Lilac Raglan

My most favouritest jumper sorta kinda shrunk!!!

But, luckily for me, I have the same yarn (but in a different colour).

So, I'm re-knitting myself a new one.

Made in Angora Supreme, it's soft and fluffy and really warm..... The pattern is a Jo Sharp one, called Coco.


And here it is... already winter and I'm only a third done!

Gotta hope I can pull my knitting out during the coming school holidays!

Conwy Socks Finished

Don't they look just great???

I love how the yarn has turned out (after over-dyeing it) and it works so well with this pattern.

I couldn't have asked for a better result!!!

Hot Off The Needles!

I've just finished tonight...... Tays Hermione Hat!!!!

I only started it yesterday but isn't that what long weekends are for????


Lots of knitting!!!

Tays has just discovered Harry Potter, so she's into anything and everything to do with him.

So far, she has read the first two books and is currently getting through the third one. (Yes, we do have them all, whadidya expect in this household of readers?)


Her hat is made in Patons Smoothie DK using 2.75mm needles.


The pattern is available here, for anyone who is interested. It's a very easy knit and looks lovely.

I may even make one for me!!!

Damn It !!!

Y'know what I hate?

I really, really, really hate it when I get to within Cooee distance of finishing a garment only to run out of yarn!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tay's Gangsta Hoodie is almost done.... ALMOST done!!! I got halfway through knitting the hood when I ran out of the damn yarn.

Oh, and there's no chance of getting the same dyelot. Absolutely none. Why???? Well, 'cos I bought this yarn a couple of years ago and had it in my stash.

Now, according to the pattern, I should have had enough yarn to make this Hoodie, especially because she's a shortie like me and her Hoodie is even shorter than the pattern's supposed to be.

Luckily, the lovely lady at Wondoflex still sells Zhivago in the creamy-white colour. So hopefully it will all work out okay.

My online shopping experience at Morris & Sons this week has been dismal. According to their website they had everything I ordered in stock and their website still shows those items in stock. But apparently their website isn't up-to-date at all. I have dealt with them before, back when they were Tapestry Craft and I never had a problem with them then. All I can say is that I won't be going back there! Their customer service really left a lot to be desired.

So, what am I doing while I await the balls of yarn for Tays Hoodie? Well, I've just started a raglan jumper in Lilac Angora Supreme for me...... Yum!

Back Online

WOW, who'd have thought that changing ISP's would be such a problem!!!

Yes, I have been offline, for quite a while...... but I'mmmmm Backkkkkkkkk!!!!!

This year has been our year for changes. Changing companies for everything from the car insurance, to the electricity and gas providers to our phone and internet providers! 'Cos who doesn't want to save money????

Well, it seems when one is on broadband it's not so simple to just change ISP. They've got to change codes on the phone lines and then when they say that your original modem will be okay, to find that it doesn't work with their software is NOT going to make the family happy!!! Then having to wait for them to post out the new modem!

But.... finally..... after MUCH ado.... we have internet!!! YAY!!

I feel the need, the need to spend. And the only way I spend is ONLINE. So, guess what I'll be doing????

Ahhh, I know that's not knitting! But I will be, soon, honest!!!!

Conwy Socks Overdyed

So, I'm guessing you are wondering what pattern I decided to knit with my new-ultra-fantastic-over-dyed Dr Fish yarn????

I rummaged through all my sock patterns - those books, mags and online patterns that I have amassed all these years - and decided on Conwy from Knitting On The Road by Nancy Bush.


I haven't used this book before - her patterns have always kind of daunted me. And she does something odd I haven't found in any other patterns too.... She allows for larger calves..... mmmm.... that's not a problem for me...... actually, my nickname growing up was luckylegs - 'cos I was lucky my skinny legs didn't snap and go up my bum!!!

Then I realised that I could just ignore those instructions and go straight on to knitting with 60 sts.


Conwy really appealed to me, it has a really small cabley pattern, very pretty with my ultra-fantastic-over-dyed Dr Fish yarn..... and it conjures images for me of my ancestors..... due to the pattern being named after a town in Wales and my great-granddad immigrating to Oz from Wales. (Of course, I never got to meet him - but I can still dream)

Hate The Colour.... Not Any More !

A few years back I won two balls of Dr Fish Opal Sock yarn on eBay.... I used one ball for my nieces socks....



And just put the second ball in my stash - thinking that one day Tays would love a pair of socks like her cousins had...... But I was wrong!!!

So, I tried to sell it. On eBay and on Oztion but nobody wanted it. And who could blame them???? It is pretty boring.


Eventually I was thinking of just throwing it out. BUT it's Opal sock yarn, pretty damn good yarn at that and it kinda went against the grain to throw out good quality yarn!!!!

I had a brain snap last weekend...... Why couldn't I have a go at over-dyeing it???? It could only turn out crap!!!!


So, I pulled out my Yarn magazine issue No 1 that has easy instructions for dyeing yarn using packets of jelly crystals or food colouring. I used two bottles of food colouring in red and cochineal.


Well, well, well, maybe it's not a lost cause???? I do like this colour but will I still like it when I've rinsed it?


Well..... yep!!! But damn it's a bit tangly now!!!! I guess I'll just have to practise more on the rinsing bit........

And how long do I have to wait until it's dry???? 'Cos I wanna use it already!!!

Finally, the following day, when it was dry.....


It was too tangled to use my ball winder... bugger. I wound the whole thing by hand and then re-wound it using my ball winder.

And now, my overdyed Dr Fish....





Definitely prettier, and yes I'm already knitting it!!!