Stock for the shop opening

I have chosen a name for my shop: StitchyMama Handknits. Big news here is that I am now licensed to sell Curly Purly Soakers and use the waistband on longies/shorties. Very exciting!!! I have also decided to place my shop at Yarn Collective. I will be opening in June sometime. I'll keep the Blog updated with opening dates when known.

Here is my Logo:

Finished Projects for the shop:

I have been knitting up some stock for the opening over the last couple of weeks. Here are some piccies:

Rainbow Tweed TiKKi Dress and Beanie
This dress and beanie were knit using Jolly Jumbuck Demeter (Treliske) in the colourway Rainbow Tweed and Pink Tweed. I used 4mm needles for the dress and 3mm and 4mm needles for the beanie. The dress is knit in the 3-6 month size and the beanie is 38cm circumference to for a bubs 3-9 months old. The hem of the dress was finished with an i-cord bind-off and both are embellished with i-cord flowers.

Ocean Dreams Curly Purly Soaker
This soaker was knit using the large size of the Curly Purly soaker pattern and uses Yarn Cafe Aran BFL in the Ocean Dreams colourway. I used 3mm, 4mm and 5mm needles to complete it.

Misty Morning TiKKi Dress
This 0-3 month size TiKKi dress was knit using some Yarn Cafe Treliske in the Misty Morning colourway. I used 4mm needles and embellished the dress with a garter stitch hem and a knitted flower on the bodice. I am thinking of knitting a matching shrug in light purple for this one.

Custom Orders:

I have also been working on the two custom orders I have atm. Here is the first one. It is a Black TiKKi dress in a size 1 (to fit a 52cm chest). It is knit on 4mm needles with Patons Merino Totem in Black and is embellished with flowers using Enchanted Eggplant DK BFL.

I initially knitting this dress with some 4BF I dyed up. Unfortunately the first 150g batch had so many breaks that about 50g was useless to me. I dyed up another 90g but unfortunately the colour turned out a glossy black while the old lot was more of a matt black. No amount of overdying could rectify the problem so I ended up starting over with some yarn from Lincraft. I knit the customer a Meanthead Hat as a gift to say sorry for taking so log. This was knit using Cleckheaton Gusto 10 on 10mm needles and embellished with a flower same as on the dress.

The other custom I am working on is using some BFL I dyed myself. It is a pair of large Curly Purly soakers. I am really happy with the way the dye up has turned out, here is the first of the pair:

Free Pattern - Mistake Rib Neck Warmer

I decided to make a pattern up for a neck warmer today. I've made it in Mistake Rib pattern to match the Mistake Rib Beanie by Kniterati. I have permission to knit the beanie pattern so I am going to make beanie and scarf sets for the shop using these patterns.
I've listed it as a free Ravelry download

Here's some piccies:

April Knitting

New developments:
I have decided to open a WAHM shop to sell my knitted clothing for NB-2year bubbies. I will be selling from another blog I have set up to start with and later joining one of the WAHM Malls. I will be selling in-stock items as well as offering customs for some items. I will be stocking TiKKi dresses, Seamless Baby Kimono's and Seamless Kimono Sweater's using Jacki's pattern, some round neck sweaters and sweater dresses I am working on atm (based on another Raveler's patterns with her consent) Wooly Weaver longies and shorties, Curly Purly soakers (and the waistband option for longies/shorties) and items from my own patterns ie shrugs, baby jackets, Swing Coats and Vests. I may also stock the occasional scarf and beanie sets for children.

Custom Orders:

Atm I have a couple of custom orders I am working on. I am working on a couple of soakers for a friend also with some BFL Aran I dyed up. I am in the process of getting a license for Curly Purly Soakers and waistbands. This is the pattern I will be using for these soakers once approval has come though. Here is the dye job for this custom.

I call the variegated colourway Siberian Tiger as it was inspired by an iron-on transfer I have of some tigers with their beautiful white, grey and black coats and vibrant blue eyes.

The other custom is a TiKKI dress in the 1 year size. This will be all black with a picot hem and some variegated flowers around the bottom. here is a progress pic of what I have done so far:

On the Needles:

Night Rainbow Peace Longies

I am making these for DD using a pattern written by one of me fellow Woolaholics members Candice. I am one of the test knitters for her pattern. I am using part of my Easter Yarn Swap from Suey - the Blackberry Ridge yarn in the Night Rainbow colourway from Monster Knits. I also ordered 50g of 3ply worsted in black to use for the waistband and cuffs. I can't wait to get these finished, it has turned decidedly cold here and for little DD doesn't have any longies, only soakers.

