Finished Object

Holidays!

| Sonia Knits

The wait for the holidays is finally over! Gosh, how I’ve been looking forward to this Craftcation. 3 weeks of making, yay! Mixed in with family, friends and great food.

Last weekend was the Richmond Knitters end-of-year party!

It was super fun and it just keeps getting bigger every year.

I made another mouse for this year’s ornament exchange. Alan Dart’s Furry Fairies are just so cute.

Catherine was the recipient of ‘Angelina’ and I think she is smitten.

Danni of Halfbaked Hand dyed made an exclusive self-striping colourway for us once again (selected by Susanne!). So gorgeous, I had to get it in both 4 and 8ply.

This past week, I’ve been making more fairies, one for our tree and one for my niece Maz (it’s a surprise).

With just a few days left of advent… things are getting to the pointy end of the calendars, and I’m not quite settled on what projects to make with each. Ideally I’m thinking sweaters, because I love knitting colourful sweaters!

I have a few pattern contenders in mind, but I’m still thinking on it.

These are my unfinished projects at the moment. I think it will be too ambitious to think I’ll be able to finish any one of these unless I’m working solidly on a pair of socks. It’s probably not going to happen. My goal for the end of the holidays is to have my Nimue Blanket on track for finishing (I’m probably half-way through, maybe?) I also want to cast-on Sabela (haven’t done that yet). But in all honesty, seeing some progress in my projects will be really satisfying.

A FO and Advent

| Sonia Knits

My Calm Down Cardigan is finally finished! It has been complete with buttons and all since last week, but the weather has been extremely hot or extremely humid and wet to take some photos until today. I’m very happy with the result, although I don’t feel as though it’s perfect. It’s a nice casual cardigan, but not fancy enough to wear to work, if you know what I mean.

Good buttons are now hard to find, especially since my work has relocated out of the CBD. Upon a recommendation, I went to visit the Brighton Button Shop (in Bentleigh), which I would rate as a really good experience. I was assisted by the owner of the store, and she provided me with no fewer than 4 options. These buttons stood out as the clear winner though. I’m looking forward to casting on something new very soon, I deserve it 🙂

Advent is well and truly underway. This year I am a bit spoiled with 3 yarn calendars by hand-dyers in Australia; Louie & Lola 8ply, Fibresmith 4ply and My Creative Garage 5ply. I’m so happy with how each of these are turning out, I’m going to have to start thinking about patterns to use for these in the new year.

The tree is up, for some reason it took a really long time to place all of the ornaments up this year. The sheep that my niece made for my birthday has been hanging out in my living room, decided to join hedgehog and become a festive ornament for the season.

And some of this is going on as well, fiddly Christmas ornament making. I can do it in small bursts, but I can totally see why I’m not a toy maker!

I’m looking forward to finishing a couple more projects before the end of the year, but I might be a bit too ambitious about the Nimue crochet blanket! We’ll see.

Alpaca Road Trip, Crafty Weekend & Sock Knitting

| Sonia Knits

A couple of weeks ago, I took a Tuesday off from work and joined a ‘Road Trip’ organised by my local yarn store Sunspun to go to my favourite Alpaca Farm and Woollen Mill, Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill! Do not be fooled by the name, they are now known as GORWM since relocating inland to Burrumbeet (near Ballarat).

It was a lovely way to spend a day. Virginia, the owner of Sunspun had it all very well organised, and chatting to Nick and Isabel (from GORWM) is always a fun time, they’re so cool.

The highlight for me was meeting some of the Alpacas, they had just been shorn not too long ago. They are so cute. I bought some yarn, of course I bought some yarn! For a summer knit, hopefully once my Calm Down cardigan is finished.

Then last weekend, I headed to Rye for a crafty retreat with girlfriends, it was such a lovely relaxing time. None of us quite know how long we’ve been going away together for, but we might work it out one day!

I’ve just finished these ‘Canberra’ socks, in Halfbaked Hand-dyed’s DK sock. These are my favourite socks yet.

Now back to knitting my Calm Down cardigan before my weekend is over.

The Beanie line-up

| Sonia Knits

Today, the fourth and final knitted beanie for 2024 was given to it’s recipient. So now I can show you the best bit; shiny, happy beanie people!

This is my brother, he works outdoors and gets up early to do it. Not sure how this is only the first beanie I’ve knit him, I know it won’t be the last.

This is an old colleague of mine (old, as in, I haven’t worked with him for about 18 months) who retired a couple of weeks ago. He always showed great interest in my crafting and yearly trips to the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show. He’s a super nice guy, very knowledgable and helpful.

This is our friend, who is an amazing chef. I saw her chefing in the kitchen with a store bought beanie in the depths of winter, and I felt she deserved better. She loves her new beanie!

This is Tim, one of D’s oldest friends. He saw me knitting my brother’s beanie whilst I was in Bendigo and asked if I could knit him one. Of course I said I could, but there’s a queue!

I’m so glad I made the beanies for these people in my life. They were well received and I know they will be well used. For me, to see these photos, is so joyful. It makes the hours of knitting rows and rows of stocking stitch so worthwhile.

Still knitting grey

| Sonia Knits

This morning I cast-off the last of my Beanie commitments for 2024. Four grey double-brimmed beanies (triple, if you count the fold-up) is more than enough for one season I think. Fortunately now that the weather is fining up a little, the desire to knit beanies for gifts has lessened, as has the demand.

The final charcoal beanie (which is for our friend Tim) is currently blocking, so just imagine the last beanie pictured here, twice. I have got modelled photos of the first three beanies on their recipients, but I’m going to wait until I have the fourth portrait to show them all to you at once. I’ve really enjoyed handing over the beanies to the first three recipients, they’ve all been very well received so far.

