And on the other hand, I finished something that I really like!

My blue blouse is done! Not only that, but it’s been worn several times already. I.Love.It.

Specs:
Pattern: Sage Blouse by yellowcosmo (free Ravelry download!)
Yarn: Cleckheaton Country Silk, 10 Skeins in colourway 12 (Blue), won at Knit Camp!
Needles: 3.25 and 3.75mm Knitpicks Options
Mods: Just a few little ones. A few people have commented that the neckline is a bit wide, so I did the first few garter rows on a smaller needles, which did the trick nicely. Apart from that, I fiddled around with the sleeve cuff decreases a little bit, because when I followed the pattern directions as written, they didn’t gather quite as much as the picture. That was about it for mods, I think.

(Photos by knitabulous again!) Overall, I’m really happy with it. Free pattern, prize yarn, great result – what’s not to like?!?
The pattern is relatively easy, worked in one piece from the neck down. The pattern can get a bit tricky when you’re trying to incorporate the increases, but nothing too dramatic.
And with my absentee blogging, I’m managing to make it look like all I do is finish things. Not true, I promise. I’ve started Oblique from Knitty.

And already run into a hitch. I badly underestimnated the yarn I’d need. I picked up 3 x 200g balls of Rustic 12ply from Bendigo Woollen Mills when we went to Bendigo a while back
Yesterday I finished the first ball before I’d reached the raglan shaping on the back. I placed an emergency call to them yesterday and ordered two more balls. Hopefully they can match the dyelot!

So here’s one I’ve been a little remiss in blogging. It’s been finished for quite some time, and yet it’s sat, unphotographed and unblogged.
Possibly because I’m not feeling the love for it.

Specs:
Pattern: Shimmer by Kim Hargreaves, from “Misty”
Yarn: Rowan “Calmer” in Carnation, purchased from Jannettes Rare Yarns
Needles: Knitpicks Nickel in 4 and 4.5mm
Time: Started May 12, finished June 28. (I told you it had been a while!)
Mods: None.
To start with I quite liked the colour, but the longer I knit with it, the more I disliked it. It looks too orange for my liking. And when I first started it, I wondered why there weren’t many pictures of it. Usually Kim puts up at least 2, sometimes 3 different views of each design on her website. For this, there was just one, and the model was sitting on a windowsill and you can’t see the shape of the cardi very well. I should have looked more closely at that.
It’s boxy. (And to be fair, it’s described that way) It’s got very deep raglan sleeves, and a very wide neck, and I’m not sure I like the shape. The sleeves are very wide – almost as wide as the back. If I was to knit it again, I’d probably narrow the sleeves a little, raise the raglans a little, and make the neck a little higher.
Will I wear it? I have to say that I’m not sure.

But Ailsa did an awesome job photographing it for me, and making it look pretty good!

So a couple of weeks ago, I was wandering around the Knitpicks site, as you do. Well actually, I don’t really know why I do, because most of the time I just get cranky that they won’t ship internationally and I can’t buy their yarn, but I digress.
Anyway, whilst playing on the site, I found this pattern for a Baby Ruched Cardigan by Terri Kruse.
I had to make it. Alas, I know of no baby girls, and our family is at that in between stage, where my sisters and I have all finished our child bearing, and our children aren’t yet ready to begin. (We hope!). My friends have all been very good about delivering tiny boys unto the world of late. Holy crap, we’re about to face a girl shortage!
Then I remembered that my twitter friend, sunrisesister had kindly given birth to a baby girl a few months back, just so that I could knit this cardi. (I’m sure of it!)
So I dove into the stash, and came up with a yummy hank of “Thank Ewe Superwash Sock” in Watermelon. At Spotlight, I found the perfect buttons.

This was an awesome knit! It went quickly, with no dramas, and looks so irresistibly cute!

Perfect!
Specs:
Pattern: Baby Ruched Cardigan by Terri Kruse
Yarn: Thank Ewe Superwash Sock in Watermelon. (Sadly no longer dyeing, it appears)
Needles: 3.25mm and 3.5mm
Size: I knit the 12mth size – I wanted to make sure she got some wear out of it before she outgrew it!
Mods: Instead of icord button loops I did crochet chain loops, it was just less fiddly I think.
I’m happy with it, it’s a repeater I think! (Provided people keep providing me with baby girls!) I love the buttons, *love* them.

And the verdict? Look for yourself!

How cute is she?!?

So I finished Em’s Birthday socks at long last.

So her birthday is actually in March. And the socks themselves weren’t really for her birthday anyway. Huh?
The sock yarn is Knitabulous‘ newest yarn, the Supertwist Merino. She dyed this colourway up for Em’s Birthday, and dubbed the colourway “Emily’s Birthday”, so they are the “Em’s Birthday Socks”. See, it makes sense!
Specs:
Pattern: “Lace and Cable Socks” by Wendy Johnson from her “Socks from the Toe Up” book.
Yarn: Knitabulous Yarns Supertwist Merino in the “Emily’s Birthday” colourway
Needles: 2mm, 2 circs for the first, 2.25mm Kollage square DPNS for the second.
Mods: None.

I first started these socks way back when Ailsa and I went to Canberra for the Wool Day, so sometime in May. But I began with a different pattern, the “Hearts and Flowers” socks from the same book. But they were coming out too big, so halfway up the foot, I ripped it out and started with this pattern. I decided to try two circs again. Why? Because I’m stupid. I don’t like socks on 2 circs. Not one sock, not two. I’m a DPNS diehard. But I keep trying.
Needless to say, sock one took forever. And it languished, unloved in a knitting bag for weeks at a time. When I finally finished it, I gave myself a slap up side the head, and pulled out the trusty DPNS for the second sock, and it went much quicker. I’m happy, she’s happy. I sent her out with the socks and the camera, and she took about 30 pictures.
Also, she has her first real HSC exam tomorrow. (That’s the big ones for the last year of school for those non-Aussies out there). She’s not worried. I am!
In other knitting news, both Shimmer and the Blue Blouse are finished and awaiting photo shoots. The yarn for Clapotis is still in the freezer. And I’m undecided about what’s next!

Thank you all for the good wishes for my speedy recovery, I’m definitely getting there.
The Blue blouse is done, and blocking right now. So I’ve been working on my Clapotis. I started this over a year ago, but was going to run out of yarn, so I frogged it, then restarted it fairly recently, making it narrower to ensure I wouldn’t run out of yarn. And it’s so pretty!

The yarn was purchased at the Bendigo Show 2 years ago, from Waratah Fibres. It’s a 4ply (fingering weight) Polwarth. It’s a bit too sticky for the Clapotis, I have to work to drop the stitches, but I’m pleased with it so far. 4ply yarn on 3mm needles is very slow going, however!
This afternoon the skein I was working with ran out, so I wound up the last skein.

There was swearing. I can’t see any bugs or larvae, but I’ve put it back into the ziplock and tossed it in the freezer for now. Thankfully, it was in a ziplock and wasn’t stored with the rest of the stash. It was a limted run yarn, and I can’t get any more.
I’ve heard the freezer is an old wives tale, but my fingers are crossed!