2008 - FO No. 48

Things have been a little busy around here lately, just life getting ready for Christmas I guess. I feel like the big day is drawing nearer so much more quickly this year. Anyway onto the knitting books I told you about the other day (didnt I). Oh well if I forgot here they are. The two new Sublime books have such gorgeous beautiful patterns in them. I have started one in the baby book for my soon to be god-daughter but I am not really loving the Sirdar yarn for it so another yarn will have to be used. Once I make some progress on it I will show you all. The other book is full of really beautiful garments and that vest on the front cover is just gorgeous. I could totally see Isabelle wearing that in the cooler months.

On the weekend we found a home for Oscar who went to live with my sister's friend in Daylesford. I am sure he will be very happy there. Now there is only Pip (Pippi) yes another boy who was enjoying a little hoodie ride in the back of Lachlan's hooded jacket. He eventually went to sleep in there after a little bit. He looked so cute and is enjoying all the extra attention. If anyone in the Melbourne area is looking for a cute little guy to share their lives with just email me or leave a comment that you would like to give him a home.

And finally the knitting project I finished in 2 days. This was made for Isabelle as she loved the pencil case in the DB magazine that I bought a few weeks back. I cast on 60 sts instead of 42 so it would be a bit wider to hold her pencils and textas. She has been using it everyday. I put some pink fabric inside which looks quite nice too but I forgot to photograph it.

The knitting swap that I participated in has still not been received by my pal. The knitted tea cozy seems to be lost now but I am hoping it will be sent back to me as I put my address on it. I wonder if there is a place where all the missing mail seems to go to. It couldnt have been stolen as it was PO box address so surely it would be only handled through the mail system and not left at someone's letterbox. I am so annoyed and disappointed for my pal. I feel as though I have wasted all my time and money on making such lovely goodies to send to her and now she wont get them. Perhaps I will take a break from swaps for a little bit to recover. Sorry to end on such a sad note but now I know how others feel when it doesnt work out on the other end.

Well onto my knitting, and once I find the right yarn to restart my project I will post you all a pic since I havent been too good on doing WIP lately. It seems a few others have the same problem too, but time just flies by so fast doesnt it.

New Books

I received my Amazon order today, no less than 1.5 weeks after I ordered them. It wasnt due to arrive until 5 June so this was wonderful.
Knitting In the Round, The Opinionated Knitter and Knitting Workshop will be on my to read list during the week. I never really knew about her until last year when Jarod wrote about all her wonderful patterns. Now every second person seems to knit one of her patterns and write of her wonderful stories in these books. Now I will get to read them and knit them too. I am so looking forward to that. The new Lucinda Guy Crochet Designs For Kids book is full of really wonderful patterns, clothes and toys. I have all 4 of her books now and each one is excellent, especially the drawings that her partner does. It inspires me to start drawing again like I used to. I have taken some photos of my favourite patterns from the book and I will show you all tomorrow. I really will need to learn to crochet before I attempt any of them though. I suppose this will inspire me to learn properly (Auntie Helen where are you), and my aunt showing me some of the stitches too. She is a really wonderful crocheter and knitter but likes to do cross stitch now before her eyes wear out (as she likes to say). I always think that is funny but true. Okay have a lovely sunny day like it is here today, and I will see you all tomorrow. By the way Rebecca I will post the meme answers on the weekend for you.

The List Is Getting Longer

First up I would like to thank Amanda J, Kate and Karin for presenting me with the You Make My Day award. I cant believe how many people have nominated me and you cant imagine how honoured I feel too, so thank you so much girls!
So first up some knitting books that I have received recently and I really like too.
The Pleasures of Knitting has some really lovely patterns in it, two of which I would love to knit up.
The Little Box of Knitted Gifts has some cute things in it although nothing out of the ordinary. I do like it though and plan to knit up a few things later on!
The last book is Soft and Simple Knits for Little Ones and it has some cute things in it too, but I will show some favourites from it another day.

Now onto the knitting, as I have been promising a few WIP shots.

1. The Pink Flower Cardigan which is a little bit hard to photograph. This is one repeat so far (why did I choose bobbles). It will be a bit of time before it is finished.

2. The DB Baby Cabled Hoodie which I cast on for last year and still have not finished. I really love all the little cables in it but it is time consuming. The color is actually a darker red, but you know my camera it always changes colors on reds and blues for some reason.

3. The Fog Sweater - this is coming along nicely and I have already finished the back and cast on for the front. Yes, I am not knitting in the round and I dont mind seaming so I cant wait to finish this one.

4. Trellis - yes well I started this last year too and only have half the back finished so far. Whilst photographing my stash I found the rest of the cotton for it so I do plan on finishing this one too.

