Knittianicus

Knitting hell

2011-11-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

I have Knitter's elbow.

Enough said.

Making Monday

2011-08-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

Natalie over at The Yarn Yard has started making monday blogs. The idea is you post about things you have been making on Mondays. I would have joined in the last two but all I seemed to be making was a mess with three children at home on school holidays.

This week however I got my finger out and have been finishing my boneyard shawl, Stephen West, the designer, is a genius. He specialises in making the simple look stunning. I have been hoarding some rainbow Kauni yarn for ages and although I have planned to do lots of things with it I have never started anything with it. I have started on a Stephen West knitalong and the first clue was disappointingly small so I decided to do another one of his shawls and picked out the Boneyard and grabbed the Kauni. Well it was addictive. I couldn't put it down. The yarn is very moreish, just one more to see the next colour change....

The result is a stunning shawl in a beautiful rainbow.

I couldn't wait to show it off so here are some pictures of it pre-blocked. I have also not quite finished the picot edging I added but you can see how it will look in this picture...

What did you make today?

Quick update and Progress Widgets

2011-05-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't get very far with the knitting and crocheting week did I?

I have had a bit of a play with my widgets - ook missus. I've added two different progress systems.

The first is a simple bar chart affair - nice and clear but not very gadgety. Also - this one will need me to manually updated by me.

The second one is a bit niftier and feeds directly from Ravelry. I really like it. It takes all the projects I have in progress listed on Ravelry which is kind of embarrassing as I have a lot... So - although this one is, at the moment a little revealing, I think this will work better. It does mean I need to make sure that I have all my Ravelry projects up to date - which is a good thing.

What do you think of them?

A Tale of Two Yarns

2011-03-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

This is post one of the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 2011. A week in which knitters and crocheters around the world blog about the same topic every day for a week.

Today's topic is 'A Tale of Two Yarns.'

Being the statistically-driven person I am I was stuck about what to choose to talk about so went to Ravelry and downloaded my stash into a spreadsheet. Yes, yes - once a geek, always a geek.

So - according to my statistics I have two clear favourites in my stash and I shall discuss my love affair with them.

The first yarn is Cascade 220. I do like this yarn - a lot. It is a comforting, thick yarn. It comes in every colour you need and is thick. According to Ravelry I now have 34 skeins - whoops! I gave up individually listing each colour and bunched them all together. Being a worsted weight it knits up really, really quickly so is brilliant for hats, scarves and christmas stockings...

I did buy a whole heap of it with the intention of making my hubbie a Tom Baker Dr Who scarf but I couldn't bring myself to make it. So - I have lots sitting in my stash that I am gradually using.

I find it lovely to knit with - a really solid yarn which does exactly what it says on the skein. There is a reason why it is the most popular yarn on Ravelry.

The second yarn is The Yarn Yard's Clan. I am lucky in that I live fairly close to Natalie of The Yarn Yard so often get to see the yarn at shows local to her (and me). Occasionally I make it over to her house too and get to see the dyeing in progress. It endlessly fascinates me and the colours she produces are simply stunning. They are saturated and beautiful. I joined the Yarn Club about a year ago which for a while was giving me a monthly dose of Clan - so I got to build up a collection of colours I probably would not have chosen at all. It's fun to have someone else selecting your colours for you. As you can see I have a small stash:

It is lovely to work with and just begs to be made into socks. Natalie sells them in 65g skeins which means they are ideal for buying to mix the colours. Colourwork is gorgeous with it. I have to say one of my favourite socks is a fair-isle sock made out of a very dark grey and an orange variegated. I love it - so effective. Looks like a stained-glass window:

SIPs

2011-02-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

SIPs = Socks in Progress

I have been sorting out my socks. Since starting the 12 pairs in 12 months challenge I have become rather fixated on socks. Planning what patterns and yarn to use. Casting them on, admiring them, having fun. The problem is that I have not always completed each month's challenge, the end of the month comes round and I have to start new ones for the new month.

This means I have lots (more) unfinsished socks. I have begged them all up to try and shame myself into finishing some. But - it's the beginning of the the month again and a new sock needed to be cast on - shame on me!

So - let the shaming begin (this has become quite a theme of my blog...)

Yarn: Opal
Pattern: Plain 2x2 rib
State: Approx 60% through Sock 1

Yarn: Regia (I think)
Pattern: Vanilla
State: One complete, one not started

Yarn: Not sure
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Sock one approx 40% done

Yarn: The Yarn Yard
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Sock one complete, approx 25% of sock two

Yarn: Schoppelwolle
Pattern: Vanilla with stocking stitch curl top
State: Sock one complete

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Sock one 50% complete

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Sock one complete, sock two - 30%

Yarn: Ermm - pink shiny stuff
Pattern: Baby
State: Sock one complete, sock two - 20%

Yarn: Remains of schoppelwolle flying saucer
Pattern: Baby
State: Sock one complete

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Sock one complete - but I think a small child has worked on it so need some darning

Yarn: Yarn Yard Clan in Daffodil
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Sock one complete

Yarn: Lorna's Lace
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Both socks complete but one toe has come undone - so need to fix it - not even worn them yet!

Yarn: Yarn Yard - Magic Carpet
Pattern: Vanilla
State: About 50% of feet done

Yarn: Schoppelwolle
Pattern: One vanilla with a frilly top, the other circle sock
State: Sock one complete, sock two - approx 30% - going to have to buy another ball or have mismatching socks - whoops.

Yarn: Sassy Stripes
Pattern: Vanilla
State: Sock one complete - sock two cast on - but may frog it and restart so it will count as a 12 in 12mths sock

Yarn: Yarn Yard - Cairn
Pattern: Toe up gansey sock
State: About 30% through sock one

Pretty shocking line-up huh? The awful thing is I have a few more somewhere and it does not include the first of this month's socks - a Leyburn in Regia Kaffe Fassett.

Baby knitting

2010-10-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have finally got round to posting off some baby knits for babies that were growing quickly!

First up is another Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise Jacket. One of my favourite patterns. I made this using Schoppelwolle's Reggae Ombre in a gorgeous green. What a lovely yarn to work with. Super chunky. I teamed it up with some yummy brown buttons and a matching hat.

Secondly I made a Boheme jacket. I panicked when I first made this when I saw the lace pattern. So - I decided to not knit it and just did it in plain stocking stitch. This, along with the fact that I used some hand-spun yarn (yummy merino from Posh roving) gave me a tiny jacket that had a twist. I didn't have the heart to frog it as it is so soft and a lovely colour way.

So - I cast it on again. This time I used some gorgeous alpaca/merino yarn from Llamajama. I bought this yarn eons ago intending to make a soaker for Orla when she was a baby - well that didn't happen did it? I love the chocolate brown and used the pale pink to trim. An absolute pleasure to knit with and the pattern was a lot easier than I had thought. Having read other people's notes I decided to do a garter trim on the edges to prevent curling. Perfect. I used some ceramic heart buttons after asking loads of people their opinions!

I decided to send both of the Boheme jackets to the baby in question - maybe the smaller one can be used on a doll. (Although my friend assures me it will fit baby girl at the moment - so maybe I wasn't too late after all.) She has the slightly larger one to grow into too.

St. Abbs Wool Festival

2010-08-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

I headed along to the Woolfish festival in St. Abbs yesterday. It was a gorgeous day - lovely and sunny. I took Orla along with me and we had fun.

I met up with people from the Woolfish knitting group who I hadn't seen for ages - was lovely.

Natalie from the Yarn Yard was there too with Jane. I sat and knitted with them for a while and finished off my August socks - Orla was thrilled and wanted to be in the photo:

I was a bit disappointed that at the end of the Flying Saucer yarn it looked like the yarn hadn't been dyed properly. Do you see what I mean?

I was very good and just bought one skein of Crannog (The Yarn Yard's lovely new yarn). Can't wait to cast it on.

This was my view of Natalie's stall - yummy...

Flying Saucer Socks

2010-08-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had a knitting weekend last week. It was rather nice. On the Saturday my lovely friend had a house-warming barbecue in Perth and Kinross which was a convenient 20 minute drive from Knit Camp in Stirling. So, after a slow start, I dropped off the kids and husband at the party and headed off to knitting-ville.I won't dwell on the negative sides of Knit Camp as, to be honest, I knew I couldn't make any of the classes with the summer holidays on, so I just concentrated on the Market Place ;-) Although - my one (small) issue was that I paid in advance and was supposed to get a Goody Bag. I arrived late and there were none left. A disappointing start.

So the Market Place was lovely and I loved looking round the stalls. I picked up a yummy parcel from Natalie at The Yarn Yard. I also got to squish her lovely new lace yarn - crannog. (Also discussed here.) Boy is it squishy! I am looking forward to getting my hands on some when she has dyed up some more.

Also at the Market Place was Shilasdair - The Skye Yarn Company. I have looked at their site so many times and love it - but have never bought anything so it was lovely to see it in real life and I couldn't help but buy a lovely skein of their aran yarn in a deep red.

The lovely Vicki from Wild Fire Fibres was there. I have bought from her in the past and love her yarn. When I got to her stall she only seemed to have lilac left (I was there very late) so I just bought a couple of packs of DPNs from her.

What else did I buy? Oh bother - struggling to remember - I finally subscribed to Yarn Forward Magazine. I also bought a whole heap of buttons.

