A Little Bit of Everything

InstaFriday

2012-02-10T13:25:00.000+13:00

It is amazing how fast Friday comes around... funny it wasn't like that when I was in paid employment working Monday to Fridays!

Here are some snapshot from my week...

Hannah and Melissa on our walk to school.

The next quilt slowly getting underway.

Time to touch up those grey hairs.

Melissa reading her reading book for homework.

Setting my alarm to wake me up in the morning (Sleepcycle - the best alarm for an ipod/iphone)

Melissa examining a dead bumble bee we found.

Hannah's interpretation of our family!!

A bit more sewing done each day on Melissa's new quilt.

InstaFriday

2012-02-03T23:44:00.000+13:00

Since I love taking photos with my cellphone, I thought this was a great 'thing' to join in on...

As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you. Since upgrading my iPhone, this is what I use more and more to capture life's moments.

Kite Day at New Brighton beach

My new quilt, prior to quilting

Melissa trying out her school whiteboard

Self portrait maybe?

Hannah's self portrait photo

All photos were taken (or edited) in Instagram on an iPhone 4s.

Future Quilting Plans

2012-01-08T15:57:00.000+13:00

So now I have shared what I have been doing recently in the way of quilting, and some of what I did years ago, now is the time for what I have planned.

I have three long standing quilts in progress that need finishing, and a brand new quilt that I have ordered the fabric for.

Firstly the new quilt, this is going to be for Melissa's birthday in June. I will only be able to work on it while she is at school or at night when she is asleep, but it doesn't look too difficult.

Photo from Moda Bake Shop

I have ordered the same fabric as shown in the photo. It is Ruby by Bonnie & Camille. I couldn't believe how inexpensive it was, especially compared to quality fabric prices in New Zealand. All of the fabric for the top, backing and binding was just over $100NZD including shipping from the USA. All I will need to purchase is some cotton thread and the batting.

Once this quilt is done, the plan then is to find another pattern and fabric line that I like to make one for Hannah for her birthday in October.

Now for the old quilts...

This first one is called Indiogama, I fell in love with a picture that was in the Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine many years ago. I found a copy of that picture online...

The pattern wasn't included in the magazine, it must of been advertising another issue, but after contacting a local quilting guild I soon found someone willing to give me a copy of the pattern.

I remember spending all of my spare time making this quilt top, and the top is fairly much finished. I fished it out of my sea chest last night and a receipt was in with it, the date was 2002! Ten years this quilt has sat unfinished. The main reason it didn't get finished is that is really isn't big enough for our bed, but after looking at it last night I think I have found a way to make it bigger. I just have to add another row of blocks down the long side to make it square, hopefully there is enough fabric left over. Before I do this though, I have to make sure that the fabric I have for the borders will still fit a larger quilt.

Here are some photos of this quilt, there is so much work in it that when I looked at it last night and worked out how many more blocks I will need to make - I broke out into a cold sweat!

This is the photo which shows all the work that went into the top.

It is really quite a daunting task, as to add blocks down one side, all of the half blocks need to be taken out first... what am I getting myself into?!

The second old project is a wall hanging. I bought the kit for this when I was in Canada when Melissa was a baby. If you look at the photo you can see that some birds don't have legs and feet yet, and there is water splashes that need to come out of the birdbath. Then I need to work out how to quilt it...

I originally posted about needing to finish this quilt here (in 2008!)

Lastly I have a small paper pieced quilt which I would like to do, but no photos yet.

Oh and lets not forget about the knitting sitting neglected by my chair...

More quilting

2012-01-07T12:18:00.000+13:00

When I was pregnant with Melissa, my sister who has done quite a bit of quilting asked if I would like a quilt for our new baby.

Of course I said yes, so she bought all the fabric and brought it down New Zealand with her during a family holiday from her home in Canada.

If I remember back that far, I think I actually did most of the sewing on this quilt, but it was certainly a fun one to make. However all of the quilting itself and the binding was done by Philippa.

Here is a photo of Melissa on her quilt when it was quite new...

and here is a photo I took of it just today...

Another point to make, is that we didn't know the sex of the baby until she was born, so the quilt was made using unisex colours. But looking at it now, I think it certainly suits a girl more.

This quilt was really fun and easy to make, I have found a very similar tutorial online here, the main difference being that we made two circles of different sizes.

So when I got pregnant with Hannah, I think I announced the pregnancy to my sister by saying that I needed another baby quilt... I think she laughed at me! So I was on my own for this one.

I had seen a quilt that I really loved on 'Simply Quilts' an old TV show. It was the Snuggly Bug Quilt from Fabric Cafe. The quilt had chenille strips sewn on and they puff up when washed. So I bought the pattern and chenille, then the rest of my fabric and made the quilt.

After the quilt top was made it sat for quite a while, probably a year or more, as I was too scared to quilt it. I remember getting quotes to have it professionally machine quilted but it was out of my price range. In the end after I made a dolls quilt to match Melissa's baby quilt, I used the doll quilt to practice on. I managed OK, so I just went for it. It isn't perfect but Hannah certainly didn't mind. It is now her 'magic blanket' and she often complains that she can't sleep when it falls off her bed.

Ladybug

Flower

Bee

My first attempt at free motion quilting

Next time I will share my quilting plans for the near future.

And now for something completely different...

2012-01-06T14:52:00.000+13:00

... quilting.

My love affair with quilting started about 12 years ago. A friend I worked with and I attended a patchwork and quilting class at a local high school in the evenings. I must try and find the first quilt I made (I certainly broke a few rules with that one).

One of the early quilts I made was black with bright pieced blocks, and as was the fashion back then (or maybe I was just sadly doing it wrong!) I used a thick polyester batting when I quilted it (or tried to quilt it).

The quilt was on the bed in our spare room for a while and unfortunately the cat liked it and it got covered in cat hair. I knew that any attempt to wash it would probably land up in a mangled mess, so when we moved into our current house and we had our girls the quilt sat folded up and unused (and looking at the cat hair on it, the cat still liked it).

Last week I found the quilt and decided to launch a rescue mission. First step was to remove the cat hair, damp rubber gloves worked wonders for rubbing it off, then I took the binding off, and undid all the quilting (luckily it was only stitched in the ditch around each large block).

The next day I had to make a trip to Spotlight to buy some new batting and new backing, this time I used thin cotton batting. Later that night after fixing a few funny seams and making my quilt sandwich, I was ready to start quilting. I had never been able to do a neat meandering stitch before, so I had always stuck to doing a loopy pattern. Unfortunately it didn't go so well to start with, but I soon found myself doing the meandering stitch I had always wanted to do but couldn't. I only planned to make a start, but I found the entire quilt quilted that night.

The next night I spent hours undoing the first part that I quilted and re quilting it in my new found meandering stitch.

Lastly yesterday I reattached the original binding to the quilt. I found a tutorial for attaching it by machine using a blanket stitch.

So here it is...

Complete with funky bunnies in every block.

Making good use of the kids new jungle gym.

Yay, I finally managed a nice meandering stitch.

A new way of attaching binding - still needs some practice.

The final step was to through the whole quilt through the washing machine and tumble dryer. The cotton batting shrinks by about 3% and it is what gives the quilt the bumpy old puckered look of an old quilt. If this isn't the look you want then the batting can be pre-washed first.

Now if only I had taken some before photos!

Stay tuned for some more quilting posts coming soon.

The last six weeks - in photos

2011-12-20T19:48:00.001+13:00

Here is a photo heavy post of what I have been crafting in the last six or so weeks...

A Hotshot each for my girls (knitted in Knitpicks Chroma).

A Kiddy Verterbrae for Melissa, this pattern is by Kelly Brooker and is still in the testing phase. I love this style (as does Melissa) it gets worn heaps.

A pair of Chalice Cable Handwarmers, these were an order from a friend, she is taking these to England at Christmas as a present to her mother.

I have been knitting some dolly clothes, these are Tikki's latest additions, Dolly Eden and Rosy Posy skirt.

I also test knit Paprika by Elena Nodel, this is such a gorgeous pattern! It is on the brink of being released, if not before Christmas it will be the first week of next year.

This is Clara by Amber Bertram which is for Melissa, I was planning on knitting Hannah one too, but it won't happen now before Christmas.

I also did some non knitting crafting, I made 51 of these mice for my both of my daughters to give to their classmates at school...

Here are some more of my Instragram photos from my iphone which show what else we have been doing...

Row 1, Hannah in her Paprika, Kids having swimming lessons, One of my socks, Cadbury Snow Dome, Santa arriving at Nick's work Christmas picnic, Melissa trying to look sophisticated.

Row 2, Our gingerbread house, Hannah the monster, Hannah, Hannah kissing Melissa, In the Cadbury Snow Dome, Photo with Santa.

Row 3, Girls chilling with me, Me knitting during swimming lessons, Melissa's teeth gone, Hannah (self portrait), Melissa, The girls ballet lessons.

I love the Instagram ap, if you have an iphone, ipod touch or ipad you should check it out, and it is free.

Right, now I need to get back to my knitting, I am currently knitting Melissa some socks and am hoping to get some done for Hannah before the 25th too, they are both like my rainbow ones in the photos above.

Blogtober ~ 27th October

2011-10-27T19:32:00.001+13:00

DSC01315, originally uploaded by PhotoRachael.

This is what I have been busy with over the last few weeks...three Darwinias.

The two pink ones are Darwinia dresses (sizes 7 and 4), the green one is a Darwinia Babydoll (size 18months).

Darwinia is designed by Tikki.

This will probably be my last post for Blogtober, I certainly didn't succeed this year at posting everyday - maybe I will try again next year.

Blogtober ~ 20th October

2011-10-20T18:17:00.000+13:00

When one of Nick's friends and his wife had their first baby last week, I thought it was a great excuse to take a break from my busy custom knitting to whip up a Beyond Puerperium Cardigan.

Even better, it was a boy baby (I don't get much of a chance to knit boy things). So I went stash diving into my wool cupboard and found this yummy 100purewool, the colour is Haiku with the matching grey trim.

Since the new family live in Auckland and it is going into summer I decided to leave this with short sleeves.

Blogtober ~ 16th October

2011-10-16T12:53:00.002+13:00

I have just finished the most gorgeous little knit for Melissa, it will be great for keeping her **** warm.

The yarn is **ply and is the most gorgeous purple colour, and I love the way the **** looks knitted up.

This pattern is from ***** and the pattern is called ******.

So what do you think? Gorgeous isn't it!

Sorry I forgot to mention that it is a secret test knit... I will let you know details when I can.

