More Simple Skyp Socks

I have made these socks previously but this pattern appears to be a ‘go to’ pattern for me as the finished socks always look great! It’s a free pattern I found on Ravelry called Simple Skyp Socks and they sure are simple. They’re a cuff down pattern and I use five dpns. I can’t seem to deviate from cuff down despite knowing that toe up socks are better when you have limited yarn and can only use half for one sock.

I used two 50g balls of Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett 4-fädig which is an amazing sock yarn as it comes in so many lovely colours.

The second pair also uses the same yarn but in other very vivid colours.

The colours are so vibrant; they stripe well and give great stitch definition.

Sometimes it’s just nice to have a simple pattern to add some interest to your socks. I highly recommend this pattern!

As summer rolls into Brisbane I’m not sure why I’m still knitting socks but it seems to be an obsession with me!!

I’ve also been in quite a massive decluttering mode and going through my entire stash and selling the yarn I know I probably won’t use. I seem to gravitate towards 4ply and a bit of 2ply so most of my 8ply wool is now sold. Next I’ll start on all the baby yarn I own and try and destash most of it.

Until next time…

Melanie

 

Socks and Bags Swap

One of the benefits of belonging to different craft groups is you get to meet people who are proficient in crafts that you’re not! This was the case recently when one of my friends showed me a bag she’d made. I instantly wanted to own it so I asked her the cost and rather than give me a price she suggested a swap: I make her a pair of socks in return for the bag. What a win/win situation 🙂 Have a look at this lovely bag made of leather and tapestry fabric and fully lined.

I love all the little pockets that Jo included inside the bag. It’s so easy to find everything. There’s even a key ring holder that’s attached to the bag so you’ll never lose your keys.

In return I made Jo these Cable Rib Socks using Patons Patonyle 4ply yarn, probably one of my favourite sock yarns.

I love the very subtle cable in this pattern. It complements this striped yarn nicely.

When Jo published a comment recently on Facebook that she’d just made herself another denim bag and had cut out two more for sale, I immediately jumped in with a comment that I’d like to buy one as the denim bag would do nicely on the weekends. Again, Jo came back with the comment ‘how about another pair of socks?’. So I made another pair for Jo using the Circle Socks which is a free pattern on Ravelry.

This pattern is deceptively easy and the effect is fantastic!!

I noticed on Ravelry that some people had continued the circle pattern down on the top of the foot but I felt that it would be a bit too textured and maybe uncomfortable when wearing shoes or boots for a while so I kept to the pattern which was just plain knitting for the foot.

And this is my gorgeous denim bag made by Jo using recycled denim jeans.

And customised especially for me 🙂 Love that zippered pocket on the outside of the bag.

It also has the keyring holder attached to the bag. Plus the jeans’ pockets have been used on either side of the bag for more storage.

Love the compartments inside and take a look at that gorgeous lining 🙂

Plus a zippered pocket inside.

I was very lucky as this bag came with its own matching purse.

I am amazed at all the beautiful work including the personalised tag on the zip.

Aren’t these bags just stunning? And they’re one of a kind too! I am very lucky indeed. I also discovered that Jo had kindly given both pairs of socks to family members so I am busily making another pair for Jo to keep for herself as she deserves them!

If you’re interested in Jo’s bags you can contact her via her Facebook page Jo’s Handy Handmade Bags.

And now a quick look at a few bargains I’ve managed to pick up at local Opp Shops. This is becoming quite a habit and is quickly filling my home with all things sheep!

And lastly some good news to share. I recently entered this competition:

And I won the major prize!! A project bag stuffed with yarn 🙂

This a truly wonderful prize and I must thank Alison from Flock and Needle for being so generous 🙂 And if you’re very quick you’ll catch the tail end of the Easter sale where all yarn and project bags are only $25 each!

My prize arrived on the Thursday before Easter so it was a lovely Easter gift without the calories 🙂

That’s all my news for now. I hope you’ve been doing lots of crafting during the Easter break as I have.

Until next time…

Melanie

Close to You Shawl

I’m feeling a bit chuffed as I’ve managed to complete two long-term WIPs! The first one is this lovely Close to You Shawl which I started in July last year. I have no idea why I left it so long to complete as it was a really easy knit. The free pattern can be found on Ravelry. It’s written by Justyna Lorkowska also known as Lete on Ravelry.

As you can see, most of it is just garter stitch is which too easy!

I love the edging of the shawl which adds a nice bit of pizzazz and interest!

