It seems like an age since I had an FO to show, but here at last is my Posh Yarn cardi in all its glory. For those of you out there who have drooled over (not literally) this gorgeous yarn, and have passed it around between you at recent Ely and Cambridge ktogs, I give you "Flounce" and hope you like the finished article as much as I do. The low down: "Amelia" dk in colourway "Loiter", fibre content merino/alpaca, 4x100g skeins have made a waist length fitted cardi with flounced edges at the hem and sleeves, which are 3/4 length with set in shoulders, V-neck with shawl collar in moss stitch. There's even about 40g leftover.

I've cast on for a new project using the laceweight I dyed at Liz's workshop last summer, a large lace stole for my youngest daughter which I promised her months ago and was one of the many frogged objects. No photos yet as there isn't much of it, but as it grows I'll show the progress.

One project gal!

For most of my knitting life I've stuck to one project at a time. Concentrate on one thing, no distractions, no 2nd and 3rd projects fighting for attention. Complete said project before casting on for something new. This has worked for me for more years than I care to count. Then I amassed too much stash with too many beautiful yarns crying out to be cast on for just one more project! This has not worked well for me at all. About a month ago, I decided to have 4 projects otn; I thought the variety would make a change, it'd be nice to have the choice of what to work on. Bad Mistake! One by one, my four projects have hit the shagpile! Last night was the final straw; my posh yarn lace shawl was frogged again, and I just cannot figure out where the problem is but the pattern simply isn't working out. I don't know if there's a typo in the stitch library I'm using, if my eyes are going nuts trying to focus on the dark colour, if my concentration is off.....! I've had a stressful month at work, I don't want to do stressful knitting. After all, it's supposed to be a relaxing past-time, isn't it? I like to feel I'm making progress; I hate knitting 2 rows then pulling out 4! So I'm going back to what I do best, no more multi-task knitting for me! I'll complete my Posh Yarn dk cardi then start something new! My yarn deserves it, and so do I!

Knitting mishaps

The knitting hasn't been going terribly well. Apart from not having had much time to sit with yarn and needles, everything I've done has had to be frogged.This is going ok though, but then it's just stocking stitch, so not much comfort there! I've done a bit more work on this since the photo was taken; the back is almost complete. It's still the best yarn I've ever used, so soft and gorgeous colours, so I'm pretty pleased with this project.
This one isn't too bad, but I'm struggling to make any headway. It's Posh Yarn "Arabella" laceweight and I'm working on another big scarf like Vivid, which I love and have worn so much over this past winter. I'm using 3.25mm needles which give a nice lacey effect without it being too loose. I worked 8 repeats of this chevron border and I'm now on the main panel, but I haven't got to the stage where I'm comfortable with the pattern, and it's a dark shade of burgundy which is difficult to knit in the electric light, so this is one of the projects that I have to keep frogging. I resorted to a lifeline at the end of the border.
I started a shawl with the yarn I dyed at Liz's workshop last year; I'm not too fond of shawls, way too many stitches for my liking, and I lost my place after about a dozen rows of 300+ stitches, so that got frogged completely! I haven't had much luck with that yarn at all - I've made 3 false starts with it, so I think I'll make her a stole instead.
So after all the recent mishaps, I'm consoling myself with these, which I bought from Norfolk Yarns, when the Cambridge ktog group went to Norwich for the day. The green hand painted is Araucania Ranco, approx 4ply and lovely fresh colours - 4 skeins of that.
And this is my first ever purchase of Noro! Two skeins of Korchoran, soft enough for a cosy scarf, in pretty hues of purple and blue. Thanks Rosie, for organising a great day out!

The Good Life

I wouldn't describe myself as a gardener, not by any stretch of the imagination! Plants, especially those of the indoor variety, tend not to thrive from a little TLC administered by my less than green fingers. However, having been assured that, with a little preparation it's not that difficult, I've decided to try my hand at a few veg's. These are my salad leaves..........

....and here we have a selection of winter veg's - brussels sprouts, calabrese, cauliflower and cabbage. I also have some runner bean, carrot, parsnip and sweetcorn seeds to sow. This is quite a challenge for me and I'm not at all convinced that the outcome will be favourable, but you have to start somewhere and I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew (pun not intended). I definately won't be giving up the day job to become self sufficient!
So back to the more familiar knitting. I finished the gloves for daughter n°1; these were well received (picture below) but I had a bit of a moment and made the second glove considerably larger than the first! She doesn't seem to mind - they keep her hands warm, and what else could you need from a pair of gloves?!

