WIP Wednesday….and yarn along.

Oh Look at me, blogging two days in a row! There is hope for me yet!! haha! How are we all today? Well I hope.

So what am I knitting this week?

I have been busy in between all my test knits and baby knitting working on this lovely pattern…

Pic borrowed from Tracey's pattern page on Rav

Kallan Cape by Tracey Lee.

I first saw this pattern when it was released and added it to my very long queue on Ravelry. Then when I saw this months KAL on the Budding Down Under Designers group was hosted by Tracey I saw it as a sign to get kicking with it.

I originally planned to make this in a forest green but then ended up choosing Mink in Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury as the green would probably have not have gone with much. This is more neutral.  So here is my effort so far…..

I did not get started till last week as I had to await my yarn arrival. I am sure I will not finish this by the end of the KAL but thats ok. I plan to enjoy it and finish it by winter. Maybe I will even get to wear it a little before I run away north as is my usual fashion when it gets too cold. LOL More likely,  I will gift it, if I don't wear it. I know I will love it though. If you like a bit of cabling, this is the project for you.

The pattern is not charted but is very well written with the hood being a separate pdf. You can also choose to print the whole version or just the off rows. Separate documents are provided for both. I opted to knit the cape first and sew the hood on later. Alternatively, you can start with the hood and pick up your stitches for the cape if you prefer. I figured it would get a bit heavy and its rather hot here atm so I did not fancy sitting under all that wool at once. Hence starting with the cape. :-)



What am I reading? 

I took delivery of Woodland Knits this week. Its a beautiful book and I had been eyeing it off for a while. I was introduced to Stephanie's patterns a long time ago when my oldest daughter purchased a copy of her Woodland Hoodlet. It was way out of her knitting skill range and she opted to try and email it to me, somehow it got lost and deleted and despite planning to buy it again we never got around to it. I did promise to knit it for her though so hopefully this year I will finally get around to it.

There are lots of whimsical, magical and just down right cute patterns in this book. My only gripe with it is the almost consistent use of chunky or bulky yarn. Not very practical for those of us who live down under, especially on the coast. Just finding the yarn is a chore in itself. Great for people who prefer a quick knit  I guess.

Anyway, that is not really reading is it? What I have been reading this week is the Ancient Future Series by Traci Harding. Or I should say RE-Reading….I have read them all twice before at least. I am onto the 3rd book in the series and enjoying them just as much as the first time I read them.

If you are not familiar with this series……you can find out more about it here.

I also just finished reading The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, by Martin Sixsmith,  I read the whole book yesterday afternoon and have to say I was a bit disappointed.

The cover described it as "The heartbreaking story of a mother and the son she had to give away".  I was expecting to hear both sides of the story and what happened to them both in general. It started out with the mothers story but once he was taken from her (she did not choose to give him away) at 3 years old, it pretty much tells the story of Michael's life  and we don't really hear much more about the mother at all.

To me this book went into way too much detail about Mikes personal life. More than half the book is about his political career and his choice of sexuality. Way way too much information. In fact I became both bored, then disgusted (poor Mike is not telling this story, it is hearsay from other people in his life, a life I might add that he chose to keep private for reasons of his own). This book made me feel really really sad. So sad for his birth mother and even more sad for him.

As one who tends to read through the lines a bit, I feel like his adoptive family were more than likely not fairly portrayed in this book. I am assuming that they chose not to get too involved in the whole story themselves. The man had issues and of course there are two sides to every story.

I will leave it at that, just incase you choose to read it yourself. I won't give away the whole story. I would have liked to have read a little more about his birth mothers life and their search for each other rather than all the fluff which was really no-ones business but his own. Thats just my opinion anyway.

Now enough rambling from me today. You have a beautiful day.

Love and hugs xoox

Time flies…..

Hello friends, I hope 2015 is going well for you so far. I have been busy this past few weeks with a couple of test knits which I will share when I get some good pics.

I currently have two projects on the needles… a pair of Ribbon Curl Socks

which have been a little slow going due to having too many other things on the go at once and I have also cast on a Kallan Cape for a KAL in the Budding Down Under Designers group on Rav. Will share more on that one once I take some pictures. :-)

I am also making some baby hats for a friend and decided to just make a whole bunch and let him choose which ones he likes. So far I have these two…

The Hearts and Bows Baby Hat

and this little hat which was inspired by a pattern in Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B Anderson. I pretty much used her stripes idea but omitted the seed stitch band and added a row between each section and left off the pom pom. Its cute I think. And a great way to use up those odd balls and bits and pieces of nice squishy left overs.

