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I've decided to change blog platform for one reason mainly.  So I can easily post from my iphone or ipad.

You can find me here

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I got a little distracted by a five year olds birthday and visiting relatives, so I have been a naughty little blogger!

But I am back now, and with a finished project!

Meet Haruni

Isn't she pretty?

 

This is her second life.  See, she started out like this:

But unfortunately, my not so little man didn't fit into it.  Probably a good thing seeing as it is not a superwash wool and not such a good choice of yarn for a small's jumper!  So she was frogged into this mess:

and then I learned how to spit splice,

and then of course knitted up into this little beauty:

Pattern:  Haruni by Emily Ross
Yarn:  Araucania Ranco Solid in green (well duh!)
Needles:  3.5mm Knitpicks Options Interchangeable Circular

I did one less repeat of the first chart as I was worried that I would run out of yarn.  So that coupled with the fact that my gauge was off has made this into a much smaller shawl.  Perfect for wearing as a scarf and just what I was aiming for.

The pattern has two different bind off options - a crochet bind off or an i-cord bind off.  I opted for the crochet bind off because I really wanted to get it finished and thought it would be the quicker option.  Little did I know that I struggled to get the crochet hook through every single k3tog and the entire bind off took nearly two hours!  

I love this knit, and it is to date my favourite project. 

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I'm going to be an Aunt for the first time in December.  I am so excited.  Soldier's brother's and his lovely wife are expecting a little girl!

So what is a first time prospective Aunt to do?  Knit of course.

Pattern:  Bloom by Georgie Hallam
Yarn:  Cleckheaton Merino Bambino 4ply in red
Needles:  2.75mm and 3.5mm Knitpicks Options interchangeable circulars

Because the pattern is called Bloom, I needed some flowery accents.  I knitted an i-cord and attached this leaf pattern to either end,

and added a brooch with this flower.

We saw the almost parents yesterday at a little family gathering and they loved it!  Now I know they are receptive to handknits there will be a lot of little girl patterns on my needles in the future.

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So it's October already!  This month is going to be a busy one.  It is Rhianna's and my little sister's birthdays, I am attending a baby shower tomorrow, and Soldier starts instructing on a new course so I will be flying solo with the smalls for most of the month.

As if I didn't already have enough on my plate, I have signed on to knit a pair of mystery socks for Socktober.  Kirsten at Through the Loops has designed a sock, and is releasing five clues throughout the month.  I got the first clue yesterday and today I have two finished cuffs.

I am using some Knitabulous Soft sock and I think the colourway is called Little Boy Blue.

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You want proof that knitters are the most generous, talented people around?  Well here it is!

Thanks Donna!  It's gorgeous.

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Yesterday we took a little family road trip to Daylesford in country Victoria.  Soldier spent about five of his early pre-teen and teen years in this delightful little town.  He wanted to show the smalls and I where he used to live.

We saw a sign for the Chocolate Mill and decided to stop to take a look.

It wasn't at all what I had expected, and to tell you the truth I was a little disappointed.  I thought we would see the chocolate being made, but all we found was a room where you could buy some very overpriced chocolate and a cafe where you could buy some similarly overprice drinks.  We didn't spend long there.  But we did take a walk around the garden at the front and found some great art pieces.

From there we went out of town a small distance to where Soldier lived on a small sheep farm.  There are no sheep there now, and the property is for sale.  Soldier commented that the weatherboard house is much smaller than he remembers and so was the wool shed.  That seemed to be a common theme running through the day.  Soldier was constantly saying that everything looked bigger then.  I guess to small 13-14 year old eyes everything looks huge.

From there we visited the local markets where there was lots of handknits and other woollies on sale.  I saw a lot of little hats and mitts being sold at ridiculously low prices, and lots of junk.  I did manage to score 200g of cotton yarn for $2.

We also saw the old lock up

the old Policeman's Quarters

lots of sheep, the wall around the oval at Soldier's old primary school where he knocked himself out, the old fountain that his mother nearly hit in their Morris Miner on a icy morning, and lots of art work.  Around every corner was a new memory for my Soldier and it was so much fun to be able to explore and remember with him. 

I told Soldier on the way home that if he ever asked me to move to Daylesford, my answer would be yes in a heartbeat.  And it is the little things like this

that make me say that!

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Back before I knew Lucas was Lucas I made this little cardigan.  I love it so much that I decided to make another.

Pattern: Scrappy Socky Stripey Cardi by Fawn Pea
Yarn:  Needle Food Merino Blend, 4ply in Blueberry Crush
Needles:  3.5mm and 3.75mm Knitpick Options Interchangeable Circulars

I made some changes from the last one.  I used the 3.5mm needles for the body which is knit flat, and switched to 3.75mm for the sleeves because they are knit in the round and my gauge changes dramatically.  I also knit ten rows of garter stitch for the button band so I had some more room for bigger buttons.

I think this has become my go-to newborn cardigan pattern.