WIP Wednesday 03.05.23

Current WIP count: 5

I’m 99% sure that there are no more forgotten projects lying around so I’m going with 5 WIPs at the moment. That’s pretty reasonable for me!

It was down at 4, but then I read this post and remembered that I have a few Heidi Bears patterns which, for some reason, have been sitting in my download folder untouched since 2018. I only started yesterday so there’s not much progress to show, but at least I’ve started.

Further news on my Love Note, and I find myself wondering how much I really want one. The original yarn is so sticky that I could only knit it with my metal needles. The only cable I have left for my metal needles is pretty short, so I’m knitting it scrunched up. It didn’t seem massively squished on there so I thought I was good, but I decided to stick it on some waste yarn and try it on just in case. Turns out I should have done that much sooner because it was enormous. Tent-like. So ridiculously big that strategic decreasing would never be able to fix it.

So I frogged it riiiiiight back to the beginning, cursing the sticky yarn with every stitch, and started again with a smaller size and helical knitting just to see if I could do it. I can! But now there’s a nagging voice in my head saying this size will be too small and I’m wasting my time. Sigh. I’ve decided not to check this time; I’m going to finish it and whatever size it ends up, somebody in the world will be able to wear it and that’s good enough for me.

Hannah

xXx

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WIP Wednesday 19.04.23

Current WIP count: unknown?

I’ve been having a sort through my yarn, and in the process found some WIPs that I’d forgotten about. Like my second Beachcombing blanket, which I apparently abandoned mid-square for some reason. I’m still sorting (I have way too much yarn) so it’s entirely possible that even more unfinished projects will turn up and get added back on to my WIP list.

To balance things out a bit, I frogged the jumper I was making with Rico Melange and put the yarn back into stash for another day. I didn’t think the jumper would fit me, plus I wasn’t that keen on the pattern, and I realised I’m actually still set on using that yarn to make a top for myself rather than giving it away to someone else. It will probably need to be a short, lacy kind of top to make the yarn last, but I can work with that.

The other active WIP right now is my Love Note jumper. Oh, the drama.  I had some Yarn Bee Tender Touch in stash for ages and I wasn’t sure I even liked it, until the idea of a Love Note crossed my mind and suddenly, I couldn’t wait to use it. Yes, it’s thicker than the pattern calls for, but I can make that work and the mohair-like fuzz was perfect. However, I wildly overestimated how far each skein would go and by the time it resembled a bralette with sleeves, the yarn ran out.

That’s fine, I thought, I’ll just buy some more and carry on. Nope. There was no Yarn Bee Tender Touch Amber to be found anywhere in the UK, and further digging revealed that it had been discontinued.   There was a shade called Mustard that looked similar (on a screen), but I could only find it on Ebay from sellers in America who were not shipping to the UK.  I sent several begging emails and one seller got back to me and said the shipping was very expensive but if I was willing to pay then they would send it to me. Done!

Then came the weeks of waiting for it to arrive, tracking every stop along the way (including bouncing between Palatine and Elk Grove three times), and finally it arrived on my birthday!  But…

These two yarns are not the same. The Amber yarn is very fuzzy, and it’s matte. The Mustard yarn has a tiny bit of fuzz, and it’s shiny.  I have already knit a few rounds with the Mustard and I can’t decide how much this bothers me; will I carry on and pretend that it’s a subtle form of colour blocking, or will I undo the whole thing and have a go at helical knitting so they blend together? I just don’t know yet.

Hannah

xXx

WIP Wednesday 11.01.23

Current WIP count: 7

Harry Potter and the Whirl blanket

Wouldn’t you know it, I hit a snag almost as soon as I started. For the last three days I’ve been trying to work out how a repeat of 10 stitches is supposed to leave me with 88 total stitches for the round. The chart seemed to show the same thing so I just couldn’t figure it out.

