Last FO!

I'd just turned the heel of the first sock in the Trekking XXL. I was browsing handwarmer patterns on Ravelry when I came across the Scrunchie Handwarmers from the book 101 Designer One Skein Wonders, knitted in exactly the same colour of Trekking I was using. I just had to have them and proceeded to frog the uninspiring sock.

I just love the colours of this yarn, so there we have it my last FO of 2007, a Happy New Year to one and all!

PIMP THE SWAP!!!!!!

Hey readers near and far, especially all you UK Ravellers, I'm just interrupting this blog to do some gratuitous PIMPING...the Ravery UK Swap group will be having a Swap, sign ups open January 7th, now I do apologise to my overseas readers but this is a UK Swap group.

Now (doesn't matter where you are from) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE could you please go and comment on the SWAP BLOG so that I'm entered into the PIMP THE SWAP competition, stating that you heard about it here!! (I get an extra entry into the PRIZE draw if you do)


Please note that no yarn suffered as a result of my pimping!

Hard to believe its been two weeks since my last post, needless to say I've been very busy and I've also done quite a bit of seasonal driving over the last two weekends aswell.

The craft fair went ok, I sold a couple of knitted bags, but I didn't sell many stockings, I've been giving them away to friends and family with Christmas cards!


Rosedale United is on its final furlong, I've reached a point where according to the pattern I should cast off some stitches, which I can see would be the front neck, and I seem to have come to a halt.

This weekend whilst visiting family I needed 'something' to knit so cast on some simple socks with some Trekking XXL.

This first yarn is a spindle spun merino 2ply, this was spun from rolags of processed tops, I just mixed up the colours as I was carding.

I spun the first strand the day before the craft fair and the second during the day of the fair. When I transferred the yarn to the bobbins for plying one bobbin looked much more than the other one, but I wasn't too concerned knowing that I had weighed the fibre first. What was really quite funny as this is far from perfectly even yarn, is that when I got to the end of the plying the difference in the two yarns was just 3 inches. Must just be an even amount of thick and thin throughout!

This second yarn was spun from my own handpainted bfl, I started out spinning a 'super slubby' yarn, and only when I'd washed it and set the twist did I get to see that the super slubs weren't going to work out, and realised why. This was a superwash bfl, so the fibres don't hook together like an untreated wool will. Basically the slubs were a little unstable, but I love these colours so much...what's a girl to do?

So I thought about it, and decided to gently spin the slubs out, I went back to the wheel and I fast spun the yarn that didn't need re-spinning and carefully thinned the slubs into a thick/thin semi slubby yarn.

If my experimental samples for my first college piece work out, I may even use this yarn for it!

On the First Day of Christmas....

....my true love gave to me seven Christmas stockings on a home-made Christmas tree!

Ok so my true love didn't give these to me, I'm just using poetic license, and there are 35 mini Christmas stockings ready for the craft fair.


They measure 5cms long by just over 5cms tall.


Its a very simple pattern based on a basic baby bootee, and by the time you get to the 3rd stocking you will be able to knit it without the pattern. Being small they are a quick little knit with minimal finishing....infact if you are very clever you could probably knit it up from the sole seamlessly. I can knit one of these in about 45 minutes!

MINI CHRISTMAS STOCKING PATTERN

REQUIREMENTS:
oddments of double knit yarn for foot and leg, oddments of fuzzy yarn for top edging,either use a fine mohair type doubled or some kind of fuzzy dk. Small amount of filling material. Dpns to give a firm gauge, I have been using 3.25mm. Gauge isn't crucial....I haven't swatched!

Cast on 24 sts, distribute these onto 3 dpns, 8 sts on each needle.

SOLE:
Round 1: Join in the round being careful no to twist, [inc, k10, inc] repeat once (28sts)
Round 2: purl
Round 3: [inc, k12, inc] repeat once (32sts)
Round 4: purl

INSTEP:
Knit 5 Rows

Re-distribute the stitches so there are 8 stitches on needle 1 and needle 3 and 16 stitches on needle 2

TOP OF FOOT:
Round 10: k 18, SSK turn
Row 11: p5, p2 tog turn
Row 12: k5 SSK turn
Continue repeating rows 11 and 12 until there are 6 stitches on needle 2, ending on a purl row (22 stitches in total)

LEG:
Turn, knit 6 stitches on needle 2, pick up a stitch in the gap and knit it together with the 1st stitch on needle 3 to prevent a hole forming and re-commence knitting in the round, when you reach the end of needle 1 pick up a stitch and knit it together with the first stitch on needle two, to prevent a hole forming.
Continue knitting stocking stitch in rounds until stocking measures approx 5cm or desired length, change to fuzzy yarn and work 4-6 rows of garter stitch edging as required, starting with a knit row.

FINISHING:
stitch stocking sole together, stuff foot with polyester filling, stitch small ribbon or plait a cord and apply to stocking top for hanging, add sweets and hang on tree!

Please use and abuse this pattern but link back to me and share photos of your Christmas creations!