Week Six

I finished Gnarled Oak cardigan and I'm very pleased with it. Summer is almost over in Australia so I'm looking forward to a cooler Autunm season.

I think I need to make some charcoal grey trousers or a semi-fitted dress to go with this glorious gilded yellow and so I received this wool faille in the mail this week. I just need to choose a pattern.

Having finished one cardigan, I immediately cast on another sweater.
This time Lotus Tee by Carol Sunday which came with its own yarn. Here are the colours:

Weeklends are usually for sewing, but this was cut short by social comitments. I did get to finish my daughter's dress mentioned last week.
I thought it was a sleeveless dress but when I unfolded my cut fabric I realised I'd previously cut out a sundress. It did make it a quicker assembly.

If she's going to get any wear out of it, all the more reason I should cast on another cropped Polly cardigan (from Rowan Kids). This Madeline Tosh Vintage in Lepodotra would be a perfect match.

Finally, I have cast on a scarf in this gorgeous Merino/Silk worsted by Skein yarns. Its to go to Washington as a thank you gift. The pattern is Marialis End-to-End Scarf. I hope to have it finished in the next few weeks.

In the coming week I also hope to have some progress to show for the Lotus Tee and the body complete on Lightweight pullover in the pale creamy white Aslan Trends Invernal ready to start the sleeves.

If I'm inspired to start another project, I might cast on Rose and Crosses Pullover in the colours of Road to China Light.

Week Five

At last, I'm closing in on completing my Gnarled Oak cardigan in Madelinetosh Pashmina. The colour is Candlewick. My plan is to have it finished and photographed next week.
I have to sew in the ends. I have a buttonhole band to complete.

A closer look at the buttons. They are a perfect colour match with enough lustre to set off the yarn.

I will continue Lightweight Pullover (in Aslan Trends Invernal, pictured in a previous week) and cast on Rose and Crosses Pullover in a combination of Fibre Co Road to China Light.
The main colour will be the blue-green of Tourmaline with the minor colourwork rows in Hematite and Grey Pearl and the dominant roses rows adding in Citrine with the spot of green Peridot as a highlight.

Sewing plans. In my stash clean-out, I discovered two projects cut out but not assembled for my daughter. I must get on to completeing these before she outgrows them and they become quite useless.

Firstly, this sleeveless dress in a floral cotton which I'd prepositioned with this striped bias binding.
(I can't help but think my Madelinetosh Vintage in Lepidotera would make a fantastic cardigan to go with this.)

And kimono style pyjamas in a combination of this Liberty Tana Lawn (Mitzi Green) and a Saffron Craig cotton. I have matching Liberty bias binding.

Finally a minor crafting project. I bought these white denim shorts for my daughter in the Gap Kids sale. I thought they were a terrific bargain and that she would get a lot of wear out of them. Her opinion was very negative. She declared them to be too boyish. Thankfully I had this iron-on butterfly transfer which turned them into her "favourites".

Yarn arrived this week. These beautiful 100% merino Superwash by Wollmeise. the colour is Petit Poison Nr. 5 dark.

There are three well matched skeins and I'm putting them aside for a Vitamin D cardigan.

Week Four

A very busy week and only a few little craft accomplishments.

I completed the detailed yoke of the Gnarled Oak cardigan in Madeline Tosh Pashmina (Candlewick colour). I have a few plain rows to cast off the neckline, then button bands and seaming the sleeves which I knitted flat.
Next week I will shop for buttons.

I made a very quick cushion with a panel of screen printed linen by Australian textile artist Kristen Doran. This print is called "Winters Nest".
(The cushion behind it was assembled some months ago and is covered with a vintage 1970s fabric.

I shopped online for fabric for my daughters bedroom. She is going to have a wall of deep bookshelves (which hopefully will help things stay tidier) and two large wall panels covered in the bold floral "Rose Ruby" linen fabric produced by the Sydney design company Cloth Australia.

She will also have a plain pinboard covered in the background natural linen.
Then I bought short pieces of both the coordinating "Stoney Ruby" print and the "Pod Ruby" prints for miscellaneous cushions and upholstery bits. (Which I'm still to think about.)

Week Three

First week of school term is now over. I was very busy, I kept putting off Candlewick's knitting with its counted stitches and charts in favour of the easy repetition of the Lightweight Pullover in Invernal. I covered lots of books in sticky plastic and made plans for new joinery.

A small craft inspired repair. My daughters school bag has a side pocket where she puts her water bottle. It had a hole and wouldn't hold the bottle any more. So in the last few weeks of term she would put her bottle inside her bag instead. Six year old girls don't always tighten the bottle top and the books get soggy.

Since a new school bag with the official school crest is about AU$70, I was inspired to repair it.
I used lots of ribbon and braid offcuts threaded through the mesh and tied off. A little blue sparkly stitch marker was tied into the mix for "extra beauty".

I finished the shift dress with the Banana Gate silk and cotton voile.

With the leftovers I made a simple tie top for my daughter. The good thing about this top (or dress version) is that as she gets taller it will still fit. At the moment the ties are hitched right up to the maximum.

Thinking about casting on  Rose and Cross Pullover by Kristin Spurkland using this Road to China Light yarn.
Colours as follows:
Main colour- Carnelian.
Contrast colours- Autumn Jasper, Riverstone and Peridot

I made banana and raisin cupcakes.

Craft activity this week is to knuckle down to the Candlewick cardigan yoke.

Week Two

Lots more sewing than knitting over this past week. Thursday was Australia Day, we took a holiday on Friday and had a lovely four day weekend.

I finished the pink floral dress by sewing down the yellow binding. My daughter got her doll dress too. She helped and it was a rough construction... but she loves it.

I cut and completed a top. The silk crepe fabric was part of my shopping spree in Beijing. Vogue V1179 cut shorter to wear with blue jeans.

I cut out a simple shift dress in this silk cotton voile . "Banana Gate" from Tessuti Fabrics. I also cut the remainder into a little smock top for my daughter using a pattern traced from my favorite Japanese kids book. Got just enough of the blue for the tie straps on the shoulders. I'll finish both next weekend.

I completed the knitting yellow Candlewick (from Week 1) up to the joining for the yoke. Its not photographed because it looks pretty much like last week. So spent a little time on my Lightweight pullover in Aslan Trends Invernal. I'm about to split off the sleeve stitches (the picture is an early one).

This coming week, now that we're back in the city and the kids are back at school will have much more knitting. I hope to start the decorative yoke on the yellow Candlewick. And will have the Invernal sweater as a carry along project.

Week One

This is the last week of the school holidays. Thursday is the Australia Day public holiday, so we're leaving the city for a long weekend up at the beach.

I plan to continue knitting on my Gnarled Oak Cardigan with Madtosh Pashmina in Candlewick. I have back, sleeves and almost done with the fronts. I'm knitting flat in pieces, aiming to get to the yoke joining by end of Wednesday for yoke knitting over the weekend.

I also plan to finish sewing this simple cotton dress for my six year old daughter. I wasn't planning on buying the fabric but she was shopping with me and the hot pink floral called to her. It's a sleeveless dress with a back zipper. To finish, all I need is some bright yellow thread to sew down the bias edging. The extra fabric is set aside because she's hoping I'll make a matching dress for her 18" doll.

Yarn arrived this past week, so I'll ball wind this lovely Madtosh Pashmina in Ink.
I think it wants to be a cardigan, so I'll be browsing patterns!