Thankfully the pattern designer is on Ravelry and responds to comments. It turns out I was doing M2 (make 2) the wrong way, which knocked the repeat off by one stitch, and those one stitches added up through the round to give me a whole extra repeat that shouldn’t have been there. I’m going to fix it when I get home tonight and hopefully the rest of the pattern will go a bit smoother.

Jumper

I’m on to the mindless stockinette of the body so this is my new choir rehearsal project. We sing in lots of different languages so I need my brain free to focus on the words rather than counting stitches or rows. It’s fun getting to the end of a rehearsal and seeing how much I’ve done without really noticing.

Hedgehog 2

Part of the issue with hedgehog 1 was attaching the head to the body. I struggle connecting two 3D pieces together neatly and it ended up with no neck in a very not-cute way. This time I’m going to try making head and body as one piece, decreasing for the neck and increasing again for the shoulders so I don’t have to sew them at all. I’m far more confident with crochet than knitting so I’m not afraid to shoogle this pattern around and make it do what I want.

This time I’ve started with all the little fiddly bits so when I’ve finished the main part I can sew them all together before I lose momentum.

In non-crafty news, I already have an update on some of my new year goals.

Enter a powerlifting competition

There’s a competition specifically for ‘first timers’ in December this year, about 90 minutes drive from me. We’re still checking qualification weights and what equipment I’d be allowed, but my trainer thinks it would be great for me. I could be booked in by the end of this month (pending Scottish Powerlifting membership), which gives me at least 10 months to learn the proper commands and get as strong as possible. I’m already excited!

Run every week

I hit a snag last week, as my new running shoes didn’t arrive when I thought they would. But instead of giving up and writing the week off as a fail, I set up my bike on the indoor trainer and did 30 minutes of cycling instead. The real point of the goal is to work on my cardio fitness so I still count that as a win.

I’m very glad my running shoes arrived at the weekend though; it astounds me that bikes have been around for so long and nobody has figured out a way to make the seat even a little bit comfortable.

Hannah

xXx

WIP Wednesday 04.01.23

Jumper

I got into a rhythm and forgot to try it on, so I’m just sticking with this size. If it doesn’t fit I’ll give it away, and if I run out of yarn then I’ll just have to buy more and that’s never a hardship.

Teddy ear bonnet

I have absolutely no concept of how big babies are. I made this bonnet once and the Fiancé suggested it might be a bit too small, so I frogged it and I’m now making a larger size with a larger hook. Hopefully it will end up a wearable size.

Hedgehog 2

I’m determined to get this hedgehog finished by the end of next week. I wasn’t too pleased with the first one so I’ll see what I can do to make this one look a little cuter.

Advent socks

These were not finished for Hogmanay, obviously. It’s a bit hard to tell with no heel in yet but I think they might need an extra stripe added on to fit my Hobbit feet, so I need to decide which stripe to repeat.

Rainbow socks

These still need their afterthought heels. I can’t seem to get over the fear of cutting into my knitting – it just feels so wrong!

Black + yellow socks

After a good long stint in the naughty corner, I’m ready to face these again. Not only was my tension way off on the second sock, I’d also missed a decrease round after the heel turn so there was a whole extra motif in there. I’ve frogged it right back to the heel so I can fix the mistake and hopefully by the time I get back to the colourwork I shall be nice and relaxed again.

Hannah

xXx

WIP Wednesday 24.11.21

Current WIP count: 9

My charity crafting slowed down a lot last week as I decided to knit a matching hat and cowl set, and I am SUCH a slow knitter. They turned out gorgeous though so I’m not mad (photos to come when I’ve sewn the ends in).

I also thought it was time to get started on some other items and here I ran into a problem. Using Tin Can Knits The World’s Simplest Mittens pattern, I decided to go for the adult (large) size to use up as much yarn as possible. But I ended up with this:

I know ribbing stretches, but there is no way this tiny thing will ever stretch enough to fit a large adult. I refuse to frog and start again so these are now toddler mittens. Thank goodness the charity is accepting donations for all ages. 

Next up I might actually try the smallest size in the pattern and use them as tiny adorable tree decorations. We’ll see how fiddly they turn out to be.

