Cold Feet in Summer

January 2015 seems to have been a month of odd urges for instant knitting gratification for me. So, when I was cleaning up the massive magazine collection and found these, I knew I had to make slippers in the height of Summer! (Actually really Summer has been a bit of failure this year - a bit heavy on the rain and cool temperatures - not enough sunshine. Slippers in the middle of summer is not really that weird this year).

I have to admit it was partially the colour combination that attracted me to this pattern so I went stash diving for blue and brown. The brown tweed is leftovers from the boy's Graeme Street Slouch and the blue is my last two balls from my pi shawl Smoked Camp pi. They look cool together (more than cool in fact) and are on the thin side for DK so not too hard to work double.

I had a major issue when I got to inserting the waste yarn for the opening for the cuff. It seemed to be in the wrong place. A little voice in my head said, if you put the hole there, it stuffs up how the toe lies. Did I listen to the little voice? Not really! (I never do and always regret it later!) I did check my working from the pattern and was happy I’d followed it correctly. So I did the hat heel (Cool idea that) and completed the cuff and tried the slipper on and it fits and it’s gorgeous and the toe is all screwed up and twisted around and my knitter OCD is engaged big time. I had to frog it (or partially frog it) once I figured out where the stuff up was.

The best way to figure it out? Knit the second one! So I cast on for the tab for the toe, and followed the pattern, increasing around according to the pattern. And then it hit me. I KNEW WHERE I HAD MADE MY MISTAKE on the first slipper. Yes, right at the beginning! I was a silly, over-confident, I’m an experienced knitter and I don’t need to use a stitch marker kind of mistake! In the first knit round without shaping, I’d assumed the yarn tail was the beginning of the round (AND IT WASN’T). So all the shaping from that point was out of alignment and we all know where that little error ended up… So Slipper one got  frogged and reknit…

Slipper two was a walk in the park except for some yarn chicken at the end of the cuff. I ended up with about 1 m of the blue left at the end.

The re-knit of slipper one also went smoothly. (Except I had to use that little bit of blue yarn to complete the heel). The cast off is perhaps a little tight due to a spot of yarn chicken again but I’m really happy with the finished product. This was in fact  a fun enough pattern to knit three times. (No second sock syndrome here!)

Toasting my toes in front of the heater. this is not even a posed shot. It was cold enough to have the heater on.

Pattern: Selfoss Slippers by Rosee Woodland
Needles: 3.25 mm and 4 mm dpns
Yarn: Blue grey wool blend and reddish brown tweed upcycled from op shop.


Even after all that I was still feeling some socks but am easing into it by working them at DK weight on big needles. These could also double as slipper socks. This is another pattern that called out to me as I was attempting to tidy, catalogue and potentially cull the magazine collection.... I love Scandinavian type colourwork and the star is such an iconic motif.

These socks had a false start. I did the measuring and dithered between the medium and large sizes. I initially cast on the large size, knitted the band and nearly 30 rows of the colourwork and then tried the leg on. It was WAYYYY too large. (Part of this was probably due to the fact that I was using 3.75mm rather than 3.5mm needles - we don’t have 3.5 mm as a standard size in Australia.). So I frogged it and cast on a medium size instead. This is an addictive colourwork pattern of the" Just one more row" type thing….. (Made redoing the leg again a relatively fun process).

Day one saw the leg colourwork finished. Day two I turned the heel (with tea and breakfast) and finished off the foot (31 rows of colourwork) and the toe. The heel shaping is somewhat different to the Dutch heel I’m used to but fits nicely. The pattern called for decreasing down to eight stitches for the toe and running a gathering thread through similar to fastening off a hat. I decreased down to the eight stitches as suggested but used Kitchener stitch instead (Once I found some instructions to refresh my memory on the sequence). This is tidier but these socks still suffer from pointy toe syndrome.

These are quite a good fit on me. The leg deals nicely with my solid calves and puffy ankle. (Why is it when you are recovering from a damaged ankle, you twist it again just as it is nearly better?) So two days = 1 sock…

I decided I'd better cast on sock two straight away… (Avoid second sock syndrome at all cost). Second socks are always better. You’ve ironed the kinks out on the first one. The only hiccup on the second sock was running out of the cream yarn and having to stash dive scraps to finish the sock.

Pattern: Nordic Star by Eline Oftedal
Needles: 3.75 mm dpns
Yarn:  Panda machinewash 8 ply crepe in cream and blue grey machinewash upcycled from the op shop.

I Love Knitty!

It has been long suspected that the internet was invented and is maintained by cats. There is more cat related content on the internet than the sum of all the world's accumulated knowledge (though that is there too!)

But us knitters, crocheters and fiber artists know the true origin of the internet. It was created by knitters.The cats are just protective camouflage. Cats love knitting. When I first discovered the secret underweb that is populated by knitters, two sites stood heads and shoulders above the rest: The Yarn Harlot's blog and the online knitting magazine Knitty.

