tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-176756122024-03-13T04:03:53.134+00:00The pig wot knitsKnitting on the move. Knitting on the settee.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.comBlogger228125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-14491270277323895042012-02-07T12:03:00.006+00:002012-02-07T12:36:12.261+00:00Auntie knittingDebs requested pictures of 'Auntie knitting' on my blog. So, ok. :)<br /><br />First of all, one that doesn't fit.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/6835249867/" title="Tiny red cardi by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6835249867_c963dbc66a_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Tiny red cardi"></a><br /><br />My nephew Jaiden was born on 20 December at about 9.30pm. (The twinges Debs was having on the 7th were a false alarm.) It felt like we were all on tenterhooks for the whole of December waiting for this little guy to make his appearance and of course, he eventually did. <br /><br />This is the <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/puerperium-cardigan">Puerperium cardigan</a> (rav link). Here's a better picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUIlVQCxOML74cg2KVLd0LmGfpu9CNcBYVkOhBgy8QgkKa1wZJqvTFUtQ39yAV9fM_jsHTwXoZ62GKd8xka1tan9u5Uls6v6l7ABuQPvwUa2GFAmLR9keW7SK8hmeAje-7R-d/s1600/IMG_4156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUIlVQCxOML74cg2KVLd0LmGfpu9CNcBYVkOhBgy8QgkKa1wZJqvTFUtQ39yAV9fM_jsHTwXoZ62GKd8xka1tan9u5Uls6v6l7ABuQPvwUa2GFAmLR9keW7SK8hmeAje-7R-d/s320/IMG_4156.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706367537052982882" /></a><br /><br />It's a sweet little cardigan, knit from the top down, with raglan sleeves and buttons down the side. But I forgot that babies in our family tend to be on the big side and it just wouldn't do up round JJ. Ah well. It'll find a baby it'll fit one day.<br /><br />Other knits were a little more successful. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/6835255063/" title="Hey little dude! by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6835255063_8612fb4d4b_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Hey little dude!"></a><br /><br />You might recognise this hat from the post below. It fits, with room to spare. :) (Also that <a href="http://pigwotknits.blogspot.com/2009/10/tiny-february-baby-jacket.html">cardigan</a>, originally made for Sophia. Lovely to see it being passed on to the next small member of the family).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QA0zoqqpMn6CC4lJvIYcTvN7rvr29FZMEi6-PsnXUg7YbnQ7xYl4N0h1LAPRhbXL908EVAYgT5ATnRQU319sr4zrHtSzUxbM1YYoyH21OHBlzxbXhDCM0OHI0sVFJm_OiQWb/s1600/IMG_4434.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QA0zoqqpMn6CC4lJvIYcTvN7rvr29FZMEi6-PsnXUg7YbnQ7xYl4N0h1LAPRhbXL908EVAYgT5ATnRQU319sr4zrHtSzUxbM1YYoyH21OHBlzxbXhDCM0OHI0sVFJm_OiQWb/s320/IMG_4434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706368928503917186" /></a><br /><br />And the socks fit! Aren't little newborn legs in little socks adorable? :-*<br /><br />(Also visible in that picture, phone case and bear knitted by my other sister Hannah. Knitting definitely runs in the family!)Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-27803802206118394172011-12-07T13:22:00.004+00:002011-12-07T14:10:09.808+00:00mostly hatsHello! Still here, still knitting. This month I have been mostly knitting hats, or at least things to go on heads. And a few other things, but here are the hats:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A cowl for me</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/6471434791/" title="lacey cowl by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6471434791_d78a3c8065_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="lacey cowl"></a><br /><br />OK, not a hat, but headgear. This is <a target="new" href="http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter07/PATTicequeen.html">Ice Queen from Knitty</a>. The yarn is <a target="new" href="http://www.knitstation.com/manos-del-uruguay-yarns/1083-manos-del-uruguay-lace-weight.html">Manos Lace</a> (and that's where I bought it) and it's as soft and gorgeous and you'd expect for a baby alpaca/cashmere/silk yarn. :) I made this to wear at a wedding last weekend. Didn't actually end up wearing it much, mostly because I was wearing a big flower on my head and putting another layer over the top looked silly. I'm not actually sure how much I'll wear it. Lovely and snuggly as a cowl, but not quite the glamorous snood I wanted it to be. It's a bit more Babushka than old Hollywood, I think. Maybe I should have made it looser?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A beautiful hat</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/6471414283/" title="Nettie - detail by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6471414283_e0c69f16e3_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Nettie - detail"></a><br /><br />This is <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nettie-2">Nettie</a> (ravelry link) by Katie White, part of her <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/sweet-little-somethings">Sweet Little Somethings collection</a> (9 patterns, released in installments. 5 are out so far). The yarn is Artesano Superwash Merino from <a target="new" href="http://www.sheepshopcambridge.co.uk/">The Sheep Shop</a>, the new and exciting LYS in Cambridge (they have lots of lovely things). <br />I totally love this hat! I've always wanted a proper cloche hat, but I've got a big head, so commercially made felt hats tend not to fit me. This has the right shape and the lines, the ruching and the little (removable) bow, make it just right. My only criticism is that my bow is more floppy than I'd like, but that's possibly my fault for not actually knitting at the right gauge. I didn't swatch, just started with the suggested needles in the largest size. This would have made an enormous hat (I stopped before I finished the brim). So I measured my gauge (18 stitches to 4 inches instead of 22) and decided to stick with the needles (4mm) and make the smallest size, which fits beautifully. Of course, had I made the bow at the proper gauge, it might have been a little stiffer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">A hat in progress</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/6471420551/" title="almost completed hat by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6471420551_7245d48fb8_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="almost completed hat"></a><br /><br />This is a hat to match the mittens in <a href="http://pigwotknits.blogspot.com/2011/02/christmas-knitting.html">this post </a> (now also competed). The pattern is <a target="new" href="http://crossroadknits.blogspot.com/2007/02/anemoi-hat-pattern.html">Anemoi Hat</a>, a free one made to match Eunny Yang's <a target="new" href="http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/12/anemoi_mittens.html">Anemoi mittens</a> which I totally ought to buy because they're beautiful. I semi-followed it, adding in a few things like the braids. I like the lower one, but the upper one sticks out too much when wearing it, so I'm going to rip back and redo it without. Once Christmas knitting is out of the way. :) Yarn is Colinette Jitterbug. I do like Jitterbug's semi-solids for colourwork.