We have a FO!!!

patons vintage cardigan
Originally uploaded by ropeadope_ie

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I went on holiday. I went with the intention of knitting a lot of things and to come home with one completed vintage cardigan... and I did! It wasn't a fun experience though.

It took a while for me to get the knitting finished, and once that was done it just sat there for days because I didn't want to see it for a while. Once it was washed though, I think it started to really annoy me with the "I will not dry" streak - 2 days before I lost the plot and spent an entire day seaming it while it was still damp. It was then flung unceremoniously upon a radiator and told it wasn't moving until it was dry!

Weaving the ends in (again) and the buttons took another huge chunk of time that I don't want to think about. I did want the entire thing finished before I came home... the last button was attached at 11:40pm the night before we came home - thats what I call cutting it fine!

But the mother likes it very much and has already had it on, it fits nicely and the sleeves are a nice length too (they're short 3/4 length in the pattern) so all in all its nice now that its finished but I won't repeat either the pattern or the yarn again (once I get rid of these last two balls that is)

It's done!!!

green emerald
Originally uploaded by ropeadope_ie

Look what I finished now 10 minutes ago?!?!? I worked on it all weekend and little emerald is now in the conservatory, lying on foam boards, soaking up the summer sun to dry out!

Thats one cardigan down, another to go!

Guh!

Well, despite the low mileage total for April, I have knitted a lot. I finished socks, a baby blanket and a cardigan thing and I can't believe the total wasn't higher!

So this month (so far) I've been knitting away on a new pair of socks and am now onto the leg of sock #1. These ones may take a while since they're fully patterned but I have until the end of May to finish them... I've to try and fit a quick pair in somewhere to bring me back to my regularly scheduled pair per month thing. Might knit a pair for Siobhan out of the leftover tofutsies.

I've also knitted a few rows of a new cardigan for my mum out of the rest of the Patons Vintage I have... this is the stuff I already had but bought more to do the garter swing cardi and then I bought EVEN MORE of the stuff for this cardigan. I think I'm defeating the 100 ball knit down challenge here, lol. But I'm getting there, especially if I knit the stuff I've bought which I plan to do.

As for the Emerald... still hasn't been touched and I'm a bad knitter for leaving it languishing in its bag. It's the bank holiday weekend though, so miracles may yet happen and the sleeves may be attached after all.

lets wait and see, lol

Pictures as promised!

The other day I said I would post pics of the four dishcloths, all knitted with the same cotton, to show the effect... well here they are:

This is the openstar dishcloth and the first one I did. I quite like it although something funny went on at the edges... carried on with it regardless, lol.









Next up we have the wheatfields cloth, and this was the one I finished the other day. The last cloth for a while. I quite like this one too, although it might be a bit difficult to see the pattern in the colourway of the yarn.









Thirdly, we have the diagonal slant cloth. I like the effect of this one, and,











Fourthly, the classic chequerboard effect cloth. This one shows the colourway of the cotton up best. Just wish my camera were better.







And there we have it. 4 different clothes in the same yarn equal different effects. Nice.

Total time!

There's going to a LOT of totals this time round, mainly to take in the end of the month as well as the end of the year.

December:

Bought 0g, zero, zilch, nada!!!
Used 1,095g
Completed 6

I thought that was quite an achievement for December and totalled 0.9 miles. As I flicked through my diary/knitting book, I discovered that the amount I knitted this month isn't the largest total I had... August was 1500g ( thats what happens when you're on holiday you see, lol)

Anyway, the YEAR's total:

Bought 10,714g
Used 10,692g
Completed 56

There's a difference there of 22g... 22 measley grams. If I had just made the cuffs on my last pair of socks longer I would have used that 22g. But what's done is done.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased that I haven't significantly added to the stash. Effectively, I've used what I bought and my plan for 2009 is to have bought next to nothing and knitted the same weight or more.

Ta da!!!

I've another WIP ticked off the list! My fetchings are done and dusted. Just a baby cardigan to do (once I rip out one side) and the donegal blanket. I think I'll frog the rose tyler arm warmers though, too fiddley for me at the minute.

I got the parents foot measurements, so maybe one of the many pairs of socks will be for them this year - the mother's birthday is in April so I might try and get a pair for her.... not handwash socks though (she felted my brothers pair earlier in the year)

So... pic of the fetchings. My camera is crap so you've been warned!

I skipped a cable repeat and the picot edging, but I like them!

Another sock done!

I've completed another sock.... in less than a week! This excites me greatly since it was a big ugly sock for me and not a nice Siobhan sized sock.

This makes me even more hopeful that I'll manage to knit all my sock club socks in 2009.

Of course, this week I've knitted nothing BUT socks, so maybe when I start something else the sock tally will drop, lol.

Oops!

remember how on Saturday I bought a ball of yarn I already had so I could "make something bigger" out of it? Well today I did the same thing again. Only this time it was a ball of James C Brett's Magi Knit. Just don't know what to knit with it though.

With the Saturday and today' purchases, my total in/out tally for this month is as follows:

Used: 750g
Bought: 650g
Completed: 5

Just think, if I hadn't bought those 4oog of yarn, the tally would be much better looking!

Here we go again!

It was my foolish intention that I would not buy yarn in 2008. Please note the word "foolish". I did not succeed in my 2008 quest but did however manage to note all yarn's incoming and going from the stash. Some months I got more than I used, others I used more than I bought. Some months the totals were the same.

My intention for 2009 is to USE MORE than I actually BUY. I'm not vetoing the purchaing, just trying to restrict it. I would LOVE to not buy yarn but asking that of me is like asking people not to breathe - ain't going to happen. I just want to be able to say on 31st December 2009 that I used a lot more than I bought.

My pitfalls ( and occasionally successes I imagine) shall be noted here, and I'm going to start the whole experiment off now too.

So far, for October I have:

Bought 250g
Used 321g
Completed 2

the bought yarn was straight in and out which is the overall aim of the whole thing.

I'm halfway through another project so hopefully it'll be done by the end of the week and I can do some serious knitting on my dad's jumper!