Blogtober ~ 13th October

2011-10-13T18:35:00.000+13:00

I finished this Puffy Sleeved Shrug a few weeks ago, but Melissa has been sick off and on for a few weeks with a bad cold and modelled photos just never happened.

Yesterday I did get some photos of her wearing this and the Summer Days test that I shared yesterday.

Eek, see the big gap she has now in her teeth? I can't believe one little tooth can leave such a big gap, I really hope her new tooth grows before the neighboring tooth falls out.

Anyway, back to the knitting... The wool I used for this was some that I dyed over a year ago, I used the majority of the wool to knit this...

I still have enough left to knit another Puffy Sleeved Shrug, so if you would like one for your daughter, please send me an email.

Blogtober ~ 12th October

2011-10-12T20:37:00.000+13:00

I finally managed to get some photos today of some knitting projects I have recently finished.

One of these projects was a test knit I did for Elena Nodel.

The pattern is called Summer Days and it is due to be released within the next week or two.

The pattern is written for sport weight yarn which is 5ply. Unfortunately it isn't a weight of yarn that is plentiful in New Zealand. I used Madelinetosh sport which I purchased from an online store in the USA, the colour is Dahlia.

Elena utilised a new technique in this pattern, it is called 'contiguous set in sleeves'. I don't know how she wrote it into the pattern, as it certainly isn't as easy as a topdown raglan construction - I had to read the pattern more than normal, but the effect is really nice.

I will let you all know when the pattern has been released.

Blogtober ~ 11th October

2011-10-11T19:20:00.000+13:00

I feel like I am failing miserably at this attempt of blogging everyday for October. I think about writing a blog post but can't think of anything inspiring or interesting to share!

I do have some new knitting projects to share, but since my model has a horrible head cold I haven't taken any photos yet.

Today for something a bit different, I dragged out the sewing machine. I was inspired by a Pin I saw on Pinterest a while back, an idea that I knew I would have to do at some stage... and the time was perfect. Hannah has just had a birthday and we needed somewhere to keep her little knickknacks, like her Littlest Pet Shop toys etc.

I made this...

It is simply a drawstring bag, but it has a window of plastic in it so you know what is in it.

Here is the where the tutorial can be found... http://tonicoward.blogspot.com/2010/06/peek-boo-toy-sack-tutorial.html

I already had this fabric, it was part of a set of fabric I won from Annabel at Earthgirls Fabrics, my Mum had some plastic that she had recently bought that she donated to me, the only thing I didn't have was any lining fabric. I really didn't want to have to go to the shops, then I remembered that we had a white queen sized fitted sheet that had worn out, it still had quite a bit of good fabric left in it, so I chopped that up for the lining.

Of course one toy sack isn't enough, so I spent all afternoon cutting out eight more (I only just had enough fitted sheet to line them all). My plan is for the girls to have 4ish each and I will put some hooks in their rooms for them to be hung up. We will probably fill one each with lego, another for My Little Ponies and maybe one with Barbies.

Tomorrow I will try and get most of them sewn up.

Do you Pinterest? If you do and you would like to follow me, the 'P' at the top left of my blog will take you to my boards. There is even a board full of the custom knits that I can do, please feel free to re-pin these to share with your friends.

If you don't Pinterest, you don't know what you are missing out on, have a look here... http://pinterest.com/ and let me know if you need an invite.

Blogtober ~ 8th October

2011-10-08T15:38:00.001+13:00

Another recent licence acquisition was for this snazzy little shrug.

Puffy Sleeved Shrug is designed by Tanya Drummund from Tanya Knits. It is available in sizes from 1 - 8 years and is knitted in 10ply/worsted weight yarn.

I already have another one of these knit for Melissa, but haven't taken photos yet. The kids love these, they will gets lots of use throughout spring and summer.

Contact me by email if you would like me to knit one for you.

Blogtober ~7th October

2011-10-07T10:30:00.000+13:00

Another of my favourite designers is Kelly Brooker.

My first cottage licences where for some of Kelly's earlier designs, Vanilla Soaker, Looking Glass Longies and the March Sisters Pinafores.

Kelly has recently started publishing designs again and I quickly snapped up licences for these too.

Beyond Puerperium is the perfect cardigan for new babes, it is available in sizes newborn to 2 years. It is also a multi-weight pattern, so it can be knit in 4ply, 8ply and 10ply. This pattern is full of potential for personalisation, long or short sleeves, contrast button bands, stripes etc etc.

Kelly has generously published a free version of this pattern in newborn size only (8ply) it is called Puerperium and can be found here.

Hine is a great pattern, the girls top is truly multi-seasonal, wear it in winter with a top underneath or in summer by itself. Would look great knitted in cotton too, this pattern is for 8ply, 10ply (light worsted) and 10ply (heavy worsted).

Once again there is a free version available in size two (10ply) called HINE is a girl.

All Seasons Cardy is another favourite of mine, this cardigan is a fabulous layering piece, that will be great for all year wear. Available in sizes from 12months to 6 years, this pattern is for 8ply, 10ply (light worsted) and 10ply (heavy worsted) ...

The free version of this pattern is a size 2 in 8ply and is called Autumn Cardigan.

The last of Kelly's patterns that I have purchased a licence to is Tama. Tama is a big kid version of the Beyond Puerperium cardigan. The main difference is that the buttons stop at the underarm - so it is a pullover style instead. It can be knitted in sizes 12 months to 6 years, and in 8ply, 10ply (light worsted) and 10ply (heavy worsted).

Clicking on any of the above links will take you to the Ravelry database where these patterns can be purchased (or some downloaded for free). Of course if you would like any of these designs knitted you can email me for further details.

Blogtober ~ 6th October

2011-10-06T11:20:00.000+13:00

Whoops, look like I missed another day (I will blame the sick child).

Tikki has released quite a few patterns lately, I already blogged about Jane, but there is also an e-book of zig-zag patterns, and some dolls clothes.

The Zig-Zag e-book has five patterns in it, and there is something to suit most kids (and one for the adults too).

Ziggy, a hoodie or sweater for both boys and girls. In sizes 6months to 12years. It can be knitted with or without the hood.

Photo courtesy of Tikki

Zigvest, a very funky boys vest (but it could look great on a girl too). It has two styles of collar, the one pictured and a traditional v-neck.

Photo courtesy of Tikki

Zeg Warmers, a fun and funky accessory for any age (new baby to large adult). These would be perfect for ballet girls, or to keep little babies legs warm.

Photo courtesy of Tikki

Ziggy Beanie, a great beanie that could be knit to complement any of the zig-zag knits or just because it is a great pattern. It is available from prem baby to large adult. Below are two I have knit, the first is a prem size - it fits a Gotz or American/Australian Girl doll perfectly! The second is a adult size that I knitted for my husband.

Lastly is the Ziggidy Doo skirt. This pattern is not quite released yet, but I can show you the skirt I knitted for Hannah.

The first skirt was knit to pattern length, but I decided a shorter funkier skirt was more Hannah's style.

If you would like to purchase Tikki's Zig-Zag ebook or any of the patterns individually have a look here. If you can't knit and would love one of these gorgeous designs knitted for you, then please contact me for further information via email.

Blogtober ~ 4th October

2011-10-04T19:17:00.002+13:00

I have recently added quite a few patterns to the list that I can custom knit. I will try to post about all of these during this month.

Tikki has been releasing lots of new patterns lately, probably my favorite of all is Jane.

Here is Jane...

Jane is perfect for Spring - but could be worn all year around. All of the test knitters for Jane where breaking the sundresses out from their girls' wardrobes for the photoshoots.

Here is the blurb from the pattern page on Ravelry...

When simplicity is required, Jane is the perfect garment.
Perfect for slipping on over sundresses and frolicking in the Spring sunshine.
Jane has a simple yet unusual construction. I would describe it as a raglan hybrid. Yet, it is super simple to knit and is very sparing on yarn!
Jane can be worn as an open cardigan or the eyelet details can be threaded with ribbon to close the cardie. Either way it is simple and beautiful. A staple garment for any girl’s wardrobe.
This is a seamless garment. The body is knit flat, and the sleeves in the round.

Another feature I love about Jane is that is is light on yardage, less than 200grams of 8ply for a size 3 (with size 6 length).

This Jane that I knit for Hannah, is knitted in Red Riding Hood Yarns, 8ply Superwash. The colour is 'Snugglepuss'.

More photos of my 'Jane' and more details can be found here on Ravelry.

Blogtober ~ 3rd October

2011-10-03T13:27:00.000+13:00

As promised yesterday, here are some more details and photos about the dress Hannah was wearing.

The pattern is the Rainbow Dress by Georgie Hallam, and the beautiful gradient dyed wool is by Cordula from Wooltopia. I was lucky enough to win 200grams of the gradient wool in a recent Facebook giveaway.

Normally my girls see what i am knitting, but since this dress was for Hannah's birthday I only knit it when she was either at kindy or in bed. I finished sewing in the ends at about 1am on Sunday morning, just in time for her birthday on the same day. I told Nick to take it downstairs and tell the girls that he knitted it as a joke - well the joke backfired, as Hannah spent all day yesterday telling everyone that Daddy knitted her new dress!

This dress is a size 4, and is knitted to size 5 length. I would have liked to have knitted it longer but as it was when I cast off I only had about 8cm of wool left. But the dress length is perfect with some leggings underneath.

Blogtober ~ 2nd October

2011-10-02T23:02:00.001+13:00

SONY DSC, originally uploaded by PhotoRachael.

Eek, I have just realised that since it is October it is Blogtober - where very good bloggers try and post every day for the month.

I am going to give this a good go (even though it is already the 2nd). I will have more time on my hands now, as my baby starts school tomorrow. Here she is on her birthday wearing her new Rainbow Dress I knitted her.

I will save more photos of the dress for another post.

Special Delivery

2011-09-03T12:49:00.000+12:00

Today I received a delivery which I had been eagerly anticipating - no it wasn't more wool - it was my new business cards.

I ordered these from Moo.com (actually uk.moo.com - as only the UK branch post worldwide).

You can add lots of different photos to your cards, up to 100 different images per pack of cards (so basically every card could be different) and it doesn't cost extra to do this. I chose minicards, these are about half the size of a normal business card.

The other side of my cards look like this...

In case you where wondering, the funny barcode thing is a QR code or Quick Response code, these codes are designed to be read by smartphones (read more about them here), if you scan my QR code it will take you to my blog.

And just to show how classy these cards are compared to my old ones...

