Fingers and Thumbs

The Kindness of Strangers

2008-06-09T08:20:00.006+01:00

It has been said before, and it will be said again, but knitbloggers are wonderful people. Kind,
generous to a fault, and really just the best.

I got home late on Friday night from another crappy week's work trapped in London. I have been working away week days for the last 4 months, and even though this is nothing to write home about in the big scheme of things I am fed up with working away, missing my home and working silly hours. So Friday evening I walked through the front door, feeling sorry for myself, dinner frozen in a bag from the convenience store (again. I miss real food) to find a parcel on the door mat. A parcel I wasn't expecting. A parcel from an address I didn't recognise. My interest was piqued!

I dropped everything - literally - my handbag, the groceries, the laundry basket with a week's worth of washing and detritus and opened the parcel up to this (apologies for crappiness of pictures - remember late Friday night...);

I wasn't quite sure why I had perv-worthy handspun and gifts, but I had a sneaking suspicion.

A couple of months ago Jeni over at Magnusmog invited people to sign up to the Pay it Forward pledge. In return for a small handmade something from Jeni I was required to pay it forward in a crafty way to 3 other people, who in turn pay it forward themselves. I thought it was a brilliant idea and signed up at once. Jeni and I traded details, likes, dislikes, the usual, and I got on with life knowing that one day a parcel would land on my door mat with a little hand made loveliness from someone who I only know through the magic of the blogsphere, all the while feeling a little guilty that no-one had signed the pledge with me (Jeni, with her evidently characteristic generosity said not to worry, find other ways to pay it forward - I have, and will continue to do so - but if any one would like to sign up...).

That day came on Friday.

There was chocolate for me to consume (Charbonnel and Walker no less). So far I have resisted, in part because the colour of the packaging is too charming (daft I know), and partly because I want to savour it, which means not inhaling a whole bar over the course of a weekend. There were 3 (yes THREE) skeins of hand spun, hand dyed Wensleydale yarn in beautifully complementing colours in my favourite colour palate of strong browns and reds and orange-y pinks (better pic over here). There was the piece of resistance too. A hand sew, hand felted stunning brooch. The photo only hints at how lovely a thing it is, and I have already installed it on my favourite jacket, and will be wearing it with pride, showing it off to everyone.

I have spent the entire weekend stroking and marvelling at the brooch and smushing the yarn to my face, figuring out exactly how to do it most justice. The surprise package from north of the border was a real tonic and lifted my spirits no end.

Jeni, I really don't know you could bare to part with such wonderful things. Please take it that I am totally thrilled with gifts, and blown away with your generosity. Thank you.

ECF

2008-05-30T09:23:00.003+01:00

A little early morning eye candy for Friday - this is the summer installation in front of the National Theatre. In the evenings it is rammed with people sitting in the sun, reading their papers, drinking beer and pimms, but mornings are the quiet time.

SO. EXCITED.

2008-05-29T16:29:00.003+01:00

A little bit of eye candy to distract you first...

I know it isn't Friday, but who doesn't love leaping ducklings?

And members of the onion family are rarely wrong either.

There is some craftiness to share (a new jumper and new socks), but it is going to have to wait until I get photos for proper documentation.

But the big news really. The point for the near bursting excitement is I have also have a new craft to share. I spent my holiday funds (again) this week. The results of that rashness means that when I get home tomorrow this should be waiting for me to unpack, figure out, and then not move from for the entire weekend.

Bliss.

ECF

2008-04-11T13:00:00.004+01:00

Towards Blackfriars
Originally uploaded by Ivywindow

I love the OXO tower. I spent a lot of time in my student union bar (surprise surprise) with a Newkey Brown in hand starring out at the tower, and now it forms part of my journey home, made extra pretty with the sun shining off Sea Containers House.

Compare and contrast

2008-04-08T13:56:00.002+01:00

Compare and contrast
Originally uploaded by Ivywindow

Sunday it SNOWED.

Properly snowed. We got over 3 inches in 45 minutes. I was like a pig in pooh. Snow gets me as excited as Christmas, and I was all set to be snowed in for days.

Turns out however that 45 minutes of snow in a morning during spring don't mean a thing if the sun comes out, as by 5pm all the snow had gone again.

Easy come, easy go I guess!

Eleven and a half

2008-02-07T13:52:00.000Z

Note to self.

7th Feb, and 11.5 FOs in the last 38 days. You may want to slow down a bit. Or aim for larger Os to F.

In fairness, not all of the things that have been finished this year were started this year. A case in point are these hats. These were made in Norfolk over New Years when I was away with Rachel, Ferg & the wonder dog Ness. I made one for each of us humans to protect us from the ravages of the Siberian wind that then singularly failed to show up (I expressed my disapointment at the time to Rachel, who's neck of the woods this is).

The hats all started out using the basic hat recipe from LMKGs. All knit in Manos. I got 5 different colours that all sort of went with each other, and we all chose the brim style and colours we wanted, and then I just went for it.

From the top, clockwise; Ferg's, mine & Rachel's.

Of the 3 I am most pleased with Rachel's. She wanted the colours to be used totally randomly, and I had a lot of fun with that, carrying colours along rows, changing the colour order. The results worked out well. Mine is fine, but I had a regimented order, each colour did 1.3 rounds and the yarns were switched at the same point all the way though the hat. I can see the change and it annoys my that it wasn't smoother. I am quite pleased with the goofiness of Ferg's hat. He loved the strong colours, and really wanted a deep brim to keep his ears warm when he is out surveying on boats in the middle of the Irish or North Seas, my only beef with it was that I don't like the way the ribbing shows the colour change, and I think there is a better way of doing it. It was a fun project and a good way to start the new knitting year.

