So much knitting...

...so little time.

Y'know, when things get quiet around here, it's far more likely that lots of knitting is happening rather than not much. I'm knitting several things that may be current and future designs so of course they have to remain under wraps.*

Of course that doesn't make Chez Nic a very interesting place to hang out, so I'm gonna show ya some bits 'n pieces where I can. That's if anyone out there is still awake.

First up are some swatches for a special gift-in-progress and hopefully a future design submission.




This is Manos Lace (yuuummmmm!) and is basically a lace sampler of knitting thoughts.
I haven't knit much lace before and not with proper laceweight and I am totally in luurve with the results.




Since this is not the destination yarn for the project and this is not the lace that I picked, I think it's ok to show here. (Geez, you'd think this was a top couture design house, eh?)

But just in case. Don't tell anyone, ok?

* Just for clarification for those who may think that all this cloak-and-dagger is a bit over-the-top, knit/crochet designs are not accepted for publication either in print or online if ANY details have been shown in the public domain, i.e. on blogs, Ravelry etc. Fortunately this does not apply to self-publishing - in fact the opposite is true. The more exposure the better.

Tuar Mhic Eadaigh Mittens

The St Patrick's Day Celebration competition on Ravelry is finally open.

Voting is open between Monday March 21st until Sunday March 27th 6.00pm Irish time. Any votes cast before that time will be discounted so please hold your horses. Presenting the Tuar Mhic Eadaigh Mittens.



These mittens are named after an area of stunning natural beauty in Co Mayo, Tuar Mhic Eadaigh (Tourmakeady) where they had their 1st outing before they were even finished. It was a VERY cold day and the mittens are sooooo warm. (Er...technically, I should say 'mitten' here since only one mittens was complete.)



I really enjoyed designing these mittens.

I love colour work and learned a lot about mitten construction along the way. Pattern coming soon when I can get it together.



My thanks to my lovely model G and my equally lovely niece L for the forest photography. And for full disclosure, yes, I ran out of yarn, just yards from the finish line so one mitten is a teeny bit shorter than the other.



So I guess I’ll keep them for myself. Tee hee.
And no, I am not canvassing for your vote. Vote as many times as you like, or not at all. Just enjoy and appreciate the work presented by the group. Check out 2009 and 2010 too. I'll be back with pics of my favourite entries from other years soon.

BTW:

BIG THANKS to The Constant Knitter for yarn support and encouragement. Hop on over there and check it out! .

WIP

Not much to say about this other than it's part of an ongoing design process that has occupied me fully for the past few months. It's for a 2-colour bag roughly 16" square. With wooden or knitted or I-cord or leather or something-else handles. You can see that I'm winging it I've really thought it through.

Seriously tho'. I've learnt something very important here. I spent weeks tricking around with the design elements, (colour combinations, charts etc.) before I picked up the needles. Once I started knitting, 80% of what I'd planned went out the window and the other 20% was on shaky ground.

It just goes to show that all the overthinking and planning in the world is no substitute for the practical work.

Plus I somehow thought that it had to be 'right' before I could even start it. And that the design process was mostly a mental one. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Another lesson learned as knitting kicks my ass once again. Le sigh. Still, I'm happy that it'll be an improved version in the end, so I forgive it.

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Circle of Hats

At last the camera was put to good use.

Here's a taster. More coming soon...

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Note to self...

...when you've been knitting a hat design out of your head over and over and OVER for ALMOST A MONTH and you've ripped it out SEVEN times and you have finally hit on the right construction and you eventually find the perfect balance of decreases for the crown using both the even and uneven numbered rounds to create a delicate crown of just the right curve.

Take some goddamn NOTES, ok?

I'm just sayin'.

Self. Don't make me say it again.

Jeez!


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Introducing the Ashford Cowl

Announcing my new pattern, the Ashford Cowl.

This silky cowl will add warmth and a little drama to any walk the park. Make it silky as shown or try it in a woolly or tweedy yarn for winter warmth.

Knitted in the round (shown in Lang Silkdream), shaping is achieved by a change in needle size and short row shaping creates a neat scallop at the cast off edge.

Pattern available free on Ravelry and from The Yarn Room, Ashford, Co Wicklow. My thanks to all the test knitters and models.

I'm so delighted at the response the pattern has received on Ravelry. I also received a number of compliments on the layout of the pattern. I worked really hard at writing the pattern and presenting it clearly, so naturally this pleases me.

I'm not boasting honest. It's just a cowl. But since you're here, I thought you'd like to see it.

(OK, so this has got me over the disappointment in the previous post. Ce sera sera!).

Summer Bag

Now that summer is around the corner, I've dug out this hibernating project from last year. It's a Summer Bag of my own design, started last summer in a mix of a thick slubby yarn and a smooth thick cotton yarn, with bamboo handles planned. Definltely a lining, red or pink, with either a snap or ribbon closure.

Can’t remember yarn details of course. Ballband? What ballband?

I got it in Shaw's (Almost Nationwide) Department Store in Dunlaoghaire so it's probably Patons, Sirdar or Tivoli. I'm sure there's more hidden deep in the buried stash, so I can probably find out.



The only thing I'm not happy with is the 1st band in garter stitch at the bottom. I'd prefer this in stocking stitch like the rest. Sure I was making it up as I went along.

I'm hoping to finish it this summer.

Otherwise, it looks like it would make a handy dandy hot water bottle cover, eh?

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