The delicate art

How does the most common piece of unsolicited parenting advice go? "Knit while the baby sleeps." (Wait, that's not the advice you remember?)

Easier said than done. When the baby is sleeping I'm usually trying to eat or shower or sleep or do mundane household tasks. Or we're on the way from point A to point B - he often sleeps in the pram. Needless to say I haven't done a huge amount of knitting in baby Bean's* first month of life.

*Not his real name.

I hear some people manage to knit while nursing. I'm not sure I'm coordinated enough, but next time I'm using circular needles, I'll give it a try. At the moment my only active project is Elijah on DPNs, and I'm nervous about dropping a DPN point-first into an ear or something. (See aforementioned uncoordinated nature.) I'm onto the second arm, though, so the end is in sight. A small circumference means that even if I only do a few stitches at a time I make noticeable progress.

So that's where I'm at with my knitting. I do browse Ravelry a huge amount during 3 am feeds (and 4, 5, and 6 am etc), queuing and favouriting things I won't have time to make for the next 10 years, but hey!

WIP Wednesday: Elijah

Just dropping by to show progress on a new WIP. This one has been waiting for an excuse for years - I even bought a matching project bag a few years back.



Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Katia Cotton 100%

I've made a few things that could be considered 'toys' but never anything for a small person, so I haven't worried much about how they'd hold up with washing. That was definitely a concern for me here - I was less worried about the yarn than I was about how the stuffing would behave in the wash. I don't normally swatch for things that don't need to be a certain size/fit, so I was reluctant to do it for this. But after much avoidance I made a swatch in the form of a small stuffed knitted sausage with the yarn and stuffing I planned on using. Washed it, it held up fine, and off I went! Phew. Swatching vindicated.

Elijah is knitting up quickly so far. I hope I finish it at least by the time the baby shows interest in grabbing things, if not before the birth... we'll see.

WIP: Torrent Socks

Thought I'd give a proper update on one of the Blue Period projects I alluded to before.



(They're blue, but not THIS blue. Photo colour does not correspond to real life.)

My Torrent socks are proceeding apace. Given how many projects I have on the go, I'm actually surprised by how quickly these are going. Nearly at the heels! The back of the ankle is all stockinette; I think this helps with the speed as well as making them very enjoyable to knit. I get bored easily with all-stockinette projects, and bogged down with nothing-but-lace, so these are the best of both!

Ever had a project go more quickly than you expected?

Blue period

These are my current WIPs. Apparently I'm in my blue period? (To be fair I love blue and use it a lot, but didn't realize until now that all my WIPs were similarly dark blue.)

In the pile is a Puerperium baby cardigan in navy blue and pink-purple cotton, Pecan Crush cardigan in my reclaimed BFL/Alpaca yarn from my last post, and Torrent socks in lovely Scottish hand-dyed yarn I've had in my stash since moving to Scotland in the first place. (Stash-match FTW!)

Three WIPs makes me a little antsy, but I am enjoying them all. I'll finish the baby knit soon enough which will bring me down to two long-haul projects, though don't be surprised if I immediately cast-on another tiny quick baby project!

Do you have colour themes in your knitting without even realizing it?

New WIP: Arya mitts

I've made a start on the Arya Mitts by Patti Waters. This is another project towards my Stash Match.



I'm glad that I'm finally using this yarn because it is beautiful. This yarn was a gift in a swap from several years ago. It's Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. Very pretty in the skein, but as I was winding it I fell in love with the colours even more. It's subtly variegated in blues, greens, and purples - I thought it might be too busy for this cable pattern at first, but I think it will work okay. The twisted-stitch cables are surprisingly intuitive!

WIP: Greenest Shawl

I've made some progress on my Cinnamon Stone shawl. The rows definitely feel long now, and it no longer seems to fly by. I'm still excited to see the pattern coming through, though!



Plus, I've reached the stage where the lace pattern for each row is on 3 separate charts. Definitely not television knitting, this! I haven't done anything with such an involved chart in a while, but it is going well. Luckily, the wrong-side rows have no lace, so my brain gets a bit of a rest then.

What are you working on? See some other WIPs at Stitch-Along Wednesday.

WIP Wednesday: Cinnamon Stone Shawl

The boringness of my stockinette cardigan was getting me down, so I started something new. (As one does.)