Of course I am also working on some crochet projects which I will share another day. Its 5.30 am here atm and I have been up since 4.30am with my pets. One dog is scared of thunder so woke us up to come inside. It took me a good half hour to settle the other dog who is not scared but just wanted to play. I ended up putting her back out as she would not sit still. Now I have a dog and cat at my feet and the other one has only just settled back in her kennel. Seriously these pets are pushing it. I am not a morning person when I have not had enough sleep! On a lighter note, one of the birds decided that since the light was on so early it must be morning and starting whistling "If your happy and you know it clap your hands" as loud as he could. LOL Funny but not so much when everyone is asleep. Not me of course, I am here talking to you. :-)

I hoped you have faired better than I in that department. Have a beautiful day my friends.

Namaste xoxoxox

Hats Hats...its all about hats..

One would think at this time of year, winter hats would be off the agenda but no......Mother Nature seems to be a little bit confused. Just when we thought Spring had taken hold and summer was on the way, she does a turn around, the temperature plummets, the winds pick up and it rains too. On and off for weeks on end. So we took the opportunity to take some pictures of my latest efforts while it was not too warm to do so.

First up this is Jane........

Jane is a lovely easy pattern by Ela Torrente aka Modish Mom Knits and is available for purchase on Ravelry.

I have used less than a 100g of Do or Dye Luxury Yarn in Coastal Plain.

I won this yarn in a KAL a while back and I must say it was exquisite to knit with. Has to have been my favourite yarn in the last long while. I am very much loving the colour and the final result too.

But wait...there is more. Jane is not alone, Ela also has the pattern John along side. John is basically the same however, there are no eyelets for those who find them too feminine.

Either hat could be worn by boys or girls if one so desires. :-)

(you can find the pattern for John here.)

I have managed to knit 2 versions of John. One in Bendigo Woollen Mills Serenade in Green. I loved this one as the pattern shows up nicely and I think it looks a lot nicer than my other effort. Which is in Wisdom Poems Olive Grove. While the colours are lovely they are pretty much swallowing Ela's lovely design so I would recommend solid colours if you would like to knit either of these patterns.

I am hoping to fit in one more Jane when I finish up this months test knits and my sneaky projects which I will share later. :-)

If you are interested Ela is currently hosting a Knit a Long on her Ravelry group Modish People. Up until December 1st you can post your WIP's and FO's to be entered into her weekly give aways. She is offering a different one of her patterns each week and all posts are entered every week so you have a chance to win once a week. At the end of the KAL she will also have some other prizes too.

The pattern is nice and easy to follow and it makes a great hand bag knit.

I am thinking they would make great Xmas gifts too as they are quick to whip up.

Next up we have Love Street by Paula Henley aka Koru Designs. This is also a great pattern, easy to follow and a fun knit. I knit this one using another Do or Dye Yarn, Embers in Sparkle. The weather did not pick up the sparkles in the picture but I assure you it is very sparkly.

And that is all we have for today. My Model had a plane to catch. She was off to visit her sister in Melbourne for a few days.  I have a rather busy day ahead of me. Baby Photo Shoot tomorrow for a test knit and then visitors for the next few days. So aside from  finishing up one more test knit, making a start on another, finishing yet another Umberto for my nephew and working on a pattern I have dreamed up... I do believe I have a wee bit of cleaning and cooking to do. 

You have a beautiful day my friends. Love and Light to you xoxoxox

BE HAPPY

Drumroll please....I have a FO...

Well half a FO. I guess its not really a FO till it has a partner hey? Don't judge me, I am on holidays. Haha..  Introducing my very first attempt at knitting a sock using circular needles and only my second attempt ever at knitting socks.. My first Summer Strawberry is complete.....

It has been raining a bit here this week so I did have a full afternoon of knitting yesterday. I have also been working on the Shoots Beanie for Mymymy and plan to finish that off today if I can. Here is a sneak peak at how its been going.....

The lace pattern is easy to follow and is looking quite pretty as it knits up. I will share more about it when I am finished. Loving the feel of the Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury yarn too. Its been a while since I used some. Its soft and kind of silky in your hands. :-)

My other WIP right now is a Facebook Page. I finally took the plunge and started one up. Not very exciting so far but I will be posting pictures etc on there as I knit/crochet and hopefully eventually selling some goodies and patterns via the page. All a huge WIP though as I still have a lot of work to do to get it all going. If you would like to follow along  the link is Karisma Knits on facebook.

Now I am off to work on that beanie before the kids all wake up. The sun is shining today so we will more than likely head off to the beach.

Have a beautiful day everyone. Hugs and love. xoxox

WIP Wednesday......Knitting at the beach.....

