Ruffles!

And the ruffly bolero has been photographed!

Super quick, super easy (especially if you have an awesome friend who does the crochet for you!) and I love it!

Specs:
Pattern: 106-8 bolero with lace border and winged puff sleeve in “Alpaca” and “Vivaldi”
Yarn: Drops Alpaca (3 skeins) and Drops Vivaldi (1 skein) from Scandinavian Knitting Design
Needles: 3mm Knitpicks Harmony circs
Mods: None!

Knit exactly to the pattern as I understood it. Not the most descriptive of patterns though! I did knit both fronts at the same time, and did a three needle cast off on the shoulders.

And now, I'm knitting with novelty yarn. I'm serious!

Colchmumblemumble

The Colchmumblemumble scarf is coming along swimmingly!

I have only four pattern rows left, then some short rows and an icord cast off. I'm hopeful that I'll have enough yarn, and I've been knitting furiously, trying to reach the end before I run out of yarn.

Shut up, it might work!

Even though it's not particularly lacy, it's not been without dramas. I am incapable of casting on the exact number of stitches first go. 300-odd stitches doesn't work very well with a "close enough is good enough" attitude.

And I'd apparently forgotten how to read a chart, as evidenced by the multitude of leftover stitches at the end of the first row. (That may or may not have had something to do with the number of stitches as well as the misreading of said chart)

But all is on track now, and hopefully I can jump the perhaps-running-short-of-yarn hurdle.

In other magic, look what happened!

My bolero grew a ruffle! (With the help of the fabulous Knitabulous!)

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments about Emily's big night out - she was chuffed to read such lovely things, and I'm glad it wasn't just mummy bias that coloured my opinion of how beautiful she looked!

Isn't she lovely?

So it's all over. Emily has finished her final exams (results still 3 weeks away), signed out of school and had her big final dance.

I'm biased, I know, but I think she was the most beautiful girl there.

And to top it all off, she says she had the best night of her life!

Moving right along!

So moving right along, the Ruffly Bolero is going great guns! Being so small, it didn't take long to knit up. In fact, it's already been blocked.

Although I may be misleading you a little, because it's already seamed, too.

I cheated on the shoulder seams and did a three needle bind off, as you can see in the blocking picture. So all I had to do was the side seams and the sleeves, which aren't even set in sleeves, just little cap sleeves. Super quick project!! I am a bit worried that it's too short, but it should be okay. (Denial, I haz it!)

Now, of course, it needs the ruffle. But it's crocheted, and I can't crochet to save my life. So my lovely, fabulous friend Knitabulous has stepped in and is taking up the crochet hook for me.

And I get to cast on something new!

It's the Colchicaceae scarf by Angelika Luidl, now known here as the colchmumblemumble scarf. I'm knitting it in yet another MadelineTosh yarn, the scrumptious Pashmmmmmina that I got from The Loopy Ewe.

The pattern calls for 500 yards, and I only have 360. But I'm knitting it on 3.75mm needles instead of 4.5mm needles, and the yarn is a little thinner than the original, so I'm hoping it'll all be okay.

Denial. I really haz it!

And finally, it's Emily's Year 12 Formal (or Prom, or Graduation, depending on what part of the country/world you live in) tonight. The past two days have been filled with beauty appointments. She got her hair done this morning.

More pics over the weekend!

Petal

Two posts in less than a week! Can you handle the excitement?!?

Petal is finished, blocked, seamed and now modelled!

I'm really happy with the way this one turned out. Emily made the little skirt she's wearing, especially to go with this top. I think she did a pretty awesome job!

Specs:
Pattern: Petal by Kim Hargreaves, from the Misty book.
Size: XS (81cm)
Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills 4ply Cotton in "New Ochre"
Needle: 2mm and 2.5mm Knitpro Harmony fixed Circs
Buttons: Cheap plastic clear ones from the Button Factory down the street!
Mods: I omitted the picots from the ribbing edges on the hem and sleeves, because I never like the way they look, no matter what I do. Apart from that, I knit it exactly to the pattern in the smallest size.

I love the little details in all the Kim Hargreaves patterns, like the split hem on the bottom of the top and the sleeves, with the buttons.

I think it gives it a nice finish! I'm also really pleased with the neckline. I haven't knit anything with this neck shaping before, and those little triangles at the top of the front just looked weird as I was knitting them.

I think it's a style that looks quite flattering on Em!

I've knit with the Rowan 4ply cotton before, and the Bendigo 4ply cotton compares very favourably! And at $9.50 for a 200g ball (that's equal to 4 balls of the Rowan 4ply), it's a bargain! Especially seeing as Rowan has discontinued theirs. The colour range isn't great though, which is a little disappointing. I'd definitely use it as a substitute again.

Barely there!

I love to knit. I really, really do.

So why is it always the first thing that gets dropped that I run short on time? Why can't I drop the housework, the chauffeuring duties, the sewing or the hundred other tiny tasks that infiltrate my life and demand my attention? The real reason I've barely blogged of late is that a) I have no time, and b) I have nothing to show.

Nothing to blog! No one wants to hear that I vacuumed an entire rabbit's worth of fluff off the carpet three times last week. Or that a billion dance costumes went through dress rehearsals last week, and five billion came back for alterations. (Well, it feels like that many!).

You're here for the knitting, and I've got nothin'. Well, almost nothin'.

I seamed up Petal.

There will be modelled pics sometime soon. Em even made a cute skirt to wear with it! It looks lovely on her, but hasn't been actually worn yet, because we went from winter weather to summer weather in the space of three days this week. And I only finished it on Thursday.

The ruffly bolero is growing, but all I have is a badly lit picture of some curling alpaca stocking stitch.

I assure you that it's smooshy!

And although I don't seem to get any time to play with yarn lately, I have no trouble accumulating it. I'm on a MadTosh kick. Three deliveries in three days!

The Molly Ringwald Merino Light (top right) arrived first, a destash from Ravelry. On Friday, my first yarn club parcel came, the Jewels colourway called "Laurent:(top left). It's 80/10/10 wool/cashmere/nylon worsted weight, and I think it wants to be the Bellevue cardi. And finally, yesterday I got my grubby little hands on the three skeins of Merino Light in Curiosity (Bottom left) from missfee.

The Zauberball pictured also arrived this week. Don't you just adore the colours? I haven't touched any lace since the Cap Shawl disaster back in January, but this is whispering to me.

As soon as I have a spare minute!

Still here

Busy, busy, lots of things going on, just no blogging!

There is sewing happening.

There is knitting.

Drops 106-8 Bolero with flounce and winged puff sleeve. The Drops patterns are so imaginatively named, aren't they? I'm knitting it in the recommended yarn, Drops Alpaca, and I'm enjoying it. I started it on 3.25mm needles, then ripped it out and started over on 3mm and I'm much happier with it now. It never ceases to amaze me how much of a difference 0.25mm can make!

More knitting, with seaming to come.

Petal, all done, just to be seamed and buttoned. (And crochet edged. Eep!)