Finished Projects for April:

Seamless Baby Shrug
This is a pattern I designed myself. This shrug was the first, the prototype if you may. I knit it in the 6-12 month size for my DD in some Dashing I had dyed deep purple. The pattern is currently being test-knit for me by some friends from Ravelry. I will be making these for the shop and if the pattern is good enough I will also be selling that at a later stage.
Here are some piccies of the shrug in action on DD. Sorry about the face blurring, I can't bear the thought of photo's of her loose on the internet.

Lillypilly TiKKi Dress
This dress was made using some 4BF I dyed and some 8ply Superwash Live2Knit in the 'Lillypilly' colourway. I used 4mm needles and TiKKi's Rainbow dress pattern in my adapted 9-12 month size. I added a picot hem to the bottom and a picot flower to the bodice. I've also added a piccie of the dress worn by my DD. These little dresses are so good for all year round. They look really cute with leggings and a skivvy underneath in winter and a singlet and soaker in summer. I'm going to try one in cotton when Summer comes round too.

Lillypilly Picot Seamless Kimono and Picot Beanie
This Kimono was inspired by two patterns, Louisa Hardings 'Harvey Kimono' and Jacki's 'Seamless Baby Kimono'. Basically I painstakingly melded the two patterns together, using Jacki's seamless top down approach and the stitch counts and shaping from the Harvey Kimono. I used the Live2Knit 8ply Superwash Lauren in the Lillypilly colourway and 4.5mm needles for this project. This is knit the 12 month size for Cady for this winter.

The beanie is made using the Louisa Harding 'Beanie Hat' pattern (adapted to be knit in the round) in the 12 month size.

Tannenbaum NB Seamless Sweater and NB Beanie
This has been made for my sisters bub, due in August. I used Yarn Cafe 4BF in the Tannenbaum colourway and some Treliske in Chocolate. The pattern used was Jacki's Seamless Kimono Sweater in an adapted newborn size and I used 4.5mm needles. I further adapted the pattern to make it more boyish by continuing the eyelet lace around the entire neckline, excluding the mid-section tie and adding a strip of Chocolate to both the bottom of the body and the arms. I also adapted the arm shaping.
The beanie was knit with the same size needles and same yarn using a pattern I found at Knitting on the Net. I adapted this pattern for 8ply yarn and a 34cm head.

January's FO's

My stash is getting rediculous (blush) so I am not going to bother posting it anymore. Anyone who is interested can just check it out on Ravelry anyway.

On the Needles:

Cady's Amelie Dress

I have all but finished this one. All I have left to do is attach some buttons to the shoulder and knit up more flowers to be attached all over the dress. Again not really in a rush to do this as she won't fit it for 5 months. I'll get it done soon though.

French Market Bag
I am making this with some Panda Woolbale I got from Spotlight in their sale. They were only 50 cents a ball so it will end up being one of the cheapest bags I have ever bought :) I am knitting the base in Olive green on 6mm DPN's (couldn't find any 7mm ones). The body of the bag will be knit on 7mm circs and will have a few stripes. Cream will be the main colour, with thick purple stripes and a skinny green one between them. The handle will be in the coours as well.

I haven't got a progress piccie yet as I am only part way though the base. Her are some piccies of the yarn I'm using instead :)

Thuja Socks for DH

These are to be a Valentines Day pressie for my DH. I am using Patons Superwash 8Ply and 4mm needles. I am attempting to knit these using the knitting on 2 circs method as I have a strong dislike for DPN's. I've only just started these so no progress pic yet only yarn pic.

Recently Finished Projects (most recent to oldest):
Okay, inspired by the Woolaholics UFO month I got a few of mine finished, plus a few new items as well of course.

Here's the new projects I finished recently:

Baby Blue 'Tom' Vest

This was knit for a friends baby boy bump in the 0-3 month size. I used Spotlight Dashing with 4.5 and 3.5mm needles. I altered the pattern to knit the main body in the round and the neckhole and armhole ribbing were also knit on 30cm circs. I also put only 2 pattern repeats at the botton of the vest as I thought it would be too busy if I continued it throughout.

NB Rocky Creek Longies Set

This was knit again for a friends baby boy bump. I used Yarn Cafe Navy treliske for the waistband and cuffs and Yarn Cafe Single ply worsted weight yarn (100purewool single ply) in the Rocky Creek colourway for the MC. I used the Picky Pants pattern in the NB size with an added 1" in the rise and the leg length. Needles used were 3.5 and 4.5mm circs.

The beanie was made with a heavily modified free pattern from the internet (see Ravelry project file for details)

Cady's Fuschia Shrug

Cady has grown out of her pink shrug now so I decided it was time to make another one, especially since all the alterations were still in my head from knitting Gabby's. I knit this on Sue's Secret Supplier (SSS) wool and 4.5mm needles. Alterations to the pattern were the same as the ones made for Gabby's below. This yarn was super soft and I have some leftover so I shall be making some headbands and a beanie for Cady with it at a later date.

