I'd Rather be Knitting

Hello Poor Neglected Blog!! (long post!)

2008-01-30T10:41:00.000Z

A belated Happy Christmas, New Year & Birthday (to me). The time has flown, I can't believe it's almost 2 months since my last post, it wasn't intentional either. I don't know why it's been so long, I guess Ravelry has something to do with it - upload a finished object & it's done, then spend the next 3 hours browsing the site!!!!

I've still been knitting like crazy, anyone want some 'knitty mojo'? I've made Twist from Chicknits in Schoeller & Stahl Zimba Fix. This is my current favourite thing to wear, it's a great pattern to knit, waist-shaping, cables, hood... it's got the lot!

I grafted the hood (after making the sideways socks below, this graft was a walk in the park!)

I'm hoping to make one in Patons Washed Haze aran for a lighter weight version. I seemed to 'acquire' some in the January sales, I've no idea how it happened.

I've always fancied having a go at sideways socks but have read mixed reviews about the Sidewinders. These seemed a better bet. I used Regia Kaffe Fasset Design Line 4 ply in Landscape Caribbean.

140sts on 2.75mm isn't my idea of fun, but I had to have a pair, so I gritted my teeth, ignored the second-sock-syndrome that was gnawing away at me & got on with them. Thankfully, they're dead easy to knit.

This is the final result, they're one of my favourite pairs as they stay up ALL DAY! If you really hate grafting, these aren't for you as that's how they're joined, all 140sts x 2 socks!

Bitten by the sock bug & bugged by the size of the sock stash, another pair was next on the pins. These are the hugley popular Monkey Socks by Cookie A. I used Regia Stretch crazy colour. I don't know if it's the pattern or me, but I was hoping these would stay up in a stretchy sock yarn, but nope, they fall down too, just like my bambooo ones. Because of this, I won't be making another pair.

I'm going away in May & I'm determined to have some stuff ready, nice & early to take with me. This is the first of my Summer knits:

It's Sirdar 8388. I've used Patons Cotton DK in Foxglove. I added some waist-shaping, (nicked from another pattern as I don't know how to work it out) & added 1" to the length. I don't really like knitting with cotton, but I'm really happy with the finished result. It's really hard to knit for the Summer in January & then have to model it outside, I think a snuggly jacket is next up!

Well, that's what I've made since the last post, I promise to be back soon & not leave it so long.

(ps. Patons sent me some vouchers for the mistake in their Zhivago pattern, but refused to accept that it's wrong!)

Mmmmmmm Cadbury's!

2007-12-05T11:27:00.001Z

Well, not quite chocolate but the same colour as the wrapper! I got this far before realising the pattern is wrong:

The stated number of stitches don't equate to the finished measurement they put on the pattern. It was coming out far too big, so I ripped the body back to the ribs & re-knitted the smaller size. (I couldn't face re-doing the ribs too).

Here it is finished, it's Ribby Turtle Sweater from Patons Zhivago Weekend Knits book. (excuse the photographers' shadow!!)

I'm really pleased with how this turned out, it's lovely & warm. I added 1.5" to the length & 1" to the sleeves.

I've emailed Patons about the error & they've sent me their standard 'tell her to check her tension' email, back as a reply. I'm really annoyed as I've explained the problem, even done the maths for them 104 sts at 5st per inch = 20.8" x 2 = 41.5" NOT the 39" in the pattern.

My new knit is Twist from Chic-Knits. I'm using Schoeller & Stahl Zimba Fix which is a lovely 80% wool aran weight. One of those bargainous German eBay purchases. I'm nearly up to the armholes:

I didn't give this a second look the first time I saw it, because of the fringed collar, I think. But when they added the new photos with the hood, I just had to make it.

Recent Stuff!

