dolly dimple knits

Actual Knitting Content ! - and lots of photos too !

Before I was sucked into the nightmare vortex that is the preparation for a family wedding, some of you may recall I used to knit from time to time. Sometimes I even finished things ......

Oh St Aula ! How do I love thee ? Let me count the ways .... I actually finished St Aula at the end of January which given that I only started her on 30th December should tell you I really LOVE this hoodie.

She's entertaining to knit (fairisle, steeking etc.), she's cosy, she looks great with jeans - what more can I say ? Her one problem is being double stranded fairisle means that she is really cosy which will limit her weartime but means she'll last all the longer !

Want to see her with the hood up ?

Note to self : EEK ! - Remember to master art of taking own photo in mirror .......

If you really cast your mind back, you may also remember a certain Noro Silk Garden cable raglan hoodie I started in October ? Well, she stalled in favour of St Aula but once that baby was out of the way, see what I did in February !

Next time I promise I'll put the ironing board down before I take the shot .....

The cable hoodie was the front cover design from Paton's Street Smart but knitted bobbleless 'cos I don't like bobbles. It's probably the first time I've knitted a Paton's design in about 20 years (Yes, I AM a knitting snob. Wanna' make something of it ? ?) but I'm pretty pleased with the way it's turned out. I modified the pattern to knit the body all in one piece up to the armholes so that my stripes matched. Once I got to the armholes I worked on the pieces separately and just wound off the balls of yarn until I got to the right colour matching point. It's worked well.

All hoodied out yet ? Too bad !

In need of some pink (well sort of purpley pink actually) I started on the Apocalypse Hoodie last week. Merrily I knitted away when YIKES ! I had an attack of my famed body dysmorphia that makes me think I need to knit things to fit some woman much larger than me. Either that or me and a friend. Simultaneously.

This is an all-in-one-piece top down raglan (with a really fun modified figure of 8 cast on which gives a cool sort of herringbone effect at the top of the hood) that you try on once you get to armhole level so that you can adjust the size to fit.

Guess who didn't bother trying it on ? 'Cos she could clearly see that it was much too small so she added some rows ..... quite a few rows actually. Enough rows that as she neared the bottom of the hoodie she realised she had started her last ball of yarn but still had 2 sleeves to knit !!! Panic stations. Cue internet search for discontinued Rowan Polar to match. Success. Yarn ordered she sat down to knit again. But this time she decided to try it on. Just to see. Just to see that it was big enough to wrap one and half times round her body - as opposed to giving the neat streamlined effect in the pattern photo. BOLLOCKS !

Frogged last night all the way back to the armholes and the point where the fatal decision to increase was made :0((( - Was I downhearted ? Yes, I bloomin ' was ! So I did what any sensible knitter would in the same situation ......

It's a scarf. At least I know it'll fit !

BTW extra polar yarn ordered yesterday afternoon, arrived this morning. Fab service from this company. Highly recommended !

Stick a fork in me - I'm done !

Secure in the knowledge that you're as bored with this sewing lark as I am - HANG OUT THE FLAGS GUYS 'n GALS - I'M DONE ! Wahey !

No more pictures of dresses until after the event but I LOVE my hair accessories and shoes .....

God bless VV Rouleaux. After searching the world (well, okay, Glasgow) for the right hair accessories I ventured into trimmings heaven and found perfect velvet flower heads which with a kirby stuck through them and secured with a bead make really cute hair pins ... we're going loose curls, casually pinned back for the hair and I think they'll look fab !

The shoes were bought on my last trip to London. I didn't really mean to buy shoes. It just sort of happened as I wandered through Dickins & Jones - guess where I'd been nearby all you folks who know London ? ;0) They were having a fabulous sale - presumably because they closed down in January - and these were reduced from £90 to £29. It would have been a sin to leave them. No ? AND they're the perfect colour for my dress. Serendipity.

So normal blogging service will return soon. I'm knitting again. Yey ! And thinking hard about some sooper secret plans which, one day, you might hear about. In the meantime, Yes, that was SNOW you could see out the window next to the photo of my shoe ....

Check out much better pictures than mine of the Glasgow weather at Kathleen's and India's :0)

Update from Fairyland

Rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. But any rumours you've heard about me being over the top, up to my neck, drowningly busy - they're spot on.

Plans for the fairy wedding progress apace. We now have one goth bride and two fairy flower girls to add to Rosie's purple confection (known in this house as the 13th Fairy Dress) ..... Me ? I got nothing. At this rate, given that the wedding is now less than 3 weeks away, I'll be wearing my jeans.

Not helped by the still ongoing design changes being made by the bride to her outfit - "made by her" in the sense of she makes the decision about the change and muggins here has to come up with the goods. Stressed ? Who me ? And I'm not even the one getting married ! AAAGH !

In a vain attempt to retain some vestige of sanity, I have begun some stashbusting and got my hands on this pattern.

I LOVE this pattern. I especially love that I have this yarn to make this pattern already lurking in my stash ! I'm doing it in Fizzle with Smirk as the contrast. And yes, it's pink. I'm feeling fragile. I need some pink in my life at the moment.