a tale of two milos

Did you knit along with my pattern KAL over at Tangled Yarns ?


It was a heap of fun, and there were some awesome Rainbow Dresses and milos knit up. It was lovely to see them all appearing in some of the gorgeous yarns Kelly stocks. Did you see the cute little milo Kelly  knit up in the Jo Sharp for her little one? Or the gorgeous Rainbow Dress Kylie knit in the Biggan Designs yarn?


I have a little confession to make... 


The original milo boy, Toby, did not have a milo vest that fit him. The only one I've ever knit him was the one he appears in on the pattern, the original milo vest I knit 12 months ago and that I wasn't even sure I liked ... so it actually took me about a month before I tried it on him. Then I did change my mind ;)  Anyway, he didn't have one.  Both my gorgeous little nephews have one, but not my own son.  And Lily has three Rainbow dresses. 


So I decided I would join in the KAL and knit him one. Kelly has some a gorgeous array of yarn it took me a little while to decide which colour to choose.  Just as I chose the asparagus colour from the Jo Sharp Silkroad Tweed DK range, something terribly disturbing happened.  I looked at the project count for milo on Ravelry. 


It was 666. *gulp* 


I immediately cast on to ward away any bad luck.


I cast on in some Jo Sharp classic in the oak colourway. I've knitted both myself a vest and my nephew Asher a milo in this yarn. It is perfect for the owl version of the milo. So I got knitting....


But you know what?

Waaah!!! This project was surely cursed!!! 
According to my stash data I had 2.2 skeins (110 grams) or 235 yards of this yarn left. That is enough to do a 12 month milo easily……. 
BUT I ran out of yarn!!! Just really had enough to finish the body and not do the garter hem. So I finished the body a couple of cm short and worked a cm garter hem, which will no doubt roll and made this too short by far. waaa waaaa waaa

and you know what? 

weighing it I only had 87g!!! 
I kept this yarn all together, so I’m not sure why the discrepancy. I can understand 5 or so grams, maybe 10 at a push lost to ends from the first garment but that’s over 20g??? 

Is it possible the balls weren’t all 50g to begin with?

bummer

I will frog it and knit a smaller size for gifting, it looks so cute in the owls in this colourway.

Thank goodness my beautiful yarn arrived so very quickly and I could cast on a new milo. And the two balls of the SIlkroad Tweed DK was absolutely plenty for a 12 month size with 18 month length.  I actually had half a ball leftover!

so now the milo boy has a wearable milo!!! YAY!! I might knit him another this winter yet.

eden

Remember this little guy?
And my struggling and procrastination to find a name for the pattern?

guess what?

It's FINALLY up for sale!!! Yay!! I'm not sure why it takes me so long, perhaps all that name procrastination has something to do with it!!

but anyway, it is up for sale.

Wanna know some details:

WELL,

the pattern is call eden
but it has two versions; eden's adam and eden's eve.

Eden's adam is a singlet/vest version.
Eden's eve is a dress version.
I love them both and am really happy with their development.

Both share the same starting point in the pattern and are knit on 3.25mm needles and 4mm needles.
The pattern is primarily written for cotton or cotton blend yarns and the beauty of this pattern (I think) is that you can actually knit the garment in either 4ply, 5ply, 8ply or 10 ply yarn for the same sizing.   It is also suitable for wool, but I would recommend the 4, 5 or 8ply for that for a suitable end fabric.

I've knit all weights and love them all, I must say.

The pattern also comes with a palette of ideas at the end on how you can individualise your own eden, think stripe ideas, pockets, embellishment, hemlines.

So first of all big thanks to all my wonderful test knitters who have been such a support throughout what has been an overly long process;  Shannon, Tanja, Julia, Kym, Sheryl, Ali, Kelly, Rachael, Kath, Donna, Kimley, Kate and Fiona.

Another big thanks to Bernie for coming up with the great name! Thank you Bernie!!!

Oh, of course if you wish to purchase the pattern and hang out on Ravelry you can find it over there;
eden  or here for $AUD 7

If you don't have paypal, and have an Australian bank account you can email me at tikki@ozebaby.com.au for direct deposit details and I can email you out the pattern.


