Showing posts with label elsewhere jacket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elsewhere jacket. Show all posts

May 31, 2010

Summer colours knitting

I thought you might like to see current projects I've got on and off the needles.
Firstly the current progress on my Noro sock yarn shawl. Grown a little, takes a while as it is sock yarn. This will be passed on when finished. Not my colours exactly though close. Also being sock yarn will be a nice light shawl for someone.
Second is my favourite:) This is the handspun, red hot chilli pepper I spun from falkland tops purchased from Mandacrafts at Wonderwool.
I'm making the Vixen shawl with it. What do you think?
Third is a finished item. Yet another Elsewhere jacket. This time made in acrylic (hush) from James Brett. This will be being passed on, the colour is too pastel for me. I wanted to make an acrylic jacket to see how it would wear as all my other Elsewheres pill being pure wool. Well I've made it but don't want to wear it now it is done:)
Someone will like it I am sure.

May 17, 2010

Colour


Today the sun is shining and everywhere looks beautiful. It always lifts my spirits when the sun shines even if it is a day like today where the pain is really bad.

As a distraction I thought I would show you some of my current projects.

Firstly Elsewhere I may be blue:) This is of course my favourite pattern the Elsewhere jacket.

I'm making this one in acrylic (shush) I love the ones I've made from Blue faced Leicester but as always with pure wool they do pill badly. I'm wondering how this will wear. Watch this space.
For acrylic it doesn't look too bad does it? It is James Brett marble DK and it works to the aran pattern beautifully.
Next up a shawl in Noro Kureyon sock yarn. I dislike this yarn for socks but love the Noro colourways so I thought I'd see how it worked up as a shawl. I like it.


My third picture is the latest fibre on the wheel. I purchased this at Wonderwool Wales from Mandacrafts this is the link to amandas etsy shop. She sells organic Falkland tops and the colours are delicious.
Guess what colourway this is?

Did you guess it is red hot chilli pepper and aptly named I would say:)

September 27, 2009

I promised you knitting.

I promised you knitting so here goes.
The autumn greenery jacket is finished. Here you see it taking a little early evening sun with the very berry elsewhere jacket.

I really love the colours in this despite them not being what I set out to dye. I had it in mind to dye autumn greenery as a more faded and darker green. Seemed the dyeing fairy had other ideas. That notwithstanding I love it and the fit is perfect.
The colours blend yet don't which is just what I wanted. Why have matching sleeves and fronts if you don't have to?
This was going to be Autumn greenery Elsewhere jacket as I said but the goddess had other ideas as I dyed the yarn.
What was going to be faded greens going darker and more fragile became spring greens. The beauty of the trees awakening and unfurling their leaves. No two trees have the same shades of green so my jacket reflects all the green spectrum.
Sometimes the Goddess takes a hand. Autumn's glory has within it Spring's awakening.
It comes from there via the nurturing touch of winter's earth.
Could be her way of reminding me once more that the wheel is always turning.
We live on a spiral so we are always moving onwards and outwards.
From the faded ideas and completed projects can grow new plans, new dreams and new hopes.
The trick is to move with the energy not at right angles to it.
To be open to growth at the right time and to know when to be quiet and let the seeds germinate.
Sometimes I feel I miss the messages. My ears aren't tuned in or I hear and don't decipher the words.
Awareness can be lost in the day to day things if I am not in the now.

I did mention I wanted to knit another Elsewhere jacket. This will be my Winter Blues jacket.
Dyed in honour of the winter Solstice and the dark velvet nights of that portion of the wheel.

What do you think? Have I captured it do you think? This time I was listening.

Then I was out of dyed aran to start another so had to have something on the needles.

Here you see the sunny day socks. These are for me to wear of an evening while sitting reading, knitting or the like. I have very bad circulation and always feel cold so these will be ideal for winter. The yarn is some double knit alpaca merino I dyed some months back.
Very speedy knit as it is double knit yarn. Very warm also.


There has also been spinning and here you see the latest yarn off the bobbins


Fibre was from limegreenjelly and spun beautifully for this newbie. Didn't half leech a lot of colour when the yarn was set though. The water was vivid green:(
I'm very pleased with this, it is still thick and thin but it is getting better I think.

September 12, 2009

Of sunsets and first spinnings.

Last night had the first of the stunning autumnal sunsets. Just look at these untouched pictures.
Don't they just inspire you to create? Well they do me:)
You only really get a glimpse in these photos, to actually be outside watching the transformation of the sky was an experience not to be missed.


The best sunset I've seen for quite a while.
Part of me wishes we had gone up to the prom to watch the sunset, but by the time we got there it would have been waning.
Best to seize the moment and the pictures at home.
Don't you agree?
Who would want to miss the glory of this?