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">An exciting hat (and socks)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/6471429149/" title="baby things by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6471429149_2c19b46d65_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="baby things"></a><br /><br />A simple hat and socks for <a target="new" href="http://debbiemonster.blogspot.com/">my sister</a>'s very soon to be arriving baby. (She's been having twinges all day, so (s)he should be here very soon!)<br />The yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino DK, I think. Both on 3.5mm needles. 72 stitches diameter hat, made up the pattern as I went along using <a target="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number">Fibonacci numbers</a> for the stripes. Improvised socks. :) I hope they fit! We'll find out very soon.<br /><br />Lots more finished and on the needles to show off, but I think I'll leave it at that for today. What's on your needles?Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-80623652613983258802011-06-07T13:10:00.003+01:002011-06-07T13:24:01.763+01:00what I have been knittingThe Noro sock dilemma is still unresolved. But I have been knitting other socks. I jumped on the <a target="new" href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2011/05/10/april_into_may.html">Yarn Harlot's bandwagon</a> and made some Edwardian Boating socks.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5804729222/" title="Pretty pink socks for me! by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5237/5804729222_becc4c46dd.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Pretty pink socks for me!"></a><br /><br />They are very pretty.<br /><br />I'm rather in love with the little Vs - like rowers on the river.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5804731592/" title="pink sock zig zags by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/5804731592_f1d7c8f1b7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="pink sock zig zags"></a><br /><br />Pattern: <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/edwardian-boating-socks">Edwardian Boating Socks</a> (Rav link) by Emma Haigh.<br /><br />Yarn: 1.33 skeins of Colinette Jitterbug in Alizarine.<br /><br />Needles: 3mm circs and dpns.<br /><br />Modifications: I added stitches to make the circumference 72 stitches instead of 64 by changing the linen stitch panels to 8 rather than 6 stitches. The heel flap, turn, gussets etc were adjusted accordingly.<br /><br />Thoughts: Pretty pattern, and easy to memorise. Eats yarn though. Combined with the shortish yardage of Jitterbug, that mean one sock took 2/3 of a skein. <br />As written, the heel turn makes an 11 stitches wide rectangle, rather than the normal widening trapezium shape. I assumed this was a mistake and added in the missing k1/p1 after each ssk/p2tog.<br />It seems to be impossible to prevent Alizarine from pooling at some point. I like the narrow striping on the leg, less keen on the wider pooling/striping on the foot. The second skein (on the LH of the pic above) is noticeably brighter than the first and seemed to pool more.<br /><br />So, on the whole I like them. That's one more pair of socks for winter wear and 1.33 fewer skeins of sock wool in my stash. Rob will be pleased. :)Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-83494453893951521942011-05-03T13:13:00.003+01:002011-05-03T13:19:54.782+01:00sock dilemmaI have finished (bar the weaving in ends and blocking) a Noro sock.<br />It doesn't fit. Well, it does, but it's a squeeze to get it onto my foot. The knitted fabric is also a bit stiff and dense for my liking. I'm wondering if it would have been better on 3mm needles. So do I:<br /><br />1. Persevere, knitting the second sock to match. Blocking might relax the fabric a bit and make it a little bigger. If not, I give the socks away to someone with slightly smaller feet.<br /><br />2. Rip and reknit on larger needles. A 64 stitch sock on 3mm needles fits me when I use Colinette Jitterbug. It might work for Noro. (NB, I really should have swatched, shouldn't I? But I tend to treat the toe as a swatch for socks.)<br /><br />3. Rip and reknit on the same needles, but using 68 or 72 stitches. (72 initially looked too wide, which was why I went down to 64. I wish I'd used 68 instead though).<br /><br />Thoughts?Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-49064093434727927672011-04-23T20:14:00.002+01:002011-04-23T20:23:15.691+01:00What I'm up to<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5646672891/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5028/5646672891_74237d282c.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5646672891/">Noro stripey sock</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> I'm still knitting. I've several things on the go. This is the most frequently knitted on.<br /><br />It's a toe up sock, in Noro Silk Garden Sock, shade no. 87 (better record it while I can still find the ball band) in four row stripes, alternating opposite ends of the ball. I'm carrying the yarn up the inside, trying to weave it in nicely so the tension's right. I'm also minimising the jog by picking up the stitch below the first stitch on the second round of the new colour and knitting it together with the first stitch. Makes more sense with pictures, I think. <a target="new" href="http://www.socknitters.com/kickback/joglessjog.htm">This is it</a>.</p> I love watching the colours change. It makes knitting a plain sock (which I almost never do) that bit more exciting. The red line you can see is where the afterthought heel will go. I want to make a stripey heel, with stripes that go all the way round (like the toe) so an afterthought heel was the way to go.<br /><br />Also on the needles: a <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/february-lady-sweater">February Lady Cardigan</a> (Ravelry link), mittens (still), a 4 ply <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/honeycomb-henley">Honeycomb Henley</a> (Ravelry link). I think that's it. Oh and a 3 dimensional scarf thing. Must take some pictures of it.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-71357652856697629592011-03-06T09:30:00.003+00:002011-03-06T09:38:01.583+00:00More Christmas knittingI loved knitting this! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFqbhtVME8BumP_p82Lw5XVm0zj9d2rOpEci13egoksh_bCyu6LLGcKIiITuQjVxCFGx8bqFICwvHLBG7aYALqHDI0M97jSmA8GTuqz_7tjMaoNwOnQM8Nab5km0-94JVx344/s1600/IMG_2989.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFqbhtVME8BumP_p82Lw5XVm0zj9d2rOpEci13egoksh_bCyu6LLGcKIiITuQjVxCFGx8bqFICwvHLBG7aYALqHDI0M97jSmA8GTuqz_7tjMaoNwOnQM8Nab5km0-94JVx344/s320/IMG_2989.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580897688797809538" /></a><br /><br />Pattern: <a target="new" href="http://www.flintknits.com/blog/?p=189">Ella Funt by Flint Knits</a><br /><br />Yarn: The main purple colour is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. The patterns are made of various scraps of DK I had around.<br /><br />Mods: None. I knitted the 18-24 months size.