I seem to be living in the land of pregnant people at the moment. Thinking about it logically as a 34 year old woman with lots of married friends I can hardly be surprised about this. This has lead to the next 4 FOs of the year which are a little group of 4 bibs. These are another idea from Mason Dixon Knitting.

They are all for the bump of my mate Sarah. She is due to give birth a week today. For the purposes of these bibs there are 2 things you need to know about Sarah; 1) she is married to a lovely cricket playing, lager drinking, rugby watching Australian called Shane, and 2) she is mad for lilac. Mad for it. Every day of her life she has something lilac on, even if it isn't apparent to the rest of the world, be it socks, hair bobble, whatever. She has already made it clear to Shane that even if she has a boy she will be dressing him in lilac. I can't help it but I have pandered to the madness and knit her 3 little bibs in lilac and 1 bib for Shane in green and gold, or at least what passed for green and gold in my cotton collection.

All the yarn is peaches and creme. What I love about the yarn is that not only is it machine washable, but you can tumble it too. What I love about these bibs are the buttons and the neckbands. I wanted each of the bibs to have its own little identity, so I made all the neckbands different. The buttons all came from my Auntie Vera's button box which I inherited a couple of weeks ago. I somehow think that my 92 year old aunt would have approved of hand made bibs and saved buttons as a baby gift.

The final FO is a pair of tiger feet. This is the 3rd pair of slippers I have made from the Rowan Felted Collection but the first I have kept for myself, the other 2 pairs being gifted to Jenn for Christmas and Fiona for her birthday. I love this pattern. It is so quick but really satisfying to make.

Knitted in Big Wool Ginger Snap and Camouflage. I had enough for a pair in each colour way but decided to mix them, which means that when these die, and given the fact they pretty much haven't left my feet in a week now they will die, I have enough to make another pair.
Yay for cosy toes!

Now the astute amongst you will be saying "3 hats, 4 bibs and a pair of slippers do not 11.5 FOs make" or words to that effect. And you are right. Even my maths isn't that poor.

So where the other 3.5? Well, they are still waiting to be phtographed. The 3 are 3 kitchen cloths for the van. I have 1 more ballband to knit before the 'set' is complete and will reveal when it is done - probably this weekend.

The .5 is, depending on how you look at these things, either a finished sock which is waiting for me to get on with its mate, also unphotographed, but more because it is a plain stockinette sock in a frankly lurid makes-your-eyes-hurt-but-somehow-attractive yellowish yarn than because it is only half a thing, or my Scrumptious Calpotis which I am exactly half way through, and I am hoping that by thinking of it as half an FO it will encourage me to F the rest of the O. Hoping. By the way I offer a round of applause to anyone who actually followed that last sentance. For the rest of you a recap; 2 half finished objects trying to earn the .5 FO status, first is a nasty yellow sock and the second a half finished clapotis. I hope that helped.

It feels like a lot to have finished in 6 weeks.

Round-up part 1

2008-01-07T14:36:00.000Z

And I don't mean weed control.

It is time for a bit of a round up of the last 3, nay 4 weeks. It will be in installments, as rather than overpower this post with photos this will be text only posting. If you have the time and inclination to go and look I'll be posting photos on Flickr later on.

Last time I wrote anything of substance I may have left you with the impression that I was looking forward to going to Germany for the weekend with my friend Andy. It was an accurate impression, possibly underplayed for the audiences (there is was LOT more internal squeeing than you can imagine. My parents often tried to give me away free with a bar of soap around the holidays because I became THAT unbearable). Nuernberg was fantastic. The hotel was just adorable, and very central to all the bits in the old town that we wanted to go to. Getting to and from the airport in Munich couldn't have been easier.

Nuernberg really knows how to throw a Christmas Market party! They market themselves as the Christmas Town, and they are pretty much right to (from a shopping and getting you into the secular spirit point of view, all other towns with claims to being the birthplace of Christmas aside...). I had forgotten how much I love German Christmas markets. The smells, the sounds, the sights, but mostly the smells. And the sounds. Oh, and the sights...

We arrived late afternoon on the Friday, and once we had dumped our stuff at the hotel we hit the main square in front of the cathedral where the bulk of the Christmas Market is. Andy, being roughly the width of a twig, was instantly freezing, so I felt it only fair that I kept him company with a steaming mug of Gluewein. If you ever got to any kind of holiday market, and you think there is a chance they won't be selling any mulled wine, take a hip flask. It is the utter way forward. When we lived in Germany I was a bit young to really appreciate how fabulous Gluewein is. I am now a convert.

Saturday we roamed the town itself. There is a Breuniger in Nuernberg. This is possibly only exciting to someone who was a teenager in Boeblingen in the 80's. As I was we had to go. Imagine my disappointment when it was just a clothes store. It is like going to Harrods and the food hall being absent. Or going to Liberty's and have them just selling scarves. Very odd. We also found the only vegan restaurant in town and had lunch there. Whilst it was run by some very earnest hippies, they were earnest hippies who made good food, and had a great deli.