Here's the UFO's that were finished in January:

Cady's Purple Splish Splash Soaker
I knit this for my DD using the Snapdragon Soaker pattern. The yarn used was Jolly Jumbuck Venus (100purewool single ply) with a solid purple and the Splish Splash colourway. It is very soft and squishy but pills easily. My gauge with this yarn was that of 8ply so I had to knit the sts for 2 sizes up. I decided to make a feature of the bottom and used the different yarn to make a strip and then stitched her name there. The heart embellishments were done using chain st.

Gabby's Red Shrug
This shrug was knit as a 1st birthday present for a friends little girl. It was knit using Red Zhavigo yarn and 4.5mm needles. I used the Debbie Bliss Baby Shrug pattern in the 12-18 month size with a few alterations. I did a crochet edging instead of the ribbing in the pattern and only did 1/2 length sleeves. The crochet edge was a row of tr and then alternating front post tr and back post tr. It was quite a pain to knit as the yarn kept slipping off the addis turbo's. Can't say I want to knit with this yarn again but it did turn out lovely in the end. Gabby's mum appreciated all the effort that was put into it and I'm sure it will get alot of wear in the near future.

Review of Knitted Xmas gifting

In The Wool Basket:
Now before I list all of this I thought I'd better explain... There are 3 bubbies expected in my friends and family before August so alot of this will be gifted as woolies for these little ones. I have also started knitting things other than woolies too. I have made a few scarfs and may even venture into making myself a cardigan before winter. I also bought myself a Louisa Harding and a Debbie Bliss pattern book for Xmas so I have been inspired to make alot more of Cady's clothes for Winter this year.

From The Yarn Cafe I have:
100g of 3ply Worsted 100Purewool in Mud Princess, ~50g of DK BFL in Kai, 100g of Aran BFL in 'Ocean Dreams' (Aqua blue and greys), 100g of Aran BFL in 'Purple Strands', 100g Single ply Worsted 100purewool in 'Walker' with 50g of 3ply Worsted 100purewool in a green to match, 100g BFL DK in 'Merman' with 50g Treliske in Aqua/Turquoise to match, 100g 4BF in 'Tannenbaum', 200g of 3ply Worsted 100purewool in 'Rinn', 100g of single ply worsted in 'Rocky Creek', 200g of Aran BFL in Plum Tree (Plums and greens) with 50g Plum for feature colour, 100g of 12ply Polwarth Merino in 'Walker', 200g of Chunky Wrap BFL in 'Misty Morning' (for a scarf) and mini-skeins (50g) of Treliske wool in Pink, Turquoise (to match Ocean dreams), Chocolate, Navy (both to match Kai), and Plum (to match Rinn) to be used for cuffs and waistbands .

From Jolly Jumbuck I have:
100g of MINERVA (DK BFL) in 'Enchanted Eggplant', 250g of ATHENA - 150g of Retro Prince with 50g of Chocolate and 50g of Turquoise to match, 200g of BERTHA (Big Blue BFL) in 'Enchanted Eggplant (from DH as a xmas gift).

From the NZ Wool Company I have:
200g each of Utiku 8 Ply Multi Colours in Gems, Watermelon, Boysenberry and the Chocolate brown colourways.

From Bendigo Woolen Mills I have:
200g balls of 100% cotton in Lemon Drop, Heather, Lilac, Damask Rose (100g), Light Teal (175g), Snow, Latte. 400g of Colonial 8 Ply 100% wool in Camelia to be used for dying.

From WoolyButts I have:
100g of Secret Squirrel 22 Micron Merino, in a berry (pink/purple) colourway.

Wooly Mail on it's way:

Live2Knit

150g of Barbara (100% Cotton 8Ply) in Fig and 100g in Red/Pink colour to match, 300g of Shirley (8Ply Superwash Merino) in 'LillyPilly' and an undecided amount of Joan (5Ply Superwash Merino). These are all to be used on Winter clothes for Cady.

On the Needles:

Cady's Amelie Dress
I have loved this wool ever since I got it. I think it was my first custom order from Elissa and was originally supposed to be used on a Flirty Skirty. I decided the colours weren't really strong enough for that and that treliske wasn't really suited to this use anyway. Instead I decided to try making a dress in size 1 for Cady. It should be suitable to be worn in autumn/winter/spring seasons depending on sizing of course. It is just soooo pretty, can't wait to finish it :)

My Jacaranda Scarf

This wool was part of a swap with a friend from the EB MCN Knitters Group. She hand-dyed some BWM Cameo in a colourway she calls 'Jacaranda'.

