Pinkphish Knits

Graceful Scarf

2010-04-09T16:23:00.004+01:00

I finished knitting this back in January- but only this week finally got to block it and take some photo. I never feel like things are properly finished until I've uploaded photos to Ravelry.

The pattern is the 'Graceful Scarf' from Ring-a-Rosie. I saw a sample knitted up in the shop just before Christmas. it seemed like just the thing to knit over the Christmas break. It's a nice simple lace pattern, logical to follow and easy to remember. I amazed myself by not messing it up once. I'm really pleased with how it came out. It was going to be for me but now it's finished I think it would be perfect for one of my Aunts. I think I'll stash it away until her birthday.
More detail on Ravelry: Graceful Gigi
(I'm trying out the new Ravelry sharing links- so even if you're not a member you should be able to see the page if you want to.)

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter

2010-03-27T18:22:00.005Z

I've finished the degree part of my course for this year, and now only have the teacher training part left before I finish at the end of May. Yay! I can't believe how quickly it's gone. I've actually been dreading this part of the course all year, as I didn't think I would cope, but now it's here it doesn't seem like it's going to be as stressful as I thought.

As it's the last week before Easter next week I've been planning some Easter activities for the children- not that I'm allowed to mention Easter of course... so these are spring chicks and spring nests! I feel it was only sensible to have a trial run of the cornflake cakes- yum. I can't wait to see the mutant chicks the children are sure to come up with. Only another 16 pompoms left to make before Monday. My house is full of little bits of yellow wool already.

Even though I said wasn't going to, I cast on another pair of socks. I'd forgotten about this skein of Lorna's Laces I was given for my birthday. I found it when I hunting for the evil yellow chick acrylic. I just couldn't help myself...

I love this watercolor colourway. I was worried it might pool but I think it's knitted up quite nicely. It's so nice being able to knit a sock cuff in less than 2 hours. As we've been forecast for more snow later in the week I might actually need some warm woolly socks.

Almost!

2010-03-07T20:21:00.001Z

I'm trying to finish all the socks I have cast on at the moment. Once that's done I want to try and use up some of my sock yarn stash. The (20 litre) box it lives in keeps bursting open, after a little moth related incident I had recently I really want to try and keep stuff sealed up. Moth season is fast approaching!!

I was so close to finishing a pair this weekend. I probably would have but then I realised I have to read and take notes on an entire book by next week- as wells as everything else I was already panicking about having to fit in (some things never change!) I wish I could knit and read at the same time, sadly I usually find myself just knitting when I try to do that. I started making these back in June 2008- so I guess a few more days won't really make a difference.

On a completely unrelated topic. How cute are these little stickers my friend gave me!

Who couldn't be cheered up by flowery gingham spotty sausage dogs.

Read the road!

2010-02-27T22:48:00.005Z

I'm doing a little project on public education at the moment. I decided to look at some public information films on you tube for inspiration. I was innocently browsing around and there is was... the source of childhood my escalator terror.

Looking at this as an adult I'm doubtful a welly filled with an actual human leg could ever get sucked in and squished like that. As a child I was convinced I was one escalator ride away from a peg-leg. Maybe fear can be a good educator. I, however, much prefer this Sesame Street style film. I can't be sure but I think they want you to read the road...

Ha ha I've had that little tune in my head all weekend, so now you can too!
Right better go do some actual work. Is it any wonder I never find the time to knit!

Long Time Gone

2010-02-15T08:30:00.003Z

I didn't intend to go so long without updating this. Partly it was the usual thing of the longer you leave it the hard it is to know what to write and also I've been pretty busy...
I think most people who read this know already... I started training to be a teacher at the end of September (2009). I'm doing a degree and teaching qualification at the same time. It's pretty hard work and takes up a lot of my time and energy. I love it so much I don't really care.
As I've been spending most of the time I would normally knit, reading, writing essays and making resources, I thought I'd pad this post out with a photo of a couple of things I've made for school recently.

The bits that look like play food were for a maths activity based around pattern. Much more fun (and cute) than threading coloured beads onto string. The witch and her friends were for a literacy session and then later a story sack- can you guess the story? The children were really taken with the wart on the witch's nose.
Never in my life did I think I'd have a lolly stick stash! I've even had to clean out a cupboard in the spare room to store it, along with the half ton of fab foam, yucky acrylic felt and googly eyes I seem to have amassed over the past 6 months, in. I think my yarn stash might be jealous.

There has been some knitting though!

I finished these cashmere socks (Ravelry link) over the weekend while watching bits of the winter Olympics. They feel lovely on and I really like the way the moss rib has turned out. The yarn was some discounted HipKnits stuff I bought years ago. The two socks are slightly different as one skein was dyed more intensely than the other but I think it's more noticeable in the photos. I have a ton of it left so I think I might make a scarf- but I should probably finish the other two scarves I have on the needles first.
I've have finished a few other things too- but they are mostly gifts I haven't given yet. I better hurry up and give them soon before their little recipients out grown them. Then you never know about might blog about them too!

Thanks Kids!

2009-07-24T19:10:00.002+01:00

Thursday and Friday (last week) were my last days at nursery. I was very sad to say goodbye to the children, I'd been working with them since January and had got quite attached to some of them. As usual I managed to embarrass myself by crying when the children's parents came to collect them, although one or two of the Mums cried too so I didn't look too ridiculous. It's hard being a student and knowing you'll never see them again. Normal teachers at least get to see them around the school and see a bit more of them growing up. I know, I'm too sentimental...

The children made me a card (more tears) and gave me some wine. One of the Mums gave me the flowers in the photo above and one little boy brought me a box of chocolates. I got lots of hugs too. I left this placement feeling like my hard work was appreciated. A lovely way to conclude my studies!

Cards and Chocolates weren't the only thing the children gave me. On Sunday afternoon I came down with Swine Flu. There had been a few cases at the school so it seems likely it came from there. I'm still shocked at how quickly I became ill with it. I went from being fine to hardly able to move in the space of 2 hours. I had a pretty high fever for 3 days and the worst cough I've ever had.

I'm feeling a bit better now and have been knitting like a fiend all day today. Of course just before I came down with the flu I had been having a massive cleaning and tidying fest. As a result all of my current projects are buried under boxes of books and dismantled furniture. I managed to find 6 skeins of cotton to knit a baby blanket pattern I've been itching to knit. But I can't show you yet because it's a gift.

Thanks for all of the comments about me finishing my Diploma and the new layout. It feels much like me now.

Freedom

2009-07-15T19:46:00.004+01:00

I met up with a old friend today. She lives 300 miles away but just happened to passing through on my first free afternoon in months. She brought me a little gift to celebrate my freedom (well really it was a very belated birthday present but we decided it could be a celebration of my freedom too.)

Scrapbooking papers and some stamps. I've tried scrapbooking and didn't really dig it. I don't have cute little kids or pets and I don't really go on holiday or anywhere else of interest- which leaves me lacking in material. Back in my school days I worked in an art/craft shop where I made greetings cards for sale in the shop. This was back before the scrapbooking explosion happened in the UK. Rubber stamps and embossing powders where about the limit of what was available. So I've never used pretty printed papers before- I'm really looking forward to spending a few hours experimenting. I'm so pleased everything co-ordinates as I'm really bad at picking colours which go.

There is a weird coincidence with these papers too. My new blog layout was a blog-in-a-box creation by Zoe Pearn. The papers... designed by Zoe Pearn too. They are both even the from the same Bloom & Grow range. Freaky!

A New Beginning

2009-07-14T15:48:00.006+01:00

I finally got finished up at college yesterday. Barring any further screw-ups by the college, I've passed my diploma with good enough marks to take up my uni place in September. I'm so pleased to leave college and all of the negative emotions and anxiety I have about it behind.

Today feels like a new beginning.

What better for a new beginning than a new blog layout. I've been wanting to do this for a while. I really didn't like the old one I had. I did thing about starting an entirely new blog... but I couldn't think of a name for it. So I decided just to pretty up the old blog. Some things don't quite work like they did before but I really like it.
I hope you, my billions of readers, like it too.

Woolfest 2009

2009-07-10T11:59:00.004+01:00

Thought I'd write a quick little post about Woolfest and share some photos of my purchases!
I wasn't really looking forward to Woolfest this year. I had so much work to do that it felt like the last thing I needed was a weekend away from studying. I've also had so little spare time or energy for knitting that I'd kind of lost my love for it.
In the end I'm really glad I went. The weather was lovely and it really did me good to spend some time with friends and look at woolly things. Looking at everything was really inspiring... I came away feeling really enthusiastic about knitting again. So really the best thing I got from Woolfest I didn't even buy.
That said, on to what I did buy! I didn't think I had bought much this year... but looking at these photos maybe I did...

The top left stuff I actually bought for a felting project. The bottom left was some dyed Shetland but I made it into yarn before I took a photo. The other 2 are some BFL and Falkland from FeltStudio. I would have bought everything on that stall if I could. It was all beautiful.

I wasn't planning to buy any yarn but when I saw these 2 colours of Manos Silk Blend I could resist. I think they will be a scarf for me.
I'm planning to make some of the buttons into Jewellery. They were very cheap and in colours I love... I just couldn't resist.
I also bought some un-dyed organic merino from Cold Harbour Mill- which is the most lovely soft merino ever. I attempt to dye it, but that never turns out well for me so maybe I'll just leave it be.

Short and sweet post... Just like my Woolfest 2009!

Mobile Blogging

2009-07-02T23:47:00.004+01:00

Just testing out mobile blogging. I've almost finished my diploma. Hopefully this time next week it'll all be over! I went to woolfest last weekend, it gave me so many ideas for projects I want to make over the summer break. Hopefully I'll manage to share them here!

Toe-ups.

2009-05-23T19:18:00.006+01:00

Not much time for knitting at the moment. I can't believe it took me almost a month to finish a pair of thick socks. I didn't knit on anything else when I was making these either so it really was a months total knitting time.

I ordered the yarn to make these in the library at college one afternoon when I was feeling totally fed up and had a huge deadline looming. I kept myself going by telling myself the wool would arrive by the weekend, the dead line would have passed and I could have a blissful Saturday morning knitting in my jammies. The girls at college thought this was hilarious- but then most things I do seem to amuse them... and vice versa.

Due to a family commitment in the morning and then an obsession over baking a raspberry polenta cake (which later, due to lack of polenta, turned into raspberry fudge brownies) in the afternoon. I didn't get to cast on the socks until I was at a friends house in the evening.
I knew I wanted these socks to be toe-up having learned my lesson about making socks with limited yarn previously. I forgot to take a pattern with me so had to use what I remembered from reading about toe-up toes and kind of make it up as I went along. It took a few attempts but I think I did a pretty good job.

I had issues with the heel too. I ended up with the foot much too long and so had to rip out the heel and a few rounds and then re-knit it.
Binding off was easy for the first sock.I used a stretchy bind off I think my grandmother must have taught me. It's one of those knitting things I just knew how to do when I picked up the needles a few years ago. I managed to slip over and sprain my wirst while knitting the second sock (well I wasn't actually knitting it at the time but you know what I mean.) I could knit (of a fashion) but it was too uncomfortable to bind off for some reason.

Details
Pattern: My own. CO 20 stitches using (I think) Judy's magic cast-on. Increased to 48 stitches total. Short-row heel. 2x2 rib on cuff.
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Ticked Pink. 1 skein. I used every last bit.
Needles: 3.25mm DPNs
(Raveled here)

I've only got 7 weeks at the very most left at college. I'm hoping it will be closer to 5 but who knows. Certainly not anyone at my useless college. Hopefully after that there will be more time for knitting and writing about knitting. I can't wait to be free!!

Finishing

2009-04-15T20:11:00.004+01:00

Sometime even seamless knits are hard to finish.

I just can't get these little flowers to look right. Wherever I put them they just look silly and out of place to me. Without them the jumper just looks too plain.

Oh well never mind, no deadline for this knit as it's just another for the gift stash. The pattern is very addictive- I've already started another.

Thinking Dress

2009-04-13T18:18:00.001+01:00

March saw little Isabella's second birthday. Izzy's Mum had commented many times on how much she loved the Thinking Dress that Alice made for Izzy when she was born. So I decided to make her one in a bigger size as a birthday gift.