I used some super plush yarn from my stash called Gorgons Head Coral. It’s from a Sock Yarn Club I joined a couple of years ago. The yarn is Dyed by Hand Yarns Silk Stocking which is a 50% merino / 50% silk blend and it is incredibly soft and luxurious. A perfect selection for around your neck.

This particular yarn name is based on the Gorgons Head Coral. A four-week expedition to explore the deep ocean south-west of Tasmania in 2008 revealed new species of animals and more evidence of impacts of increasing carbon dioxide on deep-sea corals. A bright red, undescribed species of shell-less coral, called an anthomastid or gorgons-head coral was discovered at 1700 metres deep at the Cascade Plateau, off south-east Tasmania.

It’s always a pleasure to knit a garment using a quality yarn.

The shawl is finished off with a picot bind off. This is how I prefer to finish all my shawls as it’s rather nice and avoids just a straight edge.

If you are a beginner knitter this is a pattern that you could knit. As with most patterns, you need to concentrate at the beginning but once you get into the groove of the pattern, it will quickly become very easy to follow and memorise.

I’ll show you the second completed WIP very soon 🙂

Until next time…

Melanie

Reyna Shawl

I posted a picture on the Australian Handspinners and Knitter Facebook page last week and one person responded saying she often knitted what I had made. How kind of her 🙂 My response was that I, too can be influenced by what others knit especially in this case. I first saw the Reyna shawl on KiwiYarns Knits blog and I was immediately taken not only with the shawl but with the yarn. I believe we are all influenced what others’ make and want to replicate their beautiful projects.

As green is one of my favourite colours, I was very drawn to this beautiful Noro Taiyo Sock in the colourway S39. I was lucky enough to get the last couple of balls from a Brisbane yarn store, Yarn Glorious Yarn at Taringa.

I really love the eyelet effect in this pattern as the shawl grows faster and does not contain the weight if a denser stitch pattern is used.

You could even wear Reyna as a kerchief.

I added the picot edge as I think it finishes the shawl off nicely 🙂

Last week I received an email telling me “I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog MelsNattyKnits has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top Knitting blogs on the web. I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of top Knitting blogs on the internet and I’m honoured to have you as part of this!”

Now I was a bit wary as occasionally I receive emails that don’t quite seem what they are so I posted the message on a blogger Facebook page and was pleased to hear that the site is quite new and is legitimate. By the way, I’m # 162 🙂

Last Thursday when I arrived at work, I found this little black-nose lamb sitting outside my office with a note “From a Friend”. I still don’t know who left it for me but thank you very much 🙂

That same day I slipped into an Opp Shop at lunch time and found these two little beauties looking for a home 🙂

And the next day during my lunch hour as I was heading off to get my driver’s licence renewed, I slipped into another Opp shop and found this cute little pink lamb. Of course, I just had to have her 🙂

That’s all my news for now 🙂 Until next time…

Melanie

Swirl E. Socks – Pair # 37

Since making my Dunedin Happy Feet Socks I’ve been in a sock knitting mood and have not long finished these socks called Swirl E.

They’re a cuff down sock knitted on five dpns. The pattern is so easy and does not overpower the striping effect of the yarn.

I must say out of all the beautiful sock yarns on the market today, you can’t really go past Patons Patonyle. It has such a wonderful stretch to it and feels lovely in your hands.

I don’t often knit too much in blue but this yarn has been in my stash for quite a while so I thought I’d actually use it!. The patterning looks lovely and I even managed to get both socks almost identical!

This pattern is by Susie White who’s known as prairiegirl on Ravelry. It’s a free pattern on Ravelry too.

Another successful knitting project done and dusted. They’re very comfy too. I wore them last weekend 🙂

I am busy packing for my holiday to Noosaville which is coming very, very soon so you can expect to hear from me more often while I’m away. Hopefully that is a good thing!

Until next time…

Melanie

 

William’s Knits

My son’s best mate has just become a father to a little baby boy born on 31 October; his name is William and you’ve guessed it, what better gift to give than knitted goodies. So I’ve made a start as William will be six months old next winter. I had already made this little hat as I wasn’t sure whether the baby would be a boy or a girl.

It’s one of my favourite baby hat patterns called Mock Cable Baby Hat and it’s a free Ravelry pattern.

I used Patons Big Baby 8ply, a lovely soft baby yarn. I’m pretty sure little William likes his hat don’t you?

