Tag: Oge Designs

Knitting the Moody Blues during Covid Iso.

~ margaretsealey ~ 2 Comments

Stuck in Covid isolation, Kenn and I have found ourselves bingeing on Netflix or Foxtel. Now this is not necessarily a bad way to while away an afternoon or two or three but I’ve found there’s been some unintended consequences.

I think I’m in danger of turning into a social media meme because I couldn’t just sit or lie on the lounge and watch TV for an extended period of time. I obviously needed to build up my stamina for this new endeavour for I found myself taking lots of breaks to peruse the depths of the pantry or the fridge for a little something; preferably something I had just baked that morning, stashed in the darkest recesses of the freezer or opened the night before. All too soon, my jeans seemed a little tight. This had to stop. I had no desire to turn into a puffer fish. I still harboured dreams of being a svelte sardine!

So to stop my hands wandering on their merry way to my mouth and depositing inches on my hips, I opened the door to my craft cupboard where my yarn stash awaited. As I watched the first season of Prodigal Son, Locke and Key, and Ozark, caught up with some old favourites like Anne with an E and movies such as Ride like a Girl and Downton Abbey just to name a few, I’ve knitted and I’ve knitted. And without meaning to, everything I’ve knitted is a different shade of blue.

Happy with earlier efforts knitting with cotton and cotton blend yarns, I firstly finished a summer top for myself in Drops Paris, a cotton linen yarn which I had begun before Christmas and neglected. And I persuaded my daughter Melissa to model the finished project for me.

  • This is Sirdar pattern, 7972 and I knitted a size smaller than my usual size as I’ve found that cotton yarns give a little more with washing than wool.
  • On the whole I’m pleased with the result even though it is a heavier weight than I thought it would be for a 8ply cotton blend. I would knit a top with sleeves next time to suit Byron’s Spring rather than a sleeveless top designed for Summer.

I particularly like the slubby texture of the linen/cotton blend and the cable and lace detail on the yoke. I purchased this yarn online and the service was great. Drops is a Norwegian wool company. Their yarns are very well priced and mostly spun in the EU.

I was on a roll. Now it was time to knit something for the grand children. Such a joyful thing to do don’t you think?
I decided to try and knit a jumper for Ilyssia who lives in Darwin.

I found the pattern on Lovecrafts. It is called Lil Rascal and is by West Yorkshire Spinners. I particularly like the neckline. There are no buttons etc and so it is very easy for little ones to put on themselves. I also like the easy cable panel of 0’s and X’s or as I like to call it hugs and kisses.
  • This is my hugs and kisses jumper.
  • The yarn is a very lightweight sparkly acyrlic I got at Spotlight. years ago.
Believe it or not, there are a few occasions during the Dry season when residents don a light jumper or cardigan particularly so at night or if they are inland and away from the coast.

Next came a cardigan for Genevieve. I finished it in time for her birthday a couple of weeks ago. She turned 5! It seems just yesterday that Kenn and I were holding her for the first time in Perth! And she is still as lovely as she was then, a wonderful big sister to Frankie and Harriet. We were a little sad that we couldn’t be there to help blow out her candles but that’s Covid for you.

The birthday girl!

Once again I found the pattern and yarn on Lovecrafts. I knitted it in Willow and Lark’s Nest which is a beautiful blend of merino wool, cashmere and tencel. It is really lovely to knit with.

  • I couldn’t get the light right for this photo. The buttons are brighter than this
  • I included this pic from the pattern so you could get a proper idea of the colour. It’s a beautiful deep royal blue.
  • A simple pattern. I knitted the cardigan in one piece to the armholes then separated for the fronts and backs but other than that followed the pattern exactly.

Well with two knits for two of the girls, it was time for the boys. As many of you know I have two beautiful grandsons who serendipitously live here in Byron Bay. I thought it would be super cute to knit them matching jumpers but in different colourways. But instead of wool, I would knit them in cotton which suits our winter better.

After much deliberation and a long chat with my sister Jenny, I settled on a pattern by Oge Knitwear Designs. Again I purchased this pattern on Lovecrafts and downloaded it.

I began with Huddy, pictured here enjoying a day out with Poppy
  • This is the first time that I have knitted anything with a collar. The pattern was very easy to follow
  • The bamboo cotton yarn has a lovely sheen which makes the slip stitch pattern pop.
This jumper is knitted in Drops Cotton Light and the contrasts are knitted in King Cole Bamboo Cotton. The pattern has a lot of ease built into it so I think that Huddy will be able to wear this for a couple of seasons. Really suits his colouring!

And then it was time for Jude’s. What colours do you pick for a Botticelli cherub?


Why white of course! The main section and second contrast is knitted in King Cole’s Bamboo Cotton while the first contrast is knitted in Drops Cotton Light. I think both jumpers look great but I personally prefer the feel of Jude’s jumper. Bamboo Cotton is a great yarn!

