new dress

Last week I finally finished sewing a dress I had cut up 4 years ago (pattern is from Machiko Kayaki's Sewing Talk book). As a friend remarked, the good news is that at least it seems I still wear the same dress size.
I think the reason why it took me so long is that it's a lined dress. Which really shouldn't be an excuse, because when I finally sewed everything together it was quite easy. The only change I made was to add darts to the front and back, because generally speaking Japanese patterns tend to not be very fitted.

Smokey shawl

A shawl the color of smoke. Knit with Malabrigo Silky Merino, which is as soft as the name suggests, but didn't become a favorite of mine. The pattern is quick and simple, and the shawl is just the right size for me.
Pattern: Chandra, by Caryl Pierre
Yarn: Malabrigo silky Merino  (1.7 skeins). This yarn bleeds a little when washed and does stretch quite a bit when wet blocked.
Needles: 5.0 mm
Size: S
Ravely project page

Peerie Flooers

I've been meaning to knit this hat since the pattern was first published. I'm a fan of all Kate Davies' designs and the colors on this hat were particularly appealing to me.

I recently ordered a selection of Jamieson + Smith yarns for several projects of her Colors of Shetland book, and then my friend S. generously sent me the green and yellow leftovers of her own project, so I had no excuse not to finally start it.

It was a really quick knit, so I'm sure I'll make this one again. The J+S yarn bloomed considerably after washing, and I can already tell it's going to turn into one of my favorite yarns.

Pattern: Peerie Flooers, by Kate Davies
Yarn. Jamieson + Smith 2-ply (see colors on my Ravelry project page)
Needles: 3mm

Changes: I knit the medium size, according to my head measurement. But since I didn't want the slouch effect, I knit 3 rows of the flower pattern (so 1.5 times chart B) before starting with the crown shaping. It still turned out a tiny bit too long, but nothing I can't live with.

And here's a cool tip I wanted to share. I know the best way to avoid weaving all those ends is to weave them in as you go but honestly I only remembered that almost at the end. I did a quick search and found this tip on how to weave ends by braiding them. This is how it turned out:

The Jane hat

 

A girl can never have too many hats, right ? I rarely use mine in Lisbon, but they get a lot of wear when we go traveling. So I thought the trip to Istanbul was a good excuse to make myself a new one. I wanted to use the lovely brown yarn I'd bought in Munster, and after browsing dozens of patterns on Rav I decided on the Jane hat. It has a double brim, which means it keeps my ears warm even though it's a lace pattern.

You can't see it very well in the photos, but the yarn has silver/gray speckles all over,  which knitted up looks even better. And it's incredibly soft and cozy. I was worried it would pill like crazy, but I've worn it during the whole trip, plus a few more times after I came back (we've had a couple of cold spells) and it hasn't pilled at all, so I'm very happy about that.

:: with my friend M. in Kadikoy, on the Asian side of Istanbul

Pattern: Jane, by Jane Richmond
Yarn: Lana Grossa Garzato Più (used one skein)
Needles: 4 mm for the ribbing and 5 mm for the rest
Project page

* hello *

So... it's been ages, I guess. I've been really bad at keeping this blog updated. Not that things aren't happening, they are. I have a few hand knits I'd like to show you, and there was a short trip to Istanbul a few weeks ago I'd like to write about. But work keeps me very busy, and this little girl here pretty much occupies the rest of my time.

But let's try again, shall I ? One of my 2013 goals was going to be to try to post at least once a week. I'm a bit late with that, but I promise to do better from now on.
(so hand knit posts coming up soon, including the Flooers hat you see above, and a detailed trip report on Istanbul)