Mini Knits

My sock mojo had escaped me this month so I've busied myself with lots of little projects but before I reveal them I need to share some other small things that I've made & forgot to blog about:


Round Dishcloth

Pattern: Round Dishcloth
Yarn: Peaches & Creme Ombres Lilac Ombre
Needles: 4.5mm
Dates: 6th - 18th of October 2008 but it wasn't grafted until after Christmas.
I really enjoyed this very quick pattern. I had lots of things OTN at the time so the dates are a bit misleading.


Round Dishcloth

Next time I'll use a provisional cast on so that the grafting is easier & invisible.


Christmas Lace Dishcloth

Pattern: Christmas Lace Dishcloth
Yarn: Double Top cotton from Texere Yarns
Needles: 3.75mm
Dates: October 18th - December 28th 2008. Again this is a quick knit but it was abandoned for ages due to everything that was going on in my life and the fact that I had loads of WIP's.


Christmas Lace Dishcloth

Now onto January. My good friend CL in Canada had a beautiful baby boy on January 19th so obviously I had to make him a few things. She doesn't read my blog very often and is VERY busy at the moment so I think I'm safe to post them here.

Blue Garter Stripe Baby socks

Pattern: Garter Stripe Baby socks
Yarn: Regia Uni colour 1255
Needles: 2mm
Dates: January 7th - 16th 2009

Blue Garter Stripe Baby socks

I really didn't enjoy the YO short rowed heel so did my own toe as I couldn't face the YO's again. These socks aren't as stretchy as I'd like but they're very cute. The intended feet are smaller than these socks so they will fit but I don't know how long for.

Then I made him a hat however DD & I had had a huge row the evening I started these and I was feeling very stressed. This meant that I used the wrong sized needle as I got confused with the US sizing and chose the size intended for a preemie size with Baby Cashmerino.

Very small Cabled Baby Hat

Pattern: Cabled Baby Hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in navy
Needles: 3.75mm
Dates: January 16th 2009

It's absolutely tiny and is modelled on a grapefruit in these photos. I can't give it to the local preemie until as although the yarn is machine washable it wouldn't stand up to the temperatures that the hospital would subject it to.

So does anybody know of a tiny preemie little boy that could do with a hat? If so please either leave a comment and a way of me getting in touch with you or alternatively pm me via Ravelry.

So then I made another one for CL's baby who was a healthy 8lb 10oz at birth:

Cabled Baby Hat

Pattern: Cabled Baby Hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in navy
Needles: 5mm
Dates: January 19th - 23rd 2009

This shot shows the patterning better:

Cabled Baby Hat

and a comparison shot of the two sizes:


Cabled Baby Hats

Then yet another small knit. I was racing out of the door to go to the knitting club that I run & needed something small, portable & uncomplicated:


Baby Socks in Regia Mini Ringel

Pattern: Baby Socks
Yarn: Regia Mini Ringel in Rio
Needles: 2.5mm
Dates: 17th - 20th January 2009

The yarn was given to me by Littleberry in a swap last year.

Baby Socks

I absolutely adore these socks but unfortunately don't have anyone to give them too at the moment but I'm sure that will change soon.

Baby Socks

DH likened having small amounts of a new sock yarn to pick 'n' mix cheeses whereby you can sample just a little bit before committing yourself to buying a bigger amount. Well it's worked on me I enjoyed knitting with the colour combination and will treat myself to this colourway one day.

Then I made another pair for CL's baby in Canada:


Baby socks

Pattern: Baby socks
Yarn: Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett Landscape Storm
Needles: 2.5mm
Dates: 20th - 29th January 2009

Baby socks

This yarn was another 'pick 'n' mix' from Littleberry and pooled a bit but I think it just adds to their charm:


Baby socks

Then another hat:


Orange Ribbed Baby Hat

Pattern: 'Little Boy Blue' Baby Hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran
Needles: 4.5mm
Dates: 30th - 31st January 2009 although in reality it was one day but I finished it after midnight.


Orange Ribbed Baby Hat

So two hats in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and two pairs of blue baby socks will be on their way to Canada on Monday......

ETA: the Rio baby socks have reached their new home with Baby Addy in Canada but I think she needs a bit of time to grow in them them :)

Flowers

for a friend...

An update on knitting...

well almost.

