Socks, socks, socks

Completed Jaywalkers, I'm very pleased with them. they feel like a pair of little hugs on my feet. It looks as if there's a hole on the instep of the right one, but it's just a particularly YELLOW bit of yarn. I have discovered that the best way to take pictures of socks in artificial light is to lie on your back on the settee and wave your feet in the air, thus the odd composition (it also makes your ankles look thinner). The colour hasn't come out too well as I had to use the flash.
This is a great pattern, it's easy to knit but not too boring and the finished effect is good. There's a bit of a funny bit where the rib stops and the pattern starts, sort of sticky outy, but I can live with that.
All round jolly pleased, in fact I've bought some more of the Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in another colour (Fall Foliage) as I found it so nice to knit with. I have a couple of patterns in mind for it Crusoe from the Spring '03 issue of Knitty and I like Pomatomus from the latest issue, but think it needs to be done in a greeny bluey colour so am on the lookout for that. Quite fancy doing another pair of Jaywalkers too, maybe as a present?

Once I'd finished those I immediately cast on these:-
They're my Tiger feet.

I'm using the basic pattern that comes with the Opal yarn. Was considering another pair of Jaywalkers, but I didn't want anything to detract from the Tiger Stripeyness of the knitted up yarn.

In addition to this I am HONESTLY going to restart my Tubey this afternoon whilst the rugby is on the box. (Well I may pick up the stitches before the kick off as I need to concentrate for that bit!).I've decided that Tubey is a home knit and that socks are a knitting whilst out and about knit.

I noticed last night that it says on the bottom of the basic sock pattern:

"WARNING Sock Knitting is highly addictive"

They're not kidding are they?????

Bugger Blogger!!!!!!!

I just created a post about my knitting progress and publish it, only to find that I've accidentally posted it on the Tubey KAL blog, not my own blog, and it's all about socks and not about Tubey!!!!!!!!!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

So I start again, I manage to copy the text so I don't have to type it out again (couldn't remember what I said anyway probably) and download the photos again. After THREE attempts where I'm told that the photos have downloaded only to discover they haven't, and having my connection time out to boot, I've given up.

The status of my knitting will have to remain a mystery to you all (I can hear the groans of disappointment).

Sorry folks, later!

Knit 'n natter

Okay yeah I prefer Stitch an' Bitch, but it was my first time so I didn't like to throw my weight about re. the name of the group.

Just attended my first meeting in Cafe Ollo at the Media Centre in Huddersfield and it was cool to meet a load of new people who want to knit too!!! I spread the word regarding the importance of a computer as a knitting tool, passing on information about Knitty and Magknits, blogs and on-line S.E.X. (Yep, down another £35 on the Getknitted site last night. SHAME!)

My Cherry Tree Hill supersock was almost universally admired and I nearly lost my completed Jaywalker to a fellow knitter who wanted to take it home with her! Grrrrr!

We even had a guest speaker from Dyed In The Wool, a (you'll never guess) wool dying company which lives here in Huddersfield.

So I'll probably go along again next month (every second Thursday in the month, for anyone out there who's interested).

Why don't we have yarn shops ....

.....like this in Britain???

Not fair!

Though I suppose if we did I'd just spend even MORE money!




and now for your amusement and delectation my number 1. finished Jaywalker


Have cast on the second last night just before bed time, but this morning I've been very good and kept off the knitting. Have been decorating my spare bedroom (only nine months since I started this). Walls finished now ready to start on the woodwork BUT have to cook lunch and then it'll be a knitting and watching the six nations afternoon. Woodwork will have to wait until next weekend. Hey, it's waited this long, it can wait a bit longer. At least I'm over that "oh god I should be decorating.............. perhaps next week!" and have actually got started again.

Jaywalkers

I think I'm in love!

I am enjoying knitting these so much, dunno if it's the pattern; which is simple enough to remember without recourse to the instructions all the time, but interesting enough not to be just DULL; or if it's the yarn, which seemed a bit strange and sort of stringy and tightly twisted when I first felt it but is actually really lovely to knit with.

I started them last weekend and didn't take them away with me but picked them up again when I got back on Wednesday after I finished the "Freezing Toes" socks. Have had trouble putting them down since then.

It's so nice to get a project that is an absolute joy to be knitting.

oops forgot the credit (though I'm sure you all know already) Jaywalkers by Grumperina published in last October's Magknits. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Peacock bought in the sale at Get Knitted.

Oh and while we're on the subject of Magknits poor Kerrie put up a post about how much flack she takes from people complaining about the site. Apparently from about sixty emails she got when the latest edition went up TWO were compliments and the rest were complaints about the patterns which people didn't like, the fact that the balance of patterns was wrong, too much advertising etc.