Andy and I had made the decision on Friday that we were only window shopping to make sure that we had seen all that there was to see, so Saturday night we headed back down to the market with Euros in our pockets and empty shopping bags in hand. We have a history of giving Christmas tree ornaments in our family, and it is something that I have extended to my closest friends for the last 10 years. I found some lovely traditional wooden ornaments for my friends, which were just perfect to give, but I also got some fabulous painted tin ornaments for the family. Tin ornaments are such a traditional part of Christmas in Germany, often times they come in the guise of a little shop front or other tableau, and can either be hung from the tree, or against a plain wall, so that you can really see the detail. We have some from when we lived there, so it was good to be able to remind my Mum & Sarah of the good times we had in Germany, especially this Christmas. I also treated myself to a German Smoker, like the big soldier or prince nutcrackers that you see, another really traditional German decoration.

On a knitterly note I did manage to find 2 yarn shops in the town though. The first just sold Lana Grossa, so I needed to get some. I bought some New Cotton in a teal-y colour, and I bought some Merino Big in orange and variegated browns, blues and oranges. The latter for me to make mitts and a hat out of (and if there is enough left over then a neck warmer too). I am obsessed with hats and gloves at the moment. The New Cotton was for my sis. She has eczema and can't tolerate wool, and the yarn I had bought to make her hat and mitt set with wasn't working out on the mitt front. The bad mitts had formed part of my packing, so I frogged them as soon as we got back to the hotel, and cast on with the NC (which, as luck would have it needed the same 4.5mm needles as I had with me). I finished sewing the ends of the 2nd mitt on the plane on way home. The 2nd shop was more of a generalist shop, but they had some Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett, so I snagged a couple of balls to turn into socks at some stage this year.

Nuernberg got a big 2 thumbs up from both Andy & me. It has set a high bar on the Christmas Market front for future trips, and I think we will be going back, as really, who can resist the sights, the sounds, the smells...

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T14:06:00.000Z

Merry Christmas everyone. I wish you all a peaceful and happy time with your families.

2007-12-12T08:51:00.000Z

TWO MORE SLEEPS

That's all!

Now I just have to decide what knitting to take with (other than Sarah's fingerless mitts and the foot of the 2nd Space Dust Monkey) as I'll have plenty of knitting time on the flight and the train from Munich. Especially as I finished SGIII last night - photos will have to wait for a couple of weeks.

'Cited

2007-12-10T16:04:00.000Z

FOUR MORE SLEEPS, then I am off to Germany for the weekend with my lovely friend Andy. We are going to Nurnberg for a little pre-Christmas Christkindlesmarkt. We are staying in the old town, so we are that much closer to all the stalls and fun.

I spent 3 years in southern Germany when I was a teenager, and as a result Christmas Markets are like crack to me. Just bring on the mulled wine, the sausages, the caramelised almonds, the little wooden ornaments, the nutcrackers. JUST BRING IT! What is making this even better is the weather forecasters are predicting snow. Promising snow! SNOW!

I may explode with excitement.

I hope you have something fabulous to look forward to this week too.

Hello, radio silence is over.

2007-12-07T11:46:00.001Z

How can it be nearly a month since I last posted. It isn't like nothing has happened. I can only put it down to year end at work. It is a horrible time to be there. My job involves keeping salespeople safe from themselves and helping the company do sensible, profitable business. This means that I get to spend the last 6 - 8 weeks of the year chasing other people's tails running after every conceivable sale so that people make their targets and bonuses. It totally sucks the spirit out of the time of year for me. You would think after 13 years of it I'd be resigned to it by now, but it still sneaks up and slaps me each time. Sigh.

Anyhoo, enough moaning and excuses. I have FOs. Including a Christmas FO at that.

I have finished, and worn the Soho Cowl and Mitts. They were a lovely quick knit. I used 4 balls of Debbie Bliss Soho, 2 on the cowl, and 1 each for the mitts, with very little left over. I have been surprised at just how warm the fingerless gloves have kept my hands. The cowl is based on the fpea Quickie Cowl again, and the mitts were taken from LMKGs.

Excuse the picture of me looking barely raised from the dead, and needing an indecent amount of moisturiser... The colours are great because my good winter coat is charcoal grey with a fuchsia lining, and my winter jacket is a lovely olive-y green.

I have also finished, sewn up, felted and created the inner for (i.e. totally done) the hot wheatie bottle for Ma for Christmas. More accurately speaking it is a hot pearl barley bottle, but as we are amongst friends I am sure you will let it pass. It has turned out ok. Better than hoped for. I had to put it through the machine twice to get it to felt much. I used the yarn specified and it hasn't felted as completely as other wools I have used. The flap has spread a little too. But, it was begun when I knew nothing about anything, and it will be toasty and cosy, which is the point of it all.

The knitted bit is from the Rowan Felted Collection. The inner is from my head; some left over linen from a skirt I made, doubled up to give the lining some body and made into a little envelope, with a bit of bias along the top to keep it all good and closed, and a little felt heart rustically (being the politest term for my hand sewing) sewn to the front.

