knitting books

Welcome to my four new followers! If you came in from "Grow Your Blog", here's my "this is me" post. Thanks for dropping by.

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I received only one stitching-related book for Christmas. It is The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and Gauges, by Ann Budd.

There are several patterns in the book I like. I have only shown you details of the patterns but I have provided links to the garments where I could. If you are not a member of Ravelry, I apologise that you can’t access some of these links.

Alpine Tweed By Jared Flood (from his website)

Fibonacci Rings by Ann Budd (Ravelry link)

Cable Love Henley by Ann Budd (or here for Ravelry link)

India Print Henley by Anne Hanson (modelled here by my blog friend Jocelyn, from Knitting Linguist)

Feather and Fan Flare by Ann Budd (Ravelry link)

I don’t know if I would wear either of the first two, I am too well endowed to want to draw attention to my bust area (says she whose Westall cardigan has lace panels you-know-where) but I certainly can admire the designs.

DD borrowed French Girl Knits (by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes) from the library. I have fallen for a couple of the patterns, particularly Anjou and Celeste.

 

Have you seen any new-to-you stitching books lately?

birthday books

I had my birthday a few days ago. Would you like to see what my mum gave me?

Proof positive that I am still into knitting! LOL

of sticks and stringsand related things

Late last Monday night, I cast off this scarf. I could have used another ball of yarn to make it longer but I've had enough of it! Seven weeks to knit one scarf - bah humbug!

Although there were no purl stitches in this scarf, it knitted like there were; all that moving the yarn forward as if to purl in order to slip stitches was just as slow as actually purling the stitch. The pattern is the Corrugator Scarf (designer's Rav link) and is, after all, a variation of a rib pattern.



There has been some progress on these toe-up socks but knitting sock yarn on 2.25mm (Size 1) needles is always going to be slow. I have knitted the one short row heel (no holes - yay) and am working up the foot. I haven't yet turned the second heel because I need to concentrate to do it and my house has been populated by DD and GS#1 for the last three days.



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Last week, the postman delivered these:

This is a reprint of the original; not the updated version (I didn't realise that when I ordered it)

I bought this for DD - she wants to make some money while she is a SAHM

A couple of weeks ago, I dyed this acrylic 8ply (DK) with Australian made Landscape (acid) dyes. Don't ever let anyone tell you it can't be done!


Much to my dismay, it took me two hours to untangle the yarn and wind it into a ball. I wish I knew why some of my dyeing projects become so tangled!

So, there it is: proof that I do still knit, read about knitting and dye some of my own knitting yarn! LOL

new knitting book

After attending the Orenburg Lace workshop with Galina Khmeleva, I ordered this book from the Book Depository. It arrived last Friday - now I can knit lace (if I wasn't so sidetracked by this new quilting enthusiasm)!

Aran weight - really?

Take another look at the baby blanket on the cover - the one that many visitors to the blog have been admiring. Does it look like Aran weight to you?

No, I didn't think so! More like 5ply wool [or similar] but hey, who am I to argue? According to the book, it's medium weight - Worsted, Aran, Afghan; or that which we, in Australia, call 10ply! The sample is apparently knitted in Bernat Satin which the company describes as "the perfect luxury knitting worsted weight yarn, ideal for all knit and crochet projects" and a "glorious yarn with a clean defined stitch" - it's 100% acrylic so I was right about the wool or equivalent!

So, this is the one I'll be knitting first because my brother told me on Friday that they are expecting a girl and I have lots of variegated pink, Aran weight Fiddle De Dee cotton to knit! I just have to finish  the lemon Tilting Blocks blanket I started for my little niece [before I knew she was a she]. That blanket will go to DD instead because grandbubby didn't want to reveal his/her sex just now!!

Here's the first public photo of Granbubby the First! DD and SIL have more up on Facebook but I don't want to turn this into Grandma's Brag Book!!

the Aussie dollar is strong

...and I work hard so I can reward myself every now and then! Do you think this is enough reward?





Do we detect a theme here?

Then, I had to have this for the Moderne Baby Blanket and the Log Cabin Blanket and the bib and ...


This was 33% off


Finally, every sock knitter seems to want this one!