COME ON PEOPLE GET REAL

this is a free magazine, the advertising is necessary to PAY for it! Doh!
We don't all want to knit the same things, some you'll like, some you won't. Live with it!
Kerrie puts in an enormous ammount of work in her own time to get this organised and out to the knitting public and she deserves our support (the same goes for the Knitty team I would imagine).

Lets give some positive feedback.

Okay, rant over!

Meme

Thought I'd do this meme, it's all useful stuff for my secret pal.

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life
1. Waitress in a bingo hall
2. HGV driver
3. Bookshop assistant
4. Housing officer

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over -
1. Fargo
2. Guys and Dolls
3. Singin in the rain
4. Arsenic & Old Lace

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch
I may have to change this to four radio programmes that I love to listen to
1. Test match special
2. The NOW Show
3. The Today Programme (even if it does leave me wanting to chuck the radio out of the window!)
4. The food programme (in the days when it was presented by Derek Cooper)

Four Places You Have Lived
1. Clifton-Upon-Dunsmore
2. Sunderland
3. Nottingham
4. Huddersfield

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation
1. Gower Peninsula
2. The Island of Mull
3. Paris
4. Dublin

Four Websites You Visit Daily - I don't visit daily, no access to a computer when on the road but these are probably the ones I go to most often.
!1. Crazy Aunt Purl
2. Message board on the unofficial "Tigers" supporters site
3. Yahoo mail
4. Google

Four favorite Foods
1. Bread
2. Lamb
3. Roast parsnips
3. Steak and guiness pasty from the farm shop in Netherton
(You can all guess what shape I am!)

Four places you would rather be right now (okay not necessarily right now)
1. Parc des Princes, 19th May 2001. (Ro says this has to be at 5-30 pm as for the rest of the afternoon she thought she was going to be sick!!!)
2. On the road on a sunny day in some beautiful out of the way spot with only one more (light) drop left on the truck and no other traffic.
3. Welford Road
4. In bed

Finished

That's me blue socks finished. I'm quite pleased with them, the wool was very nice to knit up. They took just over two 1 oz balls of Lee Target "Motoravia" four ply. I still have four and a bit balls left and will definitely do another pair with it, probably something patterned.














I am now knitting a pair of socks for Freezing Toes which is in response to a request in my email newsletter from Castoff for people to knit socks for the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan. I'm glad to be able to do something for this particular disaster as I feel that it received far less media coverage than either the Tsunami or the New Orleans flooding and therefore probably got a lesser response.

Bin being bad

Some evil blogger mentioned a sale at Get Knitted so of course it was the work of but a moment to shoot over to their website and buy some goodies. I did try this before but I had unfortunately blocked cookies from their site so after choosing my yarn I progressed to the checkout only to be told that my credit card wouldn't work.

RATS!

Not having much staying power I gave up on that occasion, but this time I persevered and I adjusted my security settings, allowed the cookies and did the deed. So I arrived home from my run on Wednesday to find a parcel waiting for me on my doorstep containing the following:-

One skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock (Peacock)














One ball of Opal "Carnival" sock yarn














Two skeins of Debbie Bliss Maya (can't remember the name of the colour)














Well, they were in the sale, I was saving money wasn't I?

BUT I have redeemed myself to an extent by promising the Opal, the free sock pattern that came with it a new set of five DPNs that I bought in Bristol this week and some home made stitch markers to Ro, who has decided that she's going to KNIT SOCKS!!!!
HURRAH for Ro! (Everyone should knit socks, they're fab. I may knit nothing but socks this year. I may knit other things, but at the moment I want to knit socks).

In fact that's exactly what I've been doing. Using some cheap (but real) wool that I bought from a charity shop next door to La Ruca (wholefood shop and cafe on Gloucester Road in Bristol to which I make a delivery every week) I have been knitting a pair of socks, and here is the second one. In order to avoid "second sock syndrome" I have rather cunningly decided to knit the second sock first!) No that's not true, but it's not a bad idea is it?
When I finish these I'm going to have another go at a more interesting sock pattern. I tried "Elfine's socks" last year but gave up 'cos I lost count turning the heel and they were a wee bit small round the foot. I may try them again on slightly larger needles and CONCENTRATE this time. Want to try Grumperina's Jaywalkers too.

Ooops nearly forgot, someone on the tiger's supporters message board posted a link to this It's driving me mad and I don't see why I should be the only one to suffer. Go on, give it a go!

Once upon a time

Long, long ago a knitter started to make a bag. She bought the yarn and the pattern and began to knit. Then she decided that she didn't like the handles that she'd bought for the bag, so she bought some different handles from ebay.
BUT whilst waiting for the new handles to arrive, she lost the pattern. It wasn't a very complicated pattern, but she couldn't remember how much she needed to decrease for the second handle. So the bag languished alone and unloved in a carrier bag under the table in the dining room.
HOWEVER, whilst at her sister's house at new year, moving stuff about in the spare bedroom lo and behold, the knitter unearthed the pattern for her bag. (Don't ask me how it got there, bloody cat probably kidnapped it.) The knitter was very happy to have found her pattern. She hurried home to rescue the lost bag from under the dining table (I use the term hurry in it's loosest sense).

