MKAL finish. cross stitch plan change

Every year in October Stephen West runs a mystery knitalong.   This is the fifth year I've taken part.  This years shawl is the MusiKal.  I finished in record time, less than 4 weeks.

It is currently on the blocking mats and is too big to fit in the frame, so I took a video. There was an option to make it bigger, which i intended to do, but wasn't going to have enough yarn.

I love the bright colours.  The yarn was a kit from Mamawooling. 

Now onto cross stitch.  I decided i wanted to try scroll frames. I've used qsnaps  for years, but all the excess fabric on a project was annoying me.  So I  bought a set of 3 Frank A Edmunds handiclip.   I also wanted to use a higher count fabric,  so have gone back to 25 count.  Mini Minervas Melody was on 16 CT and would have been too big to fit the scroll rods.   I didn't want to restart the design as it would mean restitching what I'd just done.  Maybe one day I'll go back to it, but for now I'm going to start some new projects.

In the recent Heaven and Earth sale I bought 3 patterns.   Iris Keeper Storykeep by Josephine Wall,  Mini At the Steps by Leonid Afremov and Mini Childhood sweethearts by Jim Warren.  

Each will fit onto a different size scroll frame.   I have just started At the steps and will start childhood sweethearts at Christmas.   Iris Keeper may be my birthday start.

I am stitching on 25 count fabric 2x1 tent. I just started yesterday, so no photo yet.  I need to use a magnifier and am considering buying a magnifying lamp for my Christmas present.   In the meantime I have a small clip on magnifier and readers and am experimenting to see which I like best.

The plan at the moment,  is to have At the Steps as my focus piece and work on it every other month and do a minimum of 2200 stitches each month to have it finished in 2 and a half years.  I'll work on it every weekend, knitting during the week. Other cross stitch will be done the month its not being worked on.

week 12 of Lockdown. MKAL Shawlography finished

We are now into week 12 of lockdown in Auckland.  Restrictions haven't changed since my last post, numbers continue to rise and there have been 2 deaths this week.

The Stephen West MKAL has taken my mind off things.  I really enjoyed knitting on this and finished it on Thursday.

I don't think it's something I'd wear out in public, the colours are a bit much.  Next year I must aim for a more muted palette.  But I really enjoyed knitting it and it sits really nicely so I will wear it heaps around the house as I do with the Slipstravaganza from last years knit along.

I spent most of the last 2 weeks knitting  on the shawl.  The small amount of time I had between clues I made a couple of dishcloths.

These were easy mindless knitting and just took 2 to 2 1/2 hours each to make.

I've also made some more purchases, online as retail shops are closed in the lockdown.

I bought a leather handbag.

Some cotton for dishcloths.

And a few purchases from Lochanside Alpacas

A great case from Ribbon Rose, by Knitpro for interchangeable needles.

This holds the needles really well.  Unlike the needle case I was using where the needles used to fall out.  There is another section on the other side for more needles and also a pocket for cables.

And some Purple sprouting and BC Garn from Yarnon.

These two are to go into my next shawl which will be The Frank Shawl by Joji Locatelli.  I probably wont start this until next year though.  As my next kntting plans are:

I want to clear the decks for December when my advent yarn arrives.  To do this I want to:

Finish both socks I'm currently working on.

When done I can start another pattern from 52 weeks of Socks.  However don't cast on a vanilla sock as I want to use the West Yorkshire Spinners Christmas sock club for my next vanilla socks.

Finish the current yarn that is going into my Habitation throw.

Once finished I can start the next lot of scrap yarn into the Seaglass Tee.

Start a mohair Ranunculus.

Start another Soldotna.  This time in fingering, using leftover yarn from Shawlography and last bit of Mitch.

Come December I want to :

Use an advent for the Stephen West Bubble cardigan

Use another advent for Juxtaposition from Strands of Joy.

Join the MKAL for Leave Gnome Stone unturned - Making a gnome.

Week 10 of Lockdown, MKAL

 Auckland is now into week 10 of lockdown.  A couple of weeks ago restrictions were relaxed slightly.  We can now meet outdoors, no more than 10 people and maximum 2 households.  This means I can only catch up with 1 friend at a time.  So far I've just been out once for a picnic with a friend.  It was lovely to see someone face to face, or rather mask to mask.

So knitting has continued uninterrupted.

I finished both socks that I had started last time, and have started the second on both.

I finished a pair of "toe up baby socks"  A free pattern on Ravelry.  These are for  a 3 -6 month old.  Christopher Lee was born on Saturday.  He is in Wellington, so I hope I see him before he outgrows these.

A little bit of progress on the Habitation throw.

And I finished both  clue 1 and clue 2 on the Stephen West MKAL 2021: Shawlography

Clue 1

Clue 2

I'm waiting for parcels to come. There are long delays with couriers in Auckland as they are the only way we can get things delivered.  I did manage to get 1 stash enhancement from Vintage Purls

Lockdown knitting

 After over 6 months of no community cases, we had a case of the Delta variant in the community on 17 August.  We had already been told that as soon as there was any Delta we would be in lockdown.  6 hours after the announcement we were in the hardest level of lockdown.  Only essential workers can go out to work, and trips out are limited to essentials - supermarkets, pharmacies, doctors, testing and vaccinations.  You can walk for an hour in your area but only with people in your bubble.  People living alone can only form a bubble with one other person who also lives alone.

It was good that we went into lockdown early as the affected case had been to a lot of highly populated places, these people have become infected who have also been to a lot of places.  After 2 weeks the majority of cases are in Auckland with a few in Wellington.  From Wednesday the rest of the country goes to level 3 with Auckland and Northland remaining in level 4, probably for another 2 weeks.

I've been trying to maintain my fitness regime by joining a 6 week challenge through Les Mills on Demand.  Also the trainers at my own gym are running regular facebook training, done from their homes.  Nice to see familiar faces when you live on your own and aren't going to see anyone for weeks.

And of course, I've got lots of knitting done.

I have a HO.  

This is a shorty vanilla sock that I just had the toe in last time.  I've started the second sock, have done the toe and part way up the foot.

I have progress on my other Dear Bjorn sock

Misurina is coming along

As is Ranunculus

And Cragside

Stephen West's mystery shawl starts in October.  I wasn't going to do it this year as I have the 52 Weeks of Shawls and there are a lot in there I want to make.  However being in lockdown has given me the urge to join in the MKAL.  Though I hope we'll be at level 2 by October.  Another reason to do it, is I should finish Cragside by then so will be looking at another shawl to cast on.  

He starts releasing clues next week.  I'm hoping that even though I am in Level 4, if I order yarn from someone in Level 3 it can be delivered.  Not sure what the rules are around that.  I'll be keeping an eye out for NZ dyers that are doing kits.