Oliver Boliver

Knit. Sock. Love. Challenge

I thought I was the last person on earth to buy Cookie A's Knit.Sock.Love. A beautiful book full of 19 gorgeous sock patterns that was released probably 2 years ago. I searched Ravelry towards the end of last year and sadly found that any KALs (knit-a-longs) had long since finished. 

Then, just before Christmas, a lady known as CorrieG on Ravelry asked whether anyone would like to join her in her quest to begin at the beginning and work through KSL again. The thought of working through each pattern, together with another knitter started to tug at my knitting start-itus and having nearly finished Alice Yu's Socktopus KAL challenge, I picked up the gauntlets!

With the help of CorrieG and LizzieLace I set up a new group on Ravelry and within 24 hours there were over 100 members and generous offers of sponsorship (more on sponsorship soon)! The latest count has reached over 200 and new members are joining daily.

We've kicked off the KAL with a laid back KAL for Hedera. 'Laid back' in that there are no time limits so cast on when you are ready and post your progress pics in the thread as you go. There are no prizes for this KAL, it's just for fun! And if you need some convincing as to whether to dive and and download the full PDF you can try Hedera and Monkey as free patterns on Knitty too.

Hedera

For the remaining 18 patterns the plan is to knit one pattern per month, starting in February and there will be sponsored prizes to be selected at random from those knitters who start and finish within the allotted time frame. There are two KALs each month, the Orderly KAL for those wanting to knit the patterns in order of difficulty and the Adventurous KAL for those who like to throw caution to the wind and mix it up a little. I'm going to knit the Adventurous KAL as I like the balance between the cable and lace patterns as well as the mix from month to month with varying difficulties.

The patterns to choose from for February will be Monkey (Orderly KAL) and Wedge (Adventurous KAL).

Monkey

Wedge

 

Come and join in the fun!

My Year with Alice

It would seem that I have been well and truly bitten by the sock knitting monkey and have spent most of this year knitting my way through Alice Yu's lovely book, Socktopus.

You will probably remember I joined her Sock Club at the end of last year and simply can't get enough of her designs. The book is beautifully photographed with a very modern feel and the instructions are very clear (although please note that errata is available for some of the patterns).

There's a KAL (knit-a-long) running alongside the book on Ravelry and so far I've managed to knit 10 out of the 11 pairs of socks and there are 6 more pairs left to knit. Here are some of the socks I've made over the last few months (when I should have been blogging!):

V Junkie

 

Shur'tugal

And finally Kwalla

Shur'tugal is a free pattern which you can download from Ravelry so if you haven't tried Alice's patterns yet there is a commitment free opportunity to do so!

I've learned lots of new techniques plus different kinds of cast ons and offs. It really is worth buying the book; you'll want to knit every one!

x

 

Making Monday and Win a Free Knitted Pheasant Pattern

You may recall that I blogged about this little fellow a few blog posts ago (in reality that's probably sometime in June as I've been rather remiss of late with my blogging - but a few posts ago sounds much less apathetic than saying back in June. Anyway - I digress...). 

Well, he is finally finished and he had his first outing today.

Knitted Pheasant by Oliver Boliver

The chooks were definitely more than a little weirded out by a knitted pheasant honking about the garden although when they realised he wasn't interested in their food they soon bored of him.

He's knitted in Artesano Hummingbird DK in colourway (yes - you've guessed it) Pheasant which gives you his lovely pheasant-y stripes but you can knit him in any weight of yarn.

I'll be writing up the pattern this week but first he needs a name. So answers on a postcard please (or more simply just add a comment below on or before the closing date!). 

The person with the best name will win a copy of the pattern once it's written up. The closing date for the competition is Sunday 25 September and I'll announce the winner next Monday.

Enjoy!

Pen xox

PS. If you're having trouble working out how to add a comment, you can always send me a message through Ravelry instead. My username is OliverBoliver.

