Bulky Lace Scarf

 

I am back in the Netherlands and enjoying my first autumn in 17 years! This inspired me to knit a scarf - with some cheap bulky yarn and a pair of knitting needles bought at a convenience store (as I'm still waiting for my craft supplies to arrive from Australia).

The pattern is free, I found it on Ravelry. It's a simple repeat of 4 rows, it was a quick and fun project.

I mostly knitted at night, by the fire in my cosy little forest house just outside Nijmegen :-). I'm staying here for a few months and will move into an apartment in Nijmegen within the next few weeks - closer to the Radboud University where I am doing a 2-year Research Master's program in Historical Studies. My next project is a knitted pillow for the couch in said apartment!

Socks etc

 

My Bachelor of Arts is completed! I'm still waiting for my final results, but very confident that I have passed my last three subjects. It's been a hectic few months, with many hours spent studying and writing essays, but also lots of knitting, because I find knitting very useful as a way of dealing with stress (and also to spend an hour or so before bed not looking at a screen).

I finished the two pairs of socks pictured above - they were gifts for friends, and both of them loved their socks, always nice to hear!

Next I made a pair of fingerless gloves (the pair I made in 2017 was getting a bit worn). These are the Cafe au Lait Mitts, a free pattern on Ravelry. I adjusted it a bit to do the palm side in stocking stitch. The yarn is Lionbrand Feels Like Alpaca from Spotlight - so soft!

Next I used the yarn I bought in Japan to make a hat:

This is the Crème Brûlée Cable Knit Hat, another free pattern from Ravelry. I really like the pattern - this hat is a bit tight for me, so I've donated it to my son. I may knit another one for myself.

When the hat was finished and I was looking for my next knitting project, I realised I could make some socks with all of the leftover DK sock yarn from Heathermaid that I have collected in the last few years. I used all of the blue/green/purple yarn to make this pair of socks:

I've now started on another pair with all of the red/orange/yellow yarn. Stay tuned!

Lovely socks

 Finished! The twentieth pair of socks I have knitted, and tenth pair of Sail Away DK Socks. Definitely my favourite pattern. Made with the gorgeous self-striping DK sock yarn from Heathermaid.

This pair is for me :-) - but I've already started on the next pair, for a friend:

Yes, same pattern, same yarn store! ;-)

Update

 

The Rustling Reed socks for my youngest son are finally finished! Our dog Shaggy likes them too :-).

I've started another pair of Sail Away socks with gorgeous DK yarn from Heathermaid - my favourite pattern as it's just plain knitting without thinking, very mindful!

As you may have noticed, I have changed the name of this blog from Blue Jacaranda to socks etc. The reason for this is that I have closed my Blue Jacaranda shop on Etsy, after 12 1/2 years. As I am now finishing my Bachelor of Arts course and getting ready to start a higher research degree in September, I find I have no more time or energy to deal with questions about quilting patterns. It was fun while it lasted, but that era is now over.

I toyed with the idea of deleting this blog as well, but decided in the end to leave it as it is (but with a different name). I will occasionally post something when I've finished another pair of socks (or another creative project), but that won't be very often.

Back from Japan

 The photo above was taken in Japan, where I finished two pairs of socks (left and middle)! The third pair is almost done - the recipient (youngest son) was happy for me to take my time as he already has two pairs of handmade socks and won't need any yet, now that we are back in Queensland.

I went shopping at a craft store in Kyoto for some Japanese yarn. I couldn't find any sock yarn (what they had was German or American), so bought this:

I'm thinking of using it to make either gloves or a hat...

At the lovely BnB that we stayed in, they had beautiful tissue box covers - you can see one on the table in the photo above. I had a good look at them and when we got home, dug up some Japanese fabrics from my stash. 

Isn't it pretty? And very easy to make. I thought of writing a tutorial, but saw one on this lovely blog (that I discovered by accident when looking for some info about New Year's Eve rituals in Japan).

Japan was amazing - I'm working my way through the more than 2500 photos I took there, and am slowly adding some to the photo blog. Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion, was one of my favourite spots, as was Saiho-ji, or the Moss Temple. Great memories :-)

More socks, and a bone

It's very quiet on this blog - I'm still spending most of my free time studying, rather than creating. I hope to complete my Bachelor of Arts in June next year! But I do still knit socks. I'm planning to have a pair for each of my three boys as a Christmas present - for we will be in Japan on Christmas Day, where warm socks will definitely be needed!

I'm knitting one sock of a pair at a time and then moving on to the next pair to keep myself entertained. The blue sock is the Rustling Reed pattern, which I am enjoying much more this time. The other two are both the trusty Sail Away pattern - I know it by heart now!

I made another pair of Sail Away socks in DK yarn earlier this year, as a birthday present for a friend. He really liked them and sent me this photo:

Last week I had to mend something, so got out the sewing machine for the first time since finishing Hugo's t-shirt quilt. When that was done, I decided to finally do what I had been wanting to do for a long time: make a toy for Shaggy!

