Author: Sonia Knits

Crafternoon

| Sonia Knits

I was able to gather up some Richmond Knitters at the last minute for a bit of a Crafternoon at my place yesterday.

The crafternoon had all the ingredients for a successful afternoon:

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There was cake. I made this, despite it’s disastrous appearance, by all accounts it was delicious. It’s the first cake I’ve made in a really long time. Damian helped me separate the eggs, I had a bit of trouble with that…

There were babies:

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There was a yarn shelf, some excellent knitters, a spinner, a destash (mine, yippee!) and some funny conversation.

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I can’t wait to do it all again.

The first post after

| Sonia Knits

Dear blog readers,

I’m still here. It’s been a hell-of-a-month. For those that don’t know me in real life or haven’t heard, we had to let our cat, Purl go a few weeks ago. It’s the first time I can write those words without cracking up into tears. She meant a lot to me.

So, what have I been doing?

Not a lot of anything. Making plans, making changes, cherishing my family and friends.

A girly weekend to Hepburn Springs came at a most opportune time. And as promised over and over again, I took along my 20-year-old hexagon patchwork and apart from some Vanilla socks for car knitting, I took nothing else.

For the uninitiated I should let you know the scope of my hexagon patchwork quilt project. It began as my big idea for a project between my school break from high school to uni. It is a very large quilt, spanning the size of a queen bed, to the floor. There are 40 patches by 46 rows of patches. That’s 1840 patches. Each of the patches have been sewn into rows except for the last 6 rows. I’m up to sewing my 12th row. Here’s where you come in: I need you to keep tabs on me.

I recalled that sewing a row, not taking that long. By my memory estimation, I would say 2-3 hours tops. This estimation was seriously revised by the end of the weekend. Having arrived in Hepburn I began sewing where I left off (however long ago) at half-way between row 7 and 8. I optimistically brought along the whole project, all the rows including the last 6 that hadn’t been sewn together. This was quickly revised to a goal of having 15 rows sewn over the course of the weekend. Leaving on Sunday afternoon I was nearing toward the end of row 10. I think. I have since sewn row 11 to 10. And now I’m starting a new separate section, sewing rows 12 to 13. The plan is to sew about 4 rows together, then attach it to the larger piece as I go. Sewing directly to the larger piece for the next 42 seams, is not my idea of fun.

So there you have it. A row a week, that’s do-able. Perhaps this quilt or quilt top (let’s not get ahead of ourselves) will be ready for it’s 21st party this summer.

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Lose it?

| Sonia Knits

I don’t know. I’m having doubts already.

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1. Is it going to come up too thick to be a wrapped scarf? Probably. I cast on the alternative, not a tube, but the rolling stocking stitch design as per the pattern. I really, really, didn’t like how it looked carrying the yarn up the side and the wonky side stitches. As suspected, hence why the tube.

2. Am I really going to wear it, and love it? I don’t think so.

3. Why am I knitting this? I don’t know. Boo.

4. Will it work for something else? Something for a sweet niece? Nah, any garment would be too thick and warm for anyone.

Up for destash, 5 balls each of Cleckheaton Angora Supreme in soft pink and mauve, only slightly knit. PM me on ravelry for details.

Methods for stashing down: UILI

| Sonia Knits

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I’ve been following the Stash and Burn podcast rav forum thread ‘Use it or lose it’ on Ravelry for a little while now. I think the premise for the scheme is to cast on one thing from ‘deep stash’ each month, the yarn then either becomes a project that you’re happy with, or you realise that the yarn has no potential anymore and you move it along.

There is a lot in my stash that I consider as deep-stash. Putting all your yarn up on Ravelry is a wonderful thing. It makes organising so much easier! I’ve identified 8 amounts of wool that I need to move through my yarn collection, one way or another (at least to begin with, there’s more). To force the issue, I’ve created project pages for each of the yarns. I’ve assigned most of the yarn a project for what the yarn was originally intended for or in some cases a new pattern idea.

Today I’ve cast-on my Cleckheaton Angora Supreme, Cathy may recall me buying this. It was because of her high praise of this yarn, that I felt it was necessary to buy the last ever 10 balls of it from Wool Baa a million, billion years ago. I think at the time, I may have had this pattern in mind, I’m not sure. Either way, not long after it’s arrival in my stash I found what I thought was the perfect pattern for it. Then I forgot to knit it. But I didn’t forget, in my head it was sorted.

So I’ve cast on ‘Candy Stripes Kerchief’ by Kat Coyle today, maybe 5 or more years after it’s originally inception. I’ve changed the pattern so that I’m working in a tube rather than flat stocking stitch that curls. I have double the yardage to do this. I loved the design when I first saw it, quite Dr. Seuss like. And stripes are in.