Oh - I know what else I bought - I went to the Knit 'n' Caboodle stall. I didn't realise it has recently been taken over by new people - and good luck to them. I bought some DPN tubes for sock projects which has come in very handy with my flying saucer - also bought from them. What on earth is a flying saucer? Well - it is a new sock yarn from Schoppel Wolle that is dyed as two threads so you get *identical* socks. The two threads are wound onto a core which spins - like a flying saucer... Check out this video to see it being unwound.

I have it in a pink/red/purple colourway. But - I am not winding mine in two balls and knitting from them. I am knitting two pairs of socks at the same time. Remember those needles I bought from Wild Fire and the DPN tubes I got - well they are all coming in very handy. I am basically knitting on 9 needles at the moment with one spare. It's fun - unwind a bit, knit a lot, swap sets, knit more, unwind a bit and so on.... I am loving it - just a plain vanilla sock (well two.) This means I may get my August socks done after all...

Oh - and then the other bit of the weekend. Well I went with Natalie (of Yarn Yard fame) to Glasgow to a lovely PicKnit organised by Antje from The Yarn Cake (a shop soon to open in Glasgow - squeeee). It was at the Botanics and it was a gloriously hot day. I was absolutely in awe as Ysolda was there (who I have seen a couple of times before) but also Ravelry's Jess and Casey. I was too shy to approach them but did have a quick conversation about Irn Bru with Casey. Hee. Seriously I was so shy in their presence. I had a ball!

Sock Knitting

2010-07-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Forcing myself to knit 12 pairs of socks in twelve months is doing my knitting skills some good. Not only am I completing projects (for a change) but I am also learning new skills and challenging myself at the same time.

The two Wendy Johnson books are superb for this. She takes the sock apart into four elements - the toe (the two books I have are toe-up socks - so the toe is always first), the pattern/body (which usually starts on the upper part of the foot once the toe has been completed and then carries on up the leg), the heel and the cast off. Each part can be done in a number of way and it is simply a pick and mix to put your sock together.

At the moment I am on holiday in France and my holiday knitting, of course, is mainly sock knitting. Well apart from the baktus I started on the way and the gift I finished too. (And I optimistically packed some lace yarn - but don't think I am getting near it.) I am getting quite a lot of time to knit. I'm not keen on the long-haul driving so Martin does a lot of it leaving me time to knit, also all three kids are in the kids' club for the first time which means two or three sessions a day with lots of time to knit.

I brought along a vanilla sock to knit on the way - nice and mindless - and I completed that today (16th July ) with just the ends to sew in. For once it is a toe-up vanilla and is in Sassy Stripe - blues - which I have had hanging around my stash for ages. I do need to find the second skein though for the second sock. This sock has been great for knitting on the go with my Nic's Knots Japanese Knot Bag hanging from my wrist.

Details:
Pattern: Plain toe up using 'Socks from the Toe Up' - Wendy Johnson
Yarn: Cascade Sassy Stripes in blues bought from Get Knitted ages ago (I got a free lollipop!)
Needles: 2.5mm addi lace circular - 100cm
Started: Beginning of July 2010
Completed: July 16th 2010
Cast On: Figure of 8
Heel: Short Row
Body: Vanilla (plain stocking stitch)
Top: 2x2 rib for approx. 1"
Cast off: Russian cast-off

My second sock for this month is also from the Wendy Johnson book - 'Socks from the Toe Up'. It is the Traditional Gansey Sock and is a lovely pattern. It uses a combination of knit and purl to give a textured effect as used on Fishing Sweaters particularly on the East Coast of Scotland and Northern England. The pattern I chose to do is a simple V which Wendy comments looks like waves or seagulls - I agree. It's an interesting way of knitting and is satisfying to do - but is oh so slow... I am using Yarn Yard Caber (in a lovely lavender/grey) with 2.25mm needles and it is taking forever... I fear this will not be knit in time....

... so.... I have started a third sock this month. But first - a shopping trip. I managed to get a list of knitting shop in the Tours area and got the chance yesterday to go out, on my own, and find them. (Martin's day out - he did vineyards.) I found two of the three open and bought a little wool ;-) (Martin look away now...)

Shop one - Phildar - mainly a clothes shop with a small wool section at the back - think John Lewis. I bought some plain wooden buttons for the aforementioned gift. I wasn't particularly struck by their wool selection. No sock yarn, nasty needles and lots of cotton and acrylic yarn. I did buy a few things from their bargain buckets though.

6 balls of Canasta by Phildar (50g) - 79% viscose and 21% acrylic. Going to give this to my SIL as a wee shiny present for having DS1 to stay for a week ;-)
2 balls of Phil Lin by Phildar 50g, 45% viscose, 40% cotton, 15% linen. Could possibly use this for socks - but does it have enough give?

Then I went to another shop 'Anny Blatt'. I know nothing about this chain. They produce their own wool as well as selling other local wool (Spanish and French from what I could see.) They again had big bargain buckets full of acrylic nastiness. But - they had shelves of yumminess. I was very tempted by some lovely (but expensive) alpaca yarn and intreagued by some yak yarn. I settled on some merino wool in the end.

2 balls of Katia Merino Baby (50g) 100% merino in the perfect red. (One of these is being made into sock number three for this month - see below)
2 balls of Katia Merino Baby (50g) 100% merino in a lovely orange.

2 balls of Anny Blatt - Baby Blatt in Montana (50g) -100% wool.

I have plans for one pair of the orange or purple and am hoping the other pair will make a pair of socks. It seems the French haven't really discovered sock yarn in the shops yet (not the British are that good at it either - maybe I had the wrong shops...).

So - back to the sock knitting - it looks like the Gansey sock is not going to be finished on time and I noticed that Wendy Johnson has a 'quick sock' section at the back of the book ;-) So - I have cast on the Van Dyke Socks - which seems apt - you do know my middle name is Dyke? That's a story for another time. So I fortunately have a range of needles with me and cast this sock on last night. It's a lovely, simple lace knit and is knitting up super-fast.

Details so far:
Pattern: Van Dyke Socks from 'Socks from the Toe Up' by Wendy Johnson
Wool: Katia Merino Baby in a lovely, deep red
Needles: 2.75mm DPNs
Started: 15th July 2010
Cast on: Turkish cast on - 12sts increasing to 52sts

It is interesting how I am now so comfortable with the different ways of knitting socks and currently have socks cast using each of the three main techniques - DPNs, 2 circulars and 1 long circular. I am also less tolerant of mistakes - ripping out rows to fix a wrong stitch instead of saying it will do. Although I spot mistakes much sooner now and can 'feel' when something isn't right. It is also really pleasing how quickly I am picking up patterns and can now do more and more away from the safety blanket of the pattern. I have yet to turn a heel on my own though - one step at a time.

That's enough typing for now - need to knit.

Woolfest 2010

2010-06-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Finally I got to go to Woolfest yesterday.

What a day!!! It was incredibly hot and by the time I arrived at the showground in Cockermouth it was already sweltering. I staggered in with the spinning wheel (the Ashford Traditional) and took it straight to its new owner. So now with some spending money in my pocket I headed straight for The Yarn Yard stall - of course! I grabbed the red that I was buying for a friend and some yellow for her too and some red for me....

So now with the essentials sold and bought I could browse at will. Wow - what an amazing show. Stalls oozing with yarn and fibre of every colour and variety. Spinning wheels in use all over the place. Oh my - it was such fun. There were sheep and llamas and angora rabbits and the cutest lambs. So many familiar names from Ravelry, online stores and bloggers. Lots of Ravelry badges to peep at as I brushed past people.

I was intrigued by a lovely Russian lady who was making the most amazing shawls and spinning super-fine yarn on a drop spindle. I bought some cobweb lace yarn from her in the deepest of purples:

I got a bit carried away with the fibre and fell in love with a HUGE batt at the Wingham stall. I have named it Jupiter because it sort of looks like the colour of Jupiter - hee. See how big it is? It's 80% Merino, 20% Silk.

I also bought some sock blockers - been thinking about getting some for a while - and now I am doing the 12 pairs in 12 months challenge I want a better way to display the socks. Here they are with this months finished socks on:

I bought some plain white merino/silk - to ply with the large batt and some small felted brooches for the boys to give to their teachers tomorrow on their last day of term. I got some sparkly fibre to play with too. Then I sneaked back to the Yarn Yard stall and bought a skein of the new yummy sock yarn in a gorgeous dark blue/green - I think it looks like Black Watch.

After the show some of us met up in a pub in Cockermouth for a lovely meal and lots of hilarity and chat. I'm definitely up for it again next year - but will have to stay over as it was exhausting doing it in a day. I'll have to see if I can get someone to come with me next year.

Mojo Socks Completed

2010-06-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

So, so pleased - I have finished my Mojo socks.

The basic information:

Pattern: Mojo by Donyale Grant
Yarn: Yarn Yard Clan in autumn colours (my name for it)
Needles: 2.5mm circular (knitted on two circulars)
Changes: I made the second sock a little shorter on the foot as I found the concertina-ing of the pattern was stretching the first one.

Next time: The pattern calls for an afterthought heel - I think I would try a different heel next time. Also I think I would make the next pair matching. Oh - and finally - one of the socks calls for the sock to be turned inside out after knitting the toe and I don't think it is as neat as the other one.
Satisfaction: Lots and lots - loves this pattern :)

Close ups of the two socks here and here - with notes.

