On the night before Christmas ...

... my true love gave to me!

Twelve ends to darn in.

...

Nine sheep to duplicate stitch.

Eight buttons to sew on.

...

Four seams to stitch.

...

Two sleeves to graft.

And a Sheep Yoke cardigan to wash and block.



Merry Christmas everyone!

I *heart* Sundays

Two hours in the bath reading Atonement followed by Sunday brunch banana pancakes with golden syrup. It doesn't get much better.

Once bathed and fed I settled down to finishing the embroidery on the sheep cardigan and by the time that Lewis Hamilton had crashed out on the final lap of the Italian Grand Prix it was all ready to post off to my sister.



Pattern: Sheep Yoke baby cardigan by Jen Little
Yarn: British Breeds Blue Face Leicester Double Knitting in Natural, Denim, Sage, Rose, and Sienna
Needles: 3.75mm
Modifications: Extra yoke rounds and increases to modify the size to fit a two-year old, sleeves and body lengthened

I picked up the buttons yesterday on a trip to Village Fabrics in Wallingford with our quilting group (our inaugural fieldtrip).



It was my first visit to Village Fabrics and I loved it.



They have a great selection and the displays are beautifully set out - little bundles of fat quarters and eighths tied up with ribbons and arranged in baskets everywhere.

We were there to pick fabrics for a sampler quilt which we'll be making as a group project. I'm really excited about learning some new quilting skills. I chose three fat quarters - two blue and one brown - which will coordinate nicely with the backing fabric (very light brown with slighter darker dots).



Hopefully if we end up making a good effort of it we can raffle it for charity.

We have a winner

This year's Parlour Games have drawn to a close with a stunning victory for Liz in the Hunt the DPN event. Liz found not one, but two 3.75mm needles in her straight needle roll along with a number of other DPNS (variously sized) and her seam ripper. Liz is now retiring from international needle hunting to spend more time with the sleeves of her Sheep Yoke baby cardigan (and have breakfast).

A hiatus

The enforced interruption on the sheep cardigan does mean that I've been able to catch up a bit with my Arisaig.



Oddly enough - given that I've been struggling to photograph this sucker ever since I started it - this photo, taken in artificial light and with a flash gives a pretty good impression of the colour of the cardigan in daylight. I love the Shetland yarn so much. Knit at this gauge it's just so damn springy - there's nothing worse after all than limp ribbing.

I've had a horrible cough all this week (think bronchial sheep) so I took it easy this evening*. I ate last night's leftover stew (pork with cider, tomatoes, and mushrooms) for dinner followed by a chocolate cake from Maison Blanc whilst watching (again) a well-known blockbuster based on a well-known best-selling novel. I have to say I enjoyed it hugely.

Tomorrow is a busy day. I've got to head up to Headington in search of needles (especially after receiving a hurry up text from my sister) then it's off to Wallingford with some fellow quilters in search of fabric for a sample square and hopefully some buttons for the cardigan - I'm really looking forward to it. I hope you all have fun weekend plans too and have a great weekend.

* at least I took it easy after I got back from my run anyway.

Grinding to a halt

I'm tantalisingly close to finishing the Sheep Yoke baby cardigan. I completed the bottom ribbing on the bus into work yesterday morning and worked the button bands at Bluestockings on Wednesday evening. There is only the embroidery and the sleeves to do and I'd be knitting them right now but I don't have the needles. There's no way that I can knit them on the circular 3.75mm needle that I used for the body and I can't find a complete set of 3.75mm dpns. A hunt around the living room has uncovered no less than 10 4mm dpns but only two 3.75's. The other two have to be around somewhere but it would be like hunting for a needle in a very woolly haystack. A trip to the nearest LYS after work today brought no joy - frankly I have more needles in stock than they do! There are a couple more local places to try on Saturday - after that I'll have to try further afield.



In the meantime I'll be working on the sheepy embroidery - that's my favourite bit.



I finally got back to check out those damsons which I spotted whilst running on Sunday. There were more trees than I'd at first thought (about half a dozen of them) but either they were very sparsely fruited or someone had got there first as there were very few within reach owing to the sturdy barrier of nettles and brambles all around them. I only managed to pick seven, not enough for even a single jar of jam but sufficient for this apple and damson crumble, mmmmm.

Sheep may safely graze

Because I've knit them a fence.



Progress between Tuesday night and today doesn't appear quite so rapid due to that fact that I'm working on many more stitches but I'm nearly ready to divide for the arms. Even if my pattern (with modifications) didn't tell me that this is the point to do so I'd have a pretty good idea from the fact that knitting all the yoke stitches is now really awkward. Maybe it could be a new rule of thumb that you should divide for the arms when the whole yoke becomes a pain in the arse to knit, like Elizabeth Zimmerman's maxim that the ribbing at the top of a sock is long enough at the point when you get bored of it.

