Finishing Achieved!

Finally!Finallyfinallyfinally! I have TOTALLY finished all the detailing for the cardigans for the twins!
I am so STOKED!!
I've mentioned before that intarsia is not really a technique that I'm comfortable with but I can do it, with a bit of apprehension and gritted teeth. So I am really proud I managed to complete the knitting portion of these cardigans as well as I did.(I might wish they were better but I did my best!)

Two cardigans, knitting all completed and seamed up!

Now for the secondary stage. Detail and finishing! They needed zips for the front but I wanted apple green ones and preferably plastic. After hunting high and low (admittedly mostly on the Internet. Our small town doesn't offer much by way of range.) I ordered 5 apple green plastic zippers from Zipit on etsy www.etsy.com/shop/zipit but that meant they were coming from the U.S. Bit of a bummer but it gave me time to finish the second cardigan because I hadn't started it at that point.

When they came they were much longer than I'd previously thought because I'm a ninny and forgotten that the U.S. is inches and we're cms. 24 inches is quite a bit more than 24 cms. But it all worked out for the best. I just pulled the zip down to where I needed and chopped off the extra length.

Anyway, I hand sewed the zippers in and then hand sewed over the edges (cause I hate the scratchy edges of zipper tape) with cotton bias binding and then as a final touch I sewed two squares of felt of appropriate colour to the top of the zippers so the zipper head can't escape regardless of how hard it's pulled up.

Hand sewn bias binding (I bought that. I'm not that much of a perfectionist!)

And little felt squares at the top so no scratchy teeth against skin and little fingers can't rip the zipper head off!

So all have been duly shown off to recipient Grandmother to ooh! and aah! over (all done exceedingly well!) and have since been posted off to said Grandchildren probably in time to be just the ticket for freezing inland temperatures at night. 

Very pleased with myself :) Not only did I do something for someone else but I also expanded my technical abilities in knitting. Win-win situation!
Have a great day!!

I Love Recycled Stuff!

It provides me with so much more materials to work with than I might otherwise have! One of my old school friends, Leanne asked if I could make a bag for her using the same owl pattern I used in an small bag I made my daughter. Didn't seem like a hard ask so I went and plunged into my stash!

It's kind of difficult because most of the wool I have is deliberately treated so it doesn't felt and the stuff I know will felt I don't really have enough to make the bag. But finally I dug out the yarn from two jumpers I'd bought from an op shop and unravelled. A pale green and a blueberry purple. They were quite fine yarn so I held 4 strands together to make a bulkier yarn. Then I drew up the pattern in those colours and prepared to begin!

Once started I really sped along! I love with stranded work how you can watch the pattern appear row by row. Finally, at 12.40am I cast off the garter edge top.

Next morning (or rather, when I got up after sleeping in because I stayed up until a ridiculous time of night!) I knit the two straps in I-cord and crocheted the loop for the button closure at the top. Then I sewed up the bottom, attached the straps and loop and then stood back and briefly admired my  work!

Pre-felting it looked pretty good but Post-felting...

...it looked even better!

So tonight I'm waiting for it to dry before sewing a lining for it, attaching it, sewing on the button and then,  Ta Da!!

It'll be all finished!

Happy Knitting :)