Within my package of cards I received three discount codes, these are for anyone who hasn't previously ordered via moo.com or uk.moo.com before.

If you have a look at their site and decide you would like to order, let me know and I can forward you one of the codes. If you use this link to Moo they will know that I sent you.

{My Creative Space} 11th August

2011-08-11T14:22:00.002+12:00

Today in my creative space I have been blocking, photographing and weighing some finished knitting. (You may wonder why I weigh them? It is so I can keep a record of how much yarn each piece uses.)

I have recently finished some Cable Chalice Handwarmers for Angela. These are made from Merino/Possum yarn and are very snugly.

Also for Angela is a Sea Beanie, made from the same yarn...

Lastly I also knitted a Maxi Dress for Lily. This is the first time I have knitted this pattern, and it is great. Designed by Elena Nodel it is an ideal pattern for new knitters to try - and best of all the pattern is free!

This particular dress is knitted in Quebracho and Happy Rose from 100Purewool.

All of the above designs can be custom knit by myself. Please contact me if you would like an item knitted for yourself.

See more creative spaces at here.

Playing Catch Up

2011-08-07T18:49:00.000+12:00

I won't even talk about how slack I have been at blogging lately... too busy knitting is the reason.

Since my last post the following have come flying from my needles...

A Young Einstein for Lily. The pattern is part of the Little Rascals series of patterns by Julia Stanfield. Buttons by Benji and the wool is Faberge and Prussian from The Wool Company.

A Puerperium cardigan for baby Macey. This little cardigan is designed for newborn babes, the buttons down the front make it easy to dress them in their first few weeks. This cardigan is designed by Kelly Brooker, and I have a licence to knit this for sizes from NB to 2 years.

A Little Butterflies for Lily, designed by Georgie Hallam (aka Tikki). Knitted in Navy Blue Luxury from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

Sea Princess for Willow, this was a big knit - size 8-9. Designed by Elena Nodel, and knitted in Lake, Luxury 10ply from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

This is Ziggidy Doo, it is a new pattern from Tikki, which will form part of a new Ziggy e-book she is working on. Along with the skirt, there will be a jersey (jumper/pullover) both with and without a hood, a beanie, vest and legwarmers - socks too if I get my own way ;)

The skirt is still in the testing phases, but should be released in the not-to-distant future. The second photo shows the length of the skirt as per the current pattern, but I decided Hannah was a shorter skirt girl so I took some length out of it.

Cinnamon is another pattern still being tested, although I think its release is imminent. Cinnamon is by Elena Nodel (aka Anadiomena) this one was knitted in Dream in Color Classy, the colour is Pansy Go-lightly.

Another Sea Princess, this one is knitted in Lollytree yarn Kona DK. The yarn is divine and I wish I had some for myself, but this yarn was sent to me by Kath (the customer) to use to knit this for her daughter.

I have also been busy knitting little things too, lots of hats, handwarmers and dolls clothes.

Did you notice the snow in the photos of Cinnamon? In Christchurch a couple of weeks ago we had the biggest snow fall in the last 20ish years. Here are some more photos...

What I've Been Knitting Wednesday - 22 June

2011-06-22T22:25:00.000+12:00

Wow, four weeks since my last post. I have had a very busy four weeks, which included a holiday with my family and also my sister in laws family to the Gold Coast, Australia.

Here are some photos from our holiday...

Melissa taking photos of the dolphins before the dolphin show - Sea World

The dolphins performing - Sea World

Hannah enjoying the rides - Sea World


Mitchell, Luke, Melissa and Hannah (front) posing with the Irwins - Australia Zoo

It was so nice to enjoy the warm weather, and we certainly took advantage of it. Out nearly all day every day, we would come home to our apartment and fall into bed exhausted. We joked that we would have to go home for a rest.

Sadly it all ended too soon, and we are now all freezing our butts off in Christchurch again - not to mention getting shaken out of bed by earthquakes most nights too.

I had grand plans of getting quite a bit of knitting done while away, but as I said above, we had such full on days that I didn't have any energy left for knitting once the girls were in bed.

I did manage to knit about half of a cardigan for my nieces birthday while away. This is an Olearia cardigan in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury, the colour is Baby Blossom.

And here is a photo of my niece Jessica wearing it...

Within the last month I have also knitted a Bloom for a customer, this is knitted with Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury in Oceanic. Maeve is only a couple of months old, and this dress fits her now and it should still fit her when she around 4 years old - how is that for value for money! You can see a photo of Maeve wearing this dress on my Facebook page.

Last but not least, I also did some test knitting. Two items, both designed by Georgie Hallam (aka Tikki). The first was a very small knit, a doll sized Milo vest. This was both to test the size of the vest and also to test a new cable pattern called I Love Milo...

The second test knit was substantially bigger, it was to test Georgie's soon to be released pattern called 'Girl's Best Cardigan'.

This cardigan features lace panels down the front, cute picot edging and the most ingenious little design feature of little gathers on the sleeves and down the sides. I knitted this one for Hannah using Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic in Soft Plum.

Actually I just realised that all of the above knits are all designed by Georgie! Isn't she amazing! Very generous too, Georgie has given me permission to knit any of her designs for customers. Let me know if you would like me to knit one for you.

PS, I decided after my last post that my blog needed a facelift, I managed to get most of this done before I went on holiday. Sadly it still isn't finished, so I do apologise for the mix of old and new styled photographs in the side bar. I promise I will get around to finishing the job one day soon.

What I've Been Knitting Wednesday

2011-05-25T11:45:00.001+12:00

With a title like that, maybe I should make this a regular thing... at least that way I would blog a bit more regularly!

Since my last post I have been very busy with custom orders, and I also managed to squeeze in a gift for my Mum and some little things for myself. (Some of these projects where completed quite a while ago).

In Threes Cardigan, knitted in 100Purewool - Joanico and matching trim.

This was a custom knit for Sophie. Don't you think the buttons are just perfect? They were made by Nicci at Buttons by Benji, I sent her a sample of the wool and she made these to match.

I had a small amount of wool left so I made a cardigan to match that would fit a doll or teddy...

A Sea Beanie for a teenager (must knit one of these for me).

Saffron - Elena Nodel's latest pattern release. I test knitted this for Elena and now have permission to knit it for sale. It is a gorgeous cardigan featuring a rouched 'belt' and ribbon tie closure.

Tropical Fish Skirt - also a new release from Elena Nodel. A fun skirt that is perfect for swirling in. It can be knitted in all sorts of colour combinations - including my favourite rainbow stripes. Once again I can knit this pattern for sale, and rainbow stripes are certainly available.

Rainbow Dress - this was a custom knit and the customer chose Cyclamen and Faberge colourways. Faberge (the variegated colour) is my new favourite from The Wool Company.

This is another Tropical Fish Skirt, this time knitted in one solid colour.

A lace hem has been used on this one.

This set of a Sea Beanie and Paula's Scarfette was knitted for Sophie to give to her Mum for Mother's Day. It is knitted in 100Purewool and was very hard to post to Sophie without me keeping it for myself.

Time for something for me, knitted out of Malabrigo Worsted wool,

Fetching fingerless gloves and Paula's Scarfette.

For my Mother for Mother's Day I knitted her a mobius cowl using the Colosseo Cowl pattern.

Little Hoodlum, this was a custom knit using my new favourite colour once again. Little Hoodlum is part of the Little Rascals series of patterns that I have a cottage lincence for.

I added a kangaroo pocket to this one.

Lastly I have just completed a custom knit order that is going to be winging its way to it's new owner across the Tasman. For Izzy I knitted a Sea Princess jacket, a co-ordinating Sand Dance skirt and an Oriental Lily.

All of the patterns expect for Fetching and Colesseo cowl can be custom knit by myself.

Little Rascals and Little Butterflies...

2011-04-29T16:30:00.001+12:00

I have been posting some updates on both my Facebook page and the Custom Knitting tab (above) quiet a bit lately, but I haven't gotten around to doing a blog post about these updates, so here goes...

Added to the list of garments I have cottage licneces to knit are The Little Rascals series of patterns and the Teacher's Pet dress both by Julia Stanfield.

The Little Rascals consists of three different patterns, all very uni-sex. The first is Little Hoodlum, which is a v-neck jersey, it has options of adding a collar or a hood. The second is Hotshot, a sleeveless v-neck vest also with the option of collar and hood. Lastly Young Einstein, which has buttons up the front - and you guessed it, you can also add a collar or hood.

I knitted a Hotshot with a hood for my duaghter Hannah, it is perfect for wearing to kindy, as we don't have to worry about the sleeves getting covered in paint or dunked in the water trough.

The other pattern by Julia is Teacher's Pet, this is a drop waisted dress (quite similar style to the Hotshot vest) but with a skirt added, the skirt can be full or pleated. Options include adding a hood, or belt loops and a belt.

Follow these links to the pattern page on Ravelry which provides further photos, if you would like to knit these patterns yourself - this is also where you can purchase the patterns... Little Hoodlum, Hotshot, Young Einstein and Teacher's Pet.

Tikki (aka Georgie Hallam) has been busy designing up a storm lately, her latest release is the Little Butterflies cardigan. I was lucky enough to be asked to test knit this for her and now I have permission to knit this for sale too.

Little Butterflies is a longer line cardigan, which features little butterflies fluttering around the circular yoke and down the body. Designed to have short sleeves, a few of us who were testing the pattern decided that long sleeves would suit our climates better, and it looks great either way. Here are some photos of the Little Butterflies I knitted for my daughter Melissa...

Once again, you can follow the link to Ravelry for more information (including short sleeved photos) or to purchase the pattern... Little Butterflies.

Here are some sneak peaks of some other pattern testing I have been doing, I will be able to custom knit these items once the patterns have been released...

{My Creative Space} 7 April

2011-04-07T11:03:00.001+12:00

This week's creative space is more about what has been in my creative space over the last month or so...

A Benji hat for the big sister


An Oriental Lily for a little girl also called Lily


Ultimate Longies - for Lily

Butterfly detail on the longies (embroidery designed by Watermellish)


A Benji hat for Lily

Sand Dance skirt for Hannah

The Sand Dance skirt is a newly released design by the very talented designer Elena Nodel, Elena has kindly given me permission to custom knit any of her designs, including the Sand Dance skirt and the Pepper cardigan which was in my last post.

In fact all of the knitted items in this post are able to be custom knit for you. A full listing of all designs available are here... Custom Knitting.

See more Creative Spaces at Kootoyoo.

{My Creative Space} 10th March

2011-03-10T09:03:00.037+13:00

This week in my creative space, I have some finished projects from last time I posted.

