knitting but not reading

Doesn't the photo look gorgeous? 

Much nicer than in real life, although it is very bright then too! 

I'm knitting another little cardigan for the Tiny Granddaughter and this one is a bit more challenging for my new knitting skills. It's called Playful Stripes and so far so good! 

Initially I wanted to use up some of the leftover wool I had but in actual fact I ended up buying most of it new because I couldn't work out how to make it with more stripes. There will be wool left over again so perhaps next time I'll pick a pattern that does use up various stash wools!

You may notice that the green border on the left hand piece is different from the piece on the right? Thats because I couldn't wait to start knitting and only had the pink and two greens, so the greens became the border. When I started the sleeve (after having purchased a few extra colours) I decided that it needed a 'zinger' colour so added the orange. It's only a play cardi so it wont matter, I think but it's supposed to be finished for Christmas........!

Let me tell you about needles..... (say I who really doesn't have much of a clue!!!) I do know what feels good to use though, so maybe that gives me some kudos, eh? 

Anyway, originally I was given a pack of bamboo circular needles by a friend and thought they were pretty much the ant pants! After all, here I was, a new knitter and all, using circulars!! Oh my, the prestige, I thought! And I was very happy with them. 

Fast forward to the beginnings of this project where I needed a variety of circular needle sizes and lengths and stopped by a shop to stock up. The lovely lady there encouraged me to try the Knit Pro Symfonie Interchangeable needles and oh my, what a difference! 

So smooth! 

Such elegant points!

What delightful colours! 

I'm sold!! 

No kidding, they really are fantastic and smooth - the wool glides along the plastic cable bits beautifully and the handy little locking device keeps them securely done up. And the cables are in my fave colour too!! 

I've just realised that I"m supposed to be doing some reading along with the knitting but alas there's not much of that going on right now. The Diggers club catalogue for garden and gift inspiration and a quick peek into my Trim Healthy Mama ebook for a recipe now and then, thats about all. 

Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm doing! 

Joining in with Ginnys Yarn Along today. 

Ich bin amall wieder beim stricken. Eine kleine rosa rote Jacke für die kleinste maus im haus! Aber nicht heuer weil jetzt kommt ja der Sommer, sondern nächstes Jahr für den Herbst und Winter. Ich komm leider nicht zum viel lesen aber das stricken kann ich immer wieder abheben und eine reihe machen daweil ich mit meine Kinder rede oder ihre schule Unterricht. Ich mochte es fertig machen vor Weihnachten aber wehr weis ob das auch wert!!  

just in time for spring!!

It's done! Finished and on the babe! 

And she is looking so cute! 

I loved knitting this - quite easy for a beginner like me, knitted up quickly, giving almost instant gratification! 

Spring has sprung here in the southern most state of Australia. Daffodils are blooming at every corner, plum blossoms are dusted over branches that were bare just a few short weeks ago, the grass is lush and has that certain tinge of green that only spring grass has and, in paddocks everywhere, there are sweet little lambs frisking about! 

This is the Elf's first spring - well, the first one she can actually get amongst and it's such a joy to see her stumbling about in the sweet spring grass! Everything is new again in the eternal cycle of rebirth but for her it is new, new. And because she is new too, there is a freshness for us looking on and watching, while she discovers and delights. 

She reminds me so much of my daughter at that age, both of them blonde haired, blue eyed, fresh faced and eminently kissable!! 

LOVE!!  

look what i can do!!

My dear mama taught me to knit many years ago, but it was too slow for me, this going to and fro in minute increments...... with barely a change in size to show for all that needle clacking.  

I knitted a couple of vests - one of which I still wear - and that was that. 

I had some babies, sewed lots of clothes and quilts, learnt smocking, embroidery, crochet and cooking. 

Wool was for finger knitting at the Steiner kindergarten or for hanging up shell and driftwood mobiles, right?? 

When I discovered this bloggy world, I read how so many lovely women were knitting up a storm and I was intrigued. 

