baby rugs

It’s true what they say, everyone’s having babies.

And of course, as I get better at crocheting, I feel the need to up the ante in terms of baby gifts!

So now I am making another baby rug – this time for friends who aren’t going to find out the gender until the birth. So, this leaves me with a colour range of purples and greens, which when you think about it, is actually a wider range than the usual group of pinks or blues.

4 or 5 ply cotton at Lincraft and Spotlight is really quite a limited number of colours, and have yet to make it back to Yarn Barn to check out their collection for 2010. So I’ve branched out to the Bamboozle cotton/bamboo mix, and am hoping it won’t pill or fluff. I’ve also picked up a lavender DK smoothie acrylic, and again hoping it won’t fluff, but I may be pushing my luck there!

frangelico balls

In the grand old tradition leading up to Christmas, I’ve started baking again. Well, to be honest, I made the christmas cake at the end of October, and am now just getting to the gingerbread men and rum balls and the white christmas and rocky road, and anything else that catches my eye on any of the thousand recipe newsletters I subscribe to!

So today I am making rum balls, only to discover I have no rum. Which is not surprising, as I’m not a fan of it at all – which I blame on my formative drinking years, in which rum seemed to be the old thing anyone drank, so it’s what everyone drank, if you follow me.

So as I was asking myself if it’s possible to get away with vodka balls or whiskey balls, that beautiful bottle of frangelico smiled at me from on top of the fridge, and I knew everything was going to be ok.

Here’s the recipe – you’ll find it’s pretty standard.

• 1 packet Nice biscuits (25og)
• 3 tblspns cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 2-3 tblspns frangelico (or rum, for the traditionalists)
• extra coconut, in a bowl, for rolling

Break up the Nice biscuits and put in the blender. After you’ve pulverised them, add the cocoa in, making sure it’s completely mixed in.

Pour biscuit/cocoa mix into a bowl, and add everything else. Mix well.

This is where the fun (mess) starts: scoop up little amounts with a teaspoon and drop in the extra coconut bowl. It’s easier to roll a few at one time. Place them on a plate and sit them up close to each other to try to keep them in a ball shape, as they will lose their shape otherwise. Pop the plate in the fridge to set. Now make  a few more balls, and this is probably where you’ll give up on the spoon and use your fingers instead!

Of course, the more grown-up method of doing this would be to put the mixture in the fridge FIRST so it hardens up a bit, and then make the balls without getting chocolate goop all over you and your kitchen. But that wouldn’t be as much fun

Red bainbridge remix

So I’m doing another bainbridge remix, as I’ve decided it’s a perfect gift for my friend M.

My plum one feels a little large for my neck, and M has a similar size neck to me (well, it’s not like I’ve ever measured it, but I’m making an educated guess here based on photos of us standing together) so I’ve cast on with 130 rather than the Bainbridge’s original 144. Only time will tell if I’ve made the right choice!

One thing I have learned this time around is to start the button hole on a P1 – although I did it on the knit row, but the row before was P1, if that makes sense. The other way around leaves big gaps beside the buttonhole, which I discovered the hard way which resulted in having to unpick it – I swear it took me most of an hour of tv watching to get back to where I started.

I think that I would try a different cast on technique as well, and will need to try a binding off technique that will not roll.

Even though I have been buying yarn barn wool and stockpiling it for some time now, this is the first time I’ve actually used to to knit something. It’s very soft and easy to work with.

Pattern: Bainbridge Remix by Flintknit, original Bainbridge by Mintyfresh

Needles: 3.75mm or 4mm (am not quite sure)

Yarn: 8 ply Yarn Barn merino wool in cherry

Bainbridge Remix is finished! hooray!

Finally! It’s done! This scarflet has been sitting around the house waiting for it’s little tab to be made for about 6 months.

I found it pretty simple, I used double pointed needles instead of circular needles as I just find them easier. I used 8ply  yarn, and 3.75mm needles.I think next time I would CO less stitches – I did the 144 of the original bainbridge, but think I could have reduced it by about 14-20 stitches. For the little tab – I picked up 7 stitches and did the seed stitch pattern.

Also, my binding off is rolling, so will have to find a BO that sits flatter.

Pattern: Bainbridge Remix by Flintknit, original Bainbridge by Mintyfresh

Needles: 3.75mm

Yarn: 8 plyPanda Magnum Soft in purple/plum

pushing the a-line skirt boundaries

This skirt has taken way longer than it really should – what with working out bias cutting of the fabric, to lengthening the, well, the length, and figuring out how to put in a zip!