Anyhoo

This weekend I finally got round to finishing said bag (except for lining it). I'm not actually as keen on it as I was when I started it BUT I had some yarn left over which I combined with the dodgy ginger mohair and some other stuff for bulk and made
another finger scarf. (excuse me modelling it in my 'jamas) . There was rather more of the ribbony yarn left than I thought and I actually ran out of the ginger mohair, so I changed to some blue mohair I had from Texere, so half the scarf is blueish and half orangeish, which I quite like. And it's enormously long!
Cushty!

secret pal

Just after I posted this morning I received a surprise through my letter box, to whit ..........
A parcel from my (extremely efficient) secret pal. It contained a bar of Green & Black's Maya Gold chocolate (mmmmmm), which I have so far managed to resist, though I can't see that continuing for very much longer.


whooooooo hoooooo, sorry about that, I'm listening to the internet commentary of the Tigers match against Claremont Auvergne (French rugby team) and Tigers have just scored a try to go ahead 6-8.

Sorry, back to knitting matters. The parcel also contained a skein of Louisa Harding's sari ribbon. I've been eyeing this up for a while now, but haven't been sure what I could do with it, so any ideas gratefully accepted. It's a bit lovely though so in the meantime I'm quite happy just to admire it.

In addition there was a pattern book "Muse" from Colinette, which I've been perusing with interest, it has some nice patterns in it.

Thank you secret pal. A lovely parcel of goodies.

the secret project..

...... that I was keeping quiet about was this which has reached a bit of a full stop at the moment, but I have high hopes of restarting it very soon (today hopefully).

AND a big hello to my secret pal who has contacted me twice already. Nice to hear from you.

In the meantime I have knitted this ....
which is a hat by the way (I would have taken a picture of it on my head, but it's a bit small I think, and the colour is what Ro would call challenging).

Note the detail (new camera!!!!). I started this off knitting one of Woolywormhead's hats, but having got halfway up I went off on one and just winged it instead.

It's probably not an original pattern, but it was to me. It was going to be an experiment anyway, I'd tried knitting up some Texere mohair with some Rowanspun Aran (I think) to knit a big baggy jumper a la S&B handbook cable fronted job, and I liked the effect. I have a cone of recycled cashmere (?) stuff from Texere left over from my last cable fronted biggy, and thought I'd try that out with some mohair too for a slightly more feminine effect. (Yup that's me, feminine through and through!). The only mohair I could get at the stall on the indoor market was the rather unfortunate shade of ginger you see in the hat.

I quite like the effect if not the colour. Knitted up on size 6mm needles it gives a good stiff fabric, which is what made me decide on a hat that stood up for itself. So I continued knitting in the round until it was about 6.5 to 7 inches, then did a row of purl to give it a definite edge, then did a double decrease thing (k2 tog, sl sl k, or should that be the other way round. Damned if I can remember) at each quarter of the hat every other row. When I got to the middle and ran out of stitches I cast off. I was hoping for a rather rounder rather flatter top, but it had a pokey up bit in the middle and was decidedly square, just crying out for a tassel, so behold, it got a tassel too. I probably won't wear it but I am inordinately proud of it. please don't anyone post a picture of one exactly like it and I will continue to believe I have designed a hat.

Here is a box .......

........... a musical box.

This was on Radio4 on Tuesday morning and was essential listening for anyone of a certain age. A programme about Trumptonshire which had me motoring into Bristol happily singing along to "Riding along in an army truck, in a humpety, bumpety army truck".

Happy days.

SP7 Questionnaire

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?
Up to a point. I prefer natural fibres but will use novelty yarns too (though for accessories rather than garments). Will also use blends if I like the feel of them. Big NO NO to the big balls of 100% acrylic that you find in some places claiming to have a "wool department"

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
No to spinning, though tempted to try. Have crocheted but prefer to knit (but never say never!)

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Needles in a home made needle holder (a la S an' B handbook), circulars in original packets in a plastic box. Both strewn across living room floor, attached to UFOs and down the back of the settee.

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Born again knitter for about two years now but it's all coming back to me. I'd consider myself to be an intermediate knitter, but I like to try new things. Originally learned to knit about forty years ago?

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Prefer unscented products

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Ummm, yes I guess so, but enjoyment usually spoiled by guilt. Prefer good quality dark chocolate with ginger or nuts or stuff.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Have done a number of different things which I no longer do eg papier mache; still do a spot of beadwork (earrings, stitch markers etc). Have been known to sew a bit. I quite like cooking and baking, and am an enthusiastic imaginary gardener. (If you saw the state of my garden you'd understand that description, it's all planned it just won't get off the drawing board!!!)