5. Vintage Car Coat - I started this one last week and it is so fun to knit. More on that later.

6. Pink Socks - nothing fancy, just plain 64 sts socks in one of Katt's yarns but I will have to look up the color since the label is now missing. I have completed half a sock so I should take some time to finish it up.

7. Buzy Lizzie - I looove this pattern! It is so cute. I have started the left front, and finished the back last year some time. This will have to be completed soon too so I can cross it off the list.

8. Jethro Jacket - Yes this is still sitting in the UFO basket but recently I found it again and felt like knitting some of it. I will need to get motivated to knit this in the cooler weather though as it is quite warm and the weather has been hot and humid here.

9. Duffle Coat - yes after ripping out the first version because I had 2 different dye lots, I cast on for another color and that is all that has been completed so far.

10. Blue Baby Cardigan - I love this little baby jacket and have knit it twice before for cousin's babies, but will need to finish the front and sleeves so I can pop it into the gift basket.

11. Twist - I love this pattern and Bonne Marie is so clever with the garments that she designs. I have knit a little bit of the back and will try and knit some more on it after I have finished a few others.

12. Cobblestone sweater - This is nearly halfway and I havent photographed it yet either. I really need to get back to it instead of having it sit in the bag waiting for me to pay attention to it.

13. Midwest Moonlight Scarf - Another winter knit which is still not finished yet. It is halfway done so I really should finish this one too. I had to keep repeating the last repeat when I was doing it as I kept making silly mistakes, so after I had fixed them I put it in a bag to marinate for a while until I was ready to start it again. It really is a lovely pattern so when I have some quiet time I will try and finish it.

Well that is the list so far of WIP's and I should try and finish some of them off soon. I know there is more sitting there waiting to be finished too but I dont want to feel too guilty, this list is bad enough. How many WIP's do you have waiting to be finished!

Oh and tomorrow I should be able to knit some more as BOTH children will be back at school tomorrow, so hooray for me. I did most of my ironing yesterday so that is off the to do list. Isabelle and I also got a long awaited haircut. Isabelle's hair kept getting knotty and driving me crazy trying to brush it, so now it has a good 2 inches snipped off the back and looks much neater too. I would have preferred it in a bob but she would have been upset if we cut that much off it. I also got quite a bit cut off mine. I was a bit annoyed last time as my hairdresser decided to leave it a bit longer, but my hair grows like a weed so 3 weeks later it was looking quite terrible. I dont think she will leave it like that again as I told her I wasnt happy last time with the extra length. Now it is nice and short and very manageable. Just what I need when having to run around after the kids. Now I am off to serve homemade lasagna for dinner which I whipped up yesterday afternoon so I didnt have to cook tonight!

Back On Blossom Street

I have been reading since the weekend (apart from blogs) and I have been enjoying it too. I discovered this book at the local K-Mart last week and since it was the only copy I decided to buy it. I still have the first one (Shop on Blossom Street) somewhere around here. It is about a young lady who in the first book goes through the trials of having her own yarn store whilst dealing with cancer, family problems, etc. Now this book continues on with the story of her and a few friends from the last book, and what happens to each of them, plus a few new characters too. I used to read a lot of books before I had children, so now when I find a book I really want to read I go to my bedroom and read for an hour or two whilst the children are occupied with their friends or doing something together. I find it quite relaxing to read and get immersed in the story quite easily. Lachlan is a bookworm like me too, and we just bought Deltora Quest 3 for him to read. He had finished the first series of it, and we are now waiting on the bookstore to get Deltora Quest 2 in for him to read. I think he read for most of the day yesterday.
Paul took the kids to the local park yesterday too for a fishing competition. They had stocked the lake with about 800 trout and held the comp from 10 to 2 yesterday. They only stayed an hour as it was impossible to fish with so many people. They didnt even have room to cast their lines properly. The park is only a 5 minute walk from our house, so the boys will go after school during the week and see if they are lucky enough to catch a fish. I hope they do so we can have some nice grilled trout for dinner.
Oh, and I took Isabelle to get her ears pierced on Friday morning. She has been asking for a while now to have them done and I was a bit worried about how she would be. We went to the chemist and they said to come in at 10:00. Imagine trying to entertain a child for an hour whilst they are waiting to get it done. By the time we got back there she was feeling better, until the lady had to get everything ready. Isabelle was holding my hand looking a bit worried, and I was going to cancel it. She said no, she wanted to still get it done. She cried a little bit after the first ear and then knew what the second one was going to feel like. It always breaks my heart to see my children upset and in pain. She did really really well though and only cried a little bit. I tried to explain that the hard part was over and that that was as much pain as she was going to be in. After an hour or so she said it didnt hurt as much, so we went to McDonald's to have some lunch, and distract her from thinking about it. Later that night she did say to me that it did hurt a lot, and that after the first one she didnt want the second one done. I can imagine why too. Now she is full of smiles and her earrings look lovely on her too, little peridot ones which is her birthstone. She is already thinking about what ones she wants for Christmas as a present. This is a good idea too as people never know what to buy her. I have been knitting too, and am on the sleeves for Isabelle's red cardigan. I did the collar and bands last night. I seem to be a on a sleeve rolll as I am knitting up the sleeves for Lachlan's jumper too, so hopefully I can finish two in the month of October. I have also been on ravelry and it is so fantastic. If you would like me to add you to "my friends" list just let me know your username so I can find you. I hope you all have a wonderful wonderful day.

