It's all done

The hemlock is off the needles. Pictures in a future post.
It has taken me about 10 hours to do the cast off edging. After about the 5 pattern of cast off I was just going to rip it back and cast off normally, but I thought it was looking nice and would keep at it. A few more times I could have just thrown the damn thing in the corner and forgotten about it, but no I kept on going, and going and going.

Tomorrow I will try to make time to sew in all the balls of yarn joins and think of somewhere to block it.

I am going to count the number of patterns in the cast off and times it by 4 stitches and that will be the amount of stitches I had on the needles, I am sure it will go over a 1000 or so. It was hard work at the end, I was going to keep going for 2 more balls of yarn but was so feedup with it all I didn't use them. It did take 2 balls of yarn to do the fancy cast off pattern.

Guess what this first photo means.........

The Hemlock is coming off the needles, and it is going to be a long process, but no too painful, as I am just so glad to be nearly finished it.

I did the last 12 rows or so of 'yarn over knit 1' and then 4 rows of knit. The edging for the cast off finishes it off nicely.

Next project is either the second month of socks or I will get a start on the peacock shawl. I have some 2ply merino in a rust or burnt orange colour and I would really love to make it in that. Will I swatch or won't I. For those who know me, already know that answer. I am not really big on swatching unless I felt it necessary, I feel like it is wasting good knitting time, and I haven't really had a problem with it for many many years.

I figure if the pattern is correct and the yarn is correct for the pattern or similar, then it is going to all work out OK.

The last month or so my life has consisted of 4 deaths and a ball, from that I attended 2 funerals as the age range was 19, 24, 37 and 75, I just couldn't face the two younger funerals and they died a day apart. The 19 year old I worked with and she was a few kilometres from home on the highway and something happened and caused her to go to the wrong side of the road having a head on with a 4wd, and her car burst into flames on impact, she was going to Canada for a year in early december to work at Whistler? The 24 year old was a second cousin who took his own life and only 8 years after we buried his older sister who at 19 died of a peanut allergy. We have already buried two 19 year old cousins over the years and I just knew I wouldn't cope with it again. A dear neighbour next to my parents died at 75 last week, which in my eyes is not old (my parents are 70 & 69). The 37 year old a dear friend we road with and who painted Ned Kelly mural on DH bike.

The ball was for the Kidz Wish Foundation which are a local Wollongong (Illawarra) charity for sick and disabled children. 2500 children were treated to their christmas party and entertainment during the day and then the sponsors and friends got together for the ball and more fundraising in the evening. Because the Harley Owners Group (Illawarra NSW Chapter) are a sponsor we got to buy tickets to the ball. The guys got to wear black jeans, white shirt, tie and their bike vests, (not fair), the girls had to go formal. I guess it isn't too bad dressing up in a dress sometimes.

Now for some excellent news, a wedding is being organised in our house, 6 December 2008 is the date.

Hemlocking along

The hemlock is growing I'm past the 112 rows of the graph and did work out another row of pattern, then at 'every other tuesday night knitting' I decided to just do a knit 1, yarn forward on every 5th row, which I have now finished the first row and 2 plain rows, and it is a big job going around this now, it takes a very long time to get 1 row done, but I am determined to use the whole 10 balls of yarn and as it is only 8ply yarn it is taking longer to get it as big as the pattern with the thicker yarn. It is going to be a great stash buster and a lovely blanket for next winter....hurry up winter, yeah I know summer hasn't started yet (15 days to go) and I am already hoping for winter.


I am trying to read a book and finish it in a short time as someone has lent me the book, it is "Suzi Quatro - unzipped", she was such a favourite of mine when I was in high school, I would come home from school put the album on the record playing and dance around with a pretend microphone singing as if I was her. Well I got the height bit right but nothing else. I got another book today from the 'book man' at work, "The memory keepers daughter" by Kim Edwards. It looks a good read.

Tonight I hope to get atleast 3 rows of hemlock done.

A Hemlock in the making

I started the hemlock blanket about 2 weeks ago and have ripped it back 3 times, I got up to row 62 and I had been fudging the rows for some time in the star pattern centre, and at that row I thought it was time to rip it back to the beginning and start over, I seem to be having the same trouble in the same spot again, I seem to be either a stitch or two too many or too less. So back it went again. Now I think I may have fudged it once, but it worked out and I am up to row 67.

The yarn is "The Country Yarn Collection" from Wangaratta, I am not sure how old this yarn is. It is in a natural pure wool colour made up of 85% wool, 10% acrylic, 5% viscose and is 96 metres (105 yards) approx.

I am using 4.5mm needles. I know that this blanket was knitted with thicker yarn than 8ply and larger needles, but it is working out nicely with this yarn and needles. I have just gone to the 80cm circular needle and have on order a 150cm knit picks needle, hopefully it will arrive in time for when I need it.