This leaves Fred's jumper outstanding, and even that is making good progress. I have completed the front and am 2/3s done with the back. SG III is on the home stretch too (thank goodness). It has been a real test in the ability to go through the stocking stitch pain barrier, but is going to look fine and dandy when it is done. I have also added one more project to the list, which was to make something for my sis, so that everyone in the family gets to open a hand knit at Christmas. I wish to make myself universally unpopular with everyone sharing the need to be polite in the face of their handcrafted offerings :-D. The project added is a simple hat and fingerless glove set. I am looking forward to getting Christmas gifts done though. I have a bunch of things on the back burner that I want to do, in particular getting some more socks knitted so that I can wear handmade all the time.

Reveal

2007-11-13T14:59:00.001Z

As it is Jenn's birthday today, and I know the parcel has made it safely across the Atlantic, I can reveal Surprise Gifts I & II.
They are a little kerchief scarf and mitt set. The kerchief is from LMKG, and is just right to give a little flash of colour under a coat, and to keep the neck warm without masses of ends hanging every where. The pair of fingerless mitts are of my own design (being a very grand word for figuring out how to knit a tube with a slit in it), although largely inspired by Alison's banner photo. Both in Noro Silk Garden Lite, Col 2017.

It is more of an autumn/spring set, or a looking sassy in the truck set, given it is for use in Ontario, and they get real weather there. Proper winters. With snow and everything.

The kerchief used an entire skein of yarn, and the mitts just under. I did a provisional cast on for the mitts and then did a 3 needle bind off, so that they can be worn seam in or seam out - depending on mood. To make the thumb opening I cast off 10 or so stitches and then did a backward loop cast on on the way back up again. I also did a couple of extra rows beneath the thumb to give a bit of extra room at the widest part of the hand. Other than that they are simple garter stitch squares made into a tube. But snuggly, fun ones.

It was the first time I had knit with the Noro, and was surprised at the amount of vegetable matter in the yarn. I was also surprised at how soft it felt on, given the "textured" nature of it when knitting up.

All in all though it was a satisfying gift to knit. I really enjoy making things for other people, and the combination of doing something new for someone else was a good one.

Happy Birthday Jenn. I hope the scarf and mitts keep the chill off you over the months to come.

Oh, in other news. Guess who's invite to Ravelry came through today, and really very quickly as well? Now to find the time to populate my queue & stash...

Satisfaction

2007-11-11T16:01:00.000Z

This has been a really good weekend.

I have officially, at 34, joined the ranks of the middle aged, and I am absolutely delighted to have done so. Ihave joined said ranks as I have bought a caravan.

Most people I know will either laugh at me, or sit there shaking their heads in disbelief. The caravan is desperately uncool, but I really don't care. We got our first van when I was 3, and we had one until after my sister & I had both left home. They make for the best holidays; having your home on your back, being able to go where ever you want, and I decided it was time to get a little of that action for myself. So, come March, I shall be the completely overexcited owner of a caravan. Between now and the we have the small matter of finding somewhere for it to live, as I don't have a drive, oh, and getting a car which can tow it, as the current one doesn't have a tow bar, but these are details, and small ones at that. The point is. I. Have. A. Caravan. Yay for me! :-)

The other part of making this weekend lovely is that I have some FOs too. Having said, in the last post, that I love nearly finished things. I also really love finished things too.

May I present Baby Kimono II, with a little bonus hat which I whipped up on Thursday night. They are knit in Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, col. Tomato. The hat is pattern-less. Using some 5mm DPNs, I just consulted the oracle for diameter, making the rim in moss stitch to match the cardi, and One Skein for the depth (3.5 inches before decreases), and then just divided the number of stitches into 8, and started decreasing from there. Voila, a baby hat.

The kimono is after the pattern in Mason Dixon Knitting knit on a 5mm Addi circ. I cast on the same number of stitches knowing that it would come up a little larger than the Baby Kimono pattern, included in which is the 6 stitch moss stitch border. The sleeves have been made a little deeper to compensate, 13cm rather than the called for 10cm. None of the seams are sewn at the borders to allow for a little wriggle room.

Baby Lyne is due any day now, so I may soon have update shots to show off.

C's Christmas jumper is also finished. I am pleased with how this has turned out. It is the first jumper I have knitted, and even though it is a very simple pattern, from the Debbie Bliss book Home it is satisfying to have completed. I am particularly pleased with how the neckline turned out too. Now I just need to make Fred's jumper and at least I know the boys will be getting their Christmas pressies. The curse of an aunt who likes to make stuff. If Sarah & Jonathan don't send those boys into therapy when they are older their aunt certainly will.

Next up is something that didn't even make the WIP list. I was completely inspired by Brainylady Alison on Wednesday, when I got to her post and instantly decided that I neeeeeeeeeded to make the fpea quickie cowl, so after a little stash-dive I came up with 50 metres of one zero in what I think is Ischia, a pair of 12 mm needles and went for it. I reduced the number of stitches by half, given I was using a super chunky and needles twice the size asked for, and after sewing it up I was left with 6 inches or so of yarn. Even while knitting it I realised I wasn't making it for me, but for my mate Sara. She is a green-aholic, and it will go with her eyes just brilliantly, also with 2 small children it means that she won't be trailing scarf everywhere.

I have started another one for me, this time in some Debbie Bliss Soho that I had originally bought to make a pair of felted slippers in, but I think I am going to have enough to make the cowl and a matching pair of mitts, and I have decided that I am ahead enough of the Christmas present curve that I can afford a couple of illegal knits for myself. Fiona has also commissioned one, so you'll be seeing more of this pattern.

One last peek at this week's FOs.

