FO Friday - Mario!

Another quick FO this week, this time a birthday present for my five year old cousin. Last time I saw him, he was absolutely obsessed with angry birds, so I was planning to make him an angry birds hat, but then I saw him just before Christmas, and he now loves Mario, so it had to be a Mario mushroom hat

I'm really pretty proud of this hat. I've never done colourwork before, and this was a sort of approximation of intarsia in the round, which I just made up as I went along! All the stitches joined together, the gauge is pretty even, and I think it looks really good. The pattern is from these Super Mario Charts, which have various different characters, and are good representations without being too difficult to knit!

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FO Friday - Christmas presents!

Well, it's been a long time since I've done one of these! Most of my knitting recently has been off my Year of Projects list, but when I finished all my Christmas knitting, I decided to make a quick hat for my Uncle, or he would be the only person without a knitted gift on Christmas day.

This pattern is Fisher Cable Hat, and it's a very easy to follow pattern that is quick to knit up. I was using aran yarn rather than worsted, which the pattern calls for, so I only cast on 80 stitches, and decreased the amount of plain knitting above the brim to14 rows before decreases instead of the 20 the pattern calls for. I'm pretty pleased with it, it fits Connor perfectly, so I'm thinking it will fit, and it only took 2 evenings to do.

I also have another (none knitting) FO.

I graduated from my first degree last week (we get two degrees on my medical course, one for preclinical/research, and one for clinicals), and I now am the proud owner of a Bachelor of Medical Sciences with Honours, First Class.

FO Friday - Lace Love

Since my swap parcel has now been received, I can share the Sooper Secrit Swap Projects I was working on earlier this year.

I've been wanting to knit something lacy for ages, but I know full well I'm not a shawl kind of person, so I haven't really had any opportunity to. But my swap partner does like shawls, so I figured this would be a perfect time to try out lace and make something really nice. The pattern is the Ashton Shawlette which is designed for new lace knitters as an introduction to lace. It's an ordinary pattern, but then has several pages of really detailed instructions on how to read lace charts, which were really useful as a first time lace knitter.

The yarn is Spud and Chloe Fine which was in the parcel Renee from Confessions of a Yarn Addict sent me last year. It's gorgeous yarn, and the silk content makes it drape really nicely. I have quite a bit left, so I'll probably pair it with another yarn to make stripy socks, since I absolutely love it!

Lacy close up! I think this went really well, and more lace is definitely in my future

I also made a cross stitch card to go with it. And what better card to send in a knitting swap than a sheep?

I have about 8 patterns of different sheep from this magazine, and I think they're so cute. My plan is to someday make a sampler out of them.

For more FOs, check out Tami's Amis

FO Friday - Who?

It was my Mum's birthday yesterday, and since I was coming home for the Easter weekend, i decided to knit he a little present. Shes been complaining for ages about having a very boring hat for dog walking in the winter, and if you remember, I managed to accidentally buy some very nice, but purple, Debbie Bliss Realto Aran yarn when I was attempting to buy navy.

I decided to make the Who? hat. Since my yarn was aran weight and the pattern calls for worsted, I knitted the child size, and it came out perfectly sized. And it was very much appreciated as the yarn is soft and lucious as well as being very warm, perfect for a hat.

Mum seems to like it. It's lovely being home, I had a couple of friends over today for the afternoon, and we had an indoor picnic with Pimms (very British) and it was great to catch up with people I haven't seen in ages. Then my Mum and I went to Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker (the ballet) which was fantastic. The costumes were gorgeous and the dancing was amazing (not that I know much about ballet). 

For more FOs check out Tami's Amis

FO Friday - Yet More Preemie Clothes

I found another bit of the pink Sidar Baby Crofter in my sewing box, which surprised me as a) I don't put yarn in my sewing box, and b) I'm sure I used up all that yarn, at least, according to Ravelry I did. Anyway, I decided that since I had an unmatching set of preemie clothes, as I had run out of yarn. I would turn it into two matching sets. This was in January, and the last cardie had been sitting in my knitting bag needing some sleeves since then. So yesterday, I picked it up and finally finished it

I now have 4 matching sets to take into the Student Volunteer Centre to take to the NICU. I love making these, they're so cute and so easy to make!

I've also finished my Sooper Secrit Swap Project, but more on that at a later date!

