Thursday, 16 March 2017

T-shirt yarn project finished... at last!



Finally! The t-shirt yarn project I started back in July is finished!



I found the pattern for the cabled cushion cover on a Dutch blog and used yarn made from old white t-shirts to knit the first piece, on the left in the photo above (click here for my tutorial on how to make continuous t-shirt yarn). I had so much trouble finding more white t-shirts that in the end I just bought some white t-shirt fabric (single-knit jersey) and cut it up to make more yarn. Unfortunately this turned out to be much thicker, so I adjusted the pattern and made the second piece.



The second side looks to be much smaller than the first, but of course t-shirt yarn is very stretchy, so I had no problem sewing them together to make the cover:



Very happy with the result - and very happy that it is finished. Knitting with t-shirt yarn is hard work!

Monday, 13 March 2017

Kindle case



My husband has a much longer commute here in Sydney than he had in Brisbane, and it includes a 30-minute ferry trip from Manly to Circular Quay, so he recently bought a Kindle e-reader. I made a case for it, using a lovely tweed fabric from a thrift shop skirt that I have had in my stash for quite a while... (I bought it for the fabric, not to wear).



I lined it with a black quilting cotton. Very pleased with how it turned out, and he likes it too, so a win-win!



This is my last week of unlimited sewing, knitting and quilting, for next week I start working fulltime as a medical writer at a small company here in the Northern Beaches (so no long commute for me, luckily). I'm very happy to be able to use both my medical background and my writing and editing skills in my new job!

Thursday, 9 March 2017

EXTERMIKNIT!



When I saw the pattern for these Dalek Gloves on Etsy, I just knew I had to make them for my youngest son, who is a big fan of Doctor Who (I've made him a Tardis bow tie and a Doctor Who Cushion before).



It was my first project on four needles and a bit of a struggle at first...



But I managed it. There are a few mistakes, but luckily the recipient doesn't mind at all ;-)



Now that I have mastered knitting on four needles I may try to make some socks...



Meanwhile the Sydney Temperature Scarf is growing - I have finished February, which saw the first (and so far the only) day with a maximum temperature below 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) - the yellow row.

Thursday, 2 March 2017

Sydney Temperature Scarf



I'm a little bit obsessed with knitting at the moment and keep surfing Ravelry, looking for interesting patterns. One thing that caught my eye the other day was the Temperature Scarf. The original designer, as far as I can tell, was Kristen Cooper, back in 2013, but many knitters and crocheters have taken the idea and run with it, making scarfs, cowls, throws, blankets and pillows.



The concept really appeals to me and I have decided to do a Sydney Temperature Scarf for 2017 with - very appropriately -  '4 seasons' yarn (pure wool 8ply). Using the Australian Bureau of Meteorology data (highest daily temperature recorded in Terrey Hills, our nearest weather station) and designating a colour for every 5-degree interval between 10 and 40 degrees Celsius, I have so far finished the month of January:



As you can see it was a pretty hot month - there was one day above 40 degrees Celsius  (104 Fahrenheit - burgundy), and quite a few in the 35-40 interval (rust). February was also hot, but also had the first day of the year when the maximum temperature didn't reach 20 degrees (yellow).

Gradually there will be more yellow and cream in the scarf - I don't expect I will have to use the white yarn (Sydney has rather mild winters) , but who knows...

Not sure yet if, once I've caught up to the present day, I will knit 2 rows of garter stitch daily or do a week or a month at a time. We'll see. I'll show my progress here from time to time.