Buttons

I'm not sure that I've ever mentioned that I have a bit of a thing for buttons. Always have had. When I was a kid, my mum had a huge tin full of buttons. I spent many an hour with that tin, sorting them out into colours, sizes, styles.
Even when Emily was little she used to play with my buttons, counting them out and piling them up.

I've acquired a few new ones lately.
These arrived this week.

I got these from a lovely lady in New Zealand who hand makes them. You can find her here.

We got some new buttons in at work, too. And a few of them have followed me home.

I especially love the little white shell ones with the pink flowers.

And there's a lovely antique store down in Berrima called Peppergreen Antiques, which is sadly closing down. They have an incredible range of buttons. I managed to restrain myself and bring home only a few cards.

Buttons. Love them.

In knitting news, this many ends to weave in should be against the knitting law.

Yes, I still knit!

I still knit, I promise! It's just the blogging that's borked. And the bout of glorious weather we've had has led to an inordinate amount of sewing. Sundresses, skirts, tops, lots and lots of sewing! In fact, I should take pictures of all my sewing projects and blog those - alas, the weather today is uncooperative. It's cold and it's raining - much more conducive to knitwear!

If it keeps up, I may even get to wear my newest project that's almost done.

The Plum Frost cardi is heading for the finish line! Such a boring, boring knit until you get to the colour work, I won't lie. Sleeves first, gray stocking stitch. Then the body. More gray stocking stitch. But then you get to join it all up and start the prettiness!

That bit went so much faster than any of the rest of it! So now, only 9 rows of stocking stitch to go, then 12 rows of rib.

And then, The Steek.

Lets think about that later, okay?

My work knitting project is the adorable Lily from Rowan's Summer Baby in Cotton Glace.

Such a cute, cute cardi for a little girl! An easy lace pattern, made effective by the stripes of colour, but those ends are something I'm not looking forward to!

But here's a hint of the summer sewing - a dress in Liberty Tana Lawn that I finished today - looks better on me than the hanger, I think!

Big One

I'm so far behind on my finished projects that I'm giving up and posting them all here right now. I save them sometimes for blog fodder, but then I don't blog, and the cycle gets bigger and bigger. Time to end it! (The cycle, that is)

First up, Edie.

Oh my, I love this knit!

Specs:
Pattern: Edie by Kim Hargreaves from Precious
Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic in Smoke, 8 balls from Calico & Ivy
Needles: 3.5 and 4mm Addi Turbos
Mods: None. Kim Hargreaves and Kid Classic, what's not to love? Love the styling, love the smooshiness, love the comfort. I have worn this many times since I finished it a month ago. It's warm, it's attractive, love it. And it was quick! I took this as my car knitting when we went to Victoria in July. We were gone a week, and when I got home I had done the back and the front and was halfway up the sleeves. Quick!

Pics thanks to Knitabulous

Next up, a dreadful picture of a gift knit.

I finished it late at night, and it was given away the next day, so the only pic I have is this awful dark one.

Baby knit for a friend of David's.

Specs:
Pattern: From an old Patons book that seems to be now discontinued.
Yarn: Bendigo 4ply, picked up at the mill whilst we were in Victoria.
Needles: 2.25 & 2.75mm
Mods: I changed the sleeves - the pattern had short sleeves and I wanted long, otherwise pretty much as written.

And finally, a cute one.

Sarah (the lovely Calico & Ivy Balmain manager) found this free pattern on the Rowan website, and asked me to knit one as a store sample. So cute!
It knitted up nice and quick, just a little cuddle toy for a baby.
The day I finished it, I went to the Rowan site to look up the pattern, and it's gone.

So we now have a store sample and no pattern to offer people.

Specs:
Pattern: Mouse Comfort by Janice Anderson from the Rowan website
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool DK in Cypress, Tudor Rose and Flour
Needles: 2.75mm and 3.25mm
Mods: None. The pattern also has a Flying Fox option, equally cute, but sadly also equally removed from the Rowan website.

And so now we are up to date. Lets see if I can keep it that way!