Manos Lace does Trillian

Things have been a little quiet on the knitting front here at Oliver Boliver whilst my wrist has rested up. Not knitting was probably one of the hardest things I've had to do and required more will power than a yo-yo dieter in a cake shop! It seems to have done the trick though and whilst I was on leave from my wonderful hobby I spent a little too much time browsing patterns on Ravelry.

I've wanted to knit something with Manos Lace for a while (especially since the full range arrived into my webshop a few weeks ago) and particularly wanted a 1 skein project. Whilst there are some amazing lace shawls which would showcase Manos Lace beautifully I didn't want to simply add another Ishbel to the project count (sorry Ysolda, no offence though really!) as shawls aren't really something that feature heavily (if at all) in my wardrobe.

I stumbled across a designer called Martina Behm who has a lovely range of scarf patterns, mostly triangular shaped and quite a few knitted specifically for Wollmeise yarn. (If you've not heard of Wollmeise then you're probably safe as it's a very beautiful and coveted hand dyed 4ply yarn from Germany famous for gorgeous colourways such as Rhubarb which look good enough to eat!).

After a lengthy peruse with a glass of wine I decided that Trillian would be the one for me and my single skein of Manos Lace. It's a lovely pattern and very simple to follow. The scarf is constructed sideways and simply increases by 1 st every 2 rows creating a very long triangular scarf with a tiny lacy ladder-like edge. Not fussy, just nice. I made a small swatch and decided that 2.5mm needles would make a slightly smaller scarf in Manos which would suit me just fine. I couldn't see that anyone else had knitted it using Manos Lace before and I do like to take on a challenge!

Image courtesy of Martina Behm

I started knitting it a few weeks ago and meant to take a picture then but the light levels here have been awful so I managed to grab a few minutes in the garden this afternoon and shot these pics:

You can always guarantee that there's an errant pet on any of my photos. The fluffy cat you can see is our beloved Benny who, I can assure you, is quite massive! In fact, he's so big that he's thrown the scale of the shot altogether as he's made the scarf look quite small!

The colours are really beautiful in this colourway, Vidia. Lots of berry purples and hints of pinks, toned with a very calm graphite grey and a touch of natural. Sadly the photos here and in the shop website don't do the colours justice as they are just stunning! I was a bit sceptical about knitting so much garter stitch but it has been heaven to knit and the fabric which has been created is so lightweight and soft, you barely feel it next to your skin. I loved the very short colour changes too, as it means that the likelihood of them pooling (stacking on top of each other) is quite tiny and where they do pool, it simply adds to the creative effect as the colours run into each other like watery ripples.

I will need to every so slightly block the ladder lace edging which you can just about see running up the left hand long edge of the scarf so that you can see the effect although it's not absolutely necessary if you hate blocking. I do hope that it will be finished soon as I would like to wear it now the weather is starting to get a bit chilly in the morning and I will keep you posted on any updates! I've posted a Ravelry project about it and will pop in the final measurements and swatch details once it's finished.

The full range of Manos Lace is available for £10.99 (usually £14.99) in the webshop with free shipping worldwide for orders over £25! I can assure you it's all gorgeous and if Benny got the chance (which he most definitely has not!), he would most certainly make a little cat nest snuggled up inside a big bundle of it!

Happy days!

Pen x

Making Monday

Remember this ball of yarn....

After several days of therapeutic sock knitting (admittedly just before my wrist went on strike), and some grafted toe seams (which I did straightaway to avoid inevitable procrastination), I turned it into these....

Admittedly, they're a little jazzy but I just loved the pattern so I carried on regardless! Mr C absolutely loves the colourful stripes and says I'm far too conservative to wear them. Indeed he added that he would wear them EVEN with his shorts. Bearing in mind he happily wears his Vomit Socks with his shorts I can say hand on heart that he is not calling my bluff.

But they are MINE and I WILL wear them. You'll be thankful that I will spare your eyes and not wear them with my shorts. My legs are no way near as good as Mr C's.

I added it to my Projects Page on Ravelry, if you fancy a look in.

Have a good week!