Sock Knitting - June 2010

2010-06-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

I've been busy working through my socks and thought I'd take a few in progress shots.

Interestingly the three socks I am working on at the moment each use a different method of knitting and I am definitely coming round to magic loop as my new favourite.

Sock 1: Nutkin using Yarn Yard Clan in Tanzelope (February 2010 Club Yarn)

Knitted on DPNs.

Sock 2: Mojo in Autumn Colours - Yarn Yard Clan:

Knitted on two circulars. My husband thinks this looks like an elephant condom - shame on him!!

Sock 3: Playing with Lizard Ridge in Royal Mail (Yarn Yard Clan - June 2010 Club Yarn)

Knitted using magic loop on one circular.

Now here is where I need some help. The yarn used in that last picture has a really unusual dye. It is half black then white, red, white. So - it forms stripes of mostly black and white with bits of red. To begin with a did a 2x2 rib and you can see how the red pools around the sock - I like that. Then I moved onto lizard ridge - following the pattern. This gave big blobs of colour - always with black in and then sometimes white and occasionally red.

So then I thought about trying to use just the red for the short rows of the lizard ridge. I worked out I was knitting on average 23 stitches with each stretch of red and worked out a size of 'bubble' to fit that. This time when I get to the red I start a bubble regardless of where on the needle I am - fortunately they don't seem to be stacking up along the sock but I think my blobs weren't the right shape. So - I then tried again with flatter bubbles. Hmm - you can't really see them on the photos. Anyway - big random blobs? or small red blobs? Or another pattern altogether?

Oh and before you ask - it's a water-bottle I used to put the socks on for the photos :)

12 Pairs in 12 Months - June

2010-06-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last blog I have decided to do 12 pairs of socks in 12 months in the Shed. I know I've planned to do things like this before - but I really, really will try this time - honest ;-)

So - it started on June 1st and I cast on my second sock in my Mojo pair.

Here - a week later it looks like this:

So probably about half way there - not too bad but I think I do need to pick up pace. I do keep getting distracted with other projects.

I am still trying to decide on the second sock for the month. I could do a second nutkin but I quite like the idea of casting on something new.

This arrived yesterday and I love it:

It is the May 2010 Yarn Yard Club Yarn. Natalie felt inspired by the Royal Mail - probably linked to the amount of time she spends at the Post Office ;-)

When it is opened up you can see that half of each round is black with the red and white taking up the other half.

It's really unusual and typically for me I wanted to cast it on straight away - so I wound one of the skeins tonight and have just cast it on. I have a few ideas for socks and may just play a bit and see what works. I was thinking of the Diversion Socks but the lovely Eskimimi was having problems with speed on hers - so now I'm not too sure. They did look super pretty when she was under full steam though.

I'm also considering a lizard ridge sock. The original lizard ridge is a blanket published on Knitty and I have done a couple of squares of the blanket and love the idea. The sock version is here.

Lots of thoughts and lots of playing ahead - but I have to finish another sock by the end of June - so must press on.

Jar of Shame

2010-05-27T01:34:00.001-07:00

What's a jar of shame? This is a jar of shame:

It contains all my single socks, mittens and gloves.

I am about to start a new project - 12 pairs of socks in 12 months. Simply - I have to make two socks every month, starting in June. Note the careful wordinig there.... It means I can *finish* some of those pairs where I already have one.

Here are the rules:

Knit 12 pairs of socks in 12 months, or 24 odd socks if you have lots of WIP socks you want to make into pairs.
This challenge starts on June 1st.
You could have seven pairs by Christmas. Some of the socks to be knit in the yarnyard yarn

Continuing the shame - here are some of the singles:

From left to right:

Purple sock in Yarn Yard Clan - think it's a toe-up

Schoppel wolle yarn - toe up with an odd cast off.

Brown banboo yarn - plain vanilla sock

Colinette jitterbug - vanilla sock - too small - now frogged.

All of these may end up being frogged as I have no notes on needle sizes or patterns (a lesson in here....)

I also have single gloves. This first one is for Ruaridh - rainbow gloves in schoppel wolle reggae - now where did I put the pattern?

Then we have *two* left-hand Fetchings - not much use really...

I have a single Noro fingerless mitten:

Here is my garter stitch mittens in Rowan Tweed - almost there...

And finally - Orla's Tomten jacket that I never finished. It is now being frogged and will go towards a lizard ridge. It's proving hard to frog though - very sticky yarn that Kureyon :)

So - lots of frogging to do and some already done. I am now left with lots of ideas and plans for the 12 pairs in 12 months. Here is my basket of sock yarn:

My clan yarn is kept in my secret draw:

If you are on Ravelry you can see my planned socks in my special queue. The queue (like all things in my life) is a work in progress ;-)

Oh and some good news - I actually finished a pair of socks - for Orla:

Clan Obsession

2010-05-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

I'll skip past the usual apologies for not posting for a while and move on to some knitting.

What do you think of this?

It's the start of a fairisle sock using the wonderful Yarn Yard Clan in Soot and Saffron. Lovely to knit with and I am loving the contrast. Can you see the problem? Probably not as you have no sense of scale from that shot. Well - for some unknown reason I cast on the same number of stitches and used my normal size needle (2.5mm) and expected them to be a good fit - yeah - well that didn't work out at all well. The sock has been frogged and now been cast on again with lots more stitches (72 - but maybe it should be 80?) Re-thinking the pattern too. The one above was corrugated rib and then a pattern taken from Alice Starmore's Fairisle book. Now I am thinking of doing Stained Glass Window Socks which look lovely - but just with the two colours.

In other sock news I have finished ONE - a mojo sock. Do you like it? It was a fun knit - and I must cast on the second one soon before it gets added to the single sock jar of doom. Knitted using autumn-coloured Yarn Yard Clan.

Such a cool sock - looks great off the foot too - all wibbly wobbly.

Also on my needles are some Slip-Stitch Socks in yummy daffodil coloured yarn. This yarn was especially dyed for me by Natalie from The Yarn Yard on what was otherwise a very blue day. (Huge thanks to Judy who insisted that I got some new yarn - what a lovely lady - do check out her blog!) Natalie asked what I would like and I roamed away from my normal colour range and looked out of the window onto some flowering daffodils - and this is the yarn to match. Isn't it gorgeous? And isn't Natalie talented? Oh yes!!

Excuse the blurry shot:

Oh this one is in focus:

Do you think I have a small Yarn Yard Clan obsession? Maybe a little ;-)

Here's my secret Clan stash (with a little Natural Dye Studio hidden in there):

Kiwi Wheel

2010-03-31T01:48:00.000-07:00

I have a new spinning wheel.

I got an Ashford Traditional at Christmas for a bargain price.... But I never really got on with it. I held on to Natalie's Kiwi until I had finished the fibre I was on and then returned it to her. In the meantime I tried the Traditional and every time got cross with it and me - we weren't bonding.

Then the week I returned the Kiwi to Natalie I was offered a cornflower blue Kiwi and I declined and I turned it down. It just didn't speak to me. Then.... only a couple of days later I saw a scarlet Kiwi for sale and of course it was now almost my birthday.... so I grabbed it- yippee.

She arrived and was re-assembled - didn't take too long. Here she is in all her glory:

Isn't she gorgeous? The previous owner called her Marcy - but don't think that's a name that works for me. She's definitely a lady. Something red? Scarlet, Red, Ferrari, Ruby ??? What do you think?

Here's a close up of the kiwi itself:

And what is she like to spin on? A dream. An absolute dream - I have been spinning so much.

I have spun this:

All the Pretty Fibres - 2 Drum Carded Batts - 100g - 100% Merino Wool

Into this:

I also finished spinning some rainbow pencil roving and made this:

I really am enjoying spinning with this wheel - she's a keeper.

Of course I now have an Ashford Traditional Wheel for sale....

An Olympian Challenge

2010-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

I have been planning (and blogging about) a jumper for my husband for quite some time. It has been started a few times and frogged back for different reasons. It was going to be Cheesy Puffs at one point but I finally settled on the Elizabeth Zimmermann's EPS jumper. It is a simple pattern using lots of (easy) calculations to determine how many stitches you cast on/increase by etc...

The Yarn Harlot has used the Winter Olympics (again) as an opportunity for knitters/spinners/crocheters to start a project during the Opening Ceremony and the idea is you complete it before the Closing Ceremony (or during if you are running out of time...)

I signed up for it with Martin's jumper as my challenge. I won't keep you in suspense - I didn't finish it. It was just too big a challenge for me - especially being a slow knitter. A bad cold in the middle of the 17 days didn't exactly help either.

Anyway - I am pleased with the progress. I have done about a half of the body and almost finished the first sleeve.

Here's the body:

Here's the sleeve:

The stitch markers show where I have increased so that I can match the other arm.

I am loving the colour - it's called Oatmeal and is from New Lanark (bulky). It has lovely yellow flecks all through it and it gives a lovely effect. It also knits up incredibly quickly which for this slow knitter is ideal.

Woolfish Meal and Swap

2010-02-14T00:54:00.000-08:00

It had been a while since I had been to my old knitting group. I now live almost an hour and a half away so it now needs more planning.

Anyway - before Christmas we had decided we would meet up and have lunch together one Saturday. We also pulled names out of a hat and we were to make something for someone else using no more than one ball of wool.