2007-11-19T12:05:00.000Z

I am still here, but I've been bitten by the Ravelry bug! I had my invite for over a week before deciding to log-in & see what the fuss was all about. I totally get it now, what a time-sucker it is too. I've started to list my stash & after 118 entries, I'm still not done. It's a bit scary to see it all detailed in one place when it's scattered around my house to make it look smaller, I won't even bother with the single odd balls that aren't sock wool!

I finished my Inca Zip Jacket while Rogue was blocking. I just managed to get it under my zipper foot so I machined the zip in. I wore it at the weekend & it's really cosy. Thanks to Littleberry (have a look at her lacework, it's gorgeous) for coming to my aid with the 2 extra balls I needed.

I wanted a 'mindless' knit after making Rogue, so I dived into the stash & came out with 4 balls of Sublime Angora Merino. This is the Big Wave Scarf from the Sublime Merino book. I made it longer than stated - 68" instead of 58". I wore it yesterday to keep the chill out, it's lovely & warm. It was flippin' snowing ALL DAY here in Brum yesterday, but it's thawed now, much to he kids' disappointment.

I've got a new knit on the go (I'm hopelessly addicted I'm afraid). This one is the Ribby Turtleneck sweater from Patons Weekend Knits. I'm using Patons Zhivago as I seem to have a rather alot of that *blushes*. It's a gorgeous purple, Cadbury's purple is a good description, yum, I love the feel of this yarn.

I've just finished the 9" of 4x2 rib for the front. I love the look of rib, but what a nightmare it is to knit on 3.75mm! Hope to get this finished this week - Ravelry permitting :)

Rogue Hoodie the Finished Object!

2007-11-03T12:49:00.000Z

Yaaayyyyy, Rogue is finished!!!

I put it on today for the 'photo-shoot' & decided to keep it on :)

I blocked it, sewed on the sleeves then seamed them. The pattern says to sew the sleeve seams then join them on, that sounded fiddly, so I joined & then seamed.

I've decided I like it with the curly hem & have the option of turning it up if I change my mind.

The hood is a little bit short for my swan neck!

The hood needed some surgery (more key-hole than open-heart!) to get it to lie flat. P3tog tbl & SSSK do not give a good look or finish, there must be a neater way (note to self- explore this further before making another!)

The cabley goodness of the hood!

Gratuitous hood graft pic. Thanks to Pumpkin Mama for sharing her Rogue Hoodie Grafting Cheat sheet. It's pure genius BUT don't sit down to start it at 11.30pm whilst watching TV, it needs 110% concentration!

This is nearer to the actual colour, it's darker than those pics shown above

I spent 15 days actually knitting it, then blocking, surgery & finishing took another 3 days. I used Addi 5mm for the main body & bamboo 5mm & 5.5mm for everything else. Using odd pins has prevented it from rowing out & achieved the same tension as the body. Made to the pattern with just 4 extra rows for the sleeves, the body shaping sits nicely on my waist, which is unusual for my long bod! All in all, a very enjoyable knit & I've overcome my fear of cables & charts. I'd iron out the pattern niggles previously mentioned, if I made it again.

Rogue Hoodie Day 10

2007-10-25T19:17:00.000+01:00

The last time I knitted with so much excitement (sad, I know) was making my first pair of socks. I really can't put this down. I was up til 1.00am last night catching up as I was out all day & then was wide awake at 6.45am raring to go again while the kids were in bed! I've started the hood today & have managed 20 rows. This is how it looks as of now:

I tried it on & I actually like it with the hem & sleeves curling, I might not turn the hem under. The attaching of the kangaroo pocket is genius, I've never heard of ssk'ing 2 pieces together before :)

I've decided that a better description of the colour is peacock rather than teal.

Close-up of the neck:

There are a few niggles in the pattern that I would change next time. This is what I've found so far:

Page 12 -On the right side of the neck, the pattern has make 2 purlwise, as they're made on the wrong side & purled on the next row, they should be made knitwise.

Page 12 - The centre neck st is left on a holder, the instructions later tell you to just sew it in to get rid of it. I'd knit it in with the last row to make a neater finish.

