What I made, by Sharon

 My 83 year old mother fell over on the street the other day. She put down her left hand (she's left handed) and fractured a bone in it. While it could have been worse, it's  not great, particularly since she is very left handed. She can't go to her gym classes, or swim, which are her main sources of exercise, so, for the first time in her life she's seeing a personal trainer. She's irrepressible and I love it.     Anyway, it's winter and it's cold and she can't wear a glove over the brace she has to wear, so she asked me to make her a mitten. Just one. I tried to suggest I make her a pair, but she said she was happy wearing mismatched mitts. I was going to make her two anyway, and then i realised that was because I would hate wearing an odd pair. So I did as requested. One large simple mitten that goes over a wrist brace. I know because I tested it on my old brace. Hopefully she won't need to wear either the brace or the mitten for too long. And the...

I don't know what the collective noun for a group of hats is - a charity of hats? A celebration of hats? Anyway, this week I knit four hats, three for charity and one for a work colleague. I do love the  Fits the Whole Fam Hat  pattern. It's simple (as are most hats) It fits all sizes and it's made with three four ply (fingering yarns) held together, so it eats up a whole lot of yarn. Perfect for left over sock yarn.  I've finished with the current spasm of hats, because I will be concentrating on my Celeste jumper, but this has been (another) very pleasurable diversion.

 Today I have three finished items that are gifts, so, while I wrote about them while knitting them, I haven't had the opportunity to show you them on their intended recipients. First up is the Swancho that I knit for Kris, so that Kris, Nat, Katie and I can all match. She looks so cute it it! Then there is the Albizia cardigan for my mother. Practical and pretty, this was a (rather lengthy) very satisfying knitting adventure. It's made out of Holst Garn Supersoft, and while it washes up reasonably soft, i actually ended up with a cut on my tensioning finger from the yarn rubbing on my skin. I'm really pleased with how it fits her , and I think she is too. Then we have a charity jumper and hat, which I knit to try to minimise some of my every growing leftovers. here it is modelled by a bear. Hopefully the bear is smaller than a 9 month old. Also a  bonus pair of socks for my father, because he likes fun socks and complained that I haven't knit him socks for a while, wh...

 I finished The Traveller Cowl for Elise nearly two weeks ago, and I didn't get a chance to give it to her for what felt like ages, so last Sunday, when we were out beering , I presented it. I was pretty doubtful about it while I was knitting it, but now I think it would be a marvellous garment if we were somewhere cold. Pop it under a jacket and your neck, ears and chest would be very snug.  I made the large out of bulky handspun, and I would consider making this again for myself, slightly smaller and a little less bulky. I''ve also been insider to spin for the traveller hoodie.   In the past I've felt like I didn't love knitting with my handspun, but this was squishy a delicious and a lot of fun to spin and knit. 

I had a marvellous weekend. We hosted my parents for Friday night dinner - look how happy my mother is, Princess Daisy doesn't normally grace her in this way! On Saturday Leon and I went to the Triennial at the art gallery, and then to dinner and saw some comedy - just the two of us, like a date! Then Katie messaged and asked if I could make a number for her house. Apparently all numbers commercially available are boring. So on Sunday afternoon I took all my scrap clay and made a slab, and created this very not boring house number: Meanwhile I mentioned this to Elise who has been looking for a non-boring unit number for her place. I guess we all know what I'll be creating next weekend!

 I finished Luna's jumper last week, and now I just need to send it to it's recipient. It looks a little short to me, but it's aligned with the model jumper she sent me, and also I used a full 200 grams (1400 metres) of yarn and had very little left. This is why I normally only post modelled photos!  While I was knitting this, I decided I wanted one for myself, using a fade and some fluff that I had bought for something else and not sued. In the past I would have resisted knitting the same thing back-to-back, but now I rather like it, it feels very soothing. Also, mine (as mentioned) is a light pinkish super fluffy fade, rather than the more restrained black I knit for Luna!

When I was 24 I lived with a flatmate for a year. We met because she had put an ad for a flatmate in the local paper - that's how old this story is. We had a riotous time. There was drinking and boys and late nights, heartbreak and a cat called Matey, and I have no photos of that time at all.  After a year and a half I packed up and went overseas, and Luna has been on a variety of adventures herself,  including becoming a midwife, moving to Tasmania and living a rather eclectic life. She moved back to Melbourne a couple of years ago and at Christmas a bunch of us from "the old days" met up for a drink and a catch-up. She asked if I would knit her a black jumper, and I'm pretty sure I said no. A couple of months ago she messaged me and somehow we ended up planning this   jumper . She sent the jumper she wants the handknit to look like - it's kind of stiff and made of mohair or fake mohair.  We decided on Zealana Air, and she ordered it. It arrived earlier th...

