Cricket Pullover

Here, at last, is the finished Cricket Pullover for Toby. The polo shirt underneath is 12-18 months, and this fits nicely over the top - so far more successful than the last attempt! This came out exactly how I wanted it to (second time around). Not bad for a first(make that second) attempt at design!
Details Started: 26th June 2007
Completed: 9th July 2007
Yarn: James C Brett Kool Kotton 50% Cotton 50% Acrylic - about 2 balls.
Needles: 4mm Addi turbos and 4mm crochet hook for the arm and neck edging.
Pattern: My own! I followed the sizing of the Traintrack Slipover from Louisa Harding's Miss Bea's Rainy Day for the second version (above). Knit in the round to the armholes. Pattern of k6p2 rib with a cable 3 forward every 10 rows on each alternate "rib".
Comments: I found it much easier the second time around with measurements from a similar pattern. I like this much more than the first attempt too. The cotton should wash really well and it is stiff enough to be able to cable without a cable needle quite easily. I really hope it fits!

Now onto the next project......I can't blog about Lauren's birthday present as she is likely to read here - so you will have to hop over to Ravelry to see the big thing I'm working on for her.
Meanwhile you can look at the lovely Yarn Yard Organic Merino that Natalie has dyed for me for the Mystery Stole if I decide I am brave enough.
I may have also bought some more sock yarn from her at the weekend, or it may just have magically appeared in my stash.....

You are never too old for Lego

Look how useful it can be....

A wonderful new swift for Ruth crafted last Sunday evening out of the Technic Lego I knew was stashed at my Mom's house (can you believe it was hidden UNDERNEATH the bottom draws in a chest of drawers - I would never have found it!)

Winding balls is so much more fun now. I would all of the skeins I had downstairs last Sunday evening. I'll try and get a video clip of it in action when I wind some more! Although I am hoping that it doesn't discourage Tony from making me a real one from wood.
In other news, I've spent the weekend in Surrey with friends.Owen now has a new cricket top. He is nearly 4 months, so this would never have fit Toby, its intended recipient, who is 1 year. So I started another one whilst babysitting on Saturday night, this is the progress so far after a very LONG journey home.

Pullovers, bags and greenhouses.

The cricket pullover is finished, however my pattern design leaves something to be desired as this is far too small for the intended recipient. However, I do know what to do to correct that, and this will be a surprise present for another little boy! I do like it, so am definitely going to try to make a bigger size!
I've been crocheting too, here is the Soft Waves pattern from Jan Eaton's 200 Ripple Stitch patterns. I have made it into a bag for the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap. Now all I need to do is make some stitch markers and everything will be ready to send.
Finally, here is a garden update. Tony and his dad have been working very hard putting up fencing. I have been cleaning the "new" greenhouse. Our next door neighbour said we could have her greenhouse as she doesn't use it any more, so it has been moved about 6ft from the other side of the fence. I have had the job of cleaning 15 years worth of dirt and spiders off it. About half of the glass is cleaned and in now, despite me breaking 3 panes.... oops.
Next to the greenhouse, just behind Tony is my vegetable plot-to-be and in front of him is all the soil I need to put into the vegetable plot before I can grow anything. A job for one night this week I think.

If in doubt....

Make some Jaywalkers. I knew as soon as my SP10 sent me this yarn it was destined to be Jaywalkers. Aren't they just the best?I started the toe last night and followed the instructions for a Turkish cast-on and the pattern for toe up socks from the Summer Interweave knits. I'm not sure if I got the cast on right, but it looks ok. The rest of the sock is commuting knitting from today. I love them already. Thank you secret pal... you sent the perfect yarn!
I was allowed to start new socks because I finished the RPM socks last night.
They are still a bit wet, so no modelled pictures. A quick trip over the Ravelry tells me -
Started : April 07
Finished: 2nd June 07
Pattern: RPM from Knitty
Yarn: Socks that Rock Mediumweight in Farmhouse
Needles: 2.5mm addi turbos and 2.5 mm Brittany birch dpns
Comments: I liked the pattern, it works really well with this yarn. I did make "proper" spirals with no jogs as I found this easier to memorise (basically I did the pattern with 1 stitch less)
I'm just hoping they fit as I think they might be a big big after blocking. I'm also hoping the colour doesn't fade too much, lots of dye seemed to come out when I handwashed them.
Finally we have the progress on the made-up cricket pullover for Toby. The back is done, and now all I have to do is figure out the decreases on the front! Not bad so far for a completely made up pattern.... Let's just hope it fits
P.S. Ravelry is the best, don't worry if you haven't got your invite yet, lots more are going out every day... and it is worth waiting for (even though you get sucked in to uploading all your old projects and don't do any knitting).

I thought I had nothing to say....

Then I took some photos and realised I had lots and lots to post about.
First of all, the chicks. They are MASSIVE and hardly fit in the nest. It can't be long before they are gone :0( I hope I am here to protect them from the nasty cats. They have been flapping their wings and jumping around the nest and making lots and lots of noise. I will miss them when they fledge. The Rainy Day socks were finished just in time, but I forgot to take a picture. So the token knitting content is this, a cricket pullover for Toby who will be 1 at the weekend. I'm making it up as I go along, all seems very easy at the moment as it is just a tube with ribbing and some cables. Who knows what will happen when I get to the arm holes!
Tony and I had a trip to Ikea last week to buy a bookcase to keep all of my crafty thing in so that the living room looks a bit tidier. I need to retrieve my other books from my mom's house, and we need to buy doors for the bottom half but it is looking good. I had to bring the DB Baby Cashmerino downstairs as I think it looks so cool on the bottom right. It is crying out to be make into a blanket! On rainy bank holiday Monday I managed to set up me new sewing machine in the dining room and have a little play. I haven't used a sewing machine since I was very little so I don't thinkI did too badly. It's going to be a crochet hook/dpn holder. The seams are very wonky, I did no measuring or drawing lines to follow as I just wanted to have a play and I only had orange thread!

And finally, there has been no knitting tonight because I've been baking - Chocolate Mole Muffins and Chocolate flapjacks from the Green & Blacks cookbook to take to work on Friday for our cake sale. Ooh and before I go I think I am just in time for the SP questions Bobbi set:
With the weather turning warmer, many of you are thinking of traveling (though some of you have just returned, you can play along). 1) What do you pack to knit? and 2) What do you hope to shop for?
Assume that you will be gone for ten days to someplace "foreign" that is known for having great knitting locations. (Bonus: Where would you go on a "knitting holiday"?)
Well, I won't be going on holiday until my trip to Toronto in September and who knows what I will be knitting by then? However I will probably take a small project, I am guessing socks, and maybe some crochet for the plane. Then, in Toronto, I feel the world will be my oyster in terms of yarn shops. I am planning on doing the Toronto Crawl but I don't think Tony realises this yet. I can't wait to see all of that wonderful wonderful yarn and will definitely be after some Canadian yarns like Koigu and Fleece Artist and boy do I hope they have STR. YIPEEEEEEEEEEEE