Colourific (A Little Bit of Purple)//Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

When I was growing up, my favourite colour was purple (to be honest, to this day, it's still PURPLE!!!). I always wanted a bedroom with purple walls, but my Mum hated the idea so it didn't happen..... fastforward to 25 and I finally got my purple wall!! It was a really pretty, sparkly purple and I hated it!!!! I really didn't like it - for me, purple doesn't belong on the wall. But it totally belongs in knitting, and there are so many pretty shades:

Now I would love to beable to say that I knit loads in purple; but let's face it, it's pretty but not overly practical - unless it's for socks (or my very pretty OWLS sweater), or hats, or mitts..... um yeah. Purple does work well with alot of things - and I wear alot of grey, which of course goes really well with purple. Having said all of that, my knitting tends to be a rainbow of colours - I just love colour (and grey).

What's your favourite colour? Does it take place in alot of your knitting?
V xo

PS: today's code is: 4KCBWDAY4; make sure you use this code if you're playing along.
PPS: Pop by tomorrow for something a little different!!!

An Info-Knitty-Graphic//Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

When I think about my knitting, I think about all of the things I've knit - and the progress I've made along the way (as well as the mistakes)........

1. This bag took me 11 months to knit, it shouldn't have - it is a simple garter stitch bag, it's very pretty BUT it stretched alot!!!
2. I still wear my kitty hat, I am totally in love with it - you knit it flat, then seam it. It's super simple and very cute.
3. I knit these mary janes and pretty quickly fell out of love with them - they stretched and the yarn wasn't hard wearing. I wouldn't knit slippers again unless they were felted afterwards.
4. Florence the Elefante was one of my favourite knits, she was probably one of the most complex knits of last year for me. She isn't perfect, the increases in her face weren't as perfect as they could have been but I was super proud of her at the time.
5. Lenny the Elephant was probably my favourite knit of last year, he turned out pretty perfect. And he was the first item I've knit with yarn from an indie dyer (candy skein yummy DK).
6. This hat was one thing I wish I had swatched for, the yarn bloomed quite a bit and the hat is too big for my wife now. It fits me but I have a big head and I knit the smallest size!!! I would knit this hat again though, it's super pretty.
7. The Queen of Hearts shawl is an own design, and I'm still so proud of it. I really enjoyed knitting it and my Gran loves her shawl.
8. In February 2013 I took part in my very first yarn bombing; which I really enjoyed. I also knit a little heart garland for my wife for valentine's day - she loves it.
9. I knit my Blue Fudge plains for my very good friend, Carol. It was lovely to knit, and the baby cashmerino yarn helped of course. I'm hoping to knit another one of these for me really soon.
10. Regular readers of my blog will know all about my owls sweater; I loved knitting it - so much love went into every stitch of this, my first sweater. I love it. I will make changes when I knit it again - I intend on making it tunic length, with the sleeves just slightly longer.
11. My green pom-pom hat was knit up when the freeze hit in March 2013, it's super warm but I would knit a few more rows so it fits my head a little more snuggly.
12. My first socks; this was a travel project - ok it was supposed to be but ended up being a knit all the time project. I love these socks, they are super super warm and, as yesterday's posted stated, I have already cast on my 2nd pair.

I think my infographic shows how much I've grown as a knitter; and hopefully shows a small amount of the direction I'm hoping to go in.
V xo

PS: today's code is: 4KCBWDAY3; make sure you use this code if you're playing along.

Mascot Monkey//Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

When I choose what projects to make, I have some criteria:

1. Do I need it?

2. Will I learn anything by knitting it?

3. If it's a gift - will it be appreciated?

4. Do I need to buy yarn, needles, or other notions?

5. Is the pattern a much loved one, or does it have it's issues?

 

So when our friend Jen got pregnant; I knew I wanted to knit something for her upcoming arrival - so I spoke to Jay to find out what she likes. I have decided on a cute little hat, but I wanted to knit a softie - because I've knit softies for babies before and they always seems to go down well with new parents. Anyways it's turns out that Jen (and Darren) love monkey's - so I went to my go-to softie knitter, Rebecca Danger - she's my favourite softie designer by far!!! And I found Jerry the Musical Monkey:



 

 Isn't he super cute? And what I love about Rebecca's patterns are you can use any weight yarn you choose - which is fab because it changes the size and means you can knit with yarn that suits the person - for example for a baby, you probably want machine washable; whereas if I was knitting a softie for myself I might use something hand-dyed.