  • Practice makes perfect so they say and this collar went on even easier than Hudson’s.
  • Anyone for tennis?

Restrictions are now beginning to ease and maybe it’s coincidental or maybe it’s my subconscious at work but my current project intended for Francesca, Genevieve’s sister, is ruby red! The Moody Blues have left the needles.

What have you’ve been crafting in lockdown?

Nanna Knits

~ margaretsealey ~ Leave a comment

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Hudson was having so much fun at  The Farm and doesn’t  he make my knitting look good?

Nanna knits are so very special. I clearly remember how thrilled I was when I received my first Nanna knits. I was 8 weeks pregnant with my first child and in the throes of terrible morning sickness when a box arrived in the post. Nestled within were 12 pairs of booties in four different colours featuring  12 different patterns.  They were so small and so adorable! As I touched each one,  I’m sure that baby Christian could already feel his Nanna’s love.  

And so I’m following family tradition and knitting with love for the grandchildren. When it’s for little ones, there’s a real sense of anticipation when you cast on the stitches for a new project. You’re excited because you’ve found the pattern and chosen that special yarn and can’t wait to see how it knits up so your little one can wear your hand crafted creation. But there’s always a little bit of trepidation as well. Especially if like me, you’re not an expert knitter. Will the pattern prove too challenging? Will there be painful unraveling and re-knitting involved?  And if I’m using a yarn I’ve never knitted with before, will I like it and will they like it when it’s finished? 

I think that everything’s mostly worked out this knitting season.  After all, little ones  run here, jump there and shake it all around, making everything they wear look good. Luckily, the patterns I chose for my projects were also relatively straight forward so there wasn’t too much unraveling involved and my yarn choices pleasantly surprised me. Naturally, as I now have three grandchildren, there were three Nanna Knitting Projects.

Project 1: Francesca’s baby blankets

Baby Francesca arrived in March. Christian and Kelly wondered if I could knit her a super thick, closely knitted blanket. Normally, I would choose to knit a baby blanket in Australian merino wool but thought that a super thick woolen blanket might be too heavy for a baby.  So for the first time, I put aside my prejudices about synthetic fibres and chose  a super bulky acrylic yarn.  I found a pattern on Ravelry that was free and sourced the yarn, Lion brand super bulky premium acrylic,  from Loveknitting.com.  As it was knitted on a big circular needle, it knitted up very quickly.

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As you can see, the blanket features a moss stitch border with a simple cable detail.
 

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Despite its thickness, the blanket was very soft and light.

Because it was finished so quickly, I had time to knit another just for fun. This time, instead of an acrylic yarn I used a bulky cotton yarn, Elenna, which I found in my local Spotlight  store. Deciding to experiment, I created  a simple garter stitch, unisex blanket knitted on the diagonal. It too, was finished in no time. I could become a fan of bulky yarns and super fat needles.

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My design worked out better than I hoped. I liked the textual feel of the cotton too.
 

Project 2: Huddy’s Knits

And of course I had to knit an item or two for Hudson who  turned one in June. However, because we enjoy a mild winter here in Byron, I decided to knit in cotton. Again I sourced my yarn from Loveknitting.com. For his cardigan I chose King Cole 4ply bamboo cotton and for his jumper, Sonora, an 8ply cotton yarn by Bergere de France. 

PicMonkey Collage cardi 1
The bamboo cotton yarn was lovely to knit with. The stitch definition is great and I really liked how fine and how soft the finished cardigan is The yarn is thinner than 4ply  wool but has a lovely sheen and drape. Huddy has worn it a lot. It’s perfect for our mild winter days. This yarn would make a great spring or summer cardi in cooler climes and the cardigan only took one ball of yarn!
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This yarn from Bergere de France was also great to knit with.  I liked it so much that I wanted to knit a jumper for myself but alas, the yarn has been discontinued. This was a super easy pattern and again, a great weight for our winter.

But then I saw this pattern online by an independent designer, Oge designs,  and just had to knit it.  (I fell in love with the owls)  I knitted it in Paton’s superfine merino 8ply. This yarn is also a delight to knit with and I was really pleased with the result. And luckily, we have had enough cooler days for Hudson to wear it.

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Interestingly, the designer has used reverse stocking stitch to make the little cabled owls pop. I would like to try using stocking stitch as the right side next time to show off the beautiful stitch definition of this particular yarn. 

Project 3: Genevieve’s cardigans.

And I couldn’t forget Genevieve who dances her way through the day. Her cardigans are still a little big!!!   Oops! While I did knit them to the pattern and yarns recommended, that’s the way of it sometimes. Hopefully, they’ll fit her properly next year.

PicMonkey Collage 2
Little details make the difference. I learnt a couple of new techniques here. Thank goodness for Utube!

Oh and I nearly forgot. I’ve knitted a couple of beanies for some of the grownups, reducing my stash of wool in the process.  I might have to go shopping to replenish it. After all, you never know when inspiration will strike for next year’s projects.