Finished at Last

I have actually managed to finish a decent (okay, baby) sized garment.

Ta-DAAAAA and here it is . . .

From GlamGirl Knits

It's a Pinwheel Sweater - which is free so even better.

The yarn is 7 Veljesta Raita by Novita (sorry for those that don't folow Raveley) ((Why not? It's free you know?)) and the pattern is really easy to get through. It's knitted in the round with gaps left for the sleeves which are then knitted down once the main part is finished.

The pluses are:
that it could be a really quick knit (I took so long because I got distracted) as I got the main part done in a few days
it's completely customisable as everything on it can be changed so you can make it in any size.
any weight of yarn can be used so would be get as a multi-coloured stash buster
I learnt to do a crochet provisional cast on for the sleeves and the edging is a great i-cord thingy so no casting off

The minuses?
I don't know anyone who has a baby that it would fit

Been away . . . again

Well I am back from another exciting and thrilling work at the archaeological coalface. Okay, I was standing around watching a big yellow jcb dig a slot trench in Gloucester which amounts to the same thing. It's dull work: we uncovered a Victorian cellar, a cobbled surface and a 1930s drain but (as everyone is saying at the moment in this weird economic climate) IT IS WORK!

Anyway this has meant that I have not been able to blog and really I haven't had as much time to knit as I would have liked. But I did manage some knitting so hurrah for that at least. I started a sock last Saturday and have now finished it. It was my first attempt at doing the heel flap last and it looked very odd but it worked and I now just have to get the other one done.

I didn't really have much time for looking around Gloucester but did manage to find the market and they have 2 yarn stalls in there. Granted much of the yarn is acrylics and others oddities but there are some interesting bits too. I bought a couple of skeins of unknown green, pure wool that was quite scratchy and which had the lanolin smell but also that greasy smell that comes from coned yarn.

It's a bit of an experiment and at 69 shiny new pence it was a bargain even if I use it only for making felted bowls or something like that. It looks like a 4 ply so I thought might bloom to a double knit but after knitting a swatch on 3.75mm needles and then soaking it before washing it it has blossomed to a rather lovely, but slightly thinner than normal, aran weight.

It's still a bit scratchy but I am going to knit another swatch and drop a little bit of washing up liquid into the bowl and let it soak a while, then add some conditioner in the final rinse to see if the itchy factor can be reduced.