I also had one small set-back last night when I had to rip back two rows of the fence after realising that it looked more of a size for keeping in the exhibits at Jurassic Park rather than a field of sheep. I'm still not completely sure about the fence but I suspect that everything will look great as soon as the sheep have their little black faces. So sweet.



I'm really pleased with the back of the work. I've followed Kate's example and not tried to weave in any of my floats - even the super long ones - and I think my tension is much better as a result. The only place where the floats aren't quite long enough is behind the sheep but hopefully this will just make them stand out a bit more from the body of the jumper. Although I got through the stranded portion quite quickly it has made me realise that I need a technique for stranded knitting (other than dropping the yarn every time Ichange colours), especcialy when purling. Luckily I'll have plenty of leftovers from this projects for some colourwork practice.

Seasonal knitting

Looks like the weather got the memo about it being September. It's turned pretty wild, wet, and woolly outside - I barely dodged one huge rain shower catching the train to the Sticks and String group in Reading last night. It's been ages since I visited and it was really nice to see Ruth, Judith, Gabrielle, Mark, and of course the lovely Felix (who gave me yarn!).

What with the weather being on the chilly side by the time I left it was good that I'd just started working on the warmest little baby cardigan so at least my fingers were cosy whilst waiting for trains and buses.

It's another Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan by Jen Little which I'm knitting as a 2nd birthday commission for one of Laurie's little friends (whose mum happens to be one of my sister's big friends).



The yarn is Blue Faced Leicester worsted spun DK from the Yorkshire based British Breeds Yarns. Their DK and aran weight yarns come in a range of 20 colours. The colours I chose are Natural (undyed), Denim (blue), Sage (green), Pink Rose, and Sienna (brown - not shown). I hadn't quite finished the swatch yesterday so I took along the green and pink yarn just to show the other knitters and it was lucky that I did. By the time I got home I was onto the SHEEP! I had forgotten how quickly this pattern races along.



Although I'm knitting for a two-year-old I'm currently knitting as per pattern but with a larger gauge. My swatch says that this should leave me (or rather my cardigan) with around a 25" chest which really should be ample but I've always got the option of adding in some extra yoke increases before splitting for the arms if I think it looks a bit on the small size. Apparently Laurie (who is a couple of months younger than the recipient) still just about fits into her 6-9 month sized one so I'm not too worried.

Just a word about British Breeds Yarns. They're a small company based in Yorkshire who sell natural coloured and dyed yarns in DK, aran, and Guernsey weight. Their range of natural coloured yarns includes Herdwick (light and dark grey), Jacob (in cream, grey, and marled), Suffolk Grey, Swaledale, and Blue Faced Leicester. They're not quite fully set up for online ordering by credit card so the payment is made by telephone but once the payment has been confirmed they're very swift to send out orders. My yarn arrived with me the morning after I made the payment! I was really pleased to find a supplier of British breeds wool with such a good colour range as this project (a colourwork commission to be given as a birthday gift for a baby) was my first big challenge in my attempt to knit only in British wool (or from stash) this year.

Naming and shaming

Today's Messy Tuesday post is dedicated to Felix, the originator of all this blog sponsored untidiness.

I know I posted a photo of my stash corner a couple of weeks ago for messy Tuesday but I feel that the situation down there has escalated to such an extent that it merits a further post. The thing has developed its own topography. In this view you can just see past Unmatched Needle Mountain into Tangled Yarn valley and the treacherous shores and murky deeps of Lake UFO.







Talking of which I thought that if I fished a few objects out of said lake it might prompt me (moved by a sense of righteous shame) to do something about them.*

Pattern: Print of the Wavw
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace
Date cast on: March 2007
Date last worked on: August 2007
Target finish date: August 2008
Sense of shame: monumental



I thought I'd start with the worst transgressor in an attempt to end on an upbeat note. The main body of the stole is complete but I've only knit about 50 (I think) rows of edging out of an estimated 1000+ (my fault for knitting it longer than spec.). Initially I just got overfaced by the thought of picking this up and then I kind of just forgot about it. I've set a target finish date of August 2008. It's not completely insane and it would be lovely to wear this in a sunny September with jeans and a white shirt.

Pattern: Anya
Yarn: Kid Classic, Kid Silk Haze, Kid Silk Night
Date cast on: Christmas 2006
Date last worked on: January 2008
Target finish date: Christmas 2008 (can you see a pattern emerging here?)
Sense of shame: burning



The Anya sweater was meant to be ready to wear last Christmas but progress was interrupted by work on the Peacock shawl and last minute Christmas knitting. I'm not as concerned about this as I am about POTW as I know that whenever I do pick it up it fairly flies along. Christmas 2008 is an achievable target and I'd love to have it ready by the time the cold weather kicks in (which in Britain is ususually in the middle of August, hee).

