A Year of Projects Update - Week 51

And yet another week goes by and we get closer to the end of the YOP and school year (I so look forward to both, it's the best time of year!)
I have a FO this week.  Well, the ends need to be sewn in, but I am calling it finished.
My Understated by Joji Locatelli is done.  I knit this in Penelope by De Rerum Natura which is delightful.

My socks are progressing.  Here is my stripey sock.  I have decided it I don't really mind the 9 inch circular.  What I don't like is the fact that I have a whole other sock to knit!  I usually knit them two at a time and that is very much my preferred method.

Anyhow, these are nice - I am just not looking forward to having to knit a whole other one.

Vianne is progressing nicely.  This is knit in John Arbon textiles Viola that I love. I would't be surprised if I wasn't nearly done by next week.

I also took the opportunity to cast on Sanctuary from the latest Pom Pom.

And that is it this week!  Next week I am likely to be late for the last normal post of the year as we are taking Thomas driving at Brands Hatch - very exciting.

A Year of Projects Update - Week 50

Just a quick one this week.  I thought I would do a sweater update as well as showing off an FO.
The FO is my hat - Azula.
I love this one and I loved knitting it.  I haven't knit a hat like it - this is knit from side to side, with short rows and then grafted together to form the hat shape.

This is Azula by Woolly Wormhead and I knit it from some left over Rosy Green yarn.
In terms of sweaters, I have two on the needles.
Understated is coming along nicely.  This is by Joji Locatelli and is from the latest Interpretations book.  I am knitting it from De Rerum Natura Penelope (a merino and  mulberry silk mix).  I am now on the second sleeve and should have finished that by the end of today - I should have an FO by next week.

The second sweater is Vianne by Andi Satterlund.  I am knitting this from some John Arbon textiles - Viola in the colourway Fern.  I am also really loving this knit.  The yarn is absolutely gorgeous.  I am making some modifications to the pattern including shortening the armholes and I will not be doing the waist shaping as I want a simple cropped cardigan.

I am actually much further on than the photograph, I have got to the joining of the body now, it is such an addictive knit.
That is it for today, I hope everyone has a great week.

A Year of Projects Update - Week 49

We have had a lovely week.  I got all of the DIY jobs done that I wanted, Me Made May was completed and me and the boys got out and about a little, but there was much time for crafting.
Firstly, I completed Me Made May which was on my YOP list and I blogged about it here.
I have an FO!  I finished the Moss Rose mitts.
I think these are beautiful if I say so myself.  The yarn (Eden Cottage carlisle) is fantastic and gorgeously soft.

Otherwise, my WIP's have been progressing nicely.  I am pretty much at the botttom band of my understated by Joji Locatelli.  I am knitting this from de Rerum Natura Penelope.

My hat, Azula, is progressing well, I am currently on repeat 6 out of 8.

I have put a few rows on both pairs of socks, but nothing really to write home about.
I am also planning for three KAL's (well two really)  I am going to play along with the outfit along again.  This is a yearly event hosted by Andi Satterlund and Lladybird (a sewing blogger).  It runs from the 1st June to the 31st July and consists of participants sewing an item and knitting an item.  Both have to be adult garments.  This is going to be the last year so there are no featured patterns, but one has to be a WIP.  So I am going to enter two.  I am going to make two new modified Coco dresses, pair one with Vianne by Andi Satterlnd and the other with Sanctuary from the latest Pom Pom magazine.  As a result I have cast on Vianne in some splendid Viola from John Arbon Textiles.  This yarn I purchased during the week and didn't take a picture as I was so excited to wind it!  I became a member of the John Arbon mill earlier in the month as I often use his yarn and so used the discount that comes with membership.  This yarn is beautiful, I got it in the fern colourway and is much more green than it is showing.

Finally, in terms of WIP's, I thought I would show my blanket which I forgot about last week.  I am getting there with this but the rows are very long now and I only do it now and again and I don't mind that at all.  I love the fact it looks like something Stephen West would put together (that is not blowing my own trumpet about my knitting or belittling his designing - just a comment on the colours!)

I have started planning for the other KAL which is the Colours of Fall KAL ran by the Yarniacs podcast group. This one runs from the 21st June - 21st September.  The idea behind this one is that you incorporate one of the colours from the Pantone colours of fall collection and knit/crochet etc a garment.  What they really want is that you style your FO in the way you might wear it.  I love this KAL.  I am going to knit Faience which is also from the new Pom Pom.
And so there you are for another week.  Please catch up with the rest of the group by clicking the link.

Me Made May - round up post

So we have come to the end of May.  That in itself is a bit scary, but I am at the end of me made May and it is time to reflect.
This week has gone quite well
I started off the week with some shortie socks made with sugar plum fairy by stranded dyeworks.

I then ventured into various DIY projects and wore my turban to protect my hair fro paint and dust.

Day 28 saw me in my breathing space again with leggings. 

Day 29 saw me dig out Rhombing Around by Rililie, again with leggings.

This then became my uniform as I then donned my boxy again.  (Forgive my concentrating face!)

And finally, wearing my boxy again, I finished and wore my moss rose mitts.

