Emma 1 – socks 0

Posted in Finished projects, Knitting, Knitting patterns by Emma Masson-Oakden

Okay, a more accurate representation is probably Emma 2 – socks 57,000… but I can officially say (read: boast) that I have finally finished a pair of socks for myself. I posted a while back about not being able to get past the toes of socks for myself, but a couple of days ago I finished a pair!

I used Sarah Ronchetti’s Scott Base – toe up pattern, the same pattern I used for the pair I knit for Emmy a couple of months ago. I am now working on a pair of the same socks for Lauriel, in a gorgeous rainbow yarn.

Lauriel’s socks – past the toes and onto the foot!

On a side note, my mum has been working on socks as well and finished her about the same time I finished mine!

31Oct2015

My latest knitting accomplishments

Posted in Finished projects, Knitting, Knitting patterns by Emma Masson-Oakden

Just wanted to share some of my latest (finished) knitting projects!
click on the links to be taken to the patterns on Ravelry

Cheer Up (Kelly Brooker/Pekapeka)

Asterism (Janina Kallio)

That Cheeky Kea (Kelly Brooker/Pekapeka)

Quaintly (Kelly Brooker/Pekapeka)

Rainbow Trout (Kelly Brooker/Pekapeka)

Orbit (Janina Kallio)

Milo (with quilted lattice stitch body) (Georgie Hallam)

Another Milo, this time in the Wanganui rugby team colours, for Gabrielle’s teacher’s baby!

11May2015

#MiloMay2015 progress report

Posted in Finished projects, Knitting, Knitting patterns, Projects by Emma Masson-Oakden

May, as well as being the month of my daddy’s birthday, is the month of the Milo!

No, I am not referring to the hot drink, I am referring to the utterly gorgeous 0m-4y size knitted vest, designed by TikkiKnits. I have been wanting to knit it since I began knitting, but always looked at the pattern and thought it’d be too hard. Well, I decided to bite the bullet and knit one. It went surprisingly well… so well that I began a second almost as soon as I’d finished the first! Number two is finished and after a break of a couple of days, I am thinking it might be time to start number three!

I have probably spent more time knitting than I should have – and less time on my school work – but it’s been a form of mental health break for me. The sense of accomplishment when I finish one, or when I successfully do one of the skills that has scared me off doing it before, it’s amazing. I don’t feel quite so useless when I look at my completed Milo, and it felt great today to gift the second one to Gabrielle’s teacher, to give to her newborn nephew!

I am yet to do a version with a cable pattern on it, but will definitely be doing one… perhaps for number four, because I think number three is going to have a variegated wool body, and the cable just gets lost in busy wool!

Here are my two completed Milos

If you are interested in the pattern you can get it here on Ravelry!

30Mar2015

Keep on knittin’ on!

Posted in Anxiety, Finished projects, Knitting, Knitting patterns, Projects by Emma Masson-Oakden

It has been close enough to two months since I last posted (oops). My lack of posting hasn’t been related to a lack of crocheting or knitting, in fact, completely the opposite! I have been knitting so much lately that I haven’t had any time to blog (that and university has started back so I’m into the swing of the academic thing of things).

I have been knitting up a storm! To be honest, I don’t think I have picked up a crochet hook since around the last time I blogged on here; this knitting thing, it is addictive!

It isn’t just addictive though, it has also proven to be a big internal struggle and challenge for me. When I f*ck up it is a battle between ‘do I just put this down and pretend it never happened‘ or ‘do I keep on at it and not let it get the better of me‘? Once upon a time the answer would have been to get rid of it and move onto something new, but that’s the old Emma – or at least I like to think it is.

Looking back, giving up so easily might have had something to do with my anxiety. If I didn’t try, I couldn’t fail, right? Stupid thinking really, because not trying is like instant failure, or at least that is how I see it now, anyway. My anxiety disorder seems to be nicely under control at the moment and I am finding that has given me more confidence in most areas of my life, but particularly my study.

I haven’t stressed once over assignments, I’ve just gone ahead and done them (76% in my first 300 level assignment, thank you very much!)… I’m also doing this odd thing called planning. I’m not sure if you’ve heard about it, but from the age of 5-ish you are told to ‘plan ahead’ for your school/uni/etc work. After…. god, 26? years of schooling I have finally realised that planning is where it’s at. Maybe I should make more people aware of this magical idea?

Anyway, before I leave you all to go and do some of that planning stuff I spoke about, I thought I’d leave some photos of my latest projects!