He loves to chew on things (especially socks) and I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to crochet a bone for him, like I did for Barney - he would destroy it in seconds! But I thought a bone made from sturdy denim fabric would be okay. He immediately loved it when I gave it to him:

But sadly he managed to maul it within five minutes... He doesn't have many teeth left, but the ones he has are pretty sharp!

Oh well, back to the drawing table...

Socks... what else?

 Winter is here, and another pair of socks is finished. This pair is a birthday present for a dear friend, who chose this yarn (DK sock yarn from Heathermaid in the colourway 'Outback Storm'). 

And I've started another pair of Rustling Reed socks, using the yarn I bought in Tasmania last year. I didn't enjoy knitting the first pair, but really like the look of them, and thought I'd try it again. This time I don't mind it so much - after the lace socks this is peanuts!

I've also got two more balls of DK yarn from Heathermaid, so looking forward to lots more sock knitting!

Finally finished!

 

Last night I finally finished the second Florentine Lace Sock. I started on this pair in August 2022!

I must admit that I did not really enjoy knitting these lace socks, but I do like how they look :-)

Here is a photo taken this morning, in daylight:

So what's next? I have ordered some DK yarn from Heathermaid to make some more Sail Away socks. Really looking forward to some simple sock knitting!

The first socks of 2023

 

The first pair of socks of 2023 is finished! These DK rainbow socks are for my middle son's girlfriend. She won't need them for quite a while, as it is still summer and very hot here in Queensland, but hopefully in a few months they will be useful.

 In 2022 I made ten pairs of socks! (plus one single Florentine Lace sock) Three pairs were for myself, the others for my loved ones (husband, BFF and my three sons). I also made one Mandala Pillow and of course the t-shirt quilt for Hugo. Here's another collage:

Plans for 2023: finish those Florentine Lace Socks! And after that... who knows? I may continue to knit socks, or start to crochet again. I don't think I will make another quilt. I quite enjoy those small, portable projects.

To be continued...

Hugo's Gymnastics T-shirt Quilt

 I finished this quilt in August, but didn't dare send it to the Netherlands in the mail... So I waited until we traveled there ourselves, and on Friday, December 16th, the quilt finally arrived at its destination: Hugo's student accomodation in Wageningen!

He was very surprised, and loved it! He enjoyed looking at all the t-shirts that are part of it. So many memories!

I'm so happy with the final result!

Socks again

 The Rustling Reed Socks are finished! As mentioned in the previous blog posting, I didn't really enjoy knitting them, but I do like how they look. And the recipient, my youngest son, loves them too, so that's pleasing :-).

I have started knitting the second sock of the Florentine Lace Socks (see previous posting), but I had cataract surgery on my right eye in early November. Afterwards, I could see really well with that eye, but not yet with the other, so not a good time for lace knitting. Instead I made another pair of DK socks using the Sail Away pattern that I almost know by heart now:

These are for my BFF in the Netherlands, who I will see on Sunday, as we fly out there tomorrow!! She chose the yarn (Oceans, from Heathermaid of course), and I found free printable labels at Billy and Baa. I hope she will love them!

I'm currently knitting another DK pair for my middle son, whose first pair is now a chew toy for our dog, Shaggy...

He chose this yarn, called Turban Shell - I really like those colours! The first sock is finished, I will finish the second one in the Netherlands so he can wear them while we are there.

And I will bring this ball of yarn, so I can start another pair when they are finished! I don't know yet who they will be for, but I am sure I'll find someone ;-)

 (Last weekI had cataract surgery on the other eye and I now have perfect, 20/20 vision - but I will save the lace knitting for when we are back home)

Socks, socks, socks

 

As mentioned in the previous post, I started on the Florentine Lace Socks in August. This is not the sort of knitting you can do while watching tv, so I started another simple pair of DK socks as well, with the gorgeous Kookaburra yarn from Heathermaid:

This pair is for our eldest son, who is now studying in the Netherlands. When it was finished I got my middle son to model them (with a little help from Shaggy):

And then I sent them off to the Netherlands:

Three weeks later, they arrived and Hugo loves them! He sent me this photo. The weather had just turned cold, so they were very welcome :-)

In the meantime I had finished the first Florentine Lace sock:

It is beautiful, but this may be my first case of second sock syndrome... Instead of casting on the next one, I started on a pair of socks for my youngest son:

This pattern is the Rustling Reed Socks by Lisa Wicks. It looks very cool, but again I am not really enjoying knitting it! Maybe I should stick to basic socks... The yarn is Peacock from Stray Cat Socks in New Zealand, that I bought back in 2017!

When this sock is finished I may start on the second Florentine Lace sock, and alternate working on these two pairs. I have also ordered more DK sock yarn from Heathermaid, for some uncomplicated simple sock knitting!