All in all a very satisfying weekend. I am off to knit more cowl and figure out what I am going to have for dinner.

I Heart

2007-11-07T15:03:00.000Z

Nearly finished things;

1) Charlie's Christmas Jumper. All knitted, steamed, and about a third of the way there with the sewing up. At which point I may block it to ease some of the stitches.

2) Jonathan's Christmas Socks. As you can see I went with the Camouflage colourway. The yarn was a gift from Jayne for being her 200th customer (Thanks Jayne!). I won't tell if you promise not to that the actual colourway is Girly Cammo. I have to say I love how the yarn knitted up. Worsted weight socks are the way forward in terms of cranking those puppies out!

3) Baby Kimono II. All done knitting, just got to sew up. I think it is going to be big enough for Baby Lyne to grow in to. In fact Baby Lyne may be 3 or 4 before this fits. It is a little large given it is meant for a new born, but will be fabulous come the spring!... The bonus is that there is enough yarn left to make a little matching hat.

My plan is to sit down on Saturday and actually turn these into proper FOs. I shall be good. I shall spend a day sewing up. I really, really shall. The biggest incentive isn't to have the finished article. No, no! It is to remove the articles from the WIP list to our right!

I also heart my new fabric cube from Schrodinger. I had a hard time choosing between the Chocqua cube (which is still listed) and this little Matroishka cube. The little mamas won. They often do.

It arrived in the post this morning (another thing to heart, actually - good post days), and I have already filled it with an illegal WIP. As mentioned my RPMs and Fawkes are waiting to be frogged, but I had a train journey to London to make yesterday, and nothing the right size to take with me, so I have started a new pair of Monkeys with some STR in Space Dust.

The photo isn't doing the colours justice. To be fair, none of them are, but being in such a heart-shaped mood it was more important to work with speed than accuracy.

I hope you heart something today.

Remember remember

2007-11-07T14:03:00.000Z

... the 7th of November

It doesn't really have the same ring about it does it?!

This is just a little pay it forward reminder. Both to me, and to you.

Reminder to me;

I need to get back to Magnusmog, as she has asked me for a list of likes and I am getting delinquent on that and if I leave it any longer I'll get embarrassed by it too.

Reminder to you;

Go sign up, if you would like to be part of a little PIF fun.

Thanks!. N. xx

One Year On

2007-10-29T09:52:00.000Z

A year ago today I was on holiday, staying with friends in VA for Halloween, and the urge came over me to learn how to knit. In truth I actually decided I wanted to learn whilst I had been in Kingston, ON the week before, where I had paid a ridiculous amount for a pair of hand knit socks. The socks totally rock and I love them, but I grew up in a house were the watchwords were "I could make that", all cack-handed evidence to the contrary. The opportunity too get to a yarn shop didn't however present itself. All of which is not entirely germane, other than the fact that the fabulous Ms Jenn deserves a mention for having been there from the beginning.

Where was I? Oh yes, I got the urge to knit, so... I went into the Micheal's at Seven Corners in Falls Church and bought 2 balls of Lion Brand boucle because it was pretty and autumnal and nicer than most everything else there, a pair of 5mm needles, and a book. I then sat down and taught myself to cast on. I proceeded to knit 4 miles (ok. ok! 3 metres) of garter stitch scarf. Garter stitch because I couldn't figure out how to purl. No really, I can be that dense. I did it on my own, without talking to people. Mostly because there were no people around who could help, but also partially because I am stubborn like that.

Things I didn't know when I was staring at the pictures trying to figure them out was; a) I can't read, and managed to knit the entire scarf in a twisted knit stitch, going in through the back of the loop, rather than the front. b) tension. c) how to stop. d) any concept of how much yarn you need for a project (I kept going til I could no longer carry the scarf safely without it being a trip hazard. I still had yarn left over). d) that a boucle yarn is a tricky little beast.

All that said, I finished the scarf, and wear it a lot. I LIKE the scarf. It makes me proud and happy.

Since then I have knit, in no particular order;

4 more scarves;
a shawl;
4 bags (2 felted, 2 cotton shoppers);
2 blankets (1 twin & 1 baby);
7 pairs of socks;
2 pairs of felted slipper socks;
1 pair of bed socks;
6 dish cloths/flannels;
a pot holder;
a SG I & SG II;
a jumper;
a baby kimono;
a felted tea cosy;
a felted brooch; and
a cat.

I have started, but not yet finished;

another baby kimono;
a hot wheatie bottle;
a SG III;
a dozen or so knitted Christmas tree ornaments;
a shawl that is destined to be frogged, if I can get the kid silk haze to frog successfully, which I doubt. If not, I'll bind it off and see what happens when I try and felt it; and
2 more pairs of socks which will also be added to the frog pile, not because I don't want them, but because I have lost my place in the pattern, and as a novice knitter, I didn't think to make a note of where I left off. DOH. Oh, Fawkes in Appliance, how I long for thee.

So, a year of over achievement? Possibly. But also a year of massive learning. The wheatie bottle cover is the first piece of colour work I have done, and I find it daunting. Not having someone to talk to about how to knit I rely on what I can glean from reading everyone's blogs (and thank you all for being so generous with your knowledge), and just making it up as I go along. It turns out that in knitting the wheatie cover I have invented intarsia...

