Spring Cap

One ball down!
I started knitting at about 7 and this took about 3 hours while watching the tellybox :oD

I'm going to make the body a little longer than the green one before i start the decreases as that is my only niggle with it, the body is just a little too short so it sits way back on my head, if it were a little longer i could wear it further forward and it would still be a beret and not turn into a beanie ;o)

I have to say, i am LOVING the colour! I wasn't sure about it "in the ball" but it's just coming out gorgeously, it has a much more purple feel to it than it looked which is always a bonus!

January WW KAL

Happy New Year!
This year is a year of a few resolutions, both lifestyle-wise and crafting wise.
I'm not exactly going Cold Sheep cos if i see an absolute bargain i know i won't be able to resist it but i am determined to knit as much from stash as possible. If i don't have something suitable then the project can wait!
::fingers crossed::
So, on that note, my first project from stash this year is Castiel, this hat is January's KAL in the Rav group and this took me waaaaaaay longer than it should have done. The style of the hat is a skinny slouch beanie but from past experience i know that it wouldn't have suited me so i made it more of a folded brim beanie and i am very happy with the results :o)


There was some pooling on the brim but by the time i got to the body it had sorted itself out :o)

Just a gratuitous close-up of the luscious colours and the lovely lacy pattern.

Pattern: Castiel by Woolly Wormhead
Yarn: Fyberspates BFL DK in Reds and Plums
Needle: 3mm for brim 3.5mm for body
Mods: Less body repeats

Mystery Hat A

I can finally post pics of my finished hat!
The pattern has been officially released now so if you like the look of it i can recommend you go buy it now ;o)

I used three different colours in Yarn Yard Hug as i didn't have enough of any one colour to complete it. It's a shame as i don't think the thick woolly hug is really suited to this pattern but it's produced such a lovely warm and pretty hat that i am going to keep it as it is.

I alternated the lighter colour with the main colour for the crown decreases which has produced a lovely effect, and i am sure it will look even lovelier once i actually get around to blocking it!
(I have two blocking projects awaiting a damn good pinning out at the moment. This hat and my orange Aurantium Blossom Shawl which i found neatly folded up in a project bag! It's been there for a year, it's about time it got shown some sunlight!)

Shame it doesn't suit me!!
;o)

It's Mystery KAL time again!

with Woolly Wormhead


and this is what i am using for mine :o)

Yarn Yard Hug in Circumstance and Aubergine

Oh yes! It's nearly KAL time again!!

After the success of the Meret last year Woolly Wormhead is embarking on a new Mystery KAL Adventure! YaY!!
There will be two versions apparantly with an easy lace for beginners and an intermediate lace for more experienced knitterers, or you can of course buy both versions of the pattern! That is the slight difference from last year, this year it will cost £1 per pettern or both for £1.50 until the end of November and then after the KAL is finished the prices will go up to match her other pattern prices which i think is very reasonable and considering all the hard work that goes into planning and pattern editing and designing i am more than willing to cough up for it. I know i'm buying sight unseen - that's obviously half the fun of it! - but i have never been disappointed in a WW hat yet!!

For more details go take a lookie at Ruth's blog post about it and if you want to join the WW group on Ravelry.com then head over here!

New Hat!

Sloochie - finished! 14th July 09
Originally uploaded by franneyk

Oh yes, another new hat hot off the needles!

This is the July vertical KAL at Wormhead's Hats. The pattern is Sloochie and i used the Lett-Lopi that Terri sent me in the Santa Swap last November.

I love my new hat :oD

I added 6 rows of stocking stitch after the cabled brim as i know that a flat brim doesn't suit me and the resulting little roll is just perfect! I found the wool quite uneven in places it was as thin (if not thinner) than a 4ply but it's classed as an aran and i got gauge of 18sts to 4" on 4.5mm dpns. When i hit a thin bit i either tore it out and spit spliced the two ends or i just doubled the wool over and spit on it LOL

I used a little over one ball, if i hadn't added the extra 6 rows it would have been less than one ball by a couple of yards ;o)

Wanderlust

The first Zopfwanderung sock is finished, i've even sewn the ends in! lol
I must say i really love it! I had a few issues with the foot chart but i bumbled my way through it and have ended up with a very handsome sock.
My stumble came at row 87 when there are three stitches in the middle but you're supposed to SSK, K1, K2tog... hmmmmm! I don't know what i did instead but it's all worked out OK lol

