Ladder Up!

Ladder Tunic 

by Maree Buscke

Yarn:  Texas Super Chunky by Skeinz
Notions: 10mm & 15mm Circular needles or 10mm straight & 9mm circular needle
Sizes: Sm, Med, Lg, XL

Notes:  Ideally you would complete the neck using a 10mm & then 15mm circular needle; however I appreciate that not everyone has these in their needle collections.  So therefore I have written two neck versions, one as I have knitted it & an alternative using a readily available 9mm circular needle.  The front & the back may seem very small when you have completed them – fear not, once laddered they will increase dramatically in size.  This is designed to be a very loose fitting garment.

On 10mm needles (straight or circular)

Front & back. Both alike.

Using Cable Cast On

Cast on 34 (38, 42, 46) sts

Row 1: (K2, YO) repeat until last two sts, K2

Next Row: Purl

Continue in stocking stitch until you have completed 38 (42, 46, 50) rows in total (finishing with a purl row)

Cast off the first two stitches, then drop the third. Cast off next two stitches, drop the following stitch.  Continue in this fashion until you have cast off all stitches.  You are essentially dropping every third stitch.

Gently ladder down each of these dropped stitches until you have reached the cast off edge.  Your work will grow by about 40%.  Take your time doing this to get a smooth even finish.

Roll Neck – Maree’s Version

Knit 20 rounds then change to 15mm circular needles & work a further 7 rounds.  Cast Off loosely.

With right sides facing pick & using a 10mm Circular needle pick up 19(21, 23, 25) stitches from the front panel & then 19(21, 23, 25) stitches from the back panel.  Join in the round.

Roll Neck – Alternate Version
With right sides facing pick & using a 9mm Circular needle pick up 21(23, 25, 27) stitches from the front panel & then 21(23, 25, 27) stitches from the back panel.  Join in the round.

Knit 30 rounds.  Cast Off loosely.

Make Up

Place the garment over your head & decide where you find your armhole length most comfortable & place marker.  Sew side seams.

Saying Farewell to a Faithful Friend

Fare Ye Well our faithful friend

The death of a pet is a surprising polarizing event for many people.  Some are able to rationalize the notion that this animal that shares your life is no longer there & greets their departure with indifference.  Others are numb with the loss of a family member, experiencing a level of grief equivalent to losing a human member of the household.  We most certainly fall into the latter group.

Just Exactly where max love to be - in the centre of it all.

Our beloved English Mastiff Max was diagnosed with bone cancer two weeks ago today after a routine visit to the vet.  It aggressively took hold & last night he gently slipped away.  Max only turned 8 this month & the news hit us with cyclonic force.  It became very quickly evident that this was going to be a short battle, so a mastiff bucket list started immediately as a family we tried to get our heads around the 'what next'.

Max was the apple of daddy's eye.

Maximus came into our lives on April 7th 2005.  He was the child that I was told (by a Professor of Fertility no less) I was never going to have.  He filled a hole in our family that needed filling & even after going on to have our two boys', Max was always 'Number 1' son.

Always  Mum's first born.

Max touched so many lives, not just ours.  His quiet gentle nature made him a favourite where ever he went.  So we say farewell to out faithful friend, companion, son.  where you are Max I hope the bowls are always full, the sun always shining & Ruby, Benson & George are there showing you the ropes.

Evolution Revelation

Hugo proudly sporting his new vest

After having a rough week last week with illness & 'other things', I managed to get a few hours where I felt well enough to complete the Evolution vest.  This of course meant 'manning up' and working the dreaded steek.  Well all I have to say is, I can't believe I sweated over this - after watching this video on You Tube I had the steek done & dusted in 15 minutes!  I am so pleased with the result that it has now changed my thinking on how I work much of my knitting forever.

Getting the edges hooked up.

Getting all cut up!

Perfect executed & so easy!

Spin Evolution

The Resurrection of my wheel.

