“Some hats can only be worn if you're willing to be jaunty, to set them at an angle and to walk beneath them with a spring in your stride…”

“…as if you're only a step away from dancing. They demand a lot of you.” 

Another pat on the back for me – I have finished the hats for my niece and nephew!

I used the pattern Dayton (Ravelry link here) and yarn already in my stash for them both (you might recognise the green Paintbox Aran from the Rainbow Cardigans - pattern here and blog posts here and here).

This completes the winter woollies set for my nephew (which I sort of took on by accident), but which has turned out far nicer than I anticipated and will hopefully fit him.

My sister didn’t think my niece would wear mittens or booties (thank god) so her ‘set’ is literally just the hat! Though I did add a pompom for an extra jazzy touch. Plus I have run out of the green wool and had to add a few rows of grey to finish it!

I’m not a big fan of knitting cables. They are easy to do and they look fantastic, but the cable row and the one immediately after always seem wrong. Too tight, or too gapey. Yes that's a word. Of course they’re not, and when you get a couple more rows along it all evens out, but there’s still that nagging doubt every time you repeat…

I was intending on knitting a couple more of these for the twins, but I don’t know if I have it in me to knit two more of the same pattern. I might have a browse for alternatives - though I suspect I’ll come straight back to this one. It is lovely.


*Quote from Neil Gaiman

“I enjoy acronyms.”

“…Recursive Acronyms Crablike "RACRECIR" Especially Create Infinite Regress” 

In my travels, I have read many a knitting blog, spent many hours trawling knitting forums (well, Ravelry mainly), and have had to re-read knitting patterns far too many times. Through these adventures in knit-land, I have had to learn a new sort of language: the language of Knitting Acronyms.

Some are pretty obvious (FO = Finished Object). Some make no sense but once you learn what it stands for you wonder how you didn’t twig (ISO = In Search Of). And some are brilliantly obscure (SABLE = Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy).

So, for posterity, here is my list (so far) of knitting terms:

BOR = Beginning of Round.

CAL = Crochet Along.

CIP = Crocheting In Public.

Colorway = The name or number of the colour of a yarn.

DPN = Double Pointed Needles.

DS = Destash (to get rid of unwanted yarn.)

EOR = End Of Row.

FO = Finished Object.

Frog = To rip back (“rip it, rip it”) by removing the needles from the project and pulling on the loose end of the yarn. Generally used when the mistake you made is a few rows ago, or when completely unraveling an entire item.

Frog Pond = A storage place for knitted things waiting to be frogged.

Gifted = Giving yarn/FO to others for free.

ISO = In Search Of.

KAL = Knit Along (where a group of people knit the same pattern and discuss it in a thread to give each other pointers, tips and encouragement.)

KIP = Knitting In Public.

Knitworthy = Someone worth knitting for (not just because they are lovely, but because they receive the items with enthusiasm and wear/use them.)

LK = Loom Knitting.

LYS = Local Yarn Store.

LYSO = Local Yarn Store Owner.

MK = Machine Knitting.

Muggle = Non-knitter.

OTH = On The Hooks.

OTN = On The Needles.

PM = Place Marker.

Pooling = When one colour in a variegated yarn groups or ‘pools’ together in one area.

SABLE = Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy (my personal favourite, but not something I aspire to!)

SQ = Sweater Quantity (enough yarn of one type to make a jumper!)

Tink = To undo knitted stitches by reversing the knitting motion, to go back and fix an error on that row. ‘Tink’ is ‘Knit’ backwards – essentially you are un-knitting each stitch.

UFO = UnFinished Object (a WIP that has been abandoned or neglected.)

W&T = Wrap and Turn (a technique to get short rows. Instead of knitting all the way from one side to the other and then knitting back again, you knit partway down the row, turn, and knit back.)

WIP = Work In Progress.

Yarn barf = a big lump of yarn that has accidentally become tangled together in a spaghetti-like mess. Heartbreaking.

*Quote from Douglas R. Hofstadter

“And her old Uncle William used to say a lady is known by her shoes...”

“…and her gloves.” 

You know what I’ve decided? I hate knitting baby mittens.

I hate it.

I hate knitting tiny things in the round.

Sure they knit up quickly. Sure they’re adorable. Sure the pay-off of knitting time to object made is great. But they are annoying and fiddly to knit and the process of knitting them is not enjoyable.

This is my way of telling you I’ve finished knitting the mittens for my nephew:

I used The World’s Simplest Mittens pattern (Ravelry link here) and used the same red and grey stash wool I used for the Nicki booties previously (blogged about here) .

It’s a good pattern, don’t get me wrong, but I hated this project.

I’m knitting for a 2 year old so I used the Toddler sizing instructions. Part-way through I realised my mittens were looking huge and, after a quick google, came to the conclusion that toddler sizes meant 0-5. Is a 5 year old a toddler? Really? Hmm.

But then it meant that the thumb gusset (giggle) seemed out of proportion and unnecessarily large, which I didn’t know how to fix!

Well anyway I then had to free-ball my sizing. Hopefully lefty matches righty at least.

God knows if they’ll fit.

If not he can just wear socks on his hands.

Shop bought socks.

I am never knitting baby mittens again.


*Quote from Virginia Woolf

“And there’s its twin…"

“…unnatural little beasts they are.”

Another triumphant post today as yet again I have not one but two finished objects to flaunt:

They are teeny tiny and very cute, which should be perfect for a pair of twins expected later this year. Luckily I do not feel the same as Kreacher and instead think twins are fantastic. Although that might be because I’m not expecting any… Hmm….

These both use the Little Coffee Bean pattern (Ravelry link here) and are knit in Sirdar Snuggly DK in Indigo Mix, Cream, and either Little Gem (green) or Flamenco (red).

