More Knits

I remember knitting this very sweater for my daughter about 18 years ago so it was a little wierd to get the book and knit it again just to use up the stray balls of yarn that were hiding at the bottom of the stash.

I think that the yarn is trying very hard not get be all used up!!

I found some horrible green yarn too, the colour is nice but the fiber content is dreadful.  it has polythene in it......... so I thought since I'm just knitting for the heck of it why not try a dog sweater.

I found the pattern on the Drops website, so I knitted up the smallest size and slightly dented the ball, so now I'm making the next size up and hopefully that will be an end of the yarn.

Kinda makes me want to get a small dog :)  The other half is a cat person though, me I would have any animal!

Pocket change

Considering I do most of my shopping online I am pretty annoyed that I have on just discovered Fatcheese which give you cash-back on goods ordered at certain sites through their website.  Would have been good when I was booking my travels!!

I really wish I'd known about it sooner, it would have been a nice wee bonus to spend on something I wouldn't normally be able to get.

I've also sent my daughter to the uk site since she's a student and orders a lot, including her food shop online.  Lets face it students need every penny they can get!!

I've seen a few similar sites that offer you rewards but to be honest they have never amounted to anything with me.  Of course that and the fact that I'm always wary of this sort of thing.

Oddball Scraps to Charity Bits

I really hate having these tiny balls of yarn leftovers.  Normally I just throw them out, but this time there were too many hoarded to do that. I started of with some hats, but then got fed up with knitting the same thing over and over.  So I found a Monkey pattern and adapted it a little, I'm currently working on another one in burgundy.  There will be enough yarn to make another hat I think.  I'm hoping that will use up all those leftovers, but I will have to check the bottom of the stash bag first.

The colourful toy kinda reminds me of Mr Blobby!! Well hopefully the charity shop will find a new home for all of it.

I'm also wanting to downsize on the fabric scraps.... That'll be a job and a half, trying to figure what to do with it all. Anyway just to warm up I made a few hearts, 2 with a ribbon hoop for hanging and the other with a face,, just for fun.

I just have a urge to do a belated spring clean at the moment...... might have something to do with lack of storage space and things just piling into disorganization!

That Lund sweater

Ever since watching The Killing (the proper version). I've wanted to make that sweater, well I wasn't going to buy it @ €280  I have better things to do with it.  I started of here and used the chart as a guide, since I was using aran which I reclaimed from the Yukon (it was too big). I beefed up the chart a bit.

So you can take any sweater pattern that fits you well and incorporate the pattern in, however the amount of stitches should be divisible by 24, On the sleeves I manipulated the chart down to 22 stitches by removing one stitch between the different motifs in the second row of repeat.

I used 4 mm and 4.5 mm needles dpns and circular.  Gauge  16 sts 20 rows to 10 cm  Approx yardage 1000.  size 42 chest close fit  this was my yolk sweater pattern.  See notes at end for tweaks.

NOTES: I worked 14 rows rib and then continued until it measured 11cm then added the pattern which was 8cm when complete. Followed by 23 rows plain knit then pattern repeat then 4 plain rows. Measures approx 38.5 cm at armpit. then to the sleeves.

SLEEVES; Cast on 36 worked 15 rows rib. Increase to 48 sts work pattern.  Increasing as stated in original pattern. work 23 rows plain, 17 rows 22 st  pattern, 23 rows plain, 17 rows 24st pattern, 4 rows to armpit ending 3sts before marker like pattern.

  *~~~~ I have long arms, if you need shorter sleeves. It will be roughly 46cm less one pattern to cuff

  *~~~~ I had increased my sleeve to 72sts as I thought it might be too tight,  so I placed markers where the sleeves joined and decreased on both sides of the markers (reducing 8sts per row every 4th row) until I had 264sts 11 pattern repeats, for the yoke.

I worked the final pattern band before the first decreasing round in the pattern, the 2nd 8 rows later then followed pattern Worked 8 rows neck rib cast off.

This is a rough guide how to make it.  When laid flat. Armpit to hem 39cm, armpit to cuff 50cm. 65cm shoulder to hem, body width 45cm, bust 53cm

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

This was their first European Tour in 20 years (probably my first proper gig in 20 years too).  I certainly didn't think that would happen in my lifetime.... and I nearly didn't get to go!!   I had a total meltdown on Wednesday night as it really looked like it wasn't going to happen for me.  My tickets didn't arrive until 12.45pm the day of the gig, big thanks to the UPS man for delivering them before lunch so I could go, all I had to do was jump in the car and drive 3 hours to Cork.

Johnathon Wilson Band opened up the evening at the Marquee, I hadn't a clue who they were, but the managed to get my foot tapping and belted out a couple beauties! We arrived there at 7.30pm (ish) and things were already in full flow.......... like many others we missed the announcement that the show was starting a half hour earlier.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers took to the stage and rocked the tent, we have been a small crowd but we were mighty! The sing-a-longs at one point drowned him out and I think he was happy to let us ;o). It's true what they say about them, that they are a Live band first. It really was a night to be remembered........ in the years to come I can say that for my pre-40th bash I saw Tom Petty Live in Cork! We all sang Learning to Fly, my OH held me in his arms as we rocked and Tom Petty came right over to our side of the stage and something/one made him laugh..........priceless!!

Crochet Waistcoat

Finally it's complete. There is no pattern for this it was just made up as I went along using cotton DK and I think a 3mm hook.

 I worked the top parts first using a fan stitch, working towards the shoulder shaping as I went.

Then working downwards with the same fan stitch, the first row creates a circle,  continued until desired length. Sew back and front together.

I used a pineapple style hem, chart which I found here, yes it was for a bag but works good as a hem too!

Finally single crochet 4 rounds, creating a button hole on round 3.

Short Sleeve Cardi

Another one from Drops knit in the round.   Not bad for 1 big ball of Aran from Aldi.  The pattern can be found here.  I quite like knitting in the round, so much so I've just ordered to sets of circular needles.   They can't come quick enough, as I've the next one lined up already, it's going to be the Sarah Lund sweater from the TV drama The Killing.

Just a close up of these fab buttons that were gifted to me a while back.  I'd thought that it would be black buttons initially, but then I came across these and that was it.  I did have nice grey marl ones but only had 5 and I needed 6....... that's so typical!

I've nearly finished my crochet waistcoat too...... just the buttons to get and since we're going into town tomorrow, I'm hopefull that I'll find ones I like, if not it will be Ebay all the way.