I absolutely loved every second of knitting this little dress. The aran weight yarn made it a pretty quick knit. It was really nice to have visible progress on something when I was feeling pretty stuck with other parts of my life.

Details
Pattern: Thinking Dress By Lousia Harding from Miss Bea's Rainy Day
Yarn: Rowan All Seasons Cotton in 218 Pansy. I used almost all of 4 balls.
Needles: US6 and US8 Aluminium Straights
(Raveled here)

Spinning

2009-04-12T18:15:00.013+01:00

Knitting up some of my handspun into mittens last week inspired me to do some spinning.

I bought this corriedale fibre Woolfest last year and then dyed it with some Kemtex dyes. I thought I'd felted it slightly when dying it but it spun up nicely. I really love how the colour has turned out.

I decided to try making a 4-ply for a change. I'm surprised how nicely it turned out. The skein is around 74g/80m. I haven't measured it properly yet but I'm guessing it's around 8wpi which would make it aran weight. This project wasn't the most efficient use of fibre as I started out with 100g of corriedale and got 74g of yarn. I still have 25g of singles I could possibly make into a 2ply so I guess it's not really wasted.
Now I just need to decide what to make...

Chistmas Knits

2009-04-10T18:15:00.001+01:00

Who says you can't blog about Christmas knits in April!
I didn't really do much Christmas knitting this year which meant I pretty much enjoyed all of it.

I made these little stockings/tree ornaments as a hostess gift for a knitting friend who invited my entire knitting group over for a Christmas tea. I really like this pattern. The stockings are knit flat which means a little bit of seaming- but I don't really mind that and love the resulting shape. (Details on Ravelry)

These next two things are kind of cheats Christmas knits as I started them after Christmas but before we had our belated family celebrations.

Thrilling looking project huh? This was a hat for my brother. I made it with some yarn I'd bought to make my Dad a hat when he was visiting Russia. But my Dad changed his mind and decided a hand knit hat wasn't his thing... I used Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran which is really soft. My brother really loved his hat. So much so in his haste to cut off the little tag of washing instruction I'd attached he cut through the hat in 2 place. It's so typical of my brother all I could do was laugh as I repaired his brand new hat with duplicate stitch.
(Details on Ravelry)

I made these mitts for my brother's girlfriend. They weren't as straight forward as I had hoped. I ran out of yarn making the second one so I had to frog the top of the first one. In doing that I lost my way in the lace pattern and had to frog right back to the top of the thumb increases to find my place again. Of course it didn't help that I was trying to finish these while cooking Christmas dinner in preperation for my brother arriving in a few hours. But it all worked out and she seem to really love the mitts.
(Details on Ravelry)

Little Things

2009-04-09T18:15:00.001+01:00

A couple of little sets I made for a couple of new little babes.

First up a pink and green set I made for my cousins new baby back in November.

I made this as a last minute thing to take along when we first went to meet Baby Olivia, as I'd failed to finish the blanket I started back in August. More on that at a later date. This set was made from Rowan Cashsoft DK. I actually managed to use random yarn already in my stash to make these. I love it when that happens.
(Raveled here and here)

This next set was made for the baby son of a knitting friend. Her baby was born in February (I think).

I really enjoyed making the booties and as usual Barbara from Ring-a-Rosie helped me pick out the perfect buttons. This set was made from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I love this blue and white together- it reminds me of something but I can't think what...

Raveled here: bootees, mitts, hat.

Thanks to everyone who commented on the last post. It's reassuring to know a few people are still reading this.

Thankful

2009-04-08T16:39:00.004+01:00

I've been a bit too busy to blog lately. There is more to my reasons for not blogging than just being busy, I won't go into it all here. It's been a tough few months, not as tough, however, as some people have had it. It would be in poor taste to bitch and moan about how hard my life is, when really I have so much to the thankful for.

It's the school Easter holidays this week and next. Even though I'm trying to keep a 9-5 day working my research project, not having to deal with 2 dozen teenagers or 3-year-olds (I'll let you decided which is worse!) each day means I can actually keep my eyes open and knit in the evening.

I've finished a pair of mittens and a sock in the last week!

I made the mittens with some hand spun I finished last summer. It was my first 3-ply spun from a lovely merino-silk blend. The finished yarn (and mittens) are unbelievably soft.

They are far from perfect and look rather more 'home-made' than 'hand-made" but I love them.

Details
Pattern: My own. Kind of made this up as I went along. Forgot to reverse the shaping on the thumb gusset so I ended up with 2 identical mittens (instead of the usual mirror images) but they still fit onto my hands.
Yarn: My own handspun. 3-ply dk-ish weight. 56g about 97m. 70/30 Merino/silk blend.
Needles: 4mm dpns.
(Raveled here)

Bye Bye 2008

2009-01-04T15:45:00.010Z

Happy New Year!

I think I'm going to try and blog every Sunday in 2009. There are so many knits I didn't blog about about in 2008, especially in the latter half. It's a shame.

What better way to kick off the 2009 blogging than with a look back at 2008. Do you remember I did this last year?

I've worked on about twice as many projects this year. A few are still unfinished, heck some are from 2006 and 2007 and are still not finished. I suppose some people would feel guilty about having so many WIPs. I used to but I've come to realise two things. Firstly, I'm not going anywhere- I plan to be here for another 30+ years, so what's the hurry to finish things.
Secondly I knit for pleasure- if I'm not enjoying a project why knit it? If I want to work hard on something I don't really enjoy I'll do my college assignments! I want to enjoy my knitting time. I know from experience I will find new enthusiasm for old WIPs at some point. Everything will get finished one day, but I'm not going to torture myself.

At the beginning of 2008 I set my self a little challenge to knit 1000m of yarn each month. I used knitmeter to keep track of what I had knit. I almost did it... 11832m isn't far off 12000. If I hadn't been so ill the past few months I think I would have made it. I wonder how much I'll knit in 2009. Lots and lots I hope.

PS The bake sale back in November made over £120. So it was well worth the hours I spent pouring sprinkles on those cakes!!

Busy Busy

2008-11-10T22:24:00.002Z

A trainee nursery nurse's work is never done....

Especially when she is baking instead of writing the abstract for her research project. 82 cakes for a bake sale in aid of Children in Need.

I'll post some knitting soon. I meant to take photos in the daylight this weekend but it didn't happen. I managed to knit a whole pair of socks last week and actually enjoyed knitting them. I think my knitting mojo may have returned.
Right now it's time for bed zzz zzz zzz...

A Few Hats

2008-10-31T16:11:00.004Z

I was quite poorly for most of October. I missed over 2 weeks of college. I had a really bad migraine which went on for ages. 2 weeks of double vision, feeling sick and generally like crap. It was a ocular migraine so no headache, just very frustrating.
I knit quite a few hats with chunky yarn (well, it was worsted weight but chunky by my standards!) to amuse myself and break up the boredom and frustration.

The first was Foliage from Knitty. I loved this pattern from the moment I saw it. I love the geometric pattern and knitting a hat top-down made a nice change.

Pretty bad photo I know. My camera hates red and I really be bothered to go beyond a quick fix in iPhoto.
Details
Pattern: Foliage by Emilee Mooney published in Knitty
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Vermillion. I used around 56g.
Needles: US5 and US7 DPNs.
(Raveled here)

The next two hats were made with yarn sent to me by a friend in the States. It was a huge box of yarn over 20 balls I think, including lots of dishcloth cotton- yay! I've never been able to find interesting cheap cotton for dishcloths in the UK.

This one is probably going to be a Christmas present- although I'm having my doubts. I think it might be too bright for a 13 year old...

Details
Pattern: Button-Tab Hat by Marcie Nishioka
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Some Summer Sky. I used around 42g.
Needles: US5 straights for the rib and US7 DPNs for the main hat.
Details: I think this came out too tall- my fault not the pattern's. I may re-knit the top part to make the hat shorter before Christmas. I'll see how I feel.
(Raveled here)

This last hat I'm totally in love with. I've worn it lots since I finished it. I think I've finally found a style of hat which suits me. Big thanks to Cate who brought this pattern to my attention.

Slightly odd picture- it's very hard to photograph yourself.

Details
Pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson (available as a free Ravelry download)
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Vaa. I used around 58g.
Needles: 6mm and 8mm Circs .
Details: Blocked by by spritzing with water and drying over a dinner plate. It wasn't very beret-ish until I did this. I loved knitting this hat. It was a really quick knit and took less than an afternoon.
(Raveled here)

Two blog posts in two days. Anyone would think I was trying to avoid my research portfolio for college!

Birthday Hotties

2008-10-06T16:20:00.008+01:00

Long time no blog huh? I think this is my longest absence yet. I was without my lap top most most of the summer and part of September. Since it's return I've been busy with college and university applications and placements.

September is a big birthday month for my family. The September birthday line up includes 2 of my Aunts. I decided I wanted to knit them both something this year. I had socks in mind when I went to buy yarn but after looking at the new Rowan Classic Winter Gifts book I decided on hot-water bottle covers.

I made them in two different colourways.
The first a white, icy blue and grey combo very close to the colours used in the pattern book.

The second I worked in grey with deep purple and blue for the colour
work.

Details
Pattern: Snowflake Hottie by Martin Story from Rowan Classic Winter Gifts
Needles: US 6 straights 3.25mm straights and DPNs
Yarn: White version- Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK in 003 Vanilla, 0100 Paddle and 0104 Fog.
Grey Version- Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk in 0104 Fog and 0100 Paddle and Sublime Yarns Extra Fine Merino DK in 0067 Sloe Berry.

Notes: Although I'm pleased with the results I wasn't overly impressed with this pattern. I had an entire ball and then some left over from the 3 suggested in the pattern. Which made this project cost almost £10 more than it needed to as well as adding to my stash of odd-balls- very annoying!
I had to make the ribbed section on the bottom back twice as long as in the pattern. I actually had to unpick my cast off after I had blocked the pieces and knit more ribbing. If I hadn't done this the two pieces wouldn't have met and so there would have been no where to sew the buttons onto.
I also knitted the top ribbed section in the round, making the ribbing match up by decreasing 2 stitches in the first round.
(Raveled here and here.)

My Aunts both loved their hotties. I don't know why but I'm always surprised when people actually like what I've made them.

I'll try to blog again soon. No promises though...

The head of the herd was calling...

2008-08-15T20:52:00.013+01:00

I stated this little stuffed elephant back in December. I finally finished him today. He's cute but he was a little bugger to finish. The legs are really wonky but I think they add to his charm.

The original pattern had crochet ears, but I didn't like the way they looked in the multi-coloured yarn I was using. Knit ones made from a pattern posted on Ravelry matched the body much better.

Details
Pattern: Elefante by Susan B. Anderson. Available for free on Susan's Blog.
Yarn: Blue Moon Fibre Arts Socks that Rock Medium Weight in Fairgrounds.
Needles: 2.5mm DPNs
Notes: I changed the ears from crochet to knit. I knit this toy very tightly as I can't stand it when the stuffing shows through. He was half stuffed with poly beads (from a happy meal toy I sacrificed) and half with polyfil toy stuffing. I love the way this is constructed, especially the head/trunk. I found it really tricky to sew the legs on. Sewing the ends in from the seaming was difficult too. I found duplicate stitch (a great tip Glenda once gave me) and the pulling the ends into the middle of the toy worked well. I hope none of them wiggle free.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

I've got a lot of mileage from this one skein of Socks that Rock. As well as a pair of socks and a toy elephant, I've also made a coaster from it.

It's just a big granny square made with a 3.75mm hook. It's for my new desk. Yay.
(Raveled here)

A Creature of Habit

2008-07-25T09:58:00.002+01:00

I'm a creature of habit. If I enjoy a book I'll happily read it over and over. Same with movies. I've had the same Fleetwood Mac CD in my car for the last year, before that it was a 2 year stint with the Dixie Chicks. I'm the same with knitting patterns it seems.
Ages ago it was little Isabella's first birthday. So I knitted her a cardigan.

The same cardigan I made for baby Alice a while ago. I really like this pattern. The little tag you see there is one I the ones I had made up from my photos at Moo. On the back there is space to write care instructions and other important info. I love them.

I left the pockets off this time- because really what use does a baby have for pockets. The colour is more true on the first photo.

