Où Est Mon Croissant?

On Saturday I finished my Clapotis and the other half said he would take me out for a croissant on Sunday to celebrate.

So he took me to Second Cup on Sunday morning but no croissants. Never mind I had a scone instead and, of course, a big cup of coffee.

Blogging by Phone

Well almost.

I have mentioned in various posts that my camera has been playing up, well I finally sent it off for repair last week but I still want (need) to take pictures. I can borrow a camera from work but that isn't very useful when I suddenly have to photograph something - RIGHT NOW.

This is the predicament I was in this weekend. I knew the tablecloth was coming to a close and that I would need another project and the complicated lace project won't cut it. I have plans for something else but the skein of yarn need to be wound into a ball but I wanted to have a photo of it before it was wound and there was no way I was going to wait until I could get a camera to wind the yarn. That yarn needed to be wound before it passed its use-by-date. I resorted to my phone and here is the picture of pre-wound yarn.




And here is a picture of it nicely wound into a ball or more like an egg.


The yarn is Anne by Schaeffer. Do you remember this?.
I must admit I had put off winding this yarn because I was worried the same thing would happen again. It wasn't as bad but still a bit tangley at the end.

It is now on my needles as a Clapotis and I should have my camera back at the same time I finish so hopefully some photos.

Nearly There

Way back in November I wrote about a mystery knit.

Well, this morning I finally finished the knitting part, the start and the end of the edging were grafted and I have a tablecloth - well almost. It needs serious blocking. Although knitted with 100% Mercerized cotton, it will stretch as I knitted to a much looser gauge. It is bulky and doesn't lie smoothly where the first oval increases were made and I am hoping a good stretch will sort that out. I spread the cloth out on the coffee table to get an idea of what it looked like and then I snatched it up and put it on and it was a perfect size as a shawl. So when I have to pop outside when its a bit chilly I can just grab the tablecloth.

My camera has been sent off for repair so there will be photos one day.

Don't Ask Why

I didn't post pictures of everything I made last year. So as it is hard to take pictures of current projects, here is something from last year.

Another baby blanket for someone else at work who was pregnant (she had the baby in February.)



The pattern is from this book.

The original pattern called for worsted weight yarn but that would have produced a blanket too large and heavy for a baby so I followed the pattern as directed using 4-ply washable baby yarn.

Excluding the fringe, the finished size was 79 cm x 58 cm.

As a bonus, I spotted a small giraffe soft-toy in the local supermarket so I bought that to go with the blanket. (No photo so you'll have to use your imagination.)

March's Dishcloths

Here are this month's dishcloths - photos courtesy of the scanner, hence the 2nd one being cut off.



The first pattern of each month has an image related to the month. When this one was completed I thought of a big pot of water over a fire ready to accept its human sacrifice. Boy child took one look at it and said Pot of Gold which is what it is.



I really this pattern, like most of the circular cloths it has come out quite large but I expect I can shrink it a bit in the wash.

A Sock

in other words knitting content

The camera is one step closer to being repaired but in the meantime I have found a way to post pictures of the smaller objects I make - Scan Them.

So without further ado here is a sock.



The trouble with scanning is that you have no control over the light but it is a better picture than the ones I have been taking with the cameras I have borrowed.

And yes I did make 2 socks.

I found the pattern on the internet somehow - it appears that I downloaded it in March 2007. It calls for a thicker yarn but I followed the pattern using Patons Kroy Socks 4-ply and it came out just fine and fits me.

I Am a Cupcake

The internet is full of things that will suck time. Blog Things being a prime example. So this is today's result. Which is very funny for 2 reasons:
this is nothing like me;
red velvet cupcakes from Crave Cupcakes are my absolute favourite.

You Are a Red Velvet Cupcake

You are sensual and self-indulgent. If it feels good, you'll do it. You're drawn to gorgeous, sexy people. You can't help it if you want your friends to be attractive! You are like a cupcake because you are completely decadent and over the top. You believe life is too short to deprive yourself. You rather overdo it than go without.

What Flavor Cupcake Are You?

February's Dishcloths

The pictures aren't wonderful but here are the dishcloths from February.





I really like this but it has come out very thick so it is more like a pot holder.

Coffee and Knitting

They had these in Starbucks at Christmas and for some reason I thought a member of my family would see them and automatically think of me and get me one. Well that didn't happen.

After Christmas when the mugs went on sale there were none of these. So I kicked myself for not getting one when I first saw them. But last week I worked out that to get one of these mugs you have to be knitting.

Last Thursday evening was our monthly knitting gathering at Starbucks and on a table were a few of these mugs - on sale - and as two of the employees join us for knitting we were given a discount on them as well.

Coffee always tastes better out of a mug that is on sale and discounted.

January's Dishcloths

Now that we are in February, I thought it is about time I posted photos of January's dishcloths before I start on February's.

This is the dishcloth from the beginning of January and seems very appropriate for this house.



The yarn I used was Bernat Cot 'n Corn which is 67% cotton and 33% corn. It is a nice yarn but the dishcloth doesn't keep it's shape unlike the ones made from Bernat Handicrafter Cotton such as the next one.

Not in the Stash Mittens

So, I finished requested bed socks but still had some yarn left over. (Each sock used just over 1/2 ball of Alpaca.) And this is the problem with my stash it is mostly left overs. To avoid adding to my stash, I immediately cast on for a pair of mittens and because I'm nice and it was really his yarn, I made mittens for the spousal unit.

Working from the top down, I made a thumb and then the main part of the mitten. I ran out of yarn just as I was finishing the thumb shaping, so a bit of black yarn (from the stash of course) doubled and hey presto! I had a cuff that looks like it was meant to be.