Over Christmas and New Year I had a lot of time for knitting so I made the gorgeous Crest of the Wave Scarf by Judy Jacobs. It's a very simple pattern with just 12 rows to repeat - perfect for my little brain ;-)

I made it using a ball of Posh Lei in mermaid so it was a lovely mix of blues and greens.

The .pdf is available here.

I had a fun time choosing the beads - it took me so long to decide - so in the end I used two colours. A bronze to contrast with the yarn and a green to add a bit of sparkle.

I think Irene was pleased with it.

(Sorry - the colours are a bit off)

I received this unusual scarf/neck warmer. It is made from the softest cashmere in a lovely olive green with a flowery wooden button to hold it together. It's great isn't it? Perfect for keeping my neck warm.

I think everyone was delighted with their presents and the meal was fantastic too.

There are more pictures of some of the other creations over on Louise's Blog.

Personal Sock Club

2010-02-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

There is a new fad about. It’s the personal sock club. Yarn Harlot has talked about it and it has been a common conversation on Ravelry.

Basically what you do is instead of subscribing to an online sock club where you get new yummy yarn each month you create your own. So you raid your stash - choose twelve sock yarns and twelve patterns. Pair them up and knit one pair a month. You need to package up the pairs - so you have everything you need to hand. Buy the patterns, download them, print them, photocopy if you have the book, or put a reference in with the yarn telling you where to find the pattern. The Yarn Harlot has bagged hers up. For the first month she just reached in and grabbed one blind. Another friend has wrapped hers up in brown paper so she’s no sure which one she will pick (and got someone else to number them.)

We started discussing this in the Yarn Yard’s shed on Ravelry and I have hatched my own plan.

Here are my rules…

There is no deadline - if it takes longer than a month that’s okay.
I am not playing catch up for missing January
I am not just doing socks
I do not have to finish one to start another
I do not have to limit my number to 12

So - I have searched the stash and pulled out some yarn I want to use. Some of it was bought for specific projects and this is my kick to start those projects. I still have some gaps - so need some help deciding on projects for some of the yarn. Here they are (in no particular order):

Noro Striped scarf using Silk Garden Lite - I have a specific person in mind for this - so have a birthday deadline. So this may well be the first to be cast on.
Little Birds jumper by Ysolda using Jamieson’s Spindrift. I have changed the base colour to dark brown and am using pink/blue/pale yellow for the birds.
5 skeins of deep red/pink Noro Lily. I got these in a swap and love the colour and really need help finding the perfect pattern.
Yarn Yard Croft - in a deep red. This lovely tweed-look yarn needs a great pattern - any ideas?
Clan - two 65g skeins in deep brown and one skein undyed - so obviously this needs colourwork/fair-isle - maybe gloves/mittens? Ideas please.
Iceland lace-weight yarn in pale pink. Small ball (need to weigh this and work out its WPI) brought back from Iceland by my Mum. Thinking something lace-weight. This will not be for me - but will be a gift - something pretty?
100g of Caber by the Yarn Yard - in a silver grey - ideas please.
Deep red Alp from the Yarn Yard - super squishy. Inspiration needed.
1 ball of Rowan Big Wool in deep purple. 1 ball. Bought to make a scarf for Orla - maybe just a cowl/neck type one? Ideas please.
Yarn Yard Club Yarn Bonny This is lovely pink/orange/green - with a plain mini-skein of pink. Thinking maybe socks using the contrast for toe/cuffs/heel. I have TWO sets of this though - so could consider a larger project - maybe a cardigan using the contrasting colour for button band/collar… Just had a revelation - this lovely cardigan was mentioned today on Ravelry - wonder if I have enough yarn for it?
Yarn Yard Macushla in Paprika - gorgeous colour - ideas please.
Lots and lots of New Lanark bulky yarn in oatmeal to make my hubby a jumper. I have toyed with Cheesy Puffs and an EZ EPS jumper. My criteria is easy and knit in the round (oh and super-big - my hubby is a big man!)

What do you all think? I need some help - do let me know your thoughts.

Knitters Invade York

2010-02-01T05:24:00.000-08:00

Wow - can't believe I have not posted here for over two months. I have been so busy, moving house, Christmas, New Year, terrible weather but that's all been and gone. What I want to tell you about is York.I went away this weekend to York to stay in a convent. There is a wonderful group on Ravelry - we are all fan's of Natalie's wonderful yarn - The Yarn Yard. But it's not all about the yarn - there is considerable amount of chatting, listening and supporting that goes on. There has developed a core of women who have become good, good friends. As a group we booked out most of the rooms on both nights I was there. (Some people stayed on for another night too - so not sure how full it was that night.) The convent was perfect for us. There was simple accommodation with a cafe downstairs. Breakfast was included - which was great but best of all was the large recreation room and kitchen which we completely took over as our crafty playground.

Both afternoons and evenings the recreation room became the centre of attraction. People were knitting, spinning, drop spindling, crocheting and tatting. There was non-stop chatter as people got to chat with old friends and to make new friends. The kitchen was soon over-run with food and drink - including an abundance of home-baking. What a talented group of ladies.

Every so often I would pause from my chat and knitting and look around in admiration of how this weekend had come together and how lovely it all was. Everyone was getting on so well together.

On Saturday I went with some others to the National Quilt Museum. It had two exhibitions on "The Celtic Fringe: Wholecloths of Wales and Scotland" and "Namad: A Persian Journey in Felt". Both were interesting but I was disappointed that we couldn't get into see the Museum itself. I think it is only accessible to Guild members. Oh well. I did get my mum something nice for her birthday though - so not a wasted journey at all.

No trip to York is complete without a visit to the amazing Duttons for Buttons. I got some buttons for a XXXX that I am knitting for my lovely friend XXXX. (hee)

Saturday afternoon was great fun. Natalie gave out club parcels to people who were in the yarn club - made me very jealous. Then we had our snowflake parcels. Everyone had prepared a parcel for someone else. What fun. Mine was the first one out and I got some gorgeous hand-knitted gloves from Kay - I adore them - Orla has her eye on them but they are too big. I also got some chocolate and bits and bobs - all still in my suitcase. Will take pics when I have unpacked. (ETA: Now unpacked and pics below - didn't I do well?)

After that Natalie opened up the shop so people could buy any of her yarn if they wanted to - was glorious to see all those amazing colours together. Yum! I bought a skein of the new (as yet unnamed) Alpaca yarn and some green yummy fibre. I was very restrained.

Finally we had a p/hop swap . Everyone brought along some yarn to destash. You could then take anything from the table that you wanted with the promise that you would donate money for the pleasure. I got some Lorna's Lace in black/yellow, some blue Posh Lei, some pink bamboo/silk sock yarn and a Meg Swansen book. Much, much less than I had brought so. my suitcase was much easier to close. I've given my donation - have you?

I think I have made a whole load of new, lovely friends and can't wait until next years.

Spinning

2009-11-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

I finally got round to washing and taking pictures of my hand-spun. Here they are drying - so lovely:

Here is what I have been spinning:

First up is some Babylonglegs BFL in Mirasol - the most gorgeous colourway - oranges, browns and yellows:

(Picture taken from the Babylonglegs Folksy Site)

I was going to ply it with a pale cream undyed BFL but it was lying next to some dark brown Ronaldsay - and they just talked to each other. So I plied them together and got this yummy yarn:

Top Skein: Next up is some blue/green roving I bought from Natalie at The Yarn Yard. This was rolled into a ball and was aptly names gobstoppers and there is one shown on her blog. I plied this back onto itself and it is so soft and squish and was a dream to spin.

Botton Skein: I emptied the bobbins of all the yarn I had been using as training yarn and got a skein of mixed colours that looks a little like ice-cream. It's a bit slubby but I couldn't throw it out.

Top: The top skein is a small skein made from plain dyed merino bought from shunlikes.

Middle: I still had some of the Mirasol left and plied it with some pale grey Ronaldsay.

Bottom: I hadn't split the gobstopper exactly in half so had some left over so for fun I plied it with some of the remaining Mirasol from Babylonglegs. I really like this combination.

I was really surprised with some of these combinations and am very proud of my bundle of skeins. Do you like them?

Stuffed and Sent

2009-11-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd show you pictures of the stocking I made for my swap. I based it on the Mason Dixon Christmas Stocking.

Here it is just before I sent it - all stuffed and ready to go.

Close up of the name (and yes that is how you spell her name) and I chose to do the corrugated rib as I love the effect.

Do you like the snowflake? You can see my tension is much tighter here and the stocking pulls in. Maybe next time I will go up a needle size for the fair-isle.

I put the year on the back - I like that idea. The foot just kept going though - and that toe is super-pointy!!!

Christmas Stocking Swap

2009-11-09T03:28:00.000-08:00

I've been having a really bad, stressful time recently - won't bore you with the details here. But in the middle of all the doom and gloom something lovely arrived.

My Christmas Stocking *grin*

My lovely knitter made me this stocking:

It came full of goodies too:

There was a book, two balls of sock yarn, some Christmas pencils (which my son will love) and some fun Chinese-looking straws. The stocking is *huge* - does that mean I'll get more presents at Christmas?

Thank you so much - it really cheered me up!

Abandoned

2009-10-13T11:25:00.001-07:00

Oh dear knitting blog - how I have abandoned you....

I will be back with project updates and ideas and lists and yarn and fibre and spun yarn.....

Not sure when though...