Monica

Hello everyone! The knitting has recommenced, although I never really stopped, I wasnt as enthused as usual about it. Two days ago I decided to knit up a quick little project to get my mojo back and I think it has worked.
Pattern: Monica from Knitty
Size: 6 years
Yarn: Cotton Ease - Not quite 1 skein of each color
Started: Thursday afternoon and finished sewing it up today.
Overall I really loved knitting this pattern, and it knit up so quickly too. The straps are the perfect length, which I was a bit worried about. I just estimated the length for Isabelle and it was just right. She has taken to wearing it now and wont take it off (dont you love it when they do that). She also had a haircut yesterday and got quite a bit snipped off, so now her curls have returned.

Lachlan also got motivated yesterday and weeded the old vegie garden (I should have taken a before photo) and has now planted some garlic, cucumbers, silverbeet, carrots, and snowpeas. I will try and remember to take a photo when it all starts growing so you can see some progress. I cant wait for some fresh vegies from the garden. I hope that he keeps weeding it too, as I think it will be good for him. Last year he planted some vegies, and after 2 weeks lost interest so it was left to me. I dont mind weeding as long there arent hundreds of them to do. If I keep an eye on it it should be okay. Oh and the postman dropped off some parcels yesterday in front of the letterbox inside of the fence. Luckily I was home otherwise it would have been ruined from the rain we had yesterday, or it could have been stolen. I think the post office needs to take more care with delivering parcels so they dont get damaged or stolen. I received my copy of Charmed Knits which is a really good book and great for any HP fan. Isabelle loves the wizard robe in it, and Lachlan likes Errol the owl. I quite like the bookmarks and Hermoine hat.

Also I bought Easy Knits for Kids which has quite a few nice patterns in it for young children. I really liked this book when I read about it a few months ago in a knitting magazine. It has some lovely patterns in it and nothing looks too complicated. I am waiting on some more knitting books to come, and fingers crossed that they arrive next week. I did order a third book with these two so I am waiting to hear whether it was sent with them or whether they were still waiting for it. Well that is it for now, must go and sort out some other things to finish up and cross off the list. Happy knitting!!!

New Books!

The mailman arrived this morning, with 3 packages. One was for Isabelle, a birthday present from her cousins filled with lots of lovely books. The other 2 were for me. The one on the left is by Lotta Jandsotter, and is a very cute book with nice projects in it and it describes how to print your own fabrics too. I ordered mine from Corrie and she sent it out so fast. Thanks Corrie.
Now the book on the right is the one that I have been so excited about. The Softies book is a book of soft toy patterns by some very talented women, and whose blogs I do read. I think there was only 2 that I hadnt come across before. I really do love all of the wonderful patterns in this book, and the photos of the toys are fantastic. I have already marked out 3 that I am going to try and make before the end of the week. Isabelle has been reading it this morning too, and pointing out all the toys that she loves in the book, and the ones we can make for her boy cousins. The monster was a hit with that one. Isabelle seems to absolutely love the giraffe by Kate, so that will be on the list to make too. I will take some photos once I finish one of them. I bought my copy through Sooz' blog since she had a lead to who was supplying them. I received mine in 2 days so that was excellent.

Oh and look who I spied whilst taking pictures of the books this morning. Bella snuggled up amongst the handmade dolls. I think I must have woken her up, and she is feeling much better now too, thank goodness. She must be tired though as she fell asleep in my bedroom on the rocking chair yesterday. She looked so cute snuggled up there too. Well that is all for now as I must go and do some organizing and look after Isabelle too. She still is not well, but does seem to be getting better day by day. Plenty of rest I say!

FO No. 19 and a few other things too!