Now however, it's time for another  competition!!!!

As part of this competition, I'm inviting you to join me in a little Knit-A-Long of my new pattern, eden.

One of the ideas behind, eden was to supply a base garment for knitters to get creative with and individualise.  So the idea of this competition is to get creative with your eden knit.

You can enter by either emailing me a photo of your knit, (either dress, singlet or vest) or a link to a blog/flickr/photobucket post with your knit or by uploading your photos to your Rav project page and linking to the eden patterns and including the comment  tikki KAL knit 

Entries close: April 30

Prize: a parcel of yarny type goodies including a copy of my next pattern due for release on May 1

(more details of this to come this week) 

I'll be knitting along too, so if you have any questions drop into the Rav group where there will be a little discussion along with the KAL and I can answer any questions there about yarn choices, techniques, instructions, what my children ate for lunch, etc.

I'll be knitting along with some of the new Debbie Bliss eco baby which is a perfect yarn for this garment. My yarn comes compliments of tangled yarns

happy easter

Hope you're having a happy and safe easter.

We're all tired little bunnies here and shall be back to updating in a couple of days.

in case you're wondering about the pattern name, it's eden ;)

can you tell I'm having a hard time deciding on this?

yep, you guessed it, I STILL have not decided on a name for my new pattern!!!

The good news is the short list is down to two, or three, if simplicity is to still be in the running.

I've tried to get some other people to make the decision for me, but the two different people I asked had completely the opposite responses; one love what the other hated!!

What do you think? Should I just go with simplicity and bugger the fact that it can't be magic linked easily on Ravelry??  I mean, there is knitting beyond Rav after all!!

*I did hear those gasps*


ETA: sorry, I should say the other contenders are :

caboodle  (as in the whole kit and caboodle)

and

eden  ( I was thinking of then listing the vest singlet as eden's adam and the dress as eden's eve)


anyhoo, i have decided that regardless of the name I decide on the two people who suggested those two names are the winners!!

so that would be Julia and berniebabe. congratulations ladies!!! I shall be in touch shortly :D

gee whizzy!!!

I was totally amazed by the response to my little competition!  A huge thank you to everyone who entered, I now have a plethora of ideas. It's nice to know that people do pop in and visit.

So do I have a winner?

Not as yet, but I do have a shortlist of four possible names, probably down to two.
So I'm getting there.
I'm going to make Andy and Lily make the finalish decision tonight.

So now the name is closer so is the pattern.

Last week I was knitting up the second prototype for the dress version. I knit it in some Utiku Multicolours "boysenberry" that I  have had hanging around since Lily was in nappies, so quite some time. I am quite intrigued by the colour changes in the utiku and I love the way it pools in places. I used to have quite a little stash of this stuff. Now I have none.

But Lily does now have this rad little dress with a cute pocket for keeping those little artist hands warm in winter.

I actually think this is becoming one of my favourite knits. I've already knit the pattern to death it seems; the toll, 4ply singlet x 1, 8ply singlet x 3, 10 ply vest x 1, 10 ply singlet x 1, dress x 2 = 8 knits!  

about time ....

Competition time, that is!!!

It really is well and truly overdue!! It seems like ages since I had a giveaway or competition.  Just last week, or was it the week before?, I was lucky enough to win a blog competition over at earthgirlfabrics. Annabel had an awesome giveaway on her blog, one metre of fabric from Patty Young's Flora and Fauna range AND a modkid pattern of choice. I think this is the first blog comp I have ever won. It was really very exciting, and sort of funny, because I really really wanted one of these doll patterns, and it was one of those moments when you sort of know you're going to win. A little bit deja vu but in reverse. Does anyone else get that experience?  Or is it just freaky me?

Anyway, good karma needs to be returned so my competition details go a little something like this....

I've been rabbiting on about a new pattern that's due for release very shortly, said pattern has been called simplicity during the testing phase. It's a name I quite like and it sums up the garment quite well as it is simple is shape and design; the pattern just has a few little styling quirks to make it unique;)  My last two posts have had pics of it, and here's a few more to add to the collection.

Toby again, sporting an 8ply cotton version in singlet form.

