Like just about every other yarn crafter who has been at it for a while, I have quite a big stash. A sizeable part of my collection is leftovers from larger projects or small amounts bought on sale; not enough to make more than a very small project. Inspired by the blanket from my PJ friends on Ravelry, I have decided to make some more. A local church collects 20x20cm knitted squares so any that don't fit in can be donated and go to someone in need.
I will make a few different afghans based on colourways and fibre content, starting with wool. I am also aiming to put a photo of each square listing fibre, what else I used it for and the stitch pattern in my projects page on Ravelry. Here's to some lovely blankets and a much leaner yarn kitty.
With the monsoon we have been experiencing and the lack of school run in the day I have been able to make some time for knitting. This is the Helena I mentioned in my last post, just about finished and ready to be gifted to our friend.
For mindless evening knitting, I have completed Baktus though don't have any photos yet as I have not sewn in all the ends.
Other than that, there really is not much more to report other than the sad news that our very old cat, Venny has gone to kitty heaven where she is no longer annoyed by children, having to wait a whole two minutes for her food and the big cat next door.
I found a great tutorial to make these paper flowers at How About Orange a little while back. Today seemed like a great day to give them a go. We flipped though magazines to choose which pages to use and I pity B's future partner. She was immediately drawn to the Tiffany ad.
The girls have also been working on sewing some gift tags which I can't show here in case any of the recipients read this, and I am knitting another Helena for a little friend's January birthday, because nothing says happy birthday like a cardi in the middle of summer.
She just keeps on growing! All the other cardigans I have made for her have already been passed on to little friends so it was time I make another one.
I have been in quite an antisocial place over the last month or so. It began when the girls all got sick right round the school holidays. I had it too but have not quite found my groove again. Computer time seems to have vanished all together and I am falling asleep early in the evening, setting my alarm for my 10pm pump. On top of that, H is getting to the age where people are beginning to ask when I am going to stop expressing milk for her. I am not ready to stop yet and only want to hear encouraging words. Finally, even if I wanted to get out and about more I have to plan things around my pumping schedule.
H is crawling all over the place and eating everything in sight. Some of my younger sibs were little vacuums like her, scouring the floor and putting each little thing in their mouths so her ways are not a complete shock to me, but still very different from big sisters.
Speaking of, G is going very well and enjoying school and guitar. Her swimming really came along before the break started too. Poor B is still working on getting over the bug she had. She is not quite 100% yet, but we are working on it.
I have been doing a little knitting. Mainly drink cosies for the school fete which is coming up in July. I am going to market them toward both coffee and smoothie cups. It has been a good way of reducing my scrap yarn and I can donate the ones that don't sell for next years Mother's Day stall.
Then there is Lacy Baktus for my gorgeous Homeopath. I don't know how I would have made it through the last 12 months without her.
The photo is really dodgy because I was in a rush to get it to her.
The girls have been asking me to teach them knitting again. I really struggle each time I try to show them because I knit left handed (mirror to the English method). When I try to show them right handed knitting it almost blows my mind. I just can't do it very well.
Yesterday I had a go at Continental with the Norwegian Purl and I may well be a total convert. Time will tell. As for the teaching, B said that I can finish the doll blanket for her, so it looks like class is dismissed until next time one of them ask to learn.
Yep. Finally a FO worth photographing and sharing. This yarn started out as a cardi I was working on for H while she was in hospital, but I just could not get into it. Maybe that was not the colour to be working with in a surgical ward...
Anyway, now it is a lovely scarf for me and also a sling for B's favourite doll. Meanwhile I am already halfway through my next project, Lacy Baktus a gift for someone special.
Well my nephew, born in the wee small hours of this morning, USA central time is. Congratulations to my gorgeous sister, her husband and daughter. It was very exciting to be receiving updates from my mother and youngest sister on my blackberry from the time she reached transition until Peter was blissfully enjoying his first drink of breastmilk.
Our darling's secret is safe for another few months, but I really miss knitting longies so I have decided to make several different pair of whatever takes my fancy. I can either gift or sell those that we decide we will not need.
I love the colourway, but am not happy with the pooling both on the body and leg of the longies. I recently made a hat from the same wool that came out in beautiful stripes.
Happy Birthday to my darling Charlotte back in Australia, and in the USA my sweet little nephew Peter and Happy Birthing Day to my wish come true, Rhianon.
Please bear with me.. this is the first time I have ever tried to write a pattern. It has not been tested either, so all feedback is greatly appreciated and will go to improving the pattern (not to mention my pattern writing skills)
This was made from stash yarn so my preference was realistic colour over anything else. I ended up with two different width wools-
Patons Jet- colour number 8 variegated reds x1
Spotlight Basics Entwine- colour number 231 variegated purples x1
Tools
Set of 4 9mm dpns for placenta
2 6mm dpns for icord umbilical cord
(I used a long circular with the work divided into three sections)
Tapestry needle
4 stitch markers
Fleece, hobby fill or waste yarn for stuffing
Worked in the round all in one piece
Base
co 3
R1 kfb each stitch. Arrange stitches on 3 dpns, using a marker after the first stitch to indicate the start of round [12 stitches]
R2 knit
R3 *k1 kfp k1 kfb k1* continue this pattern for the round [18 stitches]
R4 knit
R5 *k1 kfb k3 kfb k1* as above [24]
R6 knit
R7 *k1 kfb k5 kfb k1* continue [30]
Continue increasing 6 stitches in this pattern every second round until the placenta reaches the desired circumference
Purl 1 round for a defined edge
Top
R1 *knit to halfway along dpn k2tog pm knit to last two stitches on dpn k2tog* repeat on other two dpns
R2 knit
R3 *k to 2 stitches before marker k2tog sm k to 2 stitches k2tog* repeat
R4 knit
Continue decreasing this way until there are 12 stitches left.
