Organising

 Having decided to launch my eighth Going Round In Circles Event on 17th January (to be held 12th March), life has been rather full of the Excel program on my computer.  I am still knitting museum stock, including neon teacosies on the Knitmaster.  Doing my eyes in knitting these colours, when I look away everything seems to go purple and turquoise!  Just enough left to add the sugar bowl, knittedon the Cymbal

Open diamond gloves

 

The nearest commercial colour I could get to Hex #CFE2DC (Iceberg).  This is Opal Jade.  Althought I aoutomatically grabbed off white for teh diamonds, they really should be dark, so next pair will be with dark green (black would be too intencse, and I haven't got any grey in).

I seem to have bought...

 ... an awful lot of sock yarn.

I daren't even tell you how much.

The price was right, 

I bought it on sight,

And all I can do is touch.

'Cos I had a small procedure done today after which I am supposed to rest my hand for 48 hours.  No chance.

More mittens

 Old yarn, cheap as chips, and seemingly never ending.  So easy to start at the top,increase until wide enough, knit until long enough!    2x2 rib to finish.

With other diamond projects on my mind, these are having diamonds in moss stitch.  the thumb also has a 7 st diamond motif on it.

Diamonds are forever - or until the fingers wear out

 

I call this pattern fading diamonds - which they don't do they?  The patterning area of my standard gloves is only 40 rows, so in order to get a good impression, the wrists can't be rib.  I have made the hem lining in mock rib to grip in a bit and reduce bulk.  This forms a natural picot edge when all the stitches are picked up.

So as not to interrupt the pattern, 62 sts used.  Side slits for first ones, the handwarmers, and finished off with rib top.  Full glove length is 20 rows for inner hem as stitches are elongated, 2 to change colour and turn.  24 rows of pattern then hem picked up.  No thumb gusset to preserve pattern, another 20 to thumbline, 20 to top, 2 rows palin colour and divide for fingers.

And that completes my year of intermittent blogging!

Knitting along

 

I've never been interested in knitalongs before, mostly because of the time constraints and the competitive elements.  But, having got all the advent stuff out of the way, I found myself in knitting limbo.  Someone was starting a mystery mitten, one "clue" to be unveiled every three days.   She's a designer whose other items I rather like, but this one is turning out most peculiar.  Too many different techniques in one item.  Half of stitches are knitted with two strands held together.  With J& S 2ply jumper weight, and size 3mm needles, this makes for tough knitting here, and sloppy stranded colourway on the other half.  There is a maxim in stage management "never book an act you haven't seen"  ( that brings back some awful memories!), so I don't think I will be doing any more knitalongs if I can't see a photo of the finished object by gathering the clues together.  Which probably defeats the whole object!

Advent knitted up

Stockings knitted and stuffed, and on their way to Surrey.

Finger puppets of  boy, girl, rabbit, cat, snoman

Stuffed toys of birdie, snowman, gingerbread woman, gnome, sheep in overalls, owl

Knitted Santa jumper and trousers, crochet angel.

Bought unicorn biro and choc coins, candle tealight, choc reindeer.