WIP Wednesday: Week 50

WIP Wednesday a day late, as I forgot to take photos yesterday :-P

I finished one crocheted pig and started another :-D After Lars saw the one I made Jordan, he told me I had to make one for my brother-in-law as well, as he apparently really loves pigs :-) So I got that done over the weekend, and then promptly started another one for Jordan, as he'd asked if I'd make him a white one as well :-P


Once I finish that one, I'll probably take a break from making any more for awhile. They're easy enough to make, but get rather fiddly when sewing the parts together.

Nina recently sent me a text message asking if I would pleeeeeeeeease knit Christian another pair of socks, as his old ones were getting worn out. Of course I couldn't say no to that, and as I already had suitable yarn, I cast on for a pair right away. The pattern is Bootstraps by Lara Neel but with a modified heel as hers included breaking yarn and grafting the heel and I really didn't feel like doing that! :-)
I should be able to finish these by Jan 15th, no sweat.

And as usual, I'm knitting on Peter's cardigan. It's slooooow progress but fortunately completely mindless knitting at the moment. I think I have another 20'ish cm to go on the body and then I get to start knitting in the round for the sleeves! Weee!!!
I in no way expect to be finished by Christmas, but that's okay. I just want to have a decent amount done so Peter can get a proper idea of what it will look like :)

WIP Wednesday: Week 48

It's been a few weeks since I did a WIP Wednesday post last, so I have a LOT of things to show off this time.

First, two finished objects. I finished a pair of socks while out and about and hadn't brought something else to knit on, so I decided to cast on another Christmas bauble, because why not :-)
Socks: Dalarna by Nancy Bush. Yarn: Opal in the Drollig colourway.
Christmas Bauble by Mona Smidt.



I FINALLY returned to my Skew socks. Haven't touched them in probably 10 months partly because I had a serious case of project reconsideration going on (they're slightly too big, so I thought about ripping them out several times, but at the end of the day I like them too much... even if they are too big), partly because the design is so unique that I couldn't just pick them up at any odd time, but had to have the pattern available before casting on. Bad excuse, I know, and this past week I finally cast on the second sock and am already half-way through the heel :-)

Mostly though, I've been knitting on the cardigan for my brother-in-law. I really wanted to have it to the point where I could separate for the sleeves by last Sunday so I could get him to try it on, and decided to knit the hood as well, in order to have a better feeling for how it would fit. That was a LOT of stockinette in not a lot of time, but I made it with hours to spare! And fortunately it fits well :-) ... or at least it will after blocking makes the stitches relax a bit.
(DH commented that it currently looks more like an executioner's hood than anything else, and once that has been seen it cannot be unseen! I need to get some more length on it!)

WIP Wednesday - Week 46

I decided to knit another Baaa-ble hat :-D I gave the other one away as a gift, and have been wanting one myself ever since. It's been getting cold lately, and I've recently started wearing hats on my way to work again, so I figured it was about time :-) It's such a quick knit - only took me three evenings to finish and ready to block. It was finally dry enough to wear yesterday, and I love it! It's so much warmer than my other hats (since this was both yarn held double and knit at a tighter gauge) and actually covers my ears!
This was my first attempt at making a pompom which turned out to be a lot easier than expected.

Aside from that, I've been working solely on a Christmas present for my brother-in-law. He overheard me asking Morfar if he'd like a knitted sweater for Christmas, and quickly jumped in, "If that's an open offer, I'd like one too!" As he's always impossible to find gifts for, I jumped at the opportunity. He asked for a cardigan hoodie, which was pretty much impossible to find a pattern for on Ravelry :-P In the end, I had to modify a pattern as I could only find suitable ones with female shaping. Oh well, easy enough to remove the waist shaping and add ease... hopefully :-P I have to use the biggest size as it is, and then increase further to add extra ease. We'll see how it goes.
I have gotten quite a bit further since taking this photo, but I was in a middle of a row when I remembered I needed to take a new one, and it basically just looked like a big black blob, so this will have to do for now.

WIP Wednesday - Week 44

Last week, Jordan sent me an email asking me if I could pleeeeeeease knit/crochet a pig for him... apparently in his and his sisters' mind, auntie Ria can crochet anything! What's a doting auntie to do? Fortunately Ravelry had a ton of free pig patterns, so I quickly found one that suited both of us and got working. Two days later I'd finished the pig and was actually really chuffed with how it turned out!
... that same evening Jordan sent me another message, asking me if I had time to finish another one by the time we'd see each other the following day... see above re. auntie can do anything. This time I had to let him down though. Perhaps I could have managed, but it'd be a struggle, so I promised to make him one for his next visit instead.