This is the Cinnamon Stone Shawl by Verybusymonkey. I'm happy to say that this is something from my Stash Match Project that I started last year - sometimes I can stay on track!

The yarn is Old Maiden Aunt Superwash Merino 4 ply (aka my favourite yarn), in the Emerald City colourway. Cameras can't handle how green this yarn is, so I oversaturated the colour in an attempt to bring out the awesome greenness. It doesn't quite capture it, still. It is so green. It glows!

I'm at the stage where the rows are still short enough that they fly by, and I love watching the lace pattern develop.

Linking up with Stitch Along Wednesday

Outfit Along update

There are only a few days left in the official Outfit Along, and as expected I'm not going to finish my sweater on time. But it's cool - I got my skirt done!


Modeled shots to follow at some point. I swear I ironed it, but the hanger makes it bunch up more than it should.

The pattern is the Alder Skirt by Imagine Gnats. This is the first time in my adult life that I've made a garment from a pattern. I had a few false starts and my cutting/sewing accuracy could be better, but oh well.

Problem the First:

The first time I sewed it all together the pockets gaped horribly. I have a suspicion that the pockets are suppose to gape a bit in View A, but it is hard to tell how much since most of the pictures of that view include hands in the pockets. In all likelihood, slight errors in cutting and matching made mine even worse. I decided I didn't want balloon pockets, so I had to undo the side seams and move things around until they didn't gape so much.

Problem the Second:

When putting the elastic in for the waist, it seemed like I wouldn't be able to put it on over my hips. This was made worse by the rejigging I had to do for the pockets. I contemplated trying to install a zipper, but decided that might be too much for my tiny brain to handle at this stage. In the end, I can juuuust barely get it over my hips, so it's fine. I can always fall back on putting it over my head.

Here it is with my Cria cardigan in progress:



(strange shoulder lumps are from the skirt hanger)

I'm at the endless stockinette body stage, and it seems like it will last forever. Ah well - it'll be worth it in the end!

WIP Wednesday: things other than knitting

I've been doing some non-knitting things lately, so I wanted to show my other hobby WIPs this week.

First, I've become slightly obsessed with the idea of growing things since we moved into our new flat. A few weeks ago I bought one of those grow-your-own-herb kits, and I'm pleased to report that I haven't killed them yet!



I've got parsley, basil, and chives sprouting cheerfully on the window sill. Hopefully I can keep them alive long enough to reap some delicious fresh herbs this spring.

I've also been sewing - although I got a sewing machine the Christmas before last, I haven't used it much other than for some hemming and repairs, and a few small projects. Now I've got the bug, though.



Above, you can see most of the bits of my tweed handbag. I've actually sewn it all together since I took the photo, but I still need to attach the handle. I bought the tweed when I went to Harris last summer and dithered about choosing a bag pattern for ages until I finally settled on the Simply Stylish Bag by Lisa Lam. It's relatively simple as handbags go, but it's the most complicated thing I've sewn so far, in that it involves many layers, and interfacing, and magnetic snaps, and pockets... so I'm pretty pleased that it mostly worked out. Some wonkiness involved, but that's to be expected. FO photos coming up once I get that handle attached.

I'm linking up with Stitch-Along Wednesday this week. Click the link to check out more WIPs.

WIP Wednesday: Raiun

It's cardigan-blob day! I'm knitting Raiun by Kirsten Johnstone. I feel like it is going quickly... but then I've been at it nearly a month, according to Ravelry, and I've only just divided for the sleeves. So maybe not quickly, but obviously it is keeping me interested. I'm hopeful I'll finish this in time for warmer weather since I'm using a wool-cotton blend, and will probably leave it at 3/4 sleeves.

Check out more WIPs at Stitch-Along-Wednesday.

WIP Wednesday: Luna Viridis

For the first time in a long time, I have a new exciting WIP on a Wednesday!

I have the beginnings of a delightful cowlette on the needles right now.



Luna Viridis, by Hilary Smith Callis is fun so far. I've never made a cowlette - a cowl that mimics the shape of a shawlette wrapped around the neck. It seems like it will be very wearable, but we'll have to see when I'm finished.

