toggle's knitting tip of the week

The baby isn't newborn size any more, nor do you know anyone with a newborn size baby. It's a good idea to knit to a size you can use. If this is likely to be a problem, aim to knit something for the 5 year old, then if you screw up the sizing again, it will fit baby.

pattern: gumnut

There's something about using the baby as a model for the patterns I knit her that never quite works out well enough, I had to get this picture as she was asleep, she wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a closeup on the hat.





I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains,
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me.

I remember having to memorise that poem when I lived in sydney for a while. It wasn't the sunburnt brown deserts that fascinated me, but the faded grey-green hills in the Blue mountains.

I was gifted this yarn as part of a swap on ravelry. The faded green and pale brown reminded me a lot of the colours of the hillsides and there was just the right amount to make a hat, that an Aussie friend described to me as 'she looks like she has a gum nut on her head'

So the pattern is gum nut. It's a simple enough variation on many baby hats out there, but I wanted to make one of my own. So there.

yarn: leftover cashmerino DK

cost: to me, nothing because i swapped for it. to buy the yarn, about a tenner.but you would use about 1/3 of it



time: 2 hours to knit, 15 mins to finish

knitability level: beginner

needles: 1 pair 4mm (US 6)

gauge: 25 rows and 28 stitches per 10cm

Measure baby's head round the hairline, multiply the measurement in cm by 2.5 to get the number of stitches to cast on, round this up to the nearest 10, don't worry if this will make the hat a little large, baby's don't get any smaller.

Cast on in the pale brown colour. knit 7 rows in garter stitch, switch to the green colour.

Measure distance between baby's hairline and crown. knit in stocking stitch in green until the work measures about 3/4 of this distance. slightly under is better than slightly over.

begin decreases:

(k2tog, k9,)repeat to end, purl row
(k2tog, k8) repeat to end, purl row
(k2tog, k7) repeat to end, purl row

repeat in pattern, until:

(k2tog) repeat to end, purl row.

knit 8 rows in stocking stitch, then

(k2, k2tog, k to end, purl row)repeat until 4 stitches are left, knit at least 4 more rows in stocking stitch, you should have between 4-5 inches of tail on top of the hat.
cast off. sew up edge in mattress stitch, and sew in ends.

tie a knot in the tail on the top

Toggle's spinning tip of the week

Carding dark blues into light coloured fibers looks mucky. it all goes a greyish colour and looks crap. it all looks a mushy grey colour and not very fun.

Roughly carded mixtures of pastels looks fab and sparkle carded into dark coloured fibre looks spectacular, sparkle carded into white fibre is nothing special

it was all too much for baby

sleepy baby
Originally uploaded by toggle490

After a had day's crawling around on the floor, picking up bits of everything to taste, supper was just too much like more hard work.

Note to self

That really pretty insect picture on your blog is in fact a moth, backlit in a very intersying manner by a black computer screen. However interesting it looks, it won't stay there, and you can't get it to move by waving the mouse pointer at it.

Toggle's spinning tip of the week, part 2

When managing really annoyingly large numbers of plies and trying to add twist gets too much, try not adding twist, just wind the plies together, onto a ball winder, nosterapine or your wheel, I use my louet with the break band holding the flyer stationary so the plies just wind on.

When you have it all in place, you can then run your multiple plies through your wheel to add the twist.

Toggle's spinning tip of the week

When plying with beads strung onto thread, don't stress about having to put all the beads on in one go, add some beads, ply until those are all used, then break the thread and string more. Hold the 2 ends together and tie a simple knit. You can then move one of the beads up over the knot, elaving the ends tucked into the bead.

gin 'n' tonic

DSCF3046.JPG
Originally uploaded by toggle490

This is a sample of an art yarn inspired by the gin and tonic I was drinking while spinning it. I have turned it into a bracelet, I may make some more of this, or go along a different line to try to make something more arty.

fiberlicious

DSCF3007.JPG
Originally uploaded by toggle490

This is some of my handspun, drying in the Cornish sun.

Check out the etsy link, there is handspun and earrings for sale now.

selling stuff

Finally got all ready to start selling that stuff. Only it's not felt, it's starting with handspun. I think it's scrummy.