Thursday I was out with some colleagues for a work event, and as we started the evening off at a cocktail bar, I thought it was the perfect chance to get some work done on my current pair of socks. Alas, I didn't think to count the stitches before starting, and thus didn't realize that I hadn't yet finished all the increases for the foot, but just started knitting straight... it wasn't until I picked it back up again two days later that I realized the sock was looking awfully small, and realized I was missing 4 stitches!

Last night I swatched for a cardigan for Peter, my brother-in-law. He asked for a black hoodie made out of thin yarn. Unfortunately Ravelry was very thin on patterns for cardigans for males that fit those parameters, so I found one for females instead that (otherwise) fit the bill nicely, and will adapt it to be unisex. As far as I can see, I just need to add a bit of extra ease and drop the waste-shaping, and it'll be fine. Peter approved of it, anyway. I'm looking forward to getting started... even if I am fully expecting the miles and miles of stockinette to get boring after awhile. Like I wrote on Instagram - that's how much I love my BIL 😉

Finally, I've been working on my Chromatic pullover. It's a bit slow going, but I love the way it's turning out, so I don't mind too much. Another 15 stripes or so, and the body should be finished... unless I decide to add on a bit more length... I think I'll try it on again in 15 stripes' time and decide then.

WIP Wednesday - Week 43

I gave Rosa her poncho last week, and fortunately she loved it! She even insisted on wearing it for Mum's birthday party which of course warmed my heart to no end. It fits her well, I think :-D

I've pretty much only been working on one thing this past week though - my Chromatic sweater. It's coming along nicely, although the body still has quite a way to go yet. I DO hope the yarn softens up when washed though, or I'll probably never wear it as it's rather toothy :-P Looks good though :-)

WIP Wednesday - Week 42

Two finished objects this week :-)

I finished the poncho for Rosa. I had to do a bit of fudging with the numbers as the pattern doesn't actually go up to her size, but hopefully it'll fit her. I get to see her later today and should be able to get her to try it on right away. She put on Nora's last week and claimed that she NEEDED one of those, so I'm pretty confident that she'll like it ;-)

Saturday Mixi texted me to ask from Nora if I'd make her a crochet octopus like the one I'd made for Frederik. It's the first time Nora has actually asked me to make her anything (which makes sense - she's not that old yet!), and of course I said yes right away. "What colour do you want? I have yarn in red, yellow, green and purple." "BLUE!!" ... alrighty then! Time to go stashdiving. Fortunately I had just enough, so a blue octopus it is :-)

And in whatever time I had left between the two crochet projects, I've been working on my Chromatic. Though the lace is really easy, it still takes longer than just plain stockinette, so I'll be working on this for awhile yet.

WIP Wednesday - Week 41

I don't think I ever got to show this off as a WIP, but after having tried on her sister's "dragon mitts", my oldest niece also wanted a pair! Of course I agreed to knit them for her... and when she texted me last week to hear if I could add thumbs I couldn't let her down but had to figure out how to do that as well! :) Wasn't too hard, fortunately. I had to rip back once as I'd added too many short rows, but after that it worked fine :) I just need to weave in ends and block it, and then it's ready to hand over to her next week.

I've also started a new poncho for another niece. Rosa tried on the one I'd made for Nora and wanted one of her own, so of course I had to get working on that. The pattern doesn't come in large enough sizes, so I'll be adjusting as I go - hoping to end up with something that at least somewhat fits her.

Despite the fact that I still have 12 semi-active WIPs on the needles, I really wanted to cast on something new, so decided I was entitled to a "Birthday Cast On" (in the spirit of the PrairieGirls' Mother's Day Cast On) and cast on the Chromatic pullover by tincanknits! While I did swatch, I didn't actually block it, so we'll see if that comes back to bite me :-P but for the time being, I'm really enjoying the knitting. I worked on pretty much nothing else all weekend, which means I've just separated for the sleeves and am making my way down the body. The lace is really easy to memorize, and I love seeing the colours change!

WIP Wednesday - Week 39

Two finished objects! :-)

I finished the socks for my brother-in-law. As expected, I didn't have quite enough yarn, but I came a lot closer than I'd expected to, and only had to use another yarn for the last 6 rounds of the ribbing. I decided to go with white to fit the toes. Could've made the leg longer if I'd gone with another colour for the heels as well, but oh well... by the time I figured that out I couldn't be bothered ripping all the way back. And fortunately BIL likes them, so mission accomplished :-)

My second FO is a pair of fingerless mittens for my oldest nephew. He asked for a Minecraft accessory featuring the Creeper, and we quickly decided on this pattern. They knit up SO fast! Only took about 5 hours each. They're currently blocking and I'm keeping my fingers crossed they'll be dry by Sunday when I see him next :-)