Log cabin Blanket

2009-07-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

So - I started on it. I decided not to use the Rowan Tweed as I think I sold most of it. But I did realise I have a substantial stash of Cascade 220 bought for a Dr. Who scarf which I know I will never make and for Harry Potter hats/scarves.I cast on and followed the instructions and made my first square.

I love the pattern, love the colours, love the yarn... but hate the picking up. I am just rubbish at it and can't seem to get it neat. The perfectionist is telling me to rip it all back and start again but I think I will leave it and hopefully by the end of the squares I will see an improvement in my tension and my techniques.My problem seems to be using the correct part of the stitch to use when picking up - and no amount of googling is helping me to find the correct bit to use. Feeling frustrated.

In the meantime these are the colours I have to hand - but I have a few more on the way from a few kind Ravellers who are letting me buy up their Cascade 220 stashes - hee.

Log Cabin Blankets

2009-07-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

For a long time I have drooled over the knitted log cabin blankets that I see in the Mason Dixon books and on their blog. I have a load of Rowan tweed that is yelling to be used for some big project and I think a blanket may well be the thing. So - today I was catching up on their blog and find the details for making Clif's Squares Blanket and thought this should be the one for me. Each square is worked individually and then you fit them all together at the end like a patchwork blanket. I am very excited by this and want to collect all my bits together and use this as my holiday project as it looks easily portable - and not socks. (Which I have to admit to being very, very slow at.)

The pattern looks easy enough for me to do. Knit a garter square, add on two rows of a contrasting colour, add a border block. Turn. Pick up stitches and do another contrasting colour ridge and then a border block. Repeat the turn twice more and you get a yummy square.

Photo from http://www.masondixonknitting.com

Drop Spindling on Youtube

2009-06-30T02:09:00.000-07:00

I often find myself looking for the same thing over and over again. One of these things is the drop spindling tutorials on YouTube. So I thought I would link them into my blog for ease of use.

So here we go - a list of tutorials you may find useful if you are new to drop spindling or want to improve your techniques.

Megan LaCore has a number of videos showing the techniques:

Drafting Wool for Spinning - Tutorial

Spinning Yarn on a Drop Spindle - Tutorial

Finishing Yarn and Wrapping a Skein - Tutorial

I love watching her tutorials - she is very clear and shows what you need to do - the only thing that bugs me is she always has background music playing! I found her blog as well which is full of lots of craft information.

Abby Franquemont also has a number of videos:

Drop Spindle Plying, View 2

Drop Spindle Basics

Drop Spindle Plying

Some of Abby's are purely just to watch her spin which is useful once you have the basics. She has a lot of other videos about wheel spinning - but I'll save those until I have the wheel I am borrowing. (Did I tell you all I'm borrowing a spinning wheel? So excited!)

Some videos of Navajo plying:

mjspins

Will add more links to this later - but have to take the kids out.

Sock Pattern - Plain and Simple

2009-06-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

Sock Pattern

2.5mm needles and sock yarn

Cast on 64 sts, join and PM

12 rows of 1x1 rib
40 rows of plain knit

Divide for heel:
Remove stitch marker and knit across 32 sts
Turn
Sl1, purl to end
Sl1, knit to end
Repeat until 32 rows have been worked
Work one more row

Turn heel:
Knit 18 sts, ssk, k1, turn
Sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn
Sl1, k6, ssk, k1, turn
Repeat last two until all heel stitches have been worked - 18sts

Instep:
Divide amongst 3 needles
Knit across 18 heel stitches
Pick up and knit 18sts down edge of heel flap, pm1, k32 sts across foot, pm2, pick up and knit 18sts - 86 sts
Row 1: Knit to within 2 sts of 1st marker, k2tog, knit to 2nd marker, ssk
Row 2: Knit
Repeat 10 more times 64sts

Foot:
Knit for 46 rows
- ending at 1st marker

Toe:
Row 1: K1, ssk, knit to within 3sts of 2nd marker, k2tog, knit 2, ssk, knit to within 3sts of 1st marker, k2tog, k1
Row 2: Knit
Repeat until 28 sts remain

Place 14sts on two needles and graft

A bad knitting week

2009-06-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

It's not been the best of knitting weeks. I'm seem to have hit a bit of a rut.

I have lots of projects I am really wanting to get my needles into but just can't seem to clarify my thoughts and wool.

First up was the lovely dress I was making for Orla. It's a Zoe Mellor pattern called Daisy Dress. It's a lovely, simple dress made in cotton with a big flower on - perfect for Orla. I chose and bought some lilac and pink wool with blue for the flower. Being me I resisted making it on straight needles and cast it on with circulars, adapting the pattern accordingly. All was going well until I had a session knitting in the dark at my God-daughter's dance show. I wasn't really concentrating on the knitting - just letting the stitches happen. When I picked it up the next day I noticed I had managed to knit the row counter *into* the dress. The only options were to cut into the loop on the row counter or to frog back. So I put it into my bag and hoped the knitting fairies would sort it out. I'll continue this story in a while.

In the meantime... remember the jumper for Martin? (Mentioned on my February Update.) Well much as I love it - I do need to have the pattern with me at all times - and that is hard work for me and I found I wasn't picking it up at all. Knitting the Daisy Dress for Orla prompted me to re-think the jumper - plain stocking stitch on circular needles is ideal for me at the moment - pretty much brain-free. I frogged the Cheesy Puffs. So - I reached for my Elizabeth Zimmermann Knitter's Almanac knowing she had a simple pattern in there and cast on the Hurry Up Last Minute Sweater. Unfortunately I didn't really think it through. I swatched and cast on using huge needles. After a few rows I realised it was too loose - the needles were simply too big - so my yarn is simply not chunky enough for this pattern.

At knitting group this week - Louise frogged back the Daisy Dress (bless her) and saved the stray stitch marker. So - I was just picking it up to knit again - and it was laid out flat on two circulars and it made me appreciate the full size of it. It was *huge*. Big enough to fit me, never mind Orla (she's a petite 3-year old!) So - it had to be frogged along with the Martin jumper - not a good day. So now both are sitting off the needles - waiting for the chance to start again!

In the meantime I cast on and started knitting Martin Storey's Hardwick Slipover. I have completely changed the colours and the yarn and am really pleased with it... until I noticed that I have a twist on my circular needles and am going to have to frog it all back again....

Is someone trying to tell me something??

I do have something wonderful to blog about though - but will need to take photos first...

Koolaid Dyeing

2009-05-13T07:53:00.001-07:00

I bought a load of Kool Aid sachets yonks ago and never got round to using it. Well today was sunny with a light breeze and I was kid-free for a bit.. So I went for it.

It was fun actually and didn't take anywhere as long asＩthought.

I used two tutorials:
Kiki's Kool-Aid Class by Catherine J Hall
Dyed in the wool from the Knitty site

I took four different types of yarn and used different colours on them. There was no planning in it at all - I just wanted to do it and see what happened. If I do it again I will take more time and consider the colours I actually want.

Using Kool Aid is fun - all the yummy fruit smells. It does alarm me that these are marketed as drinks for kids and have the chemical composition to dye wool (and my hands.)

So - back to the yarn.

Pictured from left to right:

Yarn One:
Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK - 50grams
Colours used: 1 x Pink Lemonade + 1 x Black Cherry
I mixed the colours together on this one and put the yarn (pre-soaked) in with the dye and enough water to cover and then zapped it in the microwave. (2 mins + rest + 2 mins) Once it had cooled I rinsed with cool water (amazingly it ran clear straight away) and hung it out on the line to dry.

Yarn Two:
Bought from the Natural Dye Studio - Alpaca/Merino 4ply/Sock yarn - 100grams
Colours used: 2 x Cherry, 2 x Tropical Punch, 2 x Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade
I pre-soaked the yarn and then mixed the dyes with a little water and spooned it on to sections of the yarn. Once I had the dyes on I put it in a bowl and gave it a microwave blast before rinsing and hanging out to dry.

Yarn Three:
Bought from Woolfish - Sock yarn (60% merino, 15% bamboo, 15% nylon, 10% silk) - 100grams
Colours used: 1 x Lemon Lime + 1 x Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade, 2 x Strawberry
I pre-soaked the yarn and then mixed the dyes with a little water and spooned it on to sections of the yarn. Once I had the dyes on I put it in a bowl and gave it a microwave blast before rinsing and hanging out to dry.

Yarn Four:
Fyberspates Squishy Yarn - 50% BFL and 50% Alpaca - 100grams
Colours used: 3 x Grape, 3 x Orange
Ruaridh and Orla helped with this one and chose purple and orange for the colours. I skeined the yarn but it was much shorter than the others so I just opted for half in each colour.

Once it had been microwaved and cooled I rinsed it. Lots and lots of dye came out of it and the colours look really murky. Not as happy with this one as with the others.

Lace Knitting

2009-04-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

I've been starting, planning, testing and doing a lot of lace knitting recently. I thought I'd share some of it with you. All works in progress at the moment.

First up is a shawl I am making with a huge load of alpaca tweed I have. I cast on 5 stitches and used simple yarn over increases. Every 4th row I am doing yarn over/k2 together to make the holes. When I feel like it I make one of those into an increase row. I love the look of it but as yet have no idea what it will look like when it is finished or who it is for. I am guessing it will finish up as a simple triangular shawl. The yarn is lovely to work with and I am using an addi lace circular to knit with and I am loving the combination.