It has for the most part been a year of instant-ish gratification, although both the felted bags were exercises in knitting through the stocking stitch pain barrier, the baby blanket I knit for Julia Franco an exercise in colour selection (and how to do it better next time) and blocking, and the afghan scarf a huge exercise in ripping and counting rows and following patterns carefully (to be fair, it was the difficult 2nd project...). The thought of doing an adult sized jumper is also scary, but I have 3 projects that I am desperate to do. Desperate enough to consider test swatching and growing a little patience for.

All in all though I have loved every minute of learning this new craft, and can't imagine being without the skills it has taught me. I get huge satisfaction out of creating things anyway, but love that I can still be creative in what is otherwise be down time. I have also loved being introduced into this community of crafters, and tentatively stepping into the world of craft bloggers, although I feel I have a long way to go before I can consider myself a fully paid up member of that community. All in all this knitting thing is great.

Long live the needles. Long live the yarn.

Ignoring the slightly uric colour of the cheap Spanish Brandy...

2007-10-26T14:19:00.001+01:00

(Don't ask.)

Jenn, anyone, I need some help please.

It isn't me is it? This sock is ugly. Ugly enough that even it's mother wouldn't love it.

This is meant to be the start of a pair of socks for Jonathan. You know; glasses, supports Man U, married my sister, super-Dad and all-round Sainted soul. Not the other one.

Apparently (...) he ARSKED for socks-a-la-me for Christmas. So of course I want to oblige, and am delighted to do so. F & C even chose the yarn (and maybe that is where I went wrong... 5 & 7. Love them to bits, but they are not know for taste.), but I can' get it to pool, which is the only way I think it is going to work.

Once more, a bit closer, and with feeling;

I think I need a plan B.

So, do you think any of these would work? Or shall I just get a nice plain solid?

Lovely camouflage colours, somber-ish. Neutral tones;

Cosmic, 50's colour, a brave bloke's colour way, but still, he is a modern man.

Lime greens and steel grays;

Braan 'n' blue;

Whaddaya think? Even if it is "stick with it, they are fugly but all the better for it, and by the way dig that diamond waffle babe"?

Ta. Love, Me. xx

Pay It Forward

2007-10-23T16:49:00.000+01:00

I have just been over at Magnusmog's site, and she has really made my day. A pay it forward initiative!

The rules of the game are I get to gift three things to the first 3 people to leave a comment asking to sign up, and in return Magnusmog sends me a little gift. Sounds like a really great exchange to me!

Or more formally;

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

Want a little PIF action in your life?

Yarn, yarn and more yarn

2007-10-22T16:48:00.000+01:00

I know this isn't Friday, but a couple of parcels arrived over the last couple of days, and I needed to share.

A parcel arrived this morning. The effects of the post strike have taken their toll, as I have been waiting for this to arrive for aaaaaaaaaages. It came from Geminiknits who is fairly local to me, as a random piece of information to share with you. The parcel contained 4 skeins of merino sock yarn, and 4 surprise and very sweet little stitch markers.

All the colours were impulse buys, but I want to knit a Chevron Scarf out of two of them, and it is just deciding which 2. At the moment the bottom two in the picture below are winning.

I was in a very blue place when I ordered them, which wasn't apparent until they arrived. They are all desperately pretty though, and I can't wait until the end of the self imposed project moratorium whilst I get on with the Christmas knits.

Today's parcel wasn't the only one that arrived. Saturday I got up to a little package from Robyn. It contained some Colinette Jitterbug in Jewel (which girl can resist a sale bargain!) which may well become fingerless mitts.

3 skeins of this delicious Hacho 4-ply or slightly thicker merino from mirasol, enough to make a pair of really squidgy, longish socks out of - possibly Monkeys.

and some cool stitch markers. They pleased my crossword puzzler self.

All in all way too many goodies. I think I am going to have to have a yarn diet too, until I have suitably shrunk the stash. If ever I get on to Ravelry the list of planned projects is going to be obscene.

At least it made Monday a squee-fest though.

Little bits

2007-10-15T15:11:00.000+01:00

I have a couple of FOs to show you today. Bits of FOs anyway.

The first is part of a Christmas for a friend who made the dangerous mistake of saying how nice she thought a dishcloth was that I had made, so I have made her a pair using the colour of her kitchen as the starting point. May I present Ballband I and Ballband II from MDK.

BBI was knit as per recipe. BBII was knit on 4mm needles, rather than the required 4.5mm, and has 1 fewer bands, as I was a bit concerned that I would run out of the variegated cotton. I needn't have worried, I would have had enough for the full sized on the 4.5s, but actually, I think I prefer the fabric the 4s make.

The second is also a gift, but as it is SGII this is all you are getting...

Well, ok, this little bit as well...

A little bit fiberlicious a little bit eye candy

2007-10-12T13:06:00.000+01:00

Firstly the eye candy;

A little fuchsia from the garden to cheer the day along

Now for the fibre;

The yarn is STR medium-weight. 2 skeins in Space Dust. Bought to be the foundation yarn in a blanket I want to knit for myself. I wanted to have the yarn in front of me so that I wasn't matching colours via internet pics.

Please excuse the pics. I had real problems getting the light levels right, and these were the best of a poor bunch, but I had to share the love regardless.

2007-10-08T15:21:00.001+01:00

I had a lovely knitterly weekend. Problem is that I can't share much of it with you. For 2 reasons; 1) I haven't managed to take any pictures of any of it yet, and 2) it could spoil the surprise for someone.

