Week Thirty Two

It's been a very busy week and not nearly as much craft activity as I would have liked.
I did a very big sort out of the yarn stash in the spirit of spring cleaning and a lot of knitting but on only one project.

Lightweight Sweater has progressed. I've cast off the body now and am starting to knit down the sleeves. This photo is a couple of days old, I'm now about 50% of the way down the first sleeve. I hope to have this sweater finished by the end of this coming week.

I pulled yarn for another Annabelle cardigan.
This is Sundara Yarns Aran Silky Merino in the colour "Somewhere Out There"

And I have set aside the Rowan cotton for my boy's jumper in favour of this Worsted Merino. Also by Sundara Yarn but the colour is "The Hours With You". It will be a plain top-down raglan.

Finally, we made a drive down the south coast and on the way I stopped in at Sew and Tell at Berri.
I bought this skein of Tilli Thomas yarn as a s'souvenir'. I thought I could make a little something for my daughter for Christmas with it. Its pink with sparkly pink sequins. Just her thing.

Week Thirty One

Annabelle is finished. I couldn't be happier with it. I love everything about it and wish I hadn't put it off for so long.
It was a boring knit.. all that garter stitch. But on 6.5mm needles, a fast one.

I will be casting on another, probably in Sundara Aran Silky Merino.

That's my only craft report for this week. It has been a very busy week and lots more to come.

I am commiting to myself to reduce the yarn stash during the rest of the year. This Annabelle cardigan made a good start. With that yarn, plus some destashing on ravelry. I have emptied one big plastic tub.

(You can see it on the lowest level)

My plan is to empty all the side tubs either by knitting or by destash.


No sewing this week and maybe not much in the coming week either. We have a new dog taking up my attention so I am sticking with my existing knit projects.
Also the kids have a Book Week Parade. They need help with their costumes.

Week Thirty

I have made good progress on Annabelle.

The body is cast off and I'm working on the sleeves. It has been a long boring knit (even though its been only a couple of weeks of part time knitting). I'm also finding garter stitch plus 6.5mm needles hard on the hands. It has confirmed my decision to destash a lot of yarn at this gauge.

I bought some carved pearl buttons.

Then I finished the fiery teeshirt.

My boy got his pyjama top finished. Its big on him but intended for next winter anyway as the cotton knit has a cosy brushed reverse side.

Apologies for the lack of detail images and the one with the vacuum cleaner in the foreground. Eight year old boys don't like photographers and I have to take the opportunity when it arises. The fabric can be seen in the post of Week Twenty Eight.

Finally I did a little fabric stash sorting and found two silk lengths perfect for summer shift dresses.

This black and white silk called Hitchcock's Birds (for obvious reasons)

And this too. I can't remember what its called, it came from Tessuti Fabrics some time ago.
It also happens to be a perfect with my new four skeins of Wollmeise yarn. In the new "Ooohm" colorway. I think a fingering gauged cardigan would be perfect.

Week Twenty Nine

I cast on two projects, this Annabelle cardigan in Quince Yarn's Osprey (colour Petal). Its a top down garter stitch cardigan. I have had the obligatory two frogging sessions already, so I'm hoping that I'm now on my way to completion.

I cast on one of the fronts for my Brigid cardigan too to see how the cable pattern would look in this colourway.

Then I assembled the green polka dot cotton knit for my daughters pyjamas. She has two identical pairs in this. The top is a straightforward t-shirt traced from one of her own and cut on the large side for longer wear. The bottoms are as earlier projects cut with a bit of flare to the bottom edge.

I added a ric rac trim to the bottom edges.

Here she is.

I was on a roll and dug into the fabric stash and pulled out two small cotton remnants.
This is a brushed cotton remnant I bought from Kelani Fabrics in this year's Sydney Craft Show. The fabic is called Fresh Cut by Heather Bailey.

I have cut out some more pyjama shorts but in this instance, I didn't have enough width in the fabric for an elastic top so I have left one side as a seam and I will add this wide pink satin ribbon as a waistbad and side tie.

