What do you do with all those little balls of yarn left over from every single pair of socks you make?
Lorna's Lace Sock Yarn
It has always been a waste to me these small amounts of left over yarn from knitting luxury hand made socks. After a little think and successfully making the Linen Stitch scarf out of lots of left over sock yarn I decided to make a sock.
Lorna's Lace Sock Yarn
So here is my sock made with three colours of Lorna’s Lace Sock Yarn. The three pairs of socks were knitted by my friend Alice and while the two lighter colours are mine the rich brown/blue is left over from a pair for Alan.
I knitted this using Hiya Hiya DPN size #1 as I did find mine by Alice done on a #2 were a little loose. I used three little balls – and have three more to do the second sock. And the pattern I used was Ann Norling #12 which for a plain all round good fit sock takes some beating.
Not sure is I shall just wear these with some boots during the winter months or they might end up being bed socks for this winter.
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Well I had my first Mothers Day in Australia with my Mum for about 15 years and it was a wonderful day. Mum and Dad took Alan and I to the Tea Tree Gully Golf Course for lunch and as always the meal and service was great. Just a shame that the entertainment, which was a good singer, was so very loud that we could hardly hear ourselves talk at times. I have to admit to a very bad headache by the time I got home but apart from that it was a lovely day.
Got home and completed the right front of the cardigan and got the rib for the second sleeve completed before I went to bed. I managed to get the first sleeve knitted in just over a day, so with luck this one will be done by Wednesday at the latest.
After all my calculations with the Bendigo Woollen Mill yarn and Patons Totem 8 ply I knew I was going to run out of yarn with just three balls. Fortunately because I had done one sleeve, the front and back I could see that fairly quickly. I called Bendigo on Thursday and was lucky enough to be able to order an extra ball of the same dyelot. My knitting is right on guage so am a little concerned about running out of the yarn. Never mind I told Jan I can make her a hat, mittens, socks or scarf out of the remains of the extra ball.
Am busy looking for a job either full or part time but would like something permanent in the city of locally at Tea Tree Gully. I am going to register this week for a course in Medical Terminology with the hope that I can then get a job as a receptionist in either a hospital or doctors office, while still trying for a dental receptionist which is my expertise. There does seem to be a shortage of trained health care workers so here’s hoping that something might come up sooner rather than later.
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I have just cast off the final two stitches at the top of the left front for the cardigan. I had a couple of nights when I spent time on the computer job hunting, and of course the Royal Wedding and was also just too tired to concentrate on knitting.
It always worries me until I get the back, one front and one sleeve of a cardigan knitted so I can see how much yarn I have left. Even when I do a yarn conversion I have a sleepless night or two. So I think tomorrow I shall cast on and do the first sleeve. Jan’s arms are quite long so I shall not alter the pattern at all and just do the length the same as the pattern recommendation.
Bit disappointing I have not yet received my latest copy of the Wild Fibers Magazine. I know I sent them my parents address and also then updated via email to our new address – and still no magazine has arrived. The last time I sent them an email, mail was still sent to the wrong address at the wrong time and my instructions were very clear. Lets hope the magazine turns up shortly.
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I purchased this pattern at Stitches West 2011 from a booth that would not let me buy just the pattern unfortunately. As we only had a week left before moving to Australia they had me over a barrel so to speak and I had to buy the pattern and three skeins of Claudia Handpainted Yarn – as they had no Koigu my “yarn drug” of choice.
The Claudia yarn actually ended up being packed and is now somewhere on the Pacific Ocean on its way to Port Adelaide. So I decided to pack the pattern and also a bag of odds and ends of sock yarns.
Knitted from all my leftover sock yarn
My scarf is made from left over sock yarn from many pairs of socks that either I have made or my dear friend Alice has made for me or my husband Alan.
Along with all of my stash and the Claudia Handpainted Yarns are my blocking cables and blocking board so for the moment the scarf is just off the needles. And as the weather here is still very mild for early Fall I haven’t had the need to wear it or decide who may receive it as a gift.
A beautiful pattern but the next time I knit this I will not be doing a fringe, it looks lovely, but I have never been one for fringes on scarves.
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Yesterday was a good day for knitting. I completed the pretty little dishcloth in the afternoon and am very pleased with the pattern. I do have more cotton yarn to make dishcloths but will get the cardigan completed first I think.