Pattern: Playtime Sweater from Miss Bea's Playtime book.
Size: 1 to 2 years.
Yarn: 8 ply crepe yarn, blue and gray, 1 and a half of each.
Started: Thursday 14th and finished Sunday 17th
This is the 3rd one I have knitted and I just adjusted the stripes to suit my own style. In this one I did 10 rows of each color and now I am hoping to do one in a girl's colorway as all of them so far have been for boys. A great way to use up stash yarn too.
I visited the Rowan website last week ryclassic.com and they had a special on some of their books. Since I wanted those 2 I decided now was the right time to get them, so I got Mother and Baby, and Classic Weekend and Classic Winter which were the 2 for a special price deal. They arrived in a week so that is always good, and they have so many wonderful things to make in them too. I really love the scarf on the front cover too, and there is a bag to match also. I will try and knit some of those things this year, just need more time in the day.

I also wanted to show you all what a wonderful gift I received at Isabelle's school from the lady who sometimes gives us a lift to school and home again. I had given her a carseat that Isabelle no longer needed last week, so she could use it for her granddaughter, and she gave me some little pressies. Arent they gorgeous, and I think they are both so sweet, and Lachlan seems to love the jester bear but there is no way it is leaving my bedroom. What a wonderful thing to receive when I feel so sick, yes again. I have managed to pick up the virus that the rest of the family had for the last 2 weeks, but I also have a middle ear infection so that explains my feeling a bit funny for the last few weeks. The other doctor that I saw a few weeks ago did not discover it, but yesterday the doctor I saw said it looked as though it was about to burst and it certainly feels like it too. A great start to the week since I have been doing a temporary job of delivering catalogues which will last for about 3 weeks for now. At least it only takes an 1 and a half hours to walk and deliver them so that is fast and easy too. I am hoping the kilos will drop off too. I also attended a Stitch n Bitch on Sunday at Gisborne (thanks Sue for the details) and met Marie and her daughter Rebecca, and Polly as well. Isabelle and mum came, and it was nice to meet new people. Hopefully next month it wont be miserable weather to drive in and more people will show up. I also joined a dishrag tag and the details can be found on Sue's blog. It sounds like a lot of fun so if your interested pop on over and have a look. I have also finished knitting Isabelle's scarf, and she seems more interested in knitting again, doing 3 rows in bed last night, and then another row at 7:00 this morning. I am hoping she keeps up her interest as she wants to go to the next Stitch n Bitch meeting with some progress. Well that is all for a while, whilst I go and have a little rest on the couch and the tablets start working on my earache. Happy knitting!!!

The Book Fairy Has Been Again!

I have been waiting for my book order to arrive for the last 2 weeks. That is not too long to wait for these though as they are all wonderful. First up Mason Dixon Knitting, which I first had the opportunity to look through and use courtesy of Gillian when she lived nearby. I really wanted to make some more dishcloths and a few other things from this book so I ordered a copy of it. Second book - Knitted Toys. Now I really like this book. It has a cat pyjama bag, a knitted pup, a cow cushion which I think is really cute, an owl which I love and has felt features on it and is so adorable. There is even a robot and a snake, some stripey mice, a flat ted with a really cute face, and even a gingerbread man too. I am sure this book will come in handy when needing to make baby pressies too, as they would be wonderful to make for gifts. I really like books by Zoe Mellor, and I think she always uses wonderful colors too. Lastly but not least, a sewing book by Amy Butler called In Stitches. I really like this book too, and it has some wonderful projects in it too. All of the fabrics are just gorgeous, and there are some really nice bags, pillows, document holders for photos, lounge pants, a sleeping mask and quite a few others too that I would love to make eventually. I did order a bag pattern from Corrie a few weeks ago with some gorgeous fabic, but as yet have not touched it. I am waiting for a day with no interruptions so I can start. Paul's work has been a bit slow, and even though it is nice for him to be home, it can be frustrating sometimes. I wont go into things, only to say I will be glad when he is back at work. He is in a bad mood at the moment, as I had just scraped the back of the car on the shopping trolley bay, and now it has yellow paint and scrape marks down one side of it. Of course he knows I didnt do it on purpose, although he did say that I really didnt need to be at the supermarket! I am dreading the rest of the day now, but at least I get to help out in Isabelle's classroom soon, which is always wonderful fun so it should help sort out the tension a little bit I hope. I hope you all have a wonderful day, and drive safely too.

Special Family Knits

I have finally received the Debbie Bliss Special Family Knits book from the Wool Shack. It is a beautiful book with patterns for the whole family, including hats, a scarf, a bag, socks, and lots of cardigans and jumpers too. On the left is one of my favourites, being the Patchwork Aran Jacket. It goes up to 117cm so it will fit me. I love it but it will have to wait as it does use quite a bit of yarn.

