Lacy Mock Cable Socks III

(This is a repeat posting - for some reason the photos all vanished and people couldn't see them. Fixed now!)


When trying to choose which knitting projects to take to my sister's house for a few days, I thought about how I'd be busy running around after my nephew, Will; how there'd be a lot of talking and not much chance for concentrating. So i took only socks and only easy socks that were well overdue to be finished.

The plan worked for one pair of socks which are modelled here by Adele. How good is it to have socks modelled by someone else! For once I didn't have to try and come up with interesting angles while perching on steps or performing contortions on the lawn during daylight!



Willem got into the shot, too, not to mention the cat in the background.



The socks are the Lacy Mock Cable pattern made from Colinette Jitterbug in Velvet Plum. Getting Adele to model them was risky business. We discovered a hole in the original pair I made for her (same pattern even!) but this yarn was a gift from RoseRed and I love the colour so I sure as hell won't be giving them away! Adele will have to wait for her own pair.

This is the third time I've made this pattern. It was one of the earliest patterns I used once I felt brave enough to let go of the sides and dive into patterned rather than plain socks. If you're a not so confident sock knitter, looking for a way to branch out into semi-lacy socks, this is a very good, easily memorised pattern.



I just adore the colour. Colinette do amazing sock yarn and after warnings from others, I was careful about the yardage. More than a few people failed to get a full pair out of Jitterbug but I weighed them carefully and each sock is 54g - thankfully the skeins are 110g!

My trip away was really lovely. Just sisters hanging out during the day, with Willem for added company and fun. We made cupcakes, among many other great activities over two days.



He decorated them with those pink and white lolly teeth. He was pretty pleased with his efforts, as he should have been! Aunty time is good for the soul.

Bells

Good Food and Wine Show 2009

For the fifth year in a row (that makes it a tradition right?) my sister and I have set aside a special day for each other to attend the Good Food and Wine show. It travels all around the country and we attend it in Sydney.

The first year was the year Adele became a mother; it was her first big day out on her own away from her just months old baby boy.

Now, he goes out with his dad for the day and recounts stories to us of his adventures. That makes me realise how much time has passed since we first went along. I've been capturing our days for the last two years, and here's this year's wrap up.

This year we had tickets to see celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Here we are in the theatre (fourth row!) just before the show began, bright and early at 9:30am. We hadn't seen any of the show at this point. Photo courtesy of Adele's workmate, David, another show veteran.



We were a bit unsure about seeing Gordon Ramsay. Which is to say, we bought the tickets long before the scandal broke out in recent weeks. The scandal, if you don't know about it, involved him having a public slanging match with host of tabloid trash news program, A Current Affair, Tracy Grimshaw. It was all a bit juvenille and yet, it took the tarnish off the idea of seeing the man on stage. We went along anyway and I'm happy to say, we were thrilled with his show.



It was pretty hard to get a decent photo so this'll have to do. For those of you who, like me, fancy Mr Ramsay a wee bit, I'm happy to report he's just as appealing in person. Sure, a bit rough around the edges, but what hard working chef isn't? He was charming, funny and inspiring. The best celebrity chef performance we've been to. Much more interesting than some - hello Donna Hay, yes I'm talking to you!

Near the end of the performance, there was a give away of some great prizes. Adele will have it that I accosted the nice man who was on the floor handing out expensive kitchenware, but I swear, I was in the aisle seat! When I stood up, the $260 Analon frying pan fell into my hands. Honest! Adele was, I think, so mortified that I got it and she didn't that I damn well nearly gave it to her because I felt so bad! I didn't though. I kept it for me and it's huge and gorgeous.



The rest of the show followed in much the way it does every year - the two of us let loose like kids in a lolly shop, sampling goods (mostly olive oil, chocolate and wine) and filling up our backpacks with all manner of great treats.

I did a lot of this.



Adele did a lot of this (sampling Rocky Road and other chocolate treats).



We were happy.

And here is a sample of my goodies. See the iphone? Separate post on that to follow!