Pen

(Not) Knitting and a pattern spoiler

If you've been following me on Twitter this last week you'll be familiar with the theme that has been building. I have not been knitting. Pardon? Yes - you heard it right.

I. Have. Not. Been. Knitting.

Why? I have no idea what I've done to my poor little wrist but it has been really painful since last Thursday to the extent that I actually put down my sticks last Thursday night and called for some knitting time out. Now, that's a fairly extreme measure in any knitter's approach to niggles in your hands. But according to the physio I may have a carpal tunnel problem or more likely to be tendonitis and compulsory rest is the order of the day.

Boo - hiss to both of those ailments!

So instead I tweeted my knit loss (left handed of course) and received some brilliant suggestions. @MrsMagic suggested that I use the time wisely to organise and reorganise my knitting and everything knit related. @JeanetteSloan and @Mochynknits both suggested reading material. @Patologica suggested creating patterns by memory. Prizes for funniest suggestions definitely go to @Knittingtastic for learning to knit with my feet and my friend, Anthony, on Facebook who simply said I should just drink wine (or should that be 'more' wine!). Haha!

I thought I'd give them each a little try (especially the wine suggestion!).

~ Knitting with your feet - I don't think will catch on but maybe I just didn't try hard enough! (I've spared you a picture of my feet; no-one needs that kind of visual abuse.)

~ Organising my knitting got as far as getting out all my needles and borrowing Mr C's micrometer to measure unlabelled DPN's and plop them in one place. (Do needle companies conspire against us by not labelling DPN's? Makes me very cross as I'm not very organised and hardly ever have a full set in any one place! Maybe MrsMagic has a good point!)

The micrometer is brilliant for measuring DPNs by the way and you can pick them up on evil-bay for a couple of quid. I think this one may not be returned immediately to Mr C as it is Far Too Handy.

~ I did successfully manage to order some knit related reading material or rather knit porn as I like to call it which I'll blog about in the next few days. Some reference, some patterns, some just plain funny knit-lit.

The main conclusion that I have drawn over the last week is that I am most definitely a "knitter" and I love to knit - A LOT! This is no surprise to anyone, I am sure. What was a big surprise was how much of my day is spent knitting and the huge hole it has left now it has gone! I am very lost without my knitting and feel positively lazy simply watching tv without the familiar click click of needles and the feel of wool, alpaca or otherwise running between my fingers. 

Ironically, just before my injury I had pledged that I wasn't going to knit anything until I finish my next toy. I was about 6 rows short of finishing him before the injury struck! Grrr! I suspect it will be a few more weeks until the pattern is finished so as a little treat - here he is in his full, albeit unfinished, glory...

Meet a nearly finished Mr Pheasant Plucker Esq. 

I'm hoping to get him finished asap and I'll keep you updated on progress as my wrist gets better!

Hope you enjoy the weekend and get lots of knitting in!

Pen x

Sock Knitting

I've got a little confession. As it's a Sunday, it seems appropriate to tell you all about it. I have an addiction. It's knitting ... socks. Ever since my daliance with Artesano's Hummingbird DK range on holiday last year I seem to have developed a full blown addiction. 

Like with all addictions you have to have the right tools. I first started with metal 20cm dpns which were fine to begin with but found that I kept jabbing my wrists. A switch to a set of 15cm bamboo dpns would sort that irritation. Unfortunately non-knitters think you are using toothpicks but what do they know...

Then you have to pick your poison. I love to knit luxury alpaca socks in a DK weight. The yarn slips gorgeously through your fingers, the DK weight means that they fly off your needles and when you finally pop them onto your feet you just wish for a cold spell in the weather. 4ply or fingering is great for detailed and more lacy effect socks but requires a slightly longer term commitment.

Then you need an enabler. Something that will facilitate your addiction; take it to a new height. Pick your pattern carefully so it has enough to keep you interested but not too much that it gives you a headache. Sock knitting + headache = UFO* (*UnFinished Object) Guaranteed! I have enough UFO's in my knitting bag and do not wish to increase the tally with an impossible pattern. Ravelry and Knitty have some lovely patterns. Do try not to drool over your keyboard!

