Weekend happenings

So, since yesterday marked the beginning of the weekend here in the Sandlands (yeah, the Middle East is like totally upside down, we begin our week on Sunday when everyone else is sleeping in!!!!).

Like I was saying…our weekend…it was a bit on the hazy side since our neck of the woods got hit by a dust storm.  It wasn’t too bad though, go check out how bad it was for some folks. All the same, I didn’t want to get all grimy and gravelly if we spent the day doing outdoorsy things, well, as outdoorsy as you can get when it’s almost touching 100 degrees in the shade!!  So, we decided to haul ourselves to the mall for some “people watching”.  

It was fun to engage in this absolutely-pointless-pastime and also get some knitting started while enjoying a delicious latte.  It’s on to the front of my tank now folks and I have to say that the knitting has been going quicker somehow.  I can see finishing happening in the near future!!! 

 

On another note, my thoughts after all that “people watching” stuff, I think that wearing sunglasses INSIDE the mall should be banned.  That’s upping the dork factor really high, don’t care what the fashion police say!!! Even if said sunglasses are rhinestone encrusted or have flashing lights on them! 

Off to knit some more.  But first I need to nibble these toes!!!

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The wheels of the bus (pic heavy)

This is what I felt like after I was done with the back of my Candy Floss meet Isabella tank… 

Wanna know why???  The wheels of the bus go round and round just like the stockinette rows go back and forth. I was beginning to think that I would continue to be in stockinetteville for the rest of the year. 

But now, I’m done with the back (breaking out into the Hallelujah chorus), and so, I’m ze ‘appy campuer (sounding all french-like, throwing confetti around). 

 

 

No…wait…there’s more stockinette to be done right – I still have the whole front, gah!!!  Or maybe I can just wear it like this, you know, as an accessory!

 

The edges are curling like all get out, but nothing that some blocking won’t fix.  Now, onto the front, which promises some interesting bits…remember the neckline is from Isabella?? At least, in my head, but we’ll see how things work out when I get there – eventually.

 

Everybody sing along with me now…the wheels of the bus go…

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Candy Floss meet Isabella

Things have been quiet for a while on this here blog, but the knitting has been progressing steadily.  I have been knitting almost exclusively on the tank – meaning, I want to wear this, like, now!  The cotton yarn looks like a winner because it feels cool and drapey, even when I am knitting with it and I’m sure that it will feel lovely wearing it (fingers crossed)!

 

As I was knitting and tweaking the waist shaping decreases and increases, I was wondering what would look nice as a neck-line.  Since us knitters, we can make any neck line work right???  That being said, I really don’t have the time to sit down and work out pattern specs and so I was looking online for some neckline inspiration and then I looked, looked and stared some more – my tank was looking dangerously close to Isabella by Jordana Paige on one of my favourite websites.  Granted, my stitch count was different by a few stitches and I was doing my own thing where the lace pattern and colour changes were concerned, but the picot hem and construction of the tank, sorta similar???  And here I thought I was being all original and stuff!!! 

 

I was actually super happy, because I don’t have to worry about the neckline (insert happy dance here)  I think that the neckline lace bits look lovely and so I think that this Candy Floss Tank will be my own take on Isabella – thanks Jordanna for neckline inspiration.  I’m liking the picot stuff on the armholes to tie in with the picot hem and so I think that Candy Floss will meet Isabella and do a knitterly handshake…or will they click needles!! 

 

I’ve begun the armhole shaping and I can’t wait to complete the back and cast on for the front already!!!  Let’s see how things progress and if the zigging and the zagging of the lace panel doesn’t clash too much with the Fern/Leaf neckline pattern.  Stay tunedJ

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So grown up!

This little fella so enamoured with life…

has grown up into this energetic, fun-loving, talented, creative, compassionate young boy, still enamoured with everyday…that’s life:) 

Love you, son! Happy 9th birthday!!

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Just like candy floss

It’s officially no-sleeves weather in these parts with the mercury steadily rising.  Out comes the skinny cotton for some tank top knitting on our recent weekend break!! 

