WIP's everywhere

I've got a bevvy of half finished projects surrounding me at the moment, most with deadlines closing in and of course I'm sitting here browsing Ravelry.

Royal Melbourne Show entries are due early September and all three of my proposed entries are all well under way but all at that point of the project where I need to knuckle down if I'm to get them completed in time.

I'm onto the border of the Hansel hap, which should be a good thing but unfortunately it's now of a size that makes it difficult to knit on the train.  The border is knit on sideways which means short rows and lots of turning of the project.  I get myself tangled up on the couch, let alone on a peak hour train.  So it's confined to evening knitting time currently and there hasn't been much time for that sadly. 

The tea cosy just needs to be seamed and have a pompom made and attached.  It's probably the least of my worries but I am concerned about the pompom.  My yarn is limited and I don't have any room for error if it doesn't go right so I think I'm procrastinating.

Finally, the socks have reached the dangerous "second-sock-syndrome" zone.  I finished the first on Thursday but ignored my own cardinal rule about immediately casting on the second and now here it is Sunday and if I don't get my act together they won't be ready for tomorrow's train ride.

I am rather liking the pattern though.  It's Torrent, from Tin Can Knits and anyone who knows me can tell you how much I enjoy their patterns.  The yarn is from Fiberific!; it's the Sunflower base but there wasn't a colourway listed on the ball band.  I picked it up last year at Bendigo Sheep and Wool and it's a very lovely match with the pattern, don't you think?

I also cast on another Woolamai, this one in a chartreuse colourway.  You can read more about that over on the Whisky Bay Woollens journal, if you're interested.

I think I really need to get focused!

Passion project

I've been working quietly behind the scenes on a bit of a passion project for nearly 2 years,  and I'm now so excited to tell you that my new venture - Whisky Bay Woollens - has gone LIVE today!

I was looking for a new creative outlet and whilst knitting other people's patterns and designs is awesome; I wanted more.  It came at a time when I was really investigating my environment and the organic conclusion was to combine the two elements and turn my hand to knitwear pattern designs.

Over my years of knitting, I have worked with so many different variances of yarn but when it comes down to it, I have realised I love woolly wool.  The rustic, rugged textures combined with it's properties of tactile properties make my heart sing.

I have also always loved texture in knitting, and have often spent days just playing with different stitch pattern combinations just to see what they look like.

'Oceanside' is the first of what I hope will be quarterly releases of collections of knitting patterns.  It's the summation of how I have been influenced by the environment I have submersed myself in for the last decade and a half, and my growth as a knitter over that same time.  It's wild and woolly and beautiful, and i think it has a colour palette that is an expression of natural harmony.

Squeaky Beach fingerless mitts

The first collection includes three accessory patterns - a cowl, a pair of fingerless mitts, and a close-fitting beanie.  All three are named after beaches that have influenced me in one way or another, and are close to my heart.

Balnarring textured cowl

I've aimed to use a variety of yarns that create a tactile response from the knitter, an awareness of how the combination of yarn and textural stitches plays a big part in the pleasure of knitting handmade items..

Woolamai chevron beanie

All three patterns are now available for sale via Ravelry, and full details can be found both there and on the website.

I'm so thrilled to share them with you, and hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed their creation.

so close

Just dropping in here for a quick post today, before I head overseas.  I'm off to Bali this week for a yoga retreat, and a bit of much needed R&R.  It's going to be so lovely to warm up the bones.  

Since my last post, I have been taking my Daelyn jumper as my train knitting each day.  It's not really all that portable anymore, but It is so close to being finished and I can't wait to get it off the needles and be able to wear it, especially with the weather we've been having in Melbourne - brr!   5 degrees Celsius this morning as I walked from the train station to work.  
 
I've been reading accounts from Northern Hemisphere bloggers about the current heatwave they are experiencing, as I wrap another blanket around me and tuck my toes in to stay warm and count down the sleeps to my holiday.

But before I go, I would love to have this jumper finished.  Half a sleeve and the neckband to go, then I can block it and leave it to dry while I'm away.  It's totally a plan.

I'm still loving this colour, even if it is a right PITA to photograph accurately.  Not even natural light and a mid-grey background helped today.  My foot was there to try and get a different light-meter reading, to see if that would help but no such luck.

Here's hoping I can get a better shot of the finished piece.  I may have to employ a professional, I think...

Aside from Daelyn, I've not got much else in the way of knitting that I can share at the moment. If you follow me on Instagram (@kgirlknits) you may have seen a recent sneak peak of a project I've been working on though.  I'm hoping that shortly after I get back from Bali I will be able to reveal a little more of this goodness.   It's all so very exciting and I can't wait to share!

So, until then -  hope you all stay warm in the Southern Hemisphere and for those in the North - I hope the heat breaks soon.

(I'll try not to flood Instagram with sunny Bali photos but I make no real promises)

Nothing new under the sun

Recently I knit a pair of socks for myself, without the aid of any pattern other than my own understanding and acquired knowledge of how a sock is knit.  This is nothing ground-breaking or particularly clever of course. It's just simply a by-product, an accumulation, of the construction of the hundreds of patterns I have knit over the years and held within my mind and hands. Regardless of all that, it does still give one a pleasant sense of achievement, knowing it can be done.

The motivation came as I unexpectedly finished the project I'd brought into work that morning, so at lunchtime I grabbed a skein of Colinette Jitterbug in Vatican Pie (oh, that saturated red!) and some needles and cast on ready for the train commute home.

Granny's Lucky Red Longjohns
Colinette Jitterbug - colourway: Vatican Pie

To alleviate boredom I added a 1x1 garter stitch rib, which pleasantly formed a lovely snug sock that fits my foot beautifully.  It's also rather warm as garter stitch rib has a waffle-y texture similar to that used in thermal underwear amongst other things.  

I took a calculated risk and cast on many less stitches than I would normally for socks - 54 on 2.5mm needles, instead of my usual 64.  This decision was influenced by my experience of Jitterbug as a "hefty" sock yarn and the anticipation of stretch in the ribbed stitch pattern.  Turns out it was a great decision - go me!  

As I finished the first sock and started the second, I thought to myself "these are such great socks, how could it be possible that nobody else has ever written it up before?"  They are simple enough to knit whilst other things are happening like conversations, meetings, TV-watching, and I discovered they are also an excellent choice for gift knitting as the rib pattern is very accommodating when you are working with unknown foot and leg dimensions.  

Knowing that there was an excellent chance there probably was this very pattern out there, I had what I thought was quite a thorough look on Ravelry and was surprised that I couldn't find one that was quite the same. There are many patterns utilising this stitch pattern, socks included, but none in the specific combination of 1x1, gauge and yarn weight that I could see. 

a gift pair, for Mum (photo credit: Mum!)
Colinette Jitterbug - colourway: Caramel

So I got excited to share. I wrote down my notes into a more coherent format, made a couple more pairs, and was just about to upload them as a free pattern....when I started reading my copy of Sock Architecture which was given to me by a friend recently.

And lo and behold; there they were!  Strie socks, by Lara Neel.

Photo credit: Lara Neel

Reading through the patterns they are not exactly the same, but close enough to make me laugh out loud right then and there. 

As the saying goes - there's nothing new under the sun!