Casting on

It’s been almost two weeks since my last post.   Mr. Aitch and I have been on the road and once we finally got back home, regular life started back.  Today is the first day I’m had to sit down and regroup.

I started the Sheep Carousel tea cozy by Kate Davies.  This is how far I’ve gotten after spending almost two hours with the provisional cast on and first two rows.

 

 

The blue is the provisional cast-on row.  I used this tutorial which was so easy to learn and understand.  It’s really not difficult at all but for some reason my brain was not able to count properly.  Counting is very important when one has to cast on a certain number of stitches before joining the yarn in the round.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…….

Craft group

Before I go any farther, I am posting this from my iPad. I apologize in advance for any inconsistencies with the formatting, spelling, and general wonkiness.

Mr. Aitch and I are house/dog sitting for his brother this week in my hometown. My aunt also lives here so we’ve been spending time with her as well.

On Monday I went a senior center where she leads exercises for the residents.  I am embarrassed to admit that I couldn’t keep up with them.  These women (including my aunt) are at least 20-30 years older than I am.

Yesterday we went to a craft group. I took my knitting with me and the ladies there wanted to know all about my felted bag since I was working on the one for my sister. They weren’t quite sure how that flat piece of knitting was going to end up as the 3-D bag.

I did finish all the flat knitting and now have to sew the loose squares and side seams before I add the I-cord edging.

The colors are really charcoal and lime green.

The ladies also oohed and awed over my next project: Sheep Carousel Tea Cozy.  I hope to get started on that soon.

Here is a picture from the craft group.  Unfortunately I didn’t think to take a picture earlier as one of the ladies had already left.  So from l to r: my aunt Evelyn, Josephine, Dorothy, and Deo.  A lovely group of ladies.

A new treat

I read and subscribe to various blogs.  Some are about knitting and some are not.  Kate Davies’ blog, “needled,” is one knitting blog I read regularly.  I have a link to it on the right side of the screen.  I truly admire her.

She recently published a pattern that I fell in love with instantly.

The Sheep Carousel tea cozy.

I’ve only purchased one kit previously and I decided to treat myself to another one.  It’s sent, I mean dispatched, from Jamison & Smith.  I usually wrap a tea towel around my teapot to keep it warm but once finished my teapot will be very fashionable and warm in Jamison & Smith 100% Shetland wool.

I ordered it on July 7 and it was dispatched from the UK on the 9th.  It was waiting for me when I got home from work today.

The contents:

The pattern (a bit wrinkled and crinkled):

A close-up of the project bag (squee!!)*:

The back of the booklet:

A couple of the techniques are a bit daunting for me.   I’ve done stranded colorwork, corrugated ribbing (semi-successfully), i-cords and centered double decreases.  Steeks scare me.  A lot.  What?  Cut my knitting?  Are you nuts?!?  Vikkel braids  look so interesting.

There is enough yarn to make two tea cozies.  My teapot can have two outfits: one with moorit (brown) sheep and one with white sheep.

I only hope I do this pattern, yarn and designer justice.

* Did I just type “Squee”??