I finished the socks...

Bug Out Socks

I finished the cardigan...

Pepper Cardigan

but no - I didn't finish the knickers...

How could I sit there and sew knickers when I had other things to knit, like this...

In Threes cardigan

and this...

Benji hat

I am able to knit both the In Threes cardigan and the Benji hat for sale, the Pepper cardigan will also be available next month once the pattern has been released.

Play along and see more Creative Spaces at Kootoyoo.

{My Creative Space}

2011-02-17T16:53:00.000+13:00

My creative space this week is filled with a number of different projects.

I will show you these in order of enjoyment gained from the process...

First up are some socks, but not just any socks. Theses socks are part of the Vintage Purls Winter Sock Club from last year, the design is 'Bug Out'...

Front of Sock

Bottom of sock - squashed bug

Knitting these socks was defiantly a step out of my comfort zone, but now that I have gotten going it is really fun. The hard part is stopping, as each row reveals more and more of the emerging design.

Morag from Vintage Purls designed this pattern, and the pattern should be released for sale to the general public later this year..

The next project I am working on isn't quite as enjoyable. It is a test knit for Elena Nodel (Anadiomena on Ravelry), the design is called Pepper and I am knitting a Pepper for Hannah.

And the last project I am working on is definitely NOT enjoyable... Melissa has been asking for new knickers for months now, and even though I have had the fabric sitting here I couldn't bring myself to start sewing them. Luckily (or not) for me, my overlocker needed servicing so I did get a reprieve for a while. Anyway I did eventually start these this week, they look fabulous once finished and when they are being worn but sewing the binding on these is definitely NOT fun!

A finished pair...

The pile of bandless knickers and the bands that need sewing onto those knickers

To help me get through the above pile of knicker sewing, I have been aiming to sew the bands on at least two pairs per day.

For more creative spaces, head on over to Kootoyoo.

In Threes Cardigan, Sea Beanie and 100Purewool

2011-02-10T18:04:00.000+13:00

I am pleased to announce that I have some new patterns which I am able to knit for sale. The first of these is "In Threes: A Baby Cardigan" by Kelly Herdrich. Kelly has a blog called Kelly without a net and the pattern can also be found on Ravelry here.

Contrary to it's name, In Threes is not just for babies, it is available in sizes from 0-6 months right up to 4/5T or chest sizes 17 - 24 inches, although because it is designed with positive ease (ie designed to be bigger than the chest measurement of the child) it would fit slightly older children too.

The above photos show my daughter Melissa wearing the In Threes cardigan I knitted her. It is knitted in 100Purewool Santino with dark purple trim. While this cardigan looks great knitted in variegated yarn like above, it looks equally as stunning knitted in a solid colourway too.

The next pattern is part of the Back to the Sea collection from Elena Nodel, you may remember the Sea Princess Pattern, well Sea Beanie is a beanie designed to match the Sea Princess.

The top hat is knitted in 100Purewool medium purple and the bottom hat is knitted in The Wool Company Cherry.

I have mentioned 100Purewool a number of times in this post. 100Purewool comes from Uruguay and is a very soft worsted weight wool. I have decided to use this wool for custom knitting as an option to the customer, although being worsted weight wool it is thicker than 8ply and may not be suitable for all patterns. This wool can be sourced for not much more than some of the other not so luxurious yarns that I use, but there is a downside. Unless I already have the colour and quantity of wool required, it does take up to six weeks to be shipped here.

Here are some examples of the beautiful colourways that are available...

Please contact me at customknitting@vodafone.co.nz for any further information.

2010's Knitting in Pictures

2011-01-05T20:30:00.000+13:00

Eeek, that is a LOT of knitting.

49.6% of the articles I knitted last year were for customers, 28% were for my daughters, 9% were gifts and a measly 7.2% were for me (this doesn't quite add up - but you get the drift).

I would like to change the 7.2% this year to a bigger percentage for me, I have already started by casting on a lace-weight cardigan for ME.

Socks for Silver

2011-01-05T13:00:00.039+13:00

My sister makes the most amazing Chainmaille Jewellery.

When she posted this picture on Facebook in November I asked for ‘sister’ prices - and we worked out a deal…

I would knit her a pair of socks and she would send me the necklace!

It sounded like a great trade to me.

The socks will be perfect for her, seeing as she lives in Calgary, Canada and they have heaps of snow throughout winter.

So Philippa had a search through my sock yarn stash on Ravelry and luckily she chose a skein of sock yarn that wasn't my favourite, and after me suggesting some patterns to her, she chose the most knitted sock pattern of them all.... Monkey.

Eleven days later the socks where finished and where soon on their way to the other side of the world, and just before Christmas I received my necklace... we were both very happy customers!

Here are some photos Philippa took with the socks I knitted and another necklace the same as the one I received...

And a photo I took of the socks before they left New Zealand...

You can see some of Philippa's other work here… http://www.silverheartworks.com/

Welecome 2011

2011-01-04T15:24:00.000+13:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I will have to write a post with a summary of all the knitting I did last year, but I am a bit scared of the thought of organising all projects into a mosaic... I will get there soon though.

Really I am just wanting to show off two projects at the moment.

The pattern is called Blossom Bolero, and it is gorgeous design with many different finishing options.

The first one I knitted was for Melissa, the wool is Purewool, Happy Rose which is a lovely semi solid burgundy colour and this used all but a few metres of 2 skeins (200grams total). The options I used for this was the bell pleat.

Hannah's uses Purewool, Baby Rose which is a candy floss colour, this one used 1.77 skeins (177grams). I used the lace ruffle hem and the straight lace cuffs options from the pattern.

These boleros along with the pretty dresses that Nana gave them for Christmas will be perfect for them to wear to their Aunty Lisa's wedding in about four weeks time.

Darwinia - New Custom Knit

2010-12-06T13:13:00.000+13:00

Tikki has released the final part to her Spring Wildflowers series of patterns over the weekend. I am able to knit all three patterns for sale.

The last part of the series to be released is Darwinia.

Darwinia is a very girly pattern that can be knit either as a dress or a babydoll top. Perfect in cotton for Summer, it could also be knit in wool suitable for wearing in the colder months over a long sleeved T. Available in sizes newborn to 10 years, to fit chests sized 15 - 28inches.

Here are some photos of Melissa wearing her Darwinia babydoll. This is knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton, the colour is wild lavender.

My previous post here was all about the Acacia singlet, it is now also available in 4ply for babies newborn - 2 years.

All enquiries regarding this and any other style that I am able to knit can be made by emailing me... customknitting@vodafone.co.nz

Acacia - New Custom Knit

2010-11-24T13:35:00.000+13:00

I am delighted to announce that I have added the Acacia pattern by Tikki to the collection of designs that I have permission to knit for sale.

The Acacia singlet comes in two different styles, the first has gathers on the bodice (front and back) and a plain body as shown in these pictures...

and the second style has gathers down the entire length, like this...

Both of these styles suit both cotton or wool yarns, but for summer you couldn't go past cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

Acacia is available in sizes 1 - 10 years, which fits chest sizes from 19 - 28 inches. Acacia is also part of the Spring Wildflower series, two further designs will soon be available, they are Acacia 4ply in baby sizes and Darwinia - a gorgeous sundress in two different styles. I will be able to knit these two styles as well, so I will let you know when they are available.

If you would like further information regarding ordering one of these, please send me an email customknitting@vodafone.co.nz.

{My Creative Space}

2010-11-18T14:43:00.000+13:00

This week I have a few projects going on.

Three of them are for Tikki's Mystery KAL that I am taking part in, here are the progress pictures taken at the end of clue #2...

Sorello - for Melissa


Fratello (boys pattern by unisex) - for Hannah


Sorello - for Hannah

As well as these projects, I also have a pair of socks for myself, a pair of socks for Melissa (which is a test knit) and I am also about to start another test knit as well.

For more creative spaces have a look here... http://www.kootoyoo.com/

{My Creative Space}

2010-11-04T17:02:00.001+13:00

DSC05858, originally uploaded by PhotoRachael.

This week in my creative space, I am working on a custom knit for a customer.

This is an Olearia cardigan (or will be anyway), it is being knit from Bendigo Classic and the colour is Lipstick Rose.

Of course this isn't the only project happening at the moment, I also have some socks on the go, along with two very mysterious works in progress - even I don't know what they will look like when done!

New Custom Knits - Back to the Sea

2010-11-01T20:03:00.000+13:00

I have been really excited about the opportunity I have to knit these fantastic items for sale.

The Back to the Sea collection is from Elena Nodel otherwise known as Anadiomena (she can be found on Ravelry here).

The collection will eventually have seven different items, but currently it consists of Yacht Club Skirt, First Mate Pants, Sea Princess and Ahoy Princess Beret. I haven't knit the first two yet, but details of these can be found on Elena's website here and here.

Sea Princess

Sea Princess is a jacket with nautical inspired cable details, this jacket has plenty of options including, double or single breasted, short or long sleeves (or any length in between) and the cable pattern on the back of the jacket has several options as well.

Sizes range from 6months to 14years, 17 - 30inch chest.

Ahoy Princess Beret

Designed to co-ordinate with the Sea Princess, the Ahoy Princess Beret features the same cable design which twists and turns from a knot into smaller and smaller cables. The Ahoy Princess Beret is available in sizes to fit toddlers to adults.

For further information regarding sizings, yarn choices and prices, please contact me via email customknitting@vodafone.co.nz

PS, I had some technical issues with this post, I prepared it earlier and I hit ctrl P to paste, but ctrl P in Blogger is to publish, and I wasn't ready to publish it yet. Even though I deleted it, it will still have shown on the likes of Google Reader and Facebook. Sorry!

Blogtoberfest - day 31

2010-10-31T16:48:00.000+13:00

Sunday 31st October

Well today is the last day of Blogtober, and I have only missed posting on three days. I have also nearly doubled the number of posts for the year so far.

On Tuesday I shared my 10 in 2010 babies and kids knits, so today I thought I would show you my progress on 10 in 2010 socks.

Below are nine pairs of socks, well nearly the last pair is less than 1/4 done, but I aim to finish that pair before the end of November.

The above socks are; Lace Rib Socks; Stripe Rainbow Socks; Jaywalkers for Hannah; Heart of Glass; Spring Forward; Epicene; Epicene II; Leaflink and Daphne.

As for pair number ten... it could very well be a very small sock to fit this key ring!

Well Blogtober has been fun, and although I don't think I will keep posting every day (I have already more than run out of things to share), I will try to blog more regularly, and I am going to really try to keep up with the Creative Space posts every Thursday.

