Socks, gloves and a shawl

I didn't intentionally take a break from blogging, it just sort of happened! I've been working on finishing up some knitting projects, as having 6 (plus 2 long term) projects on the go wasn't fun. So I'm now down to 3! The long term ones don't properly count ;) So here are the projects I've managed to finish:

This is an Ishbel shawl by Ysolda Teague, made in Botany Lace by Araucania. I'm not sure how to wear it. I like it a lot more than I thought I would before I blocked it. Here it is before blocking:

It was all rumpled and bumpy. And it grew a lot!! Before blocking it was 39 by 13 inches. After blocking (and a little shrinkage) it is 57 by 16 inches! It's a nice size for wearing around my neck like a scarf, but it doesn't show off the lace as much as I'd like.

I also finally finished Dom's socks. He's was very happy to put them on today, as it's very windy and rainy.

He says that they're very comfy :) The pattern is Manly Aran socks from the Toe up socks for everybody book. The yarn is Superba 100 Klassik 4-fadig by Rico Design. It's a very good sock yarn, and relatively cheap too. Lucky for me, Dom doesn't like his socks super long so once I was past the heel there wasn't much further to go :) Oh and the background is some fabric I bought last week for a summer dress when it was lovely and warm. I think I jinxed it! 

And lastly, the gloves. These are the Fiddler's mitts by Ysolda Teague from the book My Grandmother's knitting. I used Excelana 4ply yarn, and I really like it :) The photo shows them before blocking, and you can see where the colour work isn't as smooth as it could be. They're currently drying, I just soaked them for a bit and smoothed them flat to dry. They look much better, so I should hopefully have some blocked photos soon :)

I hope they're dry by tomorrow so I can wear them into town to meet a friend. They should keep me warm enough :) I'm also getting my hair cut tomorrow and I'm planning on a shorter cut. I'm still not entirely certain about it, but we'll see :)
Ashley x

Studying

Just thought I'd check in and let you know why it's been quiet around here. Nothing exciting, I've been writing my dreaded dissertation! Eek! As you probably don't know, I'm studying psychology. As a psychology student I am expected to carry out an experiment, analyse the results using statistical tests and then write it up in a report. I found carrying out the experiment really hard, I'm very shy with people I don't know so it was just awkward. Lucky for me, my uni has just started using an online system where you put your study up and then other psychology students can come and sign up to it. The great thing about this system is that to use it you have to collect credit points in your first and second year. You have to collect 20 credit points to be able to give out unlimited credit points. It means that you don't have to beg people to participate because you can offer them credit points :) But yeah, still really awkward telling people what to do in your study!

Anyway, I finished a big section of my write up today so I decided to take the rest of the day off. I think my need it, my brain is starting to turn to mush! lol

Also, a huge thank you to Sarah from Narcoleptic in a Cupboard for passing me the Liebster award!! :) Thank you so much! I love Sarah's blog, and as a psychology student I love that Sarah shares her experience of narcolepsy. I find it so interesting! :) I was lucky enough to receive this award once before and you can see that here :) Go check out those blogs!!

Right, I'm off to enjoy a cuppa. And then I need to have a quick tidy so I can get my sewing machine out :)

Ashley x

The yarn pile

When Lianne mentioned on this post that she'd like to see my yarn pile, I thought 'Aha! A chance to pull it all out and take more photo's!' ;) I enjoy taking photo's of yarn, it stays still and doesn't complain when I take 20 shots to get the colour just right :)

I'm pleasantly surprised at how much there is, but at the same time I don't think there's that much of it. It's a 'stashlet' really.

I decided the best way would be to group it by weight with one big photo at the end :) But first here is the Malabrigo that I mentioned I got in my last post. 

I want a roomful of this yarn to roll about it. It is that soft and lovely.
So, the lace weight:

Sock yarns and 4ply (can you tell I like this weight?)

Onto the sport weight:

And the DK:

That Cygnet is a pain to photograph! You can see a better representation of the colour here.
And all of it together:

And so you can see the full extent, here are my six, yes, six WiPs (work in progress) :

So there you go! It's not huge, but every skein or ball is dearly loved and I have plans for most of them :)

I just realised I forgot to photograph the blanket I am working on. It's made from leftovers and skeins that I didn't know what to do with. I'll have to take a photo soon, it's an intentionally ugly knit ;)

Feel free to ask about any yarns you'd like to know more about, or if you're on Ravelry my stash page is here. I try to put in all the info I can, so if you're wondering what colour way a particular yarn is you can find it there :)

I've enjoyed pawing through my yarn for this post, and I hope you enjoyed seeing it :)

Ashley x

ps. In case you're wondering where I keep it, the yarn lives in a bag I made as a proto-type of a pattern I made myself ages ago. I lined it and even made a divider in the middle! I still have the pattern pieces, but now I can't remember how it goes together! I'm not a fan of the fabric (I got it from the market as something to practice with!), but it's thick and sturdy so keeps my yarn safe. I keep my WiPs in various little bags :) You can see the zip is bulging slightly, I struggled to get it closed!

Damson

This is the shop sample that I mentioned yesterday :) The pattern is Damson by Ysolda Teague, and the yarn is Malabrigo Sock in the colourway Alcaucil. The yarn is so gorgeous, I can see why it's so popular. I love the very subtle variation in colour, I'm a huge fan of tonals/semi-solids. I may have bought another hank today. Sshhh!
Ashley x

Gathering

I've been slowly putting the shell of my Chantilly together. For the bodice gathers, I decided to try using three lines of basting. There was a post a while back on the Coletterie that showed the difference between two lines and three lines of basting and I wanted to see for myself :) For the lining, I only used two lines of stitching, and you can see the difference. Here's a very cropped zoomed in photo:

The gathers are much bigger and so not as even. So three lines of stitching certainly looks better, but it does take longer. The extra line of stitching takes more time, the actual gathering took longer as you're wrestling with three threads, and of course you have to unpick at least one line of stitching as it shows on the right side. I think the results are worth it though! :)

In knitting news, I may have acquired more yarn ;) One I bought, and one I was given as a thank you because Sarah from Spins and Needles asked me if I'd like to knit a shop sample!! It was very flattering to be asked :) She has just taken delivery of some Malabrigo Sock, so wanted a sample to show off in the shop. Sarah chose Damson by Ysolda Teague as she also stocks Whimsical Little Knits 2 that the pattern is in. I finished it last night and it's currently soaking ready to be blocked :) And as a thank you I got to choose a hank of the Malabrigo Sock for my very own! It's lovely yarn, so soft and the colours are beautiful. 

And another Zauberball. . . I think a yarn diet is in order! Though not a very strict one. I'm going to try and only buy yarn when I go to the monthly knit night. And I'll try and keep it to one projects worth.
Hmm, we'll see how long that lasts ;)
Ashley x