These little goodies will be winging their way to William before winter next year. A gorgeous little vest called the Chris Woven Yoke Vest. I found the pattern in my Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar 2012. There are some lovely knitting patterns in these calendars.

This little vest is knitted using Ice Yarns Dancing Baby which is a 100% acrylic yarn. I have quite a few colourways of this yarn and they are quite stunning.

There’s a little bit of stretch in this vest so I hope it fits little William next winter.

And a matching hat too!

It’s from the free pattern Easy Rolled Brim Hat although I have modified it slightly. I kept decreasing until there were four stitches left, K2tog: three stitches left. I then proceeded to knit an I-cord for an inch or so and tied a small knot in it. Looks so much cuter I think.

And then I made this hat using the same pattern but casting on 128 stitches and using the Patons Big Baby 8ply yarn in three colours.

I’m not sure what age this hat will fit but hopefully William will find some use for it!

Knitting baby garments is so gratifying as they don’t take long at all. Remember all those hats I made a year or so ago for two friends who were having babies?

To finish off I want to show you the gorgeous colours of the poinciana trees which are in full bloom in the Redlands this spring. It’s one of the best displays I’ve seen in years.

Beautiful aren’t they?

One more pic of this little vest. I love it!

Whoops I nearly forgot…I was rather chuffed when the pattern writer (Dominique Trad from New South Wales, Australia) of the Frillilly scarf contacted me to ask whether my picture of her scarf could be featured on the pattern page as she loved the yarn I’d used. Of course I said yes; it’s the second photo on the pattern page, She also offered me a complimentary pattern of my choice from her selection so I picked the Autumn Rainbow top. Thank you Dominique!!

I’m off to Knit and Knatter this afternoon so I hope you all have a wonderful crafty weekend. Until next time.

Melanie

What is it about scarves and shawls?

I can’t believe how many scarves and shawls I’ve knitted over the last year or so. I mean, I only have one neck and I do live in Brisbane where it doesn’t get too cold for too long in winter. I can see my suitcase will be filled with my scarves when I cruise around New Zealand next year. I’ll be spoilt for choice!!

This is my Frillyilly Scarf made from a pattern I found on Ravelry. The reason why I purchased this pattern is because it reminds me of the Minnie Scarf except it has the frill on both sides which I rather like.

It’s a great length and I’m really happy with the finished product.

And another way to wear it…

The yarn I used is the gorgeous Shorn Fibers MCN Sock 435 which is an 80% merino / 10% nylon / 10% cashmere 4ply / fingering yarn. The colourway is ‘Wood Elf’. This yarn is incredibly soft and makes a perfect scarf.

This is my Fete Shawl and the pattern is available free on Ravelry.

There’s an awful lot of stockinette stitch in this shawl which is great if you don’t feel like concentrating too much!!

The edging really makes the shawl ‘pop’…

I’m a bit ‘ho hum’ about this shawl. I think it’s because I used the wrong yarn; Moda Vera Noir which is a 75% wool / 20% nylon 4ply / fingering sock yarn. Ideally, it should be used on socks as it gives a great fair isle look. I don’t know what possessed me to use it on this pattern. Must have been having a moment.

I rewrote the lace edge pattern portion which can be found on my Ravelry page link as it wasn’t clearly written. In hindsight, I should have finished with a garter stitch edge as it curls up a bit, even after blocking. Sometimes you end up with a project that you just don’t gel with and I think this is mine.

I’ll have to find the coolest places to knit this weekend as we’re headed for a scorcher in Brissie: high 30s (that’s celsius), however where I live on the coast it’ll be 2-3 degrees cooler.

Hope you all have a fantastic crafty weekend and keep warm and/or cool depending on where you live!

Until next time…

Melanie

 

 

 

Simple Skyp Socks – Pair # 33

It had been ages since I’d made a pair of socks so during my July holidays I started these gorgeous socks from a free pattern I found on Ravelry. They’re called Simple Skyp Socks and they sure are simple.

I love the easy to memorise two row repeat which certainly helped me to get into the rhythm of the pattern.

And for once I selected a solid colour that would really show off the very smart stitch definition.

The yarn I selected is Dyed By Hand Yarns’ Tough Stocking in the colourway called Turmeric. It’s a 75% merino / 15%  nylon yarn and was beautiful to knit with.

In total I used 66g of yarn and also used 2.5mm dpns.

Over 3,400 pairs of this particular sock pattern have been used and recorded on Ravelry!!