Jackets, beanies, socks, casting on, cable and icord; lots of gorgeous hand knits and baby knits and home decorating knits; luscious alpaca, fluffy angora and silk blends; terms that slowly, slowly made sense and gave me a gentle nudge to perhaps give two sticks and a bit of string another try.

And then I had a granddaughter. Stuy and the children suggested that I had better start knitting now that I was a granny. In fact its a bit of a joke for them now, ribbing me about Granny.com!! 

So I did have a try..... and it must be like riding a bike, because although I was slow and couldn't read a pattern, I could still knit!! Yep, it just came back or was there but hidden, all along. 

I knit in the continental style, so spent quite a while searching for how to's and videos that would tell me what ssl and yoh meant! 

First a tiny vest, then a beanie or two, and now another vest (Pickles Plain vest) with button holes!! There's no stopping me now! 

The little one was ho hum, her mama was suitably impressed, and I am ecstatic!! 

I can knit!!!! 

I am a knitter!!!!

How exciting is that?? 

Meine mama hatt mir stricken gelernt wenn ich ganz jung war aber außer zwei Vesten, hab ich nie mehr was gestrickt.

Und dann bin ich Großmutter geworden.

Großmütter tun ja stricken, nit? So hab ich müssen schnell wieder lernen wie es geht. Und jetzt hab Ichs geschafft - hier ist eine Veste fix fertig und auf die süsse Lola.

Jetzt kann ich mich selbst auch Strickerin nennen!!    

still knitting..... and learning

Lori ann, sweet woman, here is the 'in three's' baby cardigan, thanks for the prompt to show it's progress! I'm almost finished and so excited that I've mastered a new pattern with new instructions! The colours are not really my favourites but I had them stashed away in a suitcase and a few weeks ago I wanted to knit NOW! It doesn't matter really because this little number is just a play cardy for the Small Elf and a practice run for me......... you know, to see if I'm feeling a tad more comfy with this whole knitting gig!  

And I am!!!! I'm beginning to think of myself as a knitter! A very amateurish beginning knitter and not quite in the inner circle of centripetal and fair isle and magic loops, but it's a start. I must admit though, that I already have quite a few other projects in mind and even another little bundle of yarn to start one of them! There's no stopping me now!! 

Last year sometime, I decided that I needed to embrace a sugar free, grain free lifestyle and so spent a number of months eating accordingly. I enjoyed it immensely and thought it was great. Until Christmas, that is. Then it kinda went out the window, only resurfacing in a milder form for a few months this year. BUT I learnt a lot of interesting information as I went along and still believe that we eat too many grains and sugar. 

Then just last week I happened to find a book that I'd wanted for some time I Quit Sugar by the gorgeous Sarah Wilson. It was an eyeopener as to what sugars really are and how they work in our bodies, as well as explaining that while cane sugar is made up of fructose and glucose, agave nectar -which I'd substituted for cane sugar - was actually 90 percent fructose!! Uh oh! So here I was thinking that I was sugar free while in fact my blood sugar levels were soaring! 

Then my good friend lent me a book that she'd been telling me about for months - Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett. Fascinating. It's probably more of a keeping trim book with a sugar free slant, but they have researched their thoughts really well and have taken the best bits from various eating regimes and put it all into doable form. I cant tell you more than that at the moment because I've only just started reading it but it's so interesting that I cant put it down. And I mean really fascinating! Do click on the link and read the reviews at the bottom of the page.  

I'm linking with Ginny and her Yarn Along again today. 

in three's

 


 

Oh golly gosh!!!!! I can hardly believe that I'm joining in with Ginnys Yarn Along again!! With a whole new project, in fact! Another knitting project. I'm amazing myself, I really am! 

Yes, yes, I have finished the little vest and gifted it to the Tiny Elf who looks adorable in it. Yes, I will post the pics shortly, just to prove it!! 