Details
Pattern: Cardigan with Moss Stitch Edging from Baby Cashmerino 2 by Debbie Bliss. I made the 12-28 months size.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in shade 3400013. I used just shy of 4.5 balls. More than amount stated in the pattern I believe.
Needles: 3mm and 3.25mm straights
Notes: I was fairly pleased with the finish I got with this. The yarn felt a little 'crusty' while I was knitting with it. Lots of dye came out when I washed the finished pieces. Maybe this is just to be expected with saturated colours?
(Link to Ravelry page)

When I was really stressed in the last weeks of college I turned to another old favourite for comfort.

I just love this pattern.

Even if i can't get a neat finish on the neck... you'd think after 3 attempts I'd have it down to a fine art.

I love knitting stripes. That neck it really crooked.

Details
Pattern: Tank Top from The Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss. I made the 6-9 month size.
Yarn: Jaeger Baby Merino DK in shades 202 (snowdrop) and 227 (rose). I used most of one ball of each.
Needles: 3.25mm DPNs and 3.75mm Alu. straights.
Notes: Not made with anyone in mind- it never hurts to have a stash of baby things I find. Made using yarn given to be by Jen for my Birthday- such a great gift for someone who loves knitting striped tank-tops. I hope Rowan come up with an alternative for this discontinued yarn soon. Baby Merino was a nice woolly wool without being scratchy.
(Link to Raverly page)

Where to start?

2008-07-18T15:23:00.006+01:00

I don't quite know where to start in trying to catch up what's been going on during the last (is it really??) 2 months. Mainly studying. This past term has all been a bit of a blur. I've written about 30 thousand words, taken 2 exams, completed a research project and a huge observational study.
There have been fun things too like watching my class of 5 year olds try to learn to salsa dance. Growing seeds with them, taking trips to the park and making totem poles (or tomten poles as I kept calling them- I'm surrounded by too many EZ lovers).

I did find time to knit and spin now and then.

I spun this yarn quite a while ago from some dyed BFL.

Still pretty thick and thin but a big improvement from my early attempts. It sat in a draw for quite a while until I unearthed it while looking for a book a few weeks ago. I looked at it and thought baby cardi. I didn't have much so I knew it would have to be some kind of top-down raglan affair in a fairly small size. I crunched some numbers and came up with this.

I'm not entirely sure it's correctly proportioned but it sure as heck is cute.

I hated the colour of this fibre when it arrived but I've grown to quite like it.

I found the perfect buttons in my button stash.

Details
Pattern: My own. Finished chest 18".
Yarn: BFL handspun from fibre from P&M Woolcraft. Aprox. DK weight. 80g about 170m.
Needles: 3.75mm and 3.25mm Alu. straights. The 3.25s where used for the cuffs.
Notes: I was really unsure about how to proportion the arms and neck in a top-down raglan for a baby. It looks OK but I won't be convinced until I see it on a real baby. It's very soft and possibly very felty too. I'm very pleased with it.
(Link to Ravelry page)

Bittersweet

2008-07-14T22:00:00.002+01:00

It's my last day of placement tomorrow. I just finished writing thank you cards. Each term ends the same. Writing cards, finishing paperwork and with a feeling of relief and sadness. Relief that it's over, that I made it through another term. Sadness to say good bye to the children. There will be tears tomorrow I think.

Some days...

2008-06-07T15:28:00.003+01:00

...studying doesn't seem so bad.
(Although I'd still rather be knitting.)

I'm onto my last big project for this year now (I hope). Just 4000 words and then my brain and hands will be free to knit once more.

Nano Cozy

2008-05-25T23:09:00.007+01:00

My Dad's work gave everyone on his team an iPod Nano. He already has a fairly new iPod so he gave it to me. Yipee! It's so small and it will really nice to have for college.
I took a little break from writing my assignments yesterday and knitted my new iPod a little jacket. I've hardly knit a stitch the past few weeks, I've either been too tired or too busy. It was so nice to sit down, watch a film and just knit.

Details
Pattern: Nano Warmer from anny purls
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in Beach Fog. I used about 10g. I stole the yarn from a pair of socks I have on the needles- I hope I don't run short.
Needles: 2.5mm birch DPNs
Notes: I knew I wanted this cozy to have a pocket for ear buds but couldn't work out the best way to do it. I was so pleased when I found this great little pattern on Ravelry. I made a few changes to accommodate the finer yarn I used. I cast on 38 sts, used 16 sts for the flap and picked up 16 sts for the pocket. I made the button hole with 2 yarn overs, because the button I wanted to use was quite big.
(Link to Ravelry page)

Measure Twice, Knit Once

2008-05-11T20:32:00.008+01:00

Measure twice, cut once was one of my school woodwork teacher's favourite sayings. It can apply to so many things in life, knitting included.

I almost always knit a swatch. I cast on a cardi on Friday and didn't. By yesterday night I was starting to have some serious doubts.

I'd got quite a bit done, despite the fact I should have been studying for an exam I have next week. When I did a bit of measuring my gauge was way off. The back was 7" larger than it should have been.

So out it came. At least a ball-winder makes ripping stuff out nice and quick. I'm all ready to go again, once my gauge swatch has been dried and measured. And measured again.

All done

2008-05-09T16:49:00.005+01:00

For such tiny little knits these really did cause me quite a lot of stress. I think mostly because I wasn't entirely sure what I should be knitting.

The blanket really is small but hopefully it will be a good size for use while baby G is still in the hospital. The cardigan, hat and shoes are sized to fit a 4lb baby. So I'm hoping they will fit her when she leaves hospital or is well enough to have her own clothes.

I love the little buttons which Barbara helped me to pick out. They really make the little cardigan and shoes.

Details
Yarn: Sirdar Calico 2 balls each of #0723 (white) and #0722 (lilac). 60/40 cotton/acrylic blend.
Blanket: I think I cast on 65 stitches. Ball-band dish cloth pattern with garter stitch intarsia border. US6 needles. Finished size 12 x 16 inches.
(Link to Ravelry page)
Cardigan: My own pattern. Top down raglan worked in one piece. Intarsia garter stitch button-bands. US6 needles. Finished chest 14 inches.
(Link to Ravelry page)
Hat: My own pattern. CO 60sts. 8 sets of crown decreases. The spacing was a little weird as 60 doesn't divide neatly. Finally managed jog-less stripes in the round- Yippee. 3.25mm dpns.
(Link to Ravelry page)
Shoes: Goodbye yellow brick road booties. Never get tired of this pattern- it's too cute. Used smaller needles (US3) to get smaller shoes.
(Link to Ravelry page)

For all my whining I did enjoy knitting this and I'm pleased with how it all looks together. I hope Gabriella and her Mummy like it too.

Frooty Frooty

2008-04-27T12:16:00.001+01:00

I had a bit of a horrid morning on Friday. I'm really not enjoying college at the moment. Which is a shame as I like my new placement a lot.
In an effort to keep busy and keep my mind off things I decided to break open the Kool-Aid and dye some sock yarn.

It looks so pleasing wound into neat cakes, sitting on my windowsill in the only sunshine we've had today.

For the orange/red combo I used 1 packet each of Strawberry and Orange Kool-Aid.

For the bluey-green I used about a ¼ packet of Lime and 1¾ packets if Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade. The limey bits came out a bit bright but maybe they'll fade.
I'd love to see how they look knit up right now but with 5 pairs of socks on the needles it would probably be wrong to cast on another.

Shops

2008-04-22T16:43:00.002+01:00

Summer term started yesterday. My new placement is really fun.

I made a shop today. It's pretty pricey little shop. Most things were selling for well over £100.

Doubts

2008-04-21T21:13:00.004+01:00

I decided on the same slip-stitch pattern I used for the wash cloths for baby G's blanket, adding a garter stitch border to make it more look more finished.
I'm starting to have serious doubts about this project. I read somewhere that 12 x 14 inch blankets are a useful size for tiny babies. It seems so small, and with the stitch pattern I'm using it looks kinda like a tea-towel.
Ugh to rip or not to rip.

Improving

2008-04-18T19:18:00.003+01:00

I finished plying my latest hand-spinning project yesterday.

I think I'm getting better.

There are more good bits than bad now. I've realised that pre-drafting fibre is worth it. It might take time but it makes the actual spinning bit more enjoyable.

Fibre: Rainbow Dyed BFL from P&M Woolcraft
Weight: DK-Aran ish. Need to measure.
Length: aprox. 170m
1 skein 90g total

New

2008-04-17T19:53:00.003+01:00

New yarn for a new baby.
A very tiny 2lb baby who came into the world 12 weeks early.
The yarn is a very soft cotton acrylic blend. I'm hoping this yarn will make a blanket, hat and booties for her.
Off to hunt for some patterns....

Resurrection

2008-04-17T00:43:00.000+01:00

Yes I'm working on it again. The Calmer Cardigan of DOOM! Well more apathy than doom, but the Calmer Cardigan of Indifference doesn't have the same ring to it.
For once my obsessive tendancies are working to my advantage. I'd taken such good notes about this project I know exactly what to do to complete it.

Wash Cloths and Wash Days

2008-04-15T23:14:00.002+01:00

I know some people think hand washing is a pain, but I actually quite enjoy washing my hand-knit socks.
It's nice to collect them up from wherever I've taken them off (I'm messy) and reunite them all as a collection.

Hanging them in rows on the new radiator in the new(ish) bathroom is also quite pleasing.

I finally finished the wash cloths I started back in October.

Details
Pattern: Textured Dishcloth aka The Ballband Dishcloth of Mason Dixon Fame.
Yarn: Stylecraft Kon-Tiki in shades #1451 Aqua-spring (1.4 balls) and #1450 White (1 ball).
Needles: US5 (3.75mm) aluminium straights.
Notes: I really like these, they match the tiles in the bathroom so well. The 50:50 cotton-acrylic mix works really well for washcloths. I managed to get 4 cloths out of the 3 balls I had before I ran out of white.
(Link to Ravelry page.)

Fleece Artist Felted Bag

2008-04-14T21:17:00.004+01:00

I finished knitting this on Saturday afternoon and felted it almost immediately. I think I've finally figured out how to felt nicely using my washing machine.

Some before and after felting pictures.

I'm pleased with how this turned out. I'm not sure if I felted it enough. The stitches can still be seen if you look closely, making me think it's not really felted 'properly'. I really like it the way it is and I guess I always have the option of going back and felting it a little more in the future.

Details
Pattern: Fleece Artist Felted Tote (pattern came attached to yarn as a kit)
Yarn: Fleece Artist BFL Aran in Moss. 1 x 250g hank
Needles: US9 (5.5mm) KP options circ. with the shortest cable
Notes: Loved this project. Clever construction which needs hardly any sewing to finish it.
Good project to practice continental knit stitches as it's mainly knit in the round. Usually I hate to knit with circs but changing the way I knit has made this task much more enjoyable.
This yarn is beautiful. Very soft and lofty.
I've think I've finally masted felting in my front loader. I used 1 tbsp of wool wash and a 30°C dedicates cycle with no spin. I let the cycle run for 30mins then stopped and drained the machine to check progress. This was much more successful than my first felting attempts on a 60°C cotton cycle.
I knit the handles 20 sts longer than the pattern suggested. They could have probably done with being even longer. I really wanted this to be a shoulder bag. I still love it though.

(Link to Ravelry page )

Mmmmmmangos

2008-04-11T21:52:00.007+01:00

I bought a big box of cheap mangos at the weekend. I've spend most of this week hacking them up and eating them.

I love mangos.

All of the extra mango vitamins seem to be helping me to fight off the on-going bug I have. I've got rid of the chest infection I had and now seem to have just a cold. I've been ill with something or other for the last 6 weeks now. I sometimes wonder if working with children was a wise choice.

I planted a few seeds today. Just some salad things. They are now germinating all over the house. I wonder if they will grow.
I've almost finished knitting my felted bag. Just one strap to go and it will be all done.
I can't believe the holidays are half over. They always go too quickly.

February Baby Sweater

2008-04-10T22:25:00.003+01:00

Whenever I took a break from assignment writing over the Easter weekend I worked on this little pink baby cardigan.

It was a nice thing to frequently pick-up and put down. The lace pattern was a short repeat and was easily memorised, even by me.

Although I did managed to make a mistake on one of the sleeves. I noticed it when I was 2 repeates below the mistake, but I kept on knitting and even bound off the sleeve. Very unlike me to a mistake once I've seen it.