I am going to make the Striped Cardigan too for Isabelle, and this one looks nice and simple, and I already have some cotton I can use so I may start it very soon. I also love the pattern on the front cover which is pictured below, the Jacket with Ribbed Yoke. I looove this pattern, so simple yet stylish at the same time. Isabelle could wear this with a nice dress in the springtime, so all I have to do is decide which color to make it in. Perhaps a blue would be nice or a green. Oh I will decide later on when I start it. There is also a lovely zippered jacket which would be great to make for Lachlan, and a hooded guernsey which I could knit for my cousin's grandchild too. So many great patterns, and I want to make them all, I honestly do. I think this book is full of wonderful wonderful patterns. The Wool Shack actually has better photos of the patterns on their website, so if you like pop on over and have a look. By the way, thank you for the lovely comments on Isabelle's jacket, and for all your lovely thoughts and wishes for my health too. It must have worked because since Monday I have felt great, actually the best I have felt in a long time so hopefully that is the end of it for quite a while. Your thoughts made me feel so cared for too, so it is nice to have such lovely friends who can make you feel better just through a comment or an email too. I appreciate them all so much. Well that is it for now as I have some embroidery to do on a little cardigan, and hopefully I can show you all tomorrow.

The Bookshelf of Knitting Books Will Soon Overflow

I have one little shelf in my television unit which holds all of my knitting books. I am afraid I will now need to clear another shelf in the cabinet so that I can fit these ones in too.

1. Fitted Knits - I know a lot of people love this book, but I have only really found about 2 patterns that I like in this book. A few of the patterns look a bit chunky for me.
2. Easy Knits - Another great Debbie Bliss book. I like quite a few patterns in this book too, although for Isabelle I try and knit a size smaller so they dont end up too wide on her.
3. Sarah Dallas Knitting - I think out of all the books this is my absolute favourite one. I love all the blanket and pillow patterns. The sweaters are nice too and original. After seeing Alison from The Blue Blog knit up a few of the blankets I had to see the book for myself and I am so glad that I bought it. I will try and knit some patterns from this book in the near future.
4. Scottish Island Knits - I had not seen much of this book, but some of the patterns looked quite nice. There are a few patterns with colorwork too. I dont think I will be knitting any of those though they do look nice. There are 2 that I really like, but they will go onto the waiting in future knit list, not that I have any of those written down.

I have not been buying much yarn lately, apart from the sale at Kmart again, where I bought some brown Country Silk wool to knit a jacket for Lachlan. I think I will make it an adult size so if he does anymore growing it will still fit him. I am knitting away on some UFO's at the moment, (even though it does not look any emptier in the basket) so hopefully by next week I will be able to show you all some knitting progress!

Thank You Beth

Here are the wonderful goodies that I received from leaving a comment on Beth's blog. She drew my name last week and told me she would be sending the sock yarn, but she included those delicious looking cookies too, and the lovely postcard of Seattle. Beth knits up wonderful socks too, so make sure you go and have a peek over at her blog when you have time. Thank you so much Beth, you have made me feel much better today since I still have this horrible headcold.
I also ordered the Jo Sharp Issue 3 book from The Knittery. I have not seen it anywhere else, and she just got some copies in. I have had a quick glance through the book and there are some lovely patterns in it, quite a few I would like to make including the vest on the front cover. Well that is about it for now, I am off to bed with my box of tissues and hopefully some sleep whilst the kids are still at school.

Knitting Beyond The Edge

I bought this book from Meaghan and it arrived this morning. Looking through the pages there are so many wonderful ideas for edgings, cuffs, collars, adding beads and so on. I think today will be spent reading through it all and seeing what ideas will inspire me to one day knit my own sweater. Did I just say that, well let's not hold our breath on that one. I really do admire people who design their own knitwear and do it so well. Just when you think that nobody else can design something else that you would like to knit, out come all the new magazines and books, and hundreds of new patterns too. I dont know how they do it, but some of them do it really well.

I also bought the sock kit for the Lizard Ridge socks, and the color is much more orange than in the photo. I think I am going through an orange phase at the moment, I just seem to like that color and it does not even suit me either. The color of this Melody yarn is Y08 which is a blend of a dark and a lighter orange together. I hope they knit up nicely, but they will be set aside for later next month to complete. I am hoping that my sniffly nose goes away today too, as I feel as though I am about to get a dose of a cold or something similar. Not feeling quite 100%, but I just had a honey and lemon drink so hopefully it will make me feel better. Thank you all too for the wonderful comments on the Jethro Jacket . I have not touched it since, yes I know shame on me, but I have been trying to finish a cardigan for Isabelle which I cast on for last October, and I would like her to wear it to her cousin's birthday in two weeks, so I am hurriedly trying to finish it up. So that's about it for now, must go and do some more knitting!

