Knit It - The Perfect Christmas Jumper

I hope you all are having a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and if you don't I hope you have at least had a lovely rest!!!

I have been at my parents home in Liverpool for the last few days where I've come to realise, my favourite part of Christmas is actually the days in between Christmas day and New Years Eve. If your lucky enough not to have to work, they are the least pressure filled and most relaxing of any time of the year, perfect for self-indulgent crafting whilst watching films you've loved since childhood, feasting on leftovers turned into ingenious meals, and spending time with the ones you love, it's bliss!

This year I decided against making myself a Christmas outfit for the big day, as to be honest I already have lots of dresses which seldom get an outing, it seemed extravagant to add another one to the collection. Plus after the trouble I had with last years dress (I'll actually be blogging about that soon, better late than never I guess!) I didn't much feel like another battle, so instead of showing off something wonderful and new I am going to give you a better look at a stalwart of many Christmases now, my 'Perfect Christmas Jumper'.

~ Perfect Christmas Jumper ~

Pattern By: 

Susan Crawford

Yarn:

5 100g Balls Robin 4ply Red

1 100g Ball James C. Brett Supersoft Baby Shimmer White

The pattern is another of Susan Crawford's wonderful takes on an original vintage pattern, Susan takes such care over resizing and updating them, that you can always be sure the fit and finish will be as true to the original pattern as possible, and this is no exception, the lovely puff sleeves and colour work, really make this pattern a 1940s classic.

I first blogged about this jumper back in January 2011, I'd endeavoured to finish knitting it by Christmas a few weeks earlier but managed to miss that by just one month! It was the first time that I had knitted anything with Fair Isle and Intarsia so I found it a bit of a struggle, but once it was done it was certainly worth all of the tangled messes I got myself into, as it's been worn every Christmas since!

It was also the fist time I'd knitted long full-length sleeves, which I remember at the time being never ending. I am so glad now that I persevered as they are lovely and long and just the perfect length, something which I have struggled to achieve since, I think my eagerness to get wearing my latest project can make me a little optimistic on how much I have actually knitted and so the sleeves tend to come up a little on the short side (I am talking about you, Date Maker).

The one drawback with this jumper is my choice of yarn. I didn't much care for it at the time but it was a cheap acrylic option when there were very few cheap options available (it's amazing how much more choice we have in 4py yarns a mere five years later!) so it was purely a practical choice, though I do wish I had invested a little more money into it, as the squeaky feel of the fabric has not improved with multiple washes and fabric conditioning, and the colour in real life is a little more brassy than I would have chosen in hindsight, but I still love it and it's certainly striking!

There is one other side effect of this cheap yarn, and perhaps my loose style of knitting, which is the jumper seems to grow a little with each wash. Potentially this could be a problem, however as I only wear it a few times a year it only needs a little washing, and as I have put on a little more weight over the years since I first made it, it has actually grown with me and so has been more of a benefit rather than a problem.

I am actually tempted to knit this up again, in perhaps a just as festive green and white colourway but considering how slowly I knit, though I am getting a little better, I should heed my advice from my last post about this jumper and probably start knitting soon!

 Wendy x

Things to Make & Do - A Fair Isle Pullover

For the Chap in your life, be he young or old.
This fancy Fair isle pullover is just the ticket to keep him warm and looking snazzy whilst  potting up cuttings or just general pottering about the Garden. Worked in 5 shades of 4py yarn with a simple repeat fair isle pattern it will grow quicker than a well-loved cutting!

So as if by magic I finished my dad's pullover just in time for Christmas. To be fair I had promised it to myself more than him, so he would have been none the wiser if I hadn't finished, but knitting to a Dad-line is obviously the only way I seem to be able to finish anything!