In the end I couldn't leave it, so I pulled out the sleeve. It wasn't too bad and I managed to find all the stitches and YOs fairly easily.
I re-knit the offending sleeve and seamed the sweater.

It took over a week to finally decide on some buttons.

Once I did it was all finished.

Details
Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles (aka The February Baby Sweater) by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in shade #951 Tender. 2 balls.
Needles:3.75mm aluminium straights (I meant to use 4mm but picked up the wrong needles.)
Notes: I found this pattern quite challenging to begin with. If you've ever knit an EZ pattern before you'll know her instructions can be kind of vague. Once I stopped worrying about following her instructions correctly and thought about what the logical thing to do to construct a top down cardigan the process was much more easy.
I modified the pattern slightly, deciding to place button holes only on the yolk of the cardigan.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

Nicely Nylon

2008-04-09T19:25:00.008+01:00

A while ago my little friend Mae (with some help from her mommy Mel) sent me a whole bunch of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. Enough for four pair of socks. All in the stripes series and all in really girly pretty colours which cheered me up no end when they arrived in the mail.

I'd always quite liked the look of LL colourways but had been put off trying the sock yarn because of the nylon content. I hate that squeaky feel that some nylon containing sock yarns have.

I cast on for some socks last weekend I'm really surprised how soft, silky and non-squeaky shepherd sock is.
I tried plain stockinette stitch first of all but I didn't like the way the stripes were turning out. The striped colourway seems to be working much better with a no-purl monkey pattern. I'm a happy knitter today.

Tiny Sheep.

2008-04-08T20:20:00.003+01:00

I made this little sheep last night while I was waiting for some pasta to cook. His ears ended up kind of big and bat-like but it all adds character.

I think he needs some friends.

Another name for Easter...?

2008-04-07T21:25:00.004+01:00

First day of the Easter holidays today. I know it was Easter a few weeks ago but I don't know what else to call them. Anyway two whole weeks off- I don't quite know what to do with myself.
I spent most of today spring cleaning the kitchen. It was in a pretty bad way. It's been well over a year (maybe 2) since I did things like wash the tiles and on top of the cupboards. I went though all the cupboards and did some re-arranging and chucking. I don't think anyone should be taking sinus medication that expired 1997.

I might have a slight Marmite problem.

All found in different cupboards- I think it breeds when I'm not looking.

I've been knitting today too.

A felted bag bag kit from Fleece Artist. I don't think they sell the kit anymore, I've had it for 2 years or so, the yarn is Blue Faced Aran. It's lovely yarn, soft and floofy- the whole time I've been knitting I've been wishing this was a cardigan and not a bag. I'll just have to try not to ruin it when I felt it.

My Butt Hurts!!

2008-03-23T21:47:00.003Z

My favourite Easter funny. No idea where it came from. Sent to me via email years ago and has been in my photos since. Always makes me smile. Poor poor bunnies.

Bleak mid Easter

2008-03-23T15:07:00.006Z

Happy Easter!

It's snowing!

I'm hard at work in my 'office'. There are 3 desks in the house I could work at but I always seem to study best on my bed.

I know I've said this before but I really have learned my lesson this time. Even though they are relatively simple, assignments still take time. Don't leave them until the last minute. Although really the last minute would be Tuesday night, so by working now I'm actually being a good student.
At least I can reward myself with my Easter egg when I finish.
Not a very interesting blog post I know. Any excuse to not have to read about reflective practice for a few moments. zzz zzz zzz zzz ... ...
I'll post some knitting soon I promise.

Bed Socks

2008-02-24T21:37:00.009Z

Made for an old friend who's been ill for some time.

My favorite rib at the moment.

Japanese short-row heels. So neat. So matchey. I really like these.

Star-toe. I'm still in love with this.

Nifty label made with rubber stamps and scraps of gift wrap.

Details
Pattern: My own. Cast on 56 stitches. 3x1 rib. Japanese short-row heel. Star-toe. UK7-8ish
Yarn: RYC Cashsoft Baby DK in Shade #804 Chicory
Needles: 2.75mm (US2) Bamboo DPNs
Notes: This was my first time trying this short-row technique. Although you need a bazillion safety pins it's incredibly neat and doesn't take any long than the short-rows I usually do. I
I love the way the 3x1 rib on these turned out. It's so pleasing to look at, I have no idea why.
(Link to Ravelry page)

Back to school/college tomorrow. Half term has gone so quickly. I feel like I've done nothing but sleep and work. Oh well.

Handspun Mitts

2008-02-18T22:39:00.005Z

Last week Emily gave me her old Ashford Traditional wheel. On Friday and Saturday night I spun some yarn with the merino-silk roving she also gave me.

It was a bit lumpy and thick and thin, but yarn all the same. The photo is a little fuzzy- I seem to have had my camera on some weird setting without knowing it. I should read the instruction book- If only I had a spare 10 hours....

I really wanted to see how my new yarn would look knitted up. On Sunday afternoon I cast on for some hand-warmer mitt things.

How thick is that ribbing. They are very warm.

Details
Pattern: My own.
Yarn: My first handspun. 60g 54m(ish) Merino-Silk blend. 6-8wpi. I used it all
Needles: US7 (4.5mm) Aluminium DPNs
Notes: It was difficult to choose a needle size for this project. I measured the wpi at the start of the ball and it was 8, an aran-ish weight. So I chose 4.5mm needles. After about half a mitt the yarn got much thicker, more like 6wpi, closer to bulky or super bulky. So I've got half a nice soft mitt and one and a half cardboardy mitts. Let's hope the next yarn I make it a little more even.
(Link to Ravelry page)

I really enjoyed every second of this project. Thank you so much to Emily for the lovely wheel.

Socktopus Rocks

2008-01-25T16:06:00.000Z

So being at home all week, ill, bored and with birthday money burning a hole it my pocket. I should have guessed it wouldn't be long before I bought yarn from some online shop other.
I'd heard about Socktopus last year on the Lime & Violet podcast (I think...) I couldn't hardly believe my ears. A UK online shop specialising in SOCK YARN. I think I've shown great self control in not ordering anything until now. I am trying to reduce the size of my stash. Mainly because I don't have the room. But, well, 2 socks worth of sock yarn won't make much of a difference. Will it? And it's some kind of unwritten law that sock yarn isn't real stash. Isn't it?
Anyway, revenons a nos moutons, as the French saying goes. My order, which I placed on Wednesday, arrived today.

How's that for distinctive packaging. It's like a little spacesuit for yarn.
But the best was yet to come.

Such beautiful paper.

And look.

A wee Socktopus stitch marker.

Delving into the paper.

I found...

My yarn and co-ordinating gummy candy.

Koigu KPPPM P905
Dream in Colour Smooshy in Beach Fog.

I seem to be on a bit of a blue/green kick at the moment.
I know that was rather a long post about me buying a couple of skeins of yarn online. I was just blown away by the attention to detail. It's totally made my day. Especially after finding out this morning that due to NHS restructuring (aka cut backs), I'll have to change consultants after Easter. A bit of a bugger as the one I have now is really great. The one I'm getting- not so much.
So yeah in summary. Socktopus, Good. NHS, Crap.

Star-Toe Socks

2008-01-23T16:03:00.000Z

I'm still not very well. I thought I would have this beaten by now. I think I've been feeling generally well for so long now I'd just forgotten how pants my immune system really is.
I've knitted myself some thick warm socks to wear in the house over the past few days. To try and break the monotony of daytime TV.
They would have probably gone quicker had I not knitted the heel on one three times. first short-row, then slip stitch flap and then finally garter stitch show-row. I also ended up knitting one toe twice. I ran out of yarn for the second sock and so had rip out the first toe plus 4 rounds of knitting to have enough yarn.
Anyway, here they are.

I decided to try a star-toe for these. Such fun to knit

Star-toe stretched over a coffee jar.

Star-toe flat. It looks almost the same when worn and fits better then it looks like it would.

Details
Pattern: Cast on 48sts. Garter stitch heel over 28 sts. Star-toe.
Yarn: The Natural Dye Studio BFL Aran in aqua. 1 skein 100g.
Needles: 3.25mm DPNs
Notes: Lovely warm socks. Fit very nicely. Bit disappointed with this yarn. This is the second time I've had dye come out on my hands when using yarn from this company. It doesn't look too bad in the photo below but it was taken after I'd been in the bath.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

Forever Spring

2008-01-21T08:29:00.000Z

I love iGoogle. Early in the early morning, even when suffering the after effects of Norovirus. Who couldn't be cheered by these little fellas enjoying their breakfast. I want to go live with them in spring land forever.

Chevrons and Ribs

2008-01-18T19:27:00.000Z

I finally got round to blocking my chevron scarf and taking some photos last weekend.
Here's what it looked like before blocking.

I wasn't too happy with the way it was curing in. I was doubtful blocking would really help but I gave it a go anyway.

I gave up trying to pin it out straight after the first foot or so. I don't know how people have the patience to pin out a huge piece of lace. I knew those old camping mats would come in handy one day.
Anyway blocking really improved the curling problem.

Here it is after blocking with the lovely bag my brother gave me for Christmas.
It's still almost magical to me the way those two pretty ordinary looking skeins of yarn can combine to give such a beautiful effect. I love this scarf.

Details.
Pattern: Chevron Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Farmhouse and Watermelon Tourmaline. I used about 140g of each colour.
Needles: US8 (5mm) Alumimium Straights
Notes: The pattern is originally written for 4-ply yarn. I decided to use a more DK weight yarn as I wanted a warmer thicker scarf. I had thought about using BMFA twisted. In a way I wish I'd chosen to use it instead of the STR as I'm sure it would have made an amazing scarf.
I am very happy with the scarf I made and I'm sure I'll wear it lots. However- if I made it again I would make it shorter and use smaller needles as it did grow quite a lot when it was washed.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

I made a scarf for my Dad this week. It was part of his birthday present. I finished it at five to midnight the night before. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute.

This was the second lot of yarn I bought for the scarf. The first being some lovely Llama which turned out to be allergic to. I really don't think I'm going to bother buying anything but superwash merino or cotton from now on.

The finished scarf could have maybe done with being a little big longer. Ring-a-Rosie only had 4 balls of this yarn and to be honest if I'd had more I wouldn't have had time to knit anyway.

I spent a good while trying to find a suitable stitch pattern for my fussy Dad. I think the moss-rib I decided on was manly enough. If you can even tell from that weird photograph. Which for some reason I absolutely love.

Details.
Pattern: Moss-Rib Scarf from Cashmere Blend
Yarn: Lana Grossa Bingo Chine in shade #519. I used 4 balls.
Needles: US8 (5mm) Aluminium Straights
Notes: I cast on 36 sts and knitted until all the yarn was gone. This is a lovely pattern and I can see myself using it again and again. I really liked this yarn too. The two tone effect makes a much more interesting finished scarf. It's not often you get to use interesting yarn for man projects.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

Skools Kool

2008-01-08T16:55:00.000Z

Back to college this week. The holidays were over far too quickly. I'm enjoying my new school placement much more than the nursery placement I had last term. It's a lot less demanding and it's given me new hope about working in an early years setting- sort of... I actually get a lunch break too which always makes the day better.
I hardly seemed to get any knitting done over the holidays. I finished two socks, both from different pairs. I cast on for a pair of Bird in Hand mitts last Wednesday. They are going rather slowly. Hopefully now I've finally worked out how to catch my fair-isle floats properly without tangling my yarns they will go a little quicker.
I haven't taken any photos of my chevron scarf or anything else yet. So I'll leave you with this picture of the three knitting related birthday cards I received last week.

My aunt made the one with the little needles. Inside there were little balls of yarn. She's been waiting for my birthday so she could use them for almost a year.

2007: A Look Back

2008-01-01T23:38:00.000Z

I think that's it all. Everything I've knitted on in 2007. Some finished. Some still in progress. Some is no more.

I wonder what knitting delights 2008 will bring.

Say it with Pies

2007-12-31T22:17:00.000Z

Phew where did the time go. Just enough of 2007 left to squeeze in one more blog post.
I've just about recovered from the hellish last week of term I had. Note to self: Don't leave all your observations and planned activities until the last week of term.

Making Christmas matching games in a state of total exhaustion at 11pm the night before you need them isn't fun. How did I turn into such a bad student. I was never like this when I was at school.