For more FOs check out Tami's Amis

FO Friday - Cute Card

Just a little FO this week that I sent off to my giveaway winner. I thought I'd be nice to add something a little personal to the package

It only took me about a night to finish, and I thought it was a very cute card! The eyes are a little wonky, as I'm not the best at French knots, but I think it adds to the charm.

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FO Friday - Books

Well, I have no crafting FOs to share with you (again!), but I have read 3 (well actually it's more like 6, since one's an omnibus) books this week. When I get in the mood for reading, I just don't stop!

Before I start, don't forget to enter my giveaway - here

I thought I would share my thoughts on the books with you, since I really enjoyed them all in different ways.

The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries Omnibus 2 - Charlaine Harris

I think most people know Charlaine Harris due to her vampire series, which is the basis of the Tru Blood TV series. Although I have read her vampire books, I enjoy her crime novels just as much, if not more. Evidentally, I would recommend you start with the first book in the series, as this omnibus contains the last 4 books.

They follow a lady named Aurora Teagarden, who lives in the South of the USA and seems to have an extraordinary amount of murders occur near her. She is a very relatable character, and very well depicted by the author. These books are described as "cosy crime" by my local Waterstones, and I think that fits them perfectly. They are a typical mystery novel set up, and very easy reading. However, the stories are approached with black humour, and are well written enough to stand out from the crowd. I can definitely recommend them for a bit of light reading on a Sunday afternoon.

The Doctor Will See You Now - Max Pemberton

This is Max's third autobiographical book about life as a junior doctor in the NHS. I really enjoyed the first two, so my Mum send it to me as a present after I handed in my dissertation. You do not need to read the first books to enjoy this one, though I can recommend them anyway. This is an interesting read, part laugh out loud funny, part serious. It gives you insight into the NHS, and particularly care of elderly people without being in the least bit preachy or overbearing. Max has a real gift for comedy writing, which shines through, and his serious points give you pause to think.

I obviously really enjoy this as I am training to be a doctor, but I think it can be enjoyed by anyone, not just those who are involved in medicine or the NHS.

Call The Midwife - Jennifer Worth

I'm sure a lot of people will know that the BBC are doing an adaptation of this book at the moment, and I was sure I'd read the book, but I couldn't find it, so got a new copy on sale. It's again autobiographical, the story of a midwife who comes to the East End in the 50s to live in a convent and work with the families there. Parts of it are very amusing, parts touching, and parts sad. The life of those living in the East End is presented through the eyes of a young lady seeing it for the first time, it is a very frank account, but also very moving.

It is a glance at a time and place that doesn't exist any more, but is really brought to life through Jennifer's writing. Again, a book I can recommend.

If anyone wants to find me on Goodreads, I'm always looking out for book recommendations. Find me here

FO Friday - Gifts

Since these have now been recieved I can post them up. Renee Anne over at Confessions of a Yarn Addict sent me a large parcel of yarn last year, and I wanted to send her a little something to say thank you

A little hand stitched thank you card, which I really enjoyed making. I don't feel like I've cross stitched for ages! I sent a couple of gifts, a pattern, a LARGE bar of chocolate and a hat for her son, Little Man:

The pattern is Nottingham by Melissa Mall, which come in sizes toddler to adult, and I thought it was very appropriate since it's the city I live in (and I managed to send Renee my parent's address rather than mine to post the parcel to, meaning I was very delayed in recieving the package). The yarn is Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran, and it was gorgeous to knit with, really soft and yummy, and I can highly recommend it! That hat does actually fit as you can see here!

For more FOs, head over to Tami's Amis

FO Friday - TBD

I know that you have heard of an LBD, but have you heard of a TBD? That's a Tiny Black Dress. I have one, and I never dare to wear it.

Yes, that tiny bit of black fabric is apparently a dress. Anyway, I decided that in order to wear it, it needed something to make it look less revealing. I decided the easiest thing to do would be to add some decorative straps, so that at least I wouldn't have both boobs and legs on show.

What do you think? Less revealing and more acceptable?

For more FOs (probably more creative than mine) check out Tamis Amis

FO Friday - The biggest project of my life

Not a craft project this week, but a project I'm very proud of! I handed in my dissertation!!!

When I say it was the biggest project of my life, I mean it. It was 15,000 words in the body of the text, 22,000 with abstract, appendices, and references added, 90 pages, 3 months of my life in a lab, and 5 months of writing at most available opportunities. Oh and 36 hours without sleep to get it finished despite all that.

But it's in! It's so weird not having to worry about it any more (though I've already found one mistake when I was emailing it to my supervisor...