Tickety Boo Tupney's

Stitchcraft Men's Fair Isle Pullover

See My Version On Ravelry Here

Pattern : Stitchcraft Fair Isle Pullover 1947
Ingredients: 

• King Cole Big Value 4 ply 
• 150g Dune (677)
• 50g Red (667)
• 50g Opal (678)
• 50g Mustard (671)
• Robin 4 ply
• 50g Brown (51)
• Pair of Needles (Rib) US 1½ - 2.5 mm
• Pair of Needles US 2½/ 3.0 mm
                  OR
• Circular (Rib) US 1½ - 2.5 mm 
• Circular (Body) US 2½/ 3.0 mm
• Tips on changing pattern to round

YouTube-ualr Know How:

• Cast On, Knit & Cast/Bind Off
• Fair Isle Knitting
• Pick up Stitches on Neck & Armholes
• Circular Cast On 

I opted to knit it up on circular needles, to hopefully save me some time, and once I had passed the K.1,  P.1 rib it was wonderfully quick to do. Plus it was much more enjoyable to knit as there was a lot less pesky purl rows to battle with the fair isle  and all the end tails that would need to be worked in once finished, were only on one side of the pullover rather than on both!

One thing I learnt the hard way was that when choosing to convert a fair isle 'flat knit' pattern to 'in the round' you will need to remove TWO stitches from the quantity - The pattern was designed for flat knitting, which would mean that the first stitch of the front section and the last stitch on the back section will meet at the seams when finished. When knitting in the round these two stitches become ONE stitch as there is no seam. It took many hours of head scratching for me to figure out why when I started the pattern it just would not meet up and was 2 stitches out though I had the exact number of stitches required! (37-39" chest) 145 for Front + 145 for Back = 290 -2 for on the round =288.

The only downside to knitting in the round in fair isle is row jogging. This is because rather than knitting back and forth, you are knitting in a spiral meaning the last stitch of the row below gets pulled up to the next row. I had intended to get a picture of this as it is quite noticeable - once you know it's there. I also had intended to have this running under the arm where the original seam would have been, but due to frustration over dividing up my stitches for the armholes it ended a couple of repeats into the front of the pullover, Blast!

Front view
I convinced my brother to model it for me so that I could see if it would fit my Dad.

I  made a classic blunder of not reading the pattern properly and so sewed the shoulders together before realising I should have picked up stitches and worked on each section separately first. So I ended up by working the neckband in one piece, beginning and ending at the centre V which actually worked out fine and meant the only seaming needed was at the centre of the V, mistakes sometimes pay off and less sewing is always good!!

Armhole Band

When picking up for the neckband I divided each side of the V and back into equal sections with pins and aimed to get as evenly as possible the 189 stitches in. I will be honest and say that I worked with what would comfortably fit rather than sticking to the required 189 which was much easier and it still looks OK!

The only change I made to the pattern was to add an additional Dune row (main beige colour) in between each pattern section, I did this to make it a little longer and to give my brain a little rest between each fair isle section.

The inside a close up from the purl side Yarn Floats - The pullover was turned on its side when taking the picture, so they actually run the width of the pullover not vertically as they look here. 

As I was using the acrylic yarn I was convinced, that I had to rule out the possibilities of blocking. so I had to hope that it would be fine without and after a few flattening tugs across the width and the odd loosening of a float or two, it flattened out a treat!

I have since learnt that you can actually block acrylic yarn! Yep, it's done slightly differently but certainly can and should be done, see beadknitters post all about it here!

I am glad and relieved to say he loves it (see above and the fact that he was prepared to pose for the cover shot!) and he was quite taken aback by it, so much so he wore it for three days straight! To be honest, if he hadn't liked it I would have been disappointed, but I would have quite easily been consoled by the fact I could have kept it for myself!

Wendy x

Things To Make & Do - Tin Can Lanterns

Hello, there I hope your all well and getting excited about the festivities ahead!

I apologise for the lack of blogging and blog reading (1000+ posts in my reader, eeek!) going on around here I hope to remedy it soon! I am currently having trouble with my computer (what is it about windows PCs that makes them gradually grind to a complete halt!) fingers crossed a shiny new laptop will be on the horizon, but until then I am having to resort to spare moments on lunch breaks at work to do any internet related stuff, which is not nearly enough time to do all that I want/need to!

Anyway, I promised this tutorial a long time ago and rather than let it sit in my draft folder any longer I thought it was about time to publish it!

Tin Can Lanterns

These are really the most versatile decoration ever as you can keep using them all year round! (...hung from trees at a BBQ, lining a garden pathway for an evening party, on the table for a romantic meal...) You could also spray them up to match your colour scheme. What better way to use something that you were just going to throw away recycle!