Blogtoberfest - day 30

2010-10-30T23:25:00.001+13:00

Leaflink Socks, originally uploaded by PhotoRachael.

Saturday 30th October

On the 9th day of Blogtober I shared a photo of the beginning of these socks, well here they are finished.

The pattern is Leaflink and they were the last installment of the Vintage Purls Winter Sock Club, designed by Morag Mckenzie..

They turned out brilliantly.

Now that these are finished, I have already cast on my next pair - Daphne also by Morag.

Blogtoberfest - day 29

2010-10-29T21:51:00.001+13:00

Paige Babydoll in Joanico, originally uploaded by PhotoRachael.

I didn't waste much time in casting on some of the yummy 100purewool I received earlier this month.

I really wanted to try the other version of the Paige Babydoll pattern that I was previously involved in test knitting.

This version has an a-line shaped skirt with cables down each side.

The yarn is so soft and smooshy that Hannah is more than happy to wear it against her bare skin.

I was a bit unsure of the yarn colour, if I saw it in a shop I probably wouldn't have bought it, but I really like the way it has knitted up. I only used half of what I had in this colourway so I will have to think of something else to knit with the remainder.

Blogtoberfest - day 28 {My Creative Space}

2010-10-28T13:56:00.000+13:00

Thursday 28th October

My creative space today is this basket of cotton... most of this arrived this morning from Bendigo Woollen Mills, due largely to their annual sale.

My problem is, I have to chose just one of these colours to use for a test knit for a new Tikki pattern. I can't decide, I will have to wait for the girls to get home and they can chose - then I have to decide which girl is going to get the finished dress.

Decisions, decisions...

For more creative spaces head on over to Kootoyoo.

Blogtoberfest - day 27

2010-10-27T16:46:00.000+13:00

Wednesday 27th October

As I have been promising here are some photos of the Ahoy Beret test knit that I recently finished...

The beret is designed by Elena Nodel aka Anadiomena, and it is part of the 'Back to the Sea' collection which also incorporates 'Sea Princess' (the jacket shown in the first photo).

The cable pattern on the beret is really clever, the cables twist and turn from a knot into smaller and smaller spirals.

When the pattern is released (at this stage 1st Nov) it will be for sizes ranging from approximately 9 months to adult, and using either DK or worsted weight yarn.

Both the beret and jacket patterns will be part of the 'Back to the Sea' e-book which can be purchased via Ravelry, this e-book will also include the 'Yacht Club Skirt' and 'First Mate Pants' patterns plus some other designs still to come. Details are here on Ravelry.

Blogtoberfest - day 26

2010-10-26T13:43:00.000+13:00

Tuesday 26th October

I think I have managed to post everyday in Blogtober so far except for Sundays, I didn't plan it this way, but the first Sunday I couldn't think of anything to blog about and I decided taking one day out per week sounded like a grand idea.

So if I follow my pattern with not blogging on Sundays, I only have four more posts after this one left for Blogtober. I have some finished projects to share, so I will space them out so I don't run out of things to talk about!

But today, I thought I would share some of the garments I have knitted for my girls so far this year. I am taking part in a few challenges on Ravelry, they all follow the theme 10 in 2010. I signed up for a few of these (I can't actually remember which ones now) but two of them were 10 pairs of socks (I still have two pairs to go) and 10 babies or kids knits. I went through my projects this morning and sorted out my babies and kids knits, and this is what I found...

Sixteen knits - these are all knit for my kids (no custom knits included) and I also didn't include accessories like socks or hats. So I guess I succeeded in this challenge, and the last 11 garments where all knit within the last three months!

I wonder what the finished tally will be at the end of the year...

Blogtoberfest - day 25

2010-10-25T18:59:00.002+13:00

Monday 25th October

Hands up if you remember twisting the swing and letting it spin when you were little?

My two girls have recently discovered that our swing set is great for this. They both have their own styles, Melissa likes to sit on hers while Hannah lies on her swing.

This photo proves that my kids do wear clothes that aren't knitted (sometimes ha ha) - although I have been thinking that Melissa's Acacia singlet top would look really cool with the skirt she has on.

Today is Labour Day in New Zealand, and we spent the day at a small lake about 1 hour south of Christchurch with my sister's family and their boat. While the kids where out on the biscuit, I enjoyed the sunshine and did lots of knitting.

I have nearly finished Hannah's Paige Babydoll, and now that the kids are in bed, I am about to catch up on my tv programs and try and finish it.

Blogtoberfest - day 23

2010-10-24T00:00:00.002+13:00

Saturday 23rd October

It is 11.57pm, so I better make this quick so that I can post this today!

I have had a very productive day today. Nick was working all day and the kids occupied themselves and let me knit.

I finished my Leaflink socks, photos to come shortly, and I cast on a Paige Babydoll for Hannah using the above 100Purewool which I purchased as part of a huge order recently. The colour is Joanico and it is knitting up really nicely.

Edited to add, bugger I was a couple of seconds too late and it posted at 12.00am on Sunday... oh well, I tried.

Blogtoberfest - day 22

2010-10-22T16:43:00.000+13:00

Friday 22nd October

I don't quite have my finished photos of the project I was working on yesterday, but here is a photo of it blocking...

Full details of this will come tomorrow - hopefully.

In the meantime, if you liked this dress, the pattern has now been released. You will find it here on Ravelry.

Blogtoberfest - day 21 {My Creative Space}

2010-10-21T13:56:00.002+13:00

Thursday 21st October

In My Creative Space today is a small test knit that I am doing... I will share details once it is finished... hopefully tomorrow.

For more creative spaces look here.

Blogtoberfest - day 20

2010-10-20T18:53:00.000+13:00

Wednesday 20th October

You can probably tell from my blog that I enjoy taking photos, and after I bought a SLR camera last year it has turned into a bit of a hobby.

I also (obviously) enjoy knitting and yummy wool... these all join together when I take photos of my knitting and any yummy wool that comes my way.

Sometimes it is really hard to take good photos of objects (such as above mentioned wool) as direct sunlight over exposes your photos and dull light with the flash makes it all shadowy and the colours come out all wrong. So I had been thinking for a while about making a lightbox. A lightbox is essentially a miniature studio with a white background and opaque paper covering the sides.

I have to thank Hannah from Red Riding Hood Yarns for prompting me to make mine, as she had mentioned she was going to make one too.

This is the link I used to make mine.

And here is what it looks like (ignore the holes in the side for a moment, I will tell you about them next)...

What you are meant to do is put your 'object' in the box and shine lights through the side to light it properly and you should get a good shot. I don't have a suitable light yet, but taking the box into the full sun worked well.

This is one of the resulting images...

Back to the holes, I was silly enough to leave this sitting on the dining room table when I went to bed, when I got up in the morning a certain 4 and 5 year old had poked holes through it. They so kindly tried to tape up the holes again so it turned into another of those - do I laugh or do I cry moments - I laughed. It will be easy enough to replace the tracing paper on that side.

Blogtoberfest - day 19

2010-10-19T11:03:00.018+13:00

Tuesday 19th October

These are the latest custom knitting projects I have done. A matching Spring Butterfly set in size 4 and doll sized.

This cardigan should see its new owner through Spring, the cooler days of Summer and right through next Autumn and Winter too. I have a sneaking suspicion that the dolls cardigan may fit for an even longer time ;).

Blogtoberfest - day 18

2010-10-18T10:00:00.002+13:00

Monday 18th October

Kids eh?

I guess when Melissa asked me to name her shoes, I should have done it straight away... this wasn't what I expected to find when we were about to go out yesterday.

It was one of those - do I laugh or cry moments! I was fairly annoyed, but they were only cheap shoes and by the time I told Nick what she had done - I was laughing with him.

To Melissa's credit, she had actually tried to write her name on the inside, but she had made a mistake and had to cross it out, and the only room left was on the outside... not bad for a five year old.

Blogtoberfest - day 16

2010-10-16T11:55:00.070+13:00

Saturday 16th October

Yesterday I mentioned that I was part of a huge yarn order from Uruguay...

The process goes something like this...

One very brave lady decides to organise a co-op order of wool from Uruguay (co-op basically means a group order), by making a large order we can get a better price for the wool and combine the shipping to New Zealand.

So then we all start placing our orders, we find out that the more we order the cheaper it gets, so we all add a wee bit more wool to our order... the end result... we land up ordering 315 skeins of wool.

We all start waiting patiently as our wool is hand dyed in Uruguay for us, and after a few weeks we get the word that our wool has started its journey across the world... from Montevideo to Buenos Aires, then Memphis, Honolulu then Auckland - nearly here, then to Wellington - oh wait a minute, some is still in Auckland... finally it arrives in Wellington.

Now the brave lady I mentioned earlier gets three massive boxes on her doorstep and she kindly took these photos- if I was her I would have skipped town with it!.

We all start pouring over these photos trying to work out what yarn is theirs, and wondering why we didn't order some of the other lovely colours we see.

Then the wool gets sent around the country to those who ordered it. We all get packages on our doorstep, and ladies around the country are admiring the yummy wool they received.

Some colours weren't quite what we expected, I had a few of these, but it didn't take long to find willing buyers.

I don't know about the other ladies, but I already have a list of what I will be buying next time.

Blogtoberfest - day 15

2010-10-15T19:50:00.000+13:00

Friday 15th October

I have been sitting at the computer for a while now trying to think about what I could post about today, trying to think of something other than knitting to share with everyone... and couldn't think of anything... so more knitting it is!

Last month I knitted this cardigan for Melissa, it is called In Threes and is designed by Kelly Herdrich...

The wool I used for this is from 100Purewool, a family owned company in Uruguay, this worsted weight wool is 100% merino and is softer than anything I have ever felt before.

The yummy colour is called Santino and I also used the dark purple trim colour to do the garter ridges at the top and bottom.

This wool has created more than a slight addiction on a forum I belong to, we have just received an order of 315 skeins between us! and only 21 were for me. But more about that tomorrow.

For more information on this project have a look here on Ravelry.

Blogtoberfest - day 14 {My Creative Space}

2010-10-14T15:58:00.002+13:00

Thursday 14th October

This is what my creative space looks like today. I am busy knitting a Spring Butterfly for an order.

Progress has been speeding along while I have been watching the Commonwealth Games on TV at night (way, way too late at night).

See more creative spaces at Kootoyoo.

Blogtoberfest - day 13

2010-10-13T10:42:00.002+13:00

Wednesday 13th October

I got another little package of yarn in the mail this morning.