More Books

Look at the goodies I found at Spotlight today. I decided to get out of the house for a while and go and look at some crafty things, not that I really need anything, but these were on sale. They are packets of ribbons, and you can get a lot of different colors. I chose red and pinks today, and the little packets of buttons were reduced too. They were in the scrapbooking part, but I am sure I can use them for other things. The buttons are light mauve and pink with white polka dots on them, and they are different sizes too, so maybe I can use them on baby knits.

When I arrived home I found these goodies in the letterbox. I have not looked through the Crafter's Companion yet, but I am going to as soon as I finish this post. I ordered this book via Prints Charming, which I found through Six and A Half Stitches. If you ordered before the 25th of February, they sent you a fat quarter as well. Look at mine, polka dots, one of my favourites too. I cant wait to sit down and read through it all, and I have seen it on a few other blogs and they all raved about how good it was, so I am in for a nice afternoon of reading about all the crafty people in there.



The Jaegar 28 book arrived too (and at least this time it was not folded in half and creased). There is a jacket in here called the Jethro Jacket, and I am dying to make it. I saw it on the Knitsmiths blog, via the Blue Blog which is listed on my sidebar, and the jacket was just gorgeous. I ordered my copy from Sunspun who have some really great books, fabrics and yarns too. It is easier for me to order it online than to drive there as trying to go down Bridge Road- Richmond is a nightmare with all the traffic, so if I can avoid it I will, and I suppose it does save me money too by not being tempted to buy anything else in the store too. Well I must go and catch up on some things that need doing, and make sure Isabelle is ready for the birthday party she is going to tomorrow at the swimming pool around the corner from us, and then we have Paul's birthday on Sunday, so I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Rowan Nature Book

The patterns in this book are made out of Luxury Cotton DK and Bambook Soft, so I assume that you could probably use another similar cotton if you wanted to. First up is Tendril which is a lovely cardigan using a climbing vine pattern with beads. Sorry about the blurry picture too, but I hope you can see the pattern on the front because it really is a beautiful pattern. The cardigan knits up to a size 22 (117cm bust) size.

Next up we have Glade which is a gorgeous cardigan. I think it has that romantic feel to it, and it drapes really well in the picture. This knits up to a size 18 (107cm) so the size is generous. It even has bobbles too, which some people do not like doing, but it is only on certain panels, so maybe it would not be too bad to knit.

Meadow. I think this is my favourite for some reason. I really love this one, and I can see myself making it if I can tackle the lacey pattern on the sleeves and front bands. It too knits up to a size 18 as well, and it looks as though you could wear it over a dress or jeans too, and depending on the color it could be quite striking.

Vista. This sweater looks quite nice, although I would probably not knit the belt to go with it, too much accentuation through the waist line is not a good thing for me. This one looks nice and simple and would probably not take too long to knit up. It too goes up to a size 22.

And lastly Woodland. This is the cardigan featured on the front cover, and I really really like it too. Sorry about the blurriness but I was in a hurry to take the photos. This knits up to an XL which is 112-117cm so it must have room to move in it. This would be such a relaxing thing to wear as I have a passion for ribbed sweaters and cardigans and have not knitted myself one as yet. So now the only thing is to decide what is next to knit up. My to knit list seems to be growing so maybe I can knit something for my sister from one of the books, and it will be in a tinier size and therefore I will be able to finish it much more quickly, and get satisfaction from knitting it too. Tomorrow I will have some more favourites to show you!

March - Autumn

Here are my new books:

Rowan 41

Rowan Coast

Rowan Nature and Rowan Classic Spirit.

They all have wonderful patterns in them, and I will show you a few of my favourites from each book, for the next four days. I am hoping that my spirit will lift today, as the last two days it feels as though the depression is returning. I hope not, as I really dont like feeling like that. Maybe it is just with all this free time to myself I am not used to the house being so quiet without Isabelle in it. My friend is popping over at 10 so maybe some good company will help lift my mood. See you all tomorrow with the patterns I like in the Nature book. Happy knitting!

Cable Yoke Jacket

This is the Cable Yoke Jacket from Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss. I really like this book as the patterns are so cute and adorable, and most are not that hard to knit up. I started this jacket on the 14th of February. I am knitting it in the 8ply pure new wool that I bought from Spotlight. It is a dark gray

and the knitted fabric is firm but the stitches just pop out on the cables and make it look quite nice. I am now onto the second front of the jacket, so hopefully after a bit of knitting this weekend I will be able to finish it up.