In 2012 Knitty turned 10. (It was established in 2002). I just want to say thank you for everything you've given this knitter down under on the other side of the world.

Hours of pleasure reading the knitty blog. I particularly love the WWW(What's What Wednesday) posts; a weekly news round of up of the hip, happening and just plain weird news from around the knit-o-sphere. Occasionally I can even claim that it is work related. For example, the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America featured a full day session on Mathematics and Mathematics education in Fiber Arts. Plus where else will you find out that there are more knitted penguin sweaters in the world than penguins who need to wear them or the latest amazing yarn bombing?

Knitty has provided the platform for number of knitting firsts for me.

Knitty provided the pattern for the first chapter of the Beret Project. and kick started a new found confidence in my ability to make knitwear that was fashion worthy for my teenage daughters. I was looking for a beret to make for my eldest daughter to replicate the look of the day with a unique edge at at a price to not break the budget, and found Reverie by Amy Swenson. And so, not one, but two new berets were born and the start of a knitted head wear obsession that still has me in its grips more than 20 hats and berets later. (I also credit this project as the point where I knew I needed to improve my photography skills).

model + photos: Amy M. Swenson

I knitted my first fancy lace socks from a Knitty pattern: Tribute by Brenda Patipa. It was also the pattern that I used playing along with my first Ravelympics / Ravellenic Games from the sidelines not being brave enough to jump in feet first with the big kids. I completed my self imposed knitting gymnastics challenge, working a complicated lace sock on dpns and finishing whilst watching Olympic rhythmic gymnasts performing their ribbon routines. But no medals this time. I jumped the gun on the start and so didn't strictly meet the rules. But I made an amazing pair of socks that I love. (And Knitty has sooooo many cool free sock patterns. There are currently three in the queue and one on the needles).

Knitty provided the pattern for my first Ravelry KAL - a cowl knit along: The BFF Cowl by Ysolda Teague and tinyowlknits from Knitty Deep Fall Edition 2012. I loved this one when I first saw it when it went live in Knitty. I love the colours and the sentiment behind the design. But the pattern didn't love me - or at least the yarn didn't. From gauge issues through trying to use a DK weight yarn for a worsted weight pattern and being too lazy to swatch to running out of yarn due to using seconds yarn from the stash. I ended up starting the cocoon stitch loop of this cowl four times with three different yarns. But the finished object (whilst being nothing like I envisaged at the beginning) is beautifully snugly and a tribute to the sheer bloody mindedness your knitting sometimes requires you to demonstrate.

models: Stephanie Dosen, Ysolda Teague
photos: Mark Smollin

Cast on 1 (and 2): Wrong size needles and not enough yarn

Cast on 3: Gauge fine - pity I hate the yarn!

Cast on 3: All OK this time (but I had to buy yarn)

 

I knitted my first jumper for my mother using Twist and Shout from Fall 2008. This was one of those bizarre rights of passage, "Don't Mums make you knitted garments?" It sorted of offended my view of what's right in the world to be the one knitting for my mum, until I realized it was a tangible way of repaying her years of handmade love for me. And while she loves the finished garment, I've yet to persuade her to pose for a fashion shoot for the blog. (And its definitely the wrong season to ask her to do it now).

models: Robynn Weldon, Susan Brand, Mel Howes photos: Armin Rüede

I won my first knitting prize from Knitty! One of the last two limited special edition Tom Bihn Knitty 10th anniversary Swift bags in the world. I don't think that anyone except a fellow Knitty fan will understand the extreme depth of my joy when this arrived in the mail all the way from the other side of the world. I take this with me to craft shows proudly displaying my membership in the secret Knitty Fan Club. It's become my defacto handbag for train journeys, fits both the laptop and the knitting.

Thank you Knitty. I love you! (And I just wanted to let the world know!) Keep on doing the awesome thing you do.

Jo-ann

of these last-in-the-world 10th Anniversary Knitty Swifts to give away. They were made as a limited edition last fall, and sold out by December. But we saved two for you! Each has a retail value of $100usd - See more at: http://knittyblog.com/2013/07/all-about-tom-bihn-with-a-lot-of-little-videosand-a-contest/#sthash.a4oZ0WKb.dpuf

American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America last week featured a full day special session on Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Fiber Arts - See more at: http://knittyblog.com/2014/01/www-mathematical-knitting-on-recreating-a-ww1-era-sweater-vogue-knitting-live-class-report/#sthash.ZAZ7wdYG.dpuf

American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America last week featured a full day special session on Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Fiber Arts. - See more at: http://knittyblog.com/2014/01/www-mathematical-knitting-on-recreating-a-ww1-era-sweater-vogue-knitting-live-class-report/#sthash.ZAZ7wdYG.dpuf