I really like the name Simplicity but there are quite a few patterns called simplicity. This can be tricky if you're searching the Rav database for a pattern with that name or you want to magic link to the pattern. But it is a good name.

So to enter this competition you need to suggest a name for this pattern.

A few details about the pattern:

It is both simple in shape and design. It is a quick and easy knit suitable for any skill level, simple enough for beginners but the pattern also contains a few unique little techniques and tips to ensure a neat finishing to the garment and maintain the interest of the more experienced knitter.

It can be knit as a 4ply singlet, 8ply singlet or 10 ply vest in pretty much any yarn type. It can also be knit as a dress!!

One of the fundamental ideas of the garment is that it is to be used as a blank canvas for the knitter to explore their own creativity. The pattern comes with a palette of different options to encourage the knitter to experiment and try something a little different with the blank canvas; lace, picots, stripes, colourwork, embellishments, reverse stitching imagery and pockets.

It's sized from newborn to size 10 and I think is quite a fun knit. The testers seem to have enjoyed it too! :D

i'll add some more pics of the variations in the next week ;)

What I'm after is a name for this pattern.  I've toyed with something that plays on the idea of a canvas and a palette, artists names, I even considered Melbourne as the garment is as changeable as Melbourne's weather!!!  So suggest me a good name please! If I choose your suggestion you win! If I don't choose any of the suggestions and stick with simplicity, I shall hand over everyone's entry to the random generator to draw a winner.

The prize:
A pattern pack comprising:
* A printed copy of the new pattern and if you choose the name for the pattern you shall get credited in the pattern. If you're on Rav I shall also send you a pdf version, heck, if you're not I can email you a pdf version too.
* up to 200g of yarn to knit up a little garment of your own. I shall select the yarn, colour and type based on the winner and their likes/dislikes.
* some spesh stitch markers perfect for the project.
* A little sewn project bag to keep it all in.

Can't knit or can't be fagged?
I will knit it for you, up to a size 5 singlet/vest version.


Entries close:
Tuesday March 9th midnight AEDST

so get your thinking caps on ;)

pretty please

the exciting stuff

so where did that weekend just go?

So it's March already, which according to Lily is her birthday month. she's got it sussed, not just a day, or even a week, nooo; she has a whole month of specialness.  Immediately this morning there was the definite feel of Autumn in the air, the wind was cooler and definitely southerly (my husband laughed at this observation of mine as here in Autumn it is actually the calmest wind-wise of the whole year), the sun had less bite and it was quite cool. It has been a really wonderful summer, perfect in fact with very little of that horrific heat of the last one.  I am so very much looking forward to the cooling months and the gorgeousness of Autumn, I love the changing months best of all.

So today, check out this little munchkin all cheeky as always.  He's wearing a singlet knit from the same pattern as the vest yesterday. This time though, along with a slight modification, it's knit in 4ply wool rather than 10 ply cotton. This little singlet is going to be perfect for the cooler months with longies at night to help prevent wicking on his tshirt. Super perfect under woollen overalls and a fitted.  

I knit it from some old stash yarn, Heirloom 4 ply baby yarn and it took a smidge under 50grams of this lovely lavender colour.    

So what's the exciting news, you say?

well, I've been busily working on the wholesale arm of my patterns and trying to get them into some real life yarn stores in a printed format. I shipped off the first batch last week which was really really exciting.

Even more exciting is that the yarn store is hosting a Knit A Long (KAL) for the month of March with both the Rainbow Dress and milo. So who is the yarn store?
None other than

TANGLED YARNS 

So if you're in Brisbane you can pop in there and buy one of my patterns in the printed form.  You can also purchase them from the website in pdf and printed form.  Subscribe to the newsletter too, and pop into the Tangled Yarns forum on Rav and join us for the KAL. I'm knitting along too to offer advice and support. I'll be knitting the original milo boy a new milo, as he currently doesn't have one. There are over 600 milo projects on Rav and the little boy that it's named after doesn't have one. Embarrassment!!!  

I've also added a couple of new cottage license holders to the page, so go and check them out and support them!  

The two latest ones are :

knits and pretties 

and

emmielou 

competition details tomorrow!!! sorry about the teasing and delaying with this comp, it's just not quite ready!!!!!