I also popped into the Borders bookstore yesterday whilst Isabelle was at school and purchased the Itty-Bitty hats book. It has so many cute and adorable hats in it, and quite a few I would like to make as baby gifts for people. The one on the front is quite adorable, and for anyone who would like to know, yes they do have boys patterns too. I love the little boat hat and the people hat too, which has a girl or a boy knitted and stitched onto the actual hat and they look great. They use nice bright colors in this book which is part of the attraction I think, since a lot more people use brights for baby knits. Once I finish a few more projects for PS I think maybe a little hat out of this book can be sneaked in between projects. I am going to try and accomplish some ironing and vacuuming this morning before we reach our estimated 38 degree day. Isabelle is sleeping over at mum and dad's again tonight, so it will be just Lachlan and us for dinner. My dad's birthday is next Saturday too, so I must find a good pressie. He is one of those dad's that seems to have everything already, so trying to find the right pressie is a bit hard. I knit him a pair of socks last year, but alas I think they were a tiny bit short for him, so I dont know how much wear they get. Okay I am off before I get sidetracked reading more blogs, so have a great weekend!

More ..... books

I have been spoiling myself lately with more knitting books, and trying not to buy any more yarn. I think this is a good idea as it will help with using up the stash, so a great idea in fact. I have been browsing the Emporium Books website which is based in New South Wales, and they have a vast array of books, so this is where I usually order my books from which are not readily available here. First off, Never To Old To Knit looks like a simple basic book, with little techniques like different buttonholes, different cast ons etc. I dont know if I will knit any of the patterns, ok maybe the hat in there, but nothing that stands out. I have not sat down and read through it all, but it seems okay. Now secondly the Knitting For Baby book. I have borrowed this book from the library about 3 times now, and sadly never knitted anything from it, but as we have a few family additions this year I thought I might knit up something from the book, so I thought it was high time to buy my own copy. The patterns in this book are just so adorable, so I will be making plans for its use in the next few months for two of Paul's cousins who are due later in the year.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK book. I love the patterns in this book, classic but with style. I even love the capelet/poncho which is full of cablework and looks quite elegant. I think this book was a good investment, and it came from Sunspun which is located in Canterbury in case anybody would like to know where I bought it.

I have been knitting too, as I only have half a sleeve for the King of Swing jacket 2, and then I can put in the zipper and seam it, and its ready for March. I am also trying to knit Isabelle's best friend a birthday pressie too, but for some reason I am not loving the yarn she chose. I think maybe a new yarn is in order for the pattern to look nice. I have also nearly finished a pink baby cardigan, but more on that later on in the week. I am a tiny bit tired today since Isabelle was up last night with a runny nose. When she gets a new tooth she seems to come down with cold like symptoms, and this has happened since she got her first tooth when she was 5 months old. Two weeks ago her first top tooth fell out, and the new one had already broken through, and now her second top tooth is about to fall out, which is being held in place by one root, and I really wish it would fall out while we are at home so we dont lose it. She still went to school this morning though, and is thoroughly enjoying it. She had her little assessment on Wednesday afternoon and went very well. She showed me the chart where she is the tallest girl in her class at 120cm tall. There is one boy that is taller than her too. She made friends with a little girl Chelsea yesterday who is the smallest girl in the class (as she informed me of this on the way home). On Monday she is going to be awarded Student of the Week for being such a good pupil. Her teacher is quite proud of her, and so am I. I am hoping to get a photo of her at assembly on Monday morning. Well that is about it for now, much rush and do some vacuuming before picking her up from school, as we are making a visit to the library to get some more story books. Happy knitting and sewing everyone!

Cables Untangled by Melissa Leapman

What a fantastic book this looks. I only received it this morning and thought that I would show you a few of my favourite patterns in it. First up is the Fringed Skirt which starts in a size 31 1/2" and goes up to a 47" which is the hip measurement. I just love it, and cables are my all time favourites to knit up. Maybe when I shift some weight from my hips I will knit myself one.











This is another favourite which is called Turtleneck. I think I would have to omit the turtleneck part though as I think it would annoy me too much. This starts in a 37" and goes up to a 53 1/2" so the sizes are quite generous which is always a good thing for us larger people.

This is another favourite, maybe because its red too. It is called the His/Her Reversible Scarf which I can see making in the very near future. I love this pattern, just gorgeous. They actually have a picture of a man wearing it in the book and it looks great on him. There are many other patterns that I love in this book, lots of blankets, cushion covers, scarfs and hats, mens sweaters which are just beautiful and a few other ladies sweater patterns too, which are beautiful. It also has a 100 cable stitch pattern and rib cable pattern section at the end of the book which would be very helpful, especially if you like to design your own knitted items to wear. I think this book will be getting a lot of use.

