When you get better, you frog!

I always say that the measure of whether you do something well is how well you handle mistakes and how willing you are to deal with the bad stuff. From management to knitting, it's all the same. I must be going really well with my knitting as the two personal projects I've had on the go have both been frogged....back to the start!

The first is 'Leaving' from the Twist Collective. I highly recommend this online magazine. The designs are really interesting and there are things to read. They support themselves by the advertising, but also by selling the patterns.

I wanted to support them by buying a pattern and when I saw this pattern, I decided that it was the one! However, choosing a slightly different yarn meant that even though I swatched, it did seem to be coming out a bit small, so I started again. I kept trying to convince myself that it was fine, but you have to be honest with yourself......so I frogged and started again, AND, am much happier.

From the beautiful to the simple, well that was the second journey. I won't go looking, but I did start another cardigan. There wasn't enough yarn, my compromise sleeves were too much of a compromise and it just sat there, so:

Then, I started:

Which is from the latest Vogue Knitting (or Designer Knitting as it comes to us, via England!) I love the simplicity and if I don't have enough yarn I have a stylish and happy finish, which will involve another colour and an odd sleeve. I love that, so here it is, so far:

Now I'm a happy knitter!

UFO's and other excuses.....

Ok, so I haven't blogged for awhile. I'm busy. It shows....

Usually, I don't have many personal works on the go, but they've escalated. (Almost out of control!)

First, there's the lovely deep green short sleeved cardigan that I've been working on for awhile. I'm up to the sleeves with only the last ball left, so I have to do them in tandem from the top down till I run out of yarn. It's messy, so not so good at Snb or on the train.

Then there's a pair of socks I started at SnB one day when I'd forgotton some needles, or something and 'had' to do something, and 'nearly' finished at a slow day at Rose St. I do so want more socks.

Then, there's my niece, who's just turned 21, the first of the next generation. As well as a beautiful hand-made box from Ivanhoe Makers Market and the talented Smiljan, I wanted to knit her a blanket, just for her. After finding the pattern, and the yarn, I managed to get it almost half-way by her birthday, I am going slowly along, and the deadline I set myself is likely to pass by. Sorry Hayley, but it will get there.

Then, my gorgeous son, Michael, has asked for a handknit jumper.....hooray! I had just the pattern. He liked it. We decided on the colours. I've ordered the yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills, it's arrived. I've started....

And finally, I've ordered the yarn to go with the Twist Collective pattern I bought and am really looking forward to knitting.

Oh, and that doesn't take into account the unfinished Yarn Forward knitalong blanket and the black cardigan I want to design and knit. I haven't designed for awhile and I know just exactly what I want to do!

Then add on to this all the fingerless mittens, shawls, scarves and assorted goods that I need to stock my market stall. All the drawing, painting and printmaking that is proceeding slowly as I work on my minor, works on paper, second year project. Various other assorted projects, it's a busy year. I'd like to say that I'm going to regularly get back to blogging, but who knows.

I have worked out a setting on my camera which has given me some lighting freedom, (thanks Leanne - photographer extraordinaire!) so here's hoping.