So far this month I've been finishing stuff & knitting little things. Little things to be worn by little people, a very new little person to be exact. However two WIP's are still OTN and another yet to be cast on so photos will happen in another post.

In the meantime I have also decided to plan my knitting for the rest of year. A humongous task but I'm really not as organised as it sounds. I'm short of cash & have a lovely well populated stash so have decided to join my own Personal Sock Club. I went 'diving' and came up with sock yarns that I'd already wound up ready to use but hadn't touched since. 9 different 4 ply yarns are now ready and waiting:


My Personal Sock Club

There are some lovely yarns in there including Koigu, Lorna's Laces, Fyberspates & Opal, both solid and striped

I'm going to chose each pattern once I've swatched the yarn and see what appeals to me. I couldn't match the yarn up with a pattern so far in advance as I know I'll see a new pattern & love it. I can't wait for next Sunday to start my first pair!

I plan on making more than 9 pairs of socks in the year but the rest will happen as and when, I'm not that organised!

btw can anybody guess where a lot of my stash came from????

Out with the old and in with the new.....

It's official my DH is a star!

Over the past 4 days he's worked VERY hard to fit our new boiler. That involved plaster boarding the wall that it was to go on, fitting gas and water pipes to the new location (new extension) and making good the knackered plumbing done by previous owners/plumbers.


Our new central heating boiler

and the old one:


old central heating boiler

It's amazing how different the house feels. Over the past week it has been very cold here and, as I'm not working, I'm at home all day.

Normally we don't really get cold weather (not compared with other parts of the world) so -3 yesterday felt like a freezer. It's been even colder at night and as our windows are also ready to be decommissioned the house has been very unpleasant to live in. Now you no longer get a blast of artic air as soon as you leave the warmth of the living room (warm due to our trusty Wood Burning Stove as our central heating boiler was dying) and risk life and limb when having a shower.

The radiators are hotter than before and the new boiler is also going to be more cost effective to run. Hopefully soon the rest of the extension will be finished as it would be nice to have one room sorted and decorated.

Here's another shot of his handiwork:


new pipe work

After that can it be the windows next? (pretty please with a cherry on top!)

ETA: I think I should explain that when we met 15 years ago DH was a builder. He has since changed career after 4 years at University but hasn't forgotten his practical skills :-)

I'm grateful

that DH took the time to install our Wood Burning Stove as our central heating boiler is dying. We're trying to keep it limping along for the hotwater so have no other forms of heating apart from the Stove & an oil filled radiator in DD's bedroom.

He's currently building a small extension which would give us a tiny utility room to house the new boiler (& Oscar) and a downstairs loo but it isn't finished yet so the new boiler is still in a box.

The extension would be further on but he took time out to install the Stove, hurt his back and then got sick. So he's taken a couple of days to work on the extension and hopefully we'll be sorted before too long.

Obviously this has happened whilst the UK is experiencing a cold winter & it's been below freezing every night for the past week

So make the most of your warm houses, we're all camping in the living room!

Home At Last.....

Annie pleased to be home

She was happy to leap into the car & ran into the house. Her bed has been slept on, the new mat in front of the fire tested & Oscar's bed sampled. She's currently back in front of the fire totally stretched out & snoozing. It must be like being in hospital when you come home absolutely shattered having had no rest at all.

An added bonus is that the blood tests that the vet did as a precaution reveal that Oscar & Annie share the same blood group so that if she does need a blood transfusion in the future we have our own 'in house' donor dog

Noro Christmas knits

I only made two Christmas gifts this year as other events took over:

Clapotis Scarf in Noro Sock for my MIL

Pattern: Clapotis
Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock in shade 184 which was a birthday present last year from my friend CL in Canada.
Needles: 3.75mm
Dates: 23/8/08 - 13/12/08. This was dumped in the corner for ages due to a silly mistake which took me 20 minutes to sort out. Should take about a week or two at the rate I knit.

Clapotis Scarf in Noro Sock

Clapotis Scarf in Noro Sock

Plus something for my SIL:


Another Scarflet! for my SIL

Pattern: This was a test knit and hopefully it'll be available soon. I'll update and link to it when possible.
Yarn: Noro Noro Cash Iroha in blue.
Needles: 5mm
Dates: 13/12/08 - 25/12/08. This should have been finished in one or two evenings but things happened....


Another Scarflet!

I LOVE this yarn. I've used it before for the Handspun scarf & luckily have two colours left in my stash