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Most kinds of music, classical to modern. I'm a child of the sixties so in my teens in the seventies. Like late seventies early eighties stuff, but pretty much anything. Yes my computer does sound.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Probably green, but I like most colours. Less keen on really BRIGHT synthetic colours than more earthy ones.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Live alone, no pets. Auntie to occasionally visiting cat.

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, gloves (with or without fingers), and no in that order.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Haven't discovered a favourite yarn yet, still trying new things..

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Anything scratchy synthetic feeling.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I like hand knitted socks and want to make more, but there are too many other lovely things to make out there. Don't think I have any knitting obsessions though.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I refer the honourable member to my previous answer.

17. What are you knitting right now?
A hat, a "tubey" jumper, toying with adding an extension to a cable jumper from S & B handbook that I made last summer. I'm in a bit of a lull at the moment following an avalanche of Christmas present knitting.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Ummmm, ...... qualified yes

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Depends so much on the project I'm working on. I prefer circulars to DPNs for knitting in the round, but I like to knit with longer needles if I'm knitting backwards and forwards. I REALLY like the idea of adapting patterns that use back/forward knitting onto circulars to avoid seaming but haven't got round to doing it yet.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Not keen on plastic, usually use aluminium as they're easy to come by (charity shops, local knitting stall on the market etc). I found them too slippery for my Clapotis and tried the bamboos that I got free when I subscribed to Simply Knitting. I liked them quite a lot and imagine that ones that aren't cheap and nasty are even nicer to use. I want to try some wooden needles as well (this is NOT a hint just a comment) there are some beautiful ones out there.

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Winder but no swift yet.

22. How did you learn to knit?
Hmmm, lost in the mists of time. I assume that my mum taught me, she taught needlework and PE at my primary school so that would seem logical.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
As old as the hills. It's a Tigers scarf that I started in some rather nice (!) 100% acrylic yarn in a previous knitting incarnation, but I got bored with it. I may ceremonially dispose of it, it's still hogging a pair of perfectly good needles.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I can't think of a favourite animated character (oooh hang on, do Clangers count???) , I like cats (some cats anyway).

25. What is your favorite holiday?












just read someone else's answers and it would seem that this means like christmas or new years or such, I thought it meant favourite holiday spot, which is, as you can see, my settee.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Just mountains of junk I seem to have a congenital inability to throw ANYTHING away.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Rowan though saying that after subscribing at the tail end of lat summer I have yet to receive anything interesting from them, just a couple of newsletter type things.
Simply knitting, I know that it's naff and I probably won't re subscribe, but it's given me a couple of ideas and a few useful technical tips.

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I already have a book, so that's a no (my mum used to say that when I came home with yet another book "Why have you bought a book, you've already got one?")
Yarn, well yes of course ALL of it, this is my problem.
See also stuff about wooden needles.
I'd like to see something interesting arrive from Rowan, or just something at all.
I want a swift and when I see one for sale in the flesh rather than on the net I WILL buy it.


29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I want to learn to knit two socks at a time on circular needles. Also that modular knitting thingy (can't remember what it's called) and I want to knit one of those shadow scarves with the Tigers logo on it.

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, though I've only knitted a couple of pairs and one of them is HUGE so they just get worn around the house. Hand knitted socks are just SO comfortable.
Feet size umm, widish size five I think. I've noticed a number of people have put that as their answer (not that exactly but their size in British commercial sizing terms which isn't very useful if someone wants to knit you a sock!). They are aprox 9.5 to 10 inches long and just over 9 inches round at the widest part (crumbs who'd have thought it?).

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
15th March (sorry can't think in mm/dd terms)

new year stash increase

I've actually been quite good about buying yarn so far. Mainly 'cos I've not been out a right lot. Whilst at Ro's over the new year I discovered that the wool that I'd taken down with me was too scratchy for the project I had in mind so I had to go and buy some more. Tracking down a wool shop in Leicestershire is FAR harder than I thought it would be. The last time we went to one in Burbage, which has since closed down.
Anyhoo

We managed to find one in Hinckley called "Busy Fingers" (I believe they also have a store in Coventry). This is quite a nice little shop, properly friendly as a knitting shop should be, and with a pretty good range considering it's size. As well as the Patons and Sirdar stuff they had Rowan wool too.

I bought some :-
Patons "Funky Chunky" 60% wool 40% acrylic, which is a bit like the Rowan Big Wool in it's density and ply. These were on offer at £1.50 a ball (should have got some more). Got four balls of a dark green and one (the only one) of a nice dark pink.

