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Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!

You wouldn't think it was Christmas Eve, the boys are not going to sleep, which means Santa isn't coming yet.  We can't wrap the presents yet either.   However, they are looking forward to tomorrow, despite already having some of their presents.  They already have the pool, and the kittens!

I'm still working on Thomas' socks; the first is finished, second is only 10 rows into the foot after increases finished, and I realised afterwards I did a different toe on this one.  Nevermind, this means Thomas can decide which he prefers, I'm not frogging.
Just a plain basic sock, but in this yarn that's what we want.  I'm not sure I like the colourway, but Thomas seems happy enough, so we'll keep on knitting.   I'm going to take a break tomorrow for some spinning on Christmas day though, between making a loaf of bread and another pavlova (Dad wants one too)
Last couple of days have been busy, today's been cleaning day.  Yesterday I made the first pavlova
did some gardening
and watched our kittens.  Ray desperately wants to get outside, she's worked out the front screen door so we have to lock it now; she's a shoulder cat given the chance.  Star's not quite so friendly, but still lovely.   Here for your entertainment are some gratuitous kitty photos

Look at us, aren't we lovely?   I am controlling your mind silly human, we are lovely!
Why thank-you for the lovely dangly toys; we are finding them fascinating, do you mind if we steal some to kill later?

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Fratello Finished and Interweave Knits Review

This is going to be a fairly busy blog post.   1st of all a photo of the surprise blogtoberfest package I won
As you can see there was a red theme.  2 covered buttons, a small thimble, a trowel and fork pair of buttons, a print ribbon, 1 skein of embroidery floss and some gorgeous fat quarters.   It was well worth the wait!   The Crafty Librarian was the blog I won this from.

Next thing is Fratello is finally finished!  George likes it and so do I.  The cable doesn't show well in photo's  but it looks fine in real life.  I did make one adjustment to the pattern, I added some 2x2 rib to the bottom of the sleeve so it won't curl up
Excuse the funny look on his face, I couldn't get a good photo.

In other news the kittens are gorgeous and growing and wanting out!

as you can see, this is both of them attempting to get to the doorhandle to open it.   Luckily they haven't succeeded yet.  Oh, and Ray it turns out is a girl, so we have 2 wee girls

Interweave Knits Winter 2010


Yes, it's that time again.  It arrived earlier in the week and now I'm going to go through and say what I think of each pattern and what changes need to be made to make them nicer.

This isn't one of their best efforts, if I'd seen it in the shop I probably wouldn't have bought it, but having a sub, I do have it.

The Charvet Pullover:
This has potential, I'm not sure if it's a round neck or V, but it's not too wide.  I think the shoulders are a little too wide on the model they've chosen and I'd lengthen the sleeves and body.  I probably won't knit it even with those ammendments though, it just doesn't have enough 'wow' factor for me.

Zoe Scheffy's Latvian Braid Mitts:
These I like very much, enough texture to be interesting and with a touch of colour.   Might put these in the queue.

Barclay Sweater:
Not really my thing, can't see DH in it, though in black, charcoal and grey he might consider it, there are more suitable patterns out there for him though.  Neckline is a little wide.

Flowering Plum Pullover:
Don't like this much at all, doesn't fit very well under the arms.  I think it might work better in a more subtle colour selection.  The purple and white is a little too stark.

Kinetic Cowl:
Fairly basic looking, but with being bias I'd expect a little more drape, maybe the gauge is a little tight.  I think if it draped more it would be very pretty.

Lollipop Cap:
Looks more like a beret to me, but that's just semantics.  It is a nice hat once again in different colours, maybe navy instead of white.  I would knit it.

Spoked Hat:
I really like this wee hat, it's feminine, classic and sweet all at the same time, this I would knit.   Nicely fitted and should be easy to knit.  Would look good on a guy too I suspect.

Isobel Skirt:
There is potential here, but it needs to be longer, just too short  for me.

Prism Pullover:
Where's the full sized photo of the front?   Mind you the photo of the back puts me off completely.  Too low in the back, shapeless and from what you can see on the tiny front photo in the instructions it's just as bad from the front.

Evergreen Vest:
I like this, slightly rustic looking.  I think I'd ditch the pockets as they just spoil the line of the front, but aside from that it's practical and would be fantastic on the farm or doing outdoor work in winter.

Tuckernuck Cardigan:
This is gorgeous, if I had a little girl she'd be getting this in a heartbeat, in fact I'd drop what I was knitting now for it.  However I don't so if anyone asks me for a cute girl cardigan I'll point them to the magazine.

Crocus Cardigan:
I'd knit this for me, but longer n the body and sleeves.  Aside from that love the shape and the front panel pattern.

Slouchy Cable Pullover:
Once again shapeless, sleeves too short and neck too low.  Yuck.