<br /><br />As you can see, it's a bit big on Sophia here. She was 14 months then. She's 17 months now. I'm hoping it'll fit for a good long while. <br /><br />More notes and pics on <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/pigwotknits/ella-funt">Ravelry</a>.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-92081018457361192832011-02-21T12:55:00.002+00:002011-02-21T13:13:52.024+00:00knee high stripesAs per usual, I've got several projects on the go at the moment: mitten 2 of a pair of stranded colourwork mittens, a cabled cardigan which has sleeves and most of the hem of the body but has got stuck because the pattern's odd, a lightweight probably short sleeved (I'll see how the yarn goes) jumper (sweater) in 4ply which is going very slooooowly and this sock, which is getting most of the knitting love.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiy9lyYLfCiRHgQaWJhvpiuv63smOrMlQDeKHPGn1klEFTXwT_8PnrQlmqIIdt0XsGTgO_AmW5msqLScGMJKW-DSIR48hP3bTcHqIEwZbmYTqO0Loncey3oDKBb650KLAtpAr6/s1600/DSC00031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiy9lyYLfCiRHgQaWJhvpiuv63smOrMlQDeKHPGn1klEFTXwT_8PnrQlmqIIdt0XsGTgO_AmW5msqLScGMJKW-DSIR48hP3bTcHqIEwZbmYTqO0Loncey3oDKBb650KLAtpAr6/s320/DSC00031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576125912113946802" /></a><br /><br />I gave up on the cabled cardigan when it got too complicated to knit while watching tv and started a 2x2 ribbed sock instead. As I have 2 100g balls of the yarn (Wendy Happy) in the same colourway (I've got a couple more too), I thought I'd try a pair of knee high socks. I got to the top of the last yesterday and I'm pleased. <br /><br />The yarn was a gift, one for a birthday, one from Christmas I think. It wouldn't have been my choice for sock yarn - it's bamboo (rayon) with 25% nylon. Obviously designed for socks, the self-striping pattern is probably optimised for 64 stitches, but looks ok on this (which are 72 in the foot and grow to 120 at the calf). It seemed a bit thin and not at all bouncy/stretchy, hence the decision to knit it in rib. Knitted up, it's not bad. It's cooler than wool. I can imagine wearing these in spring/summer with a red or pink cotton skirt. The yarn's a bit splitty, which is a con when knitting in front of the telly (mostly watching Alias with Rob), but it's fun watching the colours change.<br /><br />Not sure what happened in the middle of the leg - there's suddenly an extra long orange and red bit. It wasn't a break, the yarn was continuous. There were a couple of knots, where I removed a section to make the colours continue as if there hasn't been. Oddly, both of the sections I took out looked like a whole red section. It's like this yarn wants to be red. I prefer the pink/coral/purple sections.<br /><br />New skills: first time adding calf shaping. I used <a target="new" href="http://www.keyboardbiologist.net/knitblog/2007/01/toe-up-knee-soc.html">The Keyboard Biologist's handy calculation tips</a>. Could probably have worked it out myself, but it's nice to have your hand held. <br />I used <a target="new" href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/FEATjssbo.php">Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off</a> at the top, which does what its name suggests. It's simple to execute and very stretchy. I'm not sure whether I like how it looks, unstretched, but when it's on it looks fine, which is what you want.<br /><br />On to sock 2. <a target="new" href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/pigwotknits/knee-high-socks">Further notes are on Ravelry</a>.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-85030810674565155452011-02-18T11:55:00.002+00:002011-02-18T12:19:54.831+00:00Christmas knittingOh dear, I've neglected this blog rather, haven't I?<br /><br />While I work out what to do with it, here are Christmas knittings.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5455961098/" title="Totoro hat by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5012/5455961098_765cdb9e1b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Totoro hat" /></a><br /><br />This cute hat was for the small daughter of anime loving friends. <br /><br />Pattern: <a href="http://www.helloyarn.com/topdownbonnet.htm">Top-down bonnet with Anime Character</a> by Adrian Bizilia<br /><br />Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino<br /><br />Can't remember the needle size. The features were embroidered on rather than crocheted as a. I couldn't find a suitably sized crochet needle and b. I'm better at embroidery than crochet. Just.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5455962376/" title="Fairisle hat and mittens by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5455962376_0236b58481.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Fairisle hat and mittens" /></a><br /><br />Cute hat and mitten set! I improvised the mittens to match the hat.<br /><br />Pattern: <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/scrappy-gems-fair-isle-hat">Scrappy Gems Fairisle Hat</a> (Ravelry link) Modded a bit to make it deeper. The top pattern is made by going from row 37 back to row 16. <br /><br />Yarn: scraps of DK leftover from other things.<br /><br />This was almost my first attempt at stranded colourwork. (previously I used it to make little <a href="http://pigwotknits.blogspot.com/2009/03/steve-socks.html">sheep on socks</a>). I enjoyed it so much I decided to try something a little more ambitious.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5455352079/" title="First proper mitten by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5220/5455352079_1a9fc57d18.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="First proper mitten" /></a><br /><br />So, here is my first completed stranded colourwork mitten.<br /><br />The main pattern is <a href="http://golden.vuodatus.net/blog/992155">Swirly Mittens</a>. I started with this <a href="http://www.islandofmisfitpatterns.com/2006/07/11/braided-cast-on/">2 colour cast on</a>, did the cuff in corrugated rib and then a <a href="http://ohdessaknits.com/2010/07/17/latvian-braid-tutorial-and-other-such-stuff/">Latvian braid</a>.<br /><br />I'm using Colinette Jitterbug on a 3mm circular needle. This mitten clearly needs a good blocking. The first mitten came together pretty quickly in the days after Christmas. (It was a good distraction from excruciating back pain.) Mitten 2 is at the thumb gusset stage and has been for about 6 weeks. I got distracted by other things which are easier to knit while watching TV and haven't gone back to it. It's getting too warm for mittens now anyway, so I suspect I shan't finish it for ages. Mind you, if I ever do finish, I suspect I won't wear them much.<br /><br />Mitten 2 is also noticeably smaller than mitten 1. I seem to have tightened up as I get better (or more blase) at dealing with two yarns. I'm hoping it won't be too much of a difference and that blocking will sort it. Maybe?Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-11617505352183075622010-11-12T15:41:00.005+00:002010-11-12T15:56:57.259+00:00false start<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5169083055/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1321/5169083055_18dd757e5a.