This week I started a new cardi, and I'm super impressed by the construction! It's the Colors of Kauai cardigan by Hanna Maciejewska.

I scored some Wollmeise DK in Aquarius way back on the every first day it was listed. I was in the car, on the bluetooth calling Emily and trying to talk her through the order over the phone. Somehow, through pure luck, I managed to score two skeins. I was ordering totally blindly. I had no idea of yardage, how much I'd ordered and whether it was enough to make something or not.

So then I was cruising Ravelry and found Colors of Kauai, and decided it was meant to be. I bought the pattern without paying too much attention, just that it was a cute cardi and the yardage and gauge were right.
I didn't actually look at the construction until Sunday night when I sat down to begin. It's genius. First you begin with a provisional cast on. This is the top of the back. You knit down to the bottom of the armholes.

Then you undo a little of the provisional cast on, and knit the left front down to beneath the armholes.

Once you've done that, unzip the rest of the provisional cast on, pop the middle stitches on hold for the neck and knit the right front down.

Once you're past the underarms for all the pieces, you join them up and knit down for the rest of the body.

Genius! After the body is done, I'll pick up stitches around the armholes and knit the sleeves down.
Looking forward to seeing how it all comes together.

I may also have started something I haven't done in quite a long time.

I'm knitting a shawl. It really has been a while - more than three years! Wollmeise again, the "Walk on The Moon" kit in colourway number 6, scored in a Rav destash. Not too far along yet, but gorgeous already!

So, Sewvember happened and I failed miserably at blogging any of it at all. Go, me! So instead you get a very brief wrap up. (But hugely picture heavy!)

A bunch of Aussies decided to christen November Sewvember. People had different plans for the month - some planned only to make at least one item, some planned to sew a little every day, some planned to wear handmade all month. Knowing that I am all kinds of useless at sticking to anything, I just planned to wear as much handmade as I could and make a sizeable dent in the sewing pile. Success at both!

I finished my Colette Hazel dress in Nani Iro Fuwari Fuwari. (Same fabric as the original, different colourway, obtained from Calico & Ivy. This one was finished and worn in Sewvember.

Mostly a success. The bodice is a little big, and I might remake it. I had loads of fabric left over - almost a metre. I'm finding a lot of the smaller pattern companies tend to overestimate yardage requirements.

Next up is Butterick B5317 in a printed linen. Love this dress, I made it last year, but wore it in Sewvember. Actually, I wear this one a lot. The cardi is the Bellevue Cardi by Laura Chau in MadTosh MCN Worsted.

Next up, a skirt from New Look 6843 in a Sevenberry fabric from Calico & Ivy. I love this pattern, and use it a lot. It's view E.

Next up, two patterns, one outfit, one designer. It's the Kelly skirt and Banksia blouse from Megan Neilsen. The skirt I made in a grey linen/cotton blend and the blouse in Liberty Tana Lawn, both from Calico & Ivy. Great patterns! The waistband on the skirt is a bit big and needs taking in, otherwise they're great. Apologies for the blurry pic.

And another Megan Neilsen, the Darling Ranges dress in one of my favourite Liberty Tana lawn prints. Great pattern, but I didn't do the waist ties, and I should've. I'm thinking I might add some shirring at the back, just to nip the waist in a little.

Another older one, Simplicity 2196. It has pockets! One of my biggest gripes with the big pattern companies is the lack of pockets. I need pockets! What is up with that? Random cotton print from somewhere. Crap selfie ahead.

Are you bored yet? There's more. I had no idea I was so prolific.

I discovered Sewaholic patterns. I'm in love. Really. Lonsdale. In a red polka dot cotton. LOVE!
I made a few adjustments. On the advice of missfee, passed on from her sister, I added boning to the side seams. I also completely omitted the bow at the back, and just sewed the straps down. I lined the skirt and added lace. Because I like pretty!

And Sewaholic Cambie. In navy with white microdots, and white piping, version B.

And version A in a random floral cotton print. I like the fuller skirt better, but I still like this one. (And pockets in all of them!)

No mods to the Cambie patterns - except adding piping to the first one, but nothing major.

Still with me? Colette Chantilly, made last year, still in the rotation. Made in a random cotton voile. Still a favourite.

Sew Liberated Schoolhouse tunic in a Denyse Schmidt voile from Calico & Ivy. Simple, easy to wear. Made last year, worn in Sewvember.

Basic A-Line wrap skirt made in one of the new Liberty Art prints from Calico & Ivy. I adapted the New Look pattern mentioned earlier. Made and worn in Sewvember.

Lisette Market Blouse in a Lisette voile. Made last year, worn in Sewvember,

New Look 6977 t-shirt. Superquick, easy. Made and worn in Sewvember. Also washed in Sewvember. When it shrank and widened and became unwearable. Bummer.

