More Autumn Rose

I am really enjoying knitting my autumn rose sweater, but I am getting increasingly worried about the size. After reading many posts from people who had knit it, I concluded that I needed to knit the small as it comes out large. I am a 34 inch around my bust, therefore the small should be ok. I got gauge! However, when I measure the widest part it seems to come out at 30 inches wide, not a good sign. Either I lose a stone in weight or I find a very slim person to give it to. Not sure which one to go for yet. I will decide when the sweater is finished. Therefore I am not posting any pictures at present, might blight the outcome! 

Not much else going in the North West London fishbowl that I live in. Kids finish school for the holidays tomorrow and that means every day next week is a pyjama day. I did manage to book tickets for Lily and myself to see the Nutcracker the following week. The Evening Standard did an offer of a free child's ticket with one adult ticket. I bought the most expensive one. It should be good. 

Hopefully next time I blog I will feel more positive about the outcome of autumn rose and actually take some pictures. Meanwhile, just browse Ravelry to see some great examples so far. 

Autumn Rose

I have finally started my autumn rose sweater, experimenting by starting with a sleeve. I am really enjoying the challenge, but finding it tricky to decide whether I should be cutting the yarn at the end of each colour section, or carrying them up. It is difficult to carry when knitting in the round as it all gets really tangled. If I cut the yarn and then rejoin the colours each time they are needed in a new section, I seem to get a small gap next to the join, even if I twist the yarns in. Then there is the problem of weaving in all the ends!

The sleeve is almost finished, but I am debating whether to make it full length instead of the three quarter length the pattern has. 

I have some other knitting on the go, but just the boring scarf stuff and not much else. I will have to take some pictures for the next post. 

Another pictureless post

The camera is still dead, but a new one is winging its way across the Atlantic. Oli is in Boston and has been on a spending spree. I sent him with a long shopping list, alas there were no yarn listings! I have such a large backlog waiting to be knitted in my stash that I have been very restrained.

The cardigan that I was knitting for Oli is not quite large enough and I am a little hacked off. I have decided to keep it as a sweater and not steek it. Gadi has his eye on it and it fits him quite well, a little on the large side, but he will grow into it.

I have started a cardigan for me, but I will post details later.

I can't wait to use the new camera and then post some pictures at last!!

Too many excuses

I can't believe that it is mid March already and this is my first post of 2008. I have been knitting, but not able to take any photos as the digital camera has broken. We need to buy a new one which I hope Oli will do when he travels to Boston at the beginning of April. Until then I will have to blog without pictures.
I have started a cardigan for Oli, using Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage system and knitting it in the round. I am trying to practice steeking so that when I start knitting Autumn Rose I will be an old hand at it! I bought all the yarn for Autumn Rose so I am really excited about starting it, but need to find a long stretch of quiet time so that I can concentrate. That might not happen for a while.
I have also been knitting baby gifts, but I am not sure whether to continue. I made a really cute hat for a new baby, which was an ok size. If the newborn has a small head it would keep for six months. I didn't get much of a thank you, just that it was too big! I love making gifts, but they are time consuming and if they aren't appreciated then I don't think that I will bother. I was surprised as I thought that this friend would like that fact that it was hand made. Anyway, I feel better now that I have that off my chest!
I have also made 7 squares for the Lizard Ridge afghan. I am really pleased with how they have turned out and now have to continue to collect more colours of Kureyon to complete the blanket.

Last blog of the year

Look! I have finally taken pictures of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan that was finished at beginning of December. I love it. It is very soft and easy to wear. I added a little on the length, which in retrospect I didn't need to do. The yarn is lighter than the felted tweed used for the original, therefore mine has some 'holes' where the cable pattern twists. It actually looks fine in real life and I am hoping with washing and the yarn softening up they will close over time. I have had some compliments when wearing it, so I am happy.

I have been so busy doing I don't know what! The kids are off school and we have spent a load in the sales, having put off buying anything for the house for over three years. It has finally caught up with us and we have been spending like mad.

I even bought some Noro Cash Iroha in black in the John Lewis sales, it was half price and I couldn't resist. I am still not sure whether to take it back or keep it in my stash, which I am trying to reduce!

I am working my way through the cardigan for Oli, using some Knit Picks yarn. It is based on an Elizabeth Zimmerman saddle shouldered sweater and I am knitting it in the round. I am going to steek it which is quite a scary thought. I will keep you posted. I have also started making squares for the Lizard Ridge blanket from knitty.com. I love the Kureyon and need to keep adding more skeins as I go along.

Tangled Yoke Cardigan

Wow! Haven't posted for over a month, but I have managed to complete both sleeves and the yoke on the cardigan and am now in the home straight. I have to finish the collar ribbing and am awaiting the arrival of a size 0 needle to pick up the stitches for the three needle bind off. I have even sewn up the tank top that I made for Gad using some Noro Blossom I had in my stash. I really want to use up my stash, but I have sock yarn I don't know what to do with as I think that it is too nice to use for socks! I can't take any picture at the moment because I need to replace the batteries in the camera.

I took a last minute trip to Boston last month and did buy a little to add to the stash, obviously more sock yarn that is too nice to make into socks! It is Mountain Colors Barefoot and is gorgeous. Any suggestions of what to make will be gratefully received. Not much else on the needles, although I need to start the cardigan that I promised Oli as I was able to pick up the yarn I ordered for it when I visited Boston. I bought it from Knitpicks and it was so reasonable. I also got my Harmony interchangeable needles which are great, but one of the needle connections on a number 4 needle is faulty. I am hoping that they will be able to send me a replacement.

Oli is off to New York next week and I am wondering if he will have time to stop by String and buy me a skein or two of something interesting. It is Chanukah this week after all and I only need a little skein of something to make me smile!

Frustration

I am still trying to get the sleeve right on my Tangled Yoke Cardigan. I have reknit it using 3.5mm needles but have now found that I have what look like seam lines between each set of stitches on the double pins. I have ordered a 16 inch 3.5mm circular needle in the hope that if I frog again and knit using this I won't get the lines. They are hard to see on the picture, but I tried!
I have had a fairly eventful past week, having seen a gynaecologist on Tuesday and then finding myself having a laparoscopy the next day. I had a cyst on my left ovary which was large enough to need removing. It wasn't until during the procedure that the surgeon discovered that it looked a little suspicious and that there was no living ovarian tissue left. He went on to remove the ovary, cyst and fallopian tube. I am going to get the lab results tomorrow and hopefully all will be well. It has been a little worrying, but he thinks that it is benign. I have found it hard to concentrate on my knitting and subsequently the sleeve started to get on my nerves. I have put it to one side whilst I await the arrival of the circular needles.

Here is a picture of the project I started to keep my fingers busy whilst I wait. I wanted something simple and fairly mindless, as well as something that might use up my stash. Well here it is. It is a pinwheel baby blanket using some yarn that I have had knocking around for a while. I used some a few weeks ago for a baby sweater and now I am using the rest for a blanket. I have a couple of friends expecting babies so I am trying to get ahead of myself and knit something for them.

There isn't much else on the needle at present as I am waiting for Oli to go to Boston to pick up my Knitpicks package.