Socks...et chaussettes...and socks!

On my sock adventure, I have seen so many socks, mainly out of my skill set but gorgeous nonetheless, I have tried cuff down and everyone says "Wasn't the heel the hardest?", Well, actually No, doing the Kitchener stitch (grafting), to be quite honest, they really need to change the name of the stitch only because I think of him

Lord Kitchener, the king of Calypso

Or maybe him?

The Other Lord Kitchener.

Well you catch my drift but maybe they both made socks themselves - well it's plausible! 

So we are back to my sock plan for today. I still have two balls of Zig Zag just waiting to get made up into toe-up socks - and how ironic is this, they are stopped at the heel! Options to consider:

• Pull them both out to the start of the heel and work row by row on each sock.
• Get to a point where I know where I am on both socks, pull one out and get to the same point as the other sock.
• Start it all again (quite reluctant to do this as I want them done) and do cuff down socks
• Read the pattern again from beginning to end, see if it makes any more sense. (this one is a high possibility to do).

Ah, merde! :(

What do you think?

As a side point, I thought I would let you  know  my favourite designers for the moment, Wendy D Johnson, Ann Budd and even though I have got the book but not yet mastered the art of two at a time on circs,  Melissa Morgan-Oakes.

As a bonus, New Season of Hart of Dixie is back on Really @ 8pm on Mondays

Thank you, I'll see you later or maybe to practice more French à bientôt

Knitting with confidence: Cast on

How-to cast on

Make your slip knot and place it onto the left needle (red). Hold the end of the yarn in the opposite hand to your working yarn and place the right needle (yellow) behind the left needle, in the slip knot.

Pass the yarn from the left hand side over the right hand needle (yellow) from the back, around to the front.

Holding the working yarn, bring the yarn through the front, so your right hand needle (yellow) is looking like it has another stitch.

Bring it back to the right hand side.

The stitch is now ready to be put onto the left hand needle (red). Pull the right hand needle (yellow) out.

You have now done your first lot of stitch.

Now you have done the stitch.

Now place your right hand needle (yellow) in between the two stitches

This is how it should look.

Bring  your working yarn from the back of the right needle (yellow) to the front.

Get the needles so it is making a pointy 'n', with what looks like two stitches on the left hand needle (red) and one on the right hand needle (yellow).

Put it back onto the left hand needle (red), remove the right hand needle (yellow)

This is how it should look. Yippee, you did it :D

To help you along the way, a knitting tutorial, your first slip stitch

Terminology that I will use:

yarn - this can apply to all from wool to acrylic.

Working yarn - the yarn that you will use, as you knit.

Hold the end of the yarn in your hand.

Whatever hand you are using make sure your ball of yarn is on your working side/the side where it doesn't move across your work so it gets tangled.

 

Place the yarn between your thumb and your second finger, so that the yarn is over your first finger.

Wrap the yarn around the finger (not too tight, you don't want to cut off your circulation) So that it crosses over your first finger.

Holding onto the cross that you have made, pull the yarn from the front of your finger, underneath the  circle you have made, and pull it through.

Holding the yarn that you have pulled through, you let go of the hoop, hold onto the end and pull the hoop at the top.

There you have done a slip stitch, you can use this to start your knitting or your crochet. 

Lax behaviour will not be tolerated

Yet again I have lapsed with my blogging, even though I have been quite thorough with my Ravelry there come a lot to be said about actually having the time to write everything down so  there have been times where I have focused more on the knitting and crochet.

   Since the last time I have learnt how to:
1) Pick up stitches
2) Make an iCord
3) Read a crochet pattern without much help

	The mitts that will keep a child warm, shame about the massive thumbs but I'm guessing i can work on the sizes :)
Octi-pie	or is it RastaDread?

Knitting much?

Not really, to seems to be more about the crochet, since my last update I have done more squares for the boy and his splash blanket, I even was able to put some wool by, via The Wool Baa, so I will have the same dye lot, I just hope that I can finish it in time - I'm working on the 30th January 2011 (eek that sounds like ages away) so it will be a nice birthday thing for him. The other crochet project was somewhere to store my crochet hooks as the knitting needle storer wasn't quite big enough to store all the accessories, so violá I have a totally new crocheted thing that I didn't even use a pattern for, to be quite honest I don't really like patterns - well maybe if I can read them /wink

It looks a bit fallic but I think that's just because of the thickness of the wool.