And last but definitely not least, New Look 6457, view A in a random cotton print. Made last year, or maybe even the year before. Worn with Kim Hargreaves Buttercup top, an old favourite. (Gotta get some Kim in there somewhere!)

Maybe next time I won't store it all up to post at once.

Final thoughts - I like the independent pattern companies much more than the big ones. Of the big ones, I like New Look the best, although their sizing is plain stupid. Not at all realistic. And what's with the big companies leaving pockets off everything? Pockets are important!

I find the smaller pattern companies make patterns that are more true to size and with much, much better instructions that the big companies. They also fit better. And have pockets!!

And pink is still my favourite colour.

So it turns out that I was gone so long that I've got another finished project ready to show. Oops.

Specs:
Pattern: Pippa by Kim Hargreaves from Quirky.
Yarn: Rowan Fine Lace in Cobweb (purchased online) and Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Ghost, purchased from Calico & Ivy.
Needles: 2.75mm and 3.25mm
Modifications: None!

I'm such a Kim Hargreaves fangirl. I can't help it, I love her work, I own all the books. And the idea of combining Kidsilk Haze with Fine Lace is brilliant. It creates such a lush fabric. Divine.

I made this especially for my sister's wedding next month. I purchased this dress to wear, from Diana Ferrari.

And I wanted a cardi to wear just in case it gets a little cool. This will do the job perfectly. Of course, it'll now turn out to be a blistering hot day, and the last thing I'll want is a mohair cardi. But at least I'm prepared!

And I started something new. Not Kim Hargreaves this time, but stil Rowan. French Fancy by Amanda Crawford from Rowan Studio 27.
As soon as I saw the leaflet, I knew I had to make this, so I scooped up the yarn from Calico & Ivy and it's been sitting at the top of my queue ever since. The time has come!

Wool Cotton DK on my gorgeous Dyakcraft Darn Pretty Charcoal interchangeables. (I may or may not have Pink ones on order. Pink!)

Bliss!

A month later, Lily and Dollheid are still hibernating in the naughty basket. I fell off the planet for a bit, as I am wont to do, but some knitting has been achieved!

My Camber cardi was started a while back. Back in March of 2011, in fact. I did the body, I did the icord edging, and started the first sleeve. There I stalled. She languished, unloved and ignored. It was all that laceweight black stocking stitch. B-o-r-i-n-g. I'd pick it up, do a row or two, get distracted by some other project that was prettier, more enticing, less intensive.

Then, when Lily took up residence in the naughty basket, I pulled Camber back out. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that once I got back to work, it took less than a week to finish the first sleeve and complete the second. Oops.

Specs:
Pattern: Camber by Jessamyn Leib
Yarn: Wollmeise Lace-Garn in Schwarz, Just over half of a skein. (They're gigantic skeins, 300g, 1740 yards.
Needles:3.5mm

Nineteen months. Embarrassing, especially when it came out so well! Perfect for Spring days when it's still a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings, not too warm, just perfect.

And I seriously love the lace pattern around the yoke.

Only thing I don't love is the way the fronts gape around the buttons. i've only been wearing it done up, so I might actually sew them together and have a faux cardi instead.

The whole thing was worked precisely to the pattern,except that I lengthened the sleeves - I've mentioned in the past that Im not really a fan of the three quarter sleeve.

I also finished up a sample for the shop that I seriously fell in love with!

The Honey cowl. Easy, easy , easy! And luscious in Debbie Bliss Andes.

Specs:
Pattern: Honey Cowl by Madelinetosh
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Andes, 4 skeins in 008, red.(Lush. Seriously)
Needles: 4.5mm

Mods: None, it's perfect. I made the long version, and it can be worn long, or doubled over and short. And it's super easy. nothing more difficult than a knit, purl or a slipped stitch. After convincing Emily to model it for me, she immediately started dropping hints for me to make her one exactly like it. Not happening.

At least. not until after I make one for myself!

Remember when I'd almost finished Olivia, and I ran out of yarn?

I was lucky, I went to work and there was one lonely skein in the right dyelot just waiting for me.

It's becoming a habit, and I've not been quite so lucky again. I mentioned a couple of posts back that I'd started a Lily cardigan. It's looking good, coming along nicely.

Awesome right? I thought so. Then I realised that I was using yarn at an alarming rate. I weighed the yarn, then did two rows and weighed the yarn again. It's not going to happen.

I purchased it from the Wagtail Yarns farm, and I'm not sure if it's 80/20 or 60/40 blend. I've emailed Wagtail and will have to wait and see if they can identify it so that I can get some more.

Into the naughty corner with Lily.

And so I cast on a Dollheid hat. It's been a while since I did some colourwork, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy it.
It uses a gorgeous icord cast on.

