Scratching the Knitting Itch

• I have chronic eye twitch
• I’m going to the mountain for the weekend, hooray!
• There is a whole entire awesome new range of colourways that will take over the Knitsch stall at Craft2.0 on 30 October
• Part of the new entire awesome range of new colourways will also be available at the Little Craft Store in Pt Chevalier, Auckland, in about a week and half
• The rest of the online shop is looking a tad empty on some colourways as I dye over-time trying to catch up with wholesale orders and for Craft2.0 – promise there will be more stock added next week
• I have a helper! There comes a point when one realises it’s all a bit silly and you can’t do it all on your own, so I have an extra pair of hands for a few hours a week. It will make life awesome.
• My eye is still twitching, and it’s bedtime.

Yonks ago, when I was first playing with 12 ply, I knit up this infinity cowl as a product knit – something I wanted, so just made it up as I went along. It’s picked up ‘the coffee cowl’ name as a lady spilled her coffee on it at the June Craft2.0, apologised profusely, and it honestly wasn’t a big deal. It’s the perfect cowl to throw on for those ‘not quite sure’ days, when the weather looks like it could be promising, but the it could also turn hideous. Wrap it up nice and tight for the chilly days, and hang it loose for the warmer ones.

Yarn: 4 skeins of Knitsch 12 ply in Silver Lining
Needles: 6mm on a 100cm cable
Gauge: bah! gauge! forgeddaboutit!

Cast on about 350 stitches, or until you get *really* bored.
Row 1: Knit, and join in the round at the end of the row, being sure not to twist the stitches. Although if you do, it won’t be the end of the world.

Knit ad infinitum, round and round, until all your yarn is used up.
Cast off.

Weave in ends, and wear.

Hooray! Easy as that. A great in front of the tv, don’t have to think too much knit.

Hooray! An FO! I’m so pleased with my Owls – such a fast knit, and hardly any thinking at all 😀
I quite like the owls sans buttons. I think if I were to knit it again, for me, I’d go down a needle size and up a fitting size, just to give it a slightly denser look.

All the same, for only the second top i’ve knitted, it’s a winner.

Speaking of winners, keep the nominations of Canterbury knitters and spinners heading this way. Where the week has gone I don’t know, but tomorrow is apparently thursday, and the last day for entries.

xx tash

After watching the news, I thought how very very lucky it is to be able to sit on the couch, watch crappy Friday night tv, by the fire, with a glass of wine, and knit.

All the warm knitted love going out to not only Christchurch, but Pakistan and San Francisco. All three things truly break my heart, and makes me feel so powerless in the face of nature’s force.

It seems a bit frivolous to share pics of a recent FO and a current WIP…but we all need something to cheer us up, right?

Below, Alice’s Doddle pattern from the last installment of the yarn club, in new colourway Popeye (a luscious seaweedy green that normally I wouldn’t go for, but have fallen in love with)

And above, ‘Just another’ Ishbel (my first, admittedly) in Hazel Knits Jay Blue. Divine yarn, that is…

Keep those nominations coming in for Cheer up Chch – I’ve had several worthy nominations come through already, and am lining up some other awesome crafters to take part. Flick me an email with name and address of a knitter in Canterbury who may need a bit of letter box love and i’ll add them to the list.

Sitting at my laptop, chatting to mum on google chat, talking earthquakes, reading blogs about earthquakes…

something must be done!

Do you know a knitter in Christchurch who needs cheering up? Who may need an unexpected surprise in their mail box?

I’m putting together 3 ‘Cheer up Chch’ packages ready to go (all surprise and hush hush like) to people who need a smile.

Send me an email with your nomination, and i’ll put names in hat. Emails required by 5pm Thursday, 16 September. And an address, if you please. That would be lovely.

xx Tash