Jumper update........

I finished the back. Hoping it will be long enough, because right now if looks a little short - and I am well and truly past exposing my midriff - I will have to figure something out if it is!




Currently, I am working on the front section. Hoping I will have that done by the time my mum arrives (Sept 1st)- so she can guide me with the sleeves and trim! I have been back to the yarn store twice to buy more yarn, as I realised three balls, and then four balls were not going to be enought to finish it. Here's hoping five will be - because there is no more left!

My first knitted JUMPER!

Right back to the blogging. Its been a while - and knitting unfortunately has taken a back burner to my house remodel - but I have a little more time on my hands now, so I've picked up the needles and decided I want to knit my first ever jumper!

I've been inspired by all these slouchy, 80's style sweaters I've seen around recently, and recalled my mum used to wear such sweaters back in the 80's!! So after a little skype conversation, and a show and tell of all her old knitting patterns, I eagerly awaited the chosen patterns arrival in the mail.

This is what I decided to go with - Lady's Short Sleeved V-Back Sweater


I love the V back the most!


So I headed to The Yarn Studio - the yarn they suggested I use in the pattern no longer exists - surprise surprise! I wanted a block colour rather than mottled like the picture - so went with Blue Sky, Worsted Cotton in the Thistle colour. I am hoping it is not too heavy for the pattern - we will soon see!

After three attempts at trying to get the right gauge - I figured out what needles I needed, and off I went. So far - I've completed the lower half of the back section - I'll keep you updated with my progress..................

Where did the summer go?

Its been a while since I last blogged. Blog Week in May left me all blogged out, and then I blinked and Summer was over and Fall is now here. So I thought I'd give a quick roundup of whats been happening.

In June I got married.

We bought a house in Minturn, CO. It needs a lot of love.

I also spent a fair amount of time on my mountain bike, in our tent at random locations throughout Colorado, and hiking some splendid mountains in the Rockies. There was some work thrown into the mix too - but unfortunately a limited amount of knitting.

However - now the weather has started to turn autumnal and the evenings are drawing in; the needles have been dusted off, the sofa has become my knitting haven and I have some deliciously chunky yarn on its way to becoming a cozy cowl!

What a Yarn: knitcroblo7

One of the greatest yarns I have ever used is the Twinkle 'Soft Chunky' Yarn. It is amazingly soft, deliciously thick and comes in some truly gorgeous colours. I originally bought this yarn in the kelly green and coral colours, and loved it so much I couldn't resist buying two more skeins when I visited Fancy Tiger in Denver - more yarn for my ever-growing stash. With the kelly green I made this super toasty cable hat, which knit up in just a few hours. It turned out so well, I made another one in the coral!!!

Cable hat made from Twinkle Soft Chunky Yarn in Kelly Green!

Cable hat made from Twinkle Soft Chunky Yarn in Coral!

Revisit a past F/O: knitcroblo6

I thought this topic would give me a great excuse to share a few piccies of gorgeous Florence wearing a hat I made her - the first one was taken at 3 weeks old - the second at about 3 months - unfortunately it is almost too small for her now - but isn't she just delicious !!! (Maybe a little scared in the first picture !!).

3 weeks old!

3 months old!

Location, Location, Location: knitcroblo5

Yellowstone NP, taking a wee break from knitting, watching Chris fly-fishing!

I don't have a specific spot or place where I always knit - I pretty much take my knitting most places (in my awesome Cath Kidston knitting bag), and if I have a free few minutes and feel so inclined, I'll pick up the sticks and do a few rows. I really don't like to waste time, so if I can be productive with my down time, then thats always a bonus!! The most memorable places I've knitted are - Yellowstone National Park, sat watching Chris fish. It really was an idyllic spot, and a pretty relaxing experience. I was a little worried a bear might stumble upon us, or a big old buffalo. Fortunately neither creature decided to visit that day !! I've also been known on occassion to bring my knitting to the Sports Bar in Vail, on a Football Sunday, and sit and knit while Chris cheered on the Chicago Bears - I'll admit I got a few odd glances, but I have absolutely no interest in American Football and didn't want to waste 4 hours watching it !!! So my philosophy for knitting is anytime, anyplace !!

A New Skill: knitcroblo4

Having read a lot of blogs about knitting this week I stumbled across 'Entrelac'. Having not heard about this technqiue before I eagerly googled it. Wikipedia told me that 'entrelac is a knitting technique used to create a textured diamond pattern - while the end result resembles basket-woven strips of knitted fabric, the actual material comprises interconnected squares on two different orientations'. Cool.

A wonderful example of Entrelac

I then read through a few patterns on Ravelry and I think I could potentially manage a little 'entrelac' project - maybe with my mums help!! This is therefore the new skill I would like to learn.