The yarn is Sweet Georgia Cashluxe Fine, which is Merino/Cashmere/Nylon and possibly the softest thing I've ever knit with. This is my fourth project using my stash match yarn, and so far I think it was the right choice. It's more of a gently-variegated than a semi-solid colourway, if that makes any sense, but I think it'll work. I've only just started on the textured portion, but slipped stitches and tonal variation are usually friends.

Linking up to Stitch Along Wednesday this week.

WIP: Crystalline Socks

I have a WIP to share!

These are Crystalline Socks by Cailyn Meyer. I cast on New Year's Day, according to Ravelry. They hibernated for a while since I needed the needles for a secret gift project. Now that the secret project is done (stay tuned), these are back on the needles.



I'm really excited about these socks. The stitch pattern is fun to knit - it holds my interest but isn't too complex, and I love watching it develop. It also feels like it goes very quickly. A great choice for variegated yarns, although I'm finding this yarn isn't as garishly variegated as I expected. The yarn is 75% wool / 25% nylon that I dyed using Wiltons icing colours a few years ago, so I'm glad I've finally found a project for it.



Check out more WIPs at Tami's Blog.

Some knitting and some baking

I've started my 2nd sweater of 2014: Dragonflies, by Joji Locatelli. My goal is to knit two sweaters this year, and I'm optimistic I'll manage it given my progress so far.



It's going well so far. The lace is more complicated than anything I've done recently, but I'm getting into a rhythm with it, so all is good. I still have to focus entirely on the charts, but I think it will get easier as I go.

Other than knitting, I've been baking. The other day I made pita / pitta for the first time, and it was so awesome.



Delicious, and surprisingly easy. Will make again. I used a recipe from How to Bake by Paul Hollywood. The pockets are magical. Or maybe it's just yeast that is magical. In any case. Eating fresh, warm pitta with store-bought hummus just made the hummus seem sad, so next time maybe I'll make the hummus as well. (I used to make hummus frequently, but laziness has taken over these days.)

WIP: Wethersfield Cardigan

Here is what I have on the needles at the moment, just in time for spring.

Please note: in reality, the yarn is a deep/bright teal. Not blue. Not turquoise.



Big, hulking, cozy cardigan. Since Scottish spring often requires coziness, I hope I'll get some use out of it before next year.

This is Wethersfield by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. Twice now, I've seen one of her patterns pop up on my ravelry feed and felt an immediate need to knit it as soon as possible. (First time was with Idlewood). I received the pattern as a Ravelry-gift from one of my internet friends in a holiday-time pattern swap, and cast on in January with Cascade Eco + yarn.

I've been reaching for my Vivian hoodie a lot this autumn/winter/spring, which is made out of Cascade Eco +, so I thought it would be handy to have another sweater in the same yarn. Shortly after I finished knitting Vivian, there was some speedy pilling, and I was a bit disappointed. After years of wear and occasional de-pillings with a razor, it has pretty much stopped pilling - and it has otherwise held up quite well! So I forgive it, and with Wethersfield I know to give it a chance to pill a bit without giving up on it.

I'll say more about the pattern once I've finished, but I just have to say seamless set-in sleeves are magical. Magical! Also, knitting these sleeves two at a time was probably a bad idea - unlike doing socks TAAT, there is no open end, so the yarn gets trapped and wound around and around the sleeve. Ugh. I did not think that one through at all. Unwrapping it is a bit cumbersome, so these sleeves are working up very slowly. Never mind. I'll be glad of it when I finish them both at once.

Check out some more WIPs at Tami's blog for WIP Wednesday.

WIP: a real cardigan

I think every year I vow to make myself more sweaters, since there are still sweater-shaped-gaps in my wardrobe. Thus, I was annoyed to realise that this is my first sweater of 2013, and it's already September! The last sweater I made for myself was my purple classic raglan last November.

Anyway. Better late than never, a cardigan for me.



I'm making the Gnarled Oak Cardigan by Alana Dakos using New Lanark Pure Wool DK in "Woodland." The colour is a bit less grey than the photo shows. To me it says MEADOW. It is heathered and has an impressive depth of colour, like many New Lanark colourways. In addition to green, there is yellow, purple, blue, and even red. I can't even try to hope to capture it in a photo, so you'll just have to take my word for it.