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5169083055/">soon to be frogged</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> This is the cuff of a <a target="new" href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer09/PATTkingdom.php">Kingdom</a> glove I started a few days ago, but am about to frog.</p>There are several reasons for this.<br /><br />1. The yarn (<a target="new" href="http://www.colinette.com/products/Jitterbug-%252d-Purple-Tan.html">Colinette Jitterbug in Purple Tan</a>) is just too busy for the intricate cables. It's too varied in colour to be a true-semi solid, but it's not highly variegated, so I thought it might work. However, having knitted a bit, you just can't see the cables properly. And if you're going to put in all the work to make tiny intricate cables, you want to be able to see them.<br /><br />2. Jitterbug is just too dense at this gauge. I haven't actually measured my gauge (naughty!) but I'm knitting it on 2mm needles. I usually knit socks in Jitterbug on 3mm needles, where it's much happier. It might be OK on 2.5mm, but on 2mm it's just too stiff. I suspect this contributes to... <br /><br />3. It's hurting my arms to knit it. All those tiny little cables are just too much for my wrists and elbows. Probably compounded by the fact that I've not felt very well this week (a cold making me feel woozy) and concentrating on knitting cables is hard work when your brain is fuzzy.<br /><br />So, time to frog and move on. Lovely pattern, gorgeous yarn, just not the right combination.<br /><br />On the plus side, I've been looking for a cable pattern that turns a right angle and this pattern has one on the cuff. It's not quite what I want for the project I have in mine (a hooded cardigan with a cabled edging that runs along the bottom, turns a corner to go up the fronts and then edges the hood) but it gives me some idea of how one might work.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-6757145801545405782010-10-11T16:30:00.005+01:002010-10-11T16:44:31.588+01:00Birthday cardiganMy little niece, Sophia, aka Tiny, was 1 year old last week. I made her a birthday cardigan and yesterday Rob and I went down to my parents' for lunch and got to hand it over in person. This is what happened.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5071447403/" title="Ooh look by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/5071447403_afc925c8c7_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Ooh look" /></a><br /><br />Ooh look, a present.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5071448015/" title="a little help from Mummy by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5071448015_d14c7b2233_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="a little help from Mummy" /></a><br /><br />Mummy had better help open it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5072052738/" title="I think she likes it by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5072052738_600f26ce9a_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="I think she likes it" /></a><br /><br />I think she likes it. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/5071450937/" title="pretty by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5071450937_7187dfaba0_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="pretty" /></a><br /><br />Pretty posing.<br /><br />The details:<br /><br />Started: 8 September <br /><br />Finished 30 September<br /><br />Pattern: <a target=_blank href="http://queencrafty.blogspot.com/2010/08/maggies-flower-tunic.html">Maggie's Flower Tunic</a> by Nancy Barrett with the addition of sleeves.<br /><br />Mods: The sleeves and an i-cord bind off in the contrast colour on hem and sleeves. <br /><br />Yarn: Adriafil New Zealand Multicolour. Under half a ball of the purple colourway and just over a ball of the rainbow pastel colourway. The yarn was a lovely gift from friends when I was in hospital.<br /><br />Needles: 4.5 mm circulars<br /><br />Buttons came from Sew Creative. I wish I'd made it bigger. It's sized for an 18months child, but Sophia, like the rest of our family, is on the large side for a one year old. In future I need to take this into consideration! It fits now, though the sleeves are a little short, but I suspect it won't for long.<br /><br />Ravelled <a target=_blank href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/pigwotknits/maggies-flower-tunic">here</a><br /><br />I'm working on a hat to semi-match.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-26536415658829612802010-07-13T14:49:00.007+01:002010-07-13T16:10:46.987+01:00The pig wot got married - the dressI'd always thought I'd make my own wedding dress. I knew it would test my sewing skills, but I like a challenge. However, the experience of making 4 bridesmaids's dresses for my sister's wedding made me rethink the idea. Even a simple dress takes lots of work to make it look good, the materials alone cost a lot and I decided I didn't really need the extra stress. So, a complete DIY was out of the question. <br /><br />Then there was the matter of what sort of dress I wanted. I toyed for a long time with the idea of knitting myself an off-white <a href="http://www.domiknitrix.com/prj/elfingoth.cfm">Elfin Bride</a> with beads, and wearing it over a corset and swishy skirt. I still want to knit Elfin Bride someday, but I was pretty sure I wouldn't have enough time to knit it in secret and I wasn't sure about getting it to fit as I wanted. My weight's fluctuated a lot over the last couple of years and I wasn't sure, even with a corset, I could get the tight fitting look I wanted without it being too tight.<br /><br />Enter <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/">Wedding Bee</a>. Where I came across <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/11/25/weve-come-a-long-way/#more-119566">beautiful lace</a> <a href="http://www.weddingbee.com/2009/09/04/wedding-dress-inspiration-and-lace/#more-109681">dresses</a>. Of course I now can't find the ones I fell in love with, but they were all lace, long and sleek in silhouette, often with a deep v neckline, no ruching or weird pick ups, just yards and yards of lace skirt and trains. I was in love. I also had no idea how I was going to find such a dress in a bridal shop, let alone afford one. I didn't want to spend hundreds and thousands on a dress, but I did want to feel like a bride.<br /><br />Thus, I arrived at eBay. One night, having had a brief chat with some friends about looking for wedding dresses, I decided to have a search on eBay. I was vaguely looking at lace and/or vintage style dresses, wondering what I could find. There were very few all lace dresses, in fact I think I only found one. It looked good, the right necklace and a gorgeous waterfall train of lace ruffles - just enough ruffles to make the back gorgeous, but not enough to overwhelm the overall shape. I bid, not really expecting to get it, but reasoning that if by some chance I did, if it didn't work, I'd resell it. A few days later, I won, and not even at my maximum bid.