Galvanised Cardigan:
I quite like this, it's a basic cardigan with a little embroidery to highlight the rib details on the collar, cuffs and hem.  Simple, but effective and with a raglan sleeve.

Ginevra's Pullover:
I like the idea of this, but something's not quite right with the real thing.  I think it's the level that the laceweight goes down to, it's not low enough to be an empire, but too low for a flattering standard neckline it's also too wide at the shoulder.  Would have worked better with just a couple of inches less width.

Oslo Walk Shawl:
This is more of a scarf than a shawl to me due to the width, however it's still very pretty and I think will be on the list for a later knit.

Winter Wren Cardigan:
Parts of this I like, others I hate.  Love the colours and fair-isle style, however it doesn't work with the ruffles. Make it longer in body and sleeves, deruffle it and change the fastening and I'd knit it.

Thandie Funnel Neck:
This I love as is, no changes required.  Love the combination of yarns, love the neck, length; everything.

Pinked Socks:
I like these well enough, but I'm confident enough in colourwork that it's a bit simplistic now.  Would look fantastic in black and white though

Art Deco Argyle Stockings:
I'd use different colours, probably more traditional ones, but I do like these.  I do think they made them a touch too long for the model though.

Stranded Boot Stockings:
Traditional Norweigan style knee socks, I hate the colour they've used, but love the pattern.  Unfortunately they're not exactly unique.

Alpha Stockings:
I like these a lot, I like twisted stitches and they look really good in a knee high.  Will definitely keep these in mind.

Pavo Slipper Socks:
I like that they have sizes for children and adults, but probably won't knit them as I prefer longer socks.

Houndstooth and a Half Jacket:
What on earth were they thinking?  It's the wrong colours, the yarn's too heavy, pattern too large and.....
I think this one needs redesigning from scratch.

Gloucester Coat:
I like the look of it, but would like a picture with the hood up.  From what I can see my interest is piqued and I'll be watching it on Ravelry for pictures of other people's creations.  I love the cables.

Ginza Sport Coat:
No man I know would be caught dead in this.  DH thinks it's hideous, and I have to agree.  Yuk, looks like something that Grandpa put in the shed for doing his gardening in cos Nana wouldn't let it in the house.

Burnham Wood Capelet:
This I like, nice shaping, a little tight on the model, but that's easily rectified.  I like the closures too.

Ok, that's it for this.  On a related note though, does anyone know where I put the scarf I finished a couple of weekends back?   I can't find it and I need to find it tonight!

Fratello Finished and Interweave Knits Review

This is going to be a fairly busy blog post.   1st of all a photo of the surprise blogtoberfest package I won
As you can see there was a red theme.  2 covered buttons, a small thimble, a trowel and fork pair of buttons, a print ribbon, 1 skein of embroidery floss and some gorgeous fat quarters.   It was well worth the wait!   The Crafty Librarian was the blog I won this from.

Next thing is Fratello is finally finished!  George likes it and so do I.  The cable doesn't show well in photo's  but it looks fine in real life.  I did make one adjustment to the pattern, I added some 2x2 rib to the bottom of the sleeve so it won't curl up
Excuse the funny look on his face, I couldn't get a good photo.

In other news the kittens are gorgeous and growing and wanting out!

as you can see, this is both of them attempting to get to the doorhandle to open it.   Luckily they haven't succeeded yet.  Oh, and Ray it turns out is a girl, so we have 2 wee girls

Interweave Knits Winter 2010


Yes, it's that time again.  It arrived earlier in the week and now I'm going to go through and say what I think of each pattern and what changes need to be made to make them nicer.  

This isn't one of their best efforts, if I'd seen it in the shop I probably wouldn't have bought it, but having a sub, I do have it.

The Charvet Pullover:
This has potential, I'm not sure if it's a round neck or V, but it's not too wide.  I think the shoulders are a little too wide on the model they've chosen and I'd lengthen the sleeves and body.  I probably won't knit it even with those ammendments though, it just doesn't have enough 'wow' factor for me.

Zoe Scheffy's Latvian Braid Mitts:
These I like very much, enough texture to be interesting and with a touch of colour.   Might put these in the queue.

Barclay Sweater:
Not really my thing, can't see DH in it, though in black, charcoal and grey he might consider it, there are more suitable patterns out there for him though.  Neckline is a little wide.

Flowering Plum Pullover:
Don't like this much at all, doesn't fit very well under the arms.  I think it might work better in a more subtle colour selection.  The purple and white is a little too stark.

Kinetic Cowl:
Fairly basic looking, but with being bias I'd expect a little more drape, maybe the gauge is a little tight.  I think if it draped more it would be very pretty.

Lollipop Cap:
Looks more like a beret to me, but that's just semantics.  It is a nice hat once again in different colours, maybe navy instead of white.  I would knit it.