Jay and I had a long discussion about yarn colours, and what would suit a baby girl - I knew I wanted to use Robin Chunky - it's a heavy acrylic based yarn that is really perfect for children's softies, it's nice and hard-wearing.

I finally chose a pretty dusky pink colour, and a mottled cream colour:



I think Miss Monkey is going to be super pretty, the yarn is here and she is ready to be cast-on. I'm really pleased with the colour choices and the pattern. I just need to decide on a name for her and how I'm going to do her eyes.

So this is a challenge for you, my readers, what would you call this monkey? And what would you do for eyes? I'm tempted to just use some black yarn and stitch them on - I'm just not sure that plastic safety eyes are the right thing for the project. Let me know.

I hope you are continuing to enjoy KCBW 2013; I'm really having fun.
V x
PS: today's code is: 4KCBWDAY2; make sure you use this code if you're playing along.

On Being A Monkey//Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

In all honesty I found it difficult to choose which "house" I fell into; so I quizzed my wife and MIL - and they chose Monkey. Why I asked myself?

I love to be challenged by my knitting; infact regular readers of this little blog might remember that my OWL (one little word) for this year is LEARN - I want to learn as much as possible. So what does mean? It means that I challenged myself to knit my first sweater:

 And I thoroughly enjoyed the knit, it had some complicated instructions - I had never done short rows before and splitting for the sleeves was a little tricky - BUT I did it, I finished my first sweater and I love it. So on to the next challenge - socks!!!

I've wanted to knit socks for a while, infact I got a sock book almost 2 years ago but I was super nervous; I'd heard alot of negative things about socks. I think knitters fall into 2 sock categories - those who do and those who hate!!! I decided to just give it a go; afterall if I failed no-one needed to know and I could always frog them and use the yarn for something else. In actual fact my socks were a resounding success, not only did I enjoy the knit but I love the results:

Don't get me wrong they have their little issues, but I had so much fun I've already cast on my 2nd pair, and bought DPN's for 4-ply socks. I've also bought the lovely Socktopus book - and I cannot wait to get stuck into some beautiful socks for the spring.

My motto in life; especially as a person with a long-term illness; is to always learn, to try my hardest to succeed AND (most importantly) enjoy myself. 2013 is definitely a year of learning for me - what will you learn this year?

Are you playing along with KCBW this year? What "house" do you fall into?
V xo

PS: today's code is: 4KCBWDAY1; make sure you use this code if you're playing along.

Alicia//Knit Nerds

This week I have the lovely Alicia of Woolen Diversions. Everytime Alicia blogs, she takes her readers on an adventure with her, she knows how to tell her tale - which I love. She has a passion for design, in particular socks and hats (my favourite) so when she contacted me asking to be a knit nerd, I jumped at such an amazing opportunity.

Here she is:

 

1. How long have you been knitting/crocheting, and who taught you?

 I have been knitting for 7 years, I first learned from a friend in college to keep me busy while I had knee surgery. I became really obsessed with it about 4 years ago when I started grad school. I found that knitting was the perfect distraction from the rigors of scientific studies: creative but still productive, portable and beautiful, comforting and fun.

2. What is your favourite yarny thing to make?

My favorite thing to knit is a toss-up between shawls and socks. I love wearing both and will usually incorporate them into my daily wardrobe. Shawls are gorgeous and the perfect layering pieces year-round. Socks are great portable projects and a fun way to try out lots of interesting stitches on a smaller item. Plus, they're so comfortable and there are so many great sock yarns out there.

3. Who is your biggest yarny inspiration?

I have a TON of yarn-y role models but the biggest is probably the Yarn Harlot. Her blog and books got me really excited about yarn and knitting in the first place. Following the instructions in her book, Knitting Rules!, is how I learned to knit socks and her blog is how I found Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock, my favorite sock yarn. Her blog is also part of why I started spinning. So yeah, I have a big knitterly crush on her. I also adore the writing of Clara Parkes. I learned so much from her books (The Knitter's Book of Yarn, The Knitters Book of Wool, and The Knitter's Book of Socks) about fiber content, yarn structure, and how it affects your knitting. I highly recommend them.

