What I made, by Sharon

 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...

  Kieran  (or Kizza as he is usually referred to), is my favourite Brother-in-Law. I have four brother-in-laws, but he's the one I like best, and not just because every time we go away, whether it is for a night or a month, he comes and looks after our cats. He mentioned to Leon that he couldn't find the hat I made for him in 2016, so I decided it was time for a new one anyway. I dyed the yarn I recycled from my Carbeth  a light brown, and made him a Tiilda hat Since I know he wears the mitts I make him all the time, I also made him some matching mitts.  The knitting of these took 5 days total. It would have been four, but i decided to do the alternating cable cast on on the bottom of the mitts. Then I matched it with the tubular cast off. When will I learn that the tubular cast off is not stretchy? So I had to pull that out and replace it with a stretchier cast off. Other than that, it was a very smooth knit and I really like the results.

 Did you know you can make rib in crotchet? Me neither, but now I do: Elise asked for a replacement hot water bottle cover, because she's worn through the bottom of the one I made her in 2014.  I know I could have offered to repair it, but the chance to get some crocheting  in was too great. I took the yarn I had unravelled and dyed and went looking for a pattern... And looking, and looking. In the end I made it up on the fly.  I'm really pleased with how it came out. I'm considering writing up the pattern, but I only speak crotchet as a second language. What do you think?

My mother-in-law mentioned she would like a new how water bottle cover, so I decided to crotchet one because it's been a while since I got out the hook. Also because it's far quicker. I was going to knit a charity hat between large projects, so instead I took that same yarn and made a hot water bottle cover: I don't love the colour of the yarn on the tie, but I was pretty much out of matching scraps my that point. I used this pattern. It spiralled, rather than being in proper crotchet rows, which doesn't work when striping. It also has no shaping at the top, the tie is what keeps it together. Still it was a delightful way to spend a day, and I think it looks nice when it's all tied up. Old fashioned, in a good way. Kathy also asked for a new tea cosy, so I'm looking for a pattern for a crotcheted one, since I do enjoy hooking on occasion, particularly for homewares.  

On Tuesday, Elise and I planned to meet at the local shops, so I could hand over her teapot and cosy. On Tuesday morning, 5am, I was lying in bed, partly awake and I started to worry. That's a lie. I was awake at 5 in the morning, I was already worrying. But I started to worry, specifically, about Elise's tea pot. Yes, I've knit a cosy, but her pot is glass, and it's going to loose a lot of heat through the bottom. It needs a coaster. So I crocheted  a coaster, with the left over yarn. I didn't block it, I didn't have time. I haven't seen Elise for a month or so, and in the current, increasing lock down I won't be seeing her again for a while yet, so I wanted to hand it over. It was such a pleasure to see her (masked) face and to give her something I made with my own hand. Sending my love into the word in the form of crafting is my superpower.   

Laura, an ex-colleague of mine had a baby. I first met her while I was waiting to interview for the organisation I currently work for. When we both got jobs she walked me down to get my fingerprints done and pass issues. Eventually we drifted off - she joined the OH&S team and I went to a different site. Last time I saw her was in December, at a lunch for another colleague we had worked with for almost as long, who was off to have a baby. At that time Laura told me she was trying to have a solo IVF baby. She must have been actually pregnant, because last week her baby came - after 6 months and a day gestation. So, a little underbaked.  Little Noah is doing ok I think, and I decided to knit her a bit of a baby set. The obvious yarn I had was this: It's a bit lavender, and I would put a boy in it, but I'm not sure she would. I ran it through the dye-pot and now it's a much more manly purple! I'm going to knit a baby Envelope  and a hat - partly to keep the baby warm, ...