Yesterday I spent the morning sitting under the trees at The Pass, Byron Bay. I had some lovely coffee and my yarn and camera along . It was so relaxing and despite being a little cool to start off with turned out to be quite a lovely morning.  I made a friend....

who found my knitting very interesting and kept circling me. This is a bush turkey just in case you are not sure. They roam wild in the Australian bush.

The boys were surfing or bodyboarding, one even stayed behind and slept the morning away because he could. :-) I worked on my Summer Strawberries a little and then had a bit of fun taking pictures.

As you can see I was very easily amused. It was a lovely morning and I throughly enjoyed myself. I even had a 2nd cup of coffee and was very excited to check into Ravelry and find out that I had won TWO prizes in different KAL's. One for the Sezza KAL and one from Just Jussi. How exciting! I love taking part in KAL's or CAL's as it encourages you to actually finish what you start and its fun seeing everyone elses progress and FO's as well. I have joined up for another one while I knit these socks. I am sure I will tell you more about them later on and share pictures when I get home.

For now, I am back to my knitting and a cup of herbal tea.

Have a beautiful day all.

Love and hugs xoxoxoxox

Winifred...

Please excuse the daggy selfie, but no time for blocking or photo shoots. I have some packing to do. :-) 

What can I say? Even though I made the wrong size, the arms are a little wide, it still looks ok! Winifred..... I LOVE YOU!!! So comfy and yes I will make another in the right size before next winter. The measuring of the boobies went askew. The funny thing is I knew it at the time as I had measured a few days earlier but it went straight over my head. I mean really ones boobies don't grow 2 inches in a couple of days do they? Wishful thinking bahahahaha. I made extra decreases in the arms but they are still a bit baggy. Doesn't matter though. As I said, its comfy.

My mummy says I need to take a break from the knitting. She felt I took on way too much this month. She is probably right, however, one just does not take breaks from the knitting does one? Imagine not playing with yarn for a while. Oh dear!!!!

Excuse me while I go pack my crate for my holidays. I think I have narrowed it down to a crates worth anyway. :-)

Pattern: Winifred by Sezza Knits.

Yarn: Patons Dreamtime 8ply in Aqua. (I used 10 50g balls)


Happy Sunday lovelies. Have a beautiful day! Hugs xoxox

Avi-baby......

OK I totally tried...I tried very hard not to cast on anything else...I really did but in my own defence, Winifred is going very well and with one sleeve almost finished.  I thought it was a fine idea to take a break and make something little. Nothing wrong with that yeah?  And I got very enticing mail on Monday and I kept saying "Don't you touch that....don't you dare!!!"

What one gets when ones crappy cheap needles break and ones fluffy yarn snags on the other cheap needles. The internet is dangerous my friends. Too easy to spend money without leaving the house! 

And I totally did not touch that. I kept looking at it and thinking about casting on Summer Strawberries but I refrained and kept on knitting away at Winifred and then I saw several Aviatrix hats pop up in my facebook feed and happened to stop and read one of the posts. Because I do so love an Aviatrix and never get fed up with seeing new ones. :-)

If you are not familiar with the pattern, Aviatrix is a FREE pattern by Justine Turner aka Just Jussi for babies and kids, comes in all sizes, yarn weights and it is a rather unique pattern. I for one, out of curiosity took a little stroll on the internet and was unable to find one just like it.

Sadly, it has been blatantly copied with only a  minor change to detail by French company Phildar and published for sale. (copy here)  A sad occurrence and one that has a lot of people in an uproar on Ravelry. This is a very popular pattern and a very generous freeby as well. Considering how well it is known I am rather surprised they went ahead with it. One would think an established company would know better. (Update: After writing this I read some more info that apparently they have done this to another designer before and basically being in an area with not a whole lot of internet access they appeared to get away with it and take no note to whats being said on Ravelry. A shame.)

 It does have me wondering though, just what is considered right or wrong in the knit/crochet design business. Of course when we hear of something like this, we think it is wrong, however, I have seen many many knitwear designs out there that people claim as their own only to see several practically identical patterns with the same claim. Then there are all those very old books that most may not have seen which also look very very similar to many new designs. There are only so many knitting stitches and as a person who often makes up my own designs as I go along or changes patterns to suit myself it now makes me a little wary of taking the plunge and going into selling them. Of course I would not attempt to sell a pattern that I had changed just slightly it just does not feel right. Yet some people I have spoken to truly believe if you change it by just 10% thats ok. In fact I had a very short but quite heated debate over that certain cardigan that was giving me grief last week when someone suggested I rewrite the pattern myself. Ummm NO. Sure I will do it and make it for myself but I would never pretend to have come up with that design. Its NOT MINE.