And WM got these - perhaps he hasn't been working hard enough for the big rewards! LOL

this month from the Guild library

I got this:


One day I will have my very own copy but right now, there are so many things to knit and I'm trying to be monogamous!! ;-(

"in the round" top down sweater

While in-the-round bottom-up sweater lies in the frogpond, it's opposite number is almost completely finished [except for sewing the ends in - isn't that always the way? LOL]. You'll remember that I said last month that one of the good things about being a member of the Guild was access to the library and that I had borrowed this book:

Well, based on this book's basic sweater pattern, I've knitted this:

Don't go looking for anything like it in the book - I did what I often do, designed on the needles. And when I realised I was going to run out of yarn I added some colour work [it's really not that difficult Kate] to tie the third colour in and look like I always intended it to be there [now you know my little secret!! LOL]

The yoke is a combination of slip stitch and stranded colour work. The pattern above the ribbing is stranded colour work.
I quite like this way of knitting but I found working on the sleeves a hassle because the bulk of the sweater was already done - my dpns kept getting caught in the body of the sweater!

And, using the same idea but changing it radically [I guess that makes it my original] I have cast on for a child's poncho knitted top down.

Guild Library

Yesterday was our monthly Knitters' Guild meeting. I enjoy these meetings for many reasons.

1. Knitting with like minded people. Most of the people in our group are friendly and there's an increasing number of computer savvy attendees!


2. Workshops - even though I'm an experienced knitter and occasionally tutor myself, I attend every workshop I can because I might learn something!


3. Show and Tell - I love seeing what other people are [or have been] knitting.


4. The Guild Library - members can borrow books or a limited supply of DVDs for up to two months with no limit on the number borrowed!

So, yesterday I borrowed these two books:

I'm the very first to have this one!!

I wish I'd seen this one before I started on my latest Tomtem; there are some very cute patterns inside!!



I also borrowed this:


And DD has even more reasons to love it - yesterday she won the raffle: a $25 gift voucher at our local LYS - The Wool Inn.

Baby blanket knitting finished

My next door neighbour, who doesn't even know I have a blog let alone read it, is expecting her first child in February. I bought 500g of Cleckheaton Fiddle De Dee cotton [white/blue/mint/lemon colourway] while I was in Wangaratta in July. A couple of years ago my parents gave me this book for Christmas. I found a pattern I thought would work with the yarn and modified it for my needs.

It was a beginners' lace pattern so it was monotonous and as the blanket got larger and heavier, the knitting became more unwieldy, even though I was using circular needles and all the weight was either in my lap or on the lounge [couch, sofa] beside me. The 6mm needles [US size 10] were hard to use for long periods too. However, it was a pretty fast knit - each 50g skein did about three pattern repeats [24 rows] and I used just under nine skeins for the knitting and a little more than one skein for the crocheted border.

The knitting of my version is finished. It doesn't look like the afghan in the book but that doesn't matter. It was never my intention to duplicate the picture in the book; that would be impossible: my yarn is variegated and thicker. I'm looking forward to seeing how the pattern comes out after blocking.

Photos of my version after the blocking and the ends have been sewn in!

Look what I got for Christmas - pity I can't knit!

PLUS a selection of Knitpicks needle tips, cables and dpns

Happy Birthday to me!

I had a lovely day. First I got to sleep in. Then WM and DD took me to the city. We had lunch at Sydney Tower Restaurant - a revolving restaurant with buffet-style "all you can eat" meals! The view from the restaurant is stunning, even on a grey day like today - we need the rain so desperately that there's no way I'd complain. This photo looks north-east over our beautiful harbour - yes, I think it's still beautiful even in these grey conditions.

After lunch we walked to the Art Gallery of NSW to see the Tezuka exhibition of Manga prints. He is most famous in Australia for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion - both TV shows of my childhood.

When we arrived home, I opened my cards and presents. Three knitting books - yay! Well, in reality, two are yet to come - I was bit slow in ordering them so I will have to be patient and wait! (DD wasn't at our knitters' group so I had to do it myself). The two on order are from WM and DD - The Twisted Sisters' Sock Workbook (Lynne Vogel) and Victorian Lace Today (Jane Sowerby).










The book that I did receive arrived in yesterdays' post: Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Knitting Book. I have had the 1988 edition of this book out of the library and used it frequently. Now I have my very own copy: thanks mum, dad, sis and family!

DD also gave me a 'gift voucher' for a family tour to Shark Island in Sydney Harbour. We will save that one for the warmer months - perhaps October or November.

Because this year is my 50th, WM's 50th, our 30th wedding anniversary and DD's 21st, we are taking a trip to the Northern Territory in August, part of which will be as Gold Kangaroo passengers on The Ghan - that's a shared present for all four events!

PS Please don't be a lurker. Is it possible to get 50 comments for my 50th? :-)