Flower Power!

It is finally here! My August kit from Rockin Sock Club! It is called "Flower Power", and is a lightweight 100% Superwash Merino. The colours are really vibrant, with fuschia, turquoise, brown and greys. Beautiful. See the mini-skein in the middle? That is a super-cute keyring skein we get with each kit.


My camera doesn't do the colours justice- they are actually far more vibrant, and really complement each other. This kit is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of 1967 - the "Summer of Love". Flower Power does it justice!

See the cute treat we got in this months kit: tattoos! A flower power chain and a moon:

The pattern is called "Summer of Love Lace", and is by the very talented JC Briar. It has a lace cuff, and is very feminine. I love that each pattern from RSC is so different from the others. You really get to try new techniques and looks, which for me is the whole point in a club. It does mean not every pattern or colour-scheme will necessarily ring your bell, but I love the surprise!

The pair at front left is knit in Flower Power.

So hopefully I will get the skein wound into a ball tonight, and maybe even get to cast on! *fingers crossed*

Started winding Pretty Pirate

I started winding my skein of Pretty Pirate, from Yarn Pirate last night, when I realised I hadn't taken any pics yet. I just LOVE Yarn Pirate yarns. She just has a real eye for colour, and I think every skein is a true work of art. In the pic below you can see (left to right) "Cannon Beach", "Pretty Pirate", and "Patience".

I think they will all be socks, but we will have to see...

One day, I will own a ball winder...

So I am currently winding my skein of lace weight cashmere from Hipknits Project Club into a ball... by hand. Please remember, I have never knitted lace before, so have never had the need to wind lace weight yarn. OMG what a Nightmare. I am not the most patient of people, particularly with pesky tasks like winding yarn into balls, knitting swatches etc, I just want to get on with the casting on and joyful knitting of the project already! I spent about 3 hours winding the night before last, and am not even half way through yet! Granted, I was a little distracted by the fabulous Grey's Anatomy which I was catching up on, but I reckon I have another couple of nights winding left yet. I also managed to snap the yarn at one point, when it got into a knot (the kind where there is a small loop with a tight knot). Because it is lace weight, I just could not loosen the knot at all, and the yarn snapped with my attempts. Oh well, will just mean I need to weave in an end.

I also cheated a little today, and looked at the spoilers on other people's blogs for the new Rockin Sock Club kit. It is GORGEOUS! I will SO post pics when mine finally arrives, but just fabulous! How do you do it Blue Moon ladies? Another great pattern and totally drooly skein of yarn! Yippee! Should be here soon... *fingers crossed*

Finished Solstice Slip, just in time!

So with August's Rockin Sock Club kit on its way, I have finished the last kit, Solstice Slip, just in time! I really enjoyed knitting these, the pattern was an easy 4-row repeat, and was just a relaxing and almost therapeutic knit. Funny thing though, on both socks I loved knitting up until the leg (they were knit toe up), then got really bored on the leg, and it took me ages to finish, for both socks! But now they are done, I just love them! The toe and heel are both garter stitch, and look great.

Little dumpling loves them too:

I am currently waiting for kit 4 to arrive. Our first kit was "Inside Out" sock, as the cables on this sock make it reversible, with a different look on each side. You can wear them however you prefer! I love that. Funny thing though, one did this great striping, the other one pooled. My husband thinks it looks weird (he is really one for symmetry and traditional looks), whereas I love it. It really adds to the hand knit feel of the socks. These were knit in medium weight yarn, which makes them a little too heavy to wear in shoes, but are actually my most favourite to wear, really comfy and warm. Oh how I love Rockin Sock yarn!!

The second kit was a beautiful skein of Silkie yarn, absolutely gorgeous! This isn't the pattern that we got with the kit. I loved the look of it, but when I started, I got about 2 inches after the toe (again, toe-up socks), and realised that they just weren't for me. I used the heel from that pattern though, and made up the rest. I am quite pleased with them, and would definitely use Silkie from BMFA again.

Finally, get to "Eat my Greens"!

Yippee, my beautiful yarn from Hipknits Project Club has arrived! It is kit one, and is a gorgeous skein of Cashmere, in "Eat Your Greens" Colourway. The great thing about the club is that we get to choose the colour yarn we want for each project.

It will be a lace shawl, which from other pics I have seen looks gorgeous. I have only done a small amount of lace in socks before, so am virtually brand new to it, and will admit to being a little intimidated, but excited to get started.

This yarn has been a long time coming, the original one went missing in the post! So Kerrie from Hipknits kindly put another skein in the post for me *phew*.

I think they are also putting the kits up for sale on the Hipknits site, shortly after each kit is sent to members. So if anyone is interested in buying a kit for themselves, it should be available soon.

My 2 year old seems to like it as well. Here he is having a squish of it:

Lego made Knitting Machine

Just found this great video on youtube, it is a knitting machine made completely of Lego! Fascinating to watch, quite the creation! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV19wqtfyF0 Made by Thomas Johnson, he has videos of other Lego creations on there too.

Thought I would share a photo of my beautiful boy wearing his recently cast-off Toddler Star Sweater from Adorable Knits for Tiny Tots, by Zoe Mellor. He looks adorable in it, the colours are beautiful (yarn is Rowan Cotton Glace) and the best bit... he seems to love it. Even at 2, the boy has standards and if he says no to something, he MEANS IT!