Stuffs!

Right lemme try and recap...

Went up to Inverness at the weekend, en route we took a wee detour to Twist Fibre Craft which was most most fantabulous, i was good an only bought some beadses mother was less restrained...

On the way home my gran presented me with a fun fur scarf kit, now iknow some folks like that kinda thing but well I'm not one of them but since i was in the car and had nothng else to knit (entrelac socks hate me) i made these instead!

I justkinda made up the pattern in the car (cast on enough stitches to be long enough i did 32 on 8mm needles, knit until it goes around your arm/wrist/hand then seam leaving a thumbhole)

Then on Sunday night the loverlicious Peri and her hubby came to stay over en route to the Fair Isle, loverly loverly folkiesand since they couldnt bring me a real kitty they brought tis

as well as the loverly choccie goodness and some rootbeer nyom!


Monday to Wednesday i was away at Firbush outdoor centre on Loch Tay with uni so we could "bond" which i think we did I had a shot at windsurfing, (hopefully pictures will be forthcoming) i managed to remian upright a few times but more often thannot i was submerged i n the very cold loch!!

Being the insomniac i am i got up early and took some pretty pictures



Loch Tay at sunrise. Also saw deer and red squirell but wasnt fast enough withthe camera

There were also a lot of pretty rainbows

(taken on my phone cos i didnthave mycamera at the time)

While there i did some sock knitting:


2 at once! no SSS!


On the way home after mum picked me up we went to ikea for tea (meatballs yum!) as we were coming out we saw this
doesnt fully justifyy how red it was but well. It looked like the end of the World was nigh!

When i got home i had parcels awaiting, some 2,25mm bamboo DPNs, i will make the entrelac socks my bitch

Also a parcel from Suuuuue

Mushoom stitch markers! wheee

And:
Another sock in progress transportaion device... some closeups?
funky no? this one has even more inner holding bits!!

huzzah!

Geisha Sweater and Pattern

For a change i will start with the picture, taken in the garden and mildly artistic? Anyway i bought some Rowan chunky print cheap at a show and decided instead of trying to find a pattern to fit i would design my own. I called it Geisha because i think the sleeves look kinda like the dresses that they wear. Sure i should say more but i forget so heres the pattern:

Geisha Sweater

Size
probably somewhere in the region of a UK size 16-18 will fit up to a 22, I'm a 14-16 and its quite baggy on me, can easily be adjusted to be smaller just cast on less stitches

Materials:
9 balls Rowan Chunky Print in Girly Pink
9mm Straight needles
7mm 24" circular needle
stitch marker
Tapestry needle
Stitch holder

Instructions:

Back and Front are worked the same
Using 9mm needles cast on 70 stitches work 5 rows (1.4inches) in moss stitch, change to Stocking Stitch and work 2 rows even.
decrease 1 stitch at the beginning and end of the next row then every following 15 rows twice til 64 stitches remain. Work even for 14 rows (4 inches) to a total length of 14.5inches
Shape Armhole: cast off 2 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows, 60 stitches remaining. Work 22 rows (6.3 inches) even.
Neck shaping: work both sides of neck at same time, work 18 stitches then join a second ball of yarn and cast off 24 stitches work remaining 18 stitches. Decrease 1 stitch at both neck edges every row for 7 rows til 11 stitches remain each side.
Work 3 rows even arm hole measures 9.1inches. Put both sets of live stitches onto stitch holder.

Sleeves, 2 of
Using 9mm needles cast on 55 stitches, work 5 rows (1.4inches) of moss stitch. Change to stocking stitch work 6 rows even, next row decrease 1 stitch at begining and end of row.Decrease 1 stitch at each end of every 8th row 7 times to 39 stitches. Work 7 rows even until sleeve measures 20.7inches
Shape cap, cast of 2 stitches at the beginning of next 2 rows, 35 stitches remaining. Then work 24 rows decreasing 1 stitch at each end of every second row, 11 stitches remain, cast off loosely.

Assembly
Graft back and front shoulders using kitchener stitch (see here for how to)
Sew sleeve top into armhole
Sew side and arm seams
weave in ends

Neckband
Using the 7mm circular needle pick up stitches around neckhole, picking up every stitch along sides and every 2nd stitch along flat front and back edges. Work 4 rows in moss stitch, cast off in moss stitch, weave in ends.

