ok, so I umm “borrowed” this idea off my sister-in-law … but I reckon it’s a good idea. Buy a needle size gauge, mark on it which size needles you’ve already got and keep it in your bag. That way, you won’t accidentally double up on needles when you go to the LYS.

I’ve also made a list of the knitting projects I’m interested in, and the type of yarn they need … I’m almost always looking to substitute yarns. Lots of patterns I like are printed elsewhere, and yarns that are a reasonably priced elsewhere can become very expensive when imported to Australia. Although I’m also partial to Jo Sharp patterns!

Mood: *People who know me will understand the question mark. I’m only ever as organised as I need to be 😉

I’m in that jumping from project to project mood – no time to really concentrate, no patience to actually finish anything. Maybe it’s a pre-Christmas delirium, or the return of the Summer heat …

Currently, I have half a sleeve and most of a back for this jumper; a whole sleeve and most of the back for A’s Devan. I tried giving the Endpaper Mitts a go, but the combination of a new cast-on method (Italian tubular) and the new-to-me Magic Loop concept was just too much – hence my little pile of abandoned cast-on attempts. Oh, and I misread the pattern a couple of times for good measure 😉

So what did I do in my jumpy mood? Try to design a new! different! colourwork project, my own pattern – sure to be easier than following a pre-tested pattern … NOT!

P.S. I’ll give the Endpaper Mitts another go with some DPNs, and if any of my other projects turn out, I’ll let you know.

but I’ve forgotten the word. Something like ‘dealing with past mistakes before moving on to something new’ or ‘making the best of what you’ve got’. I bought this wool on sale over 3 years ago. I was just thinking about getting back into knitting again, after a long, long break. I liked the promise of a ‘quick and easy’ knit, particularly as I was thinking of making my first adult-sized jumper. I did knit it a bit, then put it away, moved house, went back to Uni, had a baby, did tons of other things. This blog prompted me to look through my craft supplies and find a half-knit red jumper. But I couldn’t work out which pattern I’d used, or whether I’d intended to combine a couple.

In the meantime, my tastes changed. I’ve got to admit, I rather like “What not to wear” with Trinny and Susannah. Sure, I understand the criticisms of it, you get a glimpse of far bigger problems in people’s lives that a new set of clothes won’t fix and why does every woman have to look feminine anyhow? But I agree that you feel more confident if you think you look good, and there’s no point emphasising your ugly bits or hiding your best features. And I r.e.a.l.l.y like the concept that you don’t need to diet down to stick-thin model size or have plastic surgery to look better, you just need to select your clothes more carefully / cleverly. Whatever your price-range.

I think I’m usually pretty ok in my clothes choices if I can try them on, but until I started watching the show, I hadn’t thought about general principles of what looks good on me (the ‘rules’). When I thought about this wool and the patterns I’d chosen I realised they’d make a garment that was exactly the opposite of what looks good on me.

I also realised that really thick, chunky wool isn’t that popular in craft/knit blogland. It sorta isn’t ‘real’ knitting. The colour’s still ok, ‘tho.

So I started searching for a better pattern. With chunky wools, it’s seems patterns are either for flash-dance-style crop tops or heavy-duty tents. Oh yes, I could make a heap of hats and scarves with 10 balls, but I couldn’t wear them all!! Finally, I found this. At least it has some shaping, and a hint of neck.

There’s so many other knits I’d love to work on (I might still start them), but I feel I should put a bit of time into this. Oh, and the fish are just for fun.