I'm knitting it on 6mm needles using the Dropped Yarnover Scarf by Curly Purly. I'm not in a huge rush to get this done as it is Summer but I am definately aiming to have it done by winter because it is soft and the yarn is so pretty.

Recently Finished Projects (most recent to oldest):

Kirra's Sundress
Finally finished this one. It turned out a little bigger than intended but I am assured by the recipients mum that it will still be worn. The lengthy amounts of stockingette st were quite boring so it took me longer than it should have (blush).

Mum's Bird of Paradise So Called Scarf

This scarf was knit on 6mm needles with 225g of 100purewool worsted (single ply) in the Bird of Paradise colourway and matching purple from Jolly Jumbuck. This was fun to knit and a great way to use this colourway which I loved but was unsure I could really use it for soakers etc. Mum really likes orange and green too so I think it was a success.

I had a bit of trouble with the edges on one side but managed to fix it with some help from my EB MCN Knitters Group friends. Notes on how I fixed it are on my Ravelry info for this project if anyone is interested.

MIL's Drop Stitch Scarf

This was knit with 10mm needles and 100g of undyed Chunky Wrap wool from the Yarn Cafe. I used the Lion Brand Pattern for a Drop Stitch Scarf. Elissa gifted me with this yarn as a sample so I though I'd better put it to good use. My MIL loved getting it for her xmas pressie :)

More Xmas Knitting

In The Wool Basket:

From Monster Knits I have:
100g of Worsted weight Purewool in Mud Princess, ~50g of DK BFL in Kai, 200g of Treliske in 'Misty Morning', 100g of Aran BFL in 'Ocean Dreams' (Aqua blue and greys), 100g of Aran BFL in 'Purple Strands', 200g of Aran BFL in Plum Tree (Plums and greens) with 50g Plum for feature colour, mini-skeins (50g) of Treliske wool in Pink, Turquoise (to match Ocean dreams), dark purple (to match Misty morning) and Chocolate and Navy (both to match Kai) to be used for cuffs and waistbands.

From Jolly Jumbuck I have:
100g of MINERVA (DK BFL) in 'Enchanted Eggplant', 250g of ATHENA - 150g of Retro Prince with 50g of Chocolate and 50g of Turquoise to match, 200g of VENUS -150g of Bird of Paradise with 50g of mid/dark Purple to match, 75g VENUS - 25g Splish Splash and 50g of purple to match.

From the NZ Wool Company I have:
200g each of Utiku 8 Ply Multi Colours in Gems, Watermelon, Boysenberry and the Chocolate brown colourways.

From Bendigo Woolen Mills I have:
200g balls of 100% cotton in Lemon Drop, Heather, Lilac, Damask Rose, Light Teal, Snow, Latte. 400g of Colonial 8 Ply 100% wool in Camelia to be used for dying.

From a swap with Sue I have:
200g of Anchor Magicline Cotton in 8 Ply, 100g of Secret Squirrel 22 Micron Merino, in a berry (pink/purple) colourway.

Here are some piccies of my favourites:

Wooly Mail on it's way:

Yarn Cafe
100g single ply merino worsted weight in 'Walker' with 50g of merino worsted weight in a green to match
100g BFL DK in 'Merman' with 50g Treliske in Aqua/Turquoise to match
100g 4BF in 'Tannenbaum'

On the Needles:

Kirra's Sundress
This one is taking alot of fiddling but hopefully it will be worthwhile. I started off using 3.75 and 4.00 mm needles for this and lemon drop and damask rose BWM cotton. The colours didn't quite match up and my ribing was disgraceful! Here is a piccie of what that looked like:

I've now changed to light teal and damask rose BWM cotton. I've altered the pattern to suit Kirra's measurements and my gauge. I've also decided to play around with the bodice of that pattern. I have made the straps wider, the bodice panel wider and longer. Hopefully this will lead to the armholes being higher than in the original pattern as I want Kirra to be able to wear this without needing a t-shirt underneath. Here are most recent piccies:

Recently Finished Projects (most recent to oldest):

Gabby's Xmas Shorties

These were knit in medium size using the Wooly Weaver pattern (adapted slightly) and 3.5 and 4.5mm needles. I used JJ Christmas Tweed in Demeter (treliske) for the body and MK treliske in Kelly Green for the waistband and cuffs. They will make a good xmas pressie :)

Front

Back

Xmas Basketweave Headband for Me

I used the left over JJ Christmas Tweed in Demeter (treliske) and a pattern I found on Ravelry. I used 34 repeats of basketweave pattern (plus increases and decreases) and a 12" cord. Here is the pattern: http://carissaknits.blogspot.com/2007/06/basketweave-headband.html