And the best bit is that these are SO easy to make!! You can use any design you like (... stars, Xmas trees...) just mark your can up first and get punching! I went for a simple pattern using the cans ridges to space out my holes, I didn't worry if it was accurate as I think it being a bit wonky adds to the charm! But if you feel you have made a terrible mistake with the pattern, it's no problem, just pop the can into the recycling and save the next can you open...really what could be less stressful!

Ingredients:              

                        Tin Cans

                        A Felt Pen

                        A Hammer

                        A Large Nail or A Small Cross Head Screw Driver (my weapon of choice)

                        A Towel.

Note: If you want to hang these up you must put two holes opposite each other at the top, BEFORE you defrost your can, as there is no refilling it with water once is all holey - I learnt the hard way so you don't have to;).

Wendy x

The Kitchen Front - 10 min Christmas Pudding

Today is 'Stir-up Sunday' the traditional day for getting in the kitchen and mixing up your Christmas pud, ensuring it has a month to mature for its big day. Tradition dictates that everyone in the family gets a turn at stirring the mixture whilst making a wish. I can't confess to have ever partaken of this particular tradition myself, generally, my Christmas pud comes wrapped in plastic from the local supermarket and seldom gets eaten until the next day!

Love it or hate it Christmas would just not be the same without the classic Christmas Pud, and this blogger would not be the same if it was not for the wonderful recipes of Marguerite Patten CBE.

Ain't she adorable! (Image Source)

This legendary lady first became famous during WWII with her work with the Ministry of Food, where she advised families how to manage on rations whilst gaining the maximum nutritional value from what little food they had. Her brief was to 'inspire people' and she certainly did that and let's face it she still does!

So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across the fabulous 'Pud-cast' below, which she made in 2006, when she was a mere 91 (that must be a record surely) and even at her advancing years she proves you are never too old to embrace modern technology, so if the estimable Marguerite is not afraid of a bit of culinary corner cutting then who am I to argue!

Ingredients

• 65g of Butter
• 50g of flour (preferably plain)
• A teaspoon of mixed spice
• 75g of soft bread crumbs
• 100g of soft brown sugar
• 150g of sultanas
• 75g of raisins
• 50g of currents
• 25g of chopped peel
• 50g of soft dates chopped up into small pieces
• 50g of glacier cherries
• 2 tablespoons of black treacle or golden syrup
• 2 eggs
• The juice of half a lemon
• 2 tablespoons of orange juice
• 75ml of apple juice

Wendy x

Knit It - A Parliament of Sleepy Owls

No, I have not gone all political on you with a comment on the state of our current government (though it would be apt) it is, in fact, my latest finished knitting project - Parliament is the collective term for a group of Owls, odd isn't it. I suppose it refers to the wisdom both 'creatures' are supposed to possess!

With today's project complete, it means I have gifts for Christmas ready in October! 

I confess to feeling a little smug at the moment, as this is unheard of and seriously out of character. So to mark this achievement (although it's a day late) I am linking up to Lakota's Tada! Tuesday. Have you signed up for her Christmas swap yet? Click the link on the side bar. Don't be shy it's honestly a lot of fun and you'll have the perfect excuse for even more charity shop rummaging!

Never fear I won't be wallowing in my achievement for too long, as I have recently committed myself to knitting my Dad a Fair Isle Pullover, from Tupneys pattern, oh and did I mention I haaaate knitting Fair Isle, one way or another I'm sure there will be plenty of last minute present related stress to enjoy!

Anyway back to the owls!

~ Sleepy Owl Cushions ~

Designed By: Knitting Pony

Free Pattern Here: Sleepy Owl Cushion

Ingredients:

• Chunky or Bulky Yarn
• 6.5mm Knitting Needles 
• Contrast Yarn Embroidery (eyes and beak)
• 4ply yarn Various colours (Feathers)
• 3.5mm crochet hook (Feathers)
• Stuffing
• Yarn needle

Youtube-ular Know How:

• Cast On, Knit & Cast Off
• K2Tog
• Crochet Magic Loop Cast On*
• Treble Crochet

* If you can get this technique down, you will never use a chained circle to start your project again! This is so much easier especially for beginners, as you can make the required stitches in lots of space and then pull it all together nice and neat at the end. Marvelous!