The week before the last week of term we had a few crafty workshops at college. I'm not sure I learned anything but I really enjoyed it and made some things to bring home. I'm quite pleased with my salt dough wreath. I've not been brave enough to try the peppermint creams yet.

We had a quiet Christmas. Santa brought me a new camera. I went down to the coast on Christmas morning and took a few photos.

Mr Collingwood looking lovely in the winter sunshine. We spent the rest of the day watching DVDs and not cooking. I haven't enjoyed Christmas so much for a long time. I think we might make next year an un-Christmas too.

I have been knitting. Nothing big like the cardi I had been planning to knit. I should probably finish the purple nightmare I started last Christmas first. I finished my chevron scarf. Once I take some photos I'll show you.

Right now I'm off to grab a big mug of mulled wine, a mince pie and wave a happy goodbye to 2007.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2008.

On The Home Stretch.

2007-12-09T17:30:00.000Z

Just 13 days until I'm all finished for the Christmas break. I can't believe how quickly it's come around. I'll be sad to leave all the children at nursery, but I'm really ready for a rest and a new challenge next term. At the end of each week I feel a little more tired than I did the week before. These next 2 weeks will be hard, but having the finish line (and the prize sleep, sleep and more sleep) in sight makes it a little easier.
I did finish the mittens I was making to wear at nursery and even managed a matching hat out of the leftover yarn.

The mittens have been great for nursery and even though the hat doesn't look all the great on me it is at least very warm and keeps the wind out of my ears.

Mittens

Details.
Pattern: Peekaboo (DK version).
Yarn: Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Spirit in shade #508 Senses. About 58g/ 140m.
Needles: 3.5mm/US4 DPNs
I think the thumb directions are slightly off for this pattern. Knitting the thumb until it's 1cm short of required length and the working 2 decrease more rows, which essentially form the top of thumb, gave me a thumb which was too short. I had to rip and re-knit it longer. Other than that small detail it's a great pattern and a great idea for mittens.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

Hat

Details.
Pattern: Odessa by Grumperina.
Yarn: Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Spirit in shade #508 Senses. About 48g/ 100m.
Needles: 3.5mm/US4 and 3.75mm/US5 DPNs
I decided not to bead this hat. The yarn in quite busy already and beads seemed a little bit much for a hat to wear in the yard at nursery. The finished hat came out a little small and tends to slip up my head as I wear it. I wish I'd waited until I had bought some 4mm needles instead of using a size smaller than the pattern recommended.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

Stitchin' and Bitchin' Alone.

2007-11-17T11:39:00.000Z

Does anyone else have family members who love to say Stitch and Bitch? The term amuses my Dad so much, he loves to use it at any opportunity. His love of using it amuses me so much, as it's a term I never really use. I always say just 'knitting' or 'the pub'.
Anyway, I've got a cold. Having done enough germ spreading yesterday when I went for afternoon tea and yarn shopping with the girls, I decided to keep my germs to myself this morning and not go knitting. Annoyingly I was awake in plenty of time to go for once.
I've been watching Saturday morning cookery shows while knitting on my todd. First was Saturday Kitchen which is pretty good, I usually watch it if in. Then Rachel's Favourite Food for Living which I'd never seen before and hopefully won't again. I can only describe Rachel Allen as the BBC's answer to Rachel Ray. Those of you who know me well will know that isn't a compliment. I wish the beeb would come up with their version of Alton Brown, or even better just Alton himself.
I've been knitting some Peekaboo Mittens.

I bought the yarn yesterday. Thanks to Emily and Glenda for helping me to choose it. It's not something I would have normally chosen- I love it. I went wanting to buy aran weight, the Twilleys Freedom Spirit I chose is DK weight. Luckily the pattern I had in mind is written for both aran and DK yarns. The mittens are knitting up really quickly. I finished the first one last night. Maybe I'll have a pair for nursery on Monday.

FO WIP Frog: Part 2

2007-11-13T16:15:00.000Z

Hmmm OK what else have I been up to...
Wash clothes to go with the new (almost) finished bathroom.

I'm just using some cheapo cotton/acrylic yarn I bought in Ring-a-Rosie. I was worried about using a non 100% cotton yarn but the one I've finished is working well.

Fetching. After all the pairs I knitted for last Christmas I didn't think I'd ever knit another pair. Then I started two.

Of course I finished 2 half pairs over 2 weeks ago and now I have no desire to finish them at all.... The pink pair is for me and the purple for Leah. I should really finish them this week so I can get them in the mail in time for Christmas. I wonder where I put them. I can't been the only one who looses WIPs... can I??

I had a big sort out of stash (and house) during half term. I frogged a few things.

A cardi in pale green cashsoft I started for Alice's Christening but was too ill to finish at the time.
Another baby slipover this time in pink- I ran short of yarn for the neck band I couldn't buy anymore. I'll reknit it in a smaller size sometime.
The dark purple thing is the Irish hiking scarf in that bloody Louisa Harding yarn I wish I'd never bought. With only 4 balls of yarn I realised it was going to be a really short scarf. It's already becoming come fetching and possible a hat if I get my bum in gear.

Much better. The light purple was a hat I was making for Isabella last March. I didn't finish it before she out grew it- a common problem with my baby knitting.

I've been sewing too.

I made this little project bag and matching DPN roll for Hannah's birthday.

I love the flower button.

I'm sure there is more, but right now I'm going for a bath. Let's see if I can pull myself together before knitting tonight.

FO WIP Frog: Part 1

2007-11-12T21:54:00.000Z

It seems like so long since I posted anything other than blogstalking.
It's going to take a while to catch up everything I've been working on. So we'll call this part 1.
I finished a couple of pair of sock over half term week.
The first being the ones I started for dear dear Leah last Christmas. 11 months for a pair of socks- pathetic!
Here they are in all their purple glory.

I love the way the colours in this yarn have knitted up.

Details.
Pattern: co80sts 4x1 rib- purl stitch worked through back loop. Short row heel and toe. UK size 8 foot.
Yarn: Koigu PPPM in P200. 2 skeins- I had about an inch left.
Needles: 2mm/US0 Alu DPNs
I like how these turned out. Purling through the back loop makes lovely neat rib but it was quite slow going as I had to look at every purl stitch.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

The second pair are also made from Koigu. I also really like how this colourway has knitted up. I'm a little bit in love with Koigu at the moment- so pretty and so soft.

Details.
Pattern: My usual 64 sts, 2x2 ribbed cuff short row heel and toe. UK size 5 foot.
Yarn: Koigu PPPM in P419. 2 skeins with a fair but left.
Needles: 2.25mm/US1 Alu DPNs
I really like these sock. They fit nicely. I've constantly worn and washed them since I finished them.
(Link to Ravelry Page)

More tomorrow (possibly).

Blog Stalking Week 8: What's for Breakfast?

2007-11-09T17:40:00.000Z

Another week, another blog stalking post and nothing in between.

I can't remember which day this was my breakfast, but I have the same thing most days so it doesn't really matter. 2 pieces of raisin toast, some yoghurt and muesli and a cup of tea all on the tea tray my Uncle made over 50 years ago. Yet another one of our delightful family heirlooms.

Blog Stalking Week 7: The oldest picture of me that I can find.

2007-11-02T12:09:00.000Z

What happened to weeks 5 and 6 you ask? Hmmm yeah I don't know either.....

I think this is the oldest picture of me that exists. My parents didn't own a camera until I was 3 or 4. This photo was taken on my Christening day. I'm guessing it was taken by a relative who had a camera. In the other photos of my Christening it looks pretty wintery, as I was born in January I guess I'm no more than 4 months old in this picture.

My Grandma knitted my Christening gown. My brother wore it 2 years or so later. The flowered ribbons being changed for blue ones. I have the gown somewhere along with both sets of ribbons.

Poor pineapple head- why didn't someone put a hat on him.

Little Blog

2007-11-01T21:27:00.000Z

My brother is here for another flying visit. Everyone else has gone out for a meal tonight- I didn't feel up to it. It's not all bad though. My brother left me his new iPod to play with.

How cool is that? My blog in the palm of my hand. I've no idea why seeing web pages in miniature is so thrilling for me, it just is.

I'll try and blog some knitting and stuff tomorrow. I'm off to bed now.

Blog Stalking Week 4: 3 Things I Love, 3 Things I Hate

2007-10-14T17:20:00.000+01:00

This week I love:

These pens. Pretty, functional and almost make writing fun.

That my favorite apples are back in season. I bought so many this week the lady on the supermaket checkout asked if I had a horse.

Sushi from yo!sushu. I've had sushi for Saturday lunch 2 weeks running now. It's turning into an expensive (but yummy) habit.

This week I hate:

My boiler- which only boils when it feels like it. I've been late one morning this last week and had to go showerless another. Ugh I blame myself. It ran perfectly for almost 4 years. Then I insisted on having it serviced worried about carbon monoxide. It hasn't been right since.

All the junk and stuff we have. Not just in the garage but everywhere. I feel I can never relax because it's always there nagging at me and creeping out of place.

Migraines. I feel like I'm loosing half of my life to them lately. Strong perfume is a trigger for me. Being in a college class made up mostly of teenage girls means I'm exposed to perfume most days. I also hate that those tablets cost so much.

Hungry Kitty

2007-10-14T00:47:00.000+01:00

This made me almost glad I don't have a cat anymore... almost.

Finished: Two Blue Tank Tops

2007-10-12T14:46:00.001+01:00

**ooops seems I wrote this over a month ago and forgot to publish**

Just waiting for a little boy to wear them...

I enjoyed knitting both of these so much. Tank tops great are- no sleeves means they are finished so much sooner.

Tank Top #1

Details
Pattern: Tank Top from The Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss
Size: 3-6 mths
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo in Shades #135 (blue) and #131 (natural)
Needles: US3 (3.25mm) and US4 (3.5mm)
Notes: Same pattern used to make Alice's tank top. Still love this pattern. I still like the baby bamboo too but it doesn't have the lovely springiness of other wool blends I've used.
(Link to Ravelry page)

Tank Top #2

Love those little cables.

Details
Pattern: Baby Slipover from The Patons Learn to Knit Book by Sue Whiting
Size: newborn
Yarn: Rowan Cashcotton 4-ply shade #902 Pretty (blue).
Needles: US2 (2.75mm) and US3 (3.25mm)
Notes: Great little pattern. Takes less that 50g of yarn for the newborn size. Nice project for a new baby gift. I wish I had realised that cashcotton has angora in it as it set my asthma off quite badly. My own fault for not reading the label.

**The Striped top has already found a little boy to wear it. One of my Dad's colleges had a baby boy a few months ago. It's so nice to be able to pull out an already finished gift when someone asks you to knit for them. Oh the smugness.**

Dull Day, Bright Scarf.

2007-10-11T15:58:00.000+01:00

Finally I'm awake. Time for a knitting update. I still haven't managed to take any decent photos- it's so cloudy here today.

Just look at those mean clouds.
Anyway onto knitting....

I finished these little tank tops a few weeks ago. I have no idea why I've had the sudden urge to knit baby boy things. Probably just as a break from all the girly knitting I've done this past year. I'll blog full details tomorrow, I think. The little hats are for Hats for Alex. I think I like this latest batch much more than the ones I made last year. The sock is just plain stocking stitch. It's made from the Koigu my Dad gave me last Christmas. Only the toe to go on the second one and I'll have a pair.

I cast on this Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts on Saturday. Glenda kindly emailed me the pattern as my copy of the book is still being held hostage by Royal Mail. I'm using STR heavyweight and US8 (5mm) needles. It's curing quite a bit. Part of me wants to try larger needles to see if that will cure it. But part of me is wondering if the pattern is just 'flawed' and will always curl. I think I'm so in love with the colours and pattern I won't even care if it does curl after blocking.

Blog Stalking Week 3: How I Get From Here to There

2007-10-05T22:31:00.000+01:00

So another week with no blogging. Mainly because I keep falling asleep after college and don't wake up until it's too dark to take photos. I managed to take these few for blog stalking this afternoon. I've finished quite a bit of knitting- but that will have to wait for another day when the camera battery is recharged.

So anyway how I get from here to there. I almost always go places in my car.

Even though we have fairly good public transport where I live, unless I'm going into the city centre for more than an hour, it's always faster and cheaper to drive.