WIP Wednesday - Week 38

As promised last week, I have several finished objects to show off this week! :-)

I finished all three pairs of niebling-socks, but stupidly gave away the first pair without remembering to take a photo of it first! Ah well, I'm sure you can guess what they look like ;-)
I also finished the Travelling poncho for youngest niece and am really happy with how it turned out! Hope it'll fit her well! I see her next week, so can hopefully get her to try it on then.
Finally and most excitingly I finished the Hogwarts Express Shawl. I love absolutely everything about this shawl! The colour, the yarn (SO SOFT!!!), the beads, the owls... it's exactly as awesome as I thought it would be when I first saw the pattern. I'm now definitely considering making a cardigan or a sweater with these cuties on the yoke! So cute :-)
Oldest niece came to visit last week, and we decided to start a long-term auntie-niece crochet project - the summer garden granny square blanket. We've only got 3 squares done so far, so it looks like it'll be a long-LONG-term project, but we're having fun with it, and that's what matters :-)
With all this awesomeness off the needles, I've actually only been working actively on ONE WIP this past week - a pair of socks for my brother-in-law. They're coming along nicely, although the 72sts look HUGE after just having knit three pairs of niebling socks with only 60sts ;-)
Unfortunately I'm not quite sure I have enough yarn (my guesstimate of how much more a 72sts pair would take was off), so I may have to get creative with the cuff... We'll see. I still have 10 grams left, so it may take me further than I expect it to.

WIP Wednesday - week 37

It's been awhile since I did a WIP Wednesday post last, so I have a TON of stuff to show you this time.

Let's start with my finished objects. Only two of those, so may as well get them out of the way right away.

First, the McGonagall Cardigan for Nina. I posted photos of this once before, but have seen then managed to get modeled shots, which is always better :-) Fortunately, though a bit snug, it seems to fit Nina very well :-)

Miriam asked if I'd knit her some "Dragon Gloves" (long fingerless gloves), and after sending a few (okay, a lot) of photos back and forth (I love modern technology!) decided on some lovely soft and colourful yarn. I haven't seen her since finishing them, but hopefully they will fit well :-)
Now WIPs. Somehow I have managed to knit a bit on a TON of different projects. Partly because I'm indecisive, partly because I like switching between obligation knitting and free knitting ;-)

For my travel knitting I'm currently working on some DesertVista Dyeworks socks. I didn't really get the hype about this yarn until I tried it for myself. Oh. Wow! So soft to the touch and awesome colours! If it wasn't for shipping + vat being so prohibitively expensive I'd buy heaps more of this yarn! I've finished the first sock and am about half-way up the foot of the second one. Love it! (left sock in the photo below)
Decided to pick up some old neglected socks as well, and finally finished the first of my Dalarna socks (right sock in the photo above). After having knit with DVD for awhile, Opal comes across as oddly rough on the hands :-P But I know it will wear well, and love the colours :-)

I'm ALMOST done with my niebling socks!!! Just 2 more heels to go! Oh, and then weaving in a billion ends :-P I have come to the conclusion that I am NOT a fan of afterthought heels, and I like true afterthought heels (i.e. where you cut the yarn for the heel instead of putting in waste yarn) even less. First of all, too many ends to weave in! Secondly, I don't think they fit as well as gusset heels or even short-row heels. Ah well - lesson learned. Hopefully the nieblings will like them though :) Miriam saw one of them last she visited, "But I already have a pair of home socks." "Have you seen the cuff?" "OH!!!!!" :-D
After all the recent obligation knitting I was in the mood to crochet and have once again stolen one of my nieblings as the intended recipient. I'm almost done with the traveller's poncho for Nora. Tried it on Rosa to check for length and she promptly asked me to make her one too! ;-) Fortunately I have more yarn left over (just on a different colourway), so I'll get started on that as soon as I've finished this one. Just have to do a bit of maths, as I'm making the largest size for Nora, and it's still too small for Rosa.
This past weekend Lars and I went on a tour around Zealand to go bus spotting. Though getting rather bulky I really wanted to put in some squares on my Cozy Memories blanket, and figured that the only person I'd be inconveniencing was myself, so why not? Why not indeed, and over the course of the day, I managed to get a total of 9 new squares knit! It still has quite a ways to go yet, but after hardly having touched it at all all year, it was great to bring it out again :-)
And finally, I'm working on a true comfort knit. While in Edinburgh I visited Ginger Twist Studio and bought some of the SOFTEST yarn you can imagine. Ginger's Hand Dyed Splendor, a merino/silk blend that is just a delight to work with. I only got the one skein, so had to find a suitable shawlette for it and soon decided on the Hogwarts Express Shawl which I've wanted to knit for ages anyway, and which helpfully comes with percentages of yarn used before starting the boarder, so I can use up as much of this delicious yarn as at all possible :-) Unfortunately (?) it's very potato-chippy, and though I only cast on last Friday, I'm almost done already, having just added the beads last night.