And a load of Sirdar "Salsa DK", which is a 50/50 blend of Merino and Acrylic. Bought this with a particular project in mind but I'm keeping quiet about it, cos I don't want to bring down curses upon my head (it might all go horribly wrong). Mind you, it's looking okay so far. I'm hoping that the wool content of yarn will counteract any tendency of the finished object to go horribly out of shape when washed which seems to be what acrylic does if my memory serves me. It's a long time since I knitted anything with acrylic and that would have been 100%. I can't remember how much the Salsa was, about two pound/ two fifty a ball I think.

Dunno why those pictures are so small, something to do with how I got them from Ro's computer to mine I think. Will have to try again.

And last but not least
This is picture that I took yesterday of a ball of Adriafil Baroque. However the purpose of posting it here is NOT to demonstrate the loveliness of the yarn (though it is lovely), but to show you the capabilities of my new toy.

Oh yes, I've upgraded my camera. It arrived yesterday and it's FAB.

It's a Panasonic LZ1 which I bought myself with part of my Christmas bonus and I love it. The instruction book is a bit large and I'm trawling my way through it. I'm NOT a photographer, I have used a 35mm SLR camera, many years ago when I was an art student, but never really got to grips with the technicalities of it. Since then it's been 35mm point and click stuff. This is a point and click job, but it seems that you can override the settings when you want to be a bit more adventurous. (That seems to be the case anyway).

I'm still at the point and click stage.

Dontcha love it?

The review says that it's disappointing indoors in low light levels, but I took that yesterday afternoon in my (darkish) living room without a flash. I'm quite happy with that.

Credits

Despite my best intentions I completely forgot to post the credits for those whose patterns I used for the Christmas presents that I posted on my last blog. Very sorry for that omission to all concerned.

The three cornered hat is from a free pattern on Woolywormhead's site. It's a very quick and simple knit, but the end result is good. Ro was so impressed with the one I knitted that she immediately knitted one for herself. Now two more people know the "two needle crochet cast off" who didn't before. Many thanks!

The hot water bottle cover was inspired by the BAWK from Yarnagogo, but with a couple of adaptations of my own from the pattern in Simply Knitting. I decided NOT to add the beads as an embellishment which featured on the Simply Knitting hot water bottle cover.

BEADS? on a hottle cover? Who wants to hug that????? crazy people on that Simply Knitting mag, no?

The Moebius scarf was knitted from a free pattern on this site. This is so effective but very simple once you get going. All the way through the cast on and first few rounds you can't actually believe that it's going to work, but hey presto. There it is at the end.

The finger scarf technique was shown to me by Ashley Selman at the wool shop in Addingham where I bought the Adriafil yarns for it. The bag which I knitted to match it was very loosely based on the bag in the January issue of Simply Knitting, but I mostly made it up as I went along.

The Clapotis for Ann, you all know about, pattern by Kate Gilbert featured on Knitty. Known and loved throughout the knitting world. And the bag for Ro was adapted from a pattern in Simply Knitting which was taken from Emma King's "25 Bags to knit".

Once again apologies to all concerned for my failure to post these credits on my original post.

Happy New Year to all.

Happy New Year

Now that Christmas is over and presents are given I can post up the pictures of the stuff I made for other people.
Moebius scarf for my brother (Rowan can't remember), and hat (pattern courtesy of Wollywormhead knitted inAdriafil New Zealand) for his partner.

Please note also the cards I printed off to go with my presents. These read : "Handknitted with love by Rachel" and contained care instructions for the finished article. Unfortunately the only people who appeared to notice these were my sisters, the others just got bundled up with the wrap so I probably won't bother with this detail again!

Moebius scarves for brother in law (brown Noro something) and nephew (blue Debbie Bliss Maya).

Bag and finger scarf for niece (Adriafil graffiti and Baroque (I think))

Hot water bottle cover (Adriafil New Zealand again) for my not auntie (she's my godmother and a friend of my mum's but we've always called her auntie).

Bag for my sister Ro. Made with some red chenille from a charity shop, some green baby cashmerino and lined with green velvet from the mill shop at Denholme Velvets.

The last present was for my other sister Ann, this was the clapotis I knitted which featured on an earlier post. I was a bit worried that she might not like it, but she did so that's okay. A productive Christmas.

Have started a new project but I can't tell you what it is 'cos it may well go wrong. The yarn I'm using is completely different from that specified in the pattern so it may be that I'm knitting a tadpole (ie, something that will become a frog).

Wish me luck.

Now featuring ona computer near you

Gracie has been uploaded to http://catsinsinks.com/ .

The internet is a strange and wonderful place!

I've done it

I've signed up for Secret Pal 7, I'm all excited now, it's my first secret pal.

Today I have been following pancake the clown......

Or so the sign on the back of a van that passed me on the A500 said. Didn't follow him far 'cos he turned off soon after. A fleeting relationship!

