As I look over my progress – especially last year when I completed the ’50 things in 2009′ challenge – it’s empowering to have visual proof that I’m getting moderately better at the crafts I choose to turn my hand to, which is why I am so proud of this bookmark. Almost as proud as I was with Erica’s sweater, but in a different way. This is the first project I’ve completed following a knitting chart and blocking my work and I’m astonished at the difference this simple process makes. Any of you wondering what ‘blocking’ constitutes should run to Eunny Jang’s guide to blocking, it’s a fab step-by-step guide with lots of idiotproof pictures to guide you.

I wish I’d taken a before photograph of this sad, crumpled lump of knots because watching it become a thing of beauty as the lace opened up was just beyond words. It was like watching a flower bloom.

This is a nice little pattern (free, and available here) which I knocked out in a couple of hours in front of the TV. I did have a bit of confusion at the end of the project due to the chart – I’m not sure if I was reading the chart incorrectly as I thought knitting charts were read right-to-left – but I managed to skirt round it and still come out with a lovely finish. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Needless to say, this little bookmark has given me a boost of confidence in my own abilities especially since the last time I attempted a bookmark I failed dismally. I am truly awestruck at the transformation post-blocking and I feel somewhat embarrassed that I have never blocked before. I’m a convert!

This is why I’m quite surprised at my latest endeavour. You may have noticed that I’m on a bit of a knitting bent right now and after finishing up a bookmark earlier in the week I decided to try something a little more experimental.

That there is yarn made from plastic bags (also known by the hideously cutesy term “plarn”), a process which I promise to document with a tutorial this week sometime. I don’t know what it’s going to be yet but I’m rather enjoying the novelty of doing something a bit wacky and out there. The orange at the bottom is Sainsbury’s carrier bags and the green at the top is the wrapper from a pack of pampers. To be honest the pampers pack didn’t work so well, it’s very thick and not stretchy so it was difficult to manipulate and has become a far heavier fabric than the orange bags, but this is a learning curve and this knowledge in itself is handy to know.

So tell me – have you crafted with any supplies that are not exactly the norm? And do you enjoy the process of crafting more or the end result?

A reminder too that the sign-ups for the Little and Large swap are still open – it would be great to have some more participants!

Overall, this was a pretty simple knit and I’m really very happy with how it turned out. My sole gripe is that the neck is a bit wider than I’d have preferred but this is actually the 3-4y size and is really just a nice size for Erica to grow into.

It seems to suit her personality perfectly. I’m very pleased with how well the colour has worked because to be frank, I’m sick to the back teeth of pink right now and green isn’t a colour I’d have normally picked for her. She seems to like it anyway and every crafter knows that the sign of a good project is whether you get a chance to wash it before it’s stolen away to be used!

I don’t think I’m getting it back in a hurry

Over on Ravelry, I noticed one of my friends had knit this bookmark and I decided that after two weeks of solid stocking stitch with DK cotton I’d try something a little more delicate. I managed four rows before I was foiled by crochet instructions.

Ah well. I’ll show you the aforementioned two weeks worth of work as soon as I get good photos – I’m remarkably proud of it

I have knitted three of these hats now and I still think they are cute as a button. Or maybe it’s the little model that makes it cute? No matter, after seeing Greer modelling the orange version of this hat I decided to throw together one for her.

This pattern is called the Candy Cane Hat (Ravelry link here) and calls for red and white stripes but since I’m still working on my Craft Neutral year I decided to use the lovely green cotton I had to hand and I’m glad I did. Green isn’t usually a colour I’d think to put on the children but it really suits Greer. See?

And we had four comments at our swimming class this morning, all positive and expressing adoration for my lovely baby in her supercute hat. Let me tell you something, see us Mummys? We don’t ever hear enough praise for our gorgeous spawn so keep it coming!

What do you think?

Look at those cheeks! And those eyes! Isn’t she just gorgeous? Can you guys believe it’s been nine and a half months since she arrived? It feels like yesterday.