The olive oil in that photo is a special one I buy every year. Sean and I first bought some Pukara Estate olive oil on our honeymoon in the Hunter Valley in 2004. It's been dubbed our Honeymoon Olive oil ever since (no rude comments from you up the back!)

Outside, we met up with Will and his dad in Darling Harbour.



We returned home on Sunday afternoon and I'm now sick, with a nasty head cold. I know head colds are fairly lame in the scheme of illnesses a person can get, but geez that whole stuffed up head thing isn't a lot of fun is it? Unlike the Good Food and Wine show, which is fabulous fun and I'll look forward to the big day out with my sister every year we're able to go.

Long live sisterly traditions!
Bells

Party time and a vest

This weekend, we went to Sydney for our nephew's fifth birthday. Boy, these birthdays are coming around way too fast for my liking. It's a good thing they're fun days, or I'd be less inclined to feel good about how fast they're flying by.



This year, his birthday party was a simple affair in a local park in Sydney. While the table and decorations were being set up by his parents and Uncle Sean, we went off to play. We found an ibis. With so much wildlife around, I thought we had to play explorers just for a moment.



Doesn't he just look so manly in his akubra hat?



It was Adele who cooked up the idea of a vest for his birthday, but it was Willem himself who chose the yarn when he was visiting. Blue is his favourite colour so I presented him with three different blue yarns from the stash.

Adele liked the dark blue. Willem liked the light blue. He got his choice, and here it is.



Getting him to pose in it in the morning before the party was a challenge. The night before, he'd been delighted with putting it on over his PJs, but the light wasn't so good for photos. Perhaps he had pre-party nerves? We only just managed to get him to cooperate by putting on a lovely shirt sent from Nana (our mum).



It's hard to tell just from this photo, but it does fit. Here's one where you can see it all, but he doesn't look so happy.



I was just happy it went over his head. I'd done the neckband twice because I was sure the first time it wasn't going to fit. The akubra he's wearing in the the top photos is actually an adult hat he inherited. And it fits him. So you can see why I was concerned.

So here are the details.

Pattern: Basic Vest from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns. This is a really good book. If you haven't seen it, it takes basic knitted garments, from hats to jumpers and cardigans, and once you work out your gauge, you can follow simple instructions to basically make up as you go any of these patterns, with a multitude of variations.

Yarn: Cleckheaton Country Naturals. Colour 1830. This is a yarn I'm sure half of Canberra has in their stash, picked up in the Cassidy's $2 sale by the bucketload. It's machine washable, 85% wool, 10% acrylic, 5% viscose. Good for little boys.

Needles: 4.5mm Addi Turbo for the body. 4mm Knipicks Options for the neck and arm bands, which I did at a smaller gauge when I did them for the second time. Because I was trying to work them looser, this seemed to avoid floppiness, while allowing them to keep their shape.

Timeframe: Superfast. March 13 - March 22nd.

Result/Modifications: Handsomely cute. I made it longer than the pattern suggested. Willem might be tall for his age, I'm not sure. I also knit it in the round. Knitting flat? Pfft. As if.

Bells

Ask and you shall receive

I'm very, very grateful for all the helpful comments on my Something Blue cardigan. I asked and lots of people delivered. Don't you love the internet?

There's an awful lot of information to consider and weigh up, particularly regarding the raglan shaping. That was something I hadn't picked up, that maybe the fit wasn't right there.

Interestingly, the designer herself, Wendy Bernard, had the following to say when I wrote to her via Ravelry and asked for her thoughts (thanks for the suggestion Cindy2Paw!)

Wendy writes:

Yeah, except for the front, it fits right. (note: Wendy didn't mention the raglan shaping. Interesting!)

I think that the back fits nicely.

I’m not sure if short rows will be the total solution. You could rip back and start your bottom ribbing at least 2 - 3 inches later.

As far as the “wave” at the bottom edging what you need to do is pick up sts at a greater rate at each of the bottom edges so that when you do your ribbing you’ll have more sts grouped there and it won’t want to pull in so much.

I used the Blue Sky Alpaca cotton, and that cotton isn’t is springy. I didn’t read about your yarn choice, but your substitution may be sproingy-er and could contribute to the bottom edge pulling in more than the cotton does.

Wendy, it seems, suggests a much easier solution than either going back to the raglan shaping or adding bust darts or other kinds of shaping. On the one hand, I'm quite grateful. Who doesn't like an easier option? Although, here, 'easier' is relative. I still have to undo all the sewn in ends, rip out the band, redo the short row shaping on the neck blah blah blah.

Oh and she's right about the springiness of the cotton too. My cotton choice was Lana Grossa Nico which has 3% polyester and does make for a very springy fabric. Must keep that in mind.

But you know, there's a lot to be said in favour of trying out some bust shaping. I know the clothing I have in my wardrobe which has bust shaping is just so much nicer to wear, and now might be as good a time as any to figure it out. PrincessPea wrote a fabulous tutorial on the subject which I remember noting at the time it appeared, figuring the time would come when I'd need it.

On the issue of the toggle-style button, I'm in two minds. I admit I chose it in a rush from Lincraft one lunch time last week, a place not known for its extensive range in buttons. I rather like brown and blue together but am not 100% wedded to the button. That said, an impulse purchase doesn't necessarily = bad. I still kinda like it but have another blue button I found which might work too. I also very much liked the idea of a brooch or shawl pin.

So many choices!

In short, I'm not going to rush this. I'll stew on the idea for a while and update on progress later on.

In the meantime, I got to practice some of that edging issue on a smaller blue item over the weekend. Will's vest, to be gifted at his birthday next Saturday, proved tricky. My skill at picking up stitches for bands is clearly lacking. When I'd done the bands, it was clear the arm holes and neck were all too small. It'd never fit. So I ripped, read a tutorial or two and did it again. All fixed! It'll be a much better fit now.



I'll discuss what I did when I do the vest write up.

Thanks again for the comments everyone. I plan to re-read them all again and again in the process of figuring out the solution.

Bells

A few quiet moments

For the last few days, I've been pretty occupied by things that don't involve either work or, it has to be said, much knitting.

My sister, her husband and the adorable Will are visiting. I took a couple of days off work and have thrown myself headlong into hostess stuff and aunty stuff.

Adele and I became aunts earlier this week, thanks to our youngest sister who had this little pumpkin. Alice Rachel. 



We took Will to meet his first cousin on our side of the family. It was a lovely moment.



The rest of the time, we've just been hanging around.



Adele's hubby has had pretty bad gastro so we've had some bonus time together while we wait for him to get better. This has meant not so great things for my knitting, but brilliant things for wonderful quality time together, though so not much for gastro-boy.

I'll leave you with this photo-less story. On Friday, Will was feeling unwell so he and I had some quiet time at home while his mum and dad went to visit the new baby. I was knitting and looked down at one point to see my lovely boy holding needles I'd discarded and some scrap yarn I'd given him to play with. He was absently moving the needles up and down with the "string" while we watched TV, just like Aunty Bells. 

Be still my beating heart.

Bells

Six of six

Amy tagged me for the photo meme where you go to your sixth photo folder and choose the sixth photo.

I was a bit nervous about this, wondering what on earth might show up but it was a good one and actually not all that old. I think I only started putting photos in my own photo folder when we moved into this house in 2006. Before that I think Sean had main carriage of uploading photos from the camera so older ones are in his folders.

Anyway, this is the photo.



It's me and my lovely nephew Will, taken on a visit to Sydney in February 2007, so exactly two years ago. I love this whole series, taken that afternoon by my sister, Adele no doubt. Sure it looks a little posed, as if Adele is saying 'Smile at Aunty Bells, Will!' but the other photos from the same series suggest we were having lots of fun, goofing around.

Like this one.



And this one.



Nearly five years have elapsed since this little guy came into our lives as the first grandchild and therefore my first blood nephew. Almost five years of absolute magic and incredible love. He has the sweetest temperament, the most playful grin and a surprisingly dry wit (if you can imagine such a thing in a small boy). He is a part of my sister, and therefore a part of me and though I was very excited for him to arrive, I had no idea the magnitude of love that was in store for me.

Watching him grow, and watching my sister be the most amazing, caring mum has made every day of his life so special. 

In a couple of weeks, I'll have a new niece. My youngest sister is about to give birth. Clearly aunty-hood suits me so I've got more love to look forward to.

Thanks for tagging me, Amy. It was nice to spend a moment thinking about being an aunty. 

Bells

Finished - Adele's Cardigan

This weekend, I finally got to give Adele her cardigan. We drove to Sydney and in the afternoon, we took Will to the park and Adele got to be a model. She made out like she was embarrassed. I think she loved it. You can tell.

Doesn't it suit her well?

It's like it was made for her. ha ha.

And some detail shots. Here's the back and hemline. A hint of rolling, which works well I think.

And the neck which, after all that fear and trepidation last week, turned out just right.

Now, for the vitals:

Pattern: Elegant Eyelet Cardigan from Cleckheaton Studio Mohair booklet 941. I've made this twice and it turned out even better the second time. You'd hope so too, given I've learned a lot in the intervening two years.

Yarn: Eki Riva Leisure Alpaca which is an 8ply/DK weight yarn that I bought from Prestige Yarns at a scandalous sale price. It's so soft. It's knitted up so drapey, with just a hint of a halo. I'll use this again.

Needles: Knit Picks Options circulars 4mm/size 6.

Time: July 5 2008 - 27 July 2008 - for the knitting part at least. I earned my green sprinters jersey in the Tour De France Knit Along! But it took me a week and a bit to get it all finalised.

Modifications: I made it longer in the sleeves and body for Adele. I knit the garter stitch hems on the 4mm needles instead of the 3.75mm needles specified. And I knitted the band on, instead of making it separately and attaching it. A good move, I think.

I absolutely loved making this. Every stitch was a joy, well, except for the bits where I thought I'd messed up. 

Knitting something which is chosen by its intended recipient, and anticipated as a special gift, is really enjoyable. Knitting at its best. 

And what did the rest of the weekend entail? A fair amount of driving, aided by our friends the Knitted Police.

Lots of fun with Willem, who was, as always, fabulously adorable.

Brunch and laughs with friends, Donni, RoseRed, Nora and Kristie. 

And on the way home, snow!

Not vast quantities by some standards, but just ask Sean how fun it was to drive in it when it was dark and the snow fall heavy!

What a nice weekend, lots of fun and time out. Perfect.

Bells

The clapotis and visitors

After a crazily busy weekend full of house guests (including Kate from Wagga Wagga who dropped by for tea and knitting!), cooking and generally being on the go, I finally got a chance to take some photos of my clapotis this afternoon. Or rather, Sean took the photos.

I'm really happy with it. It's what I wanted - not a scarf and not a shawl, but a wrap. This does mean that I'm still figuring out how I should wear it, but there's plenty of winter left for me to do this.

It's very soft and very warm. Around the house, I've been throwing it over myself and using it as something between a blanket and a shawl.

It also doubles very well and something to play hiding games with when you've got a visiting nephew. Sadly, no photos of that.

Here are the specs.

Pattern: Clapotis from the Autumn 04 Knitty.
Yarn: Fibreworks 8ply. Fibreworks is an Australian yarn that i've only ever seen at the Old Bus Depot Markets but it can be bought at the link provided. It's absolutely gorgeous. Thanks to George and RoseRed for selling me their spare skeins when it became clear I was going to run out.

Needles: Knitpicks Options 5mm

Modifications: I used the fairly popular modification (as pointed out to me by RoseRed) of making the stitches that would be dropped purl stitches instead of marking them with stitch markers. This is an excellent modification and I highly recommend it. I also did way more repeats of the straight section than recommended. It went on forever.

Date: Started 20 May 08 - finished 2 July 08.

Yes, it's one of the most commonly knit projects in the world. And yes, I am very late to this party, but hey, better late than never, right? I'm delighted with it and imagine it will be well loved for many, many years to come!

I'll just leave you with a photo from the weekend of house guests. Willem and I spent yesterday afternoon making a Lemon Tart for dessert. Adele warned me he likes to taste test frequently while cooking and I have to say she was right!



This is the apron my mum made being put to good use.

I was very sad when he and Adele left. He runs around a lot, wants to play a lot, demands attention in the most delightful way and loves cuddles. The house was quieter when he left, and there were teddies everywhere (I have a box put away that comes out when he visits) but the house felt somehow empty without him. Little people are beautiful and fun and it was a lovely visit.

I also cast on for the Tour De France knit along yesterday but I'll post about that tomorrow.

Bells

"Knitting Head"

That's what my nephew Willem called me last night when I sat down to knit in the evening. He laughed and said, 'Aunty Bells, you're a Knitting Head.'

Ah yes, Will. I am. And I rather like the title! He seems to have pretty much figured out that knitting is what I do.

And while we're on cute things, my mum sent me this photo a short while ago. He is visiting her today and she made him an apron and matching hat. Cute or what?

It's rather fitting since he has declared he wants to be a chef when he grows up. Some time back, he surprised his parents by declaring, apropos of nothing, "I want to be a chef and not a wrestler."

Well that's a relief! Because you know we all were worried about his tendency towards wrestling - NOT!

Look out Jamie Oliver!

But as for me, I am happy with my new title of Knitting Head and will go to SnB tonight proudly wearing my newly finished clapotis as evidence of such!

Bells

Mid week good things

Remember when I had the yarn spaghetti? It looked like this:

You may recall a crazy woman called Catherine (and I mean that in the nicest possible way, as my sister would say) offered to untangle it for me. I packaged my beloved Fleece Artist up and sent it off to Catherine who returned it in a matter of days, all nicely wound into a yarn cake with a note that said she really enjoyed doing it. That's crazy talk! But I'm not going to complain.

Especially not when she returned it with this:

Apparently my yarn made a friend while visiting Catherine's house. It's a skein of her own hand dyed - it's just so edible looking, don't you think? Raspberry and chocolate in one. That was most unexpected. I'd sent Catherine a thank you gift and did not expect anything in return other than my untangled yarn! I think the colours are fabulous and I believe Catherine is just starting out with dyeing. She should keep going!!

She also sent a little something extra in the form of seeds. They come in this spiffy little matchbook style.

They are native seeds, for a tree called Calistemon or Bottle Brush. We have one in our garden that's only a few months old. Come spring, I'll be planting some more because we love them. Thank you so much Catherine!

Today is a good day because after work, guess who arrives from Sydney?

Adele and Will are coming to stay en route to our parents' house down the coast and they'll stay again on Saturday on their way back. Two visits in one week. I feel lucky. I've warned them that it's absolutely freezing here and blowing a gale so Willem will definitely need his mittens!

This time next week, I'll be in a warmer part of the country - up north in Alice Springs - for work. But I'll post more about that later.

Bells

Sisters Who Love Food

It's that time of year again, the time when my sister Adele and I head out to the Good Food and Wine Show. It's our Special Day and woe betide anything or anyone trying to get between us and our day out. Last year, we had a gripe with Donna Hay. This year, we took issue with a certain Scottish chef, but more on that later.

Last year, I headed off in the rain the day before the event and this year, it began to rain as Sean and I headed up the Federal Highway. Anyone would think June is a wet month in Canberra.

But we made it safely to Sydney on Friday night in plenty of time for me to give Willem his new mittens before bedtime. Once we established the the 'surprise' wasn't a toy, the smart boy figured out it was something 'knitted' - because that's what Aunty Bells does!


He loved them and quite surprisingly to me, turned them immediately into puppets who spoke and sang and danced! I didn't expect that! Apparently it was obvious to his parents what was going to happen.


The next day, Sydney turned on some fabulous sunshine. This was our view from the queue, which, we soon learned, was not the right queue. It snaked out into the grounds outside the Entertainment Centre and was in fact the queue to get in to see Gordon Ramsay!

So we headed off in search of the right queue. Three queues later, we got the right one. Would it hurt the organisers to put a sign up saying something like, oh I don't know, 'Good Food And Wine Show Entrance'?

Still we were smiling because we were there.