I think this project is a keeper.

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Baby Sophisticate

| Sonia Knits

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I love making clothes for little people in 8ply and above. This was a super fast knit in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. It is for my new nephew and it’s the very first garment I’ve made him. This is a sure-fire way of getting my project tally up for the year!

I’ve had a bit of a cold this week, so unfortunately I can’t present him with it this very instant. Be assured though I will grace you with modelled photos when I do see him again.

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The cute buttons are from Buttonmania. When I saw them, I knew they were it! Paddington Bear buttons is what I thought. They’re adorable. The last four buttons they had, it was meant to be.

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Follow Your Arrow Finale!

| Sonia Knits

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After much time, my ‘follow your arrow’ shawl was completed last weekend. I never thought I was going to finish it. I knit and knit and knit and still the end was not in sight. Clue 5B really showed me. This is the part of any knit-along that I dread. When the novelty of knitting as a community wears off, and you’re just not finished yet.

But alas, I love the result. As soon as I cast-off, I somehow decided this shawl was going to be a gift for Damian’s mum. I haven’t actually knit for her yet. She is a knitter herself, so I hope she doesn’t pick up all the errors. There are at least 3 in the last clue. That’s how bad I wanted to cast off. Had I known I was making it as a gift at the time, I would have ripped back, honest.

Back to FREE knitting!

Featherweight

| Sonia Knits

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In between the madness of knitting along with Ysolda’s Follow your Arrow knit along, I managed last week to finish knitting my Featherweight cardigan by Hannah Fettig.

I’m pretty pleased with it, and it didn’t take decades to knit. Although the 3.5 inch collar nearly did kill me, I had fair warning from Sharon and Kate about that. It’s just as well I didn’t rib it.

The Patonyle feels amazing on and I know it will last forever and ever. So long as Purl doesn’t get her claws into it. Special thanks to Damian for some lovely photos of my FO. Happy Anniversary D, I still feel very lucky to be married to you (despite my worried face below!).

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I’m knitting on my 5th and final clue for Ysolda’s shawl. It’s another B clue! Somehow I ended up choosing ‘B’ all the way along, I just happen to prefer the B clues, I wonder what that says about me?!

5B is a knitted-on edging and it’s taking some time. I’m praying for some knitting fairies to work on it whilst I sleep.

Ode to Patonyle

| Sonia Knits

Patons have put out a great new colour range of Patonyle in solids and self-fair isling, and I’ve been stalking the shops to see who would have it on their shelves first.

The answer is Clegs! I spied a half-opened box in store at lunchtime yesterday, but I behaved like a ‘lady’ and didn’t rummage through it, although it did kill me a little. I had to return to the city today for something else (I know 40 degrees outside), so I displayed some patience. Funnily the store manager (I think) was chatting to me about the new colour range and said they were just put on shelf today, (no kidding), so I had to play along and say, ‘wow really, aren’t they great!’ so as not to appear like the crazy yarn stalker that I am.

I knew when I saw the new colour range on Facebook, I was doomed. The yarn diet or should I say ‘the yarn lifestyle’ had to be put on hold. You see, yarn colours don’t always stick around, nor do yarns. I’ve taken one for the team and purchased these.

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Of the achievements of my husbands time at ACS so many moons ago, the one I love most, was that he ‘brought back Patonyle’. He is my hero for all time, I didn’t know how good it was then (but several other knitters did) and lobbied to get it back from discontinuation. I’ve almost finished my Featherweight cardigan in Patonyle and I am ecstatic about how lovely the fabric feels when wearing it. Now Patonyle is in the the bright colours that we all dreamed about. I see 6 pairs of stripy socks, somewhere in my future…

My new (to me) Ashford Traditional wheel

| Sonia Knits

I had some time, this lovely long weekend to tinker with my new Traddy wheel. You may recall I got this as a gift from my gorgeous little sister who thought I might need another wheel. I didn’t know it then, but I think she was right!

Not being an Ashford owner before, I downloaded the manual from the web and investigated what I needed to do and what goes where. I purchased a maintenance kit from Spun Out, have I told you how much I love this store? Quick as a flash it all arrived… some gourmet rolags may have also come along for the ride.

And ta da! I’m spinning! The maintenance kit covered EVERYTHING I needed that was missing from my wheel. It even had the orifice hook! First up, I’m spinning some Wendy Dennis Polwarth which I’ll ply with a darker natural Wendy Dennis Polwarth. Bendigo is coming…

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Purl loves my new wheel too. She sat down beside me, mesmerised as the wheel spun around and around. Sadly a pillow case will have to go over the top of this wheel too when it’s not being used. Ahh the pitfalls of cat ownership.

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