Market Mitts and Tric progress

Yesterday I talked about Melbourne's weather being up and down like a yo-yo, and true to it's form today's temperature dropped 10℃ from yesterday's 26℃! Oh well, at least it wasn't as freezing as last Sunday when I was at the Gisborne market. It was a miserable day with rain and wind, my hands were so cold that I'd taken one of my handspuns from the stock and started making myself a pair of fingerless mitts. I only had a crochet hook with me so I started with a crochet mitts pattern, but my hands were so numb that I just couldn't continue to make the mitts to keep my hands warm.

I still couldn't continue with the piece after I got home because I didn't like the look of it, so I ripped it back and started again. The pattern I chose was the Garter Stitch Mitts by Ysolda Teague, it is a simple pattern worked sideways using short-row shaping.

I really like how they turned out, the handspun is very squishy and soft, they should keep my hands nice and toasty on cold market days. I only cast on 38 stitches and they worked up quickly. The project only used 58g of the handspun, so the pattern is a perfect fit for that single skein that you don't know what to do with. Raverly project page here.

A project update for Tric that I started back in August for my friend Elaine, it's been slow going due to the intricacies of the pattern (pattern recap: top-down seamless with collar and set-in sleeves worked simultaneously). At last I can report some progress:

Only the sleeves to do now so hopefully I will finish it soon. Some of the project notes on Ravelry noted that the piece grew after blocking so I'm keeping the length as it is and will take take when blocking so it doesn't grow too much.

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When the going gets tough ...

It has been a strange week for me, workwise it was not very productive: I have been working on this proposal for the last few weeks and just when I thought I'd got it, it all fell to pieces. And for some reason I can't seem to get it together in the way I wanted, and on top of that, I'd missed my deadline (self-imposed).  So, you might say I was a little frustrated.

Vivian told me to get knitting when my brain's got scattered, so I did. I managed to finish the Sugar Veyla that I started last week. They came out quite well I think, and I decided to give these to my cousin for her birthday, hope she likes them.

On the spinning front I made little progress, still trying to grasp the drafting technique. And, not content with having just one spindle I made one myself using this tutorial except I made mine a bottom whorl.

This was my first try at making anything with polymer clay, the centre cracked a little bit when I pushed the dowel (bamboo super chopstick cut short) through the hole even though I did let it cool. I dabbed the cracks with super glue so hopefully it will hold. It spins a lot faster than my top whorl which is quite nice. Next time I will make the hole bigger before baking.

Oh well, that's me wrapped up for this week, it hasn't gone as planned but one can't always has one's own way, such is life. I guess we'll have to make the best of whatever there is :)

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Learning to spin :)

I have been playing with my new toy the spindle this past week, and I think I'm on the right track, well I certainly hope so!

This is what I've got after a week's work, it's a slow progress and I'm trying very hard to get a consistent thickness, my biggest problem is know how much fibre to draft, and making sure the non-drafted fibre doesn't get twisted prematurely. I'm longing for the day that I finally "click" and just let my fingers take over... 

I recently joined a swapping group on Ravelry called Silly About Swaps. I've never swapped before, mostly because of being where I am that I often feel quite the odd one who might spoil others' fun. Fortunately in this group you have the option of sending electronic goodies as well as real one, all depends on your budget. There are all kinds of swaps going on like The Genie Swap, Travelling Blanket, Tea and Cake... There is also a Birthday Swap and as it was my birthday last week I got quite a few patterns from Ravelry Download that I've been longing for, and received some goodies in the post as well. I was really overwhelmed by this influx of goodness and felt quite spoilt, especially these days due to our vast distance from all the family the run of the mill gift giving at birthdays and holidays are usually "money in the bank".  

One of the patterns I received is the lovely Veyla by Ysolda Teague to whom I am a fan, so among my other obligations (sweater for mum, sweater for her other sister, etc.) I couldn't help but cast on:

Project Name: Sugar Veyla

Pattern: Veyla by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Bella Baby Sugar in dusty pink

Cast on: 22 August 

Notes: I don't know who the recipient will be yet, it could be one of my cousins whose birthday is coming up, or it could be one of the lovely swappers from my swap group, we'll see...

Oh, and I finished the back piece of Purple Dusk that I started last week for my mum. I'm planning to make the sleeves using Barbara G. Walker's top-down set-in sleeves method. It'll be my first time trying this method, wish me luck!

Thanks for dropping by, there is more fibre arts fun at Wisdom Begins in Wonder. Indulge your creative side and join the party!