American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America last week featured a full day special session on Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Fiber Arts. - See more at: http://knittyblog.com/2014/01/www-mathematical-knitting-on-recreating-a-ww1-era-sweater-vogue-knitting-live-class-report/#sthash.ZAZ7wdYG.dpuf

American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America last week featured a full day special session on Mathematics and Mathematics Education in Fiber Arts. - See more at: http://knittyblog.com/2014/01/www-mathematical-knitting-on-recreating-a-ww1-era-sweater-vogue-knitting-live-class-report/#sthash.ZAZ7wdYG.dpuf

2012: A Retrospective of Handmade Goodies

It's the last day of 2012. At my age, that tends to trigger "Where the hell did that year just go?" sort of thoughts. In hindsight, 2012 has been a full on year. My workload at the Uni has been ridiculously heavy and relentless. Just for example, this year I have had to cope with the changeover to a new Leaning Management System, new editions of text books at the last minute, new chief examiners based overseas in different timezones, been caught in the middle of a few nasty cross faculty political battles and new and baffling forms of adminis-trivial torture. At times, work has all but taken over everything with marking even encroaching on my me-time! The students more than make up for it all though. I love the face to face part of teaching! I love the bright new faces each semester, some of whom go on to be friends throughout their time at University. I love to see them mastering useful skills and going on to use them productively in the degree and work life. My wish for 2013 is that the New Year's Fairy, (there is one of those isn't there?) gifts me with awesome time management skills and makes me a multi-tasking wizard so I can be totally productive when I am at work and stop being distracted by anything else shiny that looks more fun and get more done actually at work.

I've still managed to be productive and creative in bursts in 2012 though. Here's a retrospective look through 2012 as seen on the blog.

In January, we met a Menagerie of Gradu-animals, gifts for my eldest daughter and her friends for graduating from University.

 

 

 

 

 

February saw the start of the Granny wants a Latte Macchiato granny rug. It's about one third finished at the end of year. I keep getting distracted by other bright shiny things.

 

I also blogged about the UFOs and PHDs (Unfinished Objects and Projects Half Done) that I had excavated from their nooks, crannies and other hiding places. The really sad fact is that it now the end of 2012 and I haven't finished any of these! In March we had Part II of the PHDs and UFOs. All I really need to do is knuckle down and finish these. In most cases, I just have to sew things up.

 

 

 

 

 

Exploded sheep bits

Believe it or not this is a camel!

 

Monkey

 

 

 

Tropical bird

In April, I updated the progress on the Granny wants a Latte Macchiato granny rug. I reminisced about my first forays into making socks and knitting in the round and I made a little Kimono dolly for a work colleague. I really want to make more of these!

 

 

There was no blogging at all in May and June. These are traditionally mad work months anyway with masses of marking and the run up to exams. And we had a very unexpected death in the family. Let's just write those months off, OK?

In July I finished off a post I started in May. The winter chill made me think of scarves so I blogged about a few hand knit scarves I had made my girls and their overseas journeys. We were also in the midst of renovating with our lounge room in the dinning room and the dinning room table in the middle of the shed.

 

 

 

In August I made Sharkie the beret as a 21st present for Tammy who loves sharks. I also made the Owlishly warm fingerless gloves; two pairs of them, one for me and one for the middle daughter Mel. These were such fun to make.

 

 

In September I finished Spirali the scarf, one of those helix, spiral scarves that seem to be everywhere at the moment. I whiled away the time watching the Olympic games pushing my knitting boundaries and producing the Tribute Socks. These would be the knitted objects I am most proud of this year. The new lounge room got to be the backdrop to this month's photos too.

 

 

No posts in October. Marking again!

In November I added another installment to the Beret Project, Winter Smoke: the Selbu Modern Beret. I also finally got to blog about a present I made for an Italian exchange student who stayed with us a few years ago after a complicated cross-continental handover was successful. So the Giulia doll finally got her story told.

 

 

In December I posted 27 times, one post for every letter for the A month of A to Z challenge from Just B (actually there were two posts for T). This is more posts than I had done in the whole eighteen months I have had a blog! It was challenging and great fun and I made so many cool new creative friends along the way. Just a few of these were specifically me being creative so I'll highlight those here. M was for making things for Christmas - recycled magazine present bows, a whole weekend of good clean Christmassy fun for my eldest daughter and the rest of us.

 

P was for Playing in the Park taking Photographs, the story a photoshoot of random stuffed cats.

T was for Tapestry, a trip down memory lane to when my parents were young.

W was for Wall, a wall of clipboards to control the out of control paperwork monster.

 

And X was for Christmas Owls. I made an owl ornament for my sister.

It was a good year all in all. I am thankful.

Jo-ann