Last night I completed the raglan shaping on the back piece and really like the eyelet pattern along the edge of the shaping. While the cardigan has the pattern around the lower part it is just plain stocking stitch for the rest of the pieces. The eyelet just breaks the plainness to all that plain knitting
Eyelet edge on raglan shaping for the back
The eyelet is done by k1, sl1 k1 pass slip stitch over, yfwd, sl1 k1 pass slip stitch over at the beginning of the row, and at the end instead of sl1 k1 it is k2tog
eyelet shown on both edges
This just shows the back completed. I have left the neck stitches on a stitch holder for the moment even though the pattern tells you to cast off the remaining stitches. I haven’t made up my mind whether I will do the front bands by picking up stitches right the way round the front and back neck or if I will do the pattern suggestion which is a few stitches and then sew the bands on when slightly stretched.
I have just cast on the stitches for the left front and I don’t think that will take very long with only 55 stitches on the needle.
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I felt after three day of intensive knitting on the beautiful cardigan I needed a little break from that today.
Years ago I had sent my Mum Sugar and Cream yarn by Lily yarns with a knitting pattern book and bamboo knitting needles to make a dishcloth for herself. Mum uses dishcloths every single day for everything and without a dishwasher they really get used a lot.
When we got back to Adelaide and moved into this rental property all of my knitting stash was, and still is at sea somewhere. Little by little Mum has been giving me things from her supplies and this past week it included the yarn etc that I had mailed her which she had decided she was never going to use.
This morning I cast on for the dishcloth pattern called Weavings from the book photographed below.
Dishcloth made from Sugar and Cream Yarn by Lily Yarn
Weavings is the name of the pattern
This is one of the nicest patterns I have done in a dishcloth because the amount of ‘weaving” or cables is making the fabric really firm.
My pretty dishcloth completed
It could do with blocking to really show of the pattern – however it is a dishcloth not a fancy sweater! I think this might be a gift for a lady friend currently in hospital in Melbourne. Wrapped up with a lovely bar of soap this will also make a delightful washcloth too
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It was nice to finish the rib yesterday as it was 26 rows of single K1, P1 which does get a little boring especially when a pretty pattern follows the ribbing.
This morning I was determined to complete 28 rows of the first pattern repeat and I was successful.
This shows the pattern slightly closer. I liked the last row of the leaf as the centre stitch goes straight up. This was achieved by slipping two stitches together knit wise, knitting the next stitch and passing the two slip stitches together over the knit stitch.
We had a trip into the city of Adelaide this afternoon and went to the historic Adelaide Arcade off of Rundle Mall. The specialty button store that I remembered from 22 years ago is still there – but closed today as it was Easter Saturday and a public holiday for some stores. When I get as far as the button band I will take the cardigan into that store to buy some suitable buttons for the colour and style of the band.
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I can not believe that it has been twelve months since I added anything to my yarn blog. Amazing how the time just flies when you plan a large move overseas.
We made the decision to move back to Australia after 14 years in the USA to be much closer to my elderly parents. It is a move we completed in February this year and when our cats arrived safely from quarantine at the end of March our lives were complete again. Our worldly belongings are on the ocean somewhere and that does include all of my knitting stash and of course our furniture and other household goods. Original date of arrival was May 5th which was then brought forward to April 18th, but regardless of the docking date for the ship, customs could delay the delivery by up to three weeks.
I have a dear cousin living in Adelaide and the first thing she asked when we were reunited at the beginning of March was, will you knit me a couple of cardigans please?
This was the pattern I chose for Jan from my Mum’s collection of pattern books.
Jan wanted something just a little bit fancy, but definitely no lace. So I think this fits that criteria nicely.
Jan chose the yarn from a new colour card by Bendigo Woollen Mills in Victoria Australia and it is their Classic machine washable DK (8ply) weight and the colour is called Brick Red.
After doing a swatch last night I cast on for the very smallest size on a 3mm circular needle that Mum found in her knitting supplies. I have used this yarn before and it knits and feels beautiful on the needles.
With Fall well and truly here in Australia and winter officially beginning in June I would like to have at least one new cardigan for her before the weather starts to get very cold in South Australia.
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