Followed by corrugated ribbing.

I'm using Jamiesons Shetland Spindrift in Natural White, Blossom and Raspberry. And I'm nearly done, only about 16 rounds to go!

But guess what?

Yup. I'm out of the Natural White. I got the yarn at Loop, and they're out of stock for a few weeks.

Into the naughty corner with Dollheid, too! Things happen in threes, right? I'll be all good if I start something else, surely!

I love it when an easy project flies off the needles, is wonderfully wearable and easy to boot. Love it.

Such was the Easy Lace Cowl. I decided I needed a cowl. Didn't really find anything that was what I was looking for. So I made one up. Easy stitch pattern, rough guesstimate of numbers, off I went.

And I promise that it's easy! a simple six stitch, four row repeat. And two of those rows are plain knit rows.

Specs:
Pattern: Easy Lace Cowl (by me!) You can get it for free from Ravelry here.
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton DK in "Misty" from Calico & Ivy, 3 balls.
Needles: I used 4mm, which means that everyone else should probably go with 4.5mm.

The finished cowl is 23cm wide and 130cm long. Goes twice around my neck nicely!

I'm really happy with this! The only stitches you'll need to know are Knit, purl, yarn over and a centred double decrease, which is much easier than it sounds. It's worked over three stitches, and you just slip 2 stitches together as if you're going to do a knit-2-together, then K1, and then pass the two slipped stitches together over the Knit 1.

It makes a lovely pattern that looks harder than it is.

You can find the pattern for free on Ravelry - Easy Lace Cowl pattern

So now what am I working on now that Olivia is done and dusted?

I started a Lily cardigan, suing some mohair/wool blend I got from the Wagtail Yarns farm a few years back on one of our trips to see David's family.

Coming along swimmingly! First sleeve is done, I've actually started the second.

But, oops! Shiny, shiny syndrome bit. I decided that I absolutely had to have a grey cowl. Like, yesterday. So I picked up some Rowan Wool Cotton in Misty and made some executive decisions. Couldn't find a pattern that I really liked, so I made one up.

I picked up three balls, and I'm halfway through the second. Three looks to be about right.

But then, the new Kim Hargreaves book arrived. Trying to avoid the temptation, but theres some Kidsilk Haze and Rowan Fine Lace in my stash that is just begging to become Pippa....

Apologies if you haven't received a reply to a comment. The web host has implemented a "fix" that has resulted in my not receiving comments by email, which makes it much harder to respond. The guru is on it, he tells me. This is after the blog software upgrade that went wonky and refused to accept any comments so it had to be downgraded. And not related, I'm told!

I was extremely nervous about the Felted Tweed I needed after I ran out six rows short of finishing the neckband on Olivia. I'd got it from Calico & Ivy quite a while back, and it's a popular colour. I knew we were short of that particular colour, an I was sure I wouldn't be able to match the dyelot.

We had two balls left when I got in on Monday, and one of those balls was the right dyelot. Oh, the relief! If worse had come to worst, I could've ripped out the neckband and done the neck and wristbands in the new dyelot, but thankfully it didn't come to that!

And so she is done!

So happy with it, I love it!

Specs: Olivia by Kim Hargreaves from the sadly discontinued Thrown Together book.
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed DK in Rage
Needles: 2.75mm & 3mm Addi Turbos
Mods: I made the sleeves longer. Which is why I ran out of yarn! I'm not a fan of three quarter sleeves. The current fad for them perplexes me. If I'm cold enough for sleeves, I want long sleeves. The pattern also calls for you to do the sleeve cuffs before seaming. I did the seaming first, then did the cuffs in the round. I just think it gives a neater finish, but it wasn't a huge mod.

I really like the pockets, a little too small to be really functional, but a fun detail. And I love the buttons I got! I got them from an etsy seller called Buttonalia . They're ceramic and a little heavy, but so perfect!

Which just reminded me of one other mod. The buttons were pulling on the band a little, and I wasn't 100% happy with the way it was sitting, so I sewed the band closed between the top and the second button. It's not a cardigan I'd wear open anyway, so it wasn't a big deal, but it is sitting much better now.

And I wore it three times this week - new favourite!

Look at Olivia!

It's kind of funny how I go off on colour jaunts. Usually it's pink and/or purple. Right now, guess which colour I seem to be obsessed with?

I started some Wussypillow mitts.

(Spud & Chloe Fine in Red Hot)

I finished the Jitterbug socks for Calico & Ivy

(Colinette Jitterbug in Vatican Pie)

I started a Honey Cowl for Calico & Ivy

(Debbie Bliss Andes 08 Red)

and Olivia's sill plugging away, interminably

(Rowan Felted Tweed in Rage)

Red, anyone? (The not-red diversion hat is finished and blocking)