I have several socks on the go at the moment, so now i have to decide which one to do next. I think i am going to finish the first Kiilla sock before i start Zopfwanderung pt.2 as i was enjoying that pattern immensly too and it's making a very pretty sock. I would like to start my two WW KAL hats soon too, this month we are knitting Urbanista and Sloochie. I think Urbanista will look good in Rowan Pure Wool DK but i can't decide on what to use for Sloochie, i am tempted to use my skein of Morehouse merino which is so very very red it hurts! lol

OH! Before i forget i had a little incident while i was finishing off Zopf, i found a dropped stitch in the heel turn!! OMG! Did i panic? Of course i did lol then i figured that it's been like it while i was knitting the foot so it'd last a little longer without unravelling all the way up the leg ;o)

WIP roundup

There's been lots going on chez Franney lately so i thought i'd do a round up!
I started the Caesar's Check socks (black and multi) last week while i was babysitting, my 10 year old niece was helping choose a pattern and she said she really liked that one, and she liked the colours in the wool so i decided to knit her a pair of socks for her birthday which is the begininning of August. Hopefully i will be able to get them finished in time! The wool is a random ball i bought from someone on the forum, it either came in alucky dip or i just liked the colours :o? It's a Russian company, Pehorka and the colours are really pretty. I was knitting on this on Saturday at knit club and there was a new lady there, i pulled the label out after someone asked what wool it was and said "no idea, it's foreign" and she read the label!! How cool is that, she speaks Russian!! The black is some Sirdar Town & Country. I like both yarns, the T&C is quite hairy though, something i hadn't noticed in the ball but it's fluffing out as i knit it. Nice though, and the slip stitch pattern makes a nice warm fabric. Oh, the pattern! It's from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. I forget how much i like this book!
I managed to sneakily measure Niece's foot last week by getting her to help me do mine ;o) so hopefuly i should be able to get it the right size! The cuff is 3" long so far and she says she likes her socks at about 5" so not long before i start the heel :oD
The Kiila sock (green) is coming along nicely too, i have just started the gusset chart so the cabling will be expanding soon, i am really looking forward to it! I am enjoying the travelling stitches, and cabling without a needle but it is quite fiddly and time consuming and i haven't quite got the hang of it yet. I'm sure i'll get the hang of it with a bit more practise though ;o)
Baktus is also coming alnog nicely. I am up to 71 stitches and have just 7g of my first ball left! I've had some travelling time to knit on this, i had a tram and a bus ride on Saturday to get to and from knit club and then yesterday was a hospital appt for Bloke so i had an hour or so knitting time while we waited (patiently) to be called.
Speaking of my bus ride...
As i got on and flashed the driver a smile and my ticket he said "i like your hat" so i replied with another smile and a "thankyou" and he then asked if i knit it myself! What a sweetie! It's reassuring to know that there are some nice people left, and that some of them are bus drivers!! lol
Finally we have the pinkness. That's another Dulcie hat (my third) in Aracunia Aysen (again lol), this one is for Amy who fell in love with my Dulcie last time we camped together. It's her birthday today but i'm not seeing her until Thursday, which won't be a problem as i only have two more sections to do and then it's Kitchener time. I lurve to Kitchener :oD

WW June KAL...

DONE!
:oD

I started yesterday afternoon and this was my progress by 7pm. I'd got 4 repeats done, when i went to bed last night i had 6 repeats done and i've been picking it up throughout the day today and it's finished!
What a speedy knit! I actually love the hat too, although i wasn't sure at first cos it's quite long but it's really comfy and i love the colour and the pattern.

For those that don't know, the pattern is Marina by Woolly Wormhead and i used 96g of Patons Vintage in colour "Scorched" that was bargainous from Kemps. This was June's vertical KAL in the Wormhead's Hats Ravelry group. The other KAL was for Trellis but i'm not so keen on that pattern so i'm going to knit another Dulcie instead as my second hat of the month seeing as i've finished Becky's now! I have a friend with a birthday coming up and she fell in love with my Dulcie while we were camping so i thought it'd be a nice surprise for her to have one of her own.

Windward KAL

DONE!



:oD

Knitted as part of the KAL at the Woolly Wormhead group on Ravelry, i used some King Cole 4seasons cotton which was a gmable but has paid off!
The hat is lovely and comfy, it's not too hot during the day and is toasty warm at night. I finished it while we were camping on Friday and wore it non stop after that, in fact i must remember to cut the (sewn in) ends off soon!
I loved the pattern, it was really easy to follow - as all of WW's patterns are in fact, and it took just enough concentration to keep me interested and still able to hold a conversation ;o)

I'm really pleased with myself, i have managed to finish four hats in two months, there'll be another Dulcie coming off the needles in a day or so and then there's another two KALs in June. I don't know if i'll be doing both of them again though, it depends if they are summer hats or not i think ;o)