This weekend, I was really hoping to have a new garment cast-on, but I thought it would be best to get back to my Calm Down Cardigan, that I’ve hardly begun (from way back in April). Sadly, it’s also grey, which really is not a joyful colour to knit for months on end. I just really want the finished thing, because I’ll get so much wear out of it. The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic, in the identical colour of the Bendigo Classic beanies. An unfortunate coincidence, but isn’t it lovely?

I’m very happy to get back to my projects and plans after this unplanned diversion into beanie knitting. Perhaps next weekend I’ll give myself permission to start something new.

Bendigo 2024!

| Sonia Knits

I’m home, exhausted and I’m wondering how my time in Bendigo went so fast. It must mean I had a really great time.

I won a prize in the Woolcraft competition! It was for my Paul Klee Sweater pictured above. Competition was really tough this year and I feel very fortunate to have been awarded a third in the Sweater category for 4ply.

The displays of work were beautiful, and I think the best ever in terms of how items were presented.

This year, the Richmond Knitters made garments and accessories from the Pressed Flowers patterns by Amy Christophers. Wearing them altogether, certainly got a lot of attention. It made the weekend super fun too.

We saw the Woolcraft Fashion parade on Saturday morning, it was amazing. We visited the sheep, and even saw a baby lamb on it’s birthday! This is my older sis in the 3rd photo above.

Here are my Bendigo purchases for 2024… the shopping list was thrown out for day 2 at the show. I found it too limiting, by the things I needed, rather than the things that sang to me. So I had a very joyous time, by the looks of things. Now to dream of all the things I can make with these. If you would like to check out all the specifics, I’ve added them to my Ravelry page. And that’s it for another year of the Sheep Show.

Painting Bricks Sweater

| Sonia Knits

It’s finished! My super fun Stephen West sweater was finished in time to be entered into the Woolcraft competition at the 2024 Australian Sheep and Wool Show held in Bendigo. Which begins today (I’m writing this in advance).

The main colour has been hand-dyed by Danni of Half-baked Hand dyed, with the contrast colours from my 2023 Advent Calender, by Vanessa of My Creative Garage. From the one time I’ve popped the sweater on for the photoshoot, I can tell you it’s lovely to wear. The colours are just so joyful. The folded neck band is a winner, not to mention the squishy slip-stitch rows.

It was a fun knit, I would highly recommend Stephen West’s patterns for their clarity and interest.

But all of these ends, are on me! I have a bad habit of waiting to the end to sew them in, except for blankets for some reason.

I’ll be back to let you know how my Woolcraft entries went, and to show you my haul from the show!

5 Sleeps to the Bendigo Sheep Show!

| Sonia Knits

I’m sorry I haven’t posted in such a long time. Apparently when you enter into Woolcraft competitions, you’re supposed to be a bit secretive about your makes until the judging has occurred. That’s no fun! I’m not even sure if that applies to blogs, is a judge reading my blog right now?! I highly doubt it.

I can confirm three sweaters and a pair of socks have been entered into the Woolcraft competition! My second pair of socks have missed out, because well, that was a pipe dream.

Since completing my entries, my intentions have moved to my Nimue crochet blanket by Shelley Husband, that has darkened my living room basket for 2 years, 2.5 years! If you recall, I stopped working on this when I realised I’d bitten off more than I could chew, by also working on my Hand Spinning Certificate at the same time.

I’m actually really enjoying making this once again. No deadlines, no homework, no competitions (definitely can’t be entered into any show, because it’s cotton).

I haven’t forgotten about my ‘Cast-on a sweater a month’ goal. I’m hoping to recommence those shenanigans in August. I’ve got a blanket to finish and there seems to be a few people in my life who need beanies right now. It’s very chilly in Melbourne, and sadly the forecast for Bendigo weekend is cold and wet.

I’ll be back on Friday, with my latest completed sweater (when the judging is over!)

changing the Goal Posts

| Sonia Knits

The Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo is just 6 weeks away! I’m super excited this year as every year; it’s like Christmas for Knitters and Spinners. My husband and I go up to stay a few days beforehand to make it into a mini getaway.

The show itself seems to be getting bigger and better every year. In the last number of years my Knitting group (the Richmond knitters) have attended the Women of Wool luncheon, and we’ve hosted a special Saturday Night dinner. We also have a knit-along for a sweater/accessory and wear it to the show, see my Pressed Flowers Pullover below, squee. We hang out together and buy lots of yarn and fibre, and encourage others to do the same, it’s great!

This year though, I’m adding something to the usual repertoire that is Bendigo. I’m going to enter the Woolcraft competition! Whilst I don’t like to be be judged on something that is my hobby and obsession, I’m doing this for fun, and surely the judges won’t make horrible comments. I’ve enjoyed seeing my friends enter the competition for many years, and I think it’s time I had a go. I’ve knit a couple of things recently, that I’ve kind of thought of entering… so they haven’t been worn. But after the show I’ll be able to wear them, so I can prove I’m a product knitter over a process knitter after all. Or rather I can be both.

I’ve filled in my entry form and paid the fees… for 5 items, 5! 3 of the items are finished, but 2 of the items are WIPS. They are my stretch goal 🙂 My deadline is in 3 weeks; before everything needs to be popped in the post to get there in time.

So, I’m changing the Goal Posts I’ve set myself of casting-on a garment per month. For now anyway. I’m going to finish the 2 WIPS I need for the Show competition instead!

And here’s my Pressed Flowers Pullover on this rainy long weekend in Melbourne. I’ll be wearing it to Bendigo so if you see me there, come say hi.