Hope to have at least the niebling socks and the shawl finished by next week's post :-)

WIP Wednesday - Week 33

A finished item, at long last!

I finished Nina's cardigan :-) It is currently blocking and then I just need to sew in the buttons, so done in plenty of time for both Stashdash (finishes Sunday) and for when I see her next (next Thursday - eeeeeee!!!!)

I think it should fit her alright. It's a bit tight on me, but she's slimmer than I am so that should work out fine. Besides, that we pre-blocking, and I've yet to knit anything that didn't grow during blocking ;-)

The pattern is Vanadiym by Lisa Mutch with the cat from the Professor McGonagall blanket by Kristen Fanning. The yarn is CottonBaby from Gepard Garn. I'm not usually a fan of cotton as I find it too tightly spun to be all that soft, but this was definitely the exception that proved the rule. Lovely soft and pleasant to work with - didn't hurt my hands at all! I'll definitely want to knit something for myself in this yarn at some point!

WIP Wednesday - Week 32

Can't believe I forgot to post yesterday! That's what I get for taking the day off work - I forget which day of the week it is ;-)

Nina's cardigan is coming along swimmingly. I've finished the cat and am well on my way to finishing the body. After that the sleeves should be a breeze as they're knit in the round with no colourwork :-D
It's my goal to finish by August 20th so I can count the yardage for stashdash... let's see if that happens :)

WIP Wednesday - Week 31

I've been knitting on the exact same two things as last week, so they have both seen quite a bit of progress.

Niebling sock status - I'm now half-way through sock 4. 2.5 to go.... plus heels. Doesn't look all that much different from last week though, so no picture this time.

I had a bit of a wibble regarding Nina's cardigan over the weekend. It looked SO SMALL! It fit the measurements she'd given me, but still... A few more text messages back and forth to get new measurements and a comparison with the dress-form she left in my care later and I decided to just trust the maths. Gauge is a lying liar who lies though - my swatch gauge was 22sts/10cm, but in the cardigan it's 25sts/10cm!! So I've had to redo all my numbers.... which of course only added to the wibble. I think it's okay though... my knitting always stretches during blocking, so it should be fine.... at least I've convinced myself enough that I've decided to knit on and am now working on the cat! :)


Depending on how much the cat takes up I'll definitely need more of the light green though!

WIP Wednesday - Week 30

I've been fairly monogamous this past week. I wanted to get a good head-start on the niebling socks before something else popped up (which it did yesterday), so have been knitting on those pretty exclusively up until then.

Which means that I've gotten 2 socks done (but for the heels) and am just missing the twisted rib on the third. Almost half-way through!

This past Monday I went yarn shopping for a new cardigan for Nina. I swatched that same night, and cast on for the Vanadium cardigan yesterday! I had to do copious amounts of maths though, as my gauge was off just enough that I had to go up 1.5 sizes :-P But as Nina prefers positive ease anyway, I decided to just go up the full two sizes and hope for the best!
Not much to see yet. I'm knitting this in pure cotton and hope it won't stretch too much :-P The cotton is really soft though, and much easier on my hands than usual.

WIP Wednesday - Week 29

The designer who made all the cool fruit coasters put out another design for testing this past weekend. Of course I had to sign up so I could add to my collection, and fortunately she was happy to have me on again. 'Twas supposed to be another orange, but I had misplaced my orange yarn, so it ended up being either a very unripe orange or an apple instead.
Don't care - either way, I like it :-) It's currently blocking and looks a bit misshapen, but I think it'll add nicely to the collection.

I still need another 700 meters to reach my stashdash goal, so decided to finally cast on for the Exploration Station. The first 6 wedges were plain garter stitch and went really quickly, but now I've started on the brioche section... and that's going to take awhile. It's not nearly as difficult as I'd feared though... and I am childishly amused that the stitches are called "bark" and "burp" ;-D

I've also started yet another sock (Yes, this is the 5th sock currently on my needles. Yes, I could theoretically finish stashdash just by finishing off those socks. Schh! Stop making sense, you!), as Nina mentioned my nieblings might enjoy some handknit socks for the cold mornings. The colour is way off in this photo as it's actually a gradient from green to grey... but what can you do. I also have some ideas for fun decorations on the leg. We'll see how it works out. I'm knitting these with true afterthought heels, so I'll have to cut the yarn once that time comes. I need to measure it tonight, but I think I have another 10-15cm to go on the first leg.