I saw this tutorial over at Knitting Pony's blog last year, I knew as soon as I could find the right yarn I would have to make one for each of my friends little ones. I feel like I say this every post but, these are really easy to make! They are knitted on big needles with chunky wool, so knit up really quick which makes it almost feels like cheating!

For my owls I used 3 balls of  James C Brett Marble Chunky in brown 16, which I think has worked really well and it's lovely and soft, and definitely huggable! I went down a size on the needles to 6mm as the stitches were a bit too loose, looking at them now they are finished I could easily have gone down another size as you can still see the stuffing in places.

As I had 7 children (2 families with 3 Children, and 1 family with 1 child) to knit an owl for, I decided so as there was a bit of variety I would do one normal size (34st), one medium size (29sts), and one small size (24sts), to match the children’s ages biggest for the oldest child etc.

Rather than using just 4ply, I chose to use the chunky wool for the majority of the crocheted owl feathers. I made the smaller feathers simply by doing fewer rows/rounds, which I think worked quite well. I found the hardest bit of the whole process was stitching in the face, I ended up by couching the thread as all my other attempts came out rather wonky.

So from 3 balls of yarn I have knitted 3 large, 2 medium and 2 small owls, including feathers which is not bad going especially as I even have some left over perhaps for a small owl for me! Though I think I'd better put all thoughts of that aside for now and get cracking on that Fair Isle pullover!

Wendy x

Happy New Year!

Before I launch head first into my waffling post, I just wanted to say a big Thank You to all the lovelies that commented on my last post! It means a lot that you took the time to so thank you very much indeed!

Well, it's well and truly 2012, I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas time and are enjoying the new year so far. I must confess to being struggling to get back into my pre-Christmas routine, of getting up at 5.45 each morning to get to work, after a week off and loads of lovely lie-ins!

So, back to Christmas, belated as this post is! Would you believe me if I said that in the real world I hate being late, I'm the kind of gal who turns up and hour early to an appointment rather than be a minute late yet in the blog- O-sphere I'm always running to catch up?!  Anyway, I travelled up to Liverpool to my parents for my Christmas holidays and had a really lovely and relaxing time, this has to have been the first year in a while that I have not been sick so I actually got to enjoy it!

My Folks Christmas Tree

One of the many windowsill snow scenes my Mum creates each year (Can you guess which little girl had a Sylvainain habit?!) We don't do understated decorating in our house!

We ate lots of fabulous food all cooked by Mum (I did offer to help!) Ate way too many chocolates and Worcester sauce flavour Twiglets (I have missed these) we also took our yearly family photo... of which my brother usually picks the one he looks best in and we look shocking then posts it on his Facebook page in a folder called "You can't Choose your family" Charming!! No different this year but at least I can post my favourite here!

Dad, The Brother, Me and Mum all of us looking vaguely respectable!

On Christmas eve my mum donated me a fabulous 40s style maxi dress which she made herself back in the 70s, it is such a lovely green with red and pink roses all over it, I was rather relieved that I fitted into it, as back then my mum was much more svelte than I am now, but luckily it was the perfect fit, and I have to confess I was much more excited about wearing said dress on Christmas day, than I was about opening my gifts!

....then we go and spoil it all!

So on to the gifts...

My brother gave me my very favourite album on vinyl and signed no less (eBay does it again) and an utterly fabulous Ukulele which I can't wait to have a proper go at playing.

My parents gave me some money (shall show you what I bought soon) and Land Girls on DVD! My Boyfriend gave me The Big Bang theory box-set (loove this show a bit too much!

and this amazing vintage-styled record player (which also plays mp3s and Cd's.) Finally, I can listen to all of the records I have been buying in the Charity shops!

Though I was not really at home for Christmas I still made an effort to decorate our little place, as The Boyfriend was staying behind to work. I went a bit wild making loads of paper snowflakes, my they are seriously addictive!

Just a few of the many snowflakes which adorned our home / Christmas Tree with Christmas Ted (A birthday gift from a few years ago lovingly made by Mum)

My Nan's old mirror looks great above a very 70s fireplace / My Mum made me this fabulous Angel Christmas sock for my Birthday!

