Mystery knitting and blocking

It seems that this time of the year is the time that all the mystery knit a longs start. Last week I had three on the go, but as of a couple of days ago, and a massive grafting session, I am down to two.

The one I’ve just finished is Birds of a Feather.

I need to block it yet. This will remove all the stray fluff from it and make the pattern really emerge.

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The two slits are for fastening. You poke the pointy end through them. I’m hoping to have some model shots once it’s all blocked.

Another KAL I’m doing is the Pavillion Mystery Sock KAL

This is one sock’s ‘clue one’ done. I’ve just started clue 2 now and hope to have it done on both socks before the last clue arrives this weekend.

The last KAL, on the go, is the Through the Loops (TTL) mystery shawl kal 2014.

Here’s mine after completing clue 2

I can’t wait to block this one. 🙂

Speaking of blocking. I completed my Christchurch Shawl, but it’s winter here, and it takes a while to dry my blocked items. So, I’m only blocking if I HAVE TO right now.

I have HAD TO block recently. I completed a test knit of Mist,

and also a test knit of Hemlock Mitts.

I have still had Knit-a-riffic out, and have finished just another page of it. You’ll have to wait until it’s off the frame for a photo.

Sorry.

French Filigree, test knit and more….

I’ve pulled out another slow WIP. This time it was French Filigree.
It’s nearly 3/4 done.

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The reason I didn’t get more done of this is that I had to stop to do a test knit.
I’ve been test knitted a new design by Agnes Kutas called Gingerbread. I’ll let you know when it is available.
Before blocking

Once it’s dry I will ‘borrow’ my niece for some photos 😉

I’ve started another knitting project. This one will take over a year to finish.
Why so long? It will take this long since it is a mystery afghan KAL with each motif (based on the Sherlock Holmes short stories) coming out monthly. I’m using a slightly furry wool/acrylic mix and the pattern isn’t quite as defined as some works I’ve seen, but it is there and I’m sure blocking will define it a little more. I can say it will be WARM once done.

I have also been very spoilt over the last few days.

I hit the big 40 on Monday and I have to say I’m humbled at the generous gifts I have received.

Tim gifted me a stunning sterling silver bangle with an engraved message and a necklace/earring set.
He said the bangle isn’t ‘finished’ yet as there is something else yet to be done to it but I’ll have to wait a couple of weeks when we have our 20th wedding anniversary. I can’t wait to find out what it is.

I got the usual fabulous family gifts, including  the surprise of my parents turning up at Petrina’s, where we spent the day. It took me a bit to click that they shouldn’t have actually been there.

One of the gifts will be my next knitting new start. They are Bofur’s gloves from The Hobbit. This is the official wool and pattern from the company that made the shawls/gloves etc from the LOTR and Hobbit movies.

And we can thank Petrina for this gifty.

I also received some knitting patterns from Jeannie-Maree, Sonya, and Nicola.

 

Clicking the above images will take you to the pattern page on Ravelry

I also received a couple of parcels from Angela Perret. The first contained a pair of cat snips, chocolate truffles and a lovely handstitched card. The second contained a HAED handmade needle threader. Sorry I haven’t taken a photo of the first lot of gifts, but I do have the threader to share.

And finally I received a few HAED charts. I will have to open up a slot for a few new starts, I think.

Thank you Christy, Jo, Louanne and Nance

Clicking these images will take you to the chart on the HAED site

I think I’ve remembered everything and everyone. If I have forgotten you please forgive me I’m not as young as I used to be

Thank you not only to those who gave me a gift, or wished me a happy birthday, but to you for reading my blog.

 

Catfish – left half complete

The slow WIP that I’ve been working on lately is Catfish.
It’s been nice working on a black and white, and particularity with the HDF silks.

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I managed to wrangle my hand model (my sister Petrina) for a photo shoot of the Forgotten Love mitts.
The glove blockers worked a treat. They didn’t over stretch the pattern and they dried in no time.

I have made a start on Christchurch Shawl and am now onto the repeat rows of the body.
It needs to be blocked to show the design off to its fullest, but here is a quick peek at it.

I’ll be back to working on my Mum’s shawl now. The weather here has been quite unseasonably cold, and with the shawl getting larger it won’t be a problem having all the warmth of it on my lap. When I left it, it was at ten repeats of the pattern.

New Knit a rific update

I’ve pulled out another of my slow WIP, this time it’s Knit a rific.
I’ve now completed the top row of pages

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I haven’t just been stitching, I’ve also finished the second Forgotten Love mitt that I started at Christmas. This has been my travel piece and with some recently travelling I’ve been able to finally complete it.

They still need to be blocked which will allow me to try out my new investment, glove blockers.

I will be working on Mum’s shawl now until the 22nd Feb when its will be the 3rd anniversary of the Christchurch quake.
Time sure does fly.

To commemorate the event I will be starting Christchurch Shawl

Knitting and day tripping

I’ve been meaning to write this up for a while now, but I’ve had a few photos that needed some editing, and I wasn’t looking forward to doing it, hence my putting it off. I have finally decided to pull the memory card out of the camera and get the photos sorted

Sadly, there is no stitching in this update, although I have made QS Merlin out recently. I’ve nearly completed the top quarter of the chart.

I do have some knitting though. This is a shawl I knitted as an order.