This yarn has proven to be lovely in various projects in plain stockinette, but I wanted something a little more stimulating like errrm…some lacework!!!!!  So I cast on and things were going great guns until I found myself squinting more and more at the lace chart.  Blame this on sleep deprivation with a 5-month-old nursling and a son who is on spring break – yeah, we’re talking crazy combo. 

I do love the way the picot hem looks….that stays, but the rest of the lace….sigh….has been frogged.

 

For the moment it’s back to good ol’ stockinette with just a hint of lace…not too brain numbing and I’m loving it so far. 

Granted that there’s miles of knitting left to go, I am really enjoying the zen time this knit is providing and the bits of lace will provide in-built air-conditioning.  Now, that’s what I call an all-round knit…lovely and functional!!! 

At this point, I’m basically winging it with no specific pattern in mind just a picot hem and some sort of waist shaping.  I’m NOT loving the colour changes once they’re knit up – funny that…they looked so good together when they were thrown together…just like candy floss!!!

                                          

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So Called Scarf

I’ve had this lovely Sweet Georgia Yarn called “Summer Skin” for ages.  It’s 100% superwash merino sock yarn but since it’s tooooo hot in these parts for wearing socks, it’s destined to become a skinny scarf using this pattern from ImagiKnit.  I love that this project is so portable and that the flecks of blue show up randomly in the yarn.  Granted that this scarf won’t be getting worn until next winter, I just wanted an on-the-go project, so here’s my So Called Scarf…

 

So Called Scarf

 

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Quittin’ knittin’??

Nope…not me.  I always thought that knitting would do its cycle and then I would wake up one day and venture onto the next craft that makes me happy.  But I just can’t seem to be quittin’ knittin’.  Try saying that many times and get your tongue tied into all sorts of knots! 

And so…next on the needles is Wendy Bernard’s Something Red, only mine is “Something White” since I’m using some white Phildar Aviso I had in my stash.  It’s knit from the top down and went fairly quickly until the armholes, but now each row has a gazillion stitches and so it’s taking forrrrrrrrr……ever!!!  Here’s my progress so far.

  Something White

Then there’s the ever lovely CeCe that has been hibernating for a while.  I’m knitting this with Cascade 220 in a lovely green that I got from Three Bags Full.

Of course, summer is just around the corner and so I can’t knit much longer on these bulky knits, time to dig out the skinny cotton for a tank maybe???  I have varying shades of pinks in Phildar Licorne (yeah, more licorne!!!!!!!) and I’m thinking some sort of ripple stitch pattern for the tank maybe?  I should make a swatch and see how it works up….when I get some free time….free time, what’s that!!!!

bro-n-sis-1.jpg

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Blossom

My posts today seem to be all flowery-like, but considering that I love flowers…this is ok!

Since this post waaaay back, I have been putting off attaching the ties to the Blossom wraparound dress from Magknits. But I finally got my act together and ta-da…Baby K in her Blossom on her 4 month “birthday”

I attached black velvet ribbon which looks great on the orange yarn. At the end of the day, said ribbon was covered in baby drool and had shed most of it’s velvety-ness!!! Note to self – next time use satin ribbon!

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Buttercup

I’ve been working on another doll’s dress using this pattern by Hazel Spencer

Pattern Modifications:
I worked an eyelet pattern instead of the drop stitch pattern on the skirt and sleeves. And I used the picot bind off for the bottom of the skirt using this tutorial from knitty.com.

The button band has a row of single crochet and then some loops for the buttons instead of the usual buttonholes. The teeny buttons are just the normal plasticy kind I got at a notions shop called Al Washia.

I’m suspecting that these buttons are too fiddly for tiny baby fingers but I love how the dress turned out and the doll seems happy too! Here’s Dolly K sporting her new “Buttercup”!

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It Fits!

This cardi has been finished for a while now and finally we had some cooler weather and I could get Baby K to sport it last evening. I’m sure she’s going to outgrow it soon but I think that she looks adorable in her first hand-knit:)

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