Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs.  I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? ~ Ginny

Slowly, slowly my scarf is growing and may well keep me warm this Winter. Reading has all but ground to a halt though, having been replaced by baby gazing. Yes, baby gazing and snuggling could certainly be full time jobs, if not for housework. While I have been doing my best to rest, I can't help but need to keep the house a certain level of tidy for my sanity, and the washing up to date for much the same reason. 

At two weeks of age Oscar is sleeping and feeding well. And I am managing to juggle the needs of three children and two adults, while doing at least one thing each day, however big or small, for my business. Be it rearranging my market table, which is currently set up in my studio, or replying to emails for custom orders and wholesale inquiries. It feels good to be doing a little something for 'me' each day.

And you? What have you been reading or making?

Joining in with Ginny.

Ravlery.

Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs.  I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? ~ Ginny

All's quiet on the blogging front, or so it feels. Quiet for lack of words, as my mind is occupied with waiting for baby. Quiet as I add things to my hospital bag, finish sorting and nesting. Quiet as I endeavor to keep the laundry and house work up to date, so when the time comes I can hand my home and children over to family and think only of the birth.

Life goes on and it feels that much is happening, though at the same time it feels as if these moments are just marking time until the birth. It's a strange feeling. It's hard to be completely present. These next two weeks will likely be long indeed! Thank goodness once more for books and knitting. Both of which have been chosen deliberately for their simple natures - to occupy and satisfy, without difficulty or frustration. Firstly, Family Album by Penelope Lively, a novel which has taken me the first third to warm to, with it's simple style, but which I am hoping to finish. Secondly the striped scarf I have been working on. So simple with it's blocks of colour and it's repetitive stitch pattern (K4, P4, repeat until end, repeat each row.)

I feel as if this baby is in no hurry. I went in to labour with Cohen on his due date and he was born the next day. Emerson was born by an 'elective' cesarean only three days before her due date. My guess is 40 weeks and 3 days for this baby. Though if the blog really goes quiet you may well know why!

When did you birth your babies? Before, after or on their due dates?

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Joining in with Ginny.

Notes on Ravelry.

Yarn Along

The recent hints of Autumn vanished with the heat and humidity of the past few days. However, I have been holding on to the promise of Autumn with my knitting; while sitting in an air-conditioned room. And while I have been knitting, I have been making my way through the back catalogue of the wonderful free podcast, 'Stuff You Missed In History Class.' Clicking on the titles that appeal and settling in, those talented ladies have been keeping me entertained and filling my head with such fascinating facts as I knit. I'm much the wiser on such a diverse range of topics now, from the Hope Diamond, to the Domestication of the Cat. From Jane Austen to Frida Kahlo. From Mount Everest to Laura Ingalls Wilder. There is such a wealth of knowledge, my inner history geek is thrilled.

If you're new to the world of podcasts, and you have an iphone as I do, it's a simple matter of downloading the 'Podcast' app and typing the podcast title in to the search bar. Click on the podcast's logo, and choose from the list of episodes.

While speaking of technology, I have been converted, just a little, to the idea of reading a book on my phone. I don't own an eReader or the like. How I railed against the very thought of it! Until I couldn't get a library copy, or find an inexpensive copy, of our latest book club book, Walking on Trampolines. Instead I begrudgingly downloaded it though the iTunes store on my laptop, downloaded the iBook app, and proceeded to read it on my phone. And, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It meant I always had a book with me wherever I went, as I always tend to have my phone. This was handy as I rushed to Doctor and hospital appointments. Once I was used to it, I even curled up in bed with my phone and read during the children's nap times on the weekend. 

When I finished that book, I had in mind to read Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's most recent book, The Amazing Thing About the Way It Goes, thanks to Ginny's glowing recommendation. When I could not find it at my local library, and didn't want to wait to get is shipped to Australia, I went ahead and downloaded it too. (She's such a gem, that Yarn Harlot, isn't she?) While I still prefer a 'real' book, with real pages you can turn and crease. A real spine to bend and crack. A real and beautiful object on my bedside table, or thrown in to my handbag. I must now admit that there may just be room for the occasional downloaded book too...

Have you been converted too? 

Or are you a paper back and hard back lover all the way?

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Joining in with Ginny.

Ravelry.

PS. Don't forget, you can find me guest posting at the Bespoke zine blog all this week. :)

Yarn Along

My beautiful 'stash market bag from Yardage Design, filled with woolly goodness.

It's been quite a while since I joined in with Yarn Along, as I seem to have hit a black hole with both the projects I was working on. No matter how many rows I did, they just didn't seem to be growing at all, they were just sucked in to a knitting black hole instead. Despite the guilt I felt at abandoning them, I decided to give them both a rest and allow myself a spot of yarn shopping. I have since been working on a simple stripey scarf, and I have the makings of a baby blanket to go on with once the scarf is complete. 