I am trying to make the Sidonie skirt from Burdastyle – my first real attempt at making clothing from a pattern. I’ve made the diana bag a few times, but this is a much bigger project!

I figuring out the bias of the fabric (the arrow on the pattern goes parallel with the selvedge) and then pinned it all into the carpet so that I could cut around the pieces – I thought about drawing them out with chalk, but just couldn’t be bothered. Which is pretty standard I think with the boring bits of sewing  – I remember being about 17 and crouching on the breakfast bar at my mum’s to trace around a skirt as a pattern!

Obviously my enthusiasm waned when I came to the zip so early on – all I had was a chunky zip that made it a bit hard to sew across the bottom of it, so I had to do that bit by hand. I found this tutorial on sew mama, sew to be really helpful, but I didn’t have any glue so just pinned it.

Not an outstanding job, but ok for a first attempt I think!

Then obviously I had my measurements all mixed up so I had to trial and error sew in the side seams until it fitted properly – I have the classic hourglass shape with the small waist and wide hips, so skirts generally fit around the hips and thighs, but balloon at the waist. But not this skirt!

I almost gave up here, thinking I have a skirt that zips up and fits – who needs a waistband and a hem across the bottom?

Gave into the whole theory of doing a job properly.

The waistband is a bit confusing, have attached one side, but not sure how to attach the other but finally figured it out – essentially fold over like bias tape.

So here’s the finished skirt, only in the meantime have gotten enthused by thread sketching, as shown on this awesome tutorial by clutterpunk. It’s not really noticeable though, so may have to go over it a few more times.

Bird brooches

As it’s moving into summer, and certainly here in Melbourne we’re undergoing a “heatwave“, I’m finding it a bit hard to contemplate knitting with all that wool, so have moved into cute little objects – brooches!

These gorgeous little birds have come from Crochet Adorned and take about 10 minutes to do, once you work out which stitches you’re using – american, not british! (I have a bit of trouble with the interpretting )

Fun with fabric stiffener:

I bought some fabric stiffener from Spotlight for about $8 and it says to coat with the glue. So I tried it with the orange bird, blotting the glue in with a paintbrush front and back. Not exactly soaking wet, but enough so it should dry flat. I then left it out in the warmth to set.

The results: Both are stiff, however the yellow cotton bird faired the best. The orange wool bird looks a bit matted, which is not so attractive. I have since made another bird, and this time only stiffened the back of the bird, so that it keeps it’s fabricy feel on the front – I am much happier with this option!

Man scarf for Christmas

This scarf is very VERY simple, but you will need to keep count of your rows to get even squares!

I used 6.5mm (US 10 1/2) needles and Moda Vera Mousse yarn (which is 10 or 12 ply), but I wouldn’t use this one again, as it leaves little bits of fluff all over my partner’s suit – maybe a straight wool next time.

Pattern

Cast on 24 stitches

Row 1-5:  K4, P4
Row 6:  knit
Row 7-11:  P4, K4
Row 12: knit

Repeat until desired length – mine is 54 blocks long.

Gauge is not important, but if you feel the scarf is too narrow, then add more stitches in lots of 4, and if you feel it’s too wide, then reduce in lots of 4 – easy!

baby ghan

I have been bitten by the granny squares bug.  So a week ago I stopped by Lincraft (which has conveniently moved into the old Spotlight at Malvern) and bought up big on nice cotton colours – I think I’ve read someone refer to similar ones as ice-cream colours, which I quite like!

So am thinking that a baby afghan should be about 8 x 6 squares – which means that I’m almost halfway through – have done 22 of 48 squares. Of course saying “halfway through” doesn’t allow for the extra row of white all over and the joining and the edging, but I’m ignoring that at the moment and crossing that bridge when I have to!

spring brooch

I have been thinking of making a fascinator out of crochet or knitted flowers, and while I was playing around with that, I made Motif 140 from Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs :

Perfect owl brooch

This project is perfect – it’s gorgeous and quick and easy and owls are so IN right now!

I have been coveting the birds brooch in Crochet Adorned and drove to the library today to see if my copy was in yet, but unfortunately it was still in transit. As per usual, I have left it to the last minute to think of a birthday present for a friend – oddly enough I’m fine with small baby presents – probably because I get so much notice!

So I was driving home from work and the library today, thinking about alternatives to those birds, and how I might possibly try to make a brooch out of the owls and owlet sweater – and so I do a ravelry search and Ysolda has already done it!

Now I just need to teach myself how to cable!