socks was gifted to Gosia at our last session in the library & here she is .......

.... they fitted perfectly & she loves them! Have a lovely holiday, Gosia & hope these socks will keep your feet nice & warm !

It's Summer Now !

I just can't believe that it's December now & summer is here - I hate summer as I hate the heat but the weather so far has been good - cool & breezy. I also can't believe that Christmas is 14 days away & I am still not ready - this year has really went by so fast & the last 2 weeks had been crazy - year end concerts, thank you afternoon tea, volunteers' dinner etc .... there's another week of school to go before the holidays & I just can't wait to enjoy some peace & quiet .

I have a couple of FOs (a pair of socks, circular vest & Abertay) but have not taken pictures so nothing to show for now ...... but I am ready for summer knitting.

I saw this pattern in the new Cleckheaton Bamboo book & fell in love with both the pattern & the yarn so I bought these from a LYS, Yarn On Collie .....

..... 7 balls of 4 ply bamboo which is so soft & has a shine that makes it so lovely.... and knitting with it is really nice & smooth (although a little splitty). I also love the color - Aqua - bright & fresh - just right for summer.

When I look through the pattern, I was disappointed that it is knitted in pieces & decided not to buy the book as it's not my style of knitting. I wanted to knit it in 1 piece & starting from the top like the Lady February Sweater, so I am making it up as I go ....... the collar is done with a mock cable rib & I am now doing the raglan increases .....

..... this is so fun & interesting that I can't put it down - in fact, I am enjoying this so much that I have not done any sock knitting for the past 2 days which is very unusual for me. I just want to finish the raglan increas so that I can see how the cardi will look - by the way, I am calling this my Aqua Summer Cardi !