Page 8 -2nd size, the pattern says to pick up 21 of the 23 cast off sts for the hood & then you have to increase 2 on the first row, so just pick up the 23 to begin with.

It would be nice to have confirmation of final stitch numbers when finishing a process, rather than 'leave remaining sts on holder/bind off' etc.

Some close-up photos of the cables would also be beneficial.

Anyway, they're niggles that can be fixed & I'm still loving it & can't wait to get it finished.

One last thing that just amused me, Hipknits have launched a new range of chunky yarn named after my dd Emilia. My dh will never believe that she was named before the wool !!!!

Diary of a Rogue Hoodie

2007-10-20T12:30:00.001+01:00

I've been dying to own one of these since I first saw the pattern. Definitely out of my league knitwise, but I still want one & I'm not going to let a load of wool beat me!! I got the yarn ages ago from Wolle Hartmuth, it's Austermann Revue a pure merino aran weight & machine washable too. It's a turquoisey/teal kind of shade.

I'm officially the world's worst cable chart reader, basically I've only ever done it for CPH, so this is challenging me to say the least! I thought I'd do the sleeves fist to get me used to the cable & charts. Now I know why they call these things a 'dummy run', because I am a DUMMY! I misread the pattern & forgot the increases either side of the cable so it got frogged. I had more success next time, not the neatest cables, I hope they'll be fine:

I've added an inch to the sleeve length, but only on one in case the pattern length of 17" is long enough, I'm sure I'll need the 18", but I'll wait until I can pin them to the body to check before doing any more on the 2nd one.

I've never used circs in my life for anything other than a button-band (see, I told you Rogue was out of my knitterly league didn't I?). I've done a twisted stocking stitch hem , but I've twisted each row the opposite way to avoid the bias effect as the designer suggests here, what she fails to tell you is how the hell you do this. Why write out 2 simple lines of instructions when you can fill a page & still not tell me? I spent 4 hours fiddling & trying to get each row to lie the opposite way to avoid the bias. The only way I found was to knit 1 rnd as normal, then knit 1 rnd tbl BUT wrap the yarn the other way, ie over the top - clockwise. Please tell me if there is an easier & quicker way. It now looks like this:

I whipped it off the circs onto waste yarn to try & measure it (I'm not paranoid -honest) & it measures 38" which suits me better than the 39" for the pattern anyway. I'm not sure if it's really indicative of the final size but I could always block it bigger if needed.

This is as far as I've got for now, but staying up til 1.00am last night didn't help, it just made me a crabby cow today.

I'm seriously wondering if I'll have enough yarn too, 1200m doesn't seem alot for all those cables, a pocket & a hood. I've actually got 1400m. I desperately want the pocket but don't want to run short.

If I ever post up a progress picture with dodgy cables going the wrong way, please tell me about it while there's time to fix them.

Recent Knitterly Activity

2007-09-30T13:41:00.000+01:00

I've been having a love/hate relationship with Zipperstop since they told me my zips, ordered in June weren't available unless I wanted 12 of each colour. After many emails across the pond, they refunded my money (all of it, despite me already receiving half of my order!) So the search for a teal zip for my ribby cardi began again. Then, out of the blue came another email off Zipperstop to say they's sent the rest of my order anyway & they hoped I could still use it. So I ened up with 10 YKK separating zips for free. The current status of our relationship is BIG LOVE !!!! I've been dying to get this one finished as it's been knitted since June:

Modifications: I added length to the body as the 19" from the pattern would be like a bolero on my long bod. It's now 24" unworn. I also added a zipper placket (is that the right word?) as it was hard to sew the zip to the curling edge. I just picked up a stitch for every stitch & cast off on the wrong side. It made the job alot easier. I didn't want to hide the zip as this yarn has a bit of a fluff to it & I could see it getting caught.

I love everything about this & I'm thrilled with the zip colour, did I mention how much I love Zipperstop right now?

