Sunday, 3 October 2010

Etsy Shop

Just to let you all know that due to being more poorly than usual, and it now being the run up to Christmas (or present knitting season as it is becoming known in our house!), my Etsy Shop will be closed until the Spring.

Thank you. 

Vlindervest (Butterfly Jacket) Amended.

As several of you are probably aware, I was given a  knitting kit for my birthday last year. For those of you on Rav, here is what it should look like.  But at that point, I hit a wall.  I don't actually speak Danish (my shortcoming, not the pattern I'm sure)..  So it got put to the bottom of the pile whilst I thought about it.  And as I considered the project, it began to take on a life of it's own.

Vlindervest 06 Sep 2010 013After careful consideration,I decided that the of the jacket would flatter me more if it had box pleats and was also longer in the body.  So the first thing I knitted was not the jacket at all, but the box pleats for attaching after the Jacket has been knitted.  This should give the finished garment a far more tailored effect.  I also came to the conclusion that using black Evilla yarn with the rainbow Kauni was a pretty harsh colour combination, so whilst i decided to let the box pleats stand (hopefully they will only flash with movement anyway) and knit the actual jacket in a combination of rainbow Kauni and plain coloured Kauni in deep green.  
Vlindervest Amended 01 Oct 2010 052And then I c/o the bodice.  I've rearranged the order of the colours to give the illusion of more of a nipped waist (a girl can hope!).  Also I have steeked the armholes rather than knitting the top half flat (at least, I think that is what the pattern was saying).  I am currently knitting the last row of butterflies before I shape the shoulders and the neck.  I shan't be knitting the round neckline of the original as it really won't flatter my already round face,   So it will be a smaller neck hole and a stand up collar (v flattering you know for those who like me have slightly less jaw line than they would like).  Then, rather than knit the sleeves independently, I intend to knit the sleeves straight off the steeked armholes.  As you have probably guessed by now, I really see no point in constructing knitting as a dress pattern when it is a three dimensional medium (so there!).  I'm not sure whether to knit the sleeves in the plain blue or to knit the same colours drifts as the arms.  

Good Grief! I seem to have lost September!

Actually, this is not strictly true.  I have just been busy.  A pathetic excuse, but there you go.  For the first 2 weeks we had visitors and therefore I was having far too much fun to post.  The downside of having far too much fun was an energy deficit which led in turn to a nasty cold so I've spent the majority of the last 2 weeks in bed.  Being bored.

Pacific NW Shawl 01 Oct 2010 048
So bored in fact that I have done nothing but knit -yay!  So then, what have I been doing I hear you cry - well someone did anyway... Firstly, I cast on a Pacific North West Shawl by Evelyn A Clark.  I've been meaning to knit this for me for about 2 years now, so I took myself by the scruff and cast on in some fabulous hand dyed fine merino lace weight which was a gift from Freyalyn  last year.  The yarn is actually a far richer colour than the pic shows.  The pattern is turning out to be very simple to follow and I'm now out of the clouds of gulls and into the trees so to speak.

Danish Shawl 02 Oct 2010 036
As I was in the mood for C/O bits, I also C/O a Danish Shawl  (Dorothea Fischer)  I'm using the Falklands and soy yarn I spun earlier in the year.  It's lovely to knit.  This particular shawl is not for me, but for my psudo SIL Fran who is blonde and as such will suit the colours better I put them to my face and promptly lost all the colour I have (which is negligible!).  It is knitting up so quickly that I may just knit one up for me at a later date when Christmas Pressie Season isn't looming!
4-7 Mitten
I'm also pursuing my Anna Zillboorg craze and have C/O another pair of mittens - these are  for Xmas, but they are fun to knit, so it's ok.  I've finished the outer of the first one and am about to C/O the second then it will be a couple of days on the linings and voila! 



Waistcoat 1 032
And finally the 'me' project I've C/O.  I am also making a trio of dresses for me for the winter and thought it would be nice if they each had their own waistcoat to complement them.  I looked at loads of patterns and came to the conclusion that what I really needed was a similar shape to the bodice of the dress.  So using the dress pattern as a guide, I've c/o in the Redleaf and Silk I spun recently.  The colours will complement the final dress really well and so far it seem to be working.   I hope to edge the front in ribbon, and also put a couple of ribbon edged vents in the sides but to leave the bottom edge alone.  If I have sufficient yarn, I want to pop a mandarin collar on to keep out the drafts.  We shall see.