So a written update on what I got up to at the weekend.

A parcel arrived with books. Books really top the list of things that make me dizzy with happiness. The books included the new Terry Pratchett, because I am a geek and I love him - well I love the stories. The books also included Last Minute Knitted Gifts and One Skein. The first because I have seen soooo many chevron scarves and needed my own. The 2nd because I could.

Baby Kimono 2. The back is done, so is 1 half of the front. I just have the other arm to do, and whizz down the front, and we are done. I think I have decided to use a kilt pin as the closure mechanism, but we shall see. I also think that there is going to be enough yarn left over to make a matching hat, which is pleasing me.

Denim Jumper for Charlie. Back done. Front done. Sleeve 1 started. Yay! I am getting really excited about this, and probably need to put a good couple of evenings in this week to really get it moving.

Surprise Gifts I and II. Surprise Gift I comes from LMKG, and I adore it. More I will not say. SG II is being made without a pattern, and is coming together really well, as far as I can judge. I am quite excited about it, as I haven't really made anything from just my imagination, even if it is based on inspiration I have seen elsewhere. Full credits when I can.

On top of that I ordered yarn for 5 more projects all for Christmas. And it is all the fault of the first part of the knitterly loveliness of the weekend. All the projects-in-potentia are divine, and all are coming out of either LMKG or 1Skein. I obviously don't have enough to do in the, what, 8 weeks left to us! But, hey, who can't use a little stress around the holidays?! I am however looking forward to a proper post-Christmas chronicling of everything.

Happy Turkey Day Canada.

Smuggy McSmugpants

2007-10-05T15:30:00.000+01:00

2 weeks finished, and I still feel like that.

This is my first quilt. And I am that proud of it with all its imperfections.

I will now go and do the very British, and very female thing of telling you about all the imperfections in the thing. Like there isn't a straight line in it. Anywhere. Not by design, but by the fact that I am pathologically incapable of sewing in one. And like, if I were to really be pernickety about it I would rip out all the yellow quilting and redo it, because the bottom spool tension was off, but I was being such a quilting demon I didn't notice 'til it was all done. Oh, and while we are at it, the point where the edging meets... a bit clumpy...

Despite all that? Still Smuggy McSmugpants. I even made up a song about it. Unoriginal lyrics, simple tune, and you will have to get me stone drunk to hear it.

I have also come to the conclusion that quilting is a drug. I know pushers, dealers and pimps of fabric, pattern books and cutting mats. These are ruthless women who will stop at nothing to get you to join the club. Make you one of them. Give you the disease. My mother is one of them, and in retrospect real drug dealers could learn a LOT by her stealth tactics. I have been worn down by the creativity of the finished object and the beauty of the fabric, and I love it. Not enough to become a full time quilter (probably denial), or to do anything that requires too steady a hand, but enough to have already planned the next 2 quilts!

Help!

Quilty details. It turned out twin-sized-ish. The top is a Moda Jelly Roll that I fell in love because of the evil temptation laid down by another quilt-pusher. The bottom is make up largely of fabric I had lying around; bits of Amy Butler fabric left over from a top I am making, and bits of batik my Mum decided she didn't want, so it is pretty much a thrifted back. The back piece is made up of 4 inch strips and the top 2 inch (finished width) with 1 at 90 degrees to the other, and is loosely based on a feed sack quilt from Quick Quilts (the one hanging over the armoire door, in fact). I quilted in waves along the length of the 4 inch strips with alternating colours on the top, and to finish it was all bound in a lovely warm brown.

I'm Smuggy McSmugpants, tra-la-la-la-laaaaaaa...

Have a great weekend.

At what point does employment become oppresive cruelty?

2007-10-03T14:59:00.000+01:00

I made the decision a few years ago. Where I could afford to, I would employ people to do things that I either didn't enjoy doing, or didn't have the time to do. This includes cleaning the house, because as much as I hate living in a pig-pit I won't get off my arse to do anything about it because I hate hate HATE cleaning. This also includes gardening. Gardening falls into the 2nd category though. I love my garden. I love the garden when it looks all pretty. I love the garden when the leaves are all over the lawn in the autumn, and again when it has been mowed and the leaves have all disappeared. I love planning for new borders, picking out the plants, but in the list of activities that I can choose to fill my free time with, I'd rather bake, or sew or, erm, what's the other one? Oh yes. Knit.

That said on Sunday I ended up at a plant auction. It was held in Midhurst at the Grammar School. There were many good reasons to go; I'd never been to MGS and always wanted to, my friend Rachel had suggested it would be good fun (and R is rarely wrong - statistical anomaly rarely), it was an auction, what's more it was an auction selling plants.

3 of us ended up going, R, Debs and me. I ended up with our bidding card. This was possibly a bad move. I haven't been to many auctions before, and only bought things by email bids. I think I got bidding fever. Don't get me wrong there were some serious bargains. D bought a plum tree for £7. A whole tree. That will make plums. For seven pounds. It only has to produce a kilo of plums to have paid for itself. Where was I before I got carried away with plums? Oh yes. Carried away. I bought some bulbs.

215 bulbs.

Even as I bought them I realised that I probably wouldn't be the one to plant them. I got a little worried, and then a lot worried, that actually presenting Andy, the world's loveliest gardener, with 215 bulbs and the plans for the new borders that are going to need to be made to fit them in actually constituted cruelty.

