WIP Wednesday

So, why does Christmas only have 25 letters???

Becuse there’s no l!!!!!

Yeah, I know, I’m hilarious 😀 The stocking is coming along slowly- I keep finding excuses to not work on it, which is hardly ideal, but on Sunday I had a tidy up and reorganisation and then immediately picked it up to work on while I watched Les Miz. Excellent musical 🙂 This is 3hr 20mins of work, so I’m hoping that I can finish it this evening…wish me speedy fingers!

 

The sock is also continuing along apace 🙂 I measured it against the recipients foot on Friday, (which is the cause of this somehow amusing photo), and then it was 4.5 inches shorter than the foot, so I needed to do 2.5 inches more before doing something clever for the heel (I’m trying an afterthought heel this time, so that if it wears through rather than felting, it’s relatively easy to replace). The sock at that time was 4.5 inches, which makes it easier to keep track of (although I will measure again when I think I’m far along enough).

I now only need one more inch, so coming along well 🙂 The pattern is from socks a la carte 2, since I might as well use the patterns I’ve bought… I’ll hopefully be at the measuring stage again on Sunday, when I have a movie evening planned with the recipient!

And of course the scrap blanket is getting worked on 🙂 I’ve done 4 hexagons this week, so yay for that! And this last stripe is more than half done, so yay for that too! Nearly finished this blanket!!!!

Next up: either garter stitch entrelac or mitred squares…hmm…decisions decisions decisions…ahh well, I still have a while before I need to decide, I guess!

Merry Christmas Everyone

The hat is basically finished (I have a few more repats to do, then darn in 2 ends, but it’s downstairs and I’m upstairs in bed and I don’t want to get up to photograph it!)

So all that is left for me here is to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and may your WIPs go smoothly!

Here’s a Christmas cracker joke my aunt gave me: What do reindeer have that no other animal does?

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Ready for it?

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Baby reindeer!

Down to the wire

So clearly I was slightly optimistic about getting everything finished soon…my mum’s hat is still on the needles (and still on the ribbing to boot). The pattern does almost knit itself, however I had forgotton (perhaps deliberately) the faff the twisted ribbing is. *lesigh*. I have until Saturday night to finish it, or it wouldn’t be the first all-nighter I’ve pulled on Christmas eve to get everything finished…

Well, I’d best get back to knitting… I guess I’ll just be happy that I’m far enough ahead that this doesn’t mean I completely fluff Christmas!

One week to Christmas

and everything is going swimmingly 🙂 The cat butt coasters will be blocked today, and then they’ll just need wrapping when they’re done. I had rather a lot of fun making these, and it all helps me learn to read my crochet, which is such a useful skill! It’s taking a while to get used to the idea that I have to go all the way around when I want to fix something, rather than just dropping a few stitches the way I do in knitting!

I realised the hard way that starting a new pattern in black yarn is not a good idea…next time I’ll start with the grey!

I was correct about my mum’s hat- it is too big, so that needs restarting. I’m going to take out a pattern repeat, rather than mess around with needle sizes. I’ll get around to starting that today. This really won’t take very long to knit (must remember that I need to finish it early enough to block before Christmas…)

How do you mark the new year as crafters? I felt that I needed to mark the ending of the year by finishing all the loose ends around, such as the socks(photoed at the end of this paragraph) and the current hexagon (that scrappy project was not about to get finished by Christmas!). The cats were also finished before I got on the train to Salisbury for Christmas with the parents (which I’ve labeled as the end of the year for me, I think!). I started a new project for over the holidays(and it’s a 6 hour train ride…). A garter stitch entrelec blanket in the scraps left over from the 2 attic24 blankets, with 4.5mm needles. It feels right to start Christmas/the new year with a project for me, especially a blanket after making so many for other people 🙂

Unfortunately, the socks are considerably too large for me(they’d make a good pair of slipper socks, if I wanted some!). They may fit my mum though, I just keep forgetting to corner her to make her try them on!

Although I also have the needles for a sparkly cardigan if I can find the yarn and pattern for it, and decide to start it. I love the idea of working on what I feel like, rather than rushing to finish Christmas presents, and I definitely want to savour it 🙂 A bit like coming home and wrapping up in a blanket after rushing around shops all day (assuming the heating isn’t on too high for blanket wrapping!)

2 weeks to Christmas…

…so let’s get on with the presents, shall we? The scarf has now been blocked, so looks rather more appetizing than the pile of knitting it was last week!!! The bit which is pulled in is because there are some cables in it, so it’s a lot tighter than the other section. I think that if I do it again (and I’m very tempted), I’ll skip that section.