Spoked Hat:
I really like this wee hat, it's feminine, classic and sweet all at the same time, this I would knit.   Nicely fitted and should be easy to knit.  Would look good on a guy too I suspect.

Isobel Skirt:
There is potential here, but it needs to be longer, just too short  for me.

$100 Holiday Gift from Novica

$100 Holiday Gift from Novica

Sunday, December 05, 2010

Yesterday and other things

 I think this is Star, she's usually moving fast, so's Ray and in this photo it's hard to see her markings.  Both kittens are doing well, they get their first shots on Wednesday, so another month or so and then they can go outside.   Star wants outside now!   Unfortunately for her we're not prepared to let her do that till she's fairly safe from cat flu etc.
This arrived probably a couple of weeks ago now, it's a fibre sampler from Ewe Beaute fibres.    There's a couple of yarns in there and a stitch marker, but I requested the fibre heavy version and that's what I got.  Now I can add the fibre in this to my scrappy yarn fibre bag.  There's some yummy stuff in here including a couple of part-batts.   Will be fun to use this.

Now, the reason for this post was what I did yesterday.   Joanne, Paula and I were invited to fill some spots on a mystery bus tour.  It cost $15 for the bus as we don't belong to Fran's guild (Wigram Spinners), but that was still a completely reasonable cost for a full day out.  
We got to park our cars in a secure carpark, we had to take money for lunch and possible purchases (I needed more).  We started doing a competition where we had to write down all the things we could see from the bus that started with the letter P.  I won the first prize, a peanut slab which I gave to Thomas when I got home as I dont' like peanuts.

1st stop was Helen Heddell's farm where we got to see some Moorit Merino's; they wouldn't let us get close, so I had to use zoom to get these photo's.

One of them had the cutest black and white lamb; you can see him in this photo.  Helen had a couple of very nice Merino fleeces available, but I already have lots of white Merino and a couple of half fleeces of grey/black Merino's too, so I didn't need any more of that.

Next stop was at an Angora goat farm, these guys weren't shy!  Lovely animals, really enjoyed the time with them, and I had to buy some fibre as I only have a little mohair atm.  I got a kilo of kid mohair, medium grade as high grade wasn't too affordable.  $30 got me a lovely bag of soft yumminess though.
 Fibre
 Angora female goat
Part of the herd

Next stop was at Cust where I spent nothing, but did see a couple of bags I really like.   I"m going to have to save up for one to replace my current shoulder bag.  It's looking rather the worse for wear and a lot of the stitching has gone.

After that we went to Oxford where we stopped off at Jo Seager's restaurant for lunch.  This is what I had
Waffles with banana's, bacon and maple syrup; I was a little overfull after that so didn't get a dessert, to be honest I thing a dessert on top of that would have killed me!  I also got a rather nice hot chocolate too.

After lunch I had a wander around the art gallery, took a look at the old jail (2 rooms) and also looked through a little shop that had less stuff than the one in Cust, but also less atmosphere.  I didn't buy anything from there, or from Jo Seager's kitchen shop.   I'm afraid $59 for a cake form is a little too high for me.

Our next stop was Heavenly Wools where I'm afraid I blew the rest of my spending money.   I got 7 bags of dyed Merino top; 4 different colours.  I also received the mystery gift from the trip which in my case was some navy Merino top and some dyed mohair locks; yummy!
 a little peak at my fibre purchases here
my gift, you can't see the locks, but they're in lots of pastelly shades so should work well with the navy

Here's the place that they live, it's a converted church.  Not enough space for me, but very nice
You can see our bus on the left.  Some of the outside was covered in plastic siding by the previous owners, the current ones are not sure about this concept, a bit like they're not sure about the hot water cylinder that's currently on display in the kitchen end of the church.      I didn't get a photo of that, but I took one from that end of the house looking up towards the nave of the church
Isn't it pretty?   The bedroom is upstairs above my head when I took this photo, it's a mezzanine floor but quite private.

I did get quite a bit of knitting done on the trip, haven't a photo of it at the point I got to yesterday, but here's Fratello before it hit the bus
This wool doesn't photograph well, but it looks fantastic in person.  The jersey is for George and is being knit top-down with a centre-front cable.   I'm hoping to finish the body tonight.

That's it for a bit, got lots happening in the next couple of weeks, the NZ Creative Fibre group is putting on a gathering for Christchurch guild members next Saturday due to the earthquake, Sunday next week is our Christmas celebration with my family as some of them won't be in town on the day.  The following Saturday is another guild Christmas lunch.   This Monday is the Judo Christmas thing, not really looking forward to that, I have nothing in common with most of the parents there, or at least that's how it feels and Ian finds those things a little overwhelming too.

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