<br /><br /><a href="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Preparation%20and%20girls/IMG_8018.jpg"><img src="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Preparation%20and%20girls/IMG_8018_m.jpg"></a><br /><br />A few days later, she arrived, folded up in a box, all ruffly and lacey and ivory and beautiful. I tried her on at once and was instantly in love. This was my dress, for sure! She didn't quite fit, in fact getting the dress to go over my hips was impossible, but I figured I'd lose some weight with 6 months or so to go. This was wishful thinking!<br /><br />Over the next few months, I kept looking at wedding dresses. Not totally seriously, but wondering if I should have a back up plan in case my slimming into the dress plan failed. But my dress was still there, waiting in her box. I knew, however much I looked, I wouldn't find anything I loved as much. A month or so before the wedding, it was obvious I wasn't going to fit into my dress as she currently was. A drastic plan was needed. While looking up how to make a <a href="http://www.leanna.com/Bustle/Bustles.htm">bustle</a>, I found advice on how to let out dresses, including the advice to create a lace up back. Lightbulb! At that point, my dress had a zip with little buttons alongside it. Easy to do up, in theory, but less forgiving of a variation in size. A post on an <a href="http://offbeatbride.ning.com/forum/topics/1190964:Topic:80489?groupUrl=diytheweddingdress&id=1190964:Topic:80489&groupId=1190964:Group:21017&page=14#comments">OBB forum</a> gave me exactly the information I needed to make a lace-up back happen.<br /><br />With less than a month to go, I went home to my parents' for a few days, where my dress was being stored, shopped in John Lewis and my new favourite haberdashery <a href="http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/">MacCulloch and Wallis</a> and set about making my dress fit. I took out the side seams, almost all the way down and let them out as far as I could, removed the zip and created lacing loops along the centre back seam. I was pretty desperate and not at all sure it was going to work, until the moment when my mum laced me into the newly altered dress for the first time and suddenly, it all came together. It wasn't a perfect fit, but was it good enough and way better than it had been at first.<br /><br />When it came to the time to put on my dress for real, I felt gorgeous! The dress hugged my curves in all the right places, swished at the bottom and trailed behind me beautifully. At my mum's insistence I added some tulle to the front neckline, making it a little less decollete. On the day, I felt beautiful and I felt like myself. What more could you want?<br /><br /><a href="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Ceremony/IMG_7828.jpg"><img src="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Ceremony/IMG_7828_m.jpg"></a><br /><br />In lots of ways, I struck lucky. I didn't venture into a bridal shop, apart from a brief look at Oxfam's bridal shop in Cambridge, so hadn't even thought about the shapes that suited me. I was shopping based on fabric, rather than shape per se, and didn't really realised how fitted my dress was until I got it. In the event, I think the mermaid/fishtail/trumpet shape suits me well. The style is Begonia by Marylise. The few photos I've seen online really don't do it justice. I'm so happy I had the confidence to do the alterations that needed to be done. The overall cost was much less than the fairly modest amount I'd budgeted for it and there's no way I could have made something similar from scratch for that price. I've not seen a dress like it in the weddings I've been to recently, which makes me quietly happy. So, even if I didn't make it myself, I ended up with a dress that was unique, beautiful and very me.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Photos by <a target=_blank href="http://www.daveroutledge.co.uk/">Dave Routledge</a>.</span>Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-72690905227384644782010-06-22T15:41:00.002+01:002010-06-22T16:18:06.735+01:00The pig wot got married - wedding shawlI was going to post about this at a point when it fitted into the story of our wedding day as told on my other blog, but a couple of people asked and I can't resist showing off. Here is my wedding shawl, in one of my favourite photos from our wedding day, taken on the portico of the Fitzwilliam Museum.<br /><br /><a href="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Couples%20and%20singles/IMG_8800.jpg"><img src="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Couples%20and%20singles/IMG_8800_m.jpg"></a><br /><br />The pattern is <a target=_blank href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring09/KSPATTaeolian.php">Aeolian</a> by Elizabeth Freeman, which seems to be a popular patten for wedding shawls, judging by Ravelry.<br /><br />The yarn is a 4 ply silk I bought several years ago from <a target=_blank href="http://www.fyberspates.co.uk/">Fyberspates</a>. It's gorgeously soft and shiny, blocks beautifully and was the perfect colour to complement my ivory dress, purple shoes and purple and pink flowers. I didn't have quite enough to cast off, as the pattern uses a double strand, so I went stash-diving again and came up with a small quantity of aran silk from <a href="http://hipknits.co.uk/">HipKnits</a>, left over from <a href="http://pigwotknits.blogspot.com/2007/01/belated-scarf.html">this scarf</a>. The weight of the aran is a little heavier than 2 strands of 4ply, but not much. The colours are similar to the body of the shawl, but darker, giving an extra pop of colour to the wavy edge.<br /><br /><a href="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Couples%20and%20singles/IMG_8849.jpg"><img src="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Official%20photos/Couples%20and%20singles/IMG_8849_m.jpg"></a><br /><br />In this photo (ignore my windswept hair and veil), you can see the beads better. They're creamy pearly beads, size 6, I think. Looks like I neglected to record where exactly I bought them. This was my first time knitting with beads and it wasn't as hard as I'd feared. I don't think I'd like to tackle the sort of project where you have to start by threading all your beads onto your yarn, but placing each one on the right stitch with a thin crochet hook was not too fiddly and very satisfying.<br /><br />I'm very very pleased with the result. The shawl actually didn't get much wear on the day. I didn't put it on until after the group photos when we went off on our own for some more pictures and, once we got to the reception, I didn't need it for warmth. But it will always be my wedding shawl and when I wear it again (which I will, unlike the dress) I'll remember our wedding day and smile.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Photos by <a target=_blank href="http://www.daveroutledge.co.uk/">Dave Routledge</a>.</span>Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-17703293590778590942010-06-12T16:39:00.002+01:002010-06-12T16:43:46.513+01:00too tired to KIPIt's <a target=_blank href="http://www.wwkipday.com/">World Wide Knit in Public day</a>. Well, strictly speaking it's the beginning of the WWKIP season, which runs from 12th to 20th June. I planned to join my fellow Cambridge <a target=_blank href="http://knitcambridge.blogspot.com/">KTog</a>gers on Parkers Piece at 1pm this afternoon. But I was so tired, I slept most of the morning and didn't get dressed until 2pm. So I shall be KIP-ing at some other time and place this week, probably whenever I think of it.