The hat has also been proceeding apace. The twisted rib was surprisingly alright (I suspect the size of the needles might have played a part with that!) and the body of the hat has now been started, and is racing along. Which I am slightly alarmed by as I was rather hoping to be knitting it on the train on Thursday…it may not last that long. Alternative ideas, anyone??? (Something other than socks???)(and not the other Christmas present) (Or the scrappy blanket for that matter)hmm, maybe a double sided blanket…(knit in squares, don’t worry, I’m not that insane…)

I currently have three projects on the needles right now. Firstly that lace hat, with 3mm needles. I also have a pair of socks on the needles(2mm), and my scrappy blanket(1.5mm). I am rather amused that the thinnest yarn gets the largest needles!

I’ve also been steaming along on my scrappy blanket. I’m loving it, although it is getting a little heavy these days 🙂 That’s what comes of knitting it on 1.5mm needles, I guess!

I finally figured something out the other day, which I thought was worth sharing with you all (aren’t I lovely? ). This pattern involves picking up stitches, which is all well and good until you realise that picking up the second stitch (which is nice and easy to see before you start picking stitches up…) becomes rather difficult as it tries to hide (it’s involved in a k2tog on the first row, so you can’t really blame it, I guess!). BUT, if you stick your darning needle in the stitch before you start picking stitches up, it can’t hide anywhere! I figured I was a genius when I realised this!

I’m planning on doing one more stripe to add to the blanket, then calling it done (it’s not as though I won’t keep adding random hexagons at odd times just because 🙂 ). I’m also thinking about my next scrappy blanket, which may or may not involve me dipping my proverbial toe into pattern creating waters… Wish me luck!(But is going to need my 2mm needles, so I’m going to have to finish my socks before I can start, and then not start more socks…maybe I just need more 2mm knitting needles…)

I’ll be home by Christmas

Well, given how quickly the presents are coming along, I’ll be home and dry long before Christmas! As of today, there are exactly three weeks until Christmas, and I have two Christmas presents still to go. Yarn and patterns have been chosen, all that is left is to actually start making them!

My pen-pal’s cushion has been finished and posted off to her! Woot! I finished just in time(it was sewn up on Thursday just before getting wrapped and posted!)

The pattern for the flowers(free on ravelry) was really clearly written, but I’m never doing it again! It was very tricky, and involved crocheting into the loops left behind from crocheting in the front loop of 5 stitches for one round… But I am glad that I tried it, and the effect really is worth it! I also learnt that I dislike large granny squares! So I’m never going to crochet a large granny square blanket, even if I like the final effect of it.

The scarf for my aunt has also been finished, but as is the way with lace knitting, currently looks rather unappealing! Although I did try it on, and decided that I may make one for myself next year! I love it, even though I dislike scarves in general. This is small enough that I think I like it anyway! The fact that it’s made from lace weight might have something to do with that!

I have also chosen the patterns for the last two presents: catbutt coasters and a hat. In fact, I’m so on top of my Christmas knitting, I’ve gone back to working on my scrappy blanket! I had forgotten how much fun it is to knit this thing, although I’m sure soon enough that I’ll be bored of it! (It should perhaps be noted here that the final two presents are not a surprise, and therefore do not need to be finished by the time I go home for Christmas!)

So how is your Christmas crafting coming along? Happily, or are you starting to think that you should maybe have started sooner?

4 weeks until Christmas…

…and finally the slight panic sets in. This post is just going to be informative- a reminder to myself of what I have to do, and deadlines for everything, so no pretty pictures (because I went on a long fast cycle ride this morning and I still haven’t recovered enough to make getting up from under a blanket a good idea 🙂 )

So, what still needs to be made, and deadlines:

1. Cushion for my American pen pal-deadline 1st December to be posted, so really needs to be finished by the end of Wednesday. If I get around to sewing the front together, I can then just make a giant granny square for the back on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday and put it all together Wednesday evening.
2. Advent scarf for my aunt. I’m going to Salisbury for Christmas on Thursday 15th, so really if possible, this should be done by Sunday 11th, so it can be blocked here
3. Advent hat for my mum. This can be knitted in Salisbury, but I do need to remember the yarn if I don’t start it before then. I also need to figure the pattern, so I should probably start it here in case I need anything funny… Deadline for this really is like the 20th, so it can be blocked.
4. Cat butt coasters for my sister. This is the third thing she asked for this year, I think she keeps forgetting what she’s asked me for! But this is the easiest option so I’m going with it! Again, doesnt need to be kept a secret, so the deadline really is Dec 25. I’m making them out of acrylic, so blocking them will be with my mum’s iron on the ironing board.

This is ridiculously straight forward. I feel as though I’m missing something…But no, that really is everything. Just have to remember to pack all the yarn/presents when I go home!