  Leon had a birthday on Friday. I bought him a fun gift (some fancy puzzles) and an indulgent gift ( a top of the line electric toothbrush) but I thought it would be nice to make him something too.  So I made him this little Alien.  It's the cute st little thing I've ever made. Based on his face, and the fact he was posing him drinking whiskey I'm pretty sure Leon likes him too.

It was meant to be a quiet weekend - Leon and i got our 2nd COVID boosters (the bivalent one) on Thursday, and we both had side effects that felt a lot like COVID. It was a brutal 26 hours,a and then I got better. On Friday i was too fatigued to knit! Aweful. i wasn't too tired to read, and I'm reading Miranda Saphire's A Light in the Dark , which is a sexy, feminist retelling of The Beauty and the Beast, so much of the day was spent lying on the couch reading. On Saturday I went to the gym and then had the rest of the day for whatever I wanted (after cleaning the house of course. We always clean first, and then do the relaxing). I finished the sneaker liners with the SHaG heel.  I really like the heel, it's the same fit as a heel flap and gusset, but much tidier. Then I made a cat toy  That was meant to be a gift. Which would have been great, except I left it on the bed and Willow decided it was great to play with. Successful cat toy, failed gift. I'll make ...

 I have often admired knitters who have multiple projects on the go at the same time - something simple for when they are out and about, something more complicated for at home. I've tried it before, but it has always done my head in. Well, last week I cast on Astragal , a stranded hat and I thought it would be better not to try to knit a charted pattern on a busy weekend, so I also cast on a charity jumper. End result: at the end of the week i have a very attractive colourwork hat for Elise, and a stripy  jumper for a three year old, and 200 grams less 8 ply leftovers in the stash -box. Very satisfying all around.  

Katherine is getting married and, as is the tradition of the Richmond Knitters, we are making her a blanket. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read this blog - and she knows in general terms about the project - she gave Katie the quiet word that she would like us to all choose our own square design and use yarn from our stashes. I've got swancho left-overs that I have been saving for the right project, and this seemed like the right project. I started by crocheting a nice, pretty square, and then I found I could not stop. So far I've made 4 squares - 3 from Swancho left-overs, and one from my handspun. It's probably time to stop, but although I'm more than happy (and have the yarn to) make a couple more if they are required. I could always go back to crocheting my own blanket. 

I know these look like a tiny pair of calf length socks, but they are long in the sense of it took me two weeks to make them - and they are a size 5, 56 stitch sock!  I don't know what happened. it's a very simple pattern - I was knitting Rachey Coopey's Gardner's socks , but then I crossed the cables the wrong way in the ribbing and decided I wanted them simpler than the originals anyway. Also, Kris (who these are for) feels the cold so i wasn't sure of the wisdom of lace socks for her. She also feels the bumps on the bottom of handknit socks, so I made "princess soles" - I pearled the bottom of the sole. Anyway, they are very sweet socks and I hope she enjoys them.

Before the pandemic, I really only wrote weekending posts when I'd been away, or done something out of the ordinary. Now, going out and meeting friends seems noteworthy! We got out of lockdown 5 last Wednesday, but current setting are no one is allowed over to your house, so out it was this weekend! First, on Saturday, afternoon we met my parents at a dessert cafe. Terrible coffee, lovely cake! And it's always so good to see them after an enforced break.  Then we headed to a brewery to meet Tony, Ingrid and some friends of theirs. I had my crotchet blanket and I swear I crocheted all afternoon and night, but I barely got anything done! A highlight was when Tim, the partner of a friend of a friend showed up to meet and her, and asked "why do you have a crotchet hook?" Because I am crocheting, obviously! He was very proud of knowing the difference between crotchet and knitting. Then on Sunday I met up with Elise, Rach and Rachey for lunch. I finally got to give Elise h...

I finally, finally finished the cardigan for Bee. I got her to try it on, but she put it over the jumper she was already wearing, so who knows? This project was a bit meh for me, but I really like the pattern and might make it for myself too. In wool. Not acrylic, even thought the acrylic is OK ... if you can't wear wool. When she tried it on the bottom buttonhole turned out to me too loose, so i took it home to fix it. I'll wrap it up and give it to her for her birthday, which is the 8th of July. I also finished Elise's mitts . These are a surprise present, and I'll wrap them up and give them to her for her birthday, with is the 7th of July. I really like how they came out, and it is a pattern I would make again, maybe as a charity knit. And now my needles are free. I'll do some charity knitting until I see Rachey, (hopefully Tuesday) because I want to measure her up for the cardigan I'm going to knit for he r. This has turned into a bit of a year of knitting f...