a whole lot of stuff

It's been some weeks since my last blog post. Lots of life, not much time for recording.

I've discovered etsy, via Ravelry. Nice Pear Studio advertised. I was tempted by the pictures, had a look and ended up buying! Janice was very very helpful. She had never posted internationally before. But went out of her way to make it all happen. Here is one of two sock yarns I bought:

It's called Cherry Blossom and was hand dyed by Janice.

And of course I have been busy knitting up a few things for the Red Hill Show. I entered four items this year: a toy, socks, a teacosy and a toddler's cardigan. I was lucky enough to pick up three firsts this year and a second for the cardigan.

I love the feeling of participating in a community event. It's quite special to see your handmade items displayed regardless of whether they have received a gong or not. It' s really interesting to see what other people are making too, including k girl. I think we have both entered various bits and pieces for the last three years. Long may it continue!

Last year my plum pudding teacosy didn't get a place. I think it's a great teacosy and very amusing. I love the leaves and berries on the top. This year my cosy got first place. I love this one just as much as last year's one. They are very different but they both had an equal level of skill and effort invested in them. I cannot really work out the judging. Ranking items must be difficult, because beyond a certain level of skill and complexity which can be assessed, how do you differentiate? I think that there must be a certain amount of subjectivity, but who knows.

I knitted it in Patons Jet and then felted it. It felted brilliantly in one go! I then sewed on felt flowers and leaves. I'm only learning to embroider - hand sewing is really not my skill - but I really want to be better, so I am trying to find opportunities to practise.

Here is the back:

And here is the orange aran cardigan with hood. It's an amalgam of two patterns plus a some of my own invention. I learnt a lot about design by knitting it. It's knitted in Naturally's Loyal DK. 100% wool and machine washable. The inspiration is a Zoe Mellor pattern called Robin Hood Jacket which is knitted in Rowan Cork. It's a discontinued chunky weight yarn. So to produce something close required dramatic changes. I'm pleased with the result and I think it'll be great as a winter woolly for Mr S.

And the socks - they are knitted in Tofutsies soy blend yarn. The pattern is a basic lace. The socks are a modified version of Rainy Day Socks. You can find the pattern on Ravelry. I used a different weight of yarn and really just used the construction method I always use (cuff down).

And I entered the hedgehog. It's knitted from a Fiber Trend pattern and is felted too.

Winter Hats

It's been a cold winter for Melbourne. I've been busily knitting, but a bit slow about finishing anything. However, I have managed to complete two hats for my toddler. Ya!!

The first is made from Shepherd's Colour 4 Me in a good strong traditional red. It's 100% wool and knits up well. I used a Sirdar pattern (1682). I've also knitted a matching jacket - I just have one more side seam to sew on that, however it's been at that stage for well over a month!

The hat is nice. I added the stalk.



The second hat is really more of an old fashion 'helmet'. It's a Zoe Mellor pattern. It needs the tie to keep it on properly. It is designed to be close fitting and if not tied on it pops up. If I was knitting it again I'd knitted it a couple of sizes bigger and at least 3 cm longer so I could do away with the ties. I knitted it from Sublime Baby Cashmere, Silk, Merino DK. Super soft, but it does pill a bit. The hat also has a pompom!

I haven't been spending much time in the garden. Too cold and too difficult with Mr S. We did plant some bulb recently (they should have gone in during February!). Mr S now refers to the garden as a sandpit!

Despite the neglect, or maybe because of it there are some nice vignettes that have appeared naturally. Here lie the fruits of the Pseudocydonia nestling amongst decaying leaves.

We are still missing Mil very much. Mr S still asks about her and was very excited yesterday when he saw a picture of a blue heeler. She lives on in our hearts and our memories, but it is still very sad and painful.

Red Hill Agricultural Show

Well it was Red Hill Agricultural Show again on Saturday. I had been umming and arring for sometime about whether to put anything in this year or not. I've been quite disorganised this year. Run over by work, a caring for a 'always on the go' toddler and I guess just life in general.

In the end I put in three items.

This alpaca cardi has been on the needles for some time - well over six months anyway - I had changed the sizing, failed to record what I had done, and every time I picked it up I kept making mistakes that I had to pull out. Very frustrating. But I used the deadline of the Show to give me the final kick along to finish.


Anyway, it won a first prize, so I was quite pleased in the end.

I also finished the plum pudding tea cosy. I love it, but it didn't get a gong.

And lastly, Mr S' Sailor Sweater. It got a second prize. I'm quite pleased with it. The only criticism I have is that I don't really like the edges. If I knitted it again, I'd knit a garter stitch band. The yarn is Sublime's Baby DK (a mix of merino, cashmere, silk and microfiber). The yarn is gorgeous to feel, but is a bit of a trial to knit with. It splits quite easily and it's difficult to get an even surface.