But look at this...... I've already cast on another small garment and so far so good. This one is the 'in three's' cardigan which I've had in mind to do for a while now. I was inspired after I popped in to visit Tania and she had just been to Spotlight and brought home some 8ply. Remembering that I had a few similar balls of yarn, I unearthed them and checked out my Ravelry list and viola! the 'in threes' was perfect! It will be the soft pink at the top and a darker shade from the yoke down and hopefully there'll be enough yarn! There is a nice mauve as well, should I need it. 

As for reading, that hasn't gone so well. I still haven't finished Graceling although I do plan to, soon! At the moment I'm reading through the May issue of Servus magazine, an indulgence that gets sent to me each month from Austria. It is such a beautiful publication - recipes, folklore, profiles on craft people, old legends re-told, herbal lore and more, all with the most breathtaking photography and sketches. And it provides me with practice in reading, and consequently spelling, German..... so I feel a bit justified in all those freight miles!! 

(PS - doesn't the wool go so well with the pink roses?)

It really is so much easier reading a short article and getting the whole thing read in a few minutes, as opposed to finding time to wade through a whole novel! Once upon a time I had no such dilemmas, I read until late, late in the night but now I pay for transgressions like that, the next day!! 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I have been a bit slow with replying to comments lately but I really appreciate that you have visited and perhaps left a note! 

xxxx hugs xxx

Hallo meine lieben! 

Heute nur mal ein paar schnelle wörter über mein neues stricken und lesen. Ich bin nicht eine sehr schnelle Strickerin, eher bin ich beim nähen oder basteln zuhause, aber momentan macht mir stricken amall spaß! 

Für meine kleine Enkelin stricke ich dieses entzückendes rosa Strickjakerl. Die wolle hab ich schon hier daheim im Schrank gehabt und konnte sofort anfangen. Und neben an hab ich noch von Mai die Servus Magazin zum fertig lesen, weil bald kommt schon die Juni Ausgabe.

Servus bis nächstes mal xx   

knitting!! and reading

I'm so excited to be able to join in with Ginny's Yarn Along this week!!! Not only because it inspires me to do a post but simply because it means I'm knitting!! Oh, and reading....sort of! 

It feels like I've been working on this Plain Vest for a very long time - about a month or so. I know, I know, for all you seasoned knitters out there that's ages on one small vest, though it has only been knit in my spare moments while waiting at piano lessons or ballet classes. Sadly I'm not able to knit (or read) while travelling in the car unless the road is very very straight...... and I have to 'fess up that I've frogged it twice - and am feeling very professional using that term *grin*  I worked the first effort up to the sleeve openings and discovered, after trying it on the Little Elf, that it was too small, so it was rippit, rippit!! 

After perusing the Pickles site, and purchasing the bigger sized vest pattern,  I discovered the Plain Tunic and thought I'd try that instead. So, I cast on again but after only getting past the garter stitch bottom I couldn't work out the next part, frogged for the second time...... and started a bigger size in the vest again! 

As a beginner knitter I'd say that the Pickles patterns are not very clear. They are easy, but seem to expect the knitter to know what is meant with very basic instructions. For example - 'on the next row K while decreasing 18 s evenly' (I wasn't sure at first how I was going to get them even until I realised I could divide the stitches) Perhaps it would have helped if they said "on the next row K while decreasing 18 s evenly. Decrease by 1 s every 5 s starting on the first stitch past the front ribbing" or something along those lines. 

Anyway I'm being pedantic, because they are lovely easy patterns if you have a fairly good idea of how knitting patterns are written up, which I don't! 

As for reading, this must be a first for me as I never read fantasy romance novels, but I'm enjoying it none the less. 'Graceling' by Kristin Cashore is actually a good light read and was recommended to my daughter and me by my son's fiancee. Although I'm only half way through, and it is probably a story written for young adults, I think I'll finish it - if and when I can squeeze it in! 

woolly bits

I've been knitting!! It's a bit big.... but isn't the little Elf cute? Complete with two new teeth! 