Anyway, I’m not cruel enough to put an orange hat on a ginger child – she’s simply modelling for me! I made this hat for my wonderful friend Jenn who had a lovely little girl in January. Jenn’s elder daughter is Nairn’s Canadian birth twin – they were born on the same day 3000 miles apart – and both celebrate their 4th birthday tomorrow. Isn’t that sweet?

This hat is made from the candy cane pattern in Itty-Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson and knitted in a lovely Debbie Bliss DK cotton in a beautiful bright orange. Isn’t it cute? Greer certainly seems to think so.

Does this photo remind you of anyone..?

I defy anyone to say my girls don’t look alike

I’m not sure if my feelings have been exacerbated by the news of lots of babies being born to friends old and new. The very fact that new life continues to arrive even while things aren’t so rosy in the world proves that there is always hope and it blooms constantly. A friend of mine has delivered a tiny baby boy at 35 weeks weighing a smidge over 4lb5oz and so I’ve made this little hat to go to him. I hope it fits him only for a short while, before he becomes a monster giant baby with no health worries for him or his enraptured parents.

In other news, Sarah at Dolly Donations has featured me today. I’d love it if you guys could pop over and say hello to her, she’s an inspiration to us all and someone I truly hope to emulate.

Thanks for all your support, you have no idea how much it means to me.

Much love,

Vonnie

The mittens are designed in the Scandinavian style with a pointed top and are knitted in the round on double pointed needles. I admittedly find it difficult to avoid the ‘jog’ when moving between needles but have largely resolved this issue over the last few years of practicing with them, but these mittens have confounded me. I’m really not sure how I’ve ended up with such large gaps – it could admittedly be because these mittens are knit using aran weight yarn which is therefore going to highlight any minor error – but I’m thinking it’s more likely to have been my knitting technique, so I ask of all ye knitters out there. Do you have any suggestions of how to avoid this for next time?

I’ve already half-heartedly started my craft neutral challenge and this yarn (Sirdar Denim Ultra) has been in my stash for about seven years. It met my criteria of being warm, fluffy and quick to knit up so I combined it with this pattern (Ravelry link) which is supposed to be a slouchy beret.

Note the ubiquitous hairbobbles around the wrist mark of the mother of daughters. The eagle eyed amongst you will note an error about three rows into the pattern caused by Erica leaping on me while I was having a knit break and thus losing my stitch marker but since my friend recently told me that Muslim prayer rugs always have an imperfection since only Allah makes things perfectly, I’ve relaxed my ridiculous perfectionist streak. It’s a really mind-altering way of looking at things. In any case, although (I think) the error is highlighted perfectly in the picture it’s really not obvious in reality.

As the title suggests there’s more to this post. Erica has decided that actually she rather likes my hat so I have now cast on Amy Swenson’s Cabled hat (pdf link) for her, but in the meantime I’m having to tolerate this nonsense. Two years old and she’s already raiding my wardrobe. Of course, as is the way of these things she suits the hat much better than I do. Ah well

Those of you on my twitter friends list will have seen me bemoaning Nairn’s clear lack of ability but overwhelming interest in learning to knit. Thinking back, I don’t think I was much older than he was when my Nana taught me to knit and I am assured I was not the most calm and settled of children so my Nana must have had the patience of a saint back then. I’m sure he’ll pick it up in time – I may well have a nice little vodka habit by then right enough!

Anyway – a question for the knitters out there. One of my friends (who shall remain nameless until after Christmas!) asked me to recommend a knitting kit for an adult and one for an 8 year old child. I offered to put one together for him but I’m now not sure of the patterns I had in mind to recommend. The adult recipient has learned to knit but that is about the sum total of her skill right now, the child recipient can’t knit at all.

For the adult, I had thought about making up the kit with supplies to enable her to knit Branching Out from Knitty but I’m thinking now that for a beginner that is maybe a little advanced? For the child, I was simply going to make up the kit with instructions for knitting and purling and enough yarn to make a decent length scarf.

What would you suggest? Links to free patterns are especially welcome although I have a few Debbie Bliss books that I’d be happy to send up to the recipient. I’ve been a knitter for so long that I don’t really have the hindsight to see what a good starter pattern would be.