This is definitely a ‘come back to’ pattern. It’s a step up from a plain vanilla pattern and yet easy enough to knit when you’re chatting with friends as the pattern is not overly intricate but certainly looks effective.

Now for a little bit of exciting news. I responded to a request on a recent Ravelry forum to test some sock yarn for an Aussie online yarn dyer and I opted to knit a pair of socks so I am using the same pattern to trial the sock yarn. I’ll be posting updates on my Ravelry page as I go so you can drop in at any time to have a look!

The sock yarn arrived today in the mail and I’ve already taken some photos. Here it is…

Aside from my favourite autumn colours, I do love all the different shades of blue. This particular colourway is called ‘Ink’ and I must say I love it!

One last look at my Simple Skyp Socks and then I’m off to wind this skein into a ball so I can get started!

And I’m off to Knit and Knatter tomorrow. We’ll be at the Redland Performing Arts Centre in conjunction with a Suitcase Rummage that is being held there at 11am. Should be an exciting day! Every weekend is now filled with lots of fibre happenings 🙂

Until next time…

Melanie

Two More Scarves….Just Enough Ruffles and Sandpiper

A couple more completed projects from my Noosaville holiday….Sandpiper Scarf and Just Enough Ruffles Scarf. The Sandpiper Scarf is from the pattern Bias Scarf with Ribbed Cables which is a free knitting pattern on Ravelry.

This is a very cleverly constructed scarf with cables on either side and garter stitch in the middle and even though you’re knitting straight rows without any increasing you automatically get a bias effect.

The yarn I used is Shorn Fibers Merino Superwash Worsted and the colourway is Sandpiper (hence the name of the scarf!) This is a beautiful yarn to work with as are all of Shorn Fibers‘ yarns which I adore.

My second scarf Just Enough Ruffles is another easy beginner scarf which has a wow impact with that ruffle.

I did block this scarf but only very lightly.

The ruffle is obtained by knitting three stitches into one thereby tripling the number of stitches in the row.

I had to search through my stash to find the yarn I wished to use for this scarf. I knew it would suit the pattern and I was right. It’s Skein’s Alpaca Merino Worsted which is a 60% alpaca / 40% merino yarn.

Two more successful projects off the needles!

I’m very excited as next Friday afternoon I am off to my first official spinning camp with the Redlands Spinners & Weavers. It’s going to be two days full of spinning, knitting, yarn, fibre and mixing with like-minded crafty women. And I’m finally going to get to meet Angela from Shorn Fibers as she will be having a small stall at the camp. You’ll hear all about it as I’m going to take lots of photos and no doubt buy a skein or two of yarn 🙂

Until next time…

Melanie

 

 

Beautiful colours in nature and in yarn!

I love colour particularly autumn colours. I love their rich warm hues and their association with nature. I also love bright colours in particular oranges and yellows. So when my son unexpectedly presented me with the most beautiful gift of flowers I was ecstatic. He told me he had no idea what colours to get me so just selected what he thought looked nice. He certainly picked the right ones don’t you think?

Mother Nature has created some truly gorgeous colours and no doubt this is where a lot of artisan yarn dyers get their creative ideas from.

I have taken so many pictures of these flowers as I don’t want to ever forget their beauty and who gave them to me.

Which leads me to one of my latest knitted garments. The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief is a pattern I’ve had for ages and which I keep looking at and then move on to another pattern. However, with my recent Shorn Fibers‘ yarn purchases I knew straight away what yarn I could use with this pattern.

I was after a pattern that wasn’t too fussy so it could show off the beautiful colours that Angela has captured in this colourway called Woodland Pixie.

The colours remind me of a lovely balmy Autumn day with all the different shades of orange the leaves turn.

To utilise the whole skein of yarn I added an additional K2, YO, K to last 2 sts, YO, K2 row and then added a picot bind off to add a bit of a wow factor to the kerchief.

The yarn is Shorn Fibers Merino Superwash DK (115g per skein!). I love, love, love all the autumn shades in this skein.

I actually started this kerchief on the day I received the yarn as I was so enchanted with it.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful….

I can’t wait to find patterns that will suit the other yarns I purchased from Shorn Fibers.

Here’s a very colourful mosaic of my beautiful flowers…

We’re in for a wet and cool weekend in Brisbane so I’m going to settle into some knitting, spinning and reading and I’ll be toasty warm wearing my hand knitted socks and a lovely warm scarf 🙂

Until next time…

Melanie