This yummy little number is from Hannah at Red Riding Hood Yarns.

It is sock wool and the colour is 'Sweet Ol' Granny', at this stage this is destined to become a pair of Daphne Socks.

Stay tuned for a huge box of yarn that should be arriving within the next few days!

In the meantime go and have a look at both of Hannah's blogs here and here for a give-away and a look at the other yummy yarns that she might have available.

Blogtoberfest - day 12

2010-10-12T16:28:00.003+13:00

Tuesday 12th October

I received my first of three expected yarn deliveries today, this package contained some wool from The Wool Company which I needed for a custom knit.

The yummy colours are Watermelon and Flamingo. This is the first time I have used this combination, as the pink I would normally put with Watermelon was discontinued last year (I am sure I am not the only knitter out there wondering why on earth they would do this), Peony Rose was slightly deeper than this pink, but by the looks of it, Flamingo should match well.

These are going to be transformed into a Spring Butterfly over the next few days.

Blogtoberfest day 11

2010-10-11T14:51:00.002+13:00

Monday 11th October

(Just pretend that I posted yesterday as well...)

I thought it was time I taught Melissa how to knit, she has previously tried French knitting, but now as a five year old she tried the real thing.

She did really well, just don't expect any finished articles in the near future... She doesn't have the staying power yet!

Blogtoberfest - day 9

2010-10-09T19:21:00.000+13:00

Saturday 9th October

As well as October being Blogtober, it is also Socktober.

Earlier in the year I signed up to the Vintage Purls Winter Sock Club, three packages arrive over three months, the packages contain yummy sock yarn and a pattern designed (in most cases) by Morag from Vintage Purls.

In honour of Socktober, I thought I should finally cast on a pair of these.

The last instalment is called Leaflink, and here is my progress so far...

Morag suggested we try a new technique with these socks - cabling without a cable needle, I tried this and found it really fast and relatively easy, so I will use this technique with other projects in the future too.

If the idea of getting mystery packages of sock yarn in your letter box sounds appealing, keep your eyes on the Vintage Purls website for details of the Summer Sock Club which will be going on sale sometime in January... I have heard a rumour that it may contain some different patterns other than socks - a shawl maybe?? Oh and if the thought of yummy yarn isn't appealing enough, you also get edible yummies with each instalment too!

Blogtoberfest - day 8

2010-10-08T14:44:00.000+13:00

Friday 8th October.

As you can see I finished the singlet top I was working on yesterday. It is the Acacia pattern from Tikki, it is still in the testing phase, but hopefully will be released in time for you all to knit one up for your girls for the long hot days of summer.

I better go and get knitting another one of these for the other daughter.

Blogtoberfest - day 7 {My Creative Space}

2010-10-07T12:59:00.002+13:00

Thursday 7th October.

I have wanted to join in with other crafty bloggers, showing off our creative space every Thursday, but I normally only remember after I have seen everyone else's posts, and it is too late. This week I remembered!

In my creative space this week, I have been doing another test knit. This is another of Tikki's designs called Acacia, a cute, very feminine little singlet top...

See more creative spaces over at Kootoyoo... why don't you join in too.

Edited to add: I have a had a few comments on what a lovely colour this is, so I should share. This is 8ply cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills, the colour is Honeydew.

Blogtoberfest - Day 6

2010-10-06T14:08:00.000+13:00

Wednesday 6th October

I was going to post today about Melissa (5years) learning to knit, but I have lost (hopefully temporarily) the photos I have taken.

Instead I will show you another test knit I did recently.

Paige Babydoll is designed by the talented Rachel Evans. Rachel designed both the Kaia Babydoll and Spring Butterfly, Spring Butterfly has been very popular for custom knits over the last six months or so.

The Paige Babydoll is knitted in a 10ply yarn, I didn't have anything suitable in my wool stash, but I did have some stone coloured wool (pale grey) that would be suitable for dyeing, after a hour or so standing over a steaming pot this is what came out of it...

I used a dyeing method I hadn't tried before, instead of dyeing sections of the hank in different colours, I put the undyed wool in the pot with hot water and vinegar and added the dye directly into the water in different areas. I got a bit inpatient and probably mixed the colours too much, but I was more than happy with the result.

Here is the finished Paige Babydoll...

The pattern has two options, the option I knitted has a full skirt, the other option which I plan to knit at a later date has an A-line skirt with cables down the sides.

Melissa loves her new top, she has been asking to wear it all the time.

Blogtoberfest - day 5

2010-10-05T15:05:00.001+13:00

Tuesday 5th October

Me and my girl had a photo session this morning, and I managed to snap these pics of Hannah in her new cardigan...

Here is another photo which shows all the different cables...

Hannah's Sea Princess was knitted in a size 3-4T, but I used size 5-6T cable charts to make the cardigan long enough for her. More details and photos can be found here.

The pattern is Sea Princess by Elena Nodel aka Anadiomena, and is due to be released for sale within the next month or two. All going well, I will be able to offer custom knits from this pattern once it has been released.

Blogtoberfest - day 4

2010-10-04T15:57:00.002+13:00

Monday 4th October

Phew, I am now 'caught up' on Blogtoberfest, lets see how long it lasts.

Here is a sneak peak of a test knit I have nearly completed...

This knit has been quite challenging, which I like. It has taken longer than normal since I could only knit it once the girls where in bed for the night, I needed all of my concentration.

Hopefully I will have modelled pictures tomorrow.

Blogtoberfest - day 3

2010-10-04T15:50:00.001+13:00

Sunday 3rd October

It has become a tradition for us to go to Woodpeckers (a local family restaurant) for dinner with the extended family to celebrate the girls birthdays.

We went there tonight and the girls had a blast!

I didn't take many photos, but I did catch this one of Hannah... not a great photo, but it does show how much she looks like me when I was young.

What do you think (that is me in the middle of my two big sisters)...

I feel a bit mean putting up that photo of Hannah, this one shows her personality a bit better...

After dinner, everyone came back to our house for birthday cake...

Blogtoberfest - day 2

2010-10-04T15:37:00.001+13:00

Saturday 2nd October

Today is the day that Hannah has been waiting for - her 4th birthday!

She looks very grown up all of a sudden, definitely not the little toddler anymore (not that she was ever little, she is very tall for her age).

She has been a bit obsessed with Buzz Lightyear lately and all she wanted was a Buzz Lightyear torch, well she got the torch along with quite a few other bits and pieces, including a jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing...

a quick trip back to the shop got a replacement puzzle - with all the pieces included!

and off course now that she is four she got a bike...

We were hoping that since she has been riding her balance bike for a year that she may not have needed the training wheels on her new bike, but she isn't quite tall enough yet to ride it confidently... we will give her a few months then try again then.

Blogtoberfest - Lets see how long this lasts! (day 1)

2010-10-04T15:21:00.001+13:00

It is 3.15pm on Monday 5th October, and I have just decided to take part in Blogtoberfest. The objective is to make daily blog posts everyday in October.

I do realise I am a late starter, but hopefully I can catch up!

Day 1, Friday 1 October.

I took the girls for long overdue haircuts today, at least they can see now without fringe hanging in their eyes.

Hannah got more than just a trim, she had a good couple of inches cut off hers.

After we got home I found Nick getting my camera out to take some photos of the girls unaware while they were watching some tv, they saw him coming, but he still managed to get some great shots...

They look like little angels sitting nicely together here, but in reality the first week of the school holidays was just a bit challenging!

August - Knitting for US month

2010-08-31T16:44:00.000+12:00

Back at the beginning of July, I looked through the long list of custom knitting orders that I had... then looked at the pile of wool I had sitting here, that I had purchased to knit things for my girls and I knew something had to give.

I decided that after I had finished my orders I would dedicate one month to knit for US.

I finished my last order on 26 July, and cast on my first US project the next day.

The first thing I knitted was an Oriental Lily for Hannah.

Back in December 2008 we were driving a campervan from Auckland to Christchurch and we stopped at The Wool Company on the way, I bought my first lot of wool from them on that visit with the intention of knitting an Oriental Lily for Hannah. I never got around to making hers, instead knitting at least 8 or 9 of these for others instead.

I am very pleased that I finally knit one of these for Hannah, and she loves it too. I managed to get this project finished before August even started, so I still had a whole month of selfish knitting time left.

August also turned out to be a month for testing patterns for some of my favourite designers, Sheryl Greenfield, released two patterns during the month and I helped in the testing of both of them.

The first pattern was for children's socks, called Epicine it is a unisex toe up sock pattern. I knitted two pairs of these, the first pair (purple) where for Hannah and the second pair (pink) where for Melissa. The wool was handdyed by myself.

Sheryl's second pattern was a fun hat called Benji , Benji was named after Buttons by Benji, but more about that later... The Benji hat is knit using stranded knitting, which means you use two colours at the same time. The hat was such fun to knit that before the pattern was even released I purchased a cottage licence so that I can knit these hats to sell. Here is the hat I knitted for Hannah.

The next test knit I did was for Georgie Hallam aka Tikki, the pattern is for the Cassia Tunic/Dress which should be released in September. Cassia features some of the same design elements that are found in the Olearia Shrug/Cardigan pattern. The tunic which I made for Melissa is knitted out of soft cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

To finish the month off, I knitted my girls both an Olearia cardigan each. I have had the wool all organised and sitting ready for these ever since I knitted Hannah the shrug version during the pattern testing in April.

Melissa's is knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury, the colour is Lake, and Hannah's is knitted in the same wool but the Purple Storm colourway.

Here are some other projects that got knitted this month also, the first three are baby hats for little Jaime who was born to our good friends last week. The next hat and fingerless gloves where knitted for my Mum for her birthday and the other hat was knitted for Melissa out of some wool I dyed using the gradient dyeing method.

Last but not least, I mentioned Buttons by Benji earlier, Nicci makes amazing buttons from polymer clay. I have been buying a few of these lately, and I will definitely be buying lots more in the future as well.

The first buttons where custom made to match Melissa's Lake coloured Olearia, and Nicci got the colour spot on (I didn't land up using these particular ones, as I decided to make a larger cardigan and I needed an extra button for the next size, but Nicci made more spectacular ones for that instead). The second strip of buttons where for Hannah's Olearia. The remaining buttons are for future planned projects.

I will be offering customers these buttons to compliment custom knitting as an optional extra.

Rainbow - Rainbow Dress

2010-07-08T16:00:00.000+12:00

I had a customer ask for a rainbow coloured Rainbow Dress, after about lots of emails back and forth we finally agreed on this scheme...

