A Couple of FOs

In between the commission work, I managed to finish off these 2 projects .....



...... Featherweight Cardigan. This is my 3rd FW and I love it. It's a very versatile pattern and I can finish the cardigan with so many options. For this cardigan, I used the feather and fan stitch pattern for the sleeves and bottom of the cardigan and I finished off the edges of the fronts and back with an icord bind off.



The cardigan is knitted with 2 strands of Filatura lace yarn in dark blue and the lighter blue yarn is a single strand of Madeline Tosh Lace. I had to use a different yarn as I ran out of the Filatura yarn. I miscalculated the yardage of the yarn as I was using 2 strands instead of one. Anyway, I think it was a blessing in disguise as I like the look of the 2 colors.



I have already wore this cardigan a few times and it feels great - soft, light and warm.

The other FO is the slippers ....



..... Simple Garter Stitch Slippers. When I saw this new pattern on Ravelry, I knew that I need a pair to wear around the apartment. As we were not permitted to have wooden floor (noise issues) in our new apartment, we had to install carpet. So these slippers will keep my feet warm on the carpet.



I used 2 strands of leftover sock yarn and the knitting went fast. I don't quite like the seaming of the heels and toes which are done with 3 needle bind off as it leaves a thick seam. The crochet on the top of the foot is nice and I needed help with that as the instructions were not so clear.

Now back to my commission work again ........

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So Much Knitting

Sorry for the lack of blogging as I have been so busy ...... with knitting. I was given some commission work and in the last 5 weeks, I managed to finish 3 shawls.

I knitted 2 of these .......



....... Brown Eyed Susan from the book "Juju's Loops". It's a simple pattern but lots of stocking stitch. By the time I finished the lace edging, I had more than 700 stitches on the needles for casting off. Thank goodness, it was a crochet cast off and it went quickly.

I also finish one of this ......



....... Prairie Shawl, also from the same book. It's also a simple shawl but the numerous nupps slowed me down. I love the lace pattern on this shawl as it's really pretty .....



All 3 shawls were knitted with Malabrigo Lace yarn and it's such a lovely yarn to knit with - so soft on the hands and the yarn blooms so nicely after a good soak. I would love to knit a cardigan with this yarn as I am sure it will be so soft and light to wear.

As you are aware that I am now living in an apartment and space is limited. Before the move, I had a huge destash and got rid of almost half of my stash. Even with a smaller stash, I still have to find the space and I am so glad that I found these under the bed "boxes" from IKEA .....



..... they are fantastic as I can squeeze a lot into one box and then just slide it under the bed. They are like giant suitcases and only cost $20 each.






I have now organised my stash by weight of yarn and tie a label on the box so that I can find what I need.

I am off to more knitting as I have more commission work to be done.

Another pair off the needles !

Back and There Again socks are done and I enjoyed this pattern so much. The colors combination is great and the fair isle pattern is quite easy.



The dark blue yarn is Skinny Bugga and this is the 1st time that I am knitting with this yarn and it's lovely. The lighter blue is Louet Gem and it's a very tightly spun yarn. I had to change needle size when knitting with the Louet Gem as it is a thinner yarn but it worked out well.

As I am now hooked on sock knitting, I immediately cast on another pair ......



I am using a self striping yarn from Knitabulous and it was a special dye batch with a small amount of plain colored yarn for the toes. Unfortunately, I did not have enough for both toes, so I only managed about 1.5 toes. Anyway, there is still a little contrast on the toes before the stripes begin.

I started with a square toe where the increases are done in the middle rather than the sides. The socks will be plain as I think the stripes are enough without any stitch pattern.

Back to knitting more socks!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

All I Can Think Of ........

..... are socks and more socks. Now that I am back to sock knitting, I just can't get enough. I decided to go through my stash and find the right yarn for my next pair of socks.

My goodness, I did not realise that there are so many gorgeous yarn in my stash and many of them would make great socks. I had such a hard time sitting there with most of my stash in front of me and I decided on .......



....... these and then .....



...... some more of these. All these yarn are going into a sock box and I will then choose the next pair of socks from this special box. I am so excited and can't wait to finish my current pair (just the leg of the 2nd sock to go), so that I can start on my next pair.

I also realise that I forgot to blog about this pair of socks that took 2.5 years to finish .......



I started these socks in July 2010 when I went to the Bendigo Show and only managed to cast off in December 2012. They are heeless socks and I used a spiral ribbed pattern. It was a easy pattern and I just keep on knitting until I have a long spiral. I knitted a spiral toe and I love the look ......



I was a little concerned that these socks without heels may not fit well but they fitted perfectly. So why are we still knitting socks with heels ? Something that I need to think about ......

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sock Knitting

For the last few years, I sort of lost my sock knitting mojo and only knitted socks when necessary. But recently, I picked up the needles again and finished a pair for my husband (mentioned it in my last post).
While knitting those socks, my love of sock knitting re-surfaced and I was enjoying it except for one issue - the circular needles. As I was teaching sock knitting on one circular needle, I decided to practise what I preach and have been knitting socks with circular needles. My husband's socks were knitted 2 at a time on one long circular needle. I really did not enjoy the experience of pulling and pushing the needles and cord.
After finishing my husband's socks, I immediately cast on another pair. This time I am knitting with dpns and I can't describe the joy and comfort that I felt when I was zipping along with the dpns. It is so relaxing and the movements are so smooth flowing. I knew I was back to my original element of sock knitting, something that I used to enjoy and love. Everything went so smoothly and fast .......




...... I can't even believe that I am enjoying fair isle and all this was done in an evening! By the way, this pattern is Back and There Again Socks and I have already finished one sock and cast on the second one.
This really prove my love for dpns and I will use the circular needles when I am teaching. In fact, while I was knitting this sock, I was thinking of my stash and deciding on the next few pairs of socks. I will have a sock on the needles all the time!
On another matter, you will be hearing from me more frequently now as I just bought an app, BlogPress so that I can post directly from my iPad. I have been trying to do this for a while but have problems in downloading pictures from the iPad. With this app, I can insert a picture from my iPad or take a picture instantly. This makes it easier to post wips without using a camera and the hassle of transferring pictures from the camera to laptop and then to iPad. The only problem that I am having with this app is learning how to insert links.
Be back again with more photos of my finished socks. The first one looks lovely.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad