WIPs and the frog pond

This little collection is my current pile of WIPs and half worked ideas - not including himself's socks which have half a sock to go and have been that way for about 8 months:

A sketch and yarn for a new design, already frogged due to the joining in the round looking weird

Another version of a design that's being published. I started knitting a third mitt to check gauge before submitting the pattern and then never finished it. I did confirm the gauge though. To the frog pond and then to become a hat possibly

My endless Audrey in Unst which needs half a sleeve, button bands and finishing. And I need this for work really. To be finished

An idea in progress for fingerless gloves. The pattern works but I'm not enjoying it much and my colour dominance isn't quite right. To the frog pond and then to become a colour work shawl although I will go back to this pattern idea.

Frogging WIPs is quite cathartic, freeing yourself from failed or failing projects that look at you unhappily from your knitting box, use up your needles, and stop you knitting other things. It also has a side benefit of returning lovely yarn to your stash for use in other projects. So that's my task for this morning after so I can clear the decks before starting samples for publication since I have quite a few to do.

WIP Wednesday

I rarely remember to participate in blog memes but since it's Wednesday and I have a WIP I thought I'd give WIP Wednesdays a try. This is a new design (possibly - I might not right it up) - a simple cabled slouchy hat in Colinette Art. I bought this yarn unlabelled at Ally Pally and in my head had decided it was Tao (despite not being very silky and definitely not a DK) so I'm knitting this far too tight and will run out of yarn. Still it's very nice yarn and knitting up into a lovely and very warm looking hat so if I can work out which colour it is I'll get another skein and carry on. It's a good colour on me and I need a decent winter hat given the cold damp weather in NW England and the prediction of another hard winter. I'm already in my winter coat and woolly jumpers...

You can see other WIPs via the links here

Knitting Retrospective 2010

I did a looking back post a little while ago but I thought I should illustrate some of what I've done over the past year. With the usual apologies about  photo quality here is my 2010 Knitting Retrospective

Vaguely from the top left corner:

1. Pink (in Grey and Green) Jumper - Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran
2. Summer Fool Shawl - left over sock yarns
3. Leaf edged Pi Shawl - Araucania Rancy Multy
4. Button Cuff Socks - Collinette Jitterbug
5. Through the Woods Hood (Big Girl size in red) - Wendy Mode DK
6. Moss Rib Hat - Austrmann Mandy
7. Aces 8 scarf - Unknown cashmere/merino
8. Dad's Cabled Scarf - Forsell Touch of Silk Aran
9. Trina Jacket - Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran
10. Whipple Shawl - Natural Dye Studio BFL/ Knitting Goddess 100% wool
11. 198 Yards of Heaven Shawlette - Araucania Nature Wool Solids
12. Shipwreck Shawl (made for my wedding) - custom dyed Flutterby Creations Merino/silk 
13. Lymond Socks - handdyed shetland sock
14. Featherweight Cardie - recycled lambswool
15. Evening Primrose Scarf - Posh Sylvia 4ply
16. Mizzle (solid colour) - Treviso sock
17. Through the Woods Hood (adult size) - Wendy Mode Chunky
18. Mizzle (Striped) - Rowan Scottish Tweed 4ply
19. Limestone Shawlette - YarnAddictAnni's Fantasy Sock
20. (inner ring of photos) Woodland Shawl - Kauni Effektgarn
21. John's Cabled Scarf - New Lanark DK
22. What Happens If...? - Silkwood Sock yarn
23. Peggy Sue - Forsell Touch of Silk DK
24. Grace Beret - Wildfire Fibres Hercules DK
25. 198 Yards of Heaven (mint) - Anny Blatt Mini Sport
26. Ishbel - Fyberspates Sheila's Sock
27. (centre photo) Grace Cowl - Wildfire Fibres Hercules DK

It's cold outside

Grace Lace Beret

So it really is cold outside, and despite not being a 'hat person' I decided it was time I had a hat. I had this stunning yarn (Hercules DK from Wild Fire Fibres bought at Purl City Yarns) which wanted to be something for me and I found the Grace Lace Beret from Loop Knits (free online). A ridiculously short time later (4-5 hours) I had a hat which I blocked over a dinner plate and wore this morning whilst waiting 25 minutes for my late train - the previous train had frozen to the tracks!

I had a second skein of this yarn so have also knit a matching cowl which I've made very warm so I can fold and pin it at the front. It's 5 vertical repeats of the Grace lace chart and the picture shows it folded in half
 

Grace Inspired Cowl

 

 

 

Unfinished Friday

I can't believe I've not updated for nearly a week. I am a bad blogger. Then again I've not done a massive amount of bloggable things this week. To make up for it here's a picture heavy blog post of progress and pretty things:

Merino Tencel Laceweight in Flower Power from the Knitting Goddess

This gorgeous butter soft yarn is from The Knitting Goddess and I bought it when she was giving 50% of her sales to the Disasters Emergency Committee (correction) for Pakistan Disaster Relief. Knitting seems to attract charity giving and lots of people on Ravelry have been giving money from pattern or yarn sales often to Medicins sans Frontieres or Doctors without Borders. MSF is supported by lots of knitters, crocheters and yarnies often via p/hop which is a very worthy cause to support.

Peggy Sue

This is an awful photo of Peggy Sue in progess (see there has been some progress). That first sleeve needs about 8 more rows and then there's sleeve 2, buttons and blocking to go.

Iridescent beads

Some very pretty peacock shaded beads from Spellbound Beads. I was rummaging for the shawl pin seen holding Peggy Sue together above and found a tub of beads I'd forgotten about. And they're so pretty!

John's Scarf

John's scarf now has two repeats and I've finally remembered to print out the chart pattern so once Peggy Sue is finished this takes priority. In the meantime it's had a short trip outside to bask in most unusual sunshine. for someone who is afeared of cables I'm quite pleased with this.

And finally, for the non-knitters around some lovely purple clematis which is at it's best at the moment. Sadly this one might have to come out this year so the climbing roses can have more room so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Starting, finishing and somewhere in the middle

Finished: The second version of the anonymous shawlette is finished and is pleasingly stripy and very warm. After a last minute panic to find more of the purple I'm really happy with the way it's turned out - and with the felted joins that meant I only had 4 ends to weave in. I've got a few test knitters working on this pattern at the moment and hope to release it in September. It's a nice quick knit (10-12 hours for the stripy version) so good for gifts.

Started: John's Scarf in a New Lanark aran yarn - this is an improvised pattern with moss stitch borders and a repeated saxon braid motif linked by wide ribs. I don't normally do cabled work (because I'm a blonde of little brain) but the tutorial on Eunny Jang's blog is very, very good. Since this is John's birthday present I possibly shouldn't be posting work in progress but I thought he might like to see how it's developing.

Somewhere in the middle: No updated picture of this but I've got past the sleeve separation on Peggy Sue and knitted about another inch (then got distracted by the above projects). Because I'm knit the medium since I fall between small and medium in the pattern sizes I'm adding some waist shaping and lengthening the section before the ribbing to make it a full length cardigan. So far so good...

So reasonably productive this week - although no progress on the three designs I have sketched out. As I said, I got distracted...