Well, OK it wasn't really meant for the little one...... but for this one, the biggest one. I bought this wicked green wool at Steamfest after my girl mentioned that she really liked the colour. I brought it home and wound it into a ball and looked at it for a while wondering if I was brave enough to knit something with it! Then I saw the Journey Hat that Linda had whipped up.... and I knew I could have a go at that one! 

I had to unravel it twice! Twice!! But I've learnt a few things along the way ~ just because it looks too big when you cast on doesn't mean that it will be too big in the end; and, follow patterns exactly! All in all, I did learn a few new stitches (which I will forget by the time I knit something else, sigh) and I really enjoyed working with the divine colour.

I think it's a bit floppy but she loves it and I do believe the colour suits her perfectly! 

And although I'm a day late with posting this, we did do the drawing on Monday (late Monday!) and our Fairy pulled Ronnie out of Stuy's new Austrian hat! Looking at the two above pics together makes me realise how much I love bright colours. I really enjoy looking at those calming neutral homes in glossy magazines and I do like them.......but, I always seem to go for the multi coloured bits when I purchase for myself, whether it's clothes, fabrics or wool!! 

Do you like wild colour schemes? 

Are you a cream and white person?

Ich hab jetzt für meine Nina eine kappe gestrickt. Ich bin nicht eine gute Strickerin, oder eine schnelle, und hab müssen zwei mal auftrennen, aber endlich bin ich fertig! 

Meine kleine Enkelin hatt die kappe auch anprobiert aber wieder gleich ausgezogen denn sie mag nicht was auf den kopf! Sie schaut ihr Mama gleich, nicht war?

yarn along

This week I've been waiting impatiently for Ginny's Wednesday yarn along....... just so I could show the only bit of creativity thats happening in my life right now! I guess it's not really the only bit, it's just that any other creativity has been in the form of cooking, rearranging and tidying - not really worth posting about! 

I'm knitting my second beanie - the Journey Hat - which I first saw a while back at Natural Suburbia. This one is for one of my clan but as it's a secret, I won't disclose which one! I'm using one of the lovely wools I purchased from the knitting ladies and I'm completely in love with the colour - one moment I think it's a witchy, toxic sort of green and then I'm reminded of mermaids and sea anemones.....both of which give me a thrill! 

I cast on once then had to pull it undone because it didn't look the right size, so I cast on again with extra stitches and this is my second lash at it! I'm still not sure how to gauge what size wool will make what size finished garment and I haven't as yet ever purchased the wool for a pattern - I buy the wool then think about what to make with it!! But that's about to change........... I've been having a look around on ravelry and there are some very sweet and easy baby cardigans and jumpers that I'm sure I could knit up - wish me luck!

Oh and I'm also reading - very slowly - Louise Hays 'The Power is within you'. A bit of self help is sometimes needed and I have a few books in the queue, all on self empowerment for women. A touch of self confidence is always a good thing, yes? 

And can I just say that it's a privilege to welcome some new folks that have come and visited here in my space. Thanks for all the nice comments you leave and for the opportunity to share my thoughts and pics with you. 

knitting and reading

This week I'm joining in with Ginny and all those other wonderful knitters over at Small Things! Not much to show but I need a little push to keep the inspiration happening, so I figure if I show it off, then I will finish it too!! I have been very slowly knitting away at this gnome-ish baby hat for a couple of weeks now. Sounds very slow, doesn't it but I have an excuse - I lost one of my double pointed needles!! True! I searched and searched and growled and started gnashing my teeth but to no avail!

Most of you lovely knitters will have oodles of needles in 50 different lengths and sizes but as a novice I only have two sets - a thin set and a thicker one! And I needed the thicker one to make the pointy bit on the hat. So I searched and gnashed a little harder and eventually decided to visit my knitty friend to borrow another set. As I raced out the door I grabbed the pattern book and there was my needle, masquerading as a bookmark!!

