It All Depends On How You Look At It....

It's been a longer time between posts than I intended - I think after all the documenting of MMM I was ready to take it easy on that front for a bit. Plus life got very busy for a few weeks there, nothing dire or crisis-ish, just one of those times where it seems like everything's happening at once.

As a result, I've either been extremely lazy, or rather productive, depending on how you look at it. Sewing-wise I think I've lost my mojo a bit. I have three things cut out (the worst part!) and ready to go, but the last two makes have left me a bit despondent, and so I've been avoiding my sewing machine. When I actually think about it, I shouldn't really feel so blah - they weren't complete fails. But does anyone else ever have something turn out not quite right, and then, even though you know it's only going to take a bit of concerted tweaking, still feel like it's all a bit too much effort? It's not admirable, I know, but I'm not the only one, surely??

I'm curious - what do you do? Do you set it aside and go on with something else? Or do you grit your teeth and wrestle that thing into submission?

Me, I found something else to do. I always feel like breaking out the knitting needles once the weather turns wintry. There's something cozy and comforting about curling up in front of the fire with some woolly goodness. Plus, it lends itself to company better than a sewing machine.

So, here's what I've been up to lately. Mind you, my camera hasn't caught the colour of any of them all that well...

 First up, a little Korrigan cardigan for a friend's baby girl.

The actual colour of this is a lovely soft yellow - the camera's made it look bleached! This is a really sweet little pattern, knitted all in one piece from the top down. I used Bendigo Woollen Mills 4 ply cotton, which worked nicely for a Spring weight cardi, but if I ever knit it again, I think I'd use a wool with a bit of a halo (is that the right term? It sounds more impressive than "fuzziness", anyhow) - some of the increases around the cables look a little bit 'holey'. I think that would be avoided by using wool. Must remember that. This was the last of the four queued projects I pledged to finish for MMM.

Next up, another Merlia scarf, this time in Cleckheatons Country wool. (See previous one here.) I knew this wouldn't photograph well, being at night, but this was a 'true' red, without orange or blue tones to it. This was for my son's teacher, who is as lovely and gifted a teacher as you'd ever meet. She pours so much love, time and effort in her class - way over and above the call of duty - and I wanted to do something for her that reflected that. I think it's the first time I've repeated a knitting pattern - it's so much quicker the second time!

This one could backfire on me. It's the Regular Guy Beanie, done in Cleckheaton Country Naturals. This is for my brother-in-law's birthday, who is extremely hard to buy for. He also says exactly what he thinks, so if he thinks this is rubbish, I'll hear about it! Once I got home from the yarn shop I realised I'd actually bought the wrong kind of wool for this, (8 ply instead of 10) so I had a wander through some other people's Ravelry project notes, and found someone who'd re-written the pattern for 8 ply. There seems to be a lot more fullness in the crown than I expected, but I'm hoping that'll stretch out on his head. Well see!

The actual colour is a bit duller than this, with a bit of a natural fleck to it. Nice for a guy, anyway.

And finally, something for me! This is the Roam Tunic, by Amy Christoffers:

One thing I noticed during MMM was how much I depended on my only knitted jumper, my Beatnik. I've decided I definitely want at least one more before next May, and this is the first. So far I've done the back and about a third of the front, and I LOVE it!. I've wanted a longer light grey jumper for a while, and this is taking the place of my previous, tragic effort. I actually think this would be a really good first cable project; it's just an 8 row repeat with no shaping within the cabled panel at all. Being a thick yarn - 12 ply/bulky - means it's quick, too. Win-win, frankly!

So that's been the last month for me. I think once I get my tunic done I'll go back and try to finish those last two semi-fail sewing makes. (Need that ego-boosting win first!). One of those makes is a pair of slim-fitting trousers, and I'm finding it hard to know exactly how fitted to make them. They're almost there... In the meantime, I'm stalking successful makes by other bloggers. I especially like Fabric Tragic's latest pair of Clovers. 

In the meantime, I'll be in front of the fire clicking my needles...blissful!

Have a wonderful week :)

Danielle oxo