So what have I learned from this?
I have found that I love my pinafore style Coco by Tilly and the Buttons.  I fully intend to make more of these and have two more ready to go already.  Of course I don't like leaving my arms uncovered so I will require some more options to cover up.  Close fitting T shirts to go underneath and loose boxy style cover-ups to go over the top.  I am also going to see if I can find some cardigan to go with them as well.  I have found I don't wear skirts, much as I want to I just don't go for them.  I shall be repurposing the material in the skirts that I have made.  I may look into whether I can modify some into shorts?
I have also noticed that much as I love jeans, they are not very flattering on me and I much prefer how I look in leggings.  With that in mind I have been living in boxy style, loose fitting sweaters, so I will be knitting myself more of these. .
So that is two looks that I have definitely see develop during May and ides from this will feature heavily in my new Year of Projects list. 
I still want to try a few new things however.  I have an Agnes top cut out so I would like to see how that looks and I have also been following the hashtag zadiejumpsuit on Instagram and have bought myself this pattern.  It seems to look good on almost everyone, so this is something I would like to try.  And finally, I really enjoyed making my pyjama bottoms and I thought I might run up a few of varying lengths and types of fabric for day wear as well.  My slouchy sweaters should go well with these as well.

I also bought a pin to commemorate my participation this year - I like it a lot!

A Year of Projects Update - Week 48

We have arrived at the last mid term break for the school year and I for one am really glad.  We have very few plans bar knitting, walking and swimming!  Oh and I have a few DIY jobs that I need to do (I will describe them if I get them finished next week!)
So for this week I have a few WIP's and will try to show all of them.
1) Understated - I am onto the body.  14 inches of stockinette in the round (and since it is boxy and I am not small this is a big round!)

2) Moss Rose - this is a WIP that I have not shared before.  I wanted to use the yarn I got from Eden Cottage for Christmas and found this project. I love them - the are handwarmers.  The yarn is fab and the pattern lovely and even suits the subtlety of the speckled yarn.

3) Shortie socks - I have not worked on these this week, but hope to do so this next week.

4) The same goes for these stripey socks. These are very slow going - I think the problem is that I don't really like using the small circular but I wanted to give them a good go, so that I could say categorically that I don't like them!

5) Azula - by Woolly Wormhead.  I am still loving this - I am now on the third repeat out of 8

So this week will see me concentrating on finishing some of these and I want to make a couple of Coco dresses to go with the rest of the collection.  And I want to complete Me made May with a round up of the month so that I can see what pieces I need for my hand made wardrobe.

I think that is it for this week, do catch up with the other Yoppers by clicking the link.

Me Made May Update 3

I cannot really believe May is nearly over.  I know there is another week to go but I am going to put myself out there and say I think I may succeed at me made May!  I have worn something homemade every day, I may not have put a photo on Instagram every day but I have worn something homemade.  I already have a very good idea about what I can wear and, perhaps more importantly, what I don't like wearing.
I have been wearing versions of the same thing this week.  At the weekend at the racing, I wore my Miranda by Josie Paquain.  This is knit in Madelintosh Pashmina worsted yarn which is gorgeous but it the most pilly (I don't think that is a word but I'm going to use it anyway) yarn I have ever used.  But it is gorgeous so I still wear it quite a lot!  A dreadful photo by the way, but there we go.

At the beginning of the week I wore another Coco dress.

And then towards the end of the week I wore one of my Cleo dresses with a different top underneath.

Since we are now on half term break I should be able to bring in my review post on Friday on time.  So that was last week - here's to the next!

A Year of Projects Update and Me Made May

So I missed another week of me made May. I decided to amalgamate the posts this week, I shall start with a year of projects then move to me made May.
I have no FO's this week, I am in stockinette land for most of my projects.  Which is fine, but can get a little boring at times, so I do have a cheeky new cast on.
I have joined the body on Understated by Joji Locatelli.  This is basically a V necked boxy so I now have 14 inches of boxy stockinette to wade through.  Here I am at the moment - I am using Penelope by De Rerum Natura.

I also have three socks on the needles, one pair of Rose City Rollers and one single stripey, both are going round and round at the moment, I will post pics next week.
I also have a pair of handwarmers on the go that I will post pics of next week as these are about to get past the stockinette part.
My new cast on is one by Woolly Wormhead and I love it.  It is Azula and is one of her designs that is knit from top to bottom and so each full row is composed of a bit of brim, then a bit of head, then a bit of crown.  There are lots of short rows of which I am using the recommended German short rows and it is fantastic.  The wool I am using is Rosy Green wool left over from my Nasreen.

On to Me Made May. Since it has been two weeks I will include a selection of outfits rather than a day by day account.

I wore my Camden Cap by Woolly Wormhead.  Yarn is Countess Ablaze. I will probably have this on again today as we are going to the racing.

This is my modified Coco - I love this dress and actually can't wait to make another.  You will see this lots of times worn with different tops.

 This is my first boxy - the worsted boxy, knit in Drops yarn.

 This is probably my favorite sweater - Breathing Space by Veera Valimaki, knit in my own dyed yarn and some travel knitter.

 Because I wore similar outfits on a couple of occasions here are my pyjama bottoms worn on more than one occasion!

 Another way of wearing my Coco, with my first Zinone over the top.  Zinone is by Andi Satterlund and is knit in a yarn by Eden Cottage but I can't remember which.

 A sneak peak of the socks under my leggings!

Buchanan worn yesterday, knit in yarn from Coldwater Mill.