It's been a while...

Since my last post (how can it be more than a month?!) I've been to Poland on holiday (visiting family) for a few days and up to Glasgow for a weekend to celebrate my husband's birthday.  Both gave me a chance to do some knitting or crochet, with mixed success.

- I had a go at crocheting on the plane, with the idea of making a crochet version of the snuggly bunnies I've enjoyed knitting. Unfortunately I don't think I've got the hang of crocheting a sphere yet and the head of this snuggly was pretty creepy!  I think I was getting better at doing neat circles though so it's not all bad.  I think I'll probably rip it out and see if I feel like trying again...

- I also started another zig-zag möbius cowl with some merino yarn from my stash, but got into a tangle while I was travelling so it had to wait until I got home.  I managed to rescue it by going back a couple of rows and was very pleased with the result in the end.  This pattern is definitely one of my favourites: I love that the 3 cowls I've made so far are all so different in texture and drape but that they all worked.  I like the practicality of a circular scarf too; it's quite windy where I live so it's good to have a scarf that can't blow away.

This cowl has now been sent to a friend as a long-distance hug.  It also counts as Stash-buster Project 12, and used 70g.

My other travelling project is a Spiral Blanket of Awesome which I think will be a baby blanket (SB Project 13) - probably for my expected niece/nephew. I'm using a couple of balls of Sirdar Crofter from the stash:

It's been a nice simple knit, which was perfect for the train journey to/from Glasgow.  I may well have a go at another if this looks good once it's finished.  At the moment it's a little tricky to see what the final size and shape will be but I'm happy so far.

In other news... I'm trying to get myself a bit fitter again.  My back was playing up while we were on holiday, which hasn't happened for a long while, so I'm switching to a different Pilates class and trying to do some walking.  I did a lap of our village this evening (about 1.75 miles) at a brisk walk; this is a neglected habit which I think was good for me.  I hope the weather holds so I don't have any more excuses to stay indoors!

WIP Wednesday - BSJ no. 4 and rubber ducky

Two WIPs to show today (the market bag's taking a bit of a rest at the moment):

First is my current BSJ, which is close to being completed now.

This is my fourth BSJ, and I think I've pretty much worked out my favourite modifications:

• slip the last stitch of each row purlwise to give a neat edge (knitting into the back of that stitch to begin the following row)
• do the increases as kfb on the marked stitch and the stitch before (RS rows)
• purl the marked stitch on WS rows, to give a clear diagonal line at the increase
• do the 5 stitch cast-off as written (or possibly a couple of rows earlier), starting on a RS row
• decrease by one stitch at either end of each RS row until starting the button band so that the neck is a bit bigger than the original pattern.  This time I knitted the first 3 stitches, ssk, knitted to 5 stitches from the end, k2tog, k2, slip last stitch purlwise.
• this meant I started the centre section at 150 stitches instead of 158 (based on starting the neck at 152 as written)
• pick up the 10 stitches at either side of the body length so that the stitches are visible on the RS of the jacket (ie. pick up by purling on the RS row and knitting on the WS row)

All that's left now is to finish the last few rows of the button band.  I plan to make the button holes on both sides, so that it can be for a boy or a girl, although I've not decided exactly which row to do them on or at which points in the length of the button band.  I'll probably do an i-cord cast-off to finish off.

This is definitely one of my favourite designs for baby knits :o)

I'm also still working on my practice project for continental knitting.  It takes a bit of concentration, partly for the technique and partly because I need to count the stitches to give the pattern, so I need to choose the right moments for it.  

I don't think it will be neat enough for a present but I'll definitely keep it as a memory piece.

Baby bunnies

I've found a lovely wee pattern which is ideal for small baby gifts... I've called it a Snuggly Bunny (the original design is Cuddly).

I've made three so far... the first was bright lime green:

...then a fab turquoise:

...and the most recent (Stash-buster project 10, 25g) was a companion to a baby kimono I made a couple of years ago, and has been given to welcome some friends' 2nd daughter:

They've all been made with cotton yarns from my stash (even before I started the stash-buster challenge) and I'm so pleased with the effect.  The face is always a bit of a challenge to get right though!

I've made some small mods to the pattern to try to make the head a bit easier to shape but otherwise it's been perfect.  I like that the head is stuffed with a small bundle of leftover yarn so that there's no white stuffing peeking through any gaps, and of course I'm always happy not to have any seams to sew up!

The pattern can be made in an evening or so; perfect for when I want to make a smaller, personal gift.

It's a chilly spring so far

Spring's on the way, but it's still pretty cold (-5°C yesterday morning!!) so my current stash-buster projects are some warm fingerless mitts...

Stash Buster project 7:

I did most of the work for these during a car journey to and from a friend's birthday party 2 1/2 hours away.  They were a satisfyingly quick knit, although I've been slow in getting round to doing the final thumb... almost finished though.  

I could have done with making them slightly bigger but I do like the feeling of the soft yarn.

Stash Buster project 8:

And I've also made one of a pair of Fetching mitts.  I cast on during the knit & natter at the church weekend away - some passers-by were a bit baffled by the double-pointed needles ("you're knitting with 4 needles!") but I made good progress when I wasn't chatting too much.  I think I may have miscounted when to do the cable row once or twice, but I like the feel of knitting with proper wool.  I don't have a ladder where the needles changed, and I'm sure it's down to the yarn texture.