Now I am knitting again because this weekend we are having visitors of the tiny new baby girl kind and I would like to send it home with her........ after a photo shoot, of course!!

As for the reading bit - well, I have started reading 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' and I think I will like it. Perhaps it doesn't quite pertain to us here in Oz but I guess the idea and principles are the same although it just doesn't resonate like an Aussie book would. Does that make sense?
Do you think a book written by a fellow countryman or women has a greater meaning for you?

I knit my love a beanie...

Woo Hoo!!! I finished it earlier today!! 

Well, okay, the ends weren't sewn in when I took these pics but it's wearable!! 

I'm afraid I got a touch carried away and it's a bit too long, which is why he has it turned up a bit further than the end of the rib. And next time I might cast on more stitches - don't you think the ribbing looks a bit pulled? although it's not tight on his noggin. 

But oh my, I am so very proud of myself, wonky stitches and all!!  

In fact, I'm feeling so good that I've already cast on again for a little pixie hat for the tiniest family member....... and my brain is spinning with future possibilities!!!  

I promise this will be the last post about my knitting - this week!!!

Edited to add - I have linked up with Ginny at Small Things!! I've always admired the looonng list of lovely people with their knitting goodness on her weekly Yarn Along posts and now I'm there too!! 
I don't have anything to add in the reading department though - other than a very close look at the hat pattern and some technical info from 'Baby Beanies' by Amanda Keeys! 
Perhaps next time I'll have time to read a book as well as knit!!  

wool gathering

I think I might be getting closer to calling myself a Knitter.......... along with the many, many other titles that we busy mamas have, of course. This particular title is one that I'd love to own and  although it's been my nemesis, this knitting business, for a long long time, I think I've finally GOT IT!!! 

But lets not get too excited because I still can't read a pattern without asking Mr Google for a quick slide show; or indeed, I have no idea what ply to use where with what needle...... BUT I am a step closer since last week! 

Because I really, really want to knit!!! 

   

So with that thought in mind, I visited the Spinning Shed at Steam Fest on the weekend. 

The lovely ladies took pity on my poor unknitty self and very kindly took me in hand....... after I'd hung around gazing soulfully at all their funky knitted goodness for a while! 

What type of wool? Try this one dear, you should be fine with that.

Which needles? Here's a whole packet love, they will set you up for life.

A pattern? Of course dearie, I have just the one for you! 

So feeling like a complete fool, I gratefully accepted their offers of help and forged ahead with the best bit - buying the yarn!! 

I just can't resist bright colours. I know, I know there's only so much that can be made from such overwhelmingly florescent shades but they really make my heart sing just to see them hanging around!! oops ;o) 

Here's the most exciting bit - I am almost done with a winter beanie for my man!!! All day I've been knitting a row or five in any spare minute and it's growing just as it should! The coffee coloured balls are just odd ones from the cheap basket - dyed with onion skins. They seemed just right to use for my first try on the lovely new bamboo circular needles that I purchased. 

Yes, thats cream wool you see there....... but it won't be staying so beautifully bland, oh no, we intend to have a go at dying with food colours!! Then they'll be Bright!! 

As you may know, I have a baby to dress again. Fortunately for my new knitting fetish, her mama has pronounced that she will be a Hat Baby. I think this purple/yellow/peach will look just dandy in the little gnome hat. 

One of the spinners gave me the sweet pastel multi coloured yarn to knit into another little hat - but I'm having such difficulty choosing which style to knit it into (gosh, that makes me sound very experienced, doesn't it) There are so many cute ones in the book that I want to knit them all!! 

So, yes, after spending time with a cuppa and surrounded by all that wool, I'm feeling just a wee bit closer to adding that new title to my list - KNITTER! 

Just in case you didn't notice, I've put this post under a new label - knitting - which is really giving me a thrill! Just so you know.....!!!!

Edited to add - the book here is 'Baby Beanies' by Amanda Keeys, lent to me by my sweet knitting friend....... all three little hats pictured are from this book!