Yesterday, my 28 week bump and I had to spend two hours at Pathology doing a Glucose Tolerance test for pregnancy. I was secretly a little excited about this. Two whole hours of knitting and reading with only a couple of interruptions?! Even if those interruptions were three blood tests, I could manage that. One learns to accept blood tests when you have Graves disease. So, while my dear parents took Cohen to school and kept the little Miss amused, I read the beginnings of Walking on Trampolines for my book club, and knitted away on a Cleckheaton scarf pattern I've long admired. 

It feels good to be knitting again.

And you dear reader, what are you making or reading?

It's so quite out there in blog land these days, feel free to leave a comment. :)

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Joining in with Ginny.

Ravelry.

Yarn Along

This dear old teddy must be over fifty years old. He has been passed down through the family and now belongs to Cohen. He is sporting a new scarf, which was knit at the request of my four year old son. Teddy was going to get cold come Winter, so I am told. I started a garter stitch scarf, quickly got bored of it and devised a simple cable pattern instead. Cohen was more impressed with the fringe on the ends...

If you have never cabled before, this is a quick and simple pattern to learn with. Creating the twist is as simple as slipping three stitches on to another needle, knitting the next three stitches, then knitting the stitches you have slipped. There is a clear video example I found here, though I use a cable needle, not a double pointed needle. 

CO 16 stitches.

Row 1. P2, K2, P6, K2,P3

Row 2. K3, P2, K6, P2, K3

Row 3. P3, K2, P6, K2, P3

Row 4. K3, P2, C6F, P2, K3

Row 5. P3, K2, P6, K2, P3

Row 6. K3, P2, K6, P2, K3

Row 7. P3, K2, P6, K2, P3

Row 8. K3, P2, K6, P2, K3

My scarf is 16 repeats. To make the fringe I cut lengths of yarn about four inches long. I folded them in half and using a crochet hook, pulled them one at a time through a stitch along the bottom edge (WS) to create a loop, then pulled the tails through the loop. I did this the whole way along and then cut them back to the same length.

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In terms of reading I have just started Cloudstreet, by Tim Winton, for book club. Have you read it? Are you a fan?

What are you knitting and reading?

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Joining in with Ginny.

Raverly notes here.

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Don't forget to enter the High Tea Vintage Giveaway for a pretty and practical everyday/ knitting bag.

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A rather slow day of catching up after a night away for a wedding. How does so much washing accumulate after merely one night?

A day spent chasing a toddler and removing him from small spaces, removing his hands from the dog and removing chalk from his mouth.

A day spent reading a little more of The English Patient, drinking coffee with a friend and eying my stash of wool suspiciously, lest it be the cause of my all over itching attack.

And the day that I finally share with you my beautiful new scarf, knit by the talented and lovely Melissa.

My Creative Space...

I have finished the 'I heart fans' scarf I designed and am awaiting the cold weather.

In my creative space today I have been writing down the pattern and if you are interested in trying this design I have included it below and will add it to the side bar.

It is an easy pattern, consisting only of ch - chains, single, Dbl - double and Trpl - triple crochet stitches.

You can use any size hook or yarn for this project.

I choose a thicker hook for the yarn to give it a lacier look.

'I heart fans' scarf

Ch 25 plus 2.

Row 1 - Dbl into 3rd ch from hook, Dbl into each stitch until end, ch3, turn.

Row2 - Trpl into first nine stitches, skip 3 stitches, 4 Dbl into next stitch, Ch1 and 4 Dbl (all in the one stitch), Trpl into next nine stitches to end, ch3, turn.

Row 3 - Trpl into next 9 stitches, single crochet into chain space between the two lots of 4 Dbl on previous row, ch 3, Trpl into next 9 stitches until end, turn.

Repeat Row2 and Row3 alternatively until scarf is desired length.

Please let me know if you find any errors in the pattern.

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More Creative Spaces here.

Teething and stitching...

Getting teeth and cutting down to one nap a day are hard work, for both Cohen and myself. And it seems a few things have taken a back seat as we move through this phase in his development and work on keeping a happy baby and a happy mother.

My usual craft time has been spent quietly without a project to work on since finishing the doll quilt and the shawl - which I am still trying to get some photos of. I have added a few stitches to Cohen's giant granny square, but felt I needed a new little project that I could finish quickly to regain my craft mojo.

I sat down last night with the 'Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Knitting and Crochet', Circa 1972, and browsed the selection of stitches. I started working a fine grey alpaca scarf using single, double and triple crochet with a double fan running through the middle.

I think it will be quite nice to start Winter with a new scarf for myself.