Zippy lived in my first car- a 1983 Ford Fiesta. I bought him the day I passed my driving test. He's one of those things I don't really even notice now. Even though he has sat on my dashboard for over 8 years.

This is one thing I do notice. I can be quite forgetful at times. I can never remember where I parked my car. This little mousey helps me find it again.

So that's it. I get from here to there and everywhere else in my car.

Blog Stalking Week 2: Purse Guts

2007-09-27T19:36:00.000+01:00

I missed the first week of blog stalking as I was late signing up, I'm a little late with week two but at least I'm trying.
The topic/theme for week 2 was 'purse guts'. Not the British-English purse we know here in the UK, but the American-English purse which in the UK we call a handbag.
Anyway whatever you call it- here's mine (well one of them):

I love this felt bag. It just has such a pleasing shape and simple construction. I've had many compliments about it too- which cracks me up because it only cost £5 from an outlet store. I wish I'd bought two at the time because it's looking pretty grubby these days.

And here are it's guts:

I'm starting to understand why I can never find anything quickly in my bag. In there I have:
A pair of fetching, umbrella, mobile phone, two clinique lip glosses, a pack of tissues, Lexie Barnes pouch containing socks in progress, hair brush, three little books relating to my Early Years studies, a sorry we missed you' card from Royal Mail, my diary, an NHS card (not sure why that was in my bag- it's for treatment abroad), a Ventolin inhaler, a hair elastic with buttons on it, seven hair clips, battered old Radley purse (British-English purse),an apple, a granola bar, a partial packet of chewable rennies, an almost used pack of migraleave and my keys.

Still Surviving

2007-09-11T15:23:00.000+01:00

College is still going well. I got very good marks on my assignment and the staff seem happy to keep me for now. I've just had a few days off for good behaviour. Other than a flying visit to Scotland including a visit to HK (where I bought nothing- good me) I've done very little. I seem to be picking up every little bug that's going around the college, so I haven't felt like doing much. I can't wait to see what state I'm in once I'm working with snot filled toddlers.

I've been doing a few bits of knitting.

These are wrist warmers from Drops which I've had bookmarked for about a year. I finally bit the bullet and bought the yarn for them a few weeks ago. It's my first proper attempt at fair isle, so far I'm enjoying it. I'm using bobbins that I found in my Grandmas knitting things which is making me happy.

I re-knitted the tank-top collar on some smaller needles. It looks better now. 3.75mm needles really were too big, but they were all I could find. 3.25mm DPNs worked much better.

It still doesn't lie very nicely- maybe blocking will help. The baby bamboo doesn't have much give it in. I'm blaming that for the shabby finishing. It still needs arm bands and seaming- I still haven't had the iron out.

I also cast on another pair of socks. I have an excuse- I seem to be too thick to knit anything that isn't stocking stitch at the moment. I took my RPM socks to knitting the other week and actually achieved a negative amount of knitting, ripping out much more than I knit. I forgot how quickly non-patterned socks go. The one above is the second of the pair, I only cast them on last Tuesday.

I just had to show off this cute little flower given to me by impressionknits for my crocs. There is a little butterfly on the other shoe but due to my hit and miss photography skills I only managed to get the flower in focus. Now summer is over I keep these shoes by the door for popping out into the garden. They have been making me smile every time I hang out laundry.

Remember my silkie monkeys? Which I wasn't sure I would keep for me. Well I was so blinking cold today I wore them. I've come around to the colours now and they even match the top I'm wearing today. Anyway the silkie monkeys now have the grand status of most favouritest socks ever. I'm so fickle.

I Survived

2007-09-04T15:51:00.000+01:00

I survived my first week at college. And what a week it's been. College was fine no dramas there. The girls on my course are friendly, the staff are great and I only fell asleep once.
No the drama has all been in my street.

Yup our electricity problems are back. The power has gone off 3 times this week. Each time with a huge surge which sets the burglar alarm off. Each time the road has to be dug up. Each time I have to knit and attempt to write essays by candle light. I know my neighbours a lot better now though- having chatted with them in the middle of the road, at midnight, in my bare feet and pyjamas.

I've almost finished the baby bamboo tank top. I kitchenered the shoulder seams and knitted on the neck band yesterday morning during the time I would usually be taking a shower (no power).

I think I'm going to re-knit the neckband on smaller needles. You can't really see it in the photo but it sticks up/out quite a bit. I need to press it before I can seam the sides. Which means getting the iron out- which I really can't face tonight *yawn*.

PS I just noticed this is my 99th post. How shall I mark my 100th post I wonder.

Groovy Bamboo

2007-09-02T20:14:00.003+01:00

Last week brought another package from the Rockin' Sock Club. I can't believe how fast this year is slipping by. The forth package already- and I've only used the yarn from one shipment so far.

Flower power-my favorite colourway so far. I love the cerise and turquoise together- you can't see it very well in the photo. I can't decide if I want to use the pattern sent with it or not. I like it, but it has a fold over lace cuff making quite a short summery sock, I just don't wear wool socks in summer. I have a while to think about it as I need to finish those RPMs from my holiday, the the koigu socks I started for Leah last Christmas and the secret birthday socks I'm knitting. Oh and the Jaywalkers I started months ago. Is it any wonder I have dreams about being chased by unfinished socks brandishing DPNs.

I went to John Lewis after knitting on Saturday with the aim of buying two balls of 4-ply something to knit a newborn cabled slip over. The only 4ply I could find that wasn't pure acrylic was Cashsoft. Now, much as I like Cashsoft the colours JL had in stock were crap and at £4.45 a ball I just couldn't bring myself to spend the best part of £10 on yarn for something in a newborn size.
So I came away with 2 balls of Sirdar Baby Bamboo dk, it's only £2.80 a ball and I've been wanting to try for a while.

It's knitting up very nicely into a 3-6 mth non-cabled tank top. Lovely yarn a lot like Rowan Woolcotton.
A lovely distraction from the essays I should have been writing this weekend. This studying is seriously going to put a crimp in my knitting style!

Finished: Little Lace Edge Hat

2007-08-31T13:12:00.000+01:00

I made this little hat on Tuesday. Not made with anyone in mind, just one of those things had to knit to get it out of my system. Do you ever get that? Like an itch you have to scratch. I blame my itchiness for the number of WIPs I have cluttering my house.

Details
Pattern: My own (baby sized 12" finished circumference)
Yarn: Sirdar Luxury Soft Cotton 4ply in Shade #659
Needles: 3mm pony metal (Yuck!)
Notes: The hat is a little too deep. It could have done with maybe 2cm less plain plain knitting before the decreases for the crown. Thanks to the lovely mym on ravelry, I now know a better double decrease would have been slip2 kwise, K1, psso. Knit flat and seamed due to my lack of 3mm dpns.
(Link to Ravelry page)

Books 2-0 Knitting

2007-08-30T10:06:00.000+01:00

I'm back. I had a lovely week in Cyprus spending time with my aunt and uncle and cousins.
I won't bore you all with long tales from my holiday. As usual I took hardly any photos so it would be a very dull post.

We hired a jeep and drove around the Island in it for a few days. We went through the Troodos mountains to the peak of Mt. Olympus. On another day we went up to Kato Pyrgos, which is sandwiched between the Turkish controlled enclave of Kokkina and the Green Line. Really pretty little place living in the shadow of some heavy political stuff.
The last day with the jeep we went to the Akamas Peninsula. We checked out a sea turtle conservation project on Lara Bay that I'd been to a few years ago. They were head-starting some hatchlings in tanks- how sweet are these little Loggerheads.

I didn't get much knitting done- It was too blinking hot. 32°C and 80% humidity don't make for happy knitting.

I finished the toe on the first of these RPM socks one cool night while the others played cards. The tiny bit of ribbing on the second sock I did one morning by the pool. It was just too hot so I admitted defeat. The lack of knitting meant I did finish two books.

I picked the Cecelia Ahern book up in the airport. It was OK- much better than her last one (If You Could See Me Now). Still a bit of a fairytale but more plausible- if you can say that about a fairytale.

I chose the Katie Fforde book mainly because it had a ball of yarn on the cover- bad move. The story is set in Scotland where the main character is sent to sort out a failing woolen mill. The mill story is just provides a back drop to the predictable Mills & Boon-esk romance that is the main focus of the book. The whole plan to save the mill involves spinning Alpaca and Llama fiber and some kind of felt called nuno felt. Very naff book but OK for reading on holiday when there is nothing else to do- Is that how you define a 'summer read'?

I enrolled at college this afternoon to study a Diploma in Early-years Care and Education. No turning back now. 10am Tuesday morning I'll be a student again. Scary scary stuff!

en vacances

2007-08-18T23:22:00.000+01:00

I'm off to knit in the sun for a week or so.
Because blog posts are boring without pictures, here's one of some local sun.

Sunrise over Tynemouth Longsands.

See you when I return- Hopefully with at least one finished pair of socks.

Happy Feet!

2007-08-15T19:47:00.000+01:00

Yipeee my Sockapalooza socks arrived this morning.
Aren't they just perfect for me...

Look how well they fit.

Pretty pretty little cables.

I absolutely love my socks. The lavender and spring green are beautiful together- one of my favorite colour combos. The yarn is lovely- soft with a very slight sheen.
My pal was Alicia.
The pattern is Baby Cable Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks.
The yarn is Merino/Tencel sock yarn from Susan's Spinning Bunny in the Clematis colourway.

Thank you Alicia you have been a fab sock pal.
If my pal is half as pleased with her socks as I am with mine I'll be happy .

Finished: Sea Monkeys

2007-08-07T12:36:00.000+01:00

Phew finished these on Sunday night- just in the nick of time.

I love how this yarn looks with this pattern.

Short-row heel again just like the last pair I made.

Although these ones are a bit big for me. Made for my Sockapalooza Pal.

The Details:
Pattern: Monkey from Knitty.
Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Marine.
Needles: 2.5mm Brittany birch dpns.
Notes: Short-row heel and toe. Heel down to 14sts and toe down to 18sts. 5 pattern repeats for the cuff and 7 for the foot.
(Link to Ravelry page)

I enjoyed knitting with this yarn, I like the slight sheen it has to it. The finished socks feel lovely. I hope my pal likes them and more importantly that they fit her.

Ravelry made me do it

2007-07-26T12:51:00.000+01:00

Naughty cable.

That's better.

I know, I know I wasn't going to cast on anything new but Ravelry made me do it. I've had this Kashmir Aran yarn for ages. I bought it with the idea of making a simple moss stitch scarf for a friend. The yarn looked really naff as moss stitch, I abandoned the project and pretty much forgot I had the yarn.
One night last week when I couldn't sleep, I sat gazing lovingly at my stash page on Ravelry. I started to wonder what other people had made with their Kashmir Aran. I came across the Irish Hiking Scarf and within 5 minutes had gathered up the needles and yarn and cast on. Lets just try to forget that wrong way round cable and the frogging that followed the next morning.
I got through almost the first of the four balls last night so hopefully it will be a quick knit and not turn into yet another nagging UFO.

Finished: Cable Rib Hat

2007-07-24T21:15:00.000+01:00

Just what I need in all this rain and cloud. A sun hat.

Details.
Pattern: Cable Rib Hat by Tanis Gray, Spring '07 Knit.1
Yarn: Unbranded Pure Cotton Aran from Ring-a-Rosie, in pink (16). Used slightly less than 3 balls.
Needles: 3.75mm/US7 circular and DPNs
(Link to Ravelry page)

I'm quite pleased with this little hat. It looks nicer on me than I thought it would. It was an easy knit- it's basically a beanie with stitches picked up on the bottom for a brim. It comes down right over my eyes so will be good for hiding under while I knit in the garden if it ever gets sunny again. If I made it again I'd make the hat piece 2cm or so shorter.

Counting Down to FOs

2007-07-12T19:48:00.000+01:00

I'm very close to finishing two things.

Only 76 rows to go on Carolyn and just 20 inches of i-cord left on the Cable Rib Hat from the spring Knit.1. Yay for finishing things and resisting the temptation to cast on. Which has been pretty hard this week.

I finally tracked down my June Rockin' Sock Club Package, which had been doing a small tour of 3 local sorting offices due to a Parcel Force driver with an aversion to paperwork.
Usually I can't stand orange in any form but I'm feeling a lot of love for this colourway- Firebird. I really like the pattern that came with the yarn too. I need to finish the Monkeys for my Sockapalooza pal before I cast anymore socks.

