half a creekbed

I decided last night, having finished the main knitting on Cadeau that it was time I got rid of some of the UFOs hanging around the house before starting the new things I am itching to get into.

You may remember Creekbed from back in September last year.  I got to half-way point, and then lost interest.  Looking at it last night, I remembered the reason that I suddenly lost interest.  I began to realise as I got to halfway point that I’d have a very wide scarf upon completion based on my number of colour changes and rows.  It would also have a ‘pointy’ edge going down the length of the scarf, on both sides.  This did not appeal.  I had visions of me looking clownish walking down the street with a massively frilled neckline and flappy scarf…

Examining the article in question, and feeling rather annoyed at the waste of yarn (all those socks I could have knit with it!) it occurred to me that I did not actually have to knit the entire scarf… what if I bound it off at the garter section where I’d stopped, which was conveniently half-way?  Then I’d have a scarf of more conventional width, and despite the two pointy edges would be more to my taste?

Hurrah!

I’m very glad I did bind off where I stopped.  Now that it’s off the needles, I see it has turned out a lot shorter than I thought it would be (which is very puzzling, because I knitted a lengthwise scarf a while ago using the same number of stitches and it’s satisfactorily very long).  If it was any wider, it would have been a total disaster.

So there we have it… half a creekbed.

I’m not totally happy with the way it curls.  I blocked it very carefully, and even steam-pressed it.

I think I had better let go of of the idea that the edges will stay nice and flat.  It looks fine.  Best of all, it’s very comfy.  That 100% merino sock yarn is perfect – warm but not too warm.  Perfect for change of seasons weather.  It weighs a total of 150gm (approx 6oz), which is an nice weight for around the neck.

I’ve used some beautiful New Zealand indie sock yarns to knit this – Knitsch and Fibre Alive.  It’s ravelled here if you want to know details.

Another bonus:  I have enough yarn left over for at least three pairs of socks.  Hehe!!

This cannot wait

Thank you everyone, for your very sympathetic remarks to my last post.  You cheered me up no end!  :-D

After a reasonable night’s sleep, today I got the design I wanted.  It’s set:  This is Cadeau.

These are just the test shots.  But I was sooooooo happy to have got what I wanted, that I had to show you right away!!

Now, a bit more about the pattern:  Cadeau is the French word for gift.  I called it Cadeau because the cabled knots reminded me of bows and ribbons – like a beautifully wrapped gift.  You can see from my last post that I originally wanted to have the entire cowl cabled, but the detail got lost in the mass of cables.  I think the minimalist approach works better (thanks Audry for your behind-the-scenes encouraging feedback in this area).

There is more to come:  I am knitting v.3 of Cadeau as I write.  The next version will have more length and a higher neck line for extra warmth and snuggliness.  I’ll release both versions (this shorter one and the longer one) as a two-in-one pattern.

Best of all, this pattern is my Valentine’s Day gift to you, and will be free until February 14. So keep a watch out – I’ll most likely release the pattern around the weekend, all going well.

Cadeau is knitted in Zealana Tui, a gorgeous chunky weight merino/cashmere/possum blend that is soft and warm and so very cuddly.  It’s a softly spun two ply in a thick/thin spin, and I think it works beautifully with this pattern.  The pattern will come in small and medium sizing (the pictured knit is in small – you can see it pulls a little around my shoulders).

Off to knit more pretty cowl now!

Perils

The other day I showed you a sneaky peek of my new design.  Here’s more of it, in current form:

Now, the thing is this:  I have decided I don’t like it.  It’s a F.A.I.L.  Dear me, this bad knitting thing doesn’t seem to be going away.

After knitting two test versions, it’s definitely not on the ‘like’ list.  I’m working on a variation of this, and I hope to goodness that it works out!

On a positive note, my sister’s Cedar Grain has turned out beautifully.  All I need to do is put the button bands on it, and then I can show you!  It’s cuddly and squishy and lovely, and I hope she likes it.

Today, I thought I would amuse you with a story about the perils of staying up late and of owning a cat.  After a day of very unsatisfactory knitting results (see above!), I decided that I’d turn my hand to a pair of fingerless gloves that I have burbling at the back of my brain.  I soon learned that pretty in the picture and mind sometimes does not equal pretty in the knitting.  At 3am, I unravelled the whole lot, and went to bed, feeling quite frustrated.

At 3.30am, the henceforth re-christened Stupid Cat decided he’d try his luck with the cat flap.  Now, in NZ, we are encouraged to keep the kitty in at night to help protect our native wildlife.  As this fellow is an awfully avid hunter, I do my bit.  Even though he’s been kept inside at night since he was a kitten, the Stupid Cat does not seem to have got the message into his tiny brain that one Stays Inside At Night.  Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch (read that really fast).  ”SHUT UP ROLY!!”  5 minutes of peace.  Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch. “CAT!!!”  Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch!

I wondered if he had forgotten that he has a litter box inside the house.  I got out of bed, deposited him in his box (massive hint to Stupid Cat) and went back to bed.  Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch.  I decided that it would be best to ignore him in the hope that he’d eventually get tired of scratching at an unresponsive cat flap, and stop.  But no.  This went on for half an hour or maybe an hour.  Angry tic began to form under eye.  I decided that enough was enough, got out of bed and locked him in another room where he could produce no annoying noises.

In the morning, I was very tired.  So tired, that I could not knit a stitch all day.  It felt like I was massively hung over, even though I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol.

I also discovered that the Stupid Cat had also proceeded to shred the newly hung wallpaper in the room he was locked in.  It was one of those “….” moments.  If Stupid Cat was mine, I’d be looking to re-home him right now.  Unfortunately, he is my son’s cat.

Today, I still feel a little fragile.  I think I also have a virus or ear infection of some kind.  I feel nauseous at side-to-side movement or sudden change of altitude.

Perhaps I should just stick to knitting other people’s designs for a while.  It seems to be producing happier results.

Time to…

come up with something pretty.

I’ve been playing with yarn again.  Flowers on the brain.

I’m absolutely loving this design.  It’s flowing, but textured.  Pretty and stylish (well, I think so anyway!)

It’s surprisingly easy, despite looking complicated.

More soon.