Next up is some Rowan Kidsilk Spray I bought in a sale. I was attracted to the colour and didn't really think it through. I love the idea of mohair knitting - but it really is incredibly hard to knit with. I am trying a simple scarf with lots of yarn overs to open it up. Here it is about 8 rows in and it is so slow to knit - I think I need to find some pointier and more slippery needles. Sorry about the poor photo I was having problems getting it to focus:

As I liked the pattern I was doing with the Kidsilk I decided to cast it on again with another yarn. So this is the same yarn but on bigger needles and with a really different yarn - this is 100% silk from Louisa Harding - an absolute dream to knit with. I can see this being finished long before the blue. Again apologies for the lack of photo-focus!

First Socks

2009-04-15T06:47:00.001-07:00

First Socks
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

Finally I have finished a pair of socks...

Pattern: Plain pattern from Jitterbug label
Yarn: Lorna's Lace Sassy Stripes
Time taken: Forever

They are gorgeous.... but too small - after all that work!!

Woolfestival - St Abbs

2009-03-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

At the weekend my friend Louise hosted a Woolfestival in St.Abbs. As I am sure you are all aware she runs the wonderful Woolfish shop based at St. Abbs Head. A real Aladdin's cave. The festival is held in the local village hall, formerly the school and is wonderful.

This time there were stalls from Woolfish, Yarn Yard, The Border Tart and the gorgeous Cairndinnis Alpacas. I didn't get chance to go out and spend time with the alpaca like I did last time - they are so sweet.

I came away with a smal stash of lovely yarn. This is some hand-spun from The Border Tart:

I bought three skeins of Caber from The Yarn Yard in the most gorgeous metal-toned colours:

I also got some gorgeous hand-dyed yarn with a matching plain small skein to make contrasting heel and toes on socks:

So two days before the festival I contacted Natalie from The Yarn Yard and asked if she wanted a hand on the stall. I turned up at just before 10 and sat down, I think four hours later, having never stopped talking and selling on her lovely stall. It was an absolute dream. In the afternoon it was a little quieter and we had the chance to get to know each other a little (we have never met before) and Natalie taught me how to spin on a drop spindle.

Well - I loved it - and here are some pictures of it all. Please bear in mind this is the first time I have ever spun and I am thrilled with the results - even if it does look a little uneven.

This is the first yarn I made - it is hand spun on a drop spindle from a mixture of merino silk and shetland roving and plied together using Andean plying:

This is what I have on my spindle at the moment - this is the merino silk roving which is wonderfully smooth. 80% merino wool and 20% silk.

I absolutely love working with this fibre and have another 100g in one of the other colourways to also spin. This is available from the Yarn Yard in five colours and is gorgeous - I may have to get some of the other colourways too..

Wunderknauel

2009-03-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

A Wunderknauel is a ball of yarn full of gifts.

How does that work you may well ask - well you get some gifts together and a skein of wool and you wrap the presents up in the wool. The idea is that the intended then knits from the ball and gradually reveals the secrets hidden within. Such a fabulous idea don't you think.

I was involved in a swap with Ravelry and I was the luckiest person to receive mine first. So while others are still fretting about sending theirs, never mind receiving I had the luxury of my gift arriving super-early.

Here is what it looked like when it arrived...

Intreaguing huh?

The yarn is hand-dyed silk and a great shade of purple. Included were four suggested patterns - all lovely scarves and shawls. I decided to try one but it really did not suit the yarn so frogged back and settled on the gorgeous Cobweb Shawl. It really is a nice knit. As I am not a purl-lover I am making all the purl rows garter stitch - I'm still loving it though.

Now as you will have also seen from the picture above there is some weird stuff going on. I started to knit thinking I would be able to leave all the presents wrapped in the wool but as I progressed it was becoming harder and harder to do that - the yarn was getting caught on some of the objects inside. So I decided to unravel it. But - I was already knitting and didn't want to frog back - so I started to just go for it. Of course I got in a complete mess and at the moment have three mini sections of yarn that all need winding back into one ball before I can continue. Such a numpty. Oh well - you live and learn.

It does mean, however that I have released the presents. Here they are:

Lots of lovely things - tea, coffee and jewellery. No wonder the yarn kept getting snagged - all that lovely bling!

And finally.... here is a little sneak preview of the one I am sending - a small hint - it's a very Posh parcel....

BSJ - number 3

2009-02-28T02:41:00.000-08:00

Did I mention I have finished Finlay's Baby Surprise jacket? Forgive the poor quality photos - taken on my mobile - not the best camera.

I used Noro Cash Iroha - an absolute dream to work with.

The buttons are fair-trade ones that Morag chose from a wool shop in Livingston.

The hat is a woolly wormhead creation which I love. A little like the umbilical cord hat. Pity it's too small for Finlay though.

A much better quality photo from Morag of them in use:

February '09 Update

2009-02-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of projects on the go at the moment so thought I'd give you a but of a run-down.

First of all I rounded up all the socks I have on needles to shame myself into finishing a pair...

Yarn: Lorna's Lace - Sassy Stripe
Pattern: Simple sock from the label on Colinette's Jitterbug
Progress - 1 complete and 25% of sock 2

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug - Berry Coulis
Pattern: Simple sock from the label on Colinette's Jitterbug
Progress - 1 complete and just cast on sock 2
Notes - no ribbing at top of sock - plain knitting so curls (love that!) First sock is too small so either need to frog back or gift

Yarn: Can't remember - I suspect it has bamboo in
Pattern: Simple sock from the label on Colinette's Jitterbug
Progress - 1 complete and need to start no. 2

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug (?)
Pattern: Simple sock from the label on Colinette's Jitterbug
Progress - 80% through no.1
Notes: Simple curl top and 1 x 1 rib on heel flap

Next up is a jumper I have cast on for Martin. I am using New Lanark's chunky wool which I had to phone up to order as it is not on their site. It is gorgeous yarn - in a mushroom colour with flecks of colour through it. The pattern is called Cheesy Puffs on account of the bumps that are created. I really like the pattern - nice and simple but the texture looks good. The photo doesn't do it justice - but it is a lovely knit. I want to check my measurements before I go any further though.

Also on my needles is my first lace project. Aptly named A Beginner's Triangle it is still causing me problems. But I guess it will get easier - there are just a few odd stitches that I need to master. I haven't got very far with it yet.

I finally finished knitting the squirrel mittens but still need to block them. They were a good exercise in mitten knitting and I learned that I knit really, really tight - these are adult size (apparently) but fit my five year old son!

The practice on the squirrel mittens was useful when I started the Posh Winter Cottage Mittens. I love the pattern on these and the yarn is gorgeous to work with. I went up a size or two on the needles to help with my tight knitting but have still not got it right. This is where I got up to before frogging them back completely as they were still too small. Maybe I need to make man-size mittens to get the right size!!

I do have other things on the needles - a secret present for XXX, a jumper for me, a scarf for Orla and a jumper for Orla - all are either secret or stagnating - must sort them out....

Ruaridh's Scarf

2009-01-22T08:38:00.001-08:00

Ruaridh's Scarf
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

Excuse the poor photo - taken from my phone.

Ruaridh and I have been doing some weaving - what do you think. Rua is choosing the colours - so lots of bright stripes.

Orla is planning on doing one too and has chosen her wool - mainly pink.

What colour is your rainbow?

2009-01-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

Your rainbow is slightly shaded blue.

What is says about you: You are a tranquil person. You appreciate friends who get along with one another. You share hobbies with friends and like trying to fit into their routines.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Seen on glittykittyknitty

Feather and Fan Scarf

2008-12-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

This really has been a long project. My first big lace project. It's a simple feather and fan scarf - made using 4 balls of ONline Linie 135 Goby in bronze - although to me it looks more gold.

It is a very easy pattern to memorise - four row repeats. Cast on (18 x no. repeats) +2.

Row 1: knit

Row 2: purl

Row 3: k1, k2tog 3 times, yo k 6 times, k2tog 3 times, k1 (repeating the middle 18 as required)

Row 4: knit

Very, very easy - but it still took for ever. The yarn was nice to knit with but became heavy so I stopped at 4 balls.

Taking pictures was difficult - I just couldn't get the true colour to show up at all. Use your imagination - it's gold.

To illustrate the picture above - the background is supposed to be white!

I hope my mother-in-law likes it - it's her Christmas present.

Christmas Stocking Swap - Part 1

2008-11-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

I have been involved in a Christmas Stocking swap through my favourite site of all time Ravelry.

Basically you had to knit a Christmas Stocking for someone and someone else was doing the honours for you. I was knitting for a lovely lady in the US - and as I know how much the Americans love us Scots I thought I would do a Scottish theme. So here I give you the fruits of my hard work.

First up the stocking itself - I used Cascade 220 - which I am loving to knit with. So easy and the colours are fantastic. I based the pattern on the Cascade Christmas Stocking pattern and just adapted away.

Here it is just near the beginning, from the top, you can see how the fair isle is working with the threads being carried around on the inside.

I kept the colours to just the two -blue and white. I used simple patterns on the majority of the stocking with saltires going round the top:

The heel was interesting to knit - you put the stitches onto waste yarn and carry on down the foot working in the round - so you end up with a long

tube with a hole in it held together with waste yarn. Kind of cool. You then finish the toe and go back to the heel and finish that off too. I just did the heel and toe in the plain cream. I need to work on my sock finishing methods as they weren't very neat.

