A start has been made

I've made a start on the new green jumper!!! I'm having to read the destructions VERY carefully as this is a totally new experience for me!!! 

First I made the left front shoulder and realised that I'd NO experience whatsoever with reading knitting charts!! A first and a challenge for BC3!! Before that, though there were short rows to add to the mix!!

Just got started and lo and behold I had to shape the front neck. Those few stitches were then put on a holding thread while I tootled off to start on the front right shoulder, short rows and again starting the cable off too. 

You can see on the picture below that I'm 'on the way' but it's a challenge.

Starting the hat!

Now I forgot to show you the hat I'm making the other day so here's a picture and the start of the project. Yes, more cables!!!

Here's the link to the pattern which is on Ravelry.

I need a warm hat with a brim so this seems to be the ideal project.  Jumper abandoned for a few days!!!

Another knitting project

Now this is a HUGE ball of yarn that was also in the freecycle pickup!!! That’s a Dreamlit shuttle sitting on top of it!! 

I need a new winter hat with a brim to protect my eyes so I looked around Ravelry but came up with nothing. Well, that’s what I’d started doing when a friend (thanks, Sue) sent me a pattern which is EXACTLY what I was starting to look for. So, when I’m not knitting the second green jumper, tatting a doily I’ll be getting on with the hat!!!

Now for something

A little different!!! Tatting!!

I don’t ‘use or do’ doilies but I LOVE making them - sometimes. I saw this pattern and simply HAD to make it. In fact a very good friend gifted it to me which was very sweet of her. I’ve done the centre but I’m not sure when I’ll get back to the rest - knitting calls!!!

Sample worked out

Here’s the sample I knitted to truly establish in my brain the size needles and size of garment required. I’m afraid this picture doesn’t do it justice but you’ll see later when I get going that this is going to be a really bright jumper!!!  I love the marbled effect of knitting the two yarns together.  

This is the pattern I’ve chosen - another humongous challenge, I think. All those CABLES!! What AM I thinking of?!?!

Life after the jumper!

Yes there is life after the green jumper and I’ll show you a picture of me wearing it at the end of this post.

I’m also going to show you the next project. This yarn was on a huge cone that I picked up from a freecycle advert on our local area freecycle network. Actually I answered an offer for fabric and in amongst that was this cone of bright green yarn.

I invited a neighbour round to help me sort out the fabric and she (thankfully) took some off my hands with most of the rest going to the Tuesday group we both belong to. Not long after Jo (neighbour) said she’d got a cone of the same colour yarn and would I like it. I took it as I wasn’t sure what the yardage would be on the first cone so wound all off both cones into balls. They are not the same colour as you’ll see BUT that’s not a problem as I now I had plenty for the next project. 

I then had to work out how to use it all and found that with both yarns together the gauge is that of double knitting yarn. Next thing to do is to find a double knitting yarn pattern. So, off I went to Ravelry. More another day!!!

Another alien

Excellent news - another alien arrived yesterday and is now on the TIAS blog. As I said to Susan who sent it in - I’m going to use it as a reminder to those who haven’t sent theirs in yet.  

At the moment we only have 77 and I like to get close to 100 before I make the effort to start on another TIAS design.  So, calling all aliens - would you care to join Susan’s over here and see if we can get to 100?  

Monday ‘sort of’ moan

This isn’t really a moan but it IS Monday and it’s what my BC3 does once a week - it thinks!!!  Yes once a week and for a few minutes!!  

So over the past few days I’ve ben thinking about onion rings.

Not long ago I spent time with Judith Connors (she lives the other side of the world to me!!) as she has a super way of doing really neat onion rings. Here’s the link to her way.

So when I decided to make a doily (more to come on that another day) with onion rings I thought it was a good opportunity to really practice this. 

WRONG!!! The onion rings in the pattern aren’t really onion rings. They look like them but they aren’t. I must admit I’d never thought of this before and I’ll also admit that it’s the way I used for the pig and the elephant but I’m now thinking they ought to be called 'mock' onion rings!  Why?  Well because the outside of this onion ring just ISN’T a ring - it’s a chain!!!  I know I’m stirring the pot a bit but does anybody else think that they ought to be called a MOR (mock onion ring)?

