Friday 5 August 2016

Resting, of the Knitting Kind

It's been great to have a break from normal responsibilities lately.
I'm ready to head back to a great week at work next week, with our Winter Festival coming up.

In the meantime, my resting has turned into the knitting kind.

I've been going crazy trying some different projects, and finding some new podcasts and vidcasts.

Honestly, I prefer Podcasts, because I have very little time to watch things, and the sound is usually tricky on vidcasts, but there are some lovely people telling their knitting stories and here are some that I've found...
Hey Sister Vidcast
Knitmore Girls Podcast
Yarniacs Podcast
Never Not Knitting Podcast
Grocery Girls Vidcast

I love them because they have been leading me to new patterns and new techniques - there is so much to be learned from the wisdom of others.

And it's like having new friends to hang out with.

Although I really would love to start a real-life knitting group.  We could even combine it with a book club - the Knitmore Girls listed some of their favourite knitting-related writing last week, and I can't wait to get into some lovely stories.

I've even got a coffee shop (more importantly, it stocks awesome tea!) in mind...

Is anyone keen?

So here's what I've been knitting.

I started the Midnight in Sydney shawl - love Meg Gadsbey's designs, with my New York Hello Mello hand dyed yarn given me by my Sisters-in-Law.

As I looked at this fabric being knitted up, I thought of watercolours, and of impressionist art - reminiscent of Monet's garden.
The photo doesn't do it justice - I can't spread the shawl out because I'm in the middle of Tinking a row that I messed up by losing track of where I was.  The lace work makes it slow going.
But the yarn and the shawl are light-as-air and I can't wait to see it progress.

I've started on the lace section now, which is proving challenging.  Mainly because of the knit 4 togethers, and the concentration required!

I took advice and put in a 'lifeline' so that I could rip back if necessary - so far I've needed it twice, so it's been worth the time it took.  I'll keep moving the lifeline as I go.  It's the yellow-green yarn you can barely see - it has been threaded through the last row that I knew was correct.

I've also started a hat "Ziggy", which I'm going to call my Serendipity Ziggy because it is the combination of some unlabeled wool that was passed on to me (I think it's Bendigo 12 ply, in Oatmeal), and my using the wrong size needles by accident.

Which have turned out to be the right size, because I originally thought the yarn was 10 ply, but it's 12 ply.

So definitely Serendipity.

The yarn is so lovely and squishy and it will be so warm.    It's my first hat, so wish me luck.  I found the pattern through the Hey Sister Podcast Hat Knit a Long.  There's a whole load of great suggestions for hats in there, including for beginners!


I just love having the opportunity to learn new things, master new challenges and create lovely things (albeit slowly).

I am so thankful to my mum who taught me how to knit xx

1 comment:

  1. So much fun starting new projects! I just need to finish them with as much gusto!!

    ReplyDelete