I'm only on here 'cos I can't sleep, gotta stinky cold (typical, holiday starts on Friday) and I'm feeling sorry for myself. Haven't really got much to say. All quiet on the knitting front since the weekend. The Hot water bottle cover was progressing nicely at that point but I didn't take any knitting away with me. Quiet run this week, managed to avoid road rage and running into anything too (which is nice); and got Christmas presents and kind words from some of my customers.

Thursday will be my last day at work then I'm off for a fortnight, woo hoo!

Clapotis

Now I know that I'm the last person in the known universe to knit one of these and that every other knitter on the planet has made at least two BUT, I'm still very pleased and proud of the finished article so you'll just have to put up with yet another Clapotis blog.


This is a Christmas present for someone (and she'd better bloomin' like it). Next to this you see it in it's early stages (note the home made stitch markers). I must say that whilst stitch markers with pretty beads on are very nice, the ones without are FAR easier to use as you don't have to keep making sure they're on the right side of the knitting. The ones with beads you have to pull through the knitting if you get them on the wrong side.


This is Clapotis being blocked (a practice I have avoided up until now). Must admit to being quite pleased with blocking, it certainly improved the look of the thing, the corners are still showing the teeniest inclination to curl up, but not as much as before.




And this is the finished object (well okay I haven't sewn the ends in yet, but there's only two of them and it will be the work of a moment!).

The yarn I used for this was Jaeger Odessa, which is a Mohair / Acrylic blend with metalic gold highlights DK. I knitted it on 4mm needles. I wasn't at all sure how it would turn out as I wasn't confident that the stitches would unravel properly in a mohair yarn, but it seems to have worked out okay. They did need a little encouragement though.

I'm very pleased with it and am going to knit myself one after Christmas. Hmm, along with all the other things I want to do. Got my eye on Tubey in the latest issue of Knitty, and from reading other peoples blogs I'm not the only one. I got some Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed in various shades of reds and purples out of the bargain bin at Up Country a couple of weeks ago and I thought it might look good in that.


Once again, the picture doesn't do credit to the colours (I think we need an acronym for that!).

Anyroadup, happy Knitmas to all in blogland and a yarn filled new year!

think I may have sorted it

Innit typical? You ask for advice then work it out for yourself. I'm sure lots of you would have helped so thanx anyway.

Short and sweet

Got back from my run and am very tired but am going to post 'cos I haven't for a while. I'm three quarters of the way through a Christmas present Clapotis which is all red and sparkly. I'm praying that it works out okay 'cos I've invested some time in it and I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO FROG IT!!! (If it works I'll put a picture up.)
Plan on returning to Addingham on Friday in order to get some more yarn to make a bag to match one of the finger scarves I made (another Christmas pressy). Ro needs some more of the Softy that she got there too so I'll get that as well and possibly some for myself to knit a hotty bottle cover (yup, another pressy).
I've had a traumatic two days, victim of road rage yesterday (which is odd cos I'm usually the one raging!) and then about three hours later I ran into a parked car (ouch) when I stopped on a slope and didn't put the parking brake on properly. The truck wasn't damaged but I dented the wing of the car and smashed the wing mirror.

Oh well, things can only get better (can't they?)!

Bye the way can anyone tell me how to persuade blogger to put the correct time and date on my posts automatically. I always have to change it manually before posting and I've been into the settings and told it I'm on GMT.

GIGANTIC fuzzy feet

Hmm, and this is post felting .

This Rowanspun aran doesn't appear to felt too well, the French Market bag I made of it didn't shrink as much as I had hoped either. Put these through a complete 60 degree cycle with a pair of jeans and you can still see the individual stitches on them and they'd fit a camel (not the intended recipient of them!). I think I may put them in the preassure cooker and give them a good boiling and see what happens.




Kill or cure.













This is a picture of the other thing I bought at the Harrogate show. Couldn't post it before 'cos I bought it as a present for Ro, couldn't wait for Christmas though so I sent it to her straight away. Two bags of beautiful silk tops for her to incorporate into her spinning. She loves them!









This is a picture of the scarf and bag she made a while ago. She bought a skein of Maya cheap from Up Country, then found the fuzzy stuff (dunno what it's called) to tone with it. Lovely.










And finally....................
............ picture of Gracie being bad in my sink. Why is it that given a bowl of perfectly acceptable water, cats will innevitably choose instead to drink out of the toilet, washing up bowl or any other source of stagnant water? Is it the chlorine or flouride or whatever else they pollute our drinking water with?
God my kitchen looks a disgrace, in my defence:-
I did not choose the decoration, I bought the house looking like this and have done nothing about it.
The mark next to the sink is a stain which I have failed to remove despite many applications of bleach.
Haven't realy got an excuse for not having done the washing up except that, well it's a bit boring and there are many more interesting things to do.