I will admit I have seen crochet or knit items in pictures I liked and then went ahead a "made" one myself. I  needed no pattern and maybe I did not make it exactly like the one I saw but still I would not claim the design as my own. The pattern however is my own. I made it up myself using my choice of stitches etc. So where does one draw the line? Hmmmm Lots to think about. Thats for sure.

Anyways, my thoughts have taken me astray from the project at hand. In support of Just Jussi's sad news. And the fact that it is going a little viral right now. There is a KAL on her Ravelry group, a peaceful protesty kind of KAL but all friendly and nice like. If you feel like showing your support and want to knit up a little Aviatrix hat yourself (here is the link to join in). As with most KAL's there is chit chat and even some generous donations of prizes.

My little effort up there ^ is the newborn size in DK. I used about  half a skein each  of Moda Vera Printed Pure Wool and Moda Vera Pure wool in pink. The button is from my Vintage stash. A one off. Its really pretty, the picture does not do it justice.

If I get time I might make another one in a size 1 for a friends little girl. But first......first I must get back to my Winifred. Only 8 more sleeps till my holiday. Yay. What yarn and projects shall I choose to take with me? Oh decisions decisions!!!!!

Peace and love to you my friends. Have a beautiful day! Namaste xoxox

WIP....Winifred.....

Good morning lovelies. I hope you are well. I thought I would give you a quick update on the WIP status today. I am behaving myself and keeping the knitting down to ONE yes you heard me, ONE project. And that is Winifred.

After my joys of that other cardigan the other day. I got as far as knitting up one side of the band and decided to rip it back and put it aside for later consideration. I plan to use a smaller needle and see how it goes but at this stage I do not love the way it looks. Anyway, enough said about that. Today is all about Winifred.

Winifred makes me smile. I LOVE this pattern. Whats not to love? Just like Little Winifred the pattern is well written and easy to follow. I am loving that there is also a tally chart to cross off as you work your cable rows. :-)

The Patons Dreamtime is so soft and knits up really nicely, it slides much better over the metallic needles and thankfully this needle is holding out.

Joyful knitting is so much more fun! Have a beautiful day everyone. After a full day of cleaning yesterday I am off to spend some quality knitting time with my mum. :-)

Love and hugs to all xoxox

Whats on the needles? Whats off the hook?

Last week I made a promise to myself that I would NOT join in any more swaps, do any more test knits or join in any more KAL/CAL's as we are counting down the days to our yearly holiday and I want to plan something fun to take (LOL Last year I took a whole crate of yarn along). With this NOTness on my mind I decided that this month's knitting would be all about me. Because really I can't just NOT knit can I? Yes I shall make myself something. I had 3 balls of Bendigo Woollen Mills Stellar in Agate which I was dying to try and with much searching and deliberation over patterns I decided to go with Autumn Leaves by Janine Le Cras.

So far so good. Its all a bit boring really. A lot of plain old stocking stitch and I had laugh at other comments on Rav which pretty much summed it up as well. It all pretty much looks like this...although the colour is not quite this dull....

I managed to finish the body and 1 and half sleeves before I caved. Sezza is hosting a KAL you see, and my will power took a beating as I was getting fed up with all that stocking stitch and I have been wanting to make some socks AND of course a Winifred. You know I love those Little Winifreds and I have been wanting one for myself for ages.

Going to admit it took me about 2 seconds to talk myself into it and buy a copy of Winifred and Summer Strawberries.   After all I did have all this lovely yarn that needed using up even if the Poems sock yarn did not quite suit the pattern. I honestly thought I would cast on the socks and that would be my KAL project and the Winifred could go on holidays with me.

My needle situation thought otherwise and decided for me....snag snag snag... went the yarn and all it did was fuzz up as I tried to manoeuvre it along those toothpicks that are supposed to be needles......sigh.... I can feel a shopping trip coming on. I can.






For now however, I gave up and casted on for Winifred. Very optimistic and not sure I can get it done in just two weeks but hey you never know. I will not stress over it. I intend to enjoy it all....

Even if it does mean a whole lot more stocking stitch....LOL...... Thats ok, Since I took this picture I have  started the cable panel so its not so boring now.....

And the yarn is nice and squishy soft. Patons Dreamtime which I seem to have a whole lot of in my stash. :-)    If you would like to join in the KAL, you can find it over here. There are some pattern discounts too if you have been thinking of purchasing a Sezza pattern, now is a good time.

Now I must way and get some work done. Here is another one of those little Angel Pinafores and matching hat that I finished yesterday to leave you with a little something finished to look at. Have a great day all.

Hugs and smoochies xoxoxoxxo