Finally, the Fern Garden Stole.

Draped on the furniture.


Modelled.



Obligatory closeups.
I’m over the moon with it! Apologies for the delayin blogging about it, I had the costume to finish for yesterday morning, and I got struck down by a migraine/virus Thursday night that’s still lingering on. I haven’t even been knitting. I tried to work on a sock last night, and it was giving me motion sickness.
Anyway, specs.
Pattern: Fern Garden Stole from Alpaca with a Twist. I added beads to the edging, and I did two extra repeats in the body of the stole.
Needles: Inox greys, 3mm.
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr 50% Merino, 50% silk in White, about 110g.
I didn’t get my Easter Show entries in on time this year, but I’ll put this one in the local Campbelltown Show, I think.

A random type of post today.
Good thing number one.
A parcel from my friend Jill.

All those wonderful US knitting magazines, Peeps, and gorgeous, gorgeous sock yarn. It’s a 50/50 Merino Tencel blend, from Seacoast Handpainted Yarn. Aren’t the colours just the prettiest? This one is definitely for me. I think I need more feet to wear all the socks I want to knit!
I was going through the magazines, when I noticed the “Ladybug” headband in the Spring 2007 Knitscene. The yarn they used was Zara, and I just happened to have an almost full ball that was stewing inthe leftovers box. So I whipped out some needles and got to work.

I love it when I can use up leftovers. Especially on something I like! Em has laid claim to this one, though.
Good thing number 2.
The Fern Garden Stole is blocking this very minute. By tomorrow it’ll be ready. Yippee!!
Bad thing number one.
Yesterday morning, I wandered up to my local Tar-jay store, to pick up a coat from the Stella McCartney range that was released just yesterday. Coincidently, Spotlight was having a 20% storewide sale, so I stopped in there first for some fabric I needed for one of Em’s costumes. Had a bit of a look about, then headed on up to Target. The store opened at 9am, and I got there around 10.30.
Gone.
The coat I wanted sold out in 15 minutes. The other coat I liked was there. One of them. In a size that’s now too big for me. (Can I curse Weight Watchers now?)
$199 coats, gone. Sold out in 15 minutes. Plenty of Trench coats left, but I didn’t want a trench coat, I wanted a wool/cashmere coat. Apparently many of the fashionistas from the Northern and Eastern suburbs came all the way out to the ‘burbs to avoid the crowds, and scooped up all the stock.
No Stella coat for me! It was more than I should have spent anyway, and David threatened me that if I spent that much on a coat, I couldn’t go to the USA. I need a good coat to go to New York in winter, don’t I?
No doubt I’ll manage to find something else I like, and at a lower price, but I was pretty bummed.
Bad thing number 2.
Emily wants a Blythe doll for her birthday.
Bloody hell! They cost nearly as much as a Stella McCarthey coat! And are about as hard to find locally, too. Don’t think that one is happening, unless I trip over a ripoff somewhere. Now I know where the Bratz dolls originated, though. I found her a mini Blythe on eBay, but even that was $30 with postage, and it’s only about 15cm tall.
Now I’m off to do some cutting and sewing. A friend rang last night to ask if I could design and sew a costume for her daughter. By Saturday.
Guess what I’ll be doing for the rest of the week?

Saturday Sky.
The moon forgot to go to bed.

And do you see what I see?

Edging, baby!! We’re on the home stretch now!

I have good news, and I have bad news.
The good news is that I have a finished item to show you all.
The bad news is that it isn’t the Fern Garden Stole.
I finished the 12 repeats the pattern called for, then I decided that It could be just a little bit longer. So it’s not finished. I decided on two more repeats, and I’ve done one, just one more to go, then the edging.
To soften the blow, I pulled out something that should’ve been finished long ago, and did something about it.

It’s the Jo Sharp cardi that I started before we went on holiday.
It doesn’t look like much in that pic, but I’m pretty happy with it. No-one home to take a picture of me in it, but I will endeavour to fix that over the weekend.
All it needed was seaming and buttons, so I worked at the seaming on and off all week, and picked up some buttons yesterday.

It looks pretty boxy laid out like that, but there is a little bit of subtle shaping involved.

There is a small problem, though. I started knitting this at Christmas, and since then, a friend and I have joined a certain weight loss group. And I’m shrinking a little, and I think maybe I’d have been happier with the next size down. But the sizes jump by 10cm (4″) each size, so I’m right in between the two sizes right now.
And after I was displeased with the sleeves in the Leaf Panel Sweater, I made these just a tad wider. I wish I’d left them be.
But I might appreciate the extra size when the weather gets cold, and I’m wearing it over something else.
Overall? I’m happy with it.
Specs: “Tweed Cardigan” from Jo Sharp “Knit 2”
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in Fleece
I really like this yarn. I knit a jumper for David in it about a year and a half ago, and it’s really nice to work with, and deliciously soft to wear.
Another unfinished object I’ve not mentioned in a week or so is the Bloomin’ feet sock. There’s a good reason for that.

It’s still unfinished. I’m such a slacker!
But here’s something to distract you all from that.

Twinkie says Hi!!

Can’t blog, busy knitting.

Fern Garden is almost finished. It’s even grown since I took this picture.