Busy Busy

I’ve continued work on those socks, though I have only completed two repeats of the pattern, and I need to be at the heel by the end of next week!
Monkey socks are a nice knit though, and doing two at a time is easy with a repeating pattern like this.
The yarn is nice to work with. If you fancy something similar check out Violet Green! Her yarns are lovely, the colours are fab, and they’re good value for a hand-dyed yarn. I especially like the pure cashmere that she does.

I’m still plugging away on the mohair top, though it’s slow going. I think I’ve fallen into a stocking stitch black hole. It doesn’t matter how long I knit on it the top doesn’t get any longer! Still, I’ll get there eventually.

I have completed something else though; I’ve knitted a lovely hat from some Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk.

Pattern: Robin’s egg blue hat
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran.
Needle: 5mm
Modifications: The pattern called for chunky yarn, but I used Aran, so I adjusted the numbers accordingly. I did a spiral decrease on the crown rather than the one written in the pattern.
Verdict: it’s a fab hat, and should be lovely and warm. I may have to make some matching accessories to go with it!

I’ve also been spinning; I’ll post later in the week with the singles yarn I’ve been making. My first ever singles yarn! I’m pleased with it so far, but I haven’t skeined, washed and dried it yet.

Time Passes...

Wow, time passes doesn’t it? I spent the rest of May working on one of the two swallowtail shawlettes I have on the go at the moment.

 

You can’t really see the beads in this picture, so you’ll have to believe me when I say that they are there!

Pattern:Swallowtail shawl
Yarn: Abstract Cat Merino – colour: Dragonfly
Needle: 3.5mm
Modifications: Beads instead of nupps, didn’t complete the final lace chart as I ran out of yarn.
Verdict: The bind-off isn’t very stretchy so the points aren’t very pointy. It’s still nice, but I am thinking about pulling back the cast off and the last row and re-casting off to make it more stretchy.

Nerd Wars has started again, and I’m playing on Team Hellmouth this tournament. That means I’m doing another rewatch of Buffy, but it’s good fun in any case! The challenges this round are challenging, but I like them so far.
I’ve submitted to two challenges, so here are my two FOs for your perusal.

Pattern: Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Yarn: Leftover sock yarn and some 3ply dreamtime from Patons. Needle: 2.5mm Modifications:Instead of a crochet chain or i-cord, I have used a twisted cable for the ties under the chin. Verdict:So cute! I love it!	Pattern: Crochet net soap saver and body scrubber Yarn: Craft cotton from Boyes. Hook:5.5mm Modifications: Used a larger hook than called for. Again used a twisted cable rather than a crochet chain for the ties. Verdict: It looks good! Hubby is yet to use it, but he seems as pleased as one can be with a soap saver!

Now I'm working on another top. This one is made from Debbie Bliss Angel, which is a mohair blend a bit like Rowan's kidsilk haze. The colour is the most fantastic shade of pink! I'm enjoying knitting it, partly because it's all knit, as it's a raglan top down design. I'm making it up as I go along to a large degree, which is both exciting and daunting, especially since there's really no frogging mohair. I don't know what challenge I'll be submitting this to, it might require a little creative thinking.

I've also started work on my Nerd Wars dissertation; a three-month project which is also part of Nerd Wars. I've chosen to knit two pairs of socks for my dissertation, which given what else I have on is a reasonably big deal! I've cast on and knitted one repeat of the first pair; I'm knitting them magic loop two-at-a-time. The first pair are Monkey socks in honour of Illyria, a character from Angel. The second pair will be of my own design, and will be in honour of Willow from Buffy.