4. What is your favourite finished object?

My favorite completed project is difficult to choose but I think it might be my Rock Island shawl (designed by Jared Flood) knit with Mithril, a lovely laceweight Merino wool yarn now sold by The Verdant Gryphon. It's such a great weight and a versatile piece: pretty enough to be worn over a dress but casual enough to be worn kerchief-style on an everyday basis. It is probably my most worn shawl and it is surprisingly warm for its lightness. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/shoelaceswitcher/rock-island 

5. What inspired you to start your blog?

I started my blog, Woolen Diversions, while I was in the midst of writing my master's thesis. I had just started designing and (again!) needed a distraction from working all the time, so it fit the bill nicely. Plus, I'm pretty sure my friends were getting tired of me blabbing about yarn all the time and the blog gave me another outlet through which to do so to an audience that actually cared.

6. As a designer, what is your favourite of your own designs?
It's difficult to choose a favorite design, as I have a soft spot for all of them! I think the one that is the most fun to knit, though, is my Syrinx Shells cowl design. It is made with superbulky Malabrigo Rasta yarn and incorporates a really interesting and addicting Estonian shell stitch. Since it's such a bulky yarn the knitting goes super quickly and the cables, lace, and twisted stitches are really fun to work. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/syrinx-shells

7. If you could give 3 pieces of yarny advice, what would they be?

1- Knit everything. Even if you think you can't do it, try it, you might like it. For the longest time I thought knitted socks were weird and totally didn't get it. Then I knit them, saw how awesome they were, and now they're my favorite!

2- Study up. Learn about fiber, learn about yarn structure, and think about these things when you are choosing yarn for a project. Besides being a fascinating topic in and of itself, the anatomy of the yarn used makes a huge difference in the overall quality and beauty of a finished piece.

3- Use the good stuff when you can. I'm a sucker for hand-dyed, natural fibers and have found that if I don't love the yarn I'm using, I won't finish or love the knitted item, so for me it's worth the expense. I also like supporting artisans and companies whose work and ethics I admire, so that comes into my choices as well.

Alicia is doing a giveaway of 2 patterns; and you could be in with a chance to win BOTH of them. So what do you have to do?
1. Pop over and like Alicia's Facebook page; then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you've done it.
2. Pop over to Ravelry and add Alicia as one of your favourite designers; then come back and leave a seperate comment letting me know which of Alicia's designs is your favourite.
If you do both 1 and 2, please make sure you leave 2 comments, to be in it to win it!!!
The winner(s) will be chosen at random on Saturday 27th April 2013!!!

Thanks so much Alicia for the wonderful knit nerds interview and the fabulous giveaway.
V xo

Pretty Green Eyelet Rib//WIP Wednesday

Yup, that's right - I cast on my 2nd pair of socks. These are still knit in DK and from the same book as my first pair but with a little bit of interest and a slightly different heel:

 I am in love with the eyelet rib detail, it's super pretty and it's knit in a 5-stitch pattern:

I have to admit that I *might* be slightly addicted to socks - and by slightly I mean completely!!! I've bought a copy of the book Socktopus AND some gorgeous candy skein fingering yarn; so some very beautiful socks will be on the needles very soon. I promise I'm not ignoring my other WIP's, I do intend on getting back to them later this week.
Most of my family is away this week to Belfast this week; Robbie (my oldest) was supposed to be going with them but unfortunately he caught a nasty bug so he's spending this week with me. Today we are off up the coast, I'll share a couple of photos later in the week - especially as some of them will be yarny.
I know I'm on a yarn diet - however I did state that this week was a free week; and I'm trying to get all the yarn together I need to knit my queue; anyway stop by later in the week.
As usual I am playing along with Tami and Ginny; what are you knitting this week?
V xo

Travel Socks//Finished Object Friday

I think since I started this blog last February, I've mentioned (quite a number of times) that I want to be the kind of knitter who isn't afraid to learn new skills and move forward with her craft. Thus last week I cast on my very first pair of socks; to say I was nervous is an understatement! However they actually knit up really quickly and I'm totally in love with them:

 They fit really well; to be honest the toes are the only part I'm not hugely happy with - I'm not that good at grafting yet, but I'm sure I shall get there:

 I am very happy with the heel, considering most knitters find turning the heel is the hardest part, I really enjoyed it and I think it came out pretty well. I actually found picking up for the gusset was the hardest part:

 And of course no sock photo shoot is complete without some kind of arty shot; so here it is:

And in true knitter style, I have already cast on my 2nd travel socks - which are some pretty eyelet rib ones from the same book. Thank you so much to everyone for commenting on my WIP wednesday post - I've had a look at quite alot of sock patterns on Ravelry as a result.
As usual I am playing along with Tami; have a knitty Friday and an inspired weekend.
V xo