Caturday

It's been a while hasn't it!  Thought it was time I updated you on The Kitten!

She's still cute!

~Tan

FO: Honey the second

This pattern is really awesome.  But with over 13,000 projects that goes without saying.  I made one of these for my sister last year and while simple, it's super wearable.

The lovely Rhonda gave me this great yarn for my birthday.  It has some very subtle long colour changes in it, and I instantly wanted to use it in something that would show off the yarn.

I used about half of the mega 200g skein for this cowl, and it has already seen much wear.  In hindsight I wish I made it a touch wider, but I'm always in a rush to cast off and show off!

Pattern:  Honey Cowl duuuurrrrr
Yarn:  Patons Australia Rainbow in a blue/purple mix.
Needles:  4.5mm circulars.
Ravelled here.

~Tan

365: 221-240

221.  Making a Gertie skirt.
222.  Bought myself a piece of bismuth, just because.
223.  Planted some new succulents.
224.  Re-reading TFIOS.  Just because.  Spoiler alert, it's still really sad.
225.  Birthday cake made for my godchild/niece.
226.  The Kitten keeping my company while I sew.
227.  Makin' my Meringue skirt.
228.  Stuck in traffic.
229.  Eggs and bakey.
230.  Ask for train postcards and ye shall receive.
231.  Nearing the finish of Hanami.
232.  Matchbox carousel appreciation.
233.  Another new sewing project.  As yet unfinished.
234.  Blockinggggg.
235.  Sweet dogtag with my org's values.  Teamwork yeah!
236.  Bright bright sun.
237.  The Kitten posing gratefully in my lap (that's my leopard skin snuggie you see in a lot of my pics!)
238.  KING KONG!  He's very very big and he's very very strong!
239.  Purty horses.
240.  Purty yarn delivery!

~Tan

FO: Hanami Stole

Here's my finished Hanami Stole!  Very happy with it, silk just has the most beautiful drape.

This took me way too long, as is my habit with large projects I procrastinated and worried about how long it was going to take me rather than getting on with the job.  Once I started working on it every day it did work up quickly.  Even with having to refer to the pattern line by line, no memorising this one, definitely my most complicated lace knit to date!

pre-blocked

 This was a definite skill-upper for me, at the beginning I was writing out the pattern line by line as I found the chart too difficult to keep track of, but by the end of it I was able to follow the pattern and read the chart. as I went

Photo-shoot at the local man-made lake!

 This was a wedding gift for a dear friend.  I intended to make a scarf for the groom as well, and indeed started on it, but ran out of time - oops!

Ducks could not give a crap about my shawl.  How rude!

Luckily, this is not my colour, otherwise it would have been very difficult to wrap it up and give it away!  No word on my friend's thoughts are at this point (ok, the wedding was only on Saturday so I'm sure she has other things to do...).  I'm sure she will love it but I am insecure and am in desperate need of some feedback!  

This is how I would wear it.  Hint hint nusm!! 

All in all, happy to have this done and looking forward to making some more knitted wedding gifts!  Have already promised 2 scarfs for a late December wedding... stay tuned!

Pattern:  Hanami Stole.  Most of it is charted, and it has very detailed instructions for a beaded cast on (which I didn't do because I thought like 30 beads in the scheme of things would not make much difference).  Also has instructions to make
Yarn:  Handmaiden Fine Yarn Sea Silk in Moondust purchased from Eat Sleep Knit.
Needles:  I started with 4.5mm, but it was far too loose for the lacey design and went down to 3.25mm.  Really want to work on something chunky now!!
Raveled here.

~Tan

p.s.  I also commissioned Anna Rettberg to draw a portrait of the couple (and their cat!) as an additional gift.  I think this is the coolest gift ever!

p.p.s.  At said wedding they gave out PENGUIN BOOKS as their bomboniere.  If that's not the tightest shit you've ever seen then you can just get out.  I chose The Shiralee - I've seen the miniseries and did not even know it was a book!  Adam chose The Power of One.