mystery stole 3

finished chart A.

I know it's not a good pic, but i'm feeling a bit under the weather atm and don't want to be prancing abut outside to get better pix. I'm sure I've made mistakes as well, you don't have to point them out tc me. I like my design features in my knitting.

However, I like the pattern and I'm glad I signed up for this

beginning lace

yes, you are actually reading that label right, 435 yards to the oz. it's finer than nylon sewing thread.


And this is what it's becoming, the first, beginner lace scarf in Victorian Lace Today. I thought if I was going to knit in something that fine, I'd at least try to make it easy on myself and knit a simple pattern instead of something hugely complex.

it's taking some getting used to working with something that fine, but I think I'm getting there. I've knit a bit more since I took that pic and I'm getting to the point where I need to start thinking about how long to make it. I've decided not to make it any longer than my arm span. It's too fine to be practical for anything, and will be very, very light, so I won't want really long ends flapping everywhere. I should be able to finish it tonight.

I'll have to finish something else before I get another cast on though. So far, I'm wavering between my branching out and starting to try and get some of the cloth bags completed so I can start using them.

another FO

Crochet wristbands this time. Found in the UFO box only needing to have ends sewn in. So that done and I can call another pair of FO done and cast on something else.

My book arrived today, so I'm flicking through images of women on stunning lacely stuff wandering about stately homes. Don't think I'm going to look like that, but I do like the lace. There's a lot of simple, non fussy stuff that will suit me and be easy enough to knit when I'm not a lace expert. The main question at the moment is how many of the patterns I want to knit. So far, I'm looking seriously at at least 8 patterns and a bank loan for laceweight yarns, which aren't easy to get here.

girls like handbags, boys like....

Well, i wasn't really sure, but I wanted to make something for my son to keep a few bits in. So I made him a small bag with a belt loop, so he can wear it on his waist.

To keep up to date on the WIP along

finished: handspun wrap and broach for the wrap

cast on: laceweight grey clapotis

finished: boy's bag


I'll update my sidebar after the weekend

I'm really at it today

Here's the pin I made to hold the ends of my sheep wrap over my chest. I knit on needles 2mm smaller than the wrap, so it's holding it's shape really well.

here's the pix

3 finished objects in one picture.

the background is the giant rug, knit on 18mm, 4 foot long needles.

then there's the dark brown sheep wrap, a knitty pattern. Dark brown wool doesn't really show that well in pictures, but it is a beautiful black coffee colour and I'm sure it will be very warm to wear. it's Shetland wool, so a shoulder wrap instead of a scarf that would be round my neck and against my skin was a good move I think. This is what i did with my first vaguely usable handspun, so the colour does help hide how wonky it is


The blue/green is also handspun, but without the benefit of a dark colour to hide the wonkyness. it is a nice soft warn scarf though and I'll wear it camping.

I've decided that if the book doesn't arrive today, I'll use the rest of my aran weight handspun to knit a broach for the wrap, possibly something flower shaped. If I can finish that, I'll be ready for my next cast on with the whole diet thing

WIP along progerss

finished: happy socks from magknits
giant knit rug

cast on: girlchild wrap


finished:handspun scarf
girlchild wrap

cast on: a lace something when my book on order arrives.


I've ordered Victorian Lace Today. I don't normally order books I haven't seen in person, but after seeing several of the projects from this, I decided I loved enough of them to make buying a book worthwhile.

Plan is for my next cast on to be something from that. I need to finish plying the handspun Shetland laceweight that's sitting on multiple loo rolls on my desk. Then measure it and determine what I've got the yarn to knit, and yes, it is actually spindle spun laceweight. No pix, because pix of plain dark brown yarn wrapped round a tube is pretty boring, but I reckon I'm in there calling it laceweight at about 30 wraps per inch. I'll show you when I've started knitting with it.

Oh yeah, i'll have pix of the other 2 finished objects taken later to proove I'm not cheating.

it's a wrap, it's a girlchild wrap

OK, So anyone who guesses where I misquoted the title from wins an ice cream, but I just couldn't resist. This is what happened to the roving from dragonfibers on etsy that Fee gave me. It was so scrummy and soft, I just had to spin it as a low twist chunky to keep it that soft. And since it's super wash, a gift for girlchild was definitely in order.

So I adapted a pattern to make it right for me to knit and for her to wear and here we go, a girlchild wrap that she said thankyou for without any prompting at all and absolutely refuses to take off.



So these are another pair of happy socks from magknits.

I'm still waiting for the giant rug to dry so i can weave in ends, then I'll finish another project and cast on for another giant rug, this time tying together small balls of leftovers and stuff as well as using up some more of the rug yarns.

Cast on Diet

I'm working on a specific plan here, for each project I cast on for, I have to finish 2. I think this will effectively mean that I'll finish one old WIP and one newer project for each cast on. In some cases finishing will also involve writing up the pattern or article that goes with it.


The WIP list is getting ridiculous. I think there's a few things in bags that I haven't added to the list either, not to mention half done bits of spinning for various project ideas, and swatches and balls of yarn out t start on that I can't remember what they were for.

It is time for me to reduce this pile and start actually finishing some stuff. If it's worth knitting, it's worth actually completing. I'm spending too much time working on things I don't get to enjoy as a finished item for months.

I'm not setting myself a specific time limit on this, but I think I should continue until I can get the WIP pile down to under 10 items and I should endeavour to keep it that way. The yarn diet I started for my April challenge hasn't finished yet. I used the month to look at the yarn I already had and began to use up some of that. Since then, I've only bought small amounts of yarn from charity shops and i'm working on some great ideas from the stash I already have. I'm hoping a cast on diet will help me appreciate those things I've started knitting and think about how to finish them or whether they are viable as projects at all.

And this has already started. The rug on big needles was the last free cast on. Although that is now almost finished, I just need to tidy up and weave in ends, I'm waiting until I finish a second project until i cast on with the yarn that I spun from the roving fee gave me as a birthday pressie.



I'm quite impressed with how it turned out. It was so deliciously soft, i didn't want to take away any of that, so it's quite a low twist chunky. The 100g gave me about 130 yards of yarn, enough for a wrap for the daughter. Fee has suggested a pattern that I think will work if I do a few adaptations to it.

However, i have to finish something else before i make it. So the second sock to go with the one in St James' Park is being rapidly finished off. I have one more pattern repeat, then an inch of rib. I should be starting the wrap tonight.

my new sock

Toggle and her new sock in St James' Park
Originally uploaded by SueP

World Wide Knit in Public Day was an interesting experience. First came the fun with security guards who have decided they don't like you, but know they can't do anything about it and keep blustering thinking they will get their own way. First we were an event, then an organisation,l then a public performance. Then he announced he hated his job and i knew we had won. He blustered for a few more minutes and then wondered off

Photo was taken in St James' park by Sue. We grabbed a few beers after the knitting and caught some sun and some rest. All in all a good day and Sue has some more pix of the event if you want to see.