Okay off to do some more cardi and boil my fuzzy feet. May be pictures later. Wish me luck.

How I love to make life difficult

... well I realised that one of the kits I bought on Thursday required that I have a pair of 15mm

needles and a pair of 19mm needles. Of course I don't have them. I suspect that the wool stall on the indoor market doesn't either, they never seem to have anything else I want. And no way was I prepared to drive into town on a Saturday to find out

so

I drove to Wicks instead and bought some dowel, you can see in the picture my first attempt at making a pair of knitting needles.

Off to use them now whilst watching the All Blacks cream Scotland, wish me luck.

Thursday's adventures.

Well now, before I start on the Harrogate show here is the hipknits silk which I got through the post yesterday. It's my prize for the 'photo competition on the Knitspeak site. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Hazel of Knitspeak and to Kerrie from Hipknits for this lovely lovely yarn.

I've been fondling it since it arrived (Hazel says that's okay and it's normal to be a yarn perv.)! I think it's going to have to be a Clapotis. Haven't made one yet but I do want to. Probably won't start till the new year as so many pressies to be getting on with first.

AND........
............ here's the ill gotten gains from me trip to Harrogate yesterday. There was something else but I've posted it off to ...... no I can't say.

I think I've been quite restrained really. A lot of what's there is earmarked for Christmas presents. I was intending to buy a swift, but alas I didn't see a stall with any on.

The actual journey to Harrogate was a bit of a pain in the proverbial, had to do the ring road round Bradford which is never good, and the last mile or so into Harrogate took AGES. Christmas shoppers probably. (sorry, I'm trying not to use the C word, but it keeps slipping out).

The car park at the conference centre was horrible, and crowded and when I managed to find a space and buy a ticket I was just about to leave when I noticed that it had a sign saying it was reserved. I had to decide if I should try to find another space or take the risk of leaving it there. Decided to risk it.

I found the place where the show was and caught one of the security people and asked if it was okay to leave my car where it was, I think he could tell that I was on the point of hysteria so he checked it out and told me it was okay.

When I got into the actual show though it was worth it, loads of lovely stalls with beautiful things to spend LOTS of money on. As I've already said, I think I was pretty restrained. I shot round quickly once taking it all in, then did a more leisurely circuit buying stuff (well organised or what?).

It wasn't until I left that I realised that I'd gone in the wrong way. I went to go up the escalator that I'd come down on and there was a sign saying "conference delegates only". Anyway I ignored it and carried on, luckily the security guy at the top was busy telling two other people that they couldn't go that way, so I just swept past looking as if I knew where I was going.

It was well worth going, and many thanks to Ling for letting me have the ticket.

I heard a funny thing on the radio....

Three thirty a.m. travelling up the Elland bye pass in a (horrible) hire truck earlier this week listening to the world service on the radio. There was a feature about the spread of AIDS in Africa.
(I know it doesn't sound funny, but bear with me!)
The (female) health worker was talking to a (male) interviewer about how they are encouraging the use of the female condom to try to limit the spread of the virus, as many men were unwilling to use condoms themselves, and this gave women more control. The interviewer pointed out that despite these efforts, use of the female condom was much less widespread than that of the male condom.
"Do you think" he asked "that the use of the female condom will ever catch up with that of the male condom, or do you think it will remain a niche market."!

I nearly crashed me truck laughing!

pics

one finger scarf in Adriafil Graphic & Adriafil Decor (one third of a ball of Graphic & whole ball of Decor). Took about half an hour to make.
Detail of scarf.
Second finger scarf made with another third of same ball of Graphic and a different ball of Decor.
More detail of first scarf.
Gracie modeling scarf no. 2

Ro's Moebus scarf made with a ball and a bit of Adriafil Softy on no. seven circular.

All done last night whilst watching the rugby internationals.

a grand day out

Ro came up to visit this weekend and last night we went to see the Tigers play Sale in Stockport. Unfortunately the Tigers were beaten (they don't play well on Friday nights.)
Today we went over to Addingham to the Fabric Colour Workshop. We stopped off at Denholm Velvets on the way over which has a factory shop and Ro got some groovy velvet offcuts to make stuff with.
We continued on to Addingham and found the shop on the Townend Trading Estate (Next to Beanstalk Wholefoods which I used to deliver to). Elizabeth Selman owns the shop which stocks yarns, fabrics, silk painting stuff and other craft materials. Her husband Ashley imports Adriafil yarns and so that is what the shop stocks on the knitting front. They also run a series of workshops on silkpainting,embroidery, things to do witha meter of fleece etc.
Within seconds of walking through the door we were made very welcome and we even got a free demonstration of finger knitting.
I explained that I hadn't really got anything in mind so probably wouldn't buy anything, just looking to see what they had (yeah right).
I walked out with about seventeen quids worth of yarn to turn into finger knitted scarfs as pressies (pictures to follow). Ro bought some yarn to make a Moebus Scarf as she was so impressed with the two I'd made already.
The place is well worth a visit if you're in West Yorkshire, and the yarn is lovely. I don't know how widely available it is in this country, but I don't think I'd come across it before. I'm also told that you can download Adriafil patterns for free from their website but haven't looked yet.