I really didn't know how it was going to look finished, so I photo-shopped a photo of Melissa wearing her Rainbow Dress and did a mock up...

Here is the end result...

I really love it... I wonder if I will get more requests for the same dress??

I also whipped up a matching Doll version...

Mmmmmm... Malabrigo - Paula's Scarfette

2010-06-09T12:25:00.000+12:00

Take some of the softest wool in the world and mix it with a neat little scarf pattern from my favourite designer and this is what you get...

The wool - is Malabrigo Merino Worsted which I purchased from Polly at Little Country Wools, where I believe it is the only place you can purchase this wool from within New Zealand. Malabrigo is the softest wool I have ever felt, it is often described as buttery soft.

The pattern - is Paula's Scarfette by Georgie Hallam (aka Tikki), this pattern is available as a free download either via her blog or on Ravelry.

I have decided to combine these two elements and I am now selling 'Paula's Scarfette' knit exclusively in Malabrigo Worsted from Little Country Wools.

The price of these little scarfettes are $35 each (plus postage). So pop on over here, choose a colour you like then send me an email at customknitting@vodafone.co.nz to place your order.

The colour of the above scarfette is Lettuce, the true colour is somewhere between the two photos, closer to the second one.

Lucky Me!

2010-06-08T12:37:00.000+12:00

During the recent Sew Mama! Sew! Giveaway day, I was lucky enough to win not one, but two giveaways!

The first was from SparklePetal, SparklePetal was very generous and she actually sent me two rainbow purses so that my girls could have one each. Aren't they gorgeous!

My second prize came from Sonya at Missbossypants, she sent me a few different things...

a lovely frilly apron...

some felt play food...

a coffee cup cosy...

Sonya tried to tell me that the coffee cup cosy was "rather funny fabric which depicts the 'wilds of Canada', it's really quite stereotypical and more of a joke than actually depicting my country truthfully"... but I have been to Canada (my sister lives there) and it looks about right to me *wink wink*.

These gifts came from England and Canada, and the hat that I knitted has been sent of to Texas.

I can't wait to participate in the next giveaway day.

New Custom Knits

2010-06-04T16:13:00.000+12:00

I am so pleased to announce that I am now able to knit items using the wonderful Oriental Lily and Rainbow Dress patterns to order!

The Oriental Lily is a favourite of mine, unfortunately I haven't actually knitted one of these for my own girls yet, but over the last few years I have knit at least ten of these.

The Oriental Lily dress has recently had its sizes extended, and is now available in NB to 10 years and can either be knit as a dress length or tunic length as shown above.

The Rainbow Dress is another favourite of mine. With the different hem and colour options there are plenty of choices to customise this knit for your little (or not so little) one - this style also comes in sizes NB to 10 years.

Both of these patterns are by Georgie Hallam who also designed Bloom and Olearia.

My next new custom knit are these cute little fingerless gloves for kids, the pattern is Milo Mitts and is written by Sheryl Greenfield.

These are available in sizes 1, 2 and 4 years, but in saying that they are super stretchy, so they would fit any pre-teen easily.

I will be selling these for $15 per pair, but as a 'special introductory offer' I will be offering a free pair of these for any customer who books a custom knit slot for a child's garment* (including paying a deposit) during June, for those customers who book a custom knit slot for an accessory (hats, fingerless gloves etc) will receive a pair for $5.

*garments include, Bloom, Olearia, Oriental Lily, Rainbow Dress, Spring Butterfly, Kaia Babydoll, March Sisters Pinafores, Looking Glass Longies or Vanilla.

I do have two more custom knit items in the works, but I need to get my samples knitted first, so check back next week.

If you would like further information on any of these knits please send me a message at customknitting@vodafone.co.nz.

We have a winner!

2010-05-21T10:53:00.000+12:00

Comment number 286!

kris10dale said... That is gorgeous - would love to win!

Congratulations! I have sent you an email and I will get this hat sent to you soon.

If you missed out and you would like a hat, I am able to knit these hats to order, simply send me an email via the contact me page on my blog.

Thank you very much everyone for entering, it was amazing having so much positive feedback.

Giveaway!

2010-05-17T08:30:00.005+12:00

This year I am joining in the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway day!

As a giveaway prize I am offering this Sweet Eleanor hat, this hat is the smaller of the two sizes that I knit, it will fit a child from around 2 years upwards to about a teenager, although it saying that the hat still fits me and I have an average size adult head.

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this blog post, and I will pick a random person to win this beautiful hat. I am happy to send this internationally. Winner will be drawn on Friday 21st May.

Thank you for your lovely comments - the giveaway is now closed - winner announced shortly.

Check back here tomorrow for a giveaway!

2010-05-16T08:29:00.000+12:00

Sweet Hannah

2010-05-11T09:52:00.002+12:00

My Hannah can be such a sweetie... sometimes!

She was in desperate need for a new winter hat, and every time she sees me knitting she asks if it is a hat for her. Well this time it was. The pattern is Sweet Eleanor and it is available for purchase on Ravelry here or on the designer Wendy Neal's blog here.

This pattern is not for the faint hearted! There is LOTS of cable work done in this hat, some rows you need to get your cable needle going 20 times, and you only get one row with no cabling every pattern repeat. But the effort is worth it. The hat slowly decreases and the cables merge together to form a star/flower pattern on the top of the hat.

Wendy Neal has given me special permission to be able to knit this hat for sale, so please email me on customknitting@vodafone.co.nz if you are interested.

This hat fits from around 2/3 years up to adult sizes. This particular hat was knit in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 8ply, the colour is Purple Storm. (The first and last photos give the best colour representation.)

Remember this...

2010-05-01T11:13:00.000+12:00

Well, hands up if you want one!!

Tikki has released the Olearia pattern today and it is available on Ravelry or through a link that will soon be on her website.

Can't knit - don't worry I have this covered... I now have a cottage licence to be able to knit this gorgeous little number for you.

This will be available in a number of different versions, the above one is the Shrug, Cardigan Version 1 is a longer length cardigan featuring all over gathering and gathered elbow length sleeves, and my personal favourite, Cardigan Version 2 has a gathered bodice, a stocking stitch body and long sleeves with either gathered or garter stitch cuffs. Sizes range from 1 - 8 years fitting chests from 19 - 27 inches.

Another great thing about this pattern is that it suits cotton yarn and wool equally. Great for all the cotton lovers out there.

For some more information about this pattern and what goes into designing something like this, you can read about it here and here on Tikki's blog.

If you would like more information about ordering an Olearia, please send me an email customknitting@vodafone.co.nz

Amy Pinafore

2010-04-24T12:45:00.003+12:00

Finally! I have been wanting to knit an Amy Pinafore since the March Sisters Pinafore patterns where released last year. I have already knit a Jo, two Megs, two Beths and numerous doll versions, but until now not an Amy.

A few weeks ago I had a customer order come through for an Amy, she was worth the wait, she is just gorgeous!

Amy is a pinafore for the girly girl in your life; the girl that loves to spin, twirl, and feel pretty.

Here she is...

Strictly speaking this is more of a Jo/Amy hybrid, as the Amy pattern has a ribbed bodice and ribbed straps, but both my customer and myself prefer this bodice.

If you would like me to knit you an Amy Pinafore, or any other of my custom knits please email me.

The only thing better than relaxing at the side of a lake...

2010-04-17T21:37:00.001+12:00

is relaxing at the side of a lake and knitting!

Last week we made the most of the last of the warm weather and headed to Lake Brunner for four nights.

I made the most of the time with no internet and got lots of knitting done. I cast on a pair of Looking Glass Longies for an order on the drive west, and managed to cast off a Spring Butterfly cardigan within a few hours of returning home.

In between times I had some great photo opportunities, the girls had a ball on the rope swing that swings over the lake and they enjoyed riding on the biscuit behind the boat...

And here are the knitting photos...

Looking Glass Longies in Mixed Berries and Amethyst - second photo shows the ribbing feature at the hips - this allows them to fit a wide variety of body shapes.

Spring Butterfly in Watermelon and Avocado.

Both of these items can be custom knit to your requirements, send me an email if interested customknitting@vodafone.co.nz

Olearia

2010-04-08T16:24:00.001+12:00

Once again Tikki has designed a great little number for the girls! This little shrug named 'Olearia' by Tikki is just one of the petals in her new set of patterns to be released soon. I was lucky enough to be involved in the testing of the shrug version and can't wait to try knitting the other versions including a cardigan in the future.

This particular shrug was knit for Hannah out of Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply Cotton. The colour is Light Teal.

More details about my Olearia shrug can be found on the Ravelry page here (even if you aren't a Ravelry member you can still have a look with this special link).

New Look

2010-04-01T16:24:00.001+13:00

I got an email the other day from the people at Blogger, it was talking about a new feature for Blogger blogs where you can change the look of your blog easily... Blogger Template Designer

I managed to change my blog in a matter of minutes, where previously I have spent the whole day trying and landed up giving up.

So now that my blog was looking nice and fresh I decided that my header was looking a bit tired. My new header was made by the help of a template which I bought from Scrapgirls, add some digital scrapbook elements and some photos and it was all done.

The other thing that I have done is created a page on Facebook, you can find my page here... or by clicking on the box on the top left of my blog (just below my header). I would love it if you all became fans of my page.

Right, now I better get back to the knitting...

Silver Heart Works

2010-03-29T17:02:00.000+13:00

Craftiness runs in my family, my Dad is a photographer, Mum a dressmaker and one of my sisters is a bit like me and has tried nearly everything.

Philippa is now the creator of Silver Heart Works,where she puts her heart into making beautiful handmade jewellery, to be loved for years to come. She specialises in Chainmaille jewellery made from tarnish resistant, Argentium Silver, where every piece she makes, has a heart.

"All the chainmaille in my shop is created from the ground up. I wind and cut all my own rings from top quality Argentium silver, then weave with my own hands, two pair of pliers, and usually a pair of reading glasses perched on the end of my nose!"

You can check out Phil's blog here and her Etsy shop here, Phil lives in Canada with her family, but she is happy to ship worldwide.

Faberge

2010-03-29T15:48:00.002+13:00

One of my favourite online wool shops (The Wool Company), is in the process of releasing some new colours for Winter. They aren't on their website yet, but thanks to some questioning and information gathering by myself and some online friends, we found out some sketchy details. I just had to order some to check them out in person.

My favourite of these new colours is Faberge, here is what I have knitted with it so far...

The dress is the Kaia Babydoll dress which is one of the patterns available as a custom knit, and the hat is the Poppy hat which can be found in the hat section of my custom knitting at the left side of my blog. More details can be found here at Ravelry.