<br /><br />Where are you KIP-ing?Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-65057043233116331552010-06-04T19:11:00.002+01:002010-06-04T19:26:34.578+01:00well, that's one way to de-stashEver since the weather got warmer, we've been finding moths around our flat. They're little brown ones which look like scraps of brown paper. When I was away last weekend, Rob went on a determined hunt and killed all the moths he could find. For a few days, we were moth-free, but I knew it wouldn't last. They must be breeding in the flat somewhere. Killing off all the adults we could find wasn't getting to the source of the problem.<br /><br />Today I found it. I was searching for an elusive 3.5mm circular needle to swatch with. I wasn't having much luck, so I took all my wool bags and baskets off the top shelf and started to rootle them. Imagine my horror on finding my baskets of oddments full of little grey-ish specks and papery cocoons. I squished one of the cocoons and found it full of sliminess - a definitely active clothes moth larva. :( Many of my odd balls were full of cocoons and eggs and some were chewed into short lengths. <br /><br />Three wicker baskets full of oddments have now gone straight off to the bins (which are outside and a distance from the building). I've had a look through the other bags of wool that were up there and they look ok, but I don't think I want to risk it. I've put some precious whole skeins in the freezer (including my gorgeous honeymoon yarn), but I suspect that I shall just ditch much of the rest. It's mostly oddments, odd balls and partial skeins, although there's a large-ish amount of Rowan 4ply soft I'm hoping to make into a short sleeved jumper that I don't want to bin.<br /><br />Fortunately, my stash isn't enormous. I've got maybe half a dozen balls/skeins of sock wool, my honeymoon laceweight, the Rowan, a couple of things I've got 4 or 5 balls of (left over from jumpers) and then oddments, which I doubt I''ll miss. I hope this will teach me to keep my stash small, and to keep it in sealed plastic bags, not open wicker baskets.<br /><br />Next, a grand search of the rest of the flat. Starting with the laundry basket which has several dirty woollen items which have been waiting a while to be washed. I fear the worst. :SPig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-4384568308794521512010-06-02T17:54:00.002+01:002010-06-02T18:18:20.920+01:00The pig wot got married - bridesmaidsI'm posting about my wedding on my other blog. I thought I'd post here about the things I made and bought in terms of clothes and decorations. Let's start with my lovely bridesmaids.<br /><br /><a href="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Sergeis%20photos/IMG_9019.jpg"><img src="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Sergeis%20photos/IMG_9019_m.jpg"></a><br /><br />Here's Liz, in red, with Hannah (pink) and Debs (purple) just about visible behind her. They're all wearing the same dress, which is by Teatro and no longer seems to be online anywhere. All their dresses were bought on eBay. I wanted my bridesmaids to be dressed similarly, but not the same. I liked the idea of having many shades of pink, red and purple as my colour scheme. I didn't want to be stressing about finding exact colour matches for everything. If it was pink, red or purple, it was great! Having said that, within the BMs' outfits, there was a bit of colour matching to do, although some of it came about serendipitously.<br /><br /><a href="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Sergeis%20photos/IMG_9020.jpg"><img src="http://robandbekkiwedding.com/images/gallery/Our%20wedding/Sergeis%20photos/IMG_9020_m.jpg"></a><br /><br />The fascinators were the first thing I matched. I love fascinators, they're so much fun to wear. These ones came from Debenhams in the January sales. I think I paid full price for one, but the others were marked down by about 70%. They're all different and all (except the purple one) match the dresses perfectly. <br /><br />The girls wore their own necklaces and shoes. The only stipulation I made about shoes was that Liz (who is shorter than me) could wear heels but Debs and Hannah couldn't. :) Debs wore some purple flats she already owned and Liz found some bargainous red LK Bennett heels for £5 in a charity shop.<br /><br />The last thing I realised was that I needed to keep my bridesmaids warm. As I was knitting myself a shawl, I liked the idea of all of us wearing Bekki-knitted wraps or shawls, but I didn't really have the time to knit three more. A rummage through my wardrode produced two Clapotis - one in purple which perfectly matched Debs' dress and a second in purple and pink, which while not a perfect match, went well with Hannah's pink. The solution was obvious - knit a third Clapotis in red for Liz.<br /><br />In the end, I don't think they wore them very much. These seem to be the only photographs in which all three bridesmaids are wearing their wraps. But it was pleasing to have us all wearing eBay-ed dresses and hand-knitted shawls.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-10480645125532670432010-04-29T10:29:00.002+01:002010-04-29T10:39:26.925+01:00Baby Fimble cardigan<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4398181139/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4398181139_048f0b6d79.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4398181139/">FO: aka Fimble cardigan</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> It's been a while! I have wedding knitting to share, but first, let's catch up on pre-wedding FOs.</p>This is one of several baby cardigans I made at some point between November and February. Two were this colourway for baby girls and one was red and yellow for a bump of unknown gender who turned out to be a boy. I picked these colours first of all for my niece, because they looked so scrummy together. It was only when I was well into the body that I realised they matched Baby Pom from the <a target=_blank href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/fimbles/">Fimbles</a>. Unintentional, but still pretty.<br /><br />Yarn: Rico Design Baby Classic DK (Just under one ball of each colour per cardigan)<br /><br />Needles: 3.5mm (ribbing) and 4mm (stocking stitch) circulars<br /><br />Pattern: Top down raglan, made up by me. <a target=_blank href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/pigwotknits/baby-fimble-cardigan">Fuller pattern on Ravelry</a>.<br /><br />Buttons came from Sew Creative. In terms of knitting time, it didn't take very long. I think the first one was knitting in 2 or 3 days. Quick and cute.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-89317531560682977282010-03-01T09:45:00.002+00:002010-03-01T09:51:18.618+00:00woolly bride<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4397274835/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/4397274835_c08aa9e792.