I spent New years back home in London, oops Essex, with my lovely mum who came back down with me to spend New years together, we saw in the new year with Snowballs in very large glasses many more chocolates and then promptly went to straight to bed worn out from all the excess! (rock and roll I know!)

The only resolution I made was a bit different to the gym joining, salad-eating, nail-not-biting resolutions I usually make and never keep. This year I want to try and like myself a bit more and enjoy what already have, rather than looking inwardly for places to improve. Early last year I had counselling for my ongoing problems with panic attacks, one of the questions my counsellor put to me was " Give me three (positive) words that describe you?". Now I never realised before just how negatively I felt about myself, It genuinely took 20 mins for me to think of anything - Organised, generous and polite, in case you were wondering, still it's a pretty pathetic offering for 20 mins soul searching & ceiling gazing. It really made me think; it is so very easy to list your bad traits, we do it all the time, but listing the positives is hard and it really shouldn't be!

So for me this year it's going to be about appreciating the positives, what I do have rather than over analysing what I am lacking, and try to make each day a little bit special.  I loved this post by Retro Chick it really struck a chord, my lovely dad had major heart surgery last year which really shook our whole family. As trite as it sounds, it was a wake up call for us all to make more of an effort to spend time with each other and to enjoy every moment that we do, even the arguments, and it being my family there are always going to be plenty of those!

I could think of no better way to end this post than to leave you with Louis Armstrong, and a song which has been going around in my head on a loop whilst writing this!

Wendy x

A Little more Chrismas Swapping

So what was in that ever so tantalising parcel then...

Just look at that Beautiful handmade card!!

1. An Embroidered Christmas Apron. 2. A Shabby Chic Handbag. 3. A Bag of Lavender with some gorgeous Lip Balm (smells divine). 4. A Kath Kidiston NoteBook  5. A Piece of Lacey Trim! 6. An Embroidery Kit (with a butterfly!...eek!) 7.  An Embroidered Christmas Table Cloth (see below).

 The Christmas table cloth has found a very fitting home underneath the
tree with Christmas Ted to keep it company!

I love absolutely everything! I let out a serious squeal when I realised I had now my own Christmas pinny, I had toyed with the idea of making one, but with the move, I just didn't have the time to craft. I honestly was like a child in a party dress, I pranced about the house all evening refusing to take it off.

The Gorgeous tablecloth is the perfect fit under my little Christmas tree and it looks just lovely!

I am going to fashion a fabulous 1940s collar out of the lovely lace trim and I can't wait to start on the Embroidery it will look great in my new living room!

Here's what I sent to Shirl...

1. A Deco Style Necklace.  2. The Book 'What Every Woman Should Know: Life Lessons from the 1930's'.  3. Hand crocheted Christmas tree angels.  4. A 10x8 Print of a 30s Train Poster.  5. A Shell Mosaic Picture Frame.  6. Some Shabby Chic Fabric.

I must say I enjoyed an excuse to do a bit of charity shopping and I think I was very lucky with my finds! Such as the book which is packed full of fabulous advice and images from the 30's I highly recommend getting a copy if you can!

When I realised that Shirl lived in Clacton and that she liked the 20s and 30's it gave me the perfect excuse to use my graphic design skills to recreate (ie draw over in illustrator) an old 30s train poster of her hometown.

My mum was kind enough to crochet me up some little angels for the parcel. Seriously I wish I had her skills with a crochet hook, she took no time to make these up and the crocheting is so delicate and tiny that I struggle even to see the hook!

Thank you again, Shirl, for taking the time to make up my fabulous parcel and also a big Thank You to Lakota for setting it all up!! It has been a lovely pre-Christmas treat to have something to open before the big day!

Wendy x

Christmas Swapping!

Eeek!!! How Exciting!!!!

I have just received a fabulous parcel from the lovely Shirl who blogs over at The White House all as part of 'The Festive Charity Swap' which was expertly organised by the remarkable Lakota - if you fancy a bit of inter-blog swapping then keep your eyes on her blog!

Doesn't it look enticing!!

I can't wait to open it, but I am being remarkably controlled and I am going to try and wait until I know that she has got hers (which I just need to pop in the post!) before I open it! Wish me luck with my resolve!! Thanks, Shirl!!!