Pattern: Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan #2
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool DK
Date cast on: April 2008
Date last worked on: April 2008
Target finish date: May 2008
Sense of shame: very mild



This only needs the sheep's faces stitching on before I block it and sew on the buttons. There's no particular hurry on this one as the intended wearer is still a work in progress.

Pattern: Thelonious by Cookie A.
Yarn: Louet Gems Opal
Date cast on: March 2008
Date last worked on: April 2008
Target date: June 2008
Sense of shame: deep



I'm afraid I committed the ultimate sin as far as this sock is concerned in that I removed the poor things needles to use for another project. Sock #1 is 75% done and I really like the pattern, it's just that I wanted to cast on these:

Pattern; Merry Jane shoes
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK/4 ply & Rowan Pure Wool DK/Jaeger Matchmake 4 ply
Date cast on: April 2008
Date last worked on: April 2008
Target finish date: May 2008
Sense of shame: blush





These haven't been in the neglected pile for too long so the shame is mainly coming from the fact that until I pulled them out of the bag earlier I had honestly forgotten about them. This is what happens when I don't Ravel stuff.

Pattern: Tatami and Minimalist cardigan
Yarn: Oxford Kitchen Yarns DK in latte/biscuit
Dates cast on: February 2008/April 2008
Dates last worked on: March 2008/April 2008
Target finish date: erm../July 2008
Sense of shame: justly felt





The observant amongst you might notice that these are knit from the same yarn. That's right, a bad case of pattern envy led to me and the yarn fooling around with the Minimalist cardigan behind the Tatami's back. What started out as a brief flirtation has developed into a full blown fling. I suspect that it's going to be curtains for the Tatami although not immediately. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a cheater always cheats. Despite only casting on the Minimalist cardigan on Thursday, by Saturday evening I had two fresh projects on the needles.

Yarn: Artesano Alpaca 4 ply (pattern tbc)
Date cast on: last Saturday
Date last worked on: last Sunday
Target finish date: July 2008
Sense of shame: none (it's for someone else)



I was on the look out for some soft red yarn for a scarf for my mum and this leapt out at me whilst at iknit on Saturday. This is still at the swatching stage. I've started off with the Little pyramids pattern but I need to block it and maybe try out a few others to see what will best suit the yarn.

Pattern: Hopscotch socks
Yarn: Regia 4 ply
Date cast on: last Saturday
Date last worked on: today
Target finish date: April 2008 (strictly speaking I only need to knit one as it's a test knit)
Sense of shame: mild



Although it is knit with brand new yarn bought at Liberty on Saturday (naughty) and knit on new needles as I couldn't wait to get home before casting on (v. bad) this project is somewhat redeemed by being the long postponed final test knit for my first real sock pattern. I finally sat down at the computer on Monday and typed out a good copy incorporating all Katie's comments and corrections and I'm carefully knitting through it now. One good thing about putting this off for so long is that I no longer know the pattern by heart so it should be a much better test knit than if I'd got around to it sooner. Thank goodness that there are some benefits to procrastination.

* Please note that I am but skimming the surface here. I don't actually have time to go through everything that's lying about in a neglected state in my "to do" pile.

Baby knitting production line

The Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan #2 is nearly completed.



Just one sleeve and the button bands to go. I'm hoping to get buttons for both cardigans at King's fabrics tonight.

Luckily the quandary of what to knit next has been resolved for me by a request from my sister for another boat neck sweater (from Baby Knits for Beginners), this time in blue.



I wasn't able to get navy in the right yarn but I think that this deep blue (which is not really showing up correctly in this photo) will be very flattering. Not that baby actually needs to make any effort to look adorable!

Baaaa!

The Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan is still racing along. I've finished the yoke and am onto the main body. Of course this means about 5 inches of solid stocking stitch so I've been breaking it up by doing some of the sheep embroidery. I'm using the yarn held double to give a good solid effect.

I was a little worried in the shop about whether the blue and green were a bit bright but I'm very pleased with the effect now. I think that they work really well together in lifting the main colour.

I'm also less concerned about the leftovers now - apparently there's a matching hat!

Messy Tuesdays - week 2

This week I present the somewhat unedifying spectacle of my yarn and fabric stash. The yarn should be living (safe from dust and moths) in the plastic boxes stacked to the right of the photo. The fabric stash is too recent for me to have actually devised a storage solution. The problem with this (aside from the fact that it reduces my leverage when trying to get my boyfriend to tidy up his mess) is that WIPs and UFOs are mixed up with abandoned half projects, project stash (i.e. yarn for which I have a purpose) and odds and ends of balls meaning that I have to search through five different places to find anything.

The point of Messy Tuesdays as I see it, is not really to glorify the mess but rather to acknowledge its existence as a result of choosing to do something else than tidying with one's time.

Hence, more progress on the Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan.



I've just got 4 rows of yoke to knit before dividing for the body and sleeves and it looks like I'll have plenty for the second one. Plus a lot more odds and ends to add to the pile above!