Cut the two strands of yarn about 1 meter in length (longer if you want a longer umbilical cord)
Thread both strands of wool on a tapestry needle and run the needle through the stitches.
Remove 1 strand from the needle and thread the remaining one through a further 6 stitches.
Don't pull tightly yet as you will need to stuff the placenta.
Using desired fill, lightly stuff the placenta through the hole.
Picking up stitches either side of 1st strand, make an icord. Repeat for second icord. As I mentioned, the wools I used were two different sizes so to make the icord the same size I used 4 stitches for the red and 3 for the purple.
Once icord reaches desired length thread the remaining yarn through tapestry needle, run the yarn through the stitches, pull and secure.
Wrap icords around each other and sew together.
To help the fill stay in place, sew the top and bottom together with just a couple of stitches along each decrease line.
Please forward any feedback to support [at] strickerin [dot] [com]
This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell items made from this pattern.
Our little darlings used to enjoy an early bed time, and I enjoyed their early bed time too. A chance to withdraw into a quiet space after a day of mothering. Lately though partying all night has been much more interesting to them, probably because I don't take them anywhere. In the last 6 weeks we have left our compound (townhouse complex, not some cult locked away thing) probably a dozen times.
After an 11.30 bedtime last night, they are exhausted today so I am taking advantage of it and having a bedroom day. They have their little table set up in here so they can draw and my room has become full of toys. I am camped out on our bed knitting a birthday gift for a neighbour and updating some stuff on Ravelry.
One day I will be ready to get back out into the world...
One placenta. Easy pattern to make and nice little reminder about something we all needed on our journey earthside.
And here is the cardi. I am not really happy with the way it came out. Where I picked up the stitches is quite messy and the seams for the sleeves are quite thick due to my cast on edge not being very neat. If I were to try this one again, I would use an even smaller needle for the rib so I could pick up a stitch on every row. I would work the front at the same time as the back and would use a provisional cast on when I get to the sleeves.
I don't have much in the way of decorative closures in my collection so will add one when I have been back to Australia.
This weekend is a bit of a non event as DH is away on business making it feel like business as usual. Still with nausea, I am not venturing far from home these days so my plans are to-
Finish knitting my uterus. (I am sure that is on the top of everyone else's to do list)
Spend some time with my girls which is a nice thing about Fridays. The week is a social time for them, but at least for Friday morning they tend to stay home.
And not a whole lot more. You can see what everyone else who is playing Love Fridays is up to at Tinniegirl
I have been working with wooden knitting needles for a couple of years now and this evening I suffered my first casualty. Naturally 4mm and of course my much loved knitpicks harmony.
Such a shame as I really have my groove on with this baby blanket and am past the halfway mark. Now I will have to wait for a replacement tip to arrive.
The silver lining is that I have been wanting to order a couple of extra plastic sleeves for my needles, 12mm tips and a set of DPNs for a little while so I took this opportunity to get them. If they arrive in time I will wrap the extra goodies to open Christmas day.
It's super grainy because it was taken on my phone, but this was the gorgeous sunset my family got to enjoy after a spot of shopping. I know, your boring typical view from your local shopping centre. Don't know why I'm sharing it really. Because it was quite hazy, you can't really appreciate how massive the Burj Dubai just to the right of the sun actually is. If I think about it next time I am at the shops I will take a decent camera to show what the skyline is like these days.
This time of year is amazing. The weather is gorgeous and people are moving into holiday mode with National Day this coming week, Eid next and Christmas just around the corner.
In true Dubai style where bigger is better, at the centre was a massive Christmas tree. Again, the shot is with my phone, so quality pretty ordinary but to help you with scale, that is a full sized palm tree in the foreground and I was standing about 2 metres above the level the tree started on.
In knitting news, I am four balls into eight for the baby blanket and completed one legwarmer. Not a scrap of Christmas knitting as yet despite some great patterns in the last few copies of Simply Knitting.
The lovely baby blanket I was working on a few weeks ago has finally been gifted along with an umbilical cord hat I whipped up with the extra wool. Both patterns are from Stitch n Bitch Handbook, though did them from memory as I left my copy in Dubai.
My gorgeous friend Renee who will be a Mum for the first time in a few weeks also liked the title of the book I popped in with her gift. Now it would be lovely if her little cherub could be extra considerate and come at 39 weeks so I can meet him or her before returning home.
Edited on 19/09 to let you know that around the time I posted this, little Isla made her way into the world five weeks early. Reports so far are that Mum and bub are fine. How sweet is the name Isla? I am looking forward to meeting her and giving my friend a hug, minding swollen breasts of course :)
My precious big little girl has been in hospital after a couple of dicey moments of unconsciousness. The Dr's believe it was fainting due to a virus and that she will be ok. They have also ordered some more tests to rule out anything nasty.
I still feel so sad and freaked out from seeing my angels face go grey and her eyes unresponsive.
Sticking to Elizabeth Zimmerman's motto, I did indeed knit on with confidence and hope through this crisis and I am now up to the border of the baby blanket from my last post.
Excellent timing for this week's theme from Debbie Hill [kept in a jar] as I have been working on a baby blanket for my friend who is having a little one in October. I don't think she reads this blog, but just in case I have kept the photos fairly vague. Once it has been gifted I will tell you more about it.
You can see what everyone else is up to at Three Buttons.