At the moment it is all stockinette, but I have deviated from the pattern significantly in an attempt to add shaping using Little Red in the City as a guide. A new challenge! Haha. We'll see how it turns out.

WIP Wednesday: Purple Froth

Despite all my talk about cleansing my knitting palate with unselfish knitting, I've cast on for something for me.



It doesn't look like much yet, but it will be an Annis. This is my first crescent-shaped shawl and my first attempt at nupps. Nupps evoke a strong emotional response among knitters, it seems, so I'm curious to see if I like them! Haha. I'm going to a wedding in a few weeks, and I'm hoping to have something light to cover my shoulders if it's chilly.

The yarn is Riverside Studio superwash merino lace that I bought while in Ottawa in June. The rav link is for lace singles - this yarn is actually 2 ply lace, but isn't on the rav database. The dye job is gorgeous subtly variegated purples - just variegated enough not to be properly semi-solid, I think. I don't THINK it will be too busy for the lace edging, but I guess I'll find out.

It's WIP Wednesday at Tami's, and maybe if I get my act together I'll have a post for FO Friday. (Or maybe I'll just declare next week FO Week. I have some catching up to do!

WIP Wednesday

I have two WIPs on the go at the moment. They are both gifts, so I'm getting some unselfish knitting done. When I finished my last big project for myself, I was at a loss for what to make next. You might think that having a lengthy ravelry queue would prevent such dilemmas, but no. Right now I'm knitting for others to cleanse my palate, or something, and I think it is working.

First up is the Little Sister's Dress by Tora Froseth. This is a gift for my newest little cousin-in-law born recently. I'm now further along than the photo, working on the stockinette body portion.



I'm using some cotton yarn leftover from when I made Decimal years ago. I don't often work with cotton, since I live in such an excellent wool-wearing climate. As it turns out I'm really enjoying it, and I haven't experienced any issues from cottons inelastic nature. If it keeps up there will be more cotton knits in my future.

Next up is a scarf for my mom. Last month we visited my family in Canada and I brought along a skein of Lioness Arts King of the Jungle Sock that I bought at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. My mom picked the pattern Drachenschwanz after trawling through Ravelry. I love semisolid yarns and garter stitch.



The original pattern is in German, and the English translation didn't make much sense to me... Luckily a helpful raveler, Amilouna, has basically rewritten the pattern in her project notes, so I am following those.

Because it is Wednesday, you can find more WIPs at Tami's blog.

Stuff and things

I've been meaning to write about all sorts of things lately, and just never getting around to it for no apparent reason. I will get around to it, though. Later. In the mean time, I am knitting - progress on my Colo(u)r Affection was stalled for a while when I encountered some epic yarn barf. I say encountered, but really, it started out as slightly twisted yarn, and I made it a lot worse by ignoring it and pretending it would go away on its own.



All is now untangled, though I had to make several cuts in the yarn to do it. The good thing about knitting stripes is that I don't feel bad about having to join new yarn. The largest salvaged ball might see me through to the end of the project, though. We'll see.



Also check out my awesome and delicious green smoothie. It's a bit chunky, but I don't mind. Smoothie above contains an apple, an orange, peanut butter, oats, ginger, spinach and water. It tasted very fresh. This seems like a good way to eat more green stuff - I love leafy greens in all sorts of forms, but somehow still don't eat enough of them, so why not try them in drinkable breakfast form? Mmmm probably the best smoothie in the world?

WIP: Colour Affection

I'm enjoying Colour Affection so far.



Judging by its cheeky smile, I'd say it's enjoying the process, too.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Check out more WIPS at Tami's blog.

WIP: Magrathea

I received the pattern for Magrathea in a swap last summer. Many months later, I have finally started it.



Aside from its awesome, inspired name, it's a lovely shawl/scarf with an interesting construction. I debated with myself over using this particular yarn - a BFL / Cashmere / Silk blend - on a piece with so much garter stitch, wondering if it would be better suited for something with more smooth areas of knitting to bring out the lustre. I think it is a good fit so far, though. Squooshy squooshy. The subtle colour changes that are almost entirely not visible in my photos are really pretty. (Lovely blues and greens. You'll just have to take my word for it, for now).



See more WIPS at Tami's blog.