dolly dimple knits

Progress

After feeling I've been in the knitting doldrums for a while, at last - progress ! I've managed to finish the silk/cashmere handpainted scarf I was working on in time for my mother-in-law's birthday this week.

This is good news and bad news. Now I have to think of something else for her Christmas .... don't you just hate December birthdays ?

The scarf is knitted in a 55% silk/45% cashmere 4ply, DK weight with a simple twisted rib stitch pattern and a knotted, beaded fringe. The fringe is my favourite part and it only took, oh, around 3 hours to do - largely due to the fact that every S£$%^&G second bead I tried didn't have a big enough hole to get 4 strands of the yarn through. "Oh bother", I said ... or words to that effect. I finally made it with one bead to spare after discarding all those that didn't fit. Phew.

Anway, 3 hours slog and swearing turns this

into this

The colour is much truer to life in the finished photo. Kind of oceany I think.

I've also made a start with the DB Maya I showed you but not on either a bias rib scarf or the Pine Cones. Emma sent me a link to this (see entry for Oct 26) and I LOVE it.

It looks amazingly intricate but is dead simple to do. Not fabulous to pick up when your 2 year old decides to take it off your needles and unravel about 3 rows - but perhaps that's not a common problem ?? No pictures yet but they'll be coming soon as I'm addicted to this one :0)

Exquisite

... really is the only word for it. See what I got in the post this morning.

This is the gift I received from my Rowanettes Extremities Exchange partner, Sue, and it couldn't have arrived at a better time - minus 2 degrees when I got up this morning !

It's the most beautiful scarf knitted in soft, fluffy yarn which I suspect is Kidsilk Haze tho' Sue didn't give me the lowdown on that. The trim is cornflower blue velvet ribbon but the hearts are what really makes it.

When she contacted me at the start of the exchange Sue asked if I would like something with embroidery on it. Naturally I said yes (embroidery most definitely isn't a skill of mine !) but I couldn't have imagined anything like this. The hearts are handmade, blue velvet with tiny sparkly bits of fabric machine embroidered in layers onto their padded faces and I WISH I could have got a better picture of them but my crappy digital camera goes out of focus if you get too close. Sorry.

Not only did Sue make me the hearts that trim the scarf - but I got extra ! She sent me another four to adorn a bowl of beautiful things which she highly recommends keeping around to brighten my day when things aren't going too well. I am now bowl hunting for one worthy of these pretty things. Thanks Sue. I love everything.

Oh and don't forget the chocolate - I just managed to get it in the picture still intact. 10 minutes later and the evidence was gone.

This has been a good week for post. At the start of the week I treated myself to
this from Get Knitted. Two skeins of Debbie Bliss Maya - gorgeous.

The colours in the photo aren't bad but it doesn't really pick out the whole range which goes from pale pistachio green, through golden rust to raspberry pink.

The plan for the Maya is to knit a scarf. I was thinking a simple travelling rib bias pattern but I'm tempted by the Pine Cone scarf from the latest issue of IK.

I kind of like the notion of starting a scarf at the middle and then knitting to each end - maybe it won't seem so long as knitting it from one end to the other. What do you think ?? Travelling rib or pine cone ?

Of course the other plan is to knit this in time to give it to a close friend for Christmas but I love the colours so much I may have to knit realllllly slooooow ............. and keep it. For me.

Meet my friend ...

"Teddy, the World" ..."World, Teddy" Now that the formal introductions are over, isn't he cute ?? It's amazing what you'll do when you're hunting for a reason not to get on with any of your existing projects and a crocheted teddy bag seemed a fine reason to me !

Done in an evening, just the perfect size to hold a bag of chocolate pennies, I know a certain 3 year old neice will be delighted to make his acquaintance (and yes, I know his ears are squint - it adds to his rustic charm ;0) )

I went shopping the other day because I needed another ball to finish my plaid project (it's ground to a halt half way up the second sleeve so I need some motivation, someone ? please ?) but while I was there I got this lot too -

Teddy is from the Jaeger baby book I bought, tho' I really bought it to knit this. I LOVE this pattern - in fact I wish it came in my size - I'm a wee bit daunted by the fact that it takes almost 2,000 beads (that's a whole lot of threading onto the yarn ...) but one day I'll do it. Eventually. Or lose my sanity in the attempt.

The cherry coloured Jaeger Matchmaker and pale pinkish Rowan Lurex Shimmer, along with the pink Jaeger beads and hat pin style fixing are for my Flowerswap courtesy of Pinku. All I need now is the inspiration - that's the trouble with a wide brief, I either find it impossible to pin down one idea from hundreds or I have ZIP. Today is a zip day.

Of course all of this is just a diversion to distract you from the fact that I have made absolutely no progress on any other projects AT ALL. Except of course for the re-modelling the loft project. Remember I showed you the stairs ? Well, they now have carpet, the room has most of its furniture and Rosie is actually sleeping up there - and I'm so sick of it I could scream. Every job to do with this s%^*&9£g conversion seems to throw up another three jobs and how the heck has a not quite 10 year old acquired so much STUFF ? Honestly it was easier the last time we moved house than it has been over this one room .....

And, of course, the fact that we now have a painted, carpeted, furnished good-looking room up there just highlights the fact that the rest of the house is looking pretty shabby. Sigh. Knitting takes a back seat as I contemplate finishing painting the bathroom (which admittedly I started in October 200 and er, 2) Actually, now that I think of it, I think I've just found my perfect motivation to get on with the plaid sweater - it's waited this long, it can wait another evening, can't it ? ?

Psst ! Quick, while she's not looking ...

I just have to show you my plaid project which I adore and which is NEARLY FINISHED. (This of course is a main cornerstone of the reason I adore it. )

It's a really easy sweater designed from this Ann Budd book. I've chosen to work a 2x2 rib up to around mid-chest level and then switch to stocking stitch. The sleeves have the same rib to just above elbow level and I'm going to do a simple rolled neck to finish.

I love my Ann Budd book and I've made so much use of it over the last year. I'm definitely getting her new one too - are you listening Santa ?? Take notes and try to keep up.

I've also been working on this twisted rib scarf as a birthday/Christmas gift for my mother-in-law. Birthday if it's finished by 2nd December - Christmas if not !

I'm using the silk and cashmere handpainted yarn I showed you before and the plan is to finish it with a plaited/knotted fringe with some gorgeous teal and aqua glass beads from Jilly Beads. It's working pretty well and I think the twisted rib is quite effective for this yarn as it gives a defined stitch but it seems so slooow compared to the plaid.

In between Christmas knitting I've made a little progress on my Butterfly and now have 2 fronts and the bottom of a sleeve to show for it - but no pictures cos' the batteries have just gone in the camera !

I'm still enjoying it so this one may actually make it to the finishing line before it gets too warm again to wear it. Which given that this is Scotland means I only won't be able to wear it about 3 days a year ;0)