Knitting for sanity...

Au revoir

2011-11-17T16:43:00.000Z

I have been dithering for some time about the blog and after much thought I have decided to put it into hibernation for now. Never, say never and in time I might come back to it but right now it feels like just another chore which needs to be done on my long long list of 'Things To Do'.

As every week rolls around with that guilty feeling of not having written a blog post I began to wonder why I was making myself feel bad about it. It felt like being back at school with that sense of undone homework hanging over you.

I'm a busy working mum and time to myself is scarce. When I do get half an hour to myself I would rather be knitting/crocheting or crafting happily withouth feeling bad about my pitiful lack of blogging.

I am still active on Ravelry and I know that a lot of you are linked in to me on that, so I am still around - just not here.

If you need me - I'll be over in the corner knitting - Au revoir.

Holidays and a sad tale

2011-11-02T11:49:00.000Z

The Madmum household is back from a lovely half-term break in the Lake District. Staying in a favourite spot - Dunnderdale in the Western Lakes we had a wonderful relaxing break, with pretty good weather and some beautiful autumn foliage - before it was all blown off by the gale force winds.

The boys (now aged 5 and 6) conquered two more Wainwright peaks - Grey Friar and Harrison Stickle and had great fun doing so. We didn't get a great deal of photos as both myself and DH were busy holding onto a small boy to stop them being blown away by the winds but we did snap a few shots:

Please note, smallest son wearing his bespoke hat - "Mummy, I would like a hat with ear-flaps" - I couldn't resist the challenge.

So, where is the sad tale I hear you ask?
Just before we left for holiday I made myself a great pair of fingerless mitts which I was very pleased with. On our first days walking I realised that I had only packed 1 pair of boys gloves - gaaaah - and so to avoid tears and gnashing of teeth I leant DS2 my mitts. They covered his whole lower arm and hand and kept him nice and toasty. Somewhere between the summit of Grey Friar however, and our rest stop at Seathwaite Tarn he dropped one.

I now have 1 lovely mitt and need to hope that I have enough yarn left to make a new mate for it. Never mind, my mitt made a noble sacrifice in keeping a small boy warm and saved the day.

One a Day, but different

2011-10-17T16:58:00.000+01:00

I am having a little break from my One-a-day project as I am starting to think that I need another lighter colour to balance out the darker colours I have chosen and I am reluctant to do too many more without assessing my options.

I have been spending far too much time online browsing the colour choices for Stylecraft Life dk, but after a few dodgy online purchases I don't entirely trust my laptop to show me an accurate colour. I'm thinking of a pale duck-egg blue or maybe a slate grey but I think I need to wait until I can get to my LYS for an up close and personal squishing (as it were).

So, instead I made myself a quick pair of cabled mitts using some Cascade 220 from my stash - a great little pattern and I was pleasantly surprised at how warm they kept my hands whilst doing the school run this morning.

And this little something is from my earlier Hexapuff mania. I was suddenly seized by the urge to start joining all the little hexi's together and hey presto - I am in love with these little squishy parcels once again. I was thinking about maybe making them into a little seat pad or cushion, but after seeking hubby's advice I am now going to go for the (lap) blanket option - it may just take me about 5 years to get there.

Blanket envy

2011-10-10T08:22:00.000+01:00

Yes I know I should be working on my Shaelyn or finishing up a pair of little socks for DS2 (my first foray back into sock knitting after giving myself RSI earlier in the year), but the weather has turned cooler, the leaves are flying off the trees and my thoughts are turning to blankets - specifically these little beauties:

This

and this

and this

Now I do have some Noro Silk Garden in my stash but it is one of those brown/green/grey colourways which can look a bit muddy by itself. But I do have some King Cole Riot DK which was an impulse purchase recently. It has long colour repeats - like Noro and is single plied - like Noro, but the colours are a little less subtle - at least in this colourway.