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4397274835/">woolly bride</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> What do you do at a hen party* for a knitter? You dress her up in a wedding outfit made up of many many knitted items. :) <br /><br />This was the end result of a game in which my friends all brought knitted items to the party which were gradually pinned on to make me a woolly wedding outfit. I had to guess the answers given by Rob to questions about our relationship. If I got the question right, I got to choose and pin on an item. If I got it wrong, the person reading out the question did. The final ensemble was very colourful and very warm. Note the awesome bouquet made out of bobble hats and gloves. (And Bendy Bob, who escaped from '<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hasbro-The-Big-Taboo/dp/B000GHVZEW">The Big Taboo</a>'). Maybe if it's freezing cold in 19 days' time, I'll wish I was wearing something like this?</p>*US: Bachelorette party.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-35150069662284506232010-02-08T11:34:00.001+00:002010-02-08T11:37:32.231+00:00Not dead - busyHello there. I am still alive, and still knitting. Most of my knitting projects are wedding related, though there's a batch of baby cardigans and some socks I could show off.<br /><br />My wedding shawl is finished, but not blocked, but I'm not going to show if off until after the wedding, I think. Will try to post a few FOs this week, but after that, I think I'm going to be in wedding-prep land. :)<br /><br />Roll on 20th March! (40 days to go).Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-6557554142871274832009-10-29T16:08:00.002+00:002009-10-29T16:23:00.277+00:00wedding shawl beginnings<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4055301845/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/4055301845_2d37b9399f.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4055301845/">Wedding shawl swatches</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> </p>It's time to do some knitting for me! I originally planned to make my own wedding dress, but having made bridesmaids' dresses over the summer, I decided I could do without the stress. So instead I bought one from eBay, which may need some adjustments (and I need to lose weight to get into it), but it is beautiful and I couldn't possibly make something like that myself. So instead, I will knit myself a wedding shawl. I'm getting married in March, it's bound to be a little chilly and a beautiful shawl is the perfect way to keep warm.<br /><br />Some searching on Ravelry and posting on the Cambridge Ktog board lead me to <a target=_blank href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring09/KSPATTaeolian.php">Aeolian</a>. Now I need to decide on a yarn. I originally thought I'd make something cream/offwhite, but talking to people made me think about colour. Then I found this silk 4ply yarn in my stash. It's softly variegated in shades of lilac and pink - perfect for my colour scheme and the romantic lace of my dress.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4055304785/" title="silk swatch by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4055304785_9c6091c704.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="silk swatch" /></a><br /><br />I love the colour and the feel of it. The only problem with it is that so far, I havent found beads which fit onto the yarn. I've got sime size 9s and size 8s, both are too small. If I found some beads which fitted, went with the colours (I'm thinking either a pearly bead or a metallic/pearly lilac), I'd go with this yarn.<br /><br />There's also a laceweight option.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4056049594/" title="laceweight swatch by the pig wot flies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2546/4056049594_9506ef940e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="laceweight swatch" /></a><br /><br />This is some hand-painted laceweight I acquired at the most recent stash swap. I think it came from Jackie and was painted by Heather? I should probably message them to check. If so, I could ask Heather to dye me some in similar soft colours to the silk. The beads on it are (L-R) pearly lilac, pearly cream and a metallic darker purple.<br /><br />Of course, neither of these swatches have been near my dress yet. I'm going to my parents' house where my dress is hiding this weekend, so I shall take my swatches, see what goes and go from there. So, what do you think? Which yarn? Which beads? Decisions, decisions.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-77028753860962576992009-10-20T10:07:00.003+01:002009-10-20T12:42:34.665+01:00tiny February baby jacket<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4020026849/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2743/4020026849_f7829a2d7f.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4020026849/">February baby jacket</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> </p>This is my favourite thing I've knitted so far for Tiny. I started it in January, before I knew my sister was pregnant. The yarn was a freebie from Yarn Forward magazine and it just seemed to fit with the pattern. Then when Debs found she was pregnant, it had to be for her baby. And here she is, finally and it fits. <br /><br />Yarn: Merino wool, reward for renewing my subscription to <a target=_blank href="http://yarnforwardmagazine.co.uk/">Yarn Forward magazine</a>. (Looking at my ravelry notes, it's called Sensation. 100g, 300m).<br /><br />Needles: 3.25mm circulars<br /><br />Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmerman's <a target=_blank href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-sweater-on-two-needles-february">Baby sweater on two needles</a> (Ravelry link), with gull lace as she suggests.<br /><br />I followed the directions, which mostly made sense to me. I think I had to redo the button holes near the top when I realised what she meant - button holes every 7 garter ridges, I think. It's such a beautiful pattern! I can see why so many people knit them. Purple buttons came from John Lewis. I love the contrast between yellow and purple, it makes both colours pop. More baby clothes should be in bright colour combinations!Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-78855173710700866902009-10-20T09:58:00.002+01:002009-10-20T10:06:14.540+01:00tiny kimono<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4020787312/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2795/4020787312_05abed776e.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4020787312/">tiny kimono</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> More baby knitting!</p>Tiny was beginning to get a little grumpy here. This was the second garment I'd tried on her. <br /><br />Yarn: More hand-dyed sock wool from Hay on Wye. Now identified by <a target=_blank href="http://www.pettigrew.org.uk/anne/">Anne</a> as being from <a target=_blank href="http://www.naturals.ukpc.net/woolWillowShopRoot/Index.html">Wool and Willow</a> and dyed by Jenny Cook.<br /><br />Needles: 3.5mm (I think)<br /><br />Pattern: <a target=_blank href="http://clementineshoes.blogspot.com/2007/05/baby-kimono.html">Clementine's Baby Kimono</a> by Diana Jones<br /><br />Mods: None in the knitting. I finished it with three purple buttons (one inside) and sewn button loops instead of ribbons.