I'm making slow and steady progress. I should easily finish by August 7th.

There's been a slightly disastrous work in progress going on in my house this week.
Project bathroom.

This is my Dad fitting the loo seat to the new bathroom suite he spent 3 and a half days fitting.

This is the water that was dripping through the kitchen ceiling about 6 hours later.

And this is the bathroom after the plumber took out the new bathroom and ripped up the floor to find the burst pipe. Which ironically had probably been 'burst' since the old bathroom was fitted. Moving the old stuff off the floor let the nail move out of the old pipe and start the leak.
It's been an interesting week to say the least.

18 Miles of Yarn and A Little Woolfest

2007-07-03T16:34:00.000+01:00

Woolfest was great. Even though the weather wasn't that kind to us at times I had an excellent time. I forgot what fun camping is. I really enjoyed walking around feeling all the different fibres and looking at all the lovely colours of yarn. Of course the animals were my favorite bit.

Just look at those ears. As usual I forgot to take photographs, above is the only one I took.

I didn't buy much, just this little lot.

A drop spindle and a bag of merino 'fluff' to spin.
Some Koolaid and citric acid for dyeing.
2 crochet hooks.
A darning mushroom (£1.50 what a bargain).
A strawberry tea cozy kit from laughing hens.
A few cute plastic buttons for baby knits.
90g of bright dyes 4-ply merino.
Hannah and I also bought a natural dye kit and some mordants between us so we can have fun being chemisty and dying.

I would have probably bought a little more yarn had I not managed to drop and loose £20 on the ground somewhere in Woolfest.

But then again I don't really need anymore yarn...

That's 32899 yards or 18.69 miles of yarn. Eeek. What's even worse. I had projects in mind for every single yard of that yarn when I bought it. Projects that were never cast on because of all the other projects I have on my needles. So, I have decided, July will be my month of finishing things. Starting tonight with the Carolyn Cardigan.

Fibre Overload

2007-06-28T11:59:00.000+01:00

Just what you need the day you leave for a fibre festival.

A ton of new yarn arriving in the mail. That's two 310g skeins there.

3 guesses what I'm going to make with it. It's brighter than I thought it would be. I really want to ball it up and cast on now. But there is the small matter fitting this lot into my car.

Yikes! I'm slightly worried about just how much stuff I have to take.

See you when we return- hopefully dry and clutching lots of yummy yarn.

Finally Sockapalooza-ing

2007-06-25T22:15:00.000+01:00

Finally I have some socks on my needles for my Sockapalooza pal.
First I couldn't decide on the yarn. My pal likes lots of colours which seemed to make choosing harder not easier. I wanted something special for these socks. Something from the UK or at least dyed in the UK. In the end I decided on this 100% BFL yarn from Piece of Beauty.

Isn't it a lovely and green. The colourway is Sea Minerals.

Next I had to choose a pattern. After about a week of mulling and googling I choose the Vinnland pattern from The AntiCraft and cast on with 2mm needles. For some reason I was really hating this yarn. It didn't feel nice to knit with and I found myself avoiding knitting with it. Everyone else thought it was lovely and soft but to me it felt prickly. I plodded on and got through the toe and about 5 pattern repeats.

Then I realised I hated this yarn because I was allergic to it. My hands were hot because they were reacting to the yarn not because of the warm weather.

The Vinnland sock soon became a big green pile of frog.

Time for new yarn. Get Knitted to the rescue.

Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Marine. Delivered in less that 2 days. I love the fast service from get knitted.

This new yarn much thicker than the BFL stuff and so perfect for MONKEY.

Not that I'm addicted to that pattern or anything....
The yarn is lovely and soft with a slight silky sheen to it. Best of all no puffy hands.

Hurry Up Woolfest

2007-06-17T19:29:00.000+01:00

I've been practising my knitting...

... in my new tent.

I'm ready to sniff some serious wool.

And just so you know, it probably won't rain this week because I want it too. I need to see if my super-cheap tent actually keeps out the rain. If the quality of the instructions are anything to go by- I don't hold much hope for waterproofness.

Finished: A pair of Monkeys

2007-06-14T20:05:00.000+01:00

After an hour long kitchener-brain-fart-nightmare Monkeys are GO.

Yup I didn't get out of my PJ's today. Want to make something of it?

Toe and that all important Kitchener stitch.

And a close up of the lovely stitch pattern and yarn.

The deets:
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A featured in the Winter 2006 Knitty.
Yarn: Silkie Socks that Rock in Walking on the Wild Tide. Which was the second shipment from the Rockin' Sock Club.
Needles: 2.25mm Brittany birch dpns.
Notes: Short-row heel and toe. Heel down to 16sts and toe down to 20. 5 pattern repeats for the cuff and 5 for the foot.

Overall I really enjoyed knitting these. The yarn was lovely to knit with and I can't wait to get my mitts on more of it. The stitch pattern is fairly simple, and could probably be memorised by someone without my foggy brain. I like the way the short-row heels and toes look. I had to do Kitchener stitch on the second sock twice because I lost a stitch off one of the needles midway causing some nice garter stitch in with my stocking stitch. They fit really nicely even though I'm not sure I'm going to keep them for me. I see more monkeys in my future.

Your Daily Fibre...

2007-06-08T01:54:00.000+01:00

... knitted by Nanas.
Eat up everyone- They'll knit more.

Socka-Blocka

2007-06-07T16:51:00.001+01:00

Yay after last weeks attack of fatigue I'm finally getting some energy back.
I've been wanting some sock blockers for soooooo long- but could never justify spending £15+ plus on some.
I got an invite to ravelry a few days ago which has prompted much photographing and cataloging of my stash and past projects.
It struck me I've never blogged any socks as FOs and yet I've finished a fair few pairs. One of the reasons is I can never get decent photos of my finished socks. I can't contort myself like some people do to get nice shots. I needed sock blockers pronto.
Time for a Blue Peter moment.

That's an old plastic file that the ring parts are broken on, some permanent markers and a cardboard template. The hardest part of this was drawing the template. My first efforts were laughable. In the end I sketched round one of my Rock and Weave socks then added a bit to account for the negative ease of socks.

I used blu-tak to hold the template and also raise it up a little to prevent the ink bleeding underneath.

Draw round the template and cut round with big sharp scissors. I cut to the outside of the pen line to give mine a snazzy border. Do a quick snag-check and trim any raggy bits smooth. Repeat for the second blocker et voila one pair of blockers.

I might punch some holes in these if I use them to actually block socks while they dry.
For now they're fine as they are.

Apologies for the bad photos- it's been very dull here for 3 days now. I really shouldn't have bought that new sun lounger at the weekend.

Monkey

2007-05-31T20:33:00.000+01:00

I cast on for Miss Dashwood last week. The aim was to have it finished for baby Alice's birthday party last Sunday. Who was I kidding. I finished the i-cord ties in the pub on Tuesday night.

That's Monty- my Dad bought him for me the last time I was in hospital. I don't think he likes wearing a pink hat.
This wasn't the quick knit I thought it would be. The brim took FOREVER. I made the 1-2years size which seems way way too big for 1 year old Alice. I'm going to try a hot wash and tumble dry to try and shrink it. Otherwise Alice will just have to grow into it. That's the great thing about babies- they grow. I need to sew the ends in too but I've lost my Chibi somewhere along with my stitch markers and tape measure. I really I wish I wasn't such a slob.

I cast on some Monkey socks on Tuesday afternoon- still avoiding the purple socks. I know I've always said I won't knit patterned sock, but I thought this would looks nice with the latest yarn I got from the Rockin' Sock Club. I quite like how it's turning out. The yarn in really nice to knit with and feels sturdy but soft. I keep falling in and out of love with the colourway though. I think it's the maroon and forest green which is putting me off.

Bring me your sick, bring me your wounded

2007-05-25T22:41:00.000+01:00

and I shall heal them! Or at least keep them alive until the pros arrive.

I completed my Early Years First Aid course today. I've really enjoyed my Friday mornings for the last month, I'm going to miss it. I'm so proud of myself for completing this. Performing mouth to mouth on a plastic dummy in front of complete strangers would surely be anxiety inducing for anyone. I managed to hold it together and not be reduced to jelly. First aid course? Pah! This was social anxiety boot-camp and I passed with flying colours.

Glittrgirl tagged me for the 7 random things about me meme.

Because my camera has gone on holiday to Torremolinos... leaving me no way to properly blog my knitting. And because I scanned more photos to burn to cd tonight I give you:

7 Random Things About Me in Old scanned Photos

Most of my childhood holidays were spent in tents. We had a huge frame tent which had bedrooms inside and curtains. A total home from home.

My parents both worked long hours when I was little so we had a childminder. Aunty Verna was an amazing kind woman. On cold days when we got in from school she would make us hot lemonade, she also let me watch Neighbours- my obsession started young. Verna died of cancer a few years ago. I didn't find out until long after her funeral. It makes me very sad I never got to say goodbye.

I thought my little brother was the coolest thing on earth when I was little. I loved teaching him new things and generally bossing him around. Here I am showing him the correct way to candle up a birthday cake.

I've always kind of thought of Newcastle as my real home.

We had a cat called Charley when I was growing up. My parents got him when they were students in London. He lived to the grand old age of 18.
We never got another cat because we all agreed he was the best cat ever.

My Dad used to be very into photography. He made all kinds of cool photos of me and my bro. All before the days of photoshop. The words in the photo above were written with a sparkler, then he did something to get them on the other photo of me. Note the hand knit Postman Pat jumper.

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be a marine biologist. A summer of field research in Mexico was the closest as I got. Illness has stopped me from following my dream. I'm so glad I got that summer- it was one of the happiest times of my life.

I'm not tagging anyone because everyone seems to be very busy moving house, raising children or studying/working at the moment. If you feel like blogging 7 random things about yourself then go for it :-)

Knitting update when my camera gets home from sunning itself.

Doctor Who

2007-05-21T22:38:00.000+01:00

Thought this was kinda cool. All the titles from the very first to the present. TV has come a long way in 40 odd years- or has it...?

OK no more YouTube for me. Back to knitting with 4-ply.

No Knitting Today

2007-05-16T17:43:00.001+01:00

Just ironing

and more ironing

This isn't counting what I did yesterday.

And one of my favorite films.

Seems I'll do anything to avoid those purple socks.
I even had a brief fantasy of casting on Monkey- but thankfully I came to my senses and remembered I don't knit patterned socks. Do I...?

Love The Rain

2007-05-14T21:16:00.000+01:00

It rained this afternoon. Lovely huge drops which over-flowed the gutters and made pitter-patter sounds on the windows. The rain made me very happy- I love to feel all cozy and protected under a thick grey sky. I don't like summer much. I know I'm not the only person who gets depressed every summer- but it does kind of make me feel like the odd one out at times.
It's hard to take pictures of rain.

Do you think we need to weed the patio?

I got another package from my KnittySP8 last week (or was it the week before...). Finally got round to taking some photos.

There were also some licorice sweets in the package- I think they got tained by the soap in the package a little- or maybe Canadian licorice just tates different to British licorice.

The book is a cookery book: Culinary Therapy - Food for Every Mood (didn't do such a great job on photographing that did I). Once I get my energy levels back up I'm going to try out some recipes from it.

Flossie came up to Newcastle for the bank holiday weekend. On Sunday, after I fed poor Flossie cremated steak, Emily came round to knit with us. We watched Pretty Woman which I, to the amazement and horror of Em and Flossie, had never seen. I didn't dare tell them I've never seen Grease or Dirty Dancing either.

I've been knitting away on Carolyn.

ER is on soon so hopefully after tonight there will only be one sleeve to go. I've never seamed raglan sleeves before so I'm sure progress will slow down soon as seaming anxiety sets in.

Leah's socks are also coming along although I will admit I'm sick of the sight of them now. I'm so glad I have small feet.

Oppps ER has started already- better get to that knitting.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Baking

2007-04-29T17:47:00.000+01:00

First the good (and really quite yummy).

Cheese scones made using Glittrgirl's recipe. I made one little change and used cayenne pepper in place of mustard powder.

The Bad?

I burned my arm on the oven again. Must remember these stupid mitts are only good as hand puppets.