The yarn is quite splitty to knit with and some sections are fairly loosely spun, but overall I quite like the effect. And if you are looking at something of blanket proportions, the King Cole option is decidedly more economical - always a bonus.

Anyway - a day off work sick with a head cold, some time on my hands and a new ball of yarn yielded this first attempt. I haven't really worked with mitred squares before and I love how quick and simple they are. One square like this is about 10 inches across so a blanket 3x3 would make a great cot/crib/pram blanket perhaps. I'm not 100% sure about the yarn yet but my sister is a childminder and her little ones aren't too fussy - lol.

WIP Wednesday

2011-10-05T11:13:00.000+01:00

I don't usually stick to set days for particular posts but I thought I would add my Work In Progress Wednesday post for a change.

My WIP is the Shaelyn Shawl which is running as a KAL hosted by Paula of the lovely Knitting Pipeline podcast. This a new podcast discovery - I have found some really good podcasts recently and have been having great fun listening to them. The KAL is a really friendly one with lots of help and support over on the Ravelry threads.

The pattern is very well written and I love that the designer has included an annotated photograph of the pattern - marking the design features and adding little tips to help you 'read' your knitting and save having to constantly read the pattern and count rows.

I am using Rowan Felted Tweed DK in the Scree colourway - a lovely blue/grey mix and I love the way it is knitting up. At the moment this is my 'must-do' project and it is flying along.

Tuesday Tally Week 5

2011-10-04T12:25:00.000+01:00

Up to 36 hexagons now and going strong I am pleased to report

I am currently having fun playing with the colours and am tending to work with the same three yarns for a few days, playing with the different combinations and seeing how they each look next to each other. I am loving the vibrant green - it looks a little more muted in my photos but it is really fresh and bright against the other colours. Then, when I run out of colour combo's I sit down and work rounds 4 and 5 to turn them into hexagons. Lots of fun, and a nice alternative when my knitting isn't going too well (The Warriston is still in the naughty corner)

Socktoberfest

2011-10-02T06:29:00.000+01:00

Can't believe that it is October already. September has just flown by and here in the UK we are experiencing a most unseasonal burst of warm weather which is just joyous.

But it is October and that means just one thing to a knitter - Socktoberfest.

There is a Ravelry group, of course, set up for the purpose It isn't an official challenge/competition but more a general celebration of all things sock related.

I rather overdid things on the sock front earlier in the year and managed to give myself RSI, so I haven't made any socks for months. However I can feel myself being drawn back into the fold and find myself browsing socks patterns with a fury.

My Warriston is in the naughty corner - all done but sadly too tight across the shoulders. It fits everywhere else so I can only assume that I made a mistake in the yoke decreases somewhere. It needs ripping back and sorting out but it is has been too hot to pick up a mound of woolly jumper - so it will have to wait.

To amuse myself I cast on for a Shaelyn which is running as a KAL hosted by my latest find - a great podcast called the Knitting Pipeline. I am using some Rowan Felted Tweed from my stash in a lovely blue-grey (colourway Scree) but I need a small portable project too - hmm- maybe some socks would be just the thing

Damson disaster

2011-09-30T06:46:00.001+01:00

It seems that I am fated never to have a Damson of my very own.

I must have knit at least 3 of these and each time, despite meticulous counting of rows and stitches I am always one or two stitches out at the end of the garter stitch section. This means that the lace portion doesn't line up correctly with the increases in the garter stitch and just looks messy. Of the 3 times I have knit this before, twice I have had to rip/tink back and re-knit the garter stitch section.

This time was no exception. Although I hadn't put a lifeline in. And I had had a glass of wine. And the phone range. And then there was a nasty incident with the cat which I don't want to talk about.

So I started with a ball of yarn and I have ended up with a ball of yarn - hey ho. Back where I started - this is a picture of the skein before I started messing with it - lol.