Finally I went back up to the top and used i-cord to give an edge and a loop at the top. I didn't realise until I had finished that the loop was in the wrong place - and was on the side, not the back. It's a feature!!! Honest.

Then all that was left to do was to stuff the stocking with goodies. I put in some handmade stitch markers - made by the lovely Vicki at Wild Fire Fibres. They were so cute - I bought a set for me too - and some Christmas Tree ones too.

I added in some mulled wine sachets, a macaroon, some oatcakes and 2 skeins of Jamieson's yarn. I hope everything is loved!

Lonely mitten

2008-11-07T06:40:00.001-08:00

Lonely mitten
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

Look at this poor, lonely mitten. I really need to get my needles out and make it a friend.

But - aren't the colours lovely. It's made with Noro Silk Garden Lite and I love it.

Feather and Fan scarf

2008-10-19T08:53:00.001-07:00

Feather and Fan scarf
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

A work in progress that fits nicely into my bag at the moment.

I'm using bamboo circulars and bronze coloured yarn - ONline Linie 135 Goby - which is lovely to work with. As it gets longer this scarf is draping really nicely. A lovely, simple knit that I no longer need the pattern for .

Planning on taking this to Ireland with me as I hope it will get through airport security...

This is going to be a Christmas present for someone - so look away if you are likely to be getting a present from me this year *giggle*.

Finishing things

2008-10-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

Lots of things been finished off today - so thought I'd blog about them too. First up - here is my first Baby Surprise Jacket

I absolutely loved knitting this. It's not perfect - I lost track of some of the increases and decreases but it was fun and I think it looks great. I used Debbie Bliss' Cashmerino Aran - which was a dream to knit with. I love the contrasting stripes - makes it look super smart. The buttons are originally from my Grandmother's button tin.

Next up is another Baby Surprise jacket knitted in Kraft Koala's Aran:

I'm not as happy with this one - think I prefer BSJ's in single colours - rather than variegated yarn. Sewed the buttons on today - after emptying my button tin trying to find something that looked good. Think the brown ones are perfect - love how the yarn used to sew them on changes colour from button to button.

Next is the lovely pinwheel blanket.

I made this back in July on the way back from France. I used Peaches and Creme 100% cotton - which is quite thick to knit with. I love the pattern on this but stopped too soon - I was eager to finish it. I should have kept going. I may give this to Orla to use as a toy blanket. I still need to block it as the edges curl.

I love the detail on the centre though - the pinwheel itself - will definitely be knitting more of this - with wool next time I think.

Finally I have my Christmas Stocking.

This has been made for a swap I am involved in. I am making for a lovely American lady so I thought I would go overboard on the 'Scottish' theme. I used just two colours - a lot of the patterns I looked at were full of bright colours and made me feel quite ill. I like the simplicity and the contrast of just two. I put saltires around the top and the just used simple patterns down the leg and foot with plain heel and toe. I put i-cord around the top and used that to add a loop. It is not as neat as I hoped - but I still need to block it which I am hoping will squash the heel and toe into shape a little more. It was a fun knit and if I get time before Christmas I may make another.

That's all for now folks...

Umbilical Cord Hats

2008-10-02T05:39:00.001-07:00

Umbilical Cord Hats
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

Yes - more hats - I seem to have an endless queue of friends having babies at the moment including two lots of twins. The second lot being born this week - so the knitting has been fast and furious. Also - I love making these hats.

I strayed from my usual 100% silk to using Noro's Silkgarden - it's such a dream to knit with. I love that no two of the hats are the same.

I bought two skeins and didn't realise until I got home that they were different colours - but for these hats it didn't matter. Each skein yielded two hats - and still some to spare. I think I can get another hat out of the remnants - will try later.

Just need to wrap them and post them off to their new owners.

Ra Ra Ravenclaw

2008-10-01T02:10:00.001-07:00

Ruaridh
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

Finally got round to finishing off Ruaridh's hat.

He didn't want Gryffindor like his brother, instead he wanted Ravenclaw. I really like the colours in this one - the book and the film have different colours - I think the book is bronze and navy and the film silver and navy - so this is the film colours.

I have enough wool to make them both a scarf and will start on them once I have found the right circular needle - they all seem to be missing at the moment.

I used Cascade 200 wool - which I love knitting with - so nice and chunky - and fantastic colours too.

Longies

2008-08-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

I have these on the needles at the moment. They are my first pair of wool longies and

I am loving knitting them. So, so easy. Why haven't I knit these before?

I bought the wool from Krafty Koala because it is very similar to my Didymos Martin wrap (geek!).

Still a way to go as these are going to be longies, not just a soaker. Isn't the pooling fab??

And in other news... I've finished my Molly's Headband - in Noro Aurora - and I love it. It's my first piece of lace work and I adore it. It still needs blocking so is wider than it looks.

Stash Enhancement

2008-08-08T11:01:00.001-07:00

Stash Enhancement
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

Lovely Tara sent me some goodies from her recent trip to Canada.

She sent me some Lantern Moon DPNs - which are simply a dream to hold.

Some Noro Aurora - all glistening - like freshly washed seaweed - sparkly and green.

Silk Maiden in gorgeous plums and burgundies.

Fibranatura - Sea Song - a wonderfully soft yarn made with Seacell (kelp fiber) in soft browns.

All perfect and all lovely to fondle. Now what to knit with them.... just off to Ravelry...

A surprising buy

2008-07-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

I went over to Woolfish today and had a lovely time with Louise and a couple of her friends catching up on news and knitting on my baby blanket - almost finished it - and will blog about it soon.

One of the main reasons for going - apart from getting a little free-time - was to look for some black yarn to make a hat for Morgan - he wants a pointy Wizard's Hat as seen in 'The Philosopher's Stone'. So I bought some lovely Noro Cash Iroha which I haven't seen before. It's plain black and slightly shimmery - and looking at the ingredients I can see why - it is 40% silk, 30% lambs wool, 20% cashmere and 10% nylon - maybe a bit luxorious for a child's hat - but I guess I love him!

The other thing that caught my eye amongst the Aladdin's cave was some weird nobbly wool. Now I normally detest novelty yarn - but for some obscure reason I really liked it. It's Adriafil's Retro Trends and looking at their site it's new out this year - I looked because I couldn't find it on the Ravelry database which is unusual. I borrowed a pair of needles from Louise and knitted up a quick sample to see what it was like. Well it was horrible to cast on and the first two rows were horrific - but then as my guage settled it started to really look amazing. The nobbles all settled down and gave the most amazing mottled effect. So I frogged it back so I could give the needles back to Louise and I have got three in my stash now. Not sure what to do with it - I'm thinking tea cosy or a weird hat for Orla. Again - looking at the ingredients it's not surprising I found it so lovely - 96% lambswool and 4% nylon. Lovely

A nice afternoon away from the mayhem - I even found out about a knitting group I may start sneaking off to on Saturdays.

Thing A or Thing B?

2008-07-15T14:39:00.001-07:00

Look - a small yummy baby in a hat I made - squuuueeeee

Now is that Thing A or Thing B?

Joy - if you're reading this do let me know which of your gorgeous daughters that is....

Blogged with the Flock Browser

The Owl

2008-07-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

Not really knitting I know. I have done my first bit of sewing for years and I am rather chuffed.

It's all my mother's fault - we stopped off at their house on the way back from holiday and she gave me a bag of fabric which included this fabric..

... which I loved. The owl especially - look, isn't he cute??....

So - I cut him out and rummaged through my fabric and found a backing piece, cleared out the sewing box and found some thread (and lots of things I forgot I owned...) and started on him.

And - I finished him - and he's lovely...
And here's a picture of him with Orla - so you can get a sense of scale...

So there you go - a new hobby *grin*

There are 3 more on the fabric cut off as well as some mice and some hedgehogs - so I may make a whole menagerie!

Baby Surprise Jacket

2008-06-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

Well - I am now totally hooked (pun intended) on this pattern.
I am about half way through my second one and am loving every moment I get to work on it.

I've finally taken some pics.
This is the first one I did - using Debbie Bliss Merino Aran - I have some lovely hand-made patterns winging their way to be via a lovely Etsy seller.

The second one I am making using some lovely Krafty Koala merino wool. I am using much larger needles and hoping this will fit my 2 year old daughter (no of course I didn't knit a swatch!!!)

I'd love to make an adult one next but am loathed to use a really chunky wool - is there an adapted pattern for normal wool - so with more stitches??? Answers on a postcard to....

BSJ

2008-06-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

I'm finally knitting my first Baby Surprise Jacket as part of this knitalong.

I spent ages swatching trying to decide on colours:

I finally decided to go for the Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in plain red and have just got some more in a pale gold colour to accent it. Really enjoying working on this - it certainly is an unusual pattern.

Go Gryffindor

2008-05-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Morgan wanted me to knit him a Gryffindor hat - well actually he wanted socks first.... but then he looked at the 'Charmed Knits' book and decided he wanted a beanie. So a beanie he got.

It was a very easy knit and I loved the fact it is my Primary School colours - made me think of my school days *grin*

Morgan was a little sad when he tried it on - his brother had just hit him in the mouth - hopefully I'll get some better shots soon.

Twin Hats

2008-05-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

My lovely friend Joy has just had twins so I knitted them some hats.

I used Hipknits Aran silk which I love knitting with. Joy is not a girlie girl (a bit like me) so pink wasn't really an option. I used the lovely jewel-like colours of plain green and plain purple. One hat in each with an accent of the other to connect them. I even did my first fairisle with the purple.