This time the gods were smiling on me. When I knitted the second mitten, there was much more yarn left over than when I had finished the mitten. Lucky me that I didn't use that ball first, otherwise I would have changed the thumb shaping and then been buggered when it came to the other mitten and didn't have enough yarn.

Matrimonial Harmony Socks

The spousal unit asked me to knit him some socks that he could wear in bed when his feet are cold. He wanted them, thicker, looser and shorter than normal socks. I searched for patterns but didn't see anything I liked until the light bulb went off and I realised that I could just use a generic sock pattern.

I took him to Michael's when they had their yarn sale, picked up some different yarns and told him to pick and told him not to choose the cheapest but the one that felt the nicest. He chose Bernat Alpaca, which is 30% alpaca, 70% nylon, in a dark grey.

I used a generic toe-up sock pattern, adding a 3 x 1 rib on the instep for a bit of stretch. I started with needles 2 sizes smaller than recommended but this produced a stiff material, so I went down just one size to produce a firm but still soft material. After the short row heel I changed to 3 x 1 rib all around for the cuff. When the cuff was the correct length I worked one round of all purl stitches, changed to a size larger needle, and 1 x 3 rib for the turn back of the cuff. This produced a nice turn over for the cuff.

Excuse the poor quality of the photos but my camera has stopped working so I am having to use something more basic.



You can see from the next photo what a difference the bigger needle makes to the size of the cuff.

Holiday Knitting

I've called this holiday knitting because it covers two holidays - Summer and Christmas.

At the Stampede in July I bought 3 skeins of Alpaca as it was a good price for three rather than buying individual skeins. I decided a pair of gloves was the right project for these and if I made them while away in the summer they would be ready for the winter.

Good idea so far. except, instead of making a standard glove I decided that it would be fun to work from the top down. That means I work each finger and thumb individually and then work them into the glove at the right point.

Now I know why there aren't any commercial patterns for this method. It was very fiddly plus I didn't find any advantage in being able to adjust the length of each finger. In fact it was harder as there wasn't the hand of the glove in the right position. I finished one and promptly didn't like it. A combination of the gauge and the size. Although I had tested gauge before I left, this was too loose plus I didn't like the fit of the glove. I don't have very big hands and the glove seemed too big.

So it languished in its bag until the weather got really cold and I thought another pair of gloves would be useful. So over Christmas break I made a pair of gloves the conventional way. Yes, a pair, as I made both of them this time. I went down two needle sizes from the original and they fit much better.

But at -13 degrees alpaca doesn't cut it and I still need two pairs of gloves.

New Widget

Have you noticed a new feature at the side of my blog?

It is provided by Shelfari.

This will show you the books I have read in 2009 and if you click on a book you will be able to read reviews of it.

My first book for 2009 was The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. I have read a number of her books and this had the usual element of suspense as to what will happen next and how will the story end. Which was not as I expected.

Resolutions? Me?

So we've slipped into another year and once again I will not be making any resolutions. Basically my life is so perfect there is nothing I need to change!

The stash is still there and I would like to use more of it this year as it would be nice to see it put to good use but as I've said before, as most of the stash is left overs I am limited as to what I can make and scarves get boring after a while.

We shall see.

2008

This year has been the year of if I don't like it, don't finish it.

One ball of yarn (from the stash) was started 3 times until I settled on the baby hats for charity.

A baby blanket I started last year was thrown away as I hated the yarn so much. It had been given to me and sat in my stash for ages. The yarn was nice but the colour - mustard yellow - I should have passed it on ages ago.

Sock yarn that wasn't working in one pattern was unpicked and another pattern chosen.

A glove never did have a mate.

And this sweater.

I used the stash a little. All but one pair of socks were knitted from stash yarn. I added to stash yarn to make this baby blanket and used the left over yarn immediately.

I knitted one scarf for charity from stash yarn and frogged another one that I didn't like.

I've posted photos of the dishcloths I have knitted this year, still need to post photos of the other baby blanket I made, otherwise this year I have knitted a lot of holes.

But it doesn't matter how full of holes my life is: Happy Anniversary Husband.

I Must Stop Joining Groups

Somehow (the convoluted way we all find things on the web) I came across a Yahoo group for knitting dishcloths. Twice a month a new pattern is published a few rows at a time. So of course I joined.

The first pattern in the middle of November was this.



So from not having done any illusion knitting I know work two pieces in quick succession.

The pattern for the middle of December was this.



It is too big for washing dishes but seems too nice for cleaning.

A Complaint

Can you believe it someone has complained about my writing? This nameless person (my younger sister) objects to the term "fall colors as used in this post.

She feels that as I now live north of the border I should be using correct English. So in the interests of family unity, sisterly love, etc. here is the correct English.

"fall colours"

What? More Knitting

I haven't blogged about this item because I never even took a photo of it.

My aim is not to add to stash and, hopefully to use what I have. So when I finished the baby blanket, I immediately cast on with the left over yarn to make a small tablecloth.

The pattern is the Feather and Fan Shawl by Eugen Beugler from A Gathering of Lace.

I knitted until I ran out of yarn and it was just big enough to fit a small table I have.

When I was on a picture taking frenzy this week because my camera was cooperating I realised that I had never taken a photo. So here it is.

Photos of My Dishcloths

So I told you how my secret swap sent me yarn and patterns to make 2 dishcloths; well, I was finally able to take photos. The dishcloths have a Halloween theme.

First Candy Corn.



and


Pretty cool but really hard to photograph.


And here is the witch.


This actually looks better in the photograph than in the flesh as the photograph shows the witch clearly but you really have to look at the cloth to distinguish it.