Damama Hat and pattern

I've been promising my mum a hat now for some time (since she taught me to knit in fact) and finially she will get one. This came about by chance as i found 1 ball of this yarn in the bargain bin in John Lewis and purple is her favourite colour. I thought i'd give it a go in a lacy pattern mainly cos i was worried about yarn amount as it turns out there is enough left certainly for another repeat of pattern. anyway here it is and the pattern:

Damama Hat Pattern

Fits average adult head

Materials:
1 ball RYC Soft Tweed in Thistle
1 16” 8mm circular needle
set of 8mm DPNs
stitch marker
tapestry needle

Abreviations

K: knit
P: purl
Yo: yarn over
S1: slip one
Psso: pass slipped stich over (the previously knitted stitch)
K2tog: knit 2 together
P2tog: Purl 2 together
K3tog knit 3 together.
tbl: through back of loop


Cast on 56 stitches
Cuff is worked in lacy rib as follows:

Rnd 1: k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, s1 k1 psso *k2, k2tog, yo, sl1, k1, psso, repeat from * to last stitch k1
Rnd 2: *k2tog tbl, yo, k3, yo, k2tog repeat to end
Rnd 3: k1, yo,, s1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, yo, *k2, yo, s1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, yo repeat from * to last stitch k1
Rnd 4: k2, yo, k3tog, yo, *k4, yo, k3tog, yo repeat to 2nd last stitch k2

Then the main body of the hat is worked as follows:

Rnd 1: k1, *yo, k1; rep from * across to last st, k1Rnd 2: k all stitchesRnd 3: k1, *k2tog; rep from * across to last st, k1Rnd 4: k1, *yo, p2tog; rep from * across to last st, k1
Rnd 5: k1, *yo, k2tog; rep from * across to last st, k1Rnd 6: k all stitches
Rnd 7: k1, purl to last stitch, k1

Work these set of 7 rows 3 times (if you want to make a taller hat repeat a 4th time)

The decreases are all worked in Stocking Stitch, changing to dpns as the rounds becomes to narrow for circular as follows:

Rnd 1 k4, k2tog to end
Rnd 2,4, 6 and 8: k all stitches
Rnd 3: k3 k2tog to end
Rnd 5: k2, k2tog to end
Rnd 7: k1, k2 tog to end
Rnd 9 and 10: k2tog to end.

Cut yarn leaving a 8inch tail, thread onto tapestry needle and thread through remaining 5 stitches from the needles and pull tight, sew in loose ends.

Kitty Sweater with Pattern!

So in a momentery deviation from Christmas knitting i have come up with this. Its for my friend who recently moved to Aberdeen but was down for a visit and requested knitted goods. Seeing as he has also just got a new kicken called Poppy, i designed this, thats right i designed it all my own self, seeing as its chilly in Aberdeen. So without further ado pictures and the pattern, if you have any problems, let me kno and I'll try to fix them, be kind its my first pattern. Any feedback would be appreciated, so comment away.
Poppy Cat Sweater

Size

Domestic Shorthair (common or garden moggy)

Materials

MC: any colour you like really of a DK weight yarn, prolly about 50g, certainly much less than 100g
A small amount of red, black and green DK yarn

4mm straight needles
4mm double point needles

2 small stitch holders (I used Kirby grips)
2 bobbins (clothes pegs work well)
Stitch marker
Tapestry needle

Gauge

4inx4in= 22st x 30 rows in Stocking Stitch

Pattern

Abbreviations

K knit
P purl
St st Stocking Stitch
MC main colour
RS right side
WS wrong side
st stitches
kfb knit into front and back of stitch (this increases by 1 stitch)
pfb purl into front and back of stitch

Notes
The motif can be worked intarsia if liked, I just wove in the lagging strand as I went.
I have included both row number and inches so knit as you prefer
Before you start wind 2 bobbins of MC to give 2 separate smaller balls

Collar

Cast on, 44 stitches on straight needles, work 1x1 ribbing (K1P1) for 1.3in/10rows On last row kfb 1st stitch and every 5 sts, 53 sts

Body

Work 2 rows St st then for the next 13 rows kfb on the first and last stitches on RS rows and pfb on the first and last stitch of the WS row 81sts

Work 8 rows even, 21 rows from start of St st, finishing with a RS row, next row (WS) purl 39 stitches and then start motif as indicated on chart

Work 6 rows (28 rows from start of St st section) nest row purl 9 st slip 7 st to stitch holder, then with the first bobbin of yarn purl 49 st, incorporating motif, slip 7 st to stitch holder then with 2nd bobbin purl to end. This forms the leg/arm holes

Work these sections separately for 1.8in/14 rows ending on a WS row

Next row k9, cast on 7, k49 (again incorporating motif), cast on 7, k9 all with the main ball of yarn this closes the openings.

Work even until St st section measures 8.2in/62 rows
Work 1x1 rib for 1in/8 rows cast off.

Sleeves

Both worked the same.

With RS facing using double points slip stitches from stitch holder to needle then pick up and knit another 33 st evenly around sides, total 40st
Place stitch marker to indicate start of round
Work St st for 0.5in/4 rows
Work 1x1 rib for 1in/8 rows
Cast off

Finishing

Sew in all the loose ends and sew up centre seam.

***Update***

Poppy has recieved her sweater and apparently she is most chuffed with it. I was also sent pictures of her in it, so by special request here we go (I didnt take these, they were taken on my friends phone so the quality isnt great but you get the idea) Isnt she a cutie? Shes just a babby so its a little big on her just now.