This bodywarmer is knitted in Sirdar Denim Chunky, it's Sirdar pattern 8458.

You'll have to envisage the buttons for now, I hate sewing buttons on. It must be something to do with involving a needle & thread, I much prefer needles & yarn :)

These are my September socks for the sock-a-month challenge. I've made a pair for every month so far, but not actually during every month. They're Ripple Socks from Sandi Rosner's book. The yarn is Lana Grossa Fantasy #4833.

I've got a thing for zippy cardis now I've overcome my fear of the Z I P. I started the one on the left yesterday:

I'm using Patons Inca & this is progress so far. Just enough cable to ease the boredom of the black.

*** editted for Auntie Noo. the ribby cardi is from Patons book 1252 Weekend Knits in their Zhivago yarn. ***

Sirdar Snowflake

2007-09-16T13:44:00.000+01:00

Do you ever have the urge to knit with yarn that is vile to knit, but looks lovely when finished? I have a stash of Sirdar Snowflake Chunky & thought it's time to get ready for Winter. I know, we're experiencing a late Summer, but still, here we go:

My Monsters in their snuggly balaclavas, check out my ds trying to look mean LOL!

This is a better view, I can't believe I sat & made all those scales & even got them sewn on, I mightily proud of myself, my patience must be improving with age!

Not to be left out, (and because this stuff is 59p a ball at Kemps) I've made this hoodie for myself. It's made on 10mm with 2 strands together. I deliberately shifted the colours a little to make the stripes a bit more muted & because it's easier to knit 2 strands in different shades, than 2 in the same shade. If you've ever knit with this stuff, you'll know where I'm coming from with this thinking!!
Here's the 'Dorky' hood-up view!

Talking of yarn that's vile to knit, what were Jaeger thinking when they produced Trinity? I spent ages deciding which top to make, picked out a little Summer vest & cast on. OMG this stuff is horrible. Queen of the Froggers is dead right when she describes little bits of twig in it. I could've lined my bird-box with the contents of my lap after a few rows. I knitted half of the back but then it had to go, off to the frog-pond. Now I've got 20 balls to sell. I'll need to be some saleswoman to describe this stuff nicely!

I was really looking forward to the 'Knitting & Stitching Show at the NEC yesterday. I went through my patterns that are high on the knit-list & wrote down everything I wanted to look at, have a squeeze of & then buy cheaper from ebay.com. To say I was disappointed with the knitterly content is an understatement. Get Knitted, Colinette, Sublime/Sirdar where were you?? I thought is was poor last year, but assumed it would be better each year as knitting continues to grow. It needs to be renamed 'The Stitching with a Hint of Knitting Show'. What a waste of £12.00, next year I'm deffo going to Ally Pally.

On the plus side, I did manage to nab a bargain. I got 9 balls of Lang Mohair Luxe which is 70% superkid mohair/30% silk with 175m/25g to make the Modern Quilt Wrap. The colour choices were limited, but I got these 9 which I love & will be ready to cast on tomorrow :)

I have to say a huge thank you to Debs aka Melody for nominating me for a 'Rockin Girl Blogger Award' (not quite sure what it is, so I'll be back when I do *blushes*)

Gotta Love the Car Booty

2007-09-02T15:21:00.000+01:00

I love mooching round car boot sales, but this Summer has been such a wash-out, I've not been to any until last weekend. I'll share my Booty Looty with you...

How many of you remember/had one of these, a Tomy Hobby Girl Knitting Machine?

I never had one, but I've got one now :) all complete & only £1.50. DD is dying to have a go already & she's only 3, patience my dear, you will knit with Mommy!

10 Balls of Jaeger Angora Spun (70% angora/30% lambswool) in the original bag. This was only £2.00. I'm thinking snuggly bedsocks with some of this, it's a bit bright for anything else!