Just the viva to go now!

I was going to take a picture off the dissertation before I handed it in, but I had to run to get it in on time, so instead, here're some picture that I took during the course of the project

Those are blood vessels in the chorionic villi of the placenta, and they're glowing green because they contain the molecule I was looking for. Pretty cool huh?

I cast on for the first knitting project I've done in weeks last night, and it's so great to get back to it. And now to go clean the house, which hasn't been cleaned or tidied for a week, and catch up on the blogs I've missed

I figure this is an FO, so I'm going to link it to FO Friday over at Tami's Amis

FO Friday - More Charity Knitting (and a gift from Santa...)

I've been doing lots of charity knitting recently, again making more sets of Preemie clothes for the local NICU. I think it's great stash busting for the little bits of baby yarn I have left from various projects (though some of the yarn does come from the charity donations to Knit-a-soc). You need such small amounts to make the things!

 

I did intend the second set to match exactly, but unfortunately I ran out of the pink fair isle effect yarn. But since the pink of the bonnet is identical to the buttons on the cardigan, I would say that they match exactly. And they are so adorable! I'm using the very cute buttons I won earlier this year, as I think it's a great use for them.

I still have a bag full of yarn left to knit up into baby clothes though!

I also found this in my yarn bag...

It's the first thing I ever knitted when I took up knitting again! One rather large baby hat with twisted purl stitches, as I didn't know I was purling the wrong way!

I also has an FO which is a gift for my mum from Santa, although his elves were very busy over the Christmas period, so he asked me to make it!

Meet Claude, the newest addition to the sock monkey family. My Mum was very pleased to find him in the stocking on Christmas morning, though I was re-sewing his eyes late on Christmas eve, when the boy commented that he looked evil...

 For more FOs, check out Tami's Amis

FO Friday - a selection

I'm sorry I've been so absent, both from posting and from commenting over the last couple of weeks. Uni work  has taken over my life, and it will probably stay that way until January 19th when I finally hand my dissertation in. I have been doing some crafting though, on my down time, but since I leave the house when it's dark and get home after dark most days, I've not managed to take any pictures, until now!

This is a little preemie cardigan and matching bonnet for the NICU at QMC (both patterns available here along with several others). It's so tiny, literally dolls clothes size, and I can't believe it'll fit a real baby. I love making these things, as I hope it brings some comfort to the parents to know that someone they don't know cares enough to hand make clothes for their child. There are a lot of girly outfits in the collection box, so I thought I'd make one that was more unisex. They were so quick to knit up, and used tiny amounts of yarn as well.

These were started at a preemie baby knitting workshop, which I ran at the students union. Unfortunately, only 2 people turned up, but we had a lovely time, and were kept in hysterics by the Chinese students' talent show next door! I used some yarn that I got from the Knit-a-soc donation box (my University knitting society), so I have no idea what it is.

Then the boy started complaining that his hands were cold, and he couldn't grip his bike properly, so I made him a quick pair of gloves

And yes, I am having my usual problems photographing black. They're FAB DK, which is cheap and cheerful acrylic, but quite soft and very hard wearing. Plus they grip well, which is perfect for bike riding in the rain. The pattern called for 4ply yarn, but knitting them with DK makes them thicker, and the gauge is still fine (though the cuff seems to be a bit big, I think he has small wrists!). It did cause a couple of holes by the fingers though, but I just sewed them up (*gasp* I hear you say, that's knitting blasphemy).

Still not a very good picture of black, but it gives you an idea what the cuffs look like. I would definitely start with less stitches next time and increase, though I didn't have this problem last time I made this pattern out of DK weight.

Finally, birthday season is upon me! I've made a couple of birthday presents, one of which will appear in my year of projects update next time I manage to find the time to write one, but this is a very silly one I made for D, who's been my best friend since we were 4.

It's a dugong in a top hat! Pattern is here and my pattern notes for the top hat are here. It's inspired by this video (warning, very catchy!) which we loved at school (and I think we both still do...)

Watch it, it's hilarious!

FO Friday - Cross Stitch Card

Since this has now definitely been received, I can post it up as an FO

Just a little thank you card, but I think it looks pretty nice. And I had a revelation whilst working on it, about how amazing double sided sticky tape is! I've never used it for cards before, and I've always been pretty unimpressed with the crinkly effect you get with glue, so I bit the bullet and bought some. It makes life so much easier, and makes the cards look really nice!