I really can't face all that garter stitch again though so I have been on the hunt for alternatives. This is particularly lovely - part of the shawl collection by Rose Beck which I have been coveting for ages. I may have to buy the e-book collection though rather than just the one pattern as I love all of her designs.

Tuesday Tally Week 4

2011-09-28T16:51:00.000+01:00

Well, a Wednesday Tally but never mind.

I am up to 26 now, so slightly behind but in my defence I have several half-completed hexagons in the workbasket too. I am finding it easier to work a few of the first few rounds in a batch and then have a finishing off session with the final rounds 4 and 5. I seem to get in less of a muddle that way, which is always a good thing.

Tuesday Tally Week 3

2011-09-22T12:36:00.000+01:00

Just dropping in to put up the (belated) weekly total: 21 hexagons done and a little bit of hooky time planned for this afternoon, all being well. The photo was taken a few days ago but hubby has gone to Berlin and taken our decent camera with him so I can only post an older shot I'm afraid.

Been a bit of a mad, busy week over at the Madmum household and all of my free time (such as it is) has been spent on the lovely Warriston sweater. I am doing the yoke part now, having joined on the sleeves so it is at the big, heavy and cumbersome stage but I am determined that when those crisp autumn mornings roll around I will be ready.

In other WIP-news, the Damson shawl for me is no more. A Damson disaster meant that I embraced the frog and it is now back to a ball of yarn. I will go into more detail at a later date but I need to consol myself with a yummy homemade chocolate fudge brownie and some soothing hexagon hooky.

Tuesday Tally Week 2

2011-09-13T08:19:00.000+01:00

Tuesday Tally Week 2: I am up to 14 hexagons now and very much enjoying the process of making them. More so, I think because I am not putting myself under the pressure of working them on them all the time. I just do one and then put it down and work on something else for a while.
I find that I start to get a funny click in my wrist when I crochet for too long, so it is good for me to take frequent breaks and not get too carried away.

No photo's of hexagons this week, as they look much the same as last week so I thought I would share my share my knitting WIPs.

First up, we have a Damson shawl for me in some lovely sock yarn from Yarn to Knit - my latest sock yarn club acquistion. It is a great wool/bamboo blend with terrific sheen and was definitely destined for something for me, as opposed to a gift:

Then we have a Warriston (also for me) in Shetland Aran . I wanted a warm jumper for walking on cold crisp days and this is just the ticket. It is knitting up really fast and I am longing for the onset of slightly frosty mornings so that I can wrap myself up in this and go for bracing walks. Or maybe, a short walk and then retire to the fire with a hot chocolate!

Flying FOs

2011-09-07T16:54:00.000+01:00

I seem to be going through a stage where FOs are flying off the needles. It is very satisfying and a pleasant change to have a few completed things to share with you rather than lots of half-finished odds and ends.

So, in order to ring the changes from an endless procession of hexagons, I present to you my recent FOs:

First we have a little top I finished weeks ago but have only just got around to blocking. The pattern was lovely and very easy to follow and used an amazingly small amount of yarn.

Next up is the Monkey Bread scarf from the very talented Anne Hanson.

It is knit in some lovely Shilasdair Luxury DK from my local LYS and was started back in March. We then had an amazingly hot spring and this was set aside but I always knew I would come back to it as soon as autumn rolled around. No sooner had we had a few chilly evenings and caught sight of blackberries in our hedgerows than it came back out of the stash cupboard. I was already three-quarters of the way through so it was easily finished in a couple of sessions and I absolutely love it. I was considering gifting it to my Mum for Christmas (along with the matching hat) but I like it too much. I may knit another one for her though.

And finally, another Anne Hanson pattern - The Hourglass Throw which was published in Brooklyn Tweed's recent publication - Wool People. This was knit in a gorgeous dark grey (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran) and is intended as a gift for my grandma-in-law who needs to have a minor operation soon,.

Now, off to browse winter sweater patterns for me I think...