If I ever see knitting needles on the table, I always ask if they've got any patterns as they're usually shoved in a carrier under the table out of sight. This question to a very old chap turned up trumps, he asked his wife who was in their car & sure enough a large carrier of patterns was duly shoved under the table. You can have the lot for £2.00 he said. I nearly tore his hand off! This bag had her whole life's worth of knittlery stuff inside, from the 1940's to to the 1980's.

There were about 150 patterns & a few other bits. I was so excited going through the bag (how sad is that!). Here are some of my favourites...

"Beautifully styled gauchos & knickerbockers". (I've never heard of gauchos!)

"Sambo, Topsy & Gillian" I guess from the 1940's!

I collect dolls knitting patterns & I don't have this one, this made the find well-worthy of my £2.00 outlay :)

How about this ingenious piece of knitting, the cabled band drops down to keep your face warm!!!!

When I saw this 'bed-jacket' in a Beehive book from 1980 it reminded me of a Rowan pattern, I've seen somewhere, hmmm, now which one is it?

Found it - it's Meadow from RY Classic Nature

Is there any such thing as a 'new' knitting pattern?

Let's hope this outfit never makes a comeback

What you do with a 'Betty Ann Knitter' is beyond me, how can you produce anything remotely like knitting with this:

It includes instructions for converting a crochet pattern to a Knitter pattern, so there's hope for me & crochet yet (well maybe!)

On the knitty front, I'll have some FO's for you this week (anyone who's ever knitted with Sirdar Snowflake chunky will undestand the delay!!!!!)

Sirdar Indigo Denim Cotton & other bits!

2007-08-25T13:37:00.000+01:00

The Idea:

I've got 7 balls of this denim cotton in Mid-Denim shade idling in my tiny stash & wanted to use it somehow. I've always wanted a denim-look knitted something or other. I found the 2 Twilleys books for their denim cotton. I decided this would be a suitable project, the 'Macy' vest:

The Swatch

OK, I hold my hands up, I NEVER swatch, I grab the pins & knit. (I've only knit one swatch in my life) Thats' a really bad confession to make, but I've done it now. I wanted to know how much the denim would shrink by as I was using a Twilleys (with 15% shrinkage) pattern So, I grabbed the 4 mm, did a swatch, cast off, cut the yarn, picked up the tape... OH crap, it was measuring 19st/26r. OK, it must be the way I'm holding the yran, let's try again, same pins, an extra wrap around my finger... nope 20st/26r. Maybe I need to change pins, let's try 3.75mm that'll be right... nope still 20st/26r. I'm getting rather pee'd off by this point. I dropped to 3.5mm & hooray, I got the required 21s/28r. This took me a whole evening to sort out.

I chucked it in the machine with a white wash on 60C & after washing it was measuring 21s/31r, approx 10% shrinkage, just like it says on the leaflet.

The Knitty

When the maths of converting the pattern got too hard, I decided to bite-the-bullet & just cast on! A moss-stitch project in dk is not the quickest of knits, but I love the feel of it, especially in cotton, all crunchy & lovely. DS kept stroking it as he likes the feel too! You can see the white core showing through:

The Completed Item Pre-wash

I spent nearly a week on this, but at least the cotton is nice to work with & not rough like some other denim cottons can be. I tried it on for a pre-wash fitting:

I hope it doesn't shrink too much, I like it like this! anyway off to the machine it goes. I've left some of the ends loose to sew after they've shrunk in case it puckers.

The Completed item post-wash

It did shrink & fade, but I was able to pin it to the length I wanted, 23" as opposed to the 24.5" pre-wash. I'm sure it got wider, but I fixed that too! Here it is, I used all but a tiny scrap of my 7 balls & still need to put a tiny band around the armholes (just one of those where you pick-up & then cast it straight off) but was reluctant to order any more just for that in case it didn't work. I might use my washed swatch of the cream & see how that looks for the bands & the lace.

