This is a longer post than normal, as I am doing a snapshot for the half way point and have had quite a busy crafting week.

Knitting

Finished Object

I finished my husband’s latest hat.  Two by Two pattern by Anne Gagnon, available free on Ravelry.  As my husband has a large head I increased the needle size.  I hadn’t actual measured the length of the yarn I had spun, so I was getting a little nervous and started the decreases early, but it still fits.  I could probably have done a couple more rows but that’s the problem with bottom up hats.  Playing yarn chicken is stressful.  (Which reminds me to find a simple toe up sock design for the 2nd pair for myself.). The fractal handspun Corriedale has interesting subtle colour stripes.  He says it isn’t as warm as the alpaca hat I knit him, using Anne’s Ribs n’ Cables design, but he likes it…I think.

Cast On

I started knitting a shawl this week with my Rowan Lima yarn.  It is unusual yarn, as it isn’t plied, its like one long crochet chain, but in worsted weight!  It’s 84% baby alpaca, 8% merino and 8% nylon.  It is purple!  I am so predictable.  I bought the yarn at a de-stash sale 6 balls for only £3 total!!!!  It couldn’t have worked out better though, as it is a perfect match for a really warm hat I knit with some purple alpaca yarn I bought in Cusco, Peru!  The pattern I have chosen is Void by Melanie Berg.  

This pattern has brand new stitches I have never done before (LT2, RT2, kfbf and bundle).  I mis-read how to do an LT2 (left twisted) stitch and got my knitting in a knot and frogged it 5 times!!!!  Eventually I viewed some YouTube clips and finally realised where I was going wrong.  With the lack of memory and soft drape that alpaca has I am not sure this is really the right pattern for it, but I am going to stick with it and see how I get on and can always re-make the pattern with a different yarn choice in the future.  

Oops!!!  On Saturday afternoon I realised I made a mistake a couple of rows back but with the complicated stitches I tried tinking it back but failed, so I have now popped a marker in the spot I need to create a new stitch.  With my rubbish memory I will no doubt forget where the mistake is, like I did with the cardigan I knit.  Also it’ll be hidden by my hair when worn, if I grow my hair longer lol!  I will get it back on track later today.

Lintilla is still parked at the moment, but as Void requires a bit lot of concentration I may pick up Lintilla when I need an easier project.

Advent

My husband bought me a yarn advent calendar, which arrived late, so I had a binge on opening the little parcels.  They are art yarn singles and until they are all open I am not sure what I will do with them.  Here’s a snapshot of the colours so far. Suggestions are welcome, as I haven’t made anything with art yarn before.  I did think about making some mini mittens as an advent for next year, but uncertain how much yarn I will have.  I have found a cute pattern called Smittens, so may try that and see how it goes.

 

Dyeing

This week I dyed 100g of Blue Faced Leicester fibre and wanted to try some different colour combinations in heather colours.  I used my landscape dyes from Kraftkolour in Fern (green), Ice (turquoise) and Raspberry (deep pink) and a touch of Ashford hot pink dye.  I pre-soaked the fibre in some citric acid, gently squeezed out excess water and then applied the colours in stripes both neat and mixed in pairs (landscape dyes only).  I then rolled in cling film and steamed for a bit.  Some pink escaped into the water so I later soaked up the colour with 25g of mohair.  Once the dye bath was exhausted I put the BFL fibre back in but this time without the cling film and directly in the water…just to be certain the hot pink had enough citric acid contact to ensure it set.  The landscape dyes already have setting agent in it, unlike the Ashford.

Of course I love the results…what’s not to love about something with shades of purple in. #purpleaddict 

Not sure whether I will use it for wet felting or spinning.

 

Christmas

I would like to wish all my fellow YOPers and anyone else who follows or stumbles across my blog a Very Merry Christmas.  My MIL and parrot arrived today and most food shopping was done.  Tomorrow they pick up the turkey, trimmings etc. and then we just need to get another Christmas pudding (yep we’ve already eaten one!) and some Christmas cake (which usually lasts to Easter!)  We played cards this evening and probably will most evenings, so I am not expecting much progress to report next week….but now follows my half way update.  

Other than The Grinch I still haven’t watched any Christmas Movies yet!!!  I watched the 4 seasons on The Killing this week, definitely not Christmassy!  Will put Elf on when I do some ironing later today.

 

Half Way Point in the 8th Year of Projects

So already we are at the half way point of the Year of Projects!  Although it’s the 8th year it has been running, this is my first year.  At 13 weeks I took a snapshot, so here’s my 26th week snapshot. 

There are 50 items on my list and I have completed 24 and made a start on some others, so I am pretty pleased with my progress.

Wet felting

• A case for my craft scissors ✅ wk 16
• A picture of my dog Ylva
• A loose casual waistcoat or top ❇️ (Wk 23 Bought black icelandic top to use)
• A project bag using the plastic loop handles in my stash
• A coin purse
• Make a fancy scarf or wrap using nuno felting ✅ wk 11 and wk 16
• A picture of a Highland Cow ✅ wk 4

Needle felting

• A 3D animal…probably my dog Ylva
• Make up some more bug related fairies…to go with my ladybird one 

Spinning

• Spin all the commercial fibre currently in my stash (for spinning not felting) on Ravelry @ date of posting! 

1. Perpetual purple merino ✅ wk 3
2. Plum merino and gold bamboo ✅ wk 3
3. Ethereal ether ✅ wk 8
4. British 56s ✅ wk 12
5. Shetland ✅ wk 24
6. Camel & silk ✅ wk 24
7. Corriedale poppy ✅ wk 24
8. Blue Faced Leicester (dye it first)

• Master chain ply ✅ wk 12 (Himalayan blend chain ply nice and smooth at joints)
• Create a fractal spun yarn ✅ wk 24
• Spin some tweed yarn
• Create my own wool and silk blended spin
• Create an official (not accidental) art yarn
• Spin first batch of Samoyed dog hair ❇️ wk 6

Dyeing

• Dye some of the natural fibre tops and/or homespun yarn from my stash

1. Samoyed Dog hair
2. Bamboo
3. Merino/silk blend
4. Merino/suri alpaca blend
5. Corriedale fibre
6. Blue Faced Leicester ✅ wk 26
7. British 56s ✅ wk 4 and 11
8. Portland

Also, over dye ethereal ether ✅ wk 6

• Dye undyed commercial spun skeins

1. Cheviot chunky wool ✅ wk 6
2. BFL/silk blend
3. Merino silk blend ✅ wk 25
4. Merino bamboo blend

Knitting

• Finish my Chimney Fire cardigan ✅ wk 14
• Make my husband a pair of socks ✅ wk 18
• Make my dad something for Christmas ✅ wk 25
• Make something with purple and gold homespun yarn ✅ (Hitchhiker wk 11)
• Make up a matching accessory set from my perpetual purple paradise homespun yarn
• Make the shawl with my Rowan Lima yarn ❇️ (Started Void wk 26)
• Make a 2nd pair of socks for myself
• Learn brioche stitch ❇️ (YouTube watching wk 13)
• Learn fair isle knitting and knit one of the small fair isle items in my queue ✅ wk 3
• Knit (or crochet) all the scraps of left over sock and sport weight wool. ❇️ wk 12
• Knit something Two at a Time ✅ wk 18

Crochet