Tuesday Tally

2011-09-06T16:17:00.000+01:00

As part of the Ravelry One-a-Day group we are trying to keep a weekly tally of our progress on our chosen projects. I have no new photos to share today as a small person has moved/hidden/repurposed the little lead that connects the camera to the laptop. I'm sure I will come across it being pressed into service as a lead/whip/rope in a few days time.

The lovely Gingerbreadgirl is hosting a Mr Linky over on her blog and you can see a log of all the participants here - please do go on over and check out all the lovely projects we have one the go.

Tuesday Tally from the Madmum household:

Hexagons: 8
Hexipuffs: 45

I think the Hexagons will slowly catch the Hexipuffs up though as I am slowing up slightly on the Hexipuff production front.

Making Monday

2011-09-05T15:27:00.002+01:00

IMG_0551
Originally uploaded by l.tilbrook
In an idea shamelessly stolen from others on the One-a-Day CAL/KAL group on Ravelry I shall try to post a weekly update of my official One-a-Day project.

I started on September 1st and after 5 days I have accumulated 7 hexagons - I did a few extra as I needed the practice.

I find that the assembly line approach works best for me. I work the 3 rounds for the centre and then wait until I have a few before I tackle the final 2 rounds. As a crochet novice I find it hard to keep an even tension when I am doing the final hexagon 'points' so doing a few at the same time helps. A few are still a bit wibbly around the edges but overall I am very pleased with them.

In other news: the Hexipuff total has reached 40, although I must admit that the initial enthusiasm has waned a little. I think I may go for a squishy cushion sized project rather than a full on quilt - or I may just leave them in my work basket to play with - both my boys have taken to carrying one with them in a pocket for a little mobile squishing!

One a Day KAL/CAL

2011-08-31T18:13:00.000+01:00

Tying in nicely with all the hexapuffing activity going on here recently, this new Ravelry group has been set up by the lovely Gingerbreadgirl to give a lot of like minded souls a place to share their progress on slightly more long-term projects and to try and provide a bit of support when the initial enthusiasm (dare I say it) starts to wane a little.

Obviously my hexipuffing fits into this category but I've been meaning to try a hexagon crochet blanket for ages - following this pattern from Attic24. My recent birthday meant that I had vouchers to spend so I splashed out on some Stylecraft Life DK in an assortment of shades and today I spent a happy hour or so making my first hexagon.

The edges are a bit wibbly but overall I am very happy with it.

My other purchase is very exciting but I will wait for another day to share it with you. It is a sewing machine - yippee.

Cake

2011-08-28T08:53:00.000+01:00

This beauty is brought to you courtesy of my two boys - aged 5 and 6. I turned 40 the other week and by way of celebration, with my husbands help they bought a huge chocolate cake, covered it in chocolate icing and then in DH's words - he stood back while they threw decorations at it.

There were so many candles I feared it would set our tempremental smoke alarm off, but it was a beautiful sight with two very proud little boys beaming at me.

The cake was delicious too!

The perils of mobile Hexipuffing

2011-08-24T13:45:00.000+01:00

I know you are all dying to know what pitfalls can befall the plucky knitter who likes to get her Hexipuff fix whilst out and about. What dreadful event could have left me with scraped raw knuckles, dishevelled hair and a slightly wild-eyed expression?

I always knew that DPNs were tricksy little creatures and normally I avoid them like the plague but such was my Hexipuff love that I overcame my DPN dislike and carried a little set of bamboo 3.5mm DPNs in my 'out and about' knitting bag.

Having dropped the children off at the holiday club I was enjoying a quick 10 minutes peace and quiet (coffee from my trusty Thermos and a Hexipuff) in the car before entering the usual mid-week work mayhem. All was going well and I had just finished a particularly lovely Hexipuff. So lovely in fact that I put my DPNs down in my lap and held up the little Hexi to the light - all the better to admire it.

It was this one:

In case you were interested - sorry but I have no idea why my PC has suddenly rotated it - never mind.