Our issue with Gordon Ramsay, who we didn't see in any of his performances, was that it seemed our beloved show is not so intimate anymore. When we first went, you could arrive a bit before ten, line up in a sensible and not in the least bit daunting queue, have the place more or less to yourself for a few hours and disappear after lunch when the crowds arrived. Now, it seems people are onto our scheme and many of them, we guessed, were there to see 'the guy who swears on TV and gets noticed in parliament for it.' Not for the food and the experience.

Now, I like Gordon Ramsay. Some friends recently talked me into watching him and I decided he was not the arrogant jerk I'd imagined but in fact a bit of a handsome rogue. But I'd want to go and see him cook at the show. I wouldn't want to go just because he says the F word 80 times in one episode. From things we overheard in the lines, it seemed that people were keen to see him just because he's a super famous chef. And as a result, the place was insane.

Anyway, rant over. The show was fun. We saw pretty things.


We ate and drank a lot of goodies.


That's Adele's very likeable buddy David who hung with us for a bit and was more interested in tasting wine with me than Adele was. After this, Adele vanished and David asked where she was. I guessed she was off eating chocolate. I was right.


We went to a performance by Jamie Oliver's man on the ground in Australia, Toby Puttock (who only mentioned Jamie twice; we were counting). He did stuff with squid ink. We got the sense the audience wasn't quite into that idea.

And finally, it was time to go. By around 1:30, it was impossible to move. You almost wish they could stagger entrance times because really, what's the point of just passing by stalls in a sea of people and not having the chance to actually talk to people about their produce? You don't get to taste anything by then, much less actually find out what it is. Sad, really. I imagine if we turned up late, we'd be horrifically underwhelmed by the experience.

Nonetheless, we had a marvellous time and I imagine we'll queue up to do it all again next year because we love it.

And because when I go there, I get to buy some olive oil that has come to be known by Sean and I as our 'honeymoon olive oil.' We honeymooned in 2004 in the Hunter Valley and came home with a bottle of Pukara Lemon Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We loved it and I have bought a bottle every year at the show since when I come across the stall for Pukara Estate. Lovely, lovely stuff.

Bells

Stuffed up

A sciencey sort of guy I once worked for said he had a theory that the human race can be divided into roughly two camps. Those who get mainly abdominal illnesses and those who get mainly respiratory issues. I'm not a scientist so I don't know if that's altogether true (someone out there is bound to know something) but it seems to hold for me. I'm the person most likely to vomit, get cramps or some something bowel related. For a long time (and now reformed) smoker, I never seemed to get respiratory problems, like colds, coughs etc, except for maybe once every few years.

The time has come for that once in a while infection. I've got a doozy of a head cold and it's travelling south as we speak, with my ex-smoker lungs feeling more and more congested by the hour.

And what's the one benefit of all this? Not going to work. I did try yesterday. I went in thinking maybe I'd perk up as the day warmed up but somehow, my wheezing and sniffling weren't appreciated by the inhabitants of that germ breeding ground called The Office and I packed myself off home by 10am. 

Do sensible people go to bed when they feel like this? I think they must. Sean says they do but he knows me and knows that going to bed to sleep in the middle of day is anathema to me.  Isn't sitting on the couch knitting and watching Anne of Green Gables just as restful? (Oh Gilbert...sigh) Or it would be if tearing up at scenes such as when Matthew died didn't clog up my sinuses even more than they were to start with.

And surely, completing a cute little mitten in just a few hours is a way to make sure a cold is nothing if not productive. 

I think it looks quite big considering it's for a little boy - but then mittens are supposed to be quite roomy, aren't they?

It's made from Cleckheaton Country 8ply and it's for Will. Who else?

I'm seeing him on Saturday when Adele and I head out for our annual Sisters Day Out, to the Good Food and Wine show in Sydney. We've done it every year since he was born. That first year, Will was only a couple of months old and it was Adele's first day out without him. Now, he does fun stuff like going to the zoo with his dad. Meanwhile we go crazy at the show. 

Now, to cast on that second mitten and watch Part Two of Anne of Green Gables while coughing up a lung. I'm determined to be better by Saturday. 

Bells