I have made some new stitch markers.

Last time I posted my stitch markers a few of you asked if I was planning to sell them. I don’t think I really want to produce enough markers to make a business of it, but I am clearly producing WAY more markers than I need myself. So I have been thinking about this question a bit. I have also been thinking about mitered squares, a lot. I want to make a blanket in shades of pinks and purples but the range of yarns available in Australia is limited, subsequently limiting the colours available too.

I am wondering how many of you would be interested in trading yarn for stitch markers? Some of the markers are more expensive to make than others, some are in larger or smaller sets so I haven’t worked out the details yet but I am thinking that roughly I would want one skein each of two different colours for a set. If I went ahead with this plan I would post a page with the markers currently available for trade, a “colour card” of the colour range I am thinking of and gauge guidelines. Would you be interested?

I looked in my ribbon stash and found purple and green ribbon. I was so disproportionately pleased with this discovery that I feel the need post another photo of the box containing the quilt, this time with lid and ribbon.

This was one of the distractions I used to entertain myself while trying to decide what to make next. Then I looked at Froggy’s last post and suddenly wondered if I should make Strike (from Rowan 27, see a pic here) instead of Alison’s Leftovers Vest. I really like Strike and managed to waste most of last night forcing Jesse to help me choose which pattern to knit. In the end we decided the Jo Sharp DK Tweed may make too firm a fabric for Strike and also I don’t really have the patience to wait for the book to arrive from the UK. In the process of choosing between the two patterns I discovered that all the information I needed to pick a Leftovers Vest size was right there in the pattern. Duh! All that procrastination for nothing. So at about 10pm last night I finally cast on the Leftovers Vest.

Along the way I had fun choosing just the right stitch markers for this project. How sad is that? Choosing this pattern meant I could cast on right away but then I found that I don’t actually have the right needles for the body so I placed an order for a bunch of new Addis last night. Of course they had all the needles I asked for except the ones I need right now. In fact no where in Australia seems to have 60cm or 80cm 4mm Addis. Arrghhh.

While I am complaining about everything else, am I the only one who has trouble finding the centre end of the yarn with Jo Sharp yarns? I am forever having to pull out half the ball and mess it up to find the end I want to knit from. ugh.

I finished Thomas’s quilt last night and it is oh so soft and snuggly. In the end it took two nights putting it together and two nights hand stitching the binding down… Which makes it doable to wait until babies are born and then make one before the first visit. The question is - will I (wait that is)? I am yet to decide whether to start another one of these blankets tonight or start making the Jo Sharp vest that is next in my knitting queue. I am planning to use Alison’s Leftovers Vest from the Winter ‘04 Knitty but I am having trouble settling on a size. While procrastinating over the vest last night I made some more stitch markers.

Taking photos of them reminded me that I had not shown you the markers I made over the Easter break. These may just be my favourites of all the markers I have made. It was such a shame I could only get three of these beads.

I have just started the last skein of yarn on my first French Market Bag, I am hoping to be done tomorrow night but that may be a little hopeful as I didn’t make much progress today…

The second bag has grown it’s first stripe…. My big issue with this bag is the handles. I know I want short handles but I don’t know whether to stick with the original FMB pattern or whether to go for icord handles. I am nto sure which option would be stronger. Any advice here would be most welcome.

Lately I have been feeling anxious about whether I am up to knitting adult sized sweaters. While holding these bags up against my body the other day I realised I have all ready knit a sweaters worth of stocking stitch on these bags and they aren’t done yet!

Part of the reason I didn’t make as much progress as I hoped for today is that Isabelle and I visited not one, but two, bead shops today and couldn’t help but play…

p.s. those last two photos were taken on the same table about 3 minutes apart (ie same light conditions). I have NO idea how I ended up with such differnet colour results. I really must read the camera’s manual one day…

The French Market Bag is ready for a second ball of the main colour, for the second time. It may have to wait a while…

My second market bag is not going to be a French Market bag after all but rather a hybrid somewhere between a FMB and one of those shopping baskets made out of woven packing tape. Making a rectangular base is much easier than a square as you can bypass the DPNs and go straight to a circular needle. Seaming the centre line takes a bit of time but I still feel like the rectangle has been easier. I am thinking that this bag may end up a more practical shape for a larger felted bag, more likely to hold its shape when loaded up with stuff.

And finally the last of the little things I have been trying to find a moment to show off - I have been making stitch markers again. I was quite dubious about the new rings I found ( I thought they might be a bit to chunky) so I tried some of them out on the FMB.

In short, I LOVE them! Big, it turns out, is better. Grandma Mary spotted these heart shaped markers the second I got my FMB out to show her so I have made up another set to give her with her wash cloth.

Isabelle has been finding more treasures on the beach…. speaking of the beach, this may be a beach holiday and summer may be officially upon us, but it’s pouring with rain and the howling of the wind is so loud it is hard to hear yourself think.

Having made noises about buying more of the styk stitch markers when they are ready come october, I found I will need markers before then. So I went out and bought some and they were UGLY. Not content to use ugly markers for a beautiful task I got busy and made my own.

For the price of about 4 of the styck markers (shown on its own at the top of the photo) I have made 12 of my own and have enough bits and pieces left over to make a gazillion more. Now that I know I can do it I will be on the look out for some truly beautiful beads…