I really want a denim jacket in this yarn & there are patterns in the Twilleys books, but I might contact Sirdar & arrange a copy of one of theirs as my maths won't cope with sleeves aswell!

Action-man has blagged himself another sweater & a bag. I wonder if I could enter it for Gilraens' Bag-along on the Craft Threads Forum:

No, I don't think she'd accept it LOL! But this might do instead, made in Sirdar Spree for 49p a ball at Kemps. I'm hoping to use it as a beach-bag, assuiming we get a late deal somewhere.

Don't laugh, look, I even gad a go at lining it. I've had a new sewing machine since April & this is the first time it's been out of the box!!

I'm currently knitting in Sirdar Snowflake Chunky, I'll save that for another day!

Knitterly Update...

2007-08-13T18:09:00.000+01:00

I've finally added the buttons to the lacy summer top, I'm really pleased with how this has turned out:

The buttons were in the dregs of the House of Fraser sale... Rowan #389 for 5p each (I love bargains!). Here's the modelled shots:

I used 6 balls of Fantasia dk on 4mm pins. I just made it as per the pattern but added an edge stitch for sewing up as I don't know how to sew holes together LOL & it made the pattern match exactly at the seams, yay!

Here's my contribution to the sock-a-month challenge for August:

Regia Galaxy in shade 1553. I bought all 12 of this set...anyone want to buy a ball or 3 LOL!

Guess Who?????

As if I've not got enough knitting of my own to do, my 5 yr old ds decided Action Man needed some new gear! I learnt a new technique on the lacy top, the one-row buttonhole (thanks Monste Stanley)& it came in handy for the balaclava! What an *rse making that sweater, with its' raglan shapings, back neck opening, I could've made a me-sized one quicker! (**Makes mental note to self, not to send black dk to the charity shop ever again**). I've had to buy a ball of khaki dk to make more stuff, ho-hum, September 4th is just around the corner :)

My brother had loads of Action Men in the 70's, but he never had one like this:

This must be the deluxe or limited edition, he never had a beard or blond hair. This is from a 70's Sirdar pattern book, just part of my over-sized collection of dolls patterns!

I'll leave you with a 'things kids say' moment...

I showed ds Action Mans belly & said "that's his six pack" to which he replied... "is that because that's where his sick comes from?."

It's not socks!

2007-07-28T17:06:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm cured (I think!) I've locked away my sock mojo until the August Sock-a-month challenge. Sock overdose is not healthy, well not in the quantity I had this month!

This is my new knit. I'm using some of the Fantasia dk from Hartmuths. I wanted something that would work with the yarn, yet still show the pattern, I think this is working! This yarn is lovely to work with too.

And here is the 5th & final pair (I promise) of socks for July:

Regia Surprise color. Not much of a surprise when you've already made a pair the same size!!

On the Teal Zip front, I've tracked one down from Zipperstop in the US. It matches exactly from their shade-card. They told me it would take 2 weeks for them to order it in, fine I told them. So what do they do?? Pick a 'similar' shade & send me that in the hope it will do GRRRRR! It's winging its' way back across the pond to be exchanged. Next time, I really will get the zip before I begin to knit! It's been so cold here, I want to wear that cardi!

DD had her Hip Spica taken off on the 18th & is whizzing around like a loon. I'm tempted to call the consultant & see if they can put it back on for a while, to slow her down :) She has a rather disturbing limp, which we're hoping is only temporary as they never mentioned a limp at all. We're back in on Wednesday 1st August so she'll be checked out then.

Regia Pompon Socks

2007-07-16T15:37:00.000+01:00

I pounced on the postie on Saturday morning & this sock wool jumped straight onto my pins! It's new Regia Pompon 4 ply. I've got this mad urge to pull the pompons through to the right side as alot of them ended up inside. They're so snuggly & warm, more like a 6 ply fabric. My feet are definitely mutton-dressed-as-lamb, but I love 'em!!! I've got the pink one too, so dd will get some of those & probably me, for bed-socks :)

As usual, my new stash came from Wolle-Hartmuth in Germany. They still have loads left in case anyone gets the pompon urge LOL!

