Fingerless mittens

I thought I would make some fingerless mittens and wristies to go with my hats. It is interesting how fast I can turn these out now without having to think too much.

However, I am really happy with the third pair that I made. Well half made, I've only done one and haven't sewn on any buttons. Just giving you a look at the possibilities. These might be useful as you don't have to knit in the round, just make a square and sew on the buttons.

Objects

Yes, another hat. I think it's the last for the moment. I must get back to the weaving. Still not well, but it is Monday.

This one has a button on the back and the wool I used is the dyed commercial and the handspun of different unusual fibres. The colour does not photograph well and is really a lovely soft red.

I have also been reading one of my favourite magazines. I've purchased it twice, the first being lost somewhere between the coffee shop, supermarket and home.

This issue looks at artist' studios. Not the Vogue living studio, but real ones with mess and work and inspiration. Love looking at them. This New Zealand jeweller is amazing. Wouldn't you love a rock?

More hats

I have been having way too much fun knitting another hat, and starting on another one. Still not feeling well, so planting myself in the lounge with my yarn, not having to think too much is just what I need.

This one starts the same as before, but every third row I do four increases, (one for each end of both sides?) as I still consider that I'm basically knitting a flat piece.

I am using my picker yarn and am very happy with the result. I just did as much as one skein would allow and the last row was both 'sides' cast off together.

I'm going to add dangling buttons to this. I think all might end up with buttons. Everyone loves buttons.....should collect more....

Wattle

I like the changes of seasons. Autumn and Spring in Melbourne are always unpredictable. Sunny days, cold mornings, rain, and all in one day. The purpose of Autumn is to remind us all Winter is coming and we should all be wearing handknit woollies.

In my garden Winter is heralded by the arrival of Wattle. I have all sorts of varieties in my garden, which mean that they start in Autumn and there is usually a last hurrah in Spring.

The Flinders Ranges wattle, shown here, is always the first. I suspect it thinks anything under 30C is winter, so that at the first sign it starts preparing. So here we are in April and it's blossoming. This plant and the other early bloomer, not quite yet, but the buds are there, is the Cootamundra Wattle. These two were given to us as a wedding present. They are starting to look a bit tired now, but still worth having.

One of the things about wattle is that they're not supposed to last very long. But these two are 16 years old, so I think are well worth the effort. Especially as they accompany us through the knitting season. (That is for those who stop knitting in warm weather!)

Bright colours for winter. Hope they inspire.

Ailing hats

I'm not feeling very well, sore throat and headachy. I tried weaving but my heart wasn't in it, so I decided to knit a hat.

These are easy, just cast on the required number of stitches, knit for as long as you feel like, a rib band is nice to start with, then cast off.

This is a little big but still sits nicely on the head. I'm going to add buttons to the corners for a bit of added weight.

Variations are endless. Really making it long, increasing to make it more triangular....

House cleaning today!

Double-cloth pockets

Again, I've spent hours on the floor of my workshop adjusting my loom. I've added a new tie-up so that I can do some double-cloth pockets.

The loom is now sitting all even and perfect......again.

I've stuffed the pockets with a little wool top, which is actually looking quite 'pretty'. Not something I can usually achieve purposely. It will take a lot longer than the tabby, as I have to stuff as I go. The weave is so open, it moves very easily and a long pocket is almost impossible to stuff in one go. I was going to overdye this scarf, but maybe I don't need to. I'll see once I get it off the loom.

Weaving again

I love to weave. Just as well, as I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon on the (cold, concrete) floor setting up the loom to take advantage of all 8 shafts and to get it just right. I did make a mistake with the tie-up and had to re-tie most of it. The pedals are currently a bit high, I'll correct this when I do the tie-up for the next scarf.

I've decided to just wind a 10metre warp with some fine wool, it's sett quite wide (15epi), and weave as many scarves and samples as I can.

The sett is a bit too open, though I will perservere with it. This first scarf is plain tabby, which I will dye randomly. The next will have double-cloth pockets, stuffed with coloured wool tops, which I'm thinking of dyeing with tumeric! The next, I think, will have textured yarn to fill the very open weave and lastly, I'll do a weft faced twill of some sort.

I have threaded the warp so that I can do this, with areas that are threaded 1,2,3,4 and others 5,6,7,8. Not a straight threading. It will be interesting to see what I can achieve.