Another new colour that The Wool Company has released is Mixed Berries, here is a sneak peak...

In the next few weeks I will be knitting this into a pair of Looking Glass Longies for a customer, I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Chalice Cable Handwarmers

2010-03-22T13:42:00.000+13:00

I knitted myself a pair of fingerless gloves/handwarmers last year and found them invaluable on those cold Christchurch mornings. They kept my hands warm but my fingers where still free for driving, taking photos, doing up car seat buckles and tying kids shoelaces.

When the weather (temporarily) turned to Winter last week I thought about knitting some more.

This pattern is Chalice Cable Handwarmers they are desinged Alison Green Will, her website can be found here... http://www.alisongreenwill.com/pages/chalice.htm. Alison has kindly given me permission to knit these handwarmers for sale, so they have been added to the variety of items that I can custom knit for my customers.

For more details on these handwarmers, and to see the range of yarns that I can knit these in, please click on the picture of the handwarmers on the left side of my blog or click here.

Hats Galore

2010-03-15T13:15:00.000+13:00

I have just finished knitted a huge batch of hats, all of these were custom orders for various people.

These hats are all designed by Woolly Wormhead, and the pattern is available for purchase here.

Here are the pictures of the finished hats, some look rather odd lying flat, luckily I found some heads the right size to model some of them.

The designs are (top - bottom/left - right), Propeller, Buzzbee, Cubba, Tubey, Propeller, Killkenny, Tubey, Tubey, Waltzer.

If you would like a hat, see the hat section under my custom knitting section of my blog - in the left sidebar.

Custom Knitting

2010-02-23T09:30:00.000+13:00

I have been busy updating my blog, if you look to the left you will see some photos of some lovely knitted items that I can knit for you.

The most recent addition to these is Bloom, a delightful dress that blooms or grows with your child from a dress to a peasant style top.

Simply by clicking on the pictures you will be taken to another page in my blog that has further information about each style.

Socks, socks and more socks

2010-02-23T09:26:00.000+13:00

This year, I feel that all I have been knitting is socks, socks and more socks! I have recently finished my fifth pair this year.

The first two Striped Rainbow Socks and Lace Rib Socks have already been blogged about (the Lace Rib Socks pattern is now for sale on Ravelry, called Dolce Socks, Baby, Children and Toddler Sizes).

My third pair of socks are these Jaywalkers that I knitted for Hannah...

My fourth pair came courtesy of the Vintage Purls Summer Sock Club, these socks are Heart of Glass, a gorgeous pattern that includes beading...

and my fifth pair of socks are Spring Forward, the yarn for these was gifted to me as part of a sock yarn swap that I organised...

Speaking of the the sock yarn swap, I will share some photos of the yarn that I sent and received...

Here are the two lots of yarn that I sent, they are called Spring Flowers and Azure...

and the two I received...

I feel very lucky to receive the above two parcels, the green one is destined to become a lovely pair of socks within the next month.

Project 365 - Week 6

2010-02-22T17:27:00.002+13:00

Whoops a wee bit behind on these... Project 365 week 5

2010-02-22T16:33:00.000+13:00

Project 365 - Week 4

2010-02-01T17:55:00.002+13:00

Project 365 - Week 3

2010-01-25T22:14:00.002+13:00

Striped Rainbow Socks

2010-01-20T22:32:00.001+13:00

I have always wanted to knit some stripy socks, my inspiration came from searching through the Ravely databases, here are some that I really admired (sorry these links will only work if you are registered for Ravelry)... example one, example two and example three. However I couldn't seem to find any yarn that would be suitable and at a decent price. So I decided to dye my own yarn.

First off I knitted 100grams of white sock yarn into a sock blank. Which is basically like a long thin scarf, but the wool was double stranded, so in the end I would get two identical balls of wool. Once the blank was knitted, I dyed it into a rainbow of colours using Dylon Cold dye. With the help of my Mum we finally managed to get the blank undone and wound into two seperate balls.

I knitted one sock starting from the middle of the ball and the other starting from the outside. The socks were striped with black sock wool.

I absolutely love how the socks turned out, they are a bit small around the legs, but they still fit OK. I will try and get some better photos of them over the next few days. For all the full details, here is my Ravely project page.

Lace Rib Socks and Ishbel

2010-01-20T22:16:00.000+13:00

My first pair of finished socks this year.

This lovely pattern was designed by Sheryl or Shortly (on Ravelry), and I was lucky enough to test knit the pattern for her. The pattern should be released soon in baby, toddler and preschoolers sizes. These particular ones where knit for Melissa's huge feet.

The top down design was just perfect for using the leftover wool from a shawl that I knitted for my Mother in Law, sadly I did actually run out just as I was knitting the second toe, but the lovely Morag from Vintage Purls came to the rescue with enough extra yarn for me to finish off.

Speaking of the shawl, here are all the details...

This is the Ishbel shawl I knitted Kristine for her birthday. It was knitted with 4ply sock wool from Vintage Purls, the colourway is Glacial Stream.

This is the first Ishbel shawl that I have knitted and most defiantly not the last.

Above are some photos, the ones with the kids were taken in December when I finished the shawl, the two of Kristine were taken on Monday when we gifted it to her. I think it was a hit!

Project 365 - 2010 Week Two

2010-01-15T13:24:00.001+13:00

1. 365-008, 2. 365-009, 3. 365-010, 4. 365-011, 5. 365-012, 6. 365-013, 7. 365-014, 8. week label copy

~Leafy Shrug~ for Melissa

2010-01-14T10:12:00.000+13:00

I feel like I haven't stopped knitting yet this year, but this is my first finished article. It was the perfect interlude after casting off one of my knee high socks and before I tackled the other.

The pattern is Leafy Shrug by Stitchymama, and it is available in sizes NB to 14 years (great value at $5AUD). The pattern even has details on how to make a custom sized shrug to fit any measurements. The yarn I used was Jo Sharp DK and the colour is called Lush. This shrug only used 68grams of wool.

Would I knit this again? Yes, even have the wool here for another one, this time for Hannah.

This knit also ticks off the beginning of my knitting goals for the year. I have joined a group on Ravelry to knit 10 in 2010... 10 what you ask? Well I have jumped in with two feet and am planning the following...

10 pairs of socks in 2010 (already have two socks knitted - but they are different socks)
10 babies/kids knits in 2010 (first one done)
10 charity knits in 2010 (probably prem baby clothes or puppy jumpers)
10 one skein or dishcloths in 2010 (first dishcloth underway)
10 items of dolls clothes in 2010

Wish me luck... I think I will need it.

Project 365 - Take two

2010-01-08T16:46:00.001+13:00

I started project 365 mid last year, but only lasted a month and a bit before I gave up.

New year, new start, I am going to try and take one photo a day for the entire year, I can't guarantee anything fancy though!

Here is week one's photos...

1. 365-001, 2. 365-002, 3. 365-003, 4. 365-004, 5. 365-005, 6. 365-006, 7. 365-007, 8. week 1 365

Undies

2010-01-08T16:09:00.000+13:00

In the last two and a half days I have made 26 pairs of girls undies... they better last as I don't really want to make any more in a hurry!

The pattern I use is fantastic, it is this one.

I certainly didn't plan on making 26 pairs, I started making 5 each for Melissa and Hannah, but both lots where to tight around the legs and waist for them (not sure why as I have made these sizes previously), so Hannah's got sold, Hannah got Melissa's and after Mum kindly went fabric shopping for me, Melissa got 16 new pairs!

2009's Knitting - in pictures

2010-01-01T17:25:00.000+13:00

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2009-12-17T22:29:00.002+13:00

DSC07500, originally uploaded by PhotoRachael.

I recently took part in a hand dyed yarn swap on The Nappy Network. The theme for the swap was 'Favourite Book'. One of the books I had listed as a favourite was The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Jo was the creator of this gorgeous yarn, also included was a stitch marker holder and needle book, both made with The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric.

These hand dyed yarn swaps are addictive. I have just signed up to do two swaps in a swap I am organising especially for Sock Knitters! I am really looking forward to receiving my swap, but a little apprehensive about actually trying to dye something that will look good knitted up!

More Spring Butterflies

2009-12-17T18:28:00.001+13:00

Recently I started playing with dyeing wool again, apart from playing around with the kids I hadn't dyed wool for quite a while. I also wanted to try using a different type of dye. Until now I had always used food colourings, but I had bought a whole heap of the little tins of Dylon Cold dye to try.

Compared to using food colouring, Dylon Cold is much easier to use, you simply mix your dye with a water/vinegar mix and apply to the wool (or dunk your wool in the dye), leave for a few minutes and rinse! No heating required.

The first dyeing I did with Dylon Cold was a hank of Utiku 8ply...

After this wool had sat around for a month or so, I decided to knit it into a Spring Butterfly for Hannah...

I like it but I don't really love this pattern done with variegated wool all over. So I decided to either sell it as it is or reknit it into something else... at this stage it is sold.

Since I still wanted to knit Hannah a Spring Butterfly I came up with this instead...

This is slightly modified from the pattern, I left off the picot cast offs, and also changed the placement of the increases in the bodice, this brought the sleeves in a bit closer and stops it falling off her shoulders like the first one did. Details of modifications are on my Ravelry project page.

Of course I had to make one for the doll she is getting for Christmas...

Spring Butterfly

2009-11-19T19:11:00.000+13:00

My latest order came from very close to home, Melissa ordered a Spring Butterfly cardigan for herself...

and her doll...

I love this pattern so much that I have bought the licence to knit and sell it! Send me a message if you are interested in one of these cardigans for either your daughter or her doll.

Designed by Rachel Evans, the Spring Butterfly cardigan is sized NB - 5T, details for the pattern are here on Ravelry.

No wonder my finger is sore...

2009-11-19T19:05:00.000+13:00

I haven't stopped knitting for a couple of weeks now. I have been very busy filling my knitting orders.

This is what I have done...

1 x size 3 dress, 3 x size 2 dresses, 1 x size 1 dress, 3 x doll dresses, 3 x vanilla soakers... and that's not all... see next post!

Vanilla

2009-11-01T20:03:00.000+13:00

This afternoon I finished knitting a Vanilla soaker, like most of my knitting over the last few weeks, this too was a customer order.

The Vanilla soaker is completely seam free, and the ribbing in the crotch means that they have a really good fit over cloth nappies.

If you would like a Vanilla knit for you, please send me a message.

I thought I would share the various Vanilla soakers that I have knit recently.