I've started another Elsewhere jacket. The colours were supposed to reflect the leaves and trees at this time of year before autumn turned them to her reds and oranges.
Methinks the Goddess had other ideas as these are more towards spring into summer colours.
No matter, I love them anyway.
They don't look too bad knit up do they?
Then Tilly our new Ashford Traveller wheel decided to have a trip up to Cumbria to see a friend of ours. While there Cae showed me how she spins and drafts fibre. I'm very pleased so far with progress. It is getting finer:)
I took up the blue purple mix I'd first spun on the Ashford Traditional and Cae taught me how to Andean ply. Mr Mog took a tracing of the plyer in order to make me one. Andean plying works if you only have one bobbin of yarn or small bits on bobbins left apparently.You can use your hand but if you are less than dexterous or have hand problems like I do then a piece of equipment made to measure is ideal.
So I started with this bobbin of hand dyed BFL


and ended up with this gorgeous skein:) I am so proud of it:)

Next post has lots of pictures to celebrate the return of autumn, you have been warned;)

August 23, 2009

It is a very berry Autumn:)

Once blogger stops playing silly beggars I'll show you some pictures to go with this post. It has so here you go:)
I love the elsewhere jacket pattern as you have probably guessed so I'm making another one. This time the yarn is dyed in luscious berry shades to honour this season.

I also decided to start the new shawl pattern from Ysolda, Damson. Surprisingly enough I'm also making this in berry shades:) I purchased some Violet Green sock yarn from a rav destash and it is perfect for this pattern.

It has rained most of today and it is very windy. While sitting here I can see all the starlings gathering on the roof tops and all the swallows meeting up on the telephone wires. A sure sign of Autumn and that the swallows are getting ready to return to Africa for the winter.
Today I don't blame them at all:) I haven't been over the doorstep, much too sore and much too cold for this moggie.
I've spent some of the day uploading my CDs on the computer so I can add them to the Nano. It is good to have a speedy computer and I love windows 7. It is everything XP was and then a little bit more. I don't like Vista so I was pleased to be able to get this beta 7 on the machine. It officially is released on 22nd October I think and I will be there in the queue for it:)

August 21, 2009

Autumn Elsewhere

The Autumn Elsewhere jacket is finished and I love it. I love the richness of the colours and the way they have knit up.
I love the fact that no one will have anything like this because the colours are ones I dyed up.
I like the mismatched yet toned colourway
I love that it fits me, well it would as I knit it to my size but still

I just love it:)

August 18, 2009

A low day

We had a trip to Cheshire this past weekend. I'd already arranged it for Mr Mogs birthday before the Quo thing came up so we went. It was ok but a few niggles took some of the fun off it. We also did hardly any of the things we had planned due to it still being school holidays.
Reminder to self NEVER go away again in the school holidays. What a nightmare, everywhere was totally crowded, the motorways were jammed and also the other roads. We went from plan A to plan B to plan C and never got to any of them.
BUT it was good. I'm low today. Some of it is tiredness, nay more weariness than tired I think, I have no energy and feel yuck. One of those days where tears are very close to the surface.
I usually get a little bit this way when my birthday approaches, not sure why. Maybe the passing of another year and not being any healthier. My joints hurt more and more and it doesn't make me smile.
It is new moon Thursday and I am hoping that will herald in more positive energy as Leo makes it self known. I am a Leo after all so surely it should share some of its energy with me?
I have been knitting and I'm on the final stages of my third Elsewhere jacket. The one done in autumn shades. I love it and I hope you will once it makes its appearance within the blog.
Not much else to say really, don't want to depress you lot:)

August 01, 2009

Just like buses:) Possesions and persona

I make no apologies for posting more pictures of my yarn because I absolutely love it. I love the colours and the way they blend into each other. I love the fact that the Goddess had her way and I dyed exactly what she planned and not what was in my head to do.

I like the way the colours go from brightest corn and summer through autumn and apples to trees without their leaves. A metaphor perhaps for this half of the year?
I'm pleased with the 2 colours I put with my original Earth dyes and that the green one I mixed myself.
I like them in case you hadn't guessed:)
Casting on the new Elsewhere jacket after this so watch this space. I'm thinking that the brightest colours need to be at the top leading down to the darker at the edges and bottom but we will see what my muse has to say about it all.
So it is Lammas or Lughnasadh today. It started with rain but we now have sunshine. I've given thanks for my growing season and my harvest, have you? Is it what you expected or wanted or did the old ones surprise you with their gifts?

Blue Witch had a very interesting post yesterday on living with just 100 possessions. Her question was could you live with that number and your reasons for and against.

