Back to Knitting and Sewing

I am sorry that my blog has failed to mention much in the way of knitting lately. I am still working on my Circular Shrug from Ravelry and the tedious nature of the K2P2 ribbing was really bogging me down. Thank goodness for the transition point I reach the other day. After 7 inches of K2P2 ribbing I have now moved on to, you guessed it, K1P1 on the RS and P1Slip1 on the WS. This is referred to as Mock Ribbing. I keep asking myself why I ever started this project but I am one to try as best I can to finish- ahem-what I start.

Here is a ball of my hand painted felted merino that I am using for this project. The wool seems to take on a different look when it is wound into a ball. I have to say that I wasn't sold on the colors until I saw them this way.Here is my shrug or part there of.
Here is an up close view of the transition area from K2P2 to mock ribbing.
I have to say that things are moving much more quickly now because just before the transition I did 1 row of K2Tog P2Tog reducing the number of stitches I was working from 246 to 123. That's a bit of a relief. Then, with the mock ribbing slipping every other stitch on the WS I feel like I am flying through this project- as the Tui ads say...Yeah Right!

As a side project, I have taken on a sewing project with the guidance and support of my friend Shirley. She helped me choose a pattern for a skirt that the girls can wear to the International Rodeo that is taking place in Christchurch next month. They have brand new metallic pink cowgirl boots and western summery shirts but with teeny tiny wastes, finding something that fits skirt wise in a real challenge. Hence, this sewing project. Here is the pattern envelope. The skirt pattern is the purple skirt the little girl is wearing.
I have chosen to alternative the fabric in the tiers using a solid for the first and third tiers and a print for the middle tier. Here are the fabrics I will be using.
Ivy will be the recipient of this skirt. If all goes well and I can make this pattern work, I'll be on to making one for Melody. I have sewn together all of the panels for each tier of the skirt and am now needing to do the gathering.

I hope to have more done on both of these projects to be able to share really soon.

Father's Day, Knitting and Seedlings

Playing catch up once again...

Last Sunday was Father's Day here in New Zealand. The kids and I like to make this a special day for Arnold and we did our best this year. The day started with a special breakfast of bacon and eggs with American-style buttermilk biscuits. The kids enjoyed helping to form the biscuits and putting them on the baking sheet. Arnold seemed to enjoy the fuss and also likedd the gift that the children had picked out, a very smart looking R.M. Williams shirt from a local Men's Shop.

After a bit of a relax and tidy up, we headed into Christchurch to see the Da Vinci Machines exhibit at the Canterbury Museum. The exhibit contained mock-ups, some working and some not, of many of Da Vinci's designs. The exhibit spanned the spectrum of his "genius" including designs from warships to optics to flying machines.

Here you can see mock-ups of two of his inventions. As with many inventors, only a fraction of the things they develop actually work as intended.

After the exhibit, we headed over to the Arts Centre and enjoyed some Madrid-style churros and chocolate sauce. Yum! The children were still starving after that so we headed into the CBD (for my American viewers the Central Business District) and stopped for lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, Mum's 24 Korean and Japanese Restaurant. The food here is great! The kids love both the vegetarian and meat wontons and mixed tempura, while I tend to the Bulgogi and Arnold usually has the Bento box. This place is very family friendly and the food is consistently delicious, hot and served quickly!

After such a busy day I was ready to collapse at home and so were the kids.

On to knitting...

I am continuing to work on my Circular Shrug. This project is zapping all of my energy. I am making very slow progress through the 274 stitches of each row and I am not sure that I will ever again make a garment that requires 7-9 inches (American pattern) or 2X2 ribbing-yuck. After the 2X2 ribbing is complete I'll be on to endless rows/inches of mock ribbing- oh yea :(

Here you can see the amount of progress I am making.

I am also considering taking on a side project, something fun and zippy to help me relax after my intensive rib knitting. I am considering the child's Hug Me Shrug by Sara Galley as I have some lovely Sublime- Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK that would work. The only issue is that while both of my girls are very tiny- Ivy especially- their shoulder measurements exceed that of the pattern so a little Math will have to be done. No problem, I'll just knock those numbers out in no time.

I thought the shrug was a nice project as when I was at the mall yesterday, getting Cruz a haircut, I noticed that many of the fashions for women for the upcoming spring and summer include mini cardis and front closing shrugs. Ah ha, my knitting projects are fashionable.

This week has been a bit of a wash in the garden. The weather continues to be drizzly, cold and very windy out our way. Inside the greenhouse the temperatures have been mild but not warm enough to get my tomatoes going. My peas, beans, bok choi, beets, lettuce, caulis and broccolis are all sprouting. Also, the lovely Moulin Rouge sunflower seeds given to me by Shirley are sprouting like mad. The little shoots are a deep, deep red and I can't wait to see what they look like when all is said and done. My other flower seeds that have germinated are hollyhocks and calendula. Everything else seems to be holding off for warmer temps.