I am still worried, but Andy came over today and I showed him the bulbs, and showed him the un-tilled earth that is to be the bulbs new home, and he is still just about talking to me. I may get away with it, albeit with a slightly tarnished reputation as a nice, kind employer.

And to think I thought this was going to be a post about my employer!

Cake & not knowing when to stop...

2007-10-01T11:02:00.000+01:00

I needed brownies on Saturday. Home made ones. Like you would not believe.

So I went into the kitchen, got Nigella out, and discovered that I didn't have the kilo of chocolate that I needed for her fab brownies. I had to improvise with the resources I had, which fortunately included 4 precious squares of the Chocolate Alchemist's Spicy Chocolate. mmmm. sigh. I ended up making a grown up chocolate cake. Even though it has marshmallows in it, it is far to good to share with children. If any had been around they would have been made to stare at it but banned from eating any. I did, however, share it with friends who came to dinner last night. We ate it with Greek yoghurt, and despite the groaning and a general loosening of waistbands, seconds were required. I count that as a success.

This is all that is left...

But before that it looked a bit like this;

Feel free to make your own version.

Grown Up Chocolate Cake;

2 large eggs
4 oz soft butter
4 oz soft brown sugar
2 oz best cocoa
2 oz self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
a GOOD tsp (didn't actually measure it, it may have been 2, use your judgement) vanilla essence
scant 1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
dash of milk to slacken, if needed
as much good quality choc as you want chopped up small but still worth eating-sized. I used 4 squares of the Chocolate Alchemist's Spicy Chocolate, which is probably a 60% dark choc because that is all I had. I would have used more if I had it.
8-10 marshmallow, but really to taste. Chopped into roughly 8ths if proper size ones. If minis just leave 'em be

Cream butter & sugar. Add egg & vanilla and whisk til creamy. Add cocoa, flour, salt & baking powder and mix by hand, a bit like you would for brownies, don't worry too much if it isn't silky smooth. Add milk if needed to make a nice soft batter. Throw in the choc & marshmallows, and anything else you have forgotten or want to add (macadamias, pecans, dried mango, splash of brandy). Stir. Slap into a greased cake tin. I didn't bother to even it out, and let the cake self level.

Pop into 160 deg.c. oven for 25 mins. Check. I turned the oven down to 150 after 25 mins and let it have another 10, which was about what it needed without burning the top of the cake, cover if it is getting a bit dark though.

Make cup of tea and lick out bowl while waiting for cake to cook. Transfer to wire rack. Put in a tin once cool.

Now on to the 2nd part of the title. Is casting on new projects when you already have a ton of UFOs a known illness? Is there a cure? I got a bit bored this afternoon and rather than work on Charlie's Christmas present, or the one for my Ma, or either of the pairs of socks that are underway I cast on Baby Kimono II. I had to. Quite apart from the fact that this is a gift for my friend Andy's soon to be son or daughter, I just needed to use the yarn, which is Blue Sky Alpaca's Dyed Cotton in colourway Tomato. It is so soft I have checked at least 300 times that it isn't merino. The kimono is based on the same MDK pattern. This time I am doing a little Moss Stitch edging rather than garter.

Happy Days!

eye candy friday

2007-09-28T16:11:00.000+01:00

The fabric ready and waiting for quilt 2. I know it is a bit previous showing off what I plan to make the next one with when I haven't even documented the first, but I will get around to it. It was just that seeing all of the fabrics together for the first time got me really excited. What really got me going is that everything on the right hand side is either stuff I had hanging around anyway, or was gifted to me, which means that it will turn into a double sided quilt, one side shop bought, and the other thrifted.

It is just a pity that I have 2 jumpers, at least 1 pair of socks, god knows how many felted heart Christmas tree ornaments (don't ask), a hot wheat-a-bottle, a couple of flannels and another kimono to knit for Christmas before I can even think of getting down to this, or any knitting for me.

Sigh.

Happy Friday.

FOs

2007-09-27T17:40:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I finished this little cotton kimono (Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono, MDK, as written in Peaches & Creme Col. Celery). It is a gift for my colleague Sarah who is leaving to have her first baby on Tuesday (leaving that is, baby makes its own mind up when it comes). Obviously it is for the baby, Sarah is thin, but not that petite.

I did some figuring out today, and this is the 40-something F knitted O of the year. That is over FOUR TY knitted things I have made this year. I couldn't knit this time 12 months ago, and I am sat here typing in sunshine yellow Monkeys (ies?) that I made. And that says nothing of the clothes I have sewn, or the fact that I may also be turning into a quilter. It is hardly any wonder that I am facing major angst on how I can work for a living and still fit in all the things that are important in life. This is an evolving story though.

In separate news... Jenn has suggested that I have a monthly haiku competition. Bloody good idea. This month's theme is pie. There are no prizes, just the kudos of a haiku well written. Plaudits will be published on the first of the next month, along with the new theme. Should I remember.

One last shot before this goes to have formula and mushed banana ground into it.

Post 1

2007-09-27T17:26:00.000+01:00

Hi.

Welcome. This is a place for me to record stuff. Mostly things I make. Partially things that happen. And sometimes things I am thinking. Please feel free to drop by from time to time.

By way of an introduction, I am female, in my 30s, trying to figure it all out. A wage slave by day, a knitter/cook/crafter/whatever by choice. A sister, daughter & friend.