Here are some of my recent additions to my sock knitting stash:

Regia Arabesque in Grenada

A self striping 4ply sock yarn. Hardwearing but soft enough not to feel scratchy. 

I cast this yarn onto my needles last night using Monkey by Cookie A. It's available in the medium size on Knitty and should look like this:

 

Image courtesy of Cookie A and Interweave Knits 

 

This gorgeous yarn from Fyberspates also caught my beady eye:

Fyberspates Scrumptious 4ply Sport in Purple

This yarn is just gorgeous and has a beautiful shimmer to it. 

I have Clandestine lined up for this yarn. Another Cookie A pattern and again also available on Knitty.

With a bit of luck and hopefully no headaches it should look like this:

Image courtesy of Laura Kicey

Finally, and my absolute favourite a lovely skein of Artesano:

Artesano Hummingbird DK in Woodpecker

A really yummy soft yarn which has such vibrant colours.

My plans for this yarn will probably involve a very simple 2x2 rib which feels so comfy on your feet unless I spend some more mis-spent time browsing Knitty and Ravelry! 

Pen x

Yarn bombing crafters are just the best!

I love designing knitted and crochet toy patterns. But what I absolutely love the most is seeing your knitted and crochet creations especially when posed with a sense of humour.

My crocheted and knitted Frog Prince has captured your attention and since I created him last year I've been emailed by 2 lovely crafters with brilliant photos of His Royal Highness, most definitely up to no good!

1. The first was from a lady who wanted to play a light hearted trick on a friend who's new car was being plagued by tree-frogs. The friend would set off in her car and then realise that the little fellas were all over her car and so she would have to stop and rescue them one by one. So she knitted 5 Frog Princes, added suction cups to their feet and yarn bombed her friends car with them!

Here are the knitted Frog Princes being naughty....

 

 

Aren't they just brilliant?! Each frog was knitted using the same pattern without any changes using the Knit Picks Shine Sport  but a range of needle sizes from US size 2 (3mm) to US size 5 (4mm) to produce a fleet of frogs ranging from 3.5in to 4.5in.

2. The next is from a lady who made the crocheted Frog Prince for her mum and then took him on a road trip ....

 

...to the Grand Canyon!!! Just brilliant! I love that he has his single daisy bouquet with him too!

So thank you to you lovely ladies for sending these pics and agreeing to share your stories with blogland! You really make my day!

Pen x

Quarantined

Hi all

Just in case you were wondering why I’d dropped off the face of the earth for a few days and haven’t announced winner of the giveaway I thought I’d drop you a quick line to say that I’ve been quarantined! Or rather my faithful laptop has been in quarantine and it’s left me feeling almost as bad as having my knitting needles taken off me. I’ve just got it back and I’m playing catch up!!

I shall announce the winner later today/tomorrow together with more news on Dave’s general release as he’s going to be a little late to the party!

Pen x

Competition for Dave the Stash Busting Dachshund Knitting Pattern

 

To celebrate my new toy pattern as well as my 2nd blogiversary I'm running a little competition to win a PDF copy of Dave the Stash Busting Dachshund.

All you need to do is:

1. Tell me what your perfect pet would be and why? Please give your imaginary pet a name too! Let your imaginations run wild - the more crazy the better!

2. Do one or more of the following:

a) "Follow me" on Twitter - see top left of blog
b) "Like me" on Facebook - see top left of blog
c) Add me to your friends on Ravelry (oliverboliver) and I will add you back!

If you don't do Twitter or Facebook - just add me on Rav; everyone does Ravelry!

3. Tell me whether you prefer to knit in the round or flat.

Entries must be logged as a single comment to this post by 1pm EDT/6pm GMT on Sunday 15th May.

The winner will be picked at random from the comments left. Remember to complete each of the 3 parts of the competition requirement. If you leave more than one comment, only your first comment will count for the draw. Any questions please just ask!