The pattern is different from ones I’ve used in the past as it is seamless, kit back and forth all in one piece on circular needles.

It is lovely not having to seam, but you do have to knit the sleeves separately. Unless you want adorable little cap sleeves instead:

I used the magic loop method (rather than DPNs) which I find makes it easier to avoid laddering or loose stitches. However, the knitting gods have worked against me as the stripes don’t quite match up or just hang a bit peculiar…

See the left sleeve on both? Urgh.

If this were a jumper for a grup I would probably frog it and re-knit, but as the twins will undoubtedly outgrow these in a matter of minutes I don’t think it’s worth the effort.

There is also joy on the to-knit list as my sister advised me that my niece doesn’t need mittens or booties, so those can both get scratched off the list – huzzah! Only one pair of mittens, four hats, and a dragon to go before I can get back to Christmas knitting.

Sigh… One day I’ll knit something for myself again!

*Quote from J.K. Rowling

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration…”

“…the rest of us just get up and go to work.” 

Last week I was a little overwhelmed with the ever-growing list of items to be knitting. This week I am happy to show you not one, but two finished objects:

LoveKnitting link here

LoveKnitting link here

Having these two out of the way really lightens the load a bit. I thought they would take me a week more to complete, so I’ve now got that extra time to get on with the jumpers and hats etc. for the twins. I have earned myself extra time. I didn’t think it was possible. I am an incredible human.

The blue cardi (with the uninspiring name "Cardigans in Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK - 1219") is for my friend’s Goddaughter, and owes its existence to a mistake made by another friend. (The friends in question, C and H, are my Luck Dragon loving companions mentioned previously)

H bought a pattern and some wool online to make a cardigan for her niece (I think it was her niece. I’m not entirely sure actually). However, when the wool came it wasn’t the colour it looked like on her computer screen (the perennial problem with buying wool online) and she didn’t think it would work. So, as she is the loveliest, she gifted the wool and pattern to yours truly. I find it very difficult to pass up free yarn.

Instead of knitting the cardigan for my niece, I thought it would be nicer to pass on the love, and gift the finished cardigan to C, for one of her goddaughters. I hope it fits.

It’s made from Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK and it has a lovely silky look and feel. The stitches are nicely defined and it feels nice on your hands when you’re working with it. My only gripe is that it has a slight odour about it, but that’s going away now the cardigan is being aired.

The other cardigan will look familiar to Philly-Fans – it’s another Rainbow Cardigan by Paintbox Yarns which I made previously and blogged about here. I still like the wool and the colours especially, though I’ve noticed it does drop some fibres when you’re working with it so your lap can become a bit fluffy after an evening of knitting!

Now, on to more baby cardigans! Huzzah!


*Quote from Stephen King

“My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have…”

“…but in my lack of control of them.”

You know how it starts...

"I’ll knit things for people I love for Christmas presents. What a good idea. La la la."

You how it develops...

"Oh you’re pregnant?! Congratulations! I’ll knit you something for the baby!"

...and develops...

"What? It’s TWINS! Oh that’s amazing – I’ll knit for them both!" 

... ...and develops...

"That’s a nice pattern. Oh and that one’s nice! And obviously I’ll need to do two of each..."

... ... ...and suddenly I’m knitting on a deadline!

I need to:

• Finish a sleeve and all the finishing for a Christmas jumper for my niece. (That can wait, but it’s annoying to be so close to finishing!)
• Finish a jumper for my friend’s goddaughter. (That technically can wait, but I’m seeing her in a week or so and it would be nice to give it to her rather than having to post it later.) 
• Knit two jumpers for twins due in November, but likely to come early. (Need to do these before the end of October really.)
• Knit two baby hats for the twins. (Not necessary but so cute!)
• Knit a hat each for my niece and nephew
• Knit a set of mittens each for my niece and nephew
• Knit a pair of booties for my niece to match those made for my nephew. (There's no strict deadline on any of these cold weather woollies, but it would be nice to have them finished for when the weather starts to get cold.)
• Knit a dragon for the twins. (Again, not necessary but so cute!)

So essentially I need to knit everything all at once. Which kinda takes the fun out of it…or at least balances out the fun with stress.

After I finish all that lot, I get to start all the projects for ME.

*Quote from Jack Kerouac

"Okay. Now, let’s say he’s in the house and there’s a fire, and you can either save him or your shoes – which is it?"

"That depends – did he start the fire?"

I’m in a bit of a knitting funk. I want to embark on a new set of projects, picking something big and new and challenging. Let’s be honest here, ideally I want to knit myself another jumper. Specifically, either this jumper, Tinder:

© Brooklyn Tweed/Jared Flood

or this jumper, Stripes Gone Crazy:

© al-fa

Or finally, this jumper, Peloponnese:

© Linus Ouellet

Adding insult to injury, I actually have an excuse to buy more wool! I’ve run out of Paintbox Simply Aran in Champagne White so I can’t finish my Rainbow Cardigan.

But my conscience tells me I can’t. My stash box is literally crammed full of yarn. I need to finish up the projects I already have wool for – my white Carnaby skirt, my donated wool and baby cardigan pattern, and a hundred random things (toys, cowls, gloves etc.).

So I’ve been grumpily looking through the stash and thinking what I can do with it. I have all my lovely bright Paintbox yarns, but they kind of need a more subdued colour to be worked with so the finished object doesn’t offend the eyes so much…

To cut a long story short, I realised my Sister-in-Law had previously asked for me to knit some mittens for my nephew and I thought - great! Something to use up the stash!

And that got mixed around in my knotted brain, and I knitted some baby booties instead.

I have no idea why I’ve knitted these instead of what I was asked to do.

Mittens for the feet perhaps? Oh well. At least they're nice.

*Quote from Gilmore Girls