Busy admiring my little Hexi I failed to notice that one of the DPNs was slowly sliding off my lap. I looked down in time to see it slide gracefully down into the little gap between the seat and the front section of the car where the handbrake is. The gap is tiny but that didn't stop me trying to shove my hand down there to rescue it. I managed to get my finger to it and then, predictably, it slid beyond reach.

I am ashamed to admit that some cursing took place, at DPNs in general, at Skoda seat manufacturers in particular and at the fact that I had to endure 6 hours at work and then waiting to collect children from holiday activity du jour without any knitting.

It was not my finest moment.
On the plus side, I found £1.50 in change, a lost stitch marker and the partner to a small childs mitten which I thought had gone altogether.

In the end I was resourceful and merely used 2 DPNs and a 4mm crochet hook to make the next one. It was a little awkward and I think it may have produced a slightly bigger Hexi - but knitting peace was restored.

Not knitting

2011-08-20T19:56:00.000+01:00

No new knitting to share today but just wanted to blow my own trumpet for a second for starting the Couch to 5K programme. Spurred on by some on-line knitterly friends on the Phoenix Forum I downloaded the podcasts from the NHS Choices website, dug out my trainers and went for it.

I have done two out of the three runs for Week 1 so far and have been surprised at how good I have felt. On previous attempts at starting to run I made do with timing myself on my mobile phone - which is fine except that it eeks out every second and makes it seem like a lifetime.

With the podcasts you just zone out, listen to the music and wait for the nice lady to tell you when to stop. Much easier and makes the time just fly by.

Off for run No. 3 tomorrow, or not, depending on how much wine is drunk this evening.

PS; Hexipuff total.....25.... just sayin'

The addiction continues

2011-08-17T15:22:00.000+01:00

My name is Madmum and I am a Hexapuff-aholic. The addiction continues unabated, the laundry is piling up around my ears and the Hexipuff population is well into double figures.

In an effort to regain some balance and so that DH doesn't think that I have entirely lost the plot, I am limiting the Hexipuff craze to when I am out of the house. Because of their eminent portability they have become my on-the-go project. I am seriously considering buying a few more appropriately sized crochet hooks and DPNs so that I can have a bag in the car, a bag in my handbag, a bag in my enormous, wet-wipe filled 'mummy bag'. You get the idea.

Trying to remain consistent with my recently found monogamy, my in-house project is the lovely Hourglass Throw by Anne Hanson which was recently published in the fabulous 'Wool People' by Brooklyn Tweed. I am using some lovely, squishy Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a deep charcoal gray as a present for a great-gran who needs a minor operation soon. I originally bought the yarn intending to make Warriston - a great casual 'smock' for outdoor wear but it soon became apparent that the yarn was too soft and squishy for that purpose.

It is a lovely soothing pattern and the yarn is just right for the cabling detail - all-in-all - a very enjoyable project.

It just isn't a Hexipuff!

Hexipuffs

2011-08-15T16:14:00.000+01:00

It started out so innocently. A quick peak at this gorgeous inspiring pattern sparked an interest in these cute hexagon motifs. But I closed the laptop and walked away - no harm done.

A few days later my interest was sparked again by a fun Ravelry discussion on the wonderful Knitting Goddess group and I accidentally downloaded the pattern, just to see how those cute motifs were constructed.

Then suddenly a few of these little cuties appeared,

and some more....

Oh dear - they really are remarkably addictive. I must step away from the DPNs and do the bare minium of housework!

Thrifty find

2011-08-09T18:58:00.000+01:00

I would love to be able to claim the credit for this amazing piece of work but this was my latest charity shop find - for the princely sum of £2.

I don't know whether to be pleased at my find, or heartbroken that someone has put all that time and effort into making such a beautiful blanket only for it to end up in a charity shop.

Anyway - it was spotted by my 5 year old (DS2) who fell in love with it. He has good taste.