I love how these have turned out and am going to post them off today.

Now what to do with the remains?

Rosedale United

2008-04-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this jumper forever - or so it seems. It is being knitted on circular needles and is seemingly a dream to knit. Yet it is killing me. I have frogged it back countless times - how difficult can a jumper be? I am knitting it in the lovely Noro Kureyon with lovely green and brown stripes and I am loving it so much.

It's just that flippin' Intarsia panel - I cannot do it. Look:

See what I mean? It's a mess. I learnt how to do a lovely wrap and turn and that did help on one side - but the other side continues to be a disaster.

So I have admitted defeat and have frogged the Intarsia panel out and just knitting a plain jumper - which is still looking fabulous as it's Noro Kureyon.

To cheer myself up I have just cast on my first Tomten jacket - I just hope Orla hasn't grown too much by the time I finish it...

Found it

2008-01-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have been looking for Elizabeth Zimmermann's book 'Opinionated Knitter' for a while now. It is out of print and not the easiest book to find. So - today - I was browsing some Yarn P0rn and unexpectedly found a copy on Socktopus.

I'm really chuffed that I will be finally getting a copy of this bible. I have two of her other books and am looking forward to reading this one too. It has the infamous Baby Surprise Jacket in it which I have seen discussed many, many times on Ravelry.

Of course it seems rude to visit a Sock Yarn site and not buy some sock yarn. How that Cherry Tree Hill yarn fell into my shopping basket I do not know - but it is very pretty.

(picture from Socktopus and shows River Run Supersock yarn from Cherry Tree Hill)

Stash Busting

2008-01-22T08:04:00.001-08:00

Stash Basket 9
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

I sorted out my stash yesterday - sorting the yarn by manufacturer. This picture is the Noro basket and is soooo lovely. Unfortunately it will probably be the first basket to empty as the Kureyon on the left is destined for a jumper that I am knitting for me.

I did get a pang of guilt at the size of my stash - and am very aware that it is a reflection of my long hours on the computer when I am home alone with the children.

My previous addiction - babywearing is sadly coming to an end (unless I get pregnant again) so I will be selling off my sling/wrap stash soon once I can bring myself to price, wash and photo them.

Hopefully my knitting addiction will last a little longer than babywearing and I may see the bottom of some of the other baskets too.

Catching Up

2008-01-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

I've been knitting a fair bit - well compared to normal - but still not enough.

I was at Woolfish on Saturday. Louise has started a knitting group on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month up until Easter (10:30-12:30). I knew about it because I had popped in the week before when Martin and the boys had gone swimming in Eyemouth. Louise had placed an ad in the local paper but had forgotten to put the time and the place! So funnily enough I was the only one who showed. It was lovely though. I supped my tea, ate my lovely home-baked scone and knitted - undisturbed!

I have finished a couple of things since I last posted. Another umbilical hat - which is under wraps until it has been sent out to the new (very small yet to arrive) owner. I have also knitted Orla a Noro hat to match mine. What do you think?

I finished the left hand glove of fetching for the second time - the first one was awful. I've also been building my stash up a little - but will detail that when I have photos...

Naughty Blogger

2007-12-16T01:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have blogged. Guess I've been caught in the pre-Christmas frenzy.

Anyway knitting news - well I got a lovely gift in the Santa Swap from the UK Swap. I got two yummy balls of Zara Plus merino wool which I am making fingerless gloves with. This is really exciting for me as it is my first time cabling - which has been going really well. So far I would give myself a 9 out of 10 for effort and a 7 out of 10 for results - as I sort of missed a bit out and there is no way I am frogging back. I just need to bind off and finish the thumb, then I can start on the second one. The pattern I am doing is the lovely Fetching gloves.

In other news I was in Harrogate in November - staying with my mum and dad - and meeting up with some friends at the show there. I took Orla along which meant I wasn't able to do as much foraging as I wanted to but still came away with some lovely dyed silk from Hipknits and a couple of other bits and pieces.

My to-do list on ravelry has lengthened and I am thoroughly enjoying knitting at the moment - but have precious little time to do it. I am also doing some voluntary editing on Ravely which I adore.

That's all for now folks...

Jenners Sale

2007-11-12T03:52:00.001-08:00

Oh the evil Jenners Sale.

50% of everything!! It would have been rude not to have gone...

So enough of that - stash talk - what did I get? Just adding it into Ravelry and it is a little scary..

I bought

12 skeins of lilac Rowan Summer Tweed
2 red balls of Rowan Cotton Rope
4 balls of Rowan 4 ply cotton
18 balls of Rowan Bamboo Soft (3 each of 6 colours in deep pink, purples and blues)
4 balls of lilac/purple Jaeger Merino Soft
1 pair of bamboo knitting needles
A snap press thing
Lucinda Guy's 'And So To Bed'

Phew - quite a haul...

The Summer Tweed will make a jumper/cardi for me. The cotton rope and 4-ply cotton are to make iggle piggle for Orla. The bamboo soft is to to make a Mason-Dixon log cabin afghan. The Jaeger wool is just because...

Fun was had..

Oh and the book is fantastic - lots of bedtime things to knit. I'm planning on an Otto Owl for the kids, amongst other things.

What kind of needles are you?

2007-10-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Spotted on Leah's Blog.

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are bamboo.Warm, cozy, and thoughtful, you take your time and enjoy how things feel, smell, and taste. You love the craft and beauty of traditional things, and you value the comfort and experience of knitting as much as the results. But while you are reveling in your warm cozies, don't get stuck. Warm is wonderful, but so is the whole wide world!
Take this quiz!

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Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Ravelry #2

2007-10-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well the moving has been done and it was not fun but we're in the new house at last.

More excitingly though I finally got my Ravelry invite and can't bear to leave it alone - I want to get all my stash, thought and ideas up. It's such a great site and I am loving exploring it.

Funky hat

2007-09-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

I came across this gorgeous hat while trawling blogs the other day. Isn't it fab? I've bought some yarn for it and will be making it for this autumn for a couple of people. Fun huh?

Here's the pattern if anyone else wants to give it a go.

A project for the caravan me thinks - I like easy patterns.

Mystery Stole

2007-09-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

I have signed up to knit a mystery stole. This is my first venture into lace knitting so wish me luck!

My first big decision is which colour? The instructions say:
"The colors I recommend for this stole are solid, earthy, non-vibrant, non-variegated, non-fuzzy. ... This stole design and theme are best suited for black, white, pink, grey, green, etc. as long as it is not a primary, bright vibrant color. The only exception to this is if you were able to use a silver or gold yarn of some kind. Regardless, be sure to pick something you like and I’m sure the stole will be beautiful."

So - I have found a supplier of a suitable yarn but now need to choose my colour... Here are some pics - please let me know what you think.

Suede:

Sable:

Ruby:

Plum

Mahogony

Indigo

Copper

Basil

(All images taken from The Woolly Workshop )

Organising those needles

2007-08-15T13:03:00.001-07:00

Now I have a fine stash of needles I need to sort the little tinkers out. So I was surfing the other night - a regular pastime - and came across the perfect thing. Isn't this just the perfect way to store circular needles?? And the patterns that they come on are gorgeous.. Go and have a look.

So when I can afford it do I go for a full matching set or do I get a clash of patterns?

Welcome to Knittianicus

2007-08-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

I've never liked my blog name - so asked for some help with a name and the wonderful Tracy suggested Knittianicus to go with my commonly used user name and blog Pollianicus

So thanks Tracy - you rock.

Knit Stash

2007-07-28T13:23:00.001-07:00

Labels
Originally uploaded by Pollianicus

I had all my stash out - was trying to sort out what I have and what projects I have in mind for them.

I was feeding Orla...

The house was quiet...

... and Ruaridh took the label off *every* ball of wool.

Oh. My. Goodness.

Ravelry

2007-07-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

I cannot wait for Ravelry to be set up. It looks like it rocks. A place to store notes on projects, current, future and ongoing. Pictures of yarn galore and lots of information. The catch? It's too popular... so my status at the moment is:

You signed up on July 14, 2007

You are #16409 on the list.

10053 people are ahead of you in line.

2861 people are behind you in line.

31% of the list has been invited so far

This site looks like it is a victim of its own success before it has even launched. *grin*

Busy busy

2007-07-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have a whole load of wool bought from a couple of places including HipKnits and from my holiday in Brittany.

I also have delved into the realm of hand spinning and have bought some roving and a drop spindle from Shunklies on Etsy.

When I get a moment I will take some photos of my stash as I need to work out what is going to be used for what.

You never know I may actually finish a project too...

Green Sock

2007-05-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

We went to Penrith and back today and DH did all the driving - so I got plenty of time for knitting. I took along my green wool that started my sock obsession off (it's been frogged a number of times) and it is coming along really well. By golly, I think I've got it!

Nice to get some uninterrupted knitting time.

Also managed to read a bit about log-cabin blanket knitting and think that will soon be on my to-do list - just need to decide on wool for it - hoping Rosie will come up trumps and have something yummy I can use.

The Beginning

2007-05-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there was wool and there were needles... and it all went downhill from there...

I thought I should separate the knitting from the personal blog to make it easier for people to pick which part of my life they wish to nose around in. So welcome to my knitting blog.

Here I will talk about current projects, stash findings, pattern attempts. Join me as I go through the pains of knitting...