I've also started this, with the Posh Yarn "Amelia". This yarn is absolutely the best I've ever knit with! It's oooh soooo soft, the colours are delicious - can you tell that I love it? I only hope my veg's are as satisfying! There are a couple of other new things started, but they're even less to look at than this is, so I'll get a bit further on before I take photos.

The gloves of two sizes!

Accessories

Apologies for the silence of late - Mr.Diviknitty has been rebuilding the computer so it's mostly been in pieces over the last couple of weeks. Things are slowly getting back to normal, and it's made me realise just how much computers become an every day part of life. I've missed Ravelry, friend's blogs, window shopping for new stuff..... the list goes on!

I haven't done too much knitting either - a cold laid me low for a few days, and although the snuffles and sneezes didn't last too long, it left me feeling exhausted for some time.

I'm making these gloves for my eldest daughter; the pattern is something of a hybrid from Robin Melansons book "Knitting New Mittens & Gloves". Pretty much a basic full fingered glove with a lace fingerless glove over the top. The yarn is handpainted sock yarn from The Yarn Yard, one of my club yarns from last year that's too pretty for hiding under trousers! I should finish these today as they'll be winging their way to Belfast on Tuesday.

Also making progress on Arbacia by Woolly Wormhead; I've completed 5 of the recommened 7 wedges, but I think I might have to knit an extra wedge.

I was a bit worried that the things I'm knitting at the moment seem to have a distinctly wintry feel about them, what with it being the first day of spring a couple of days ago, but then we woke up to an inch of snow this morning, so they might get some wear sooner than I anticipated!

Last weekend, I went to the NEC for the Sewing for Pleasure exhibition. I used to do quite a lot of dressmaking when the kids were little, but it's kind of taken a backseat over the past few years. I have to admit to getting bit fed up of getting ripped off by the extortionate price of everyday things (soapbox moment!) so I went there with the sole purpose of getting some material and rescuing my sewing machine from it's dark and dingy cupboard. I came away with this lot:

Pale green linen for the full length trousers.

Red broderie anglaise for the sleeveless top.

And deep turquoise cotton for the dress. All for just £30 - you couldn't buy a dress in the shops for that, so I'm well pleased! I've got a couple of days off this week, so guess what i'm gonna be doing?

Hoodie and a hat!

The first Ely ktog went really well with 8 members turning up - see here for more details and a few pics.

I finished the hoodie cardigan in Jaeger Trinity, and I actually had enough yarn for a hood this time - but only just! There was just enough to do all the finishing so it was a close call. I took a few photos and enlisted the help of daughter n°2 who turned out to be a very able model! The buttons are from Injabulo, I got them from Textiles in Focus. I really enjoyed knitting this and I'm pleased with how it's turned out. Constructed from the bottom up , 2x2 rib on 3.5mm, st.st and cable panel on 4mm, no waist shaping for a more casual feel, set in sleeves and a shaped hood on a round front neckline. Jaeger Trinity is a cotton/silk/nylon mix so it has no stretch to it, but it does drape beautifully and gives good stitch definition.

This is "Arbacia" by Woolly Wormhead from the new online magazine The Inside Loop - go take a look, it's worth it! The yarn is from The Yarn Yard, a sock yarn that I've had for about a year and always felt it was too pretty to be hidden under a pair of trousers, so it's destined to be a hat. I love the eyelet holes on this design, and the triple row of cables that form the brim. It does take quite a bit of concentration though, to get the counting for the short rows right - I've had a couple of false starts and had to rip back, but that was my own fault and I only pick this up when I can focus fully on it, so I won't be taking it to the next ktog!

K2tog in Ely

Knittedrabbit and I were discussing at the k2tog in Cambridge yesterday, the severe lack of knitting groups in Ely. I’m sure we’re not the only ones who find it difficult to get to Cambridge for the Tuesday evening k2togs, but would love to meet up a couple of times a month for drinks, chat and all things yarny! With this in mind, we’ve arranged to meet at 7pm on Thursday 28th February in the bar at The Lamb Hotel in Ely. Please come along and join us, bring a friend, bring your knitting, and let’s take Ely by storm!