He has been complained for some time now that his feet poke out of the end of his other handknitted blankets (as I made them when he was younger) when he watches Saturday morning TV in his PJs. I find it rather endearing that even though his TV watching is veering away from Fireman Sam and towards the horrors of Ben 10 and Batman, he still wants to watch them while snuggled up in a pink Granny Square blanket.

O is for 'Oh no!'

2011-07-24T16:41:00.000+01:00

I seem to be experiencing my first ever bout of RSI which has meant that the sock knitting A-Z challenge has rather ground to a halt. I have been having some aches in my wrists and hands at work (I do a lot of keyboard and mouse-work) but of course, never did anything about it. Anyway things got much worse last week although fortunately I had a few days off work and was able to rest.
My 2.5mm circular needles though were agony to use and so I had to spend a day or two Not Knitting - horror. I did some physio exercises and things settled down a little but anything smaller than dk weight yarn on 4mm needles isn't good at the moment.
I am just doing a little every now and again but have decided to stop the A-Z challenge for now. I will still carry on at my own pace later in the year - after all I have more sock patterns queued now than I did when I started!

The power of monogamy

2011-07-15T08:19:00.000+01:00

In a strictly knitting sense of course.

I've always been a bit of a serial caster-on'er with no less than 3 or 4 projects on the go at any one time. But this past 2 weeks has seen me working on a single solitary project, finishing it and then moving on to another - strange behaviour.

I have to say though, that I have been mightily impressed by the speed at which I can knock out a finished object when my knitting time isn't divided between several projects. The baby blanket below was knit in an amazing 5 days. Granted, it is knit in aran weight yarn (Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran) and I omitted the time-consuming Honeycomb stitch that the pattern suggests (replacing it with simple garter stitch) but I was genuinely surprised by how quickly the thing flew off the needles.

Thrilled with my success I quickly cast on for an Olearia and this again was finished in a matter of days

Again, admittedly I knit the smallest, newborn size but even so the power of monogamy was impressive.

I'm not sure how long this phase of mine will last - probably until my friend finally has her baby and I cast on for some huge sweater project for me (only to run out of steam and start something new - my usual modus operandi). But for now I am embracing the monogamy!

Something new

2011-06-28T06:08:00.000+01:00

There is nothing like catching sight of a new pattern to wake up a knitters mojo. At the weekend I caught sight of this little beauty - Widdershins - and it was love at first sight. I have some yarn that would be perfect, some Manos Serena in a lovely blue-green colourway and I downloaded the pattern faster than you could say 'cast-on'.

My deal with myself though is that I must turn the heel on my second Monkey sock before I cast on for it - so three guesses what I'll be doing with my lunch hour today.

Mojo

2011-06-25T11:11:00.001+01:00

Apologies for the long absence, but in truth I am in a bit of a knitting slump at the moment and I didn't want to post anything too downbeat. The sock knitting proceeds as usual - currently on M for Monkey but to be perfectly honest the sock knitting enthusiasm is starting to fade a little. It isn't that I'm not enjoying knitting the socks but it is more the fact that I don't have time to knit anything else. I can manage the odd small baby garment or finishing up the odd WIP languishing in a cupboard. But my Ravelry queue is getting longer as I find myself spending many frustrating hours looking at all the projects I want to make but don't have the time.

Cria
Skelf
... in fact anything from Ysolda's new book

Several baby blankets for friends who all seem to be due at the same time

I am also toying with the idea of a few designs of my own but don't really have the time to experiment and play. Consequently my head is whirling with lots of knitting ideas, mentally rummaging through my stash and matching yarn to potential projects - it's a bit like fantasy knitting I suppose. Either way, it's tiring and faintly depressing.

Anyway - sorry to whine. Maybe I should take myself off and do something small and fun, like a few crocheted granny squares, or some crocheted flowers. Or maybe I should just step away from the knitting for a day...drastic measures.