Little adventures are everywhere.  To celebrate the school holidays, we're having 5 days of adventures - each day a little bit of something to keep little hands busy.  Today, we're knitting.

The girls have been playing with these for the last few weeks.  After some experimenting, I would recommend french knitting for 7yrs plus or a very enthusiastic 5yr old.  While my 4 year old finds the french knitting appealing* the co-ordination is not quite there.

We have knitted our way through the pieces of wool that came with the doll.  The coaster was carefully stitched after the kids went to bed, keeping up a fine family tradition of coasters for Grandma**.

E is now knitting her way through a  multicolored ball of knotted ends.  The different lengths add to the effect.

You can make a knitting doll with a wooden cotton reel and carpet tacks.  There is a tutorial over at Knit for Victory.

*H picked up her doll, with the knitting already started and exclaimed "Look how much poos is coming out!"

**Mum stitched up our finger knitting and Gran used them as a coaster for her morning teapot and cuppa.

This nordic cardigan is one of my favourite opp shop finds.  I love to imagine the story behind such beautiful workmanship and why it looks unworn - perhaps it was too small, too itchy, not pink enough.  Someone must have cared a lot to have knitted this beautiful piece.  It has been carefully knitted in the round with steeked openings for the front and sleeves.

After some careful wearing and ice cream eating, I can say that it fits Little E beautifully and it is in no way too itchy.  However, it took some care in washing.  The cut threads to the sleeves needed a little reinforcing before it was worn again.   Fortunately, Grandma knew a thing or two about that.
 
I still don't quite know where it came from, but I have to admit that we love this cardigan right down to its little reindeer riding buttons.

I'm linking up with Sophie for this weeks Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures

Perhaps, I should learn to walk before trying to run with needles. In hindsight combining both my first attempt to read a cable pattern and using circular needles was not the wisest idea. I was a little disappointed when the first glove didn't fit, but when the second was perfectly snug, I could see something was up.

The Graffiti Knitting was great fun. I find myself looking at neglected things in a new light and wondering – Would that cabbage tree be warmer with some tree warmers? Could a picket fence do with some egg cosy hats? Perhaps some everlasting crocheted roses for the naked ones in winter?



We pulled the bees down on the Monday night. It was much easier than putting them up and the long handled bolt loppers helped. I consider the bees to be lovingly rain washed and ready for another use.


The piece at the top suffered from a little too much weather. After carefully removing the cardboard back, squeezing out the felted wool, a bit of a press and some gunstapling, it was at the end of our driveway, waiting to be picked up and reinstated. I like the idea of LOVE being rescued.

If you are any where near Greytown come and see our knitting. There is a whole Graffiti Knitting Trail. We are dashing around with various knitting resuscitation packs for rain bedraggled woollens. I have some reserve bees to join the buzz tomorrow and I even have some quilts in the garden tour.

Thank-You to everyone who has sent in the bumble bees and birds. I arrived home to day to find another package of them secreted behind a door.


Even hanging them has become an adventure. The weather has been challenging. While standing up a ladder, in the pouring rain, juggling bees, Big E has referred to it as the craziest sisterly thing we have done so far.

The Graffiti Knitting is coming along nicely. We even have a pattern for the birds too. My family have taken it for a test drive. Thanks to my mum and sister, we have a takahe and pukeko. You can find the crochet pattern here (many thanks to Abigail who pointed me in the right direction) I cannot crochet, so I am contemplating making pom pom birds as well.

The graffiti is planned as part of the Greytown Arts Festival. If you're keen to lend a needle, drop me a line.

I have been putting my mind to ideas for a bit of graffiti knitting. I am looking to populate a tree with birds and bees and I will need some helpers. If you can put together a small bird of bee by January 22, drop me a line and I will email you my address. To get the creative juices going, there is a delightfully simple bumble bee pattern over here.


See, bumble bees are hard to spot when there is just one, but imagine a whole swarm. It’s going to be great.

My knitting on a train has come to a halt, but I did manage to get some projects finished. I’m not the fastest knitter and sometimes I’m not organised enough to have things ready when I run out the door so the progress was a little slow.
The year started with some afghan squares made up of leftovers from this fishy jersey. I’d love to take credit for the jersey, but it was a joint effort on the part of my Aunts and Mother. It’s a convoluted story that I just might share one day. Anyhow, there is a small bassinet size blanket to go with it.
Then followed this awesome hat. You can find the pattern here and make a donation to a very worthy cause. We have to leave the flaps undone as Little e untucks her ears playing with them.