For more FOs, check out Tami's blog here

FO Friday - Sock Monkeys!

I was going through my sock drawer and throwing out old holey socks, which I thought was a bit of a waste, so I decided to see what I could do with them. And so, the sock monkeys were born!

I followed an excellent photo tutorial from web-goddess.org which you can find here, and just decided to have a go. The first one I made, the pink one, I really didn't think through at all. Not only are the hearts on the body (which are hard to see in this picture) the wrong way up, but I managed to sew the sock for the body and legs right sides together, so it's inside out. But i did realise what I'd done, so the arms and tail are the right way up and right way in. The second worked much better, as rainbows would look silly upside down, so I used the same tutorial, but sewed up the top of the sock for the monkey's head and then used the toe for the monkey's foot. I also had to substitute for the mouth, using a toe instead of the heel, as the socks I used had holes in them.

I think they're really cute and I'm pretty proud of them. I also have lots more holey socks, so watch this space for more of the same!

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FO Friday - The Big Reveal

Meet Daisy the Duck!

Ok, not such a big reveal, unless any of you were waiting on tenterhooks to see what all those little bits of knitting were made up into, which I very much doubt.

Daisy is made for this kit: Daizy Duck, but since she is a non-dyslexic duck, I renamed her. Also, my picture is far more accurate for the colours than the one on the kit.

I had a few gauge issues (and by that I mean that I knew I had the wrong gauge, but carried on anyway, as I thought it wouldn't matter.) The problem with the body was easy to fix by extending the tail, but the head was the major problem. It was a really weird shape and much too big for the neck, and the slit for the beak was about twice as long as it should have been. I ended up sewing darts up either side of the head to give it a more normal shape, and just closing up the slits either side of the beak. I think she turned out quite well considering.

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FO Friday - cross stitch cards

I actually have a FO to share with you all this week. I made sure I got it done in time for this Friday, since I haven't had one for ages.

I made these as thank you cards for some of my family, to say thank you for my birthday presents. They came as free kit with with this month's World of Cross Stitching magazine. I wasn't keen on the heavily patterned cards that they came with, as it all seemed a bit much when they were put together, so I made my own plain white cards to display the flowers in.

I'm pretty pleased, as I've never made cards before, and they came out really well

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FO Friday - pink madness

As I said on Wednesday, I finished my snuggly soft simple socks. I'm not entirely sure why they seem to have an aura in this picture, but perhaps it's because they so amazing!

I love how soft and warm they are, and I love the way the yarn knitted up into such a pretty colour and pattern. I do have a few problems with them though...

At every point where I've joined the heel flaps I have holes like this, and I have no idea how to get rid of them, or what I've done wrong. I would really appreciate any suggestions on how to avoid this next time I make a pair of socks!

And I found out, after finishing the first sock, that I was doing Kitchner stitch wrong. I couldn't go back and fix the first sock, since I'd woven in the ends, so I decided to just leave them. I do now know how to do it right for next time though

I've also been very busy making preemie hats

I've not quite finished, I still have 2 1/2 boy hats to do. The camo yarn I'm using for boy hats is a lot warmer than it shows up in this picture, and I think is really cute for a little boy. I'm trying to make a few different sizes so that there are lots to choose from. They are this pattern, and i would really recommend making some to donate if you have any space baby yarn lying around!

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FO Friday - Squares and hearts

Well, I've finished both my squares for the remembrance blanket, as well as a couple of little hearts to put in with them.

I already explained why I chose to do the Celtic knot for one of my squares, and I think the hearts for the other are pretty obvious. What I was surprise by, was how much of an effect blocking had, especially on my cables. As this is acrylic wool, I steam blocked it, and it didn't kill the acrylic at all, but gave it a very nice soft texture with no flattening or blurring of the stitches

It is hard to tell from this picture, but as well as having straight edges, the block grew an inch in each direction, and my cables pop so much more now! The pattern is Celtic Knot No. 85

The other square is adapted from 2 dishcloth patterns, the dark pink being Love Day Washcloth and the light being Have a Heart Cloth. This was my first try at any form of lace (and it is very simple lace,) and I was really pleased how it came out.

The hearts are from my favourite website Mochimochi Land (author of the Amigurumi book from a couple of weeks ago) and are just simply called Hearts.

All of these are amazing free patterns, and I'm really grateful to all the designers who make it possible for me to knit! To see other FO Friday posts, please look here and here.