I also tried to download a picture of the other King of Swing jacket that I was knitting for another nephew of mine, but alas it did not work for some reason, so here it is today. I am now onto the sleeves, and then just the collar to knit and the zipper to sew in. His birthday is not until March so it should not take too long. I will try and knit some more on the baby items today, possibly the blue one since it is the start of Project Spectrum today and I cant wait to see what everyone makes. Isabelle also started school today so she was very excited this morning. I think she will have a great time, even though I was told "don't go anywhere without me mum" before I was leaving her at school. I will post her "first day" photo tomorrow. Now I am off to cast on some stitches for sleeves, and sort the ironing too which is starting to overflow out of the ironing basket. Happy Knitting!

Sirdar 316 Baby Knits

These are from the Sirdar Baby Knits book No. 316 which I think is quite new here in Australia as I have not seen it anywhere else before. The book actually has lots of jumpers, jackets, blankets, hats, booties and cardigans which are all quite adorable. I think there are about 12 different patterns.
Firstly I am making this hooded jumper which I have already cast on for. I love the blue color and these are all made in Snuggly DK and 4 ply, and they have wonderful colors too. The blue matches in perfectly with Project Spectrum which starts tomorrow. It is Design H, and is very cute like many of the others in the book. I dont think it will take too long to knit up, but then again I have added a few others to make at the same time too, even though there is never enough time to knit but I am sure to rectify this because Isabelle starts Prep tomorrow, which is the first year of school here in Australia, so I should have at least 2 more hours a day to complete some knitting after doing the housework first of course. (drats!)




Next up is the hooded jacket which is Design F. I have just completed the back of it this afternoon, so it does knit up quite quickly, although being a dark chocolate brown it is easier for me to knit during the day. I love the little cables in the front, and I am assuming that the hood is just 2x2 ribbing like the top of the jacket. I'll have to wait and see when I get to it. The chocolate brown is a really nice color too, and I do not really have any little people in mind for these knits, but you never know when a relative or friend is going to have a new baby. Paul's cousin is due in February around the 12th I think, and I did not have any time to make something for her first son, so maybe this baby will receive a handknit from me.







Finally this cute little cardigan is just so sweet, and I am making mine in red so that will be started over the next few months too, to coincide with Project Spectrum. The red is a gorgeous fire engine red so I am sure it will be a girly one for sure. There are lots of other wonderful patterns in this book, so if you like baby knitting it would be a wonderful book in your pattern collection. I would also love to thank all you wonderful people who left me really nice comments about Matilda too. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! By the way, I dropped off my nephew's jacket yesterday and he loved it, although it was too hot to wear it or even try it on at their house. I think his mum was wishing it would fit her too, so maybe I will knit her a scarf to take to hospital in March. She is having a major operation then so it might help with any chills she may feel after the operation. The children are back to school tomorrow (yippee), and I cant wait, although it is a bit sad my baby girl has grown up so quickly, and my son too. I am hoping he has a much better year this year, and feels more settled in. I dont know how he will carry all those heavy books to school though, might have to enrol in some weight lifting classes just to carry them there. I hope they get their timetable tomorrow, and then he only has to take the ones that he needs for the day. So that is about it for now, but I am looking for a sock pattern tonight, even though it might take the full two months to finish them off with all the extra projects I cant help myself making. Nothing like a boredom buster with lots of projects to choose from. Happy knitting eveyone!

Rowan books

My postman dropped off a parcel yesterday, and I had no idea what it was. I mean I had only ordered my Rowan books last week from their website, and here they were at my doorstep. How exciting.

Top Left: Classic Babies
Top Right: Classic Bambino
Bottom Left: Classic Garden
Bottom Right: Classic Beach

They are all really beautiful patterns and I cannot wait to knit some more of them.

I also thought I would post progress of the left front and the back of my Twist cardigan. This seems to knit up so fast on 4.5mm needles. I am using DK Gold wool in a dark emerald green color, which looks of course like blue on my screen as always. I am hoping to have the other front knit up by the end of the week, and then only the sleeves and bands to do. The weather is starting to get a bit warmer and Spring is only around the corner so I wil have a new cardi to wear.



I did not get any time to look for a new sock pattern after my books arrived, as I was too busy looking through my new books. I picked out the Bo Peep cardigan and started it last night for my friend's daughter Bianca. It is just gorgeous and I am using Zara 8 ply yarn which knits up beautifully, and it was in my stash so it is just perfect. I also did some shopping on ebay on the weekend and was successful with 3 auctions. I bought some trampoline springs for the kid's trampoline as a few had broken and I told them no jumping on it until its fixed. I am just waiting for them to arrive so hopefully by the end of the week. I also bought some Rowan Rowanspun 4 ply which I have plans for in a Temptation color, but I will take some pics when they arrive. Now to get back to that cardigan knitting......