The pattern is called Calais, and is available for FREE on Ravelry.

I added a few more repeats than the pattern asks for to make it larger. I had the yarn, so why not. It’s done in Alpaca, by the way.

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Thanks to Jessica for her modelling skills.

Here is my latest knitting project. This one is for Mum. It’s called Desert Sands.

You may or may not be interested in the next part of the blog. If you like seeing New Zealand scenery you will want to keep looking.

Recently Tim and Ian (Petrina’s husband and Jessica’s Dad) decided to try out their respective 4WDs. Basically using them for what they were built for,. We all headed out to the Lees Valley, which is up behind were Petrina lives out in Oxford, Canterbury. Here are a couple of pictures from that trip. I didn’t take many, being 4WD and dusty. You can however see some fantastic shots of the trip on this website. It’s definitely worth a look.

The “panoramic shot” is one I put together. It’s overlooking the plains back toward Christchurch which is in the background.

The next set of shots are from a trip we all did the other weekend though the Molesworth Station. It is New Zealand’s largest farm, at over 1,800 km², and supports the country’s biggest herd of cattle. We didn’t see many when we went through. They must have been in the higher areas of the farm.

This is where we had lunch. It’s the confluence of the Clarence river and the Acheron River. The Department of Conservation (DOC) have spent our tax dollars well at these rest spots.

This is the Lower Acheron Suspension Bridge.

And here is the Rachel Range. How could I not get some shots of that 🙂

This spot was also the confluence of the Acheron and Guide Rivers.This road goes through Isolated Flat . A little further back up the hill (South) this road looks to be completely straight heading off into the horizon.

This shot was taken at the highest spot of the trip, Wards Pass. It’s an alpine pass and is 1145m high. This is why the road is closed during the winter months.
And finally, here is the Acheron Accommodation House. Although you can’t sleep in this building there is a camping area off to the right of the building.
You can download a PDF information brochure, about the Molesworth, from the DOC website HERE, or you can pick up a printed brochure for $2 at this location

Well….. that’s all I have. There was so much more that I didn’t take photos of, and if you ever get a chance you need to take a drive through the station. It isn’t a short trip. I think it took us about 8 hours, but well worth it to see everything.

I have one final shot from our trip back home. This was taken not long into the trip and it had us sitting there for over an hour. It was a car roll-over.

If you’ve managed to make it this far I promise to share an update of QS Merlin once I have him off the frame.

Lemon Thyme finished

Finished, but not blocked. Lemon Thyme

Once I have it blocked I will be able to take some outside shots to show the colours off. The pink isn’t quite that bright.

Lemon Thyme MKAL

I’ve finally got a little time to share my “start” on Lemon Thyme.

By a start, I mean, my first blog entry of my progress.

I have completed it all except for the edging which will be in green, so the next update should be it completed.
Unfortunately this won’t be for a little while now as the last clue isn’t due until 7th October

It’s designed by the same designer as the Golden Hazel test knit I did so the use of cables is very similar.

Here it is….

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Ice Palace update and some blocking magic

I’ve got a few of my knitting and an update of Ice Palace today.

I’ve blocked out Montadale

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Sadly the patterning detail hasn’t shown up so well, but I think the way that it looks on more than makes up for that.

Another shawl I’ve finally gotten around to blocking is Rushing Tides.

Next up is my test knit of Golden Hazel blocked out.

Here is a shot of it unblocked….

and just like magic here’s what blocking does to it…

I have also started on my mystery KAL Lemon Thyme, but I haven’t taken any photos of it yet. I might take some after I have finished clue 2.

And finally, here is Ice Palace.

I finally managed to complete my second full page of it.

 

QS update

Here is the latest update of my mystery QS which I can now reveal to be QS Zen Garden. This was a free chart gifted to the HAED bulletin board members a few years ago to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the board.

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I’m using 28ct Lugana and a combination on HDF silks and DMC.

I also have an update of my Unwind Shawl. For some reason I haven’t felt like doing much on this one.

I think the fact that it’s in 2ply, and the pattern is simple, could be the problem. I need a few more obstacles, which is why I decided to try out for a test knit of a new design. called Golden Hazel

I was lucky enough to be one of the chosen few to do this before it is released to the public. So far so good and it does have  nice variety of stitch pattern.

You should also look out for a another new start from this same designer, but this is a two colour mystery knit. It’s called Lemon Thyme.

Here is the colour combination I’ll be using.

This MKAL starts in a day or so, so it shouldn’t be too long before I have my first update, and hopefully for that update I will have a model shot of two shawls I have blocked. Just need to “borrow” my niece again.

Mystery QS update #2

This update has a bit more discernible detail.

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I am hoping to get a little more done of this before I send out the next page of the Freebie SAL. But since I still have parts of page 2 and 3 left to do on TOTA I will be putting in a day to get those filled and have the piece ready for that last page. I should have a finish very soon.

I’ve got a few knitting photos to share.

Firstly I “borrowed” my niece for some shots with my Taliesin.

And I have another new start. Feel free to roll your eyes. lol

This is my start on Montadale.

As you probably already know, blocking will make the detail appear. But you can already see the cables and lace detail already making itself known.

I’m using Knitsch colour The Mad Blood Stirreth, and it is a lot darker than this shot taken with the flash makes it look.