<br /><br />I like the construction of the kimono, though the ribbing will need blocking each time it's washed. It looks pretty cute, I think. Ribbons would probably make it more adjustable, they just seemed a bit fiddly.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-88863857235858456532009-10-19T11:30:00.003+01:002009-10-19T11:41:55.318+01:00tiny socks<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4020790926/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3520/4020790926_488be0edb4.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/4020790926/">tiny socks</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> I have been knitting. Mostly for my little niece, blogname Tiny, who was born on 7th October. This was taken on her first evening at home. She has enormous feet, so I don't think these socks will fit for long. :)</p>Yarn: Hand-dyed sock yarn bought in Hay on Wye. I've now lost the ball band, so can't tell you the name of the dyer.<br /><br />Needles: 2mm circs<br /><br />Pattern: <a target=_blank href="http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/p/14020.aspx">Better than Booties Baby Socks</a> by Anne Budd. (Ruffle rib version)<br /><br />Started and finished: sometime in September 09<br /><br />The blanket you can just see was made for me when I was a baby by some relative or other (not quite sure who. There are various knitters in my family. Even my dad has been known to knit). It's lovely to see it being used for the first of the next generation.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-55640679539666566782009-08-25T11:43:00.002+01:002009-08-25T11:51:18.708+01:00wedding cake<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/3827035501/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3827035501_6c237fe86a.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/3827035501/">wedding cake</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> This was a joint effort. The bottom tier is fruit cake made (in a bucket) by my mum and Hannah's now husband Steve. The upper tiers are chocolate (made to this <a target=_blank href="http://www.the-wedding-information-site.com/chocolate-wedding-cake-recipe.html">recipe</a>) made by me and my mum (the top layer was gluten-free for my dad and grandma). We covered the cakes with ready made icing and added lime green polka dots and brown ribbon.<br /><br />The finished cake was very heavy and tricky to transport, but we did it. (Well, my mum and dad did). It looked good and tasted pretty good too.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-85321207439760763712009-08-19T15:42:00.003+01:002009-08-19T16:02:21.209+01:00bridesmaids' dresses<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/3827038735/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3570/3827038735_feabc9d134.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/3827038735/">bridesmaid</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> Rather a lot of the past 6 weeks has been spent making bridesmaids' dresses. With a chocolate brown and lime green theme, it was the easiest way to get four dresses which (semi) matched. This is mine, which I spent most of the day hoiking up. Oops. Not as well fitted on the bust as it could have been.</p>The pattern is Vogue 7848. The fabric is (scarily expensive, but rather lovely) silk satin from <a target=_blank href="http://www.borovickfabricsltd.co.uk/">Borovick's</a>. I don't have pictures of all four of us, but here's Anna, along with my gorgeous sister Hannah.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vWJ6KVq31dOyloE4JhrE4eMUOTexmspV0WMTi4i9HoMv4uxqcO7Cn_GtNvCaJpK_IHObg_o4TBAgQmBoLlLoZS1Zu3OMYIq-Ym49QI_o0Xw_qw3Wh7vgvlXPQIS-plqMwtqC/s1600-h/IMG_1324.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vWJ6KVq31dOyloE4JhrE4eMUOTexmspV0WMTi4i9HoMv4uxqcO7Cn_GtNvCaJpK_IHObg_o4TBAgQmBoLlLoZS1Zu3OMYIq-Ym49QI_o0Xw_qw3Wh7vgvlXPQIS-plqMwtqC/s320/IMG_1324.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371686565869192578" /></a><br /><br />My other sister Debs is 33 weeks pregnant, so she needed a different style of dress. This isn't the best angle, but you can see the empire line and straps of her dress (<a target=_blank href="http://www.burdafashion.com/en/Patterns/Main_Collection/7630_Maternity_dress/1270778-1128998-1679669-1679716.html">Burda 7630</a>). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM6kN5_JZafbKBckCik9d6Hh0yZrLaArHd4Ud65y9SBRij-7xIGNKXhkdDM9jN2zGgAJFK8YBwsP_HyJLGYCSx4zPqdcS9IgIuoHsR-hVYQbhKkBcDATuHZhGebPz0B2MdgGX/s1600-h/IMG_1315.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM6kN5_JZafbKBckCik9d6Hh0yZrLaArHd4Ud65y9SBRij-7xIGNKXhkdDM9jN2zGgAJFK8YBwsP_HyJLGYCSx4zPqdcS9IgIuoHsR-hVYQbhKkBcDATuHZhGebPz0B2MdgGX/s320/IMG_1315.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371687556192188994" /></a><br /><br />The silk was a little intimidating to cut and sew, but with some patience, fine pins and lots of tissue paper, I got the hang of it. It felt gorgeous to wear and looks pretty good in the photos I've seen. Debs felt a bit too hot, but I think she'd have been too hot whatever she wore. The silk sashes tended to slip very easily, of course. I'm pleased with my work, though it has put me off the idea of making bridesmaids' dresses for my own wedding. I want to make my own dress and I think I'm going to have enough on my plate without adding 4 more. Though maybe I'll make a dress for the smallest bridesmaid...Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17675612.post-30958337655070771172009-08-16T22:07:00.004+01:002009-08-17T08:34:31.065+01:00What I've been up to<style type="text/css">.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }</style><div class="flickr-frame"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/3827830962/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2669/3827830962_ac870b3e07.jpg" class="flickr-photo" alt="" /></a><br /> <span class="flickr-caption"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepigwotflies/3827830962/">pom poms!</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/thepigwotflies/">the pig wot flies</a>.</span></div> <p class="flickr-yourcomment"> For the last few months, I have been mostly making these. My sister got married yesterday in a lime green and brown pom pom strewn wedding. We made a few hundred pom poms in different sizes to be used as decorations and thrown as confetti.</p>The inspiration came from this wedding blog - <a target=_blank href="http://www.howengaging.blogspot.com/">How engaging!</a> - and <a target=_blank href="http://howengaging.blogspot.com/2008/10/we-totally-got-married.html">this gorgeous post</a> in particular. Way back when HP got engaged and started thinking about wedding colour schemes, she liked the idea of using chocolate brown and maybe lime green, but wasn't totally sure. I think showing her that blog helped her decide that it could work and was definitely a big influence on the final scheme. I'm going to blog some of the other things we made for the wedding, but if you can't wait, click through for some tasters on flickr.Pig wot flieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15619021728297385585noreply@blogger.com0