Hannah

xXx

 

WIP Wednesday 10.11.21

Current WIP count: 8 (plus a lot of ends)

So far I’ve cranked out five charity hats in various sizes and one matching scarf, finishing up one ball of mystery rainbow yarn and taking a chunk out of the cream yarn.

Then I did a bit of a stash dive and pulled out these odds and ends.

The blue-green-yellow one was pretty much a whole skein so I decided it could be a hat all by itself, and for the rest I’ll probably stick with the original plan of mixing them with the cream until it runs out.

I have told myself that once I get to ten hats I will sew all the ends in before starting any new ones – who thinks I’ll actually stick to that?

Hannah

xXx

WIP Wednesday 20.10.21

Current WIP count: 8

I had a look back through my WIP list this week and I couldn’t remember why I had abandoned the crochet fingerless gloves. The answer, of course, was ends.

180 ends.

Clearly they’re not going to sew themselves in so I had a word with myself and got on with it. So far I’m 5 down, 175 to go.

This might take a while.

Hannah

xXx

WIP Wednesday 06.10.21

Current WIP count: 8

The pug progresses, although I’ve already decided that this isn’t the right colour for his wee body (it’s more grey in real life) so I’m definitely making another one when he’s finished.

Let’s call this the practice run because I already have some tweaks to the pattern I want to try, mainly to deal with the massive holes in the tummy and where the legs join the body. I might end up with a pug army by the end of this!

Hannah

xXx

WIP Thursday 30.09.21

Current WIP count: 8

My manager at my new job has had a terrible time for the last three years, and this week her wee pug puppy has been very ill and ended up in the ICU.  She is such a lovely person who doesn’t deserve any of it so I just had to make a wee something to cheer her up.

Obviously I haven’t got very far yet, but it’s going to be a teeny little pug. It’s a free pattern that I found here at Stella’s Yarn Universe if anyone else feels like making an adorable puppy for themselves.

I’m actually not 100% sure about the colour at the moment; I’m struggling to picture the finished puppy so I’ll probably end up making two versions and giving my manager the one that looks most realistic. And I’ll just have to keep the other one for myself, what a shame!

Hannah

xXx

WIP Wednesday 22.09.21

Current WIP count: 7

My mojo has been missing for so long I had to dig through the memos on my phone to find my WIP list, and there are things on there I forgot I’d even started.

I think it might be on the up again though, as the other day I was minding my own business and suddenly got a massive urge to cast on a sock IMMEDIATELY. So I skimmed the top of stash mountain, found two sort-of-coordinating skeins, and started a pair of shortie socks.

The cuffs and toes will be a Blue Raspberry mini skein from Mothy and the Squid, and the main colour is (I think) from Hand Drawn Yarn. Possibly called Thistle.  They’re not as high contrast as I usually go for, but it’s so good actually wanting to knit again after all this time that I’m enjoying it anyway.  Fingers crossed it will last!

Hannah

xXx

I think I’ve got it

Current WIP count: 6

Stubbornness wins! I kept trying and trying with this joining pattern, and last night it finally clicked into place.

It’s actually really simple now I know what it’s asking for.

My problem was that the pattern uses the terms ‘same square’ and ‘adjacent square’ to explain what’s going on, but when you have to turn the work a few times (which you do) it’s a bit difficult to keep track of which square is which.

Some photos or diagrams would have helped, but never mind. I’m on the home stretch now and I can definitely finish off this blanket before the new year!

Hannah

xXx

All’s well that ends well

Everything was a bit of a disaster in my last post, but it wasn’t actually the end of the world like my brain kept telling me.

The jumper is flying along now and should be finished in time for posting at the weekend.

I haven’t seen the recipient for about a year, and have very little interaction with children in general, so I have no idea if it’s going to fit right. My hope is that it will either be the right size or have a little room for growth.

And I’m extremely happy to say that the pizza dough was perfect, which is handy as I made enough for five pizza bases!

Thank goodness it’s freeze-able.

Hannah

xXx