There is one last project that I’m still working on. On my last train day, I realised I would have to work another two weeks to get it finished. This wasn’t quite my plan so instead, it’s keeping me company in front of the TV in the evenings.

As Gabes has so thoughtfully shared her first knits, I thought I should share mine. My first knits for my Barbie. My Gran patiently talked me through them. There was a book at our local library that I might as well have had on permanent loan from ages 8 to 11. I would pore over it for hours each time I got it out. I found it again at a different library and just had to get it out.

The book features the rather diplomatic terms "Teenage Dolls" and “11 1'2” fashion dolls” so I guess you could dress a Sindy too. The knits were largely in 4 ply with size 12 needles. By the time I had finished with it I think I had lost every pair of size 12s my Gran had and was beginning on the 11s.

The first attempt at the Bermuda shorts in homespun were interesting. My counting was a little off and the ribbing very rarely lined up.

Then it was onto the sleeveless vest. I had that pattern memorized and even on occasion made sleeves for it. I desperately wanted to be as well dressed as that Barbie in the picture. I would knit on the bus on the way home from school and could usually get a sweater finished in a day.

My inner geek had watched Mum planning out quilts in a maths book. I wanted one too. Soon my Barbie had carefully planned monogrammed sweaters and even an argyle one. I even went so far as to name each pattern with a pithy pun like in real pattern books. “Diamonds Forever” anyone?

There was one sweater that always took my eye and I figured that one day I would be good enough to try it. I could do fairisle, but the mere thought of 100 stitches had me scared, considering the jerseys only had 20 stitches. When I finally had a big enough stash, or at least enough colours, to give it a try it was the neck that had me confused. Gran kindly pointed out that something for a doll didn't need to be this difficult and suggested I give it a rest. That jersey has rested ever since.

I have never really been one for finishing the larger knitting projects. Baby cardigans are fine, but I still have the remainder of my attempt to knit myself a jersey. About 10 years ago homespun was very cool and I attempted a guernsey. I finished the back and two sleeves during coffee breaks working one summer. A year later Mum saw that I hadn't made any more progress and had someone finish it for me. This was a lovely thought but would have been even more lovely if the knitted realised that I had knitted the back. The jersey with two backs sounds almost Shakespearean in hindsight.

My knitting attention span still hasn't improved since those days, but I still love that book to bits.

My next tip for knitting on a train would have to be “read the pattern carefully”, followed closely by “it's not too late to unpick” I have finished the cardigan for little e. It looks a little different from the picture on the pattern and possibly a little tighter.

I mis-read some instructions and cast the arms off a little too narrow. This would have been fine if my daughter was a cartoon character and had spaghetti arms. I only noticed this when knitting down the second half of the front and was very reluctant to unpick. I thought I was being clever when I devised a knitted gusset with contrast texture. Granted it looks great , but as I finished it, I had a feeling that it might have been quicker just to unpick in the first place.

After messing up the first button hole (yes, should have unpicked that too)I decided that I would sew domes on. A kilt pin will have to do while I work out where I put those pesky domes. The fleeting moment in which this cardigan fits my daughter may have already passed. For now, the kilt pin compliments my daughter's generous puku quite nicely.

I like the way this looks finished. When little e's puku finally wins the battle with the kilt pin, it will be lovingly washed and put aside in the baby box.

When I first returned to work, I thought I should pick up some knitting. I thought about it a bit, every night when I realised that yet again I hadn't found a project for in my bag the next morning. There are projects that are ideal for on a train. This one isn't one of those.

This hat is loving modelled by the bunny as little e just doesn't sit still. I thought it would be a good project as it was small and used up wool I already had. However, carrying 5 balls of wool and having to mentally line up each colour and code letter can be a bit taxing.

Now I'm keeping it simple. So simple in fact, this jersey is knitted all on one piece. I like it.

I'm sure there is a wealth of train knitting tips out there. I'm not the flashest or fastest knitter so my tips extend to the following:

One ball only
Nothing with serious counting involved
Try to find a seat where your right elbow stocks out (I knit like a wounded chicken)
Try and sit next to a knitter (they don't seem to mind the flapping)