One of the best things about attending a fibrecraft retreat is the inspiration that permeates the event & gets clogged in your psyche.  When you work in the fibrecraft industry it's easy to become conditioned to so many amazing things, so seeking solace in the simple things can be surprising therapeutic.

At Unwind there were a collection of hand spinners who travelled with their wheels.  There we also a number of fibre retailers that did seductive enticements with colour & texture. Seeing them was the kick in the pants I needed to dust off (and I mean dust off - it took me 2 hours of de-dusting) my beautiful Ashford Traditional that Dr. Phil bought for my birthday many years ago.

Happy Hanks

I haven't spun a yarn in years.  I learned when I was pregnant with Hugo, but the temptations of a spinning wheel & a very active toddler that was Louis did not make a harmonious mix - so just as I was getting proficient, the wheel was packed away for it's own safe keeping.  Fast forward 5 years & the wheel is back gracing the living room & the usual craft detritus of needles, hooks, yarn & notions has mushroomed to now include various fibre, spindles, bobbins & a niddy noddy.

The Evolutionary skeins

This rediscovery has been so welcome.  The gentle repetitive rotation has had a yen like effect at a time I have desperately needed calm.  As stress was building in one corner of my life, the wheel magically massaged it away with every press of the pedal.  I now completely get the deep lust that ardent hand spinners have for their craft.

The Evolution vest is well underway

Now that I have spun up a storm over the last 3 weeks I have started a simple vest to supplement Hugo's Winter wardrobe.  An 'Evolution' vest, cast on at the bottom with the first yarn spun & knitted up with each consecutive skein, showcasing my own spinning evolution.  As my spinning, plying & colour combinations grow in confidence, it's story is translated into a vest that I can admire on Hugo.  I can't wait to get it finished & start experimenting further, the ideas for making my own yarn & for what we can achieve at work have my head spinning (pun intended) with ideas. I just love how looking at something from a slightly different angle can provide you with an entirely new perspective!

Unwinding...

Despite what many might think I was at Unwind to work!

 

I have just returned from the second Unwind Retreat in Dunedin.  A great weekend of inspiration, colour & crazy - all good of course. Here is a little taste of how you Unwind!

 

Sofia helps Tracee get Unwound

Jessicah getting into the Spin of it

Faster...Faster!

Crochet Essentials



Heavenly Handspun by Maude & Me



Just beautiful! The Unwind Design Competition

 

Cooling Off



Hugo's first fish!  Is that a happy boy or what!

 It almost seems to happen overnight when all of a sudden Summer is over & you are staring down the barrel of the cooler months.  Our lives are frenetic in February.  Napier is ripe with activity: Art Deco weekend, Mission Concert, Church Rd Winery concerts, not to mention getting the boys settled back into school.



Louis gets face painted at Ella's Birthday

 We have had some lovely visits from family & friends over the past month, with even more planned for March.  I have also been very good getting oodles of knitting finished, including a birthday cardigan for Ella & my winter Cardi project, completed just in time for me to wear down to Dunedin to Unwind this weekend.

Ella's Birthday Cardi

My next project is is one of my classic fluid 'wing it' Buscke specials.  We have this fabulous new super chunky yarn at Skeinz & one of the colours is the most vibrant Magenta - it didn't speak to me this yarn, it shouted with expletives for me to cast it on.  I am playing around with some 10mm needles, a laddering stitch & some fairly dodgy maths to see whether I can make an idea in my head translate into something wearable - fingers crossed!  If I have managed my new technology correctly I hope to be able to blog updates whilst at Unwind....

My latest project - cast on with a wing & a prayer...

Chasing Rainbows

There is no excuse to throw a pity party over the weather this Summer - in short it has been stunning.  The rub with all this glorious sunshine of course is the distinct lack of rain & the need has well & truly come for a decent dousing of the wet stuff. 

Last night rain was forecast & mother nature decided to give a wee show before the big wet arrived.  On dusk it was still fiendishly hot & you could see rain in the atmosphere that wasn't quite reaching Terra Firma, but the effect with the early evening sun was this stunning Rainbow which I just had to share - beautiful.