July 2004 Archives

After lots of pondering I have finally decided what I am going to knit for the

Denim People Knit Along

It is

Ticking by Kim Hargreaves

I am going to use the shades as used in the photo in the book - ecru and tennessee, and I shall be casting on during July but not until 31st July! Then it is a ball a week and the pattern says 13 balls for the medium size so if I pace myself right that should see me done early November!

I am so excited - "Spaced Out" is on its return journey. I cannot wait to see it.

Happy Knitting one and all.

Well I have at last finished my cushion I first began 3 weeks ago on Debbie Abrahams workshop at The Rowan Mill.

Front of Annasknits cushion

back of Annasknits cushion

So I guess now I need to refocus on the list of projects I made a few weeks ago. Perhaps I will go and sew the sleeves in to Bel Air? I also need to have another go at the i-cord for the Martini poncho and make some more progress on Audrey. The weather here at the moment is very changeable so you never know I may just get the chance to wear Audrey before October!

And as for the

Denim People Knit Along

Polly and Eva please don't give up on me I am still deciding. I look through the book everyday but I shall make a decision soon as I do hope to cast on next week-end.

Yes I hope to finish Audrey this week!

Well I have made some good progress this week-end.

I finished knitting the 2 pieces for Martini and sewed them together as per the pattern instructions. The next move was the i-cord and again I followed the instructions but after getting about half way round I just was not happy. I may have been pulling the yarn too tight but it just seemed to make the edge too tight and the poncho didn't hang right anymore so I pulled it all out. I then decided to crochet around the bottom but wasn't happy with that either - the even sadder thing was it must have taken me 2 hours to unpick the crochet.

So here is Martini less the i-cord.

Martini

Close up of the texture of Martini

I will try the i-cord again. Maybe with bigger double pointed needles it will be looser. I bought a pair of 6.5mm bamboo needles on Saturday in Newbury's only department store! They were half price as the store are having a big redevelopment clearance sale at the moment and when the newly furbished store opens they will no longer sell yarn and needles.

David cut them in half and has made me 2 pairs of 6.5mm bamboo double pointed needles. We had to visit Office World to buy a pencil sharpener to make the other end and it will be even smoother once it has been varnished - not bad for £1.75!

David's double pointed needles

Also this week-end I finished sewing up Picot from Rowan Denim People.

Picot

I wonder if the design was named after the edging.

Picot edging

I am joining Polly and Eva in the

Denim People Knit Along

Making decisions is not one of my strongest points but I need to make one here - what am I to knit? Bomber, Lush or one of the other designs. There are so many in this book to choose from.

We cast-on sometime during July so I am going to finish some of my other projects before I begin my denim project.

Guess what this is?

All the ends from the back of "Spaced Out"

My intarsia is not the tidiest of knitting. I haven't got the hang of bobbins yet. This is just to show you what I cut off of the back of the bag whilst sewing all the ends in.

Annasknits cushion is nearly finished - 8 more rows on the button band and then it can be sewn up and "stuffed". Look out here for a photo over the next few days.

Happy Knitting....

I have finished sewing all the buttons on to the two sides of my bag. The buttons were given to me by Rowanette Jill Richards and I do feel they were meant to be for this very bag - the colours on the buttons are so co-ordinated with the colours of yarn used for the circles in the bag. Each button is held in place by 2 beads. I have used Jaeger beads - the bright purple ones

Spaced Out

I still have to sew the buttons up the strap and also make the ties but this will very soon be accomplished.

Yes I know "Spaced Out" wasn't amongst the 4 projects I was focusing on to finish as a priority but who can blame me for wanting to finish such a fine bag. A pity I didn't have it finished a month ago and I could have taken it to Debbie Abrahams workshop at The Rowan Mill.

Along the way I have done a few rows of Audrey and you will see an update on "her" over the week-end.

Annasknits cushion has had to go in to resting until a 3rd ball of wool cotton in hiss drops through my letter box to finish the back. I am hoping a visit from the Postman tomorrow will enable me to finish this project over the week-end.

I am almost done on my cushion and have had a look through my selection of Debbie Abrahams buttons I bought at a workshop of hers I went to earlier in the year. I have chosen these.

Debbie Abrahams Hand-Made Buttons

I do hope they look good on the finished cushion.

I have enjoyed knitting this cushion - next time I may even be brave enough to include some beads in the pattern.

Talking of beads I have to do the ties for my Debbie Abrahams Spaced Out bag as it is shortly to go off on a little excursion. Yes, Liz Jenks has come to my rescue - Liz is going to line my bag for me. Liz plans to be in sewing mode at the end of the week and I know she will do a fine job as she lined "the bag" in Rowan Book 35 for Debbie.

I can't wait to get it back. Pictures will be posted for one and all to see upon its return.

Thanks Liz.

This is to show you how the cushion is moving ahead.

Annasknits cushion

I am doing the back in 2 halves - one will be the buttonhole panel and one the button panel. I was hoping that I would get it done out of 2 balls of yarn but I think I am going to run short as I haven't quite finished the buttonhole panel and I have finished 1 ball.

The design is a six row repeat pattern

row 1 - knit
row 2 - purl
row 3 - knit
row 4 - P2 (K1, P3) 24 times K1, P2
row 5 - K4 (P1, K3) 24 times K1
row 6 - Purl

This has given the added touch of a little pattern in the stripes and I am carrying the pattern across the back but without the stripes.

Hello!

Well I have been trying to get a few things under control over the past couple of weeks.

That thing called "work" which I am sure you are all too familiar with has got in the way of a lot of things lately but then one has to work to pay for the yarn!

So what have I been up to?

Well Audrey is moving along well - the front is finished and I am up to the increases on the back. The calmer is lovely to knit with and knits up quite quickly too.

Audrey

David's jumper is progressing well but I am constantly being reminded now that he is still waiting...

Last week-end I was lucky enought to attend a workshop at Rowan's Mill at Holmfirth with Debbie Abrahams.

The week-end was based around Debbie's new book 25 Cushions to Knit which is a lovely book and gives one great inspiration. The objective for the week-end was to design one's own cushion and this is what I came up with

Annasknits cushion

This is knitted using wool cotton in various shades of mauves and greens. I am going to do the second side in one colour and put some buttons to fasten. The actual size is 40cm and I have still to choose whether it will be fibre filled or feather filled.

There were 24 of us at the workshop including Rowanettes - Liz Jenks, Jackie Hunt and Felicity Miller. We had a great time

Photos from Debbie Abrahams Cushion Week-end

I also have numerous other things on the go which is adding to my stress levels I feel so I have decided that the mission for the next few weeks is to finish all these things and that includes sewing them up to wear!

So call back for progess report and pictures of the following

Bel Air - presently resting minus 2 sleeves which have been knitted but not sewn in

Martini - approximately 7cm to knit on each piece, the i-cord and then the sew up

"David's jumper" - finish second sleeve and sew up

Audrey - finish the back, 2 sleeves and then sew up

There may well be a few other projects lurking but I am remaining focused on these 4 projects which should get me a little back on the straight and narrow as well as tidy up my knitting chair....

I feel my Debbie Abrahams bag may have to be sent on a journey to be lined.... the bag is crying out for a fellow Rowanette who has had previous experience of lining such a bag - I will put together an email crying for HELP...

I thought this lining would look great if any of you can recall the bag. I bought the material at Liberty's a few weeks ago, it is from the Kaffe Fassett collection.

Spaced Out Bag Lining

I must pop to the cake shop to buy a piece of cake board for the bottom of the bag to keep it flat.

Happy knitting one and all.