I hope you all have great weekends! Fingers crossed (for the 3rd time now) we will finally get the internet installed on Saturday so it should be back to blogging normality, shortly! Hurrah!

Wendy x

The Perfect Christmas Jumper - Just a Month Late!

At long last, I have finished My Perfect Christmas Jumper, only a month behind schedule!!!



" Today the lovely Vera is modeling the latest in period winter fashion, 'The Perfect Christmas Jumper." With its stylish box head sleeves, cinched in waist, jolly reindeer motifs, and festive colouring, it is bound to bring a spot of festive cheer to even scrooge himself."

Oh and it has been a real learning curve, I have never worked such a large amount in Fair Isle or Intarsia before and found it a little frustrating at times. mainly due to the balls of wool constantly getting in a big old tangle, in spite of my best efforts to be neat and tidy.



The reason it took so flipping long, was because of the sleeves. I wanted to make sure that they were going to be long enough, so I added a few extra inches. I always find that shop bought clothes have sleeves which are a bit too short for my freakishly long arms, there fine if I am sitting still but the second I move they ride up, this is one of the reasons I decided to start making my own clothes!



My only regret is the choice of yarn. I was a bit short of cash when I was buying the yarn, so due to the much, much lower cost, I opted for an acrylic 4ply by Robin rather than a wool mix that I would have preferred. This means the knitted fabric it has a bit of a crunchy feel to it, also it means that I am not able to block it, which would have perhaps evened up my wobbly knitting style and flattened out the puffy Fair Isle bits!

I wore it to work today to celebrate, the hair lasted 5 mins, oh well! 

Anyway all the trials and tribulations aside, the pattern was very straight forward to follow and well explained. I would definitely recommend it, though if you are as slow a knitter as I am then you might want to start now, to have it ready in time for next Christmas!

Wendy x

Gifts Galore!!!

Well as I have left it so long to post about my Birthday presents, I thought I would post all the lovely gifts that I received for my birthday and Christmas together. Amongst the socks, smellies and a ton of chocolate there were lots of wonderful vintage inspired DVD's from my nearest and dearest.

From the boyfriend I received the complete box set of Foyles War, how lucky am I !? I missed most of the episodes when they were on TV, so I am really looking forward to going through each episode and droooooling over the clothes and sets, as well as the wonderful storylines of course!!

 From my parents I got The Mrs Bradley Mystery's a BBC series from the late 90s which I can honestly say I don't recall at all! It stars the marvellous Diana Rigg (my favourite Avenger ever!!) as the irrepressible Adella Bradley and Promises to be filled with 1920s opulent murder and mystery!!

The next is Stephen Poliakoffs Glorious 39. which is described as 'A tense psychological thriller set against the idyllic British countryside during the glorious summer of 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War'

This is another one that I really don't know much about, I must have been asleep when it was released in the cinema, as it's not that old! The reviews on amazon seem to be mainly in the, loved or hated it category. It contains a 'stellar ensemble' of some of the Leading British actors so I am sure even if the plot is not great, it will be well acted.

Lastly but possibly the one I am most looking forward to watching is The Open Road by Claude Friese-Green, filmed in 1924 it shows Britain from Lands end to John o'groats, filmed for the first time in Biocolour (a technique developed by Claude's Father). The DVD contains a compilation of highlights from the journey, which has been restored by the BFI National Archive. From the little bits I have seen on TV and youtube, it looks stunning, a wonderful piece of British history captured in colour.

Also, I was a bit naughty and on the run up to Christmas, I did treat myself to two books I have wanted for a little while now...

The first is 'Style Me Vintage' by Belinda Hay. I was first alerted to this book by Jenny over at Life and Times of a Vintage Obsessive, I am really eager to give some of the styles ago as my hair, tends to fall into the seriously neglected category! I am hoping that this year I will be able to have the perfect vintage coiffure!!

The Other book is 'The 1940s Look' by Mike Brown. I had been eyeing this one up on Amazon 
for over a year and finally to the plunge to buy it, and I am glad that I did, though I have only had a quick look through, it seems packed with, snippets from magazines from the 40s, which will make for interesting reading!

I am sure all these will keep me busy for an absolute age!!

Wendy x