A continuing theme............

Following my post a few weeks ago concerning an episode of CSI in which someone died from falling onto a knitting needle what price "The rebel angels" by Robertson Davies, in which a character commits murder by pushing knitting needles up someone's nose!

Anyone got any more?

Vote early, vote often!

Only kidding, just once!

competition

Mmmmmmm stash!

Just got back from a drivers' meeting at work. I went in specially for it as I don't work on a Friday, and I nearly didn't manage to drag myself out for it 'cos the weather was so filthy and I was feeling lazy. But I did and it was quite good fun.

One of the drivers got the piss ripped out of him because he set off for West Wales yesterday morning in THE WRONG TRUCK! Didn't realise until he got to his first drop that the truck he was driving was empty!! Now when I first started driving I heard a number of horror stories of drivers who took an empty truck, or a truck with the wrong load on it out by accident, so I always make a point of looking in the back to make sure it has the right pallets on it (at least at the back!). How on earth he managed to drive it up the Elland bye pass (quite steep) without noticing that it was pulling better than an fully loaded truck ought to I can't imagine, he must have been asleep still!

Ah well, all the other drivers got a laugh out of it!

Went to LYS this morning and did a BAD thing, yup more yarn. Sixteen balls of various shades of Debbie Bliss aran tweed @£2,50 a ball. Yippee! I also managed to pick up seven balls of Lee Target Motoravia(!?) 4 ply pure new wool at a charity shop next to one of my drops in Bristol on Tuesday. Seven balls of that and two of mohair for £1.99. I love charity shops!

There was a big pile of yarn in the hospice shop this morning too, and I got all excited, but on closer inspection it all turned out to be acrylic in naff colours so I didn't bother and just bought two crochet hooks. Probably just as well. I believe that buying yarn is addictive, god help me when I go to Harrogate the week after next. Eternal gratitude to the lovely Ling who sent me a ticket that she'd not been able to use for the show at Ally pally.

The Moebius Scarf

...................and here it is knitted with one skein of Noro Kureyon colour no 149 on 7.5mm circular needle. Took me one evening and I'm very pleased with it. It actually turned out as expected!!!!

Found the pattern here. I did adapt it slightly, cast on 100 stitches rather than the 150 stipulated as the tension swatch (yes I did! Briefly) came out with only about three or four stitches to the inch.

It's intended for a Christmas present for a chap, hence the colour. Not too good with the blue, but the salt and pepper matches my hair (curses!)

I do occasionally smile by the way, just not when having my picture taken, I end up looking like Goofy when I do!

the scarf

There, done!

In fact I sweated blood over this scarf. I think this was the third attempt and I nearly gave up on this one too. I HATE chennille! There's just no "give" in it, so knitting into the back of the stitch was a complete pain in the butt. Once I was past that though it was okay.

I'm pleased with the finished object tho' even if it does look like a clown collar! I will probably try another one but NOT in chennille! Fancy one with a fluffy edge. I was considering a picot edge on this but couldn't remember how to do it and was at Ro's this weekend so didn't have my knitting resources to hand.

Bye the way did I tell you I picked up Montse Stanley's "Handknitters Handbook" for £2.95 at the second hand market in Huddersfield? Wot a bargain, it's fab. If you see it, get it!

pictures working now.

.........there's the bag, scarf to follow.

It's a frog's life

First of all thanks to Becky for her suggestion re: the neckline of the cardigan. Haven't tried it as yet but I will do so once I've got round to concentration knitting.

Had a bit of a problem with the bag as the second skein of rayon is thicker than the first so I'm not sure if I'm going to have enough to finish the fourth quarter. If not I'm going to have to frog ALL FOUR QUARTERS and re knit them slightly smaller!!!!
(Were I not a lady I'd say a bad word here, but I'm far too well brought up, you'll have to insert your own!)

I knitted up a curly wurly scarf on Sunday in Noro Shinano, and I liked it but ran out of yarn before I felt it was wide enough. So that got frogged and I've started a new one with Cherry red chennile from my stash of which I have plenty. Ro has already said she wants it (well she wants the bag I knitted with the chennile before and the scarf will match it. I've told her she can have the bag and she can sew it up too!)

Bum, I was going to put in a picture of the bag, but blogger doesn't want to play!

Never mind, I'll come back later. Should really be getting ready for work.