So that's two active stash-buster challenge projects.

And I'm also working on another BSJ... this one is intended for my cousin's baby which is due in June.  I won't see her until a couple of months later though, so I'm using a slightly thicker yarn and bigger needles.

I've found the perfect buttons already.  We were looking round a craft fair a couple of weekends ago and found a stall selling various handmade items from a local enterprise company for people with learning difficulties.  We bought a few cards and I managed to only buy 3 sets of buttons:

I was impressed with the range and quality though (did I mention the handmade bags?) so I'll be keeping an eye out for more craft events from them.

Snuggly success

Just a quick post today... I'm off out soon!  The good news is that the Snuggly Bunny's finished.  I'm going to try to get a better picture in daylight tomorrow if I can, but it's done :-)

I'm not quite as happy with the face on this one compared to my first; perhaps it's because of the paler yarn I used or perhaps I've just not stitched the eyes and nose quite as well.  I'm still fairly pleased with it though.  It's slightly cuter than it looks here so if I can get a better photo I'll be happy!

This time, I used the 3-needle cast off to join the 2 halves of the body and made the neck 2 stitches narrower for a row or so.  I knitted the head in the round again but otherwise followed the pattern as written.  I do like this design and I'm sure I'll do another soon.

Stash-busting

We've been thinking about moving house this year, and we're likely to end up in a smaller place than we have now ...which means I need to reduce my yarn stash.

So I've been planning my next makes around what I need to use up.

First, I've been using left-over cotton dk yarn for a baby toy.  I made a brightly coloured Bliss baby blanket for our friends' first son a couple of years ago.  This Snuggly Bunny is a great use for the remainders.  The shape is a bit weird before the head is stuffed, but my first was so cute once I'd completed it.  I've done all but the eyes and nose since taking a photo earlier this evening:

Second, I thought I'd do another BSJ (my third) to use up some Fab dk which has been hanging around for a while.  It will look very different to my earlier one which were a bit more stripy, but I think it should still work.  The yarn's soft enough, and it's washable so I hope it'll be practical for the new parents.

Which gets me on to a couple of yarns I've been waiting for the "right" project to use...

I've got some Debbie Bliss Paloma in a deep (but not dark) purple,  some Zitron Trekking sock yarn in another purple mix, and some Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend dk in a lovely green/blue/silver mix which I picked up at Woolfest last year.

I'm looking for something for myself from these, but not sure what yet.  They're all yarns I don't want to fritter away or waste, but I do want to use them so I need to get my thinking cap on!

not a BSJ

Well, I'm pleased to say I've finished the Snug Baby Jacket :-)

It was a strange mix of interesting and boring to knit...
- The initial part of plain garter stitch (with a couple of short rows of waste yarn for the armholes to keep me on my toes) was dull, dull, dull.
- The arms were quite fun to pick up and knit, although I managed to have two ridge rows next to each other so the shoulders aren't quite invisible.  I think I must have misread the pattern, or else I should just have had the confidence to do what I thought it should be...  I don't think it matters though - there's nothing wrong with being able to see where the shoulders are.
- The front portion which was also the front and sides of the hood was a new construction for me (as were the sleeve holes), and I liked the idea of the hood merging into the rest of the jacket.
- I was pleased with my grafting at the back of the hood once that hole was filled; I don't think you can see that join.  The seam between the hood and back of the neck is far from invisible though - that's the only real disappointment.  But again, no-one else will mind.
- And this was my first time doing a sewn bind off.  I liked the effect this gave, with a nearly invisible cast off row which merged nicely into the rest of the fabric.
- The yarn (Sirdar Denim Chunky) was a bit frustrating at times.  I like the feel of it and the colour, but it didn't like me unknitting anything - it tended to split quite badly, so the reknitting looked scruffy.  It didn't help when I totally underestimated how much yarn I'd need to cast-off the hood and front (twice!) which left me a number of unnecessary ends to sew in...

So, I'm pleased I've finished it, I think my friend will like it, and I do like the squishy softness of the yarn which should suit a baby.  I'm not sure I'd make this again though... perhaps with a different yarn, but I'm not sure.

The pattern used a lot of Elizabeth Zimmerman's techniques and was based around her design ideas.  I liked it but I think the moral of this story is... I just can't beat the Baby Surprise Jacket!

Back on the needles

I had a few days' break from knitting over Christmas while we were visiting family and friends, so I'm happy to have something new on the needles.

I'm knitting a 2nd Snuggly for a newborn (not sure who yet though)... the first was a lovely quick knit and I'm pleased to be able to use up some of my stash while making something which is fun.  I'm using a bright cotton yarn which was left over from a baby blanket.

It's put together as 2 separate triangles which I grafted together last time, and a head added in the middle with a couple of floppy ears.  The first one was a bit odd while I was making it, but really cute once it was finished:

And we've also had some good news!  Our friends' baby boy has finally arrived, on his big brother's 2nd birthday, so I can finally complete the Snug Baby Jacket I've been making.  It's a chunky duffle coat which been waiting until I knew if baby was a boy or a girl... now I just need to sew in the loose ends and add some toggles to fasten with.

The design is almost seamless (although sadly not invisibly joined since I got it slightly wrong... no-one else will spot that though!) and I chose it as an alternative to the BSJ.  I did enjoy the technique, but perhaps not the endless garter stitch at the beginning.