Am I Mad??!

Cutting into perfectly good knitting? My very first attempt at steeking and I must admit that it wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be, it was actually a lot of fun. And after picking up the stitches to knit around the edges it gives a much neater finish as there are no loose edge stitches which quite often become a bit distorted. The pattern is Colorwork Wrap Vest and I am using Bendigo Luxury 4ply in colours #355 Cork Brown and #343 Stone. I am up to the finishing off and so should have it finished by the end of the week, which is just as well as Janelle is just itching to wear it! But there is still 115 cms (45 inches) of I-cord to be knitted on 2.75 needles so that will be a bit tedious I suspect.

I have finally finished the Log Cabin Blanket and I love it so much that I have cast on the moderne log cabin blanket, plus it gives me an easy garter stitch project to have on the go.


Till next time, happy knitting.

Cupcake Hat Pattern

I have my first pattern for sale, the cupcake hat pattern is now available for purchase from Ravelry and Etsy it uses 8ply (DK, sportweight) and is in sizes prem through to 18 months.

A special big thank you to the test knitters on Ravelry.

Oh Dear.....

I think it is about time I blogged about some knitting, any knitting really!! I have been working on plenty of items but haven't actually got around to posting any of them here so here goes:


These were a request for a customer and have little embellishments that obviously have significant meaning, I used a Drops pattern but changed it to a short length glove and added a faux fur trim. I had to rewrite the fingers section though as it would never have worked as the fingers would have been far too small. I used 4mm dpns and Bendigo Woollen Mills Mystique 8ply, a gorgeously soft yarn.



These are a matching set of hat and gloves which are currently for sale in my Etsy shop.


And last but definately not least I made the Jacques Cousteau Hat for Janelles boyfriend for his birthday, this would have to be my all time favourite mens beanie pattern. Very tedious with all that rib on 3.5mm needles but well worth the effort, I used totem 8ply which is so soft and still a favourite of mine after all these years. Yes it was the first wool I ever knit with as my mum used to knit with it all the time and I got her leftover scraps.

I have just about finished another Mason Dixon log cabin quilt, so hopefully will have some photos of it finished soon. Until then happy knitting.

Twist and Shout KAL

Occasionally a pattern comes along that I just fall for and MUST knit and this one is definately a must knit! I have even joined a knitalong on Ravelry even though we are heading into summer and I am busy working on shop orders and also making a jacket for the summer holidays for wearing at night while outside sipping on the red stuff!

But all that being said I am looking forward to knitting Twist and Shout, but the dilemma is which yarn to use? I have narrowed it down to two choices, Jo Sharp silkroad aran and Patons Jet. But I am having doubts about the Jo Sharp, I have heard that it pills terribly so if anyone has any info on this yarn I would love your advice please.

I have been knitting heaps so I will finish off with some items that were made for my Etsy shop.

Firstly a pair of squirrel mittens complete with acorn trims, this was a design I worked out for a lovely girl in Sweden and she has since let me know that they are being well worn and getting lots of comments.


A blue denim cloche hat, a new idea I had which I must say was inspired by crocheted hats.


Oh well that is about it for now, please leave any comments or recommendations as to which yarn to use for Twist and Shout, I really would appreciate some advice, till next time,

happy knitting!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow continued....

Katts gorgeous rainbow wool has become:




I am so pleased with how it worked out, I am ordering some more from her, this hat just had to have corkscrew curls which are so cute even though they are a pain in the backside to make. This is available for purchase in my shop as well as the following toddler flapper style hat to fit a 6 - 12 month old baby. This one was made from good old
Bendigo Wool.



Oh well that is about all for now, currently working on Opal socks and another aviator hat so hopefully have some completed pics soon. Till then, happy knitting.

Self Destruct!

Fifteen years ago we painted the living area of our house so to say that is was beginning to look a bit tired and dated is a bit of an understatement! Cream walls with pastel green trims looked great and even quite modern then but they were screaming out for a makeover. So the dining and lounge room now has a nice bright contrast wall of capsicum red, more of a dark burgundy really, and the remaining walls have been covered in self destruct. I kid you not, that is the name of the paint which is nothing more than a milky coffee colour but self destruct sums up the mess we are living in at the moment as the photo below will testify.



So there hasn't been a lot of knitting time sadly but I have managed to churn out a new design for a cupcake hat. I made two versions, firstly the blue one with a cherry on top.



and secondly a more feminine version with a handknit flower on top.



Both hats are available for purchase in my Etsy shop and OzeBaby.

I also made a pair of mens socks for a customer, she is a knitter who sells her knitwear so I was slightly nervous about making these but she was extremely happy with them and said that she will be back for more so that was a relief! I have finally got around to writing up the pattern for my mens socks which up until now have been a lot of scribbles and notes in my journal, the pattern can be found here.



Oh well till next time,
happy knitting.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

I have been in a rainbow mood lately, knitting a few pairs of these little baby pants, this pair are now on their way to the UK!



I pestered asked my dear knitting friend Katt to dye me some rainow wool.



The colours just have to be seen in person to fully appreciate how bright and beautifully dyed this yummy wool is. This is going to be a toddler hat complete with corkscrew curls which will end up for sale. I am itching to cast on but I have to complete a few orders first, hopefully by the weekend I can start.

I have been busy sourcing a couple of Australian websites to sell my knitted goodies on and have settled on OzeBaby and Made It. I really wanted to offer my Australian customers a local option, I still have my Etsy shop but I don't think that the majority of people in this country know about it and are put off sometimes that it is a US site with listings in US currency etc.

So that is what I have been up to lately, and of course dreaming of rainbows!

Till next time, happy knitting.