It made me think about my home and the things within it. Do I need them all and why?
Yes is the short answer:)
All my belongings have history, where they came from and why I have them. To me they are part of my persona, part of who and what I am and what I aspire to. All the craft items are used, often. All the books read,often. Any books I acquire that don't merit a second reading are passed on to the charity shop or to people who would like them. I tend to order books from the library, well I have always done that but I now order them with another purpose in mind. If they are ones I wish to read again then I can purchase them and not waste my money. We have lots of book space Mr Mog and I. We both love books.
The selection is very eclectic and ranges from many bicycle books(Mr Mog) through a large children's section to fantasy(both of us). On the way they deviate through detective fiction , Mr Mog again and his collection of Alan Hunter books. Sc ifi, my Robert Heinlein collection. They pass through a medium size mass of cookery books, tarot and witchy books towards dictionaries and their like. Other shelves contain my almost complete collection of Georgette Heyer and Diana Wynne Jones novels. I also have all the Charles de Lint books and all the Terry Pratchett ones. I love escapism, life can be dark enough without voluntarily reading about it.
Almost all the people who visit our house love it, they love the eclectic artwork on shelves and walls and the smell of the house always comes up in conversation. We always have some form of incense on the go sometime in the day. It may be sticks or quite often hand blended smouldering on charcoal. For me the sense of smell is exceedingly important in our lives and I use it on more than one level. All my artwork or gifts sent to people have a secret blend of essential oils used within their making. I think opening a gift and smelling an elusive fragrance is fantastic.
These are the things I count as persona possessions. Furniture and utilitarian objects are just that, they do not reflect me the same. Yes the clothes do because I have a need to always wear colour, bright colours. Colour lifts my spirits and makes me smile. That is a good enough reason for me. I think colour plays a big part in our lives and I use that in mine.

July 13, 2009

Mohair elsewhere finished .

The mohair Elsewhere jacket is finished and I love it. I love the mismatched sleeves, the softness and the size. I made it larger to allow for layering over autumn clothes.

It feels luxurious to wear.
It doesn't match but yet it tones. The next mohair one won't:) I want clashing colours.

Before that though I'd like to make another in BFL aran and to further the intention I've managed to procure a cone from Laal Bear to do so. I'll get it skeined up and dyed next week hopefully
Do you like it?

July 08, 2009

This n that

We(Mr Mog) are remodelling the garden. We visited friends for dinner Saturday evening and they have transformed their garden. Naturally I came away full of enthusiasm to do something with ours. It was made easy access mainly gravel when we moved in and some of that was for me but also some for the grandsons. They are growing up and don't play out as such and I only need easy paths to the 2 seating areas. That means we can revamp:)

I had all tubs down the side you see and none matched. The aim is to have one long tub to the seat and angular ones each end. Trellis to stop you looking straight down the garden.



Not bad going Mr Mog for just a few short hours. The tubs won't be staying there we will be filling up with soil and planting directly into it. The royal we of course. I help with the ideas, Mr Mog does the physical labour.
What have I been doing?
This.

It is growing quite speedily now and I'm ready to start knitting the sleeves since this picture was taken. 1 sleeve purple, one green I'm thinking.
Not done a lot past couple of days as I have been exceedingly sore.
Weather has cooled down and we have had quite a bit of rain this week, saves watering the garden.

July 02, 2009

Of mohair in jackets and spirals on tops

Thanks for the kind comments on my additions to the top Jan made me:)
BW asked how I did the spirals. I'm not a very good crocheter yet but simple things I can do. I love freeform as you have probably guessed so this is out of my head.


I started with a chain of 8 stitches, then I did at least 2 double crochet in to each stitch, on some I did 3. Did this all the way back to the top edge then double crochet to where I wanted the next spiral and repeated. Some spirals are 15 stitches, some 9, some 17 and rest 13. Really whatever felt long enough as I went around. I did this all the way round doing plain double crochet in between each spiral. I then stitched crystal beads on the ends. I used 2 x 8mm beads and a tiny bead as the end stop. Thread through all including the end one, then return ignoring the end one, do this twice for strength then finish off.
Hope that makes sense?.
I decided I wanted another elsewhere jacket and this time I wanted to use up some odd skeins of mohair on it. I didn't want it to match, my intention is to have mismatched colours but ones that tone. My next jacket will be completely clashing if this works out.

What do you think so far?

Still very humid and incredibly hot here. I don't function too well in hot weather it makes my joints much more painful sadly:( I seem to retain more water around the ankles which doesn't help as I am unable to take water pills due to other health issues. I'm drinking lots of water to try and help.
The 15pence tomato plants we got a few short weeks ago at the local council garden centre are growing wonderfully and there are lots of flowers on them. A good buy I think.

Poetry for Brigid Imbolc

  The Lake Isle of Innisfree BY  WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay a...