I have this cotton remnant too. Its called Love City by Alexander Henry and also bought from Kelani fabrics. I will do some little button loops for the side instead of the ribbon.

Finally, I have cut out but not assembled, this knit fabric for a long sleeved t-shirt for myself. The fabric is called Under Fire and I bought it some time ago from Tessuti Fabrics.

This coming week I'm planning more knitting on Annabelle and Brigid and to complete the sewing projects.

Week Twenty Eight

I cast on a new Brigid Cardigan using the same yarn but in 'Belladonna', a different colourway. I am making some design modifications to the 'Anenome' project of last week.

• Sleeves in 4x4 rib, full length.
• Back and fronts (either side of cable panel) also in 4x4 rib.
• The front button bands and neckline band at a much tighter gauge.
• Amending stitch counts.

I completed a sleeve this week. I love this yarn colour and in the rib. I am not sure if I will be partially ripping this sleeve down though. I slimmed the fit by reducing the stitch count, but I might have overdone it. I am going to do one of the fronts and the back and see how it fits to the armhole.

I continued to knit on Lightweight Pullover in the Sundara Worsted Silky Alpaca 'Rhythm of the Saints' colour. I still have a way to go on the body. I have decided to omit the ribbing.

And I also knit a little on my Larch Cardigan. Also Sundara yarn, but Sport Merino in the colour 'Arabian Nights'.

Then I did a little bit of sewing. I made some pyjama pants for my nine year old boy. This cotton knit fabric is very soft with a brushed finish to the reverse side. Its by Hilco and I bought it from Earth Girl Fabrics. I cut out a tshirt top too, but I still have to sew it.

I cut out the green polkadot Oliver + S knit fabric the previous week for two pairs of pyjama tops and bottoms for my daughter. I still have to sew them up but I bought some white ricrac edging from a local fabric store.

Finally, I dug deeply in the yarn stash. I pulled four colours of Rowan All Seasons Cotton for kids sweaters.
The first time I used this yarn, my boy was in preschool. He lost his jumper but we found it a week later buried in the sandpit, once washed it was as good as new. This is a very hardwearing yarn.

The soft pink is for my daughter. A simple sweater with some texture or cables and set in sleeves.

• The variegated pink is for a poncho like sweater, also for my daughter.
• The blue grey is for a plain raglan sweater for my boy.
• The red is also for my boy, but I might add a few stripes.

Finally, since I'm trying to make space in the stash, I pulled more aran gauged yarn. This time for myself. I plan an Annabelle cardigan in this Quince Osprey yarn. (Colour 'Petal') I will make a coordinating 'Serafina' cowl. (Ravelry links).

Knitting with 5mm needles will be refreshing for the next few weeks. Most of my recent knitting has been on 3.5 or 3.75mm.

Week Twenty Seven - Update

Only one project to show this week. I finished Brigid.
I am not very happy with it. A lot of that disappointment is in the yarn. I love the Fibre Company Terra (I made one of my favourite projects the "Adelaide Yoke Sweater" from it) but this colour Anenome isn't really as flattering as it could be, and it shows up a lot of the slubs.

I have two options (well three if I include the the "departure box")

(1) I could wear it like a sweater and sew up the button band on the inside. Still leaving the buttons, although they would be decorative only.

I'm not happy about the fit. On the one hand the button band gapes, and although its not particularly stretched, it actually feels too big. Maybe the shaping is off. The waist line is much lower and making everything look much more saggy than my real life deserves. (Even after two children)

The buttons are very pretty, but they are not inspirational on this fabric. Plus the button band placement isn't right. The top button should sit higher towards the neckline.


Also
(2) Leave it as a cardigan, but this dress also needs adjustment as its too full of fabric.

I haven't decided what to do about it. Any comments are gratefully received.

In the meantime I continue to knit on my Lightweight Sweater.
More sewing next week!

Week Twenty Seven

The good news is that I have finished my Brigid cardigan. But I am away from home all day Monday, so will post my finished project photos on Tuesday.