The Ugly (and very very sad).

My parkin. It tastes as bad as it looks. I have no clue what went wrong.

I finished the first of the ribbed Koigu socks last night while watching the Black Books DVD Hannah lent me. It took the whole of series one (142mins) for me to do the short row toe. I had to rip out what I'd done at knitting yesterday morning because I ran out of yarn. I took the sock back a mere 5 rows leaving me more than enough yarn. It looks pretty good- I'll take a picture for next time.
Tonight will be Carolyn and the Teachers DVDs my brother bought me 3 Birthdays ago and I've not yet watched.

Toodleoomalooma

2007-04-27T17:09:00.000+01:00

Toodleoomalooma,
Toodleoomalooma,
Toodleayay.
Any umbrellas,
Any umbrellas,
To mend today?

Bring your parasol;
It may be small, it may be big.
He'll repair them all
With what you call
A thingymajig.
Pitter-patter-patter,
Pitter-patter-patter,
Here comes the rain.
Let it pitter-patter,
Let it pitter-patter,
Don't mind the rain.

Anyone else sing that in school? I'm sure there was a verse about darning a sock too....

The Knitty surprises are up. I love the parasol.

Today I ...

2007-04-27T15:59:00.000+01:00

Dyed

-With Koolaid and my microwave.

Soothed

-Am I the only one who's hayfever shows as a sore throat?

And knitted

-Carolyn in the afternoon sunshine.

Second Time's a Charm

2007-04-24T11:46:00.000+01:00

I completed my second short-row heel on Sunday night.

It looks much better than the first one. I made a point to pull the wraps more tightly and it seems to have worked. These are very simple ribbed socks made with Koigu. They are supposed to be a gift for some one with UK8 sized feet. I only have 100g of this yarn I'm starting to wonder if it will be enough. I'm about 4 inches down the foot and have 18g of yarn left.

Guess what I caught the postman trying to stuff through my letterbox this morning?

Yay my second Rockin' Sock Club set. The yarn in a merino silk blend - something I would have never tried. The colour is called "Walking on the Wild Tide". Last month the sock club contest was to name some new BMFA colours- as far as I remember this was one of the winning names from the contest. I haven't started my first kit yet. I can't start this one yet either as my sock needles are being used for other socks. I might wind the yarn into a cake just too see what it looks like.

Finished: Baby Hat, Coat and Shoes.

2007-04-20T17:12:00.000+01:00

Yay, a little set all finished for Jen's beautiful daughter Isabella.

Here it is all together.

My first mattress stitch on garter stitch

My first crocheted button loop

Wee little shoes-that turned out to be a little too wee.

Crochet flower detail on the hat.

Everything was knitted in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in Shades 606 and 002.
Jacket: Pattern from an old Phildar Layette book, the same pattern I used for Alice's Jacket. I think I used 3.25mm needles but as I finished this all but the crochet back in January I can't really remember. The crochet edging and button loops were done with a 3mm hook.

Hat: Pattern adapted from Baby Cashmerino 2. I cast on 9sts less than the smallest given size and knitted it the round. Why would you seam something if you didn't have to. I also left the little tail thing off the top of the hat because it looked weird when I knitted it. This of course resulted in a bad case of 'hat nipple'. I decided not to make a striped hat and instead knit it in the purple colour and trim it in the green. The flower pattern came from doormat pattern in The Happy Hooker.

Shoes: It took an age to find a bootee* pattern that I liked. I can't even remember which google search led me to find the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road bootee pattern, but I love it. It calls for worsted weight yarn and US7 needles. The booties I made came out tiny as I used baby weight yarn and US2 needles. I made a second pair with US3 needles which just fitted Isabella's feet. What I should have done was added more stitches to the pattern as well as going up a needle size. Isn't hindsight wonderful. At least Isabella's teddy bears now have cool little shoes.

I'm pretty happy with all of this. It was good to go back and knit the jacket pattern again now I'm a more experienced knitter. It came out so much better this time. Learning mattress stitch has really improved the look of my FO's. It's a shame the shoes didn't really fit but they are very cute.

*I always thought it was bootie but apparently not. Good job I'm stating grammar classes on Wednesday.

Jayhoppin'?

2007-04-19T16:10:00.000+01:00

Is that what you do when you only have one jaywalker?
It seems to have taken ages just to get one of these finished. I had a little spell where I didn't knit at all for days. I'm realising I'm actually not a slow knitter- it's just all the time I spend faffing around in between knitting that makes me seem slow. I could finish a pair of socks in a few days if I didn't spend so much time 'researching' and worrying.
I'm not thrilled with how this first sock has turned out. It's baggy and loose- how ironic after casting on so many times because it was too tight. I did a short-row heel and not the flap heel like in the pattern. I don't like flap heels (is that the right term?) because they don't fit my feet me very well. This was my first stocking stitch short-row heel and as you can see it's pretty holey. I think maybe I didn't pull the wraps tight enough- who knows. I used the tutorial on Cosmicpluto Knits, which is the first tutorial I found on short-rows that I could understand. Probably thanks to the lovely clear photos. It must have a lot of time and patience to put together. I love the way Knit-bloggers are so generous with there knowledge and skills.
Anyway getting back to my sock.... Apart from the holes the heel is also to big for my heel. I have narrow heels and wide feet. I usually prefer garter stitch short-row heels because they are so stretchy and cushy. The foot is pretty baggy too- probably due to the lack of the zigzag pattern on the sole of the foot. Something which I could have easily corrected using a flap heel but hey we live and learn. I'm going to make the other sock just the same. I don't think this poor abused yarn could take anymore frogging and I think these will be a pretty perfect fit for my Aunt. I love they way this yarn has knitted up in the Jaywalker pattern. So pretty.
I've not knitted anymore on the calmer cardigan. I'm not enjoying it right now, so I'm sticking it out of sight (and hopefully mind). I've almost finished my habu bag- I honestly think I've spent more time untangling the yarn than I have knitting it. In fact you can see some tangled yarn in that top photo.
What do you think of the pictures like this? Does anyone even read this? I'm not sure- I've been having Internet issues and it's really made me think about people who don't have a fast connection.

Some days....

2007-04-10T10:38:00.000+01:00

It really would be better just to stay in bed.

Yup that is a huge jar of coffee. Yup it's all over my kitchen floor, and my fresh out of the shower feet, and worst of all my breakfast- the last scraps of cereal in the house.

Well I'm off to make some toast and try and stay away from sharp objects.

Finished: Jaeger Jumper for Alice

2007-04-07T16:04:00.000+01:00

Yet Again I'm behind on blogging the FOs....
So, here it is:

Cable panel and buttons.

Grafted back seem- I love kitchener stitch!

This pattern is from my Grandmothers pattern stash. A Sirdar Sunggly pattern c.1980. I made the 20 inch size after measuring Alice to find her size. The pattern doesn't give ages just finished sizes. Maybe this is why one of the only memories I have of my Grandmother is being measured with her freezing cold tape measure. It seemed everytime we went to visit she wanted to measure us.
I used Jaeger Baby Merino DK in shade 229 (Lolly). I used my knit picks options with the US4 tips for the body. For the sleeves I used Aluminium straights sizes US3 (for the ribbing) and US4 for the other parts. I would have liked to have knitted the body ribbing on smaller needles too but it slipped my mind that I owned any that size. I totally forgot that my Boye needlemaster goes down to a US2. I never use my needlemaster because, although I love the tips, I find the cords too inflexible- maybe I need to find a gunsmith.
I changed the construction of this pattern a little. I knitted the body section in the round adjusting the stitch pattern accordingly. I also grafted the two sleeve/upper body sections together. This is the longest lot of kitchener stitch I've done- the only other being sock toes. There is something about sewing a whole row of perfect little knit stitches that is just magical to me.
Not much to say about the yarn. It's wool. 100% wool. It splits alot and it's a bugger if you have to rip sections out. Quite pleasant to knit with, but nothing to write home about.
The button are some I bought from Hobbycraft a few years ago. Reaching a button decision too almost as long as the knitting on this project.

I found the white flowers looked the nicest and fitted the best. I decided to go with just 2 button and not the 3 in the pattern. The neck looked very small and 2 buttons looked better than 3.
I don't think I'll ever knit this again. I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out. However getting a neat finish was time consuming- too time consuming for the finished result.

Wee Hat

2007-04-02T16:38:00.000+01:00

Today Emily and I went to visit Jen and little Isabella (who is so tiny and SO gorgeous). I realised last night I hadn't completely finished what I'm making for Isabella. So I whipped up this little hat while watching Wife Swap and Goldmember. Well it's not Sunday without crap telly and knitting.
I used Sirdar Luxury Soft Cotton and 3mm dpns. I didn't use a pattern. I just cast on what I thought would be the right number of stitches (72) and went for it. I evenly spaced 3 sets of decreases to shape the crown. I think 4 sets would have been better as the hat was a little too pointy on top. I love this yarn- I'm a huge cotton fan and this so soft and easy on the hands, what's not to love.

I started some crochet on Saturday- after missing knitting because I was too tired. I was given 18 balls of cotton a while ago and didn't really know what to do with it. Last week I went to Borders and I treated myself to The Crochet Answer Book after I was given a 20% off voucher with my coffee. I bought the knitting version a while ago and love it. Lots of good information and clear diagrams, and its a nice handy size. Thanks to this little book I finally understand the construction of the granny square- I think all I really needed was a diagram. So I'm making a granny square blanket/throw out of the cotton. I can't decide if I want to make lots of squares similar to the size of the one in the picture or just keep increasing and increasing on one square until I run out of yarn. I think I'll ask our resident crochet guru what the best plan at knitting tomorrow night.

No signs of my new bag yet- hopefully tomorrow.

It Goes On And On

2007-03-29T18:01:00.000+01:00

I'm still knitting away on my calmer cardigan. Look it has a Sleeve.

I started the first sleeve on Sunday night and kind of finished it last night. I say kind of, because despite trying the darn thing on several times while knitting it, after casting off it turns out it's too short. I think I'm going to finish the body section and then correct that sleeve.
I'm finding it harder and harder to keep going with this project. Every time I try it on I like it less and less. The yarn in lovely but I'm not keen on the moss stitch bands at the front. Maybe I will feel differently once it doesn't have 3 or 4 circs and stitch holders attached to it. Less than 3 balls of yarn to go, at least I finally feel like I'm on the home straight.

I ordered myself a new 'knitting bag' at the weekend.

The felt bag that I use almost everyday is looking rather old and scruffy. It's pilled badly on the back and has taken the blue dye from my jeans.
I think it's meant to be a diaper/nappy bag but with minimal zips and lots of pockets I think it's going to make a great everyday/knitting combo bag.

I know I already have 2 knitting bags which are lovely (but). The big one is too big to be a practical everyday bag for me- I got everything for a 3 night holiday in it last time I used it. The smaller one is OK just for a project. However it only has one large space inside and once I add my purse or even worse keys into the mix it all gets very messy. The part of that whole set that I use the most is the bigger 'pouch' which fits everything needed for a pair of socks perfectly.
Have I convinced you all that I really needed a new bag....

Jaywalking Again

2007-03-21T20:29:00.000Z

I'm trying Jaywalkers again.

It must be almost a year since I first tried this pattern. First with some natural dyed yarn. I didn't like how it was knitting up so I abandoned it after about 3 inches. A couple of months later I tried again with some yarn I got from Ewas Sockenwolle. I got midway down the foot before I tried it on and found the heel was much too deep. I tried to rip it back and re-knit the heel. The thing with Ewas yarn is that it's 4 very fine unplied strands. It's OK to knit with but it beyond even my patience to get those stitches back on the needles after I had ripped the heel back.
I cast on again for this project on Friday eve after realising I didn't have a portable project to take to knitting on Saturday. I used 2mm needles as using a 2.25mm set had given me a baggy sock last time. I knit about 4 inches during Saturday. When I tried in on my foot I could get it over my heel. So I frogged and cast on again with 2.25mm needles. I knitted a good sizes section at the pub last night. When I tried it on this morning it was too small again. I'll probably frog it and cast on for the larger size in a few days. I would just give up but I really like how the yarn is looking with the zigzag pattern.
For now I seem to have found my second wind with the calmer cardi. I started the 5th ball of yarn today. So that's at least 40% done. Maybe It will be completed by the end of the month.