This is a blurry picture but you can see what I mean - not (to me) an onion ring but a ‘mock’ onion ring!

Jumper finished

I’ve been knitting! No shuttles while the TIAS was ongoing and definitely no designing either. I thought knitting would be relaxing but as my BC3 doesn’t ‘do boring’ very well I found this jumper.  It was a huge challenge. I’ve finished it now and have actually worn it too.  I bought it off Ravelry and it can be found here.  Least I hope this link will work.

It’s worked from the top down in 4ply yarn and it took me about 8 starts to ‘get’ the German short rows and the pattern straight and into my poor old BC3!!! Finally it’s done and I’m very pleased with it.  So were my wonderful new friends at the Friday knitting group who gave me wonderful advice and help.

Another message from Mary Jane!!!

This came from Mary Jane yesterday afternoon!!! I know the feeling about things 'going missing'. 

"Thank you for showing my heart and clown. Hope to find my sweatshirt with the Santa Claus on it. I moved to Santa Claus Indiana in 1992. Found your pattern put on sweatshirt wore to IOLO convention. Where? Can’t remember been too long ago. Before the clown."

Then later in the afternoon I got this message AND a picture of the missing sweatshirt!!

Well done for finding it Mary Jane!!!

Mary Jane’s clown

I’ve had a bit of a break from this blog whilst dealing with the Tat It And See. I then took last week off while getting my BC3 back into ‘back to boring’ mode!!!

The aliens from the TIAS are still slowly coming in and I’m hopeful that we’ll reach a hundred eventually. Once we’re near that I’ll start thinking of a new TIAS design for next January.

Meantime one of the bonuses of doing the TIAS is that people get in touch and sometimes we have a good old ‘natter’ on email. I find out too that people do actually use my patterns which is very reassuring and when they send them to me that makes my day. Mary Jane sent in her clown - the pattern is here and that cheered me up LOADS. 

Mind it was a bit frightening when I saw the date I did it - over 20 years ago. Where does the time go?

Debra’s Doris

Halfway through this year’s Tat It And See I had another arrival from Debra of her TIAS 2022!!! It’s never too late to send in a TIAS!!! Here is Doris done by Debra along with her comment.

I wanted to show you the birthday card I made using Doris the Dragon. My grandson will be 9 in March and he has decided to learn Japenese do I googled how to say happy birthday in Japanese. 

Further knitting progress!! - 2

It was weeks ago that I took this photo. I’m now well on the way to the finishing line but the TIAS has kept me busy so haven’t taken photos. I’ll wait until I’ve finished now as I don’t want to bore you any further!!!

Final day of the TIAS 2023

Today is the last day of the TIAS and the link is here.  

When you send in today’s final part could you mention where you come from and the thread you used, please?  It might also be interesting to see how you made the alien - shuttle or needle.  Thanks.

I will be slowly returning to this blog over the next few weeks as I find things to talk about.

Mary Jane’s heart

Mary Jane sent this little picture of the hear I uploaded a week or two ago and she said

“Jane. I just finished your heartLove it. So this is my valentine heart to me. Thanks for pattern

Mary Jane”

So glad you enjoyed it, Mary Jane. 

Day 13 ia now available

Here’s the link to the TIAS blog for day 13.  

This is the pnnultimate day of the TIAS 2023.

A new project - a doily

This is the centre of the new project.  I’m not going to tell you which pattern it is until I’ve done round one!!!

Day 12 now available

Day 12 is now available on the Tat It And See blog which can be found here.

Julie’s heart

Julie tatted the Dutch heart shortly after I published it on my pattern site here.

It gives me such a big buzz when people do that and tell me about it too. Thanks, Julie. This is what she said.

“I tatted your heart as a diversion awaiting day 8. It was a fun pattern. It reminds me of the fox bookmark from the tias a couple years ago. I have not done much Block tatting. I need to practice some more to improve the tensioning of my chains. Thank you for sharing the pattern.

Julie“

Day 11 now available

Day 11 is now available on the TIAS blog.