Today is another Day...

...And onto other projects!

But before I do, I have to cover the wonderful Alcott Vest. Wonder of the Shetland Islands and their glorious wool and bright colours! Ahh, I could wax lyrical for...well, longer than I should but I'll get it out of the way since I'm sure you are all sick to death with the thing!

 Here is the vest pre-blocking with the amazing steek stitches behaving like arm and neck interfacing's, as they are supposed to!

And here, TA-DA! is the completed blocked AND worn Alcott vest.

To say I am pretty pleased with it and myself is a gross understatement, but there you go. It is shorter than I would really like but that just means I have to be good and stop tugging at the bottom because it isn't actually too short at all! I just like wearing things too long! But now, I swear, I will no longer bore everyone with my creation. It is beautiful and wonderful and,...and everything, but I will desist...

I swear!

But I have been good! I immediately got back onto the cross stitch poster I've been making for Eldest Son, the mad Monty Python fan!

Look! I finally finished the first line of characters! Don't ask me who they all are supposed to be because I've never watched The Holy Grail that I can remember. And besides the first character on the left who I assume is a character played by John Cleese, I've got no idea of the rest!

But I have realized again why I put it away. I can't do it at night! I just can't see properly and so at night I knit. Another pair of socks using up some of the yarn I dyed a couple of years ago so it's nicely variegated (unintentionally but it's still nice) in a rich crimson that fades in and out of blood red and then petal pink. Very nice. I'll get photos of it soon but I keep forgetting to during the day and by the time I'm doing it, it's night and the light is terrible! Oh well. First World problems.

So there we are. I'm still toiling away on the second line of characters and again questioning my sanity in choosing such fine cloth gauge (muttering to myself, about strands of thread, bad light, constant blinking to try and focus...mumble, mutter, whinge...) and knitting a hole in my finger with my pointy 2mm circular needles so I can knit two socks at once...

Because I can!

Is any one else keeping their hands out of mischief with crafts? What sorts? 

See you all later!

Dx

I have a Cushion!

We went to the city to pick up youngest son to spend the Easter Break with us and while we were there (and the shop's were open too. And absolutely EVERYONE was on the road!) I went to Spotlight and bought a cushion insert! Oh joyous day! Huzzah!!

Back, with flap opening

Front, and looking so pretty!

So I am pretty stoked with that! Pretty, pretty, pretty!

And other than that worrying at the back of my brain (The cushion's not finished until it has a cushion insert! Must get cushion insert!!) I have been busy with my Alcott Vest. I am getting closer to the first stage of actually finishing the vest, by completing the knitted body. 

See the lines of colours? They are my steek stitches. I have three, two armholes and the v-neck. When I've reached the length I want I am going to bind off the shoulders together and then...I am going to CUT the middle of the steek stitches and pick up stitches to do the rib stitch rows around the armholes and the v-neck. How awesome is that??

I must confess I am both excited and worried and really hope I don't screw it up.  But I really want to master this great technique so I am boldly going where I have never gone before!

Has anyone out there master any craft techniques that both excited and scared them?  Tell me I'm not the only worry-wart out here!

See you all later!

Dx

And I continue to conquer!

Well, I'm pleased to announce that the house is now much more ordered! We've even managed to dig out the back verandah! Mind you, that was only possible with the addition of a small shed under the patio for all the boxes our children have left us and my cats night house.

So to prove it, I thought I'd show you the same rooms I showed before all cluttered up, more or less!

So this is the smallest spare room with the spare queen bed in it (yes, I know it's stupid that I put the biggest bed in the smallest room but that's where the removalists put it and there was NO WAY I was going to try and move it!) Actually it's pretty sparsely furnished. My hubbies childhood dresser is actually inside the built-in robe and my second-hand horn cabinet is at the end of the bed against the wall. I can't use it but at least it's out of the way! And my old upholstered armchair is there in the bottom right under a chenille bedspread. My free-standing embroidery frame is carrying the red blanket just above it.

And the room I'm most proud of, the craft room! Big change from the doorway blocked up with boxes! Again the built-in robe is a god-send! My photo light stands are in there not to mention the box with my wedding dress in it. The single bed lives here too, plus one of my spinning wheels.

See? There's the spinning wheel next to my bookcase. All my knitting magazines are there on the left and every single other shelf is stuffed with yarn! Which sadly isn't all of it. Multiples of more than 5 balls I've confined to bags stored under the bed or in the smaller spare room robes. In the bottom of the picture is my collection of cross-stitch magazines and threads and things.

So, now we've got some organisation I was able to get on with the vest. I've never done a cabled pattern like this before and it wasn't an unpleasant experience. 

To be honest I didn't really have any problem with the pattern until I got to the decreases at the V-neck when working the neckband. I couldn't seem to get my brain around the directions or they weren't correct. Anyway, I just kind of winged it in the end.

It doesn't quite look like it's supposed to but it's close.

I also sewed a couple of tags to put on it to make it look a little more professional (Because I'm an insecure basket case!)

One of a Kind - because it is! 

The yarn I used is totally reclaimed from an old jumper and so there are a lot of joins throughout the whole garment. I've carefully sewn them in though.

Warm Hand Wash

Just to give a bit of a hand to whoever. I don't know what the exact fibre content of the yarn is so I figured this instruction would be the most helpful.

I hand sewed these. Totally worth the effort!

And the finished Vest. So pleased with this I cannot even begin to express it! It's been washed, blocked, dried, folded and packaged up. It is now wending it's way via post back to Carnamah. 

I really hope they like it!

Bye now Dx

Another Stash Busting Project...done!

I actually quite enjoyed this. The pattern was very well written and easy to follow. I had the yarn on hand to give it a try and that also would use up some of my massive stash instead of buying more!! And more importantly, once knit up it actually fits and looks really nice. And so simple! What's not to like?

See? About the only thing negative I have to say about it at all is how extremely fluffy the yarn is I used. I'm hoping it will settle down after I've washed it because at the moment it sheds like a golden retriever at the onset of summer!

Sigh...I wish it was winter already :)

When there doesn't seem to be anything to say.

I haven't written lately because I've felt a bit depressed and useless and it's all I can do to talk much less write.
Not that I stopped knitting! I did finish stuff.
I finally completed the vest I was doing although I'm still of two minds whether to unravel the bottom edge and replace the ribbing with garter stitch. I think it would hang better












Also finished my little neices set. Really wish I had a pic of her in it but haven't got it yet! Was a little concerned at how bright it turned out.












And I've started a simple shawl for my dear daughter to take away with her when she joins her partner in Canberra once the army finish his solitary training. Canberra's a long way from here and I don't like actually thinking about it much but I will have the shawl finished by September when she'll be getting ready to head off.
And we now have a diagnosis for my youngest son, Jordan.












Yes, he has Aspergers. (no real surprise to me!) and so now we're going through all the hoops to see what we can get to help him around his individually wired brain!
All in all, nothing to be depressed about, is there?
I feel just a little overwhelmed so...
I think I'll just keep knitting.