Festive Knitting

Some of my festive knitting projects




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A Baby Quilt

 Dear me, I haven't written a word for weeks!  It's a busy time of year - I still can't quite believe that we are in December and the year is very nearly over.  Next week marks the start of 'crazy season' in our house - a fortnight of school concerts, parties and church event.  All of these events are well loved but it will be an exhausting fortnight.

I've made the odd Christmas gift - largely knitted - over the last few weeks.  The above picture, I appreciate, is extremely unseasonal but I found the pictures on the computer the other day and realised it was a project I hadn't shared!  It's a baby quilt made for my friend Emma's little girl.  It was a simple make - the pattern can be found on the Moda Bakeshop Website - and consists of a couple of mini charm packs from the Posy line by Aneela Hoey and corresponding Moda yardage.  The 2.5" squares are sometime challenging to sew together accurately but I'm happy with the result!  This is the last thing I sewed would you believe and that was back in September!

Hopefully, I won't leave blogging so long next time and I can share some festive projects - a Summer themed quilt really seems a bit out of place as the wind blows outside!

Hansel

I completed Hansel AKA the giant bucket about 3 weeks ago.  It was very odd knitting a square blanket in the round but it worked and I love the finished result.  I had originally planned it as a baby blanket for my surprise third baby but it ended up as a gift for my friend Helen's surprise third baby instead.  Although I'd decided on a relatively neutral colour scheme involving grey, purple, green and blue it dawned on me that it was far more appropriate for Helen's little boy baby than my own expected pink offspring.

I would have liked to have added the triangular border edging included in the pattern to finish it off but it became obvious that I was running out of time and yarn - Helen was booked for an elective c-section so I was working to a definite deadline!!

I absolutely loved knitting this and I am so tempted to make another for myself.

The Wedding of the Year!

My best friend got married on Saturday!  It was absolutely lovely and such a privilege to be part of such a special day :-).  My friend Mel and I were bridesmaids together with Bev's sister and niece - between us we cried buckets!

The photographer was a certain 8 year old who lives in my house ;-)

Birthday Crafting

It's officially the birthday season.  There are so many Autumn birthdays - I blame those Winter conceptions!  I've managed to get a couple of birthday gifts made over the last few weeks especially for those who appreciate a handmade pressie!

First up is this moss stitch dishcloth with contrasting red striping:

This was so quick to make and a good use of stash yarn - the cream organic cotton I used is just so lovely and soft.  I love the contrasting stripes and I hope the moss stitch will make it practical and absorbent!

I also made this candle holder:

 

I followed Lucy of Attic 24 fame's jar cover tutorial and used some leftover yarn for some more thrifty, stash busting crafting :-).  My crocheting tension is a bit looser so after making a massive first attempt I used a shorter starting chain and the jar cover was a much tighter and better fit.

I have also finished a baby quilt which is waiting to be photographed.  It is a very dull morning here, and although I am loving the start of Autumn, my favourite season, it is not particularly conducive to photography!

Bucket Knitting

 

I have started knitting a blanket - a baby blanket as a matter of fact.  It is my first baby project for my baby surprise - good going indeed as I don't think I ever finished anything for the other two before they were born.

The pattern is called Hansel and is a traditional Shetland Hap shawl designed by Gudrun Johnson (The Shetland Trader).   Traditionally a hap was a shawl or cover up for every day wear and warmth thus differing from the more intricate Shetland lace shawls often used for Christening shawls.

The pattern consists of a central garter stitch square.  This is knitted on the diagonal, increasing a stitch per row to a point (144 stitches in this case), before decreasing again, thus forming the square.  I've now progressed on the knitted border which is providing me with a lot of pleasure and fun!  The shawl is essentially square but the border is knitted on in the round!  This took me a while to get my head around, but it is a most efficient way of adding a border as there will be no seams for me to join at the end :-).  I am constantly amused though at how this piece of knitting produced by my needles is becoming more and more voluminous - I feel as if I'm knitting a parachute or bucket!

My central square is grey as is the first part of the border.  I've just started adding the colour sequence into it and have decided on a relatively gender neutral colour scheme.  Initially I had decided to hold out until my 20-week scan before choosing colours thinking reds and purples for a girl or greens and blues for a boy.  However, the knitting of the shawl has become a relative addiction and I couldn't take a break from it - patience isn't a virtue I have in great abundance.  I've settled on a scheme of teal, blue, green and dark purple so hopefully it will work whether the baby is pink or blue.

Industrious

I have been industrious - I have finished a quilt.  AND I have another pieced, layered and basted ready for quilting - yay me!

This simple charm quilt is a gift for my friend Wendy's little girl Phoebe.  She was born May/June time - the first little girl after 3 older brothers.  Although I knew Wendy was having a girl I was a bit nervous about going down the pink and pretty path as a little girl was going to be a big change after 3 boys!  I chose some beautiful, bold and colourful prints from a range by Momo - 'Just wing it'.

This is a side on view of the whole quilt - it was too blustery on my washing line the right side up:

Such a happy quilt :-)

The back is pieced with complimentary blue stripy fabric and a strip of butterfly print - I know it's a Moda print but I've had it in my stash for some time so can't remember which line it's from now.  The binding is red and spotty!

It's all washed, dried, crinkly and sweet-smelling and  wrapped up in a brown paper package (which I will probably tie with string ;-)) ready for it's journey to Oz!