Plugging, plugging, plugging

Have you ever had a pattern that you found really boring and really difficult to continue with, yet you loved the finished pattern?

For me, it is turning out to be Kim Hargreave's Lisette Cardigan, knit in fingering weight / 4 ply which never seems to end. (Plus , it is the second time i'm giving this cardigan a go).


At the moment, there is one back piece, one sleeve, one front piece and a tad bit of another sleeve. I'm knitting all over the place with hopes that it will be more interesting this way (ha!). But anyways, a little bit a day, and hopefully it will end soon ...

Restarting...

I must be on a green kick. Or variations of it. First there was Martha, then there was the Golden Vintage Cardigan, and now i've restarted Lisette in a teal green. I still have the choc brown one, but i left that in Perth and being 600kms away means I can't access those knits :(

But anyways, here's hoping to a better Lisette this time round.

Oh mister postie - where are thee??

Well, there was a schedule mixup and instead of flying out this morning as originally scheduled, I will now be flying out to site next week. Which means I've got a few more days here in Perth to play around and relax before having to start my roster. Also, my schedule has changed from 2 weeks on / 1 week off, to 12 days on / 9 days off, which means more sleep and relax time for me and that's always a bonus :) Nonetheless, at the moment, I'm being paid to sit around waiting to fly out!

Anyways, I've been waiting for my postman to deliver three parcels which should've arrived by now in most instances but with the silly season coming up, I think they've been delayed.

• According to Amazon, my book order shipped 1st November and 14 days later it hasn't arrived.
• I also placed an order with Bendigo on the 7th November, and still nothing.
• I'm also expecting some yarn from the UK which was shipped last Friday so that one might not come till next week. Is anyone else having issues?

But i'm itching to knit something interesting. Lisette is coming along with the left front now finished, but it is a boring knit so I've also started two projects I normally would've knit but because I wanted to use up stash yarn and so, i've begrudgingly started a sock and a baby item.


Florence is from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Collection and is being knit for an ex-workmate's bub:


And Ripple Weaved Socks from Vogue Knitting ... I'm just knitting when bored of Lisette. This one might go to my sister.

Progress on Lisette

Thank you to everyone for your lovely comments about the Phildar Leaf Sweater. They always make me smile and jump a little somersault :)

Since then, there hasn't been too much knitting happening over the last two or so days. I've finished the back of my Lisette Cardigan, and I'm absolutely in love with the fabric that is being knitted up from my Rowanspun 4 ply, in Sludge.


I previously mentioned that it reminds me a lot of nut chocolate , and true to my word, I gobbled a whole packet of yummy Hershey's chocolate while knitting this. What can I say? The real life chocolate option was probably better than eating up my knitting!

The rowanspun in general is working up quite nicely. It is a very thin, brittle yarn, so you have to be fairly careful with it being caught on something but the end result is a very lightweight, tweedy fabric. I do love the colourway , Sludge, and am thinking I should stock up on it since it is a discontinued yarn ...

The pattern itself is fairly easy, with only a few counting errors being made, but nonetheless easy to fix. Kim Hargreaves writes her patterns well, but this one is a little boring. The pattern is knitted by knitting the top half of the back and front pieces, the sleeves, and then you knit the lacey part at the bottom separate and attach it on afterwards. I guess the main part is what is boring me - I'm looking forward to doing the bottom lace attachment the most! Here's another piccie of the choc-nut cardi so far... just cause I think it looks yummy.

I have also placed an order to get some yarn for the James Coviello Jacket I posted about recently, as well as a remake of the Vogue Embroidered Cardigan, which my sister has nicely requested as a Christmas present. When I made the original, I think it was the first thing I ever knitted. This time I'll at least know how to pick up stitches properly!!

I am also about to place orders for yarn for the Vogue Mini Dress, and a replacement yarn for the Bianca Cardigan but I'm a little fussed over which colour to choose!!

Almost there..

This morning in a rush of productivity, I finished up Leafy, and put her in the wash and she is now outside getting some lovely sunshine as she waits to dry off after her little swim..



I did try Leafy on before she went for her swim, and I'm a little worried. My arms are by no means big, but I found the armcyth a little tight. Not so much that my arm would turn blue, but enough for me to wonder about the effect Leafy may have on my future health. Hopefully after the swim and with a bit of final blocking, she'll fit nicely.


On other news, I've finally cast on for Lisette, whom I shall now dub the Choc-Nut Cardigan (because the yarn looks just like dark chocolate with almonds), and it's been some slow going. It's not the most exciting pattern, and it's on fingering weight again. Apologies for the most shocking photo here - the lighting was just not right today.




So, in need for some more instant gratification, I'm looking for a new pattern to start.


Up on offer ladies (and gentlemen if there are any reading!), we have got the Vogue Ribbed Mini Dress, the incredibly stunning Ruffle Jacket just completed by Treschicveronique, the ubiquitous Drops Jacket, Debbie Bliss' Juliet Cardigan or her Catriona vest/top... What shall it be ? I'm leaning towards the mini dress or the ruffle jacket.. but I'm still unsure and don't really want to have too many projects at once (i'm a faithful semi monogamist!).


Okies, off to lunch. Hope you all have a fab day!

WIPs and Swatches

My sister is one of my favourite people in the world. She's so selfless, considerate and extremely zany and strange. Last night we decided to have a sisterly sleepout where we watced terrible horror flicks and slept in sleeping bags in the lounge room with every bit of knowingness that we'd regret it the next morning. Sure enough, we both woke up grumpy at about 8am with aches in our backs and shoulders and then promptly went to sleep on more comfortable means.

Unfortunately, I am still not feeling the best and have even come down with a cold, so with that note, i'll just post a few piccies and leave you to it :)

Progress on the Phildar Leaf Sweater. Wearing white pjs make me look like an escapee from a mental asylum, but heck, i'm not feeling well so it'll do :D What's even more interesting is that I'm still on my first ball of yarn, and i'm already up to the "bust" area!!

Swatching for Stella Smith's Bianca Cardigan, from Rowan 38 using my frogged yarn from the RYC Classic Summer Julia sweater:

I started a swatch for Lisette, from Rowan 36 using Rowanspun 4 ply in Sludge. The swatch is making me want to eat dark chocolate with nutty bits in it. Mmm. Luckily I still have some choccies leftover from my Secret Pal package so i think i'll munch on those for comfort food.

Have a great end of weekend :) And for any perthians who haven't yet done so, don't forget to turn your clocks forward. This daylight saving business is making my crook body feel even stranger ;)

When is enough ENOUGH?

When is enough ENOUGH?

For the last three hours, I have been trying to unpick the tangled knotted mess that is my lovely Rowanspun 4ply Sludge soon to be Lisette Cardigan (below):

but this is as far as I've gotten:



I blame it all on my nasty dodgy possibly broken Yarn Winder. Remember my yarn winding woes from a week or so ago? Well, I took everything into account and I polymer clayed up my little stick figure yarn tensioner thing and managed to stop it from moving... Alas, when it went to wind, it wasn't winding and moving the yarn up and down as you lovely readers have told me it should do.. it only spun in an oblique direction. Surely that's not supposed to happen right? *right*? (see how it only goes in one direction??)



I'm at wits end... should I throw out the yarn winder and get a brand new winder/swift set, and should I snip up the knotted mess? Lisette requires 8 balls of 4 ply yarn, and I have 10 - more than enough to make the cardigan so I'm thinking i'll just cut my losses and give up on that 20g or so of yarn that is knotted up.. On another note, the yarn cost me a mere $25 AUD shipped from the UK for 10 hanks.. Bargain or not?!

*I am NOT a happy knitter today!*