 

I think it looks lovely inside, just enough space for more hooks.

I also got told that the girl didn't want red, so after all that knitting (well nearly) she wants a pink blanket - now I don't know whether she means all pink or just bits of pink we shall just have to wait and see, let me finish and see what she says.

Knitted things:

• Cable scarf - I got the wool, then needles and the ehow tutorial to get going, then I realised that the wool was really tight on the needles and what do you know the wool is for 6and a half and the needle 6mm, who would of thought.
• The Dennis the menace scarf, I think is half way through and I got a whole lot done while waiting for the christmas play at school, which I'm really impressed about.
• The gloves that I made on two needles turned out pretty well but I will put it down to a good pattern and really expensive baby wool.

 If I get both lots of squares today it will be enough to keep me going, spending time on Ravelry I have had some good hints about how to make blankets/afghans. I also saw this ver sweet Christmas knitted star it also comes as a crochet pattern too, I might try it next year if I remember.

Watched Castle, matching scarves from both Castle and Det. Beckett, the one she wore was a lovely blue colour. Also the lovely Marc Blucas who has been in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and recently Lie to me & House and had a nice, very green scarf on

Going like the clappers - I've never knitted so much in my life!!

I have finished the Dennis the Menace mittens and they do look lovely,

     as do the beads on the cushion,

although I'm not to sure about it, I got the wrong wool, the pattern suggested that King Cole Magnum was used with 8mm needles and I ended up using Life by Stylecraft (needs 6mm needles) and 5.5mm because I didn't have any of those in the stash, but luckily enough there seems to be enough wool to make another. The Cushion looks as if it will need blocking as it i all bent out of shape from having the beads in but I don't think it looks that bad considering that's it's my first attempt with beads!! ...and here are the replacement gloves for the youngest and these ones do fit her!!

Knitting mittens for my kittens!

This is the most basic pattern that I could understand, and it worked an absolute treat.

Things you need:
Wool - I can't remember the name if it , all is that I bought it at Dunelm, in Sheffield. I am using up some wool that I used for little one's hat and scarf.
Needles: 3¼mm
Stitch holder
Embroidery needle

Finished thing

These are a little small for her but there are three sizes on the pattern, so here's looking at making another pair.


For the pattern: BBCrafty

The day today

It has been as a normal day can be, the kids said they wanted to watch Ghostbusters and then got bored about 20 minutes in and went upstairs, I on the other hand thought it was still quite good, I mean the effects were ropey but I expect that from a film that was made in 1984 - and I forgot that there was a lot of smoking in it too. Anyway I finished off Nana's present, I just need to find the right clasp for it, then I spent the rest of the day realising that it wasn't maybe the best thing using the DPN's for the mug warmer and changed it to just a line of 80 stitches and just fold it in on itself to get the slit for the mug handle. I haven't done any cross stitching for a while, I really should.

OMG, I'm using DPN's

I'm just as amazed as you are, considering I have never really sat down and tried hard with double pointed needles, I'm on the third row, and I need to do a few more to get the desired effect. So watch out I'll be posting the finished product soon....now it's quite late and I would hate stab myself with them, so I'm going to call it a night

Fred Bear

My bear has kindly say that he will do some modelling for me with the knitted trousers and poncho, and I must say he looks mighty spiffing, so give it up for Fred Bear, Whoot-Whoot!!

housework/knitting/housework/xstitch/housework

The day in the life of a mum, there is not enough hours in the day to do everything. lets hope that I can get all the things done before the kids get back - now it's gone all grey and it's raining!!

For this blog thing, I have also changed the colour, the yellow was hurting my eyes, added a project monitor where you can see how far I have got, although I haven't got round to taking a picture yet, the wool looks gorgeous.

Also I have bought myself a new magazine, it's called Let's knit and it has a lovely knitted cushion cover - I guess it's something to be looking into when I have finished everything else :)..and they also had what looked to be a crochet summery hat, I guess it's a shame that I never learnt properly how to do that.

Also what is a lovely magazine is cross stitch crazy and I always find something to stitch in there :)

FUN!