I'm on a Roll...

2007-07-13T18:43:00.000+01:00

A sockage roll !!!!!!!

I got my mojo back & I'm taking advantage of it before it goes again. Here's this weeks offerings:

These are Broad ripple from Knitty in Cascade Fixation shade 9843. I've already got a pair of these & they're my best stay-uppy socks, so I've made another pair.

These ones are Lacy Mock Cable socks. The wool is an unbanded one from Wolle Hartmuth. It looked, on the ball, like it was stripey, but it's knitted up different from how I imagined.

These socks are so s-t-r-e-t-c-h-y. I made them on 2.5mm with 64 sts to fit my big barges.

Close-up of the pattern & colour is more true in this one:

What Kind of Yarn are You??

2007-07-10T15:43:00.000+01:00

Being fairly new to the world of blogging, this was new to me over the weekend.

I took the test & imagined I'd be a nice squishy cashmere, a fluffy angora maybe, or how about a nice squidge of merino?? Nope, this was my genuine result:

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Dishcloth Cotton.You are a very hard worker, most at home when you're at home. You are thrifty and seemingly born to clean. You are considered to be a Plain Jane, but you are too practical to notice.
Take this quiz!

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SODDIN' Dishcloth cotton, well that's just great! Born to clean, they're having a laugh LOL!

What kind of yarn are you??

Take the test here

Prom Night!

2007-07-10T11:19:00.001+01:00

I couldn't resist snapping a pic of my 16yr old ds on Friday when he got ready for Prom Night. Why do your kids always look older in photos, he looks all grown up here:

When I left school we had a leavers disco in the hall & chucked eggs & flour over each other on the last day. They don't do that now!!!

Hello Sock Mojo...

2007-07-02T15:33:00.001+01:00

My sock mojo has been missing for a while, but I'm happy to say it's back. It may go again at any minute, so I've snapped a pic to prove it's well & truly here!

These are for my son's 14th Birthday which was 1st May LOL! He wanted Villa socks & this is as close as I could find in my tiny stash of sock yarn!

I'm still on the trail of a 22" teal zip. An ebay seller in china claims to have all colours. Maybe if he emails me back, we can do business. He only wants £1.00 postage for any amount, it's just getting contact off him that's proving difficult! I need to finish that jacket :(

I popped back into town on Saturday, hoping to nab some more Jaeger Aqua, but most of it was gone & I only managed to get 7 balls & 2 more balls of Regia Stretch. Funny, 'cos there's never anyone in the wool dept when I go in, maybe the staff swiped it LOL!

Here are the completed socks:

I hate it when some of the colours are different lengths, just look at that annoying red bit on the toe, it did that on purpose, I'm sure. It's bugging me, if they were mine I'd have to change that, but he's gone to school in them, so they must be OK for him :)

Off to dive in to the sock stash, I need to make some more!!!

New Stash!

2007-06-28T10:04:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit naughty this week. We had to go to the Childrens' Hospital in B'ham yesterday. DD is half way through her 6 weeks in plaster & everything is how it should be :)

I had to check if the Rackhams sale had started...it had! I got his little lot:

Jaeger Aqua for just £1.00 per ball. I'm hoping to make strawberry smoothie from an old Simply Knitting magazine with the rose colour & the red one, I don't know yet. The books were just £2.00 each. I like a couple of designs in each so they were well worth getting. The sock wool is Regia Stretch at only £2.00/50g, I like bright sockies!

This is the Rowan Handknit cotton off Ebay. I was disappointed with the shade when it came & put it back in the bag in disgust. I've looked at it again today to photograph & it's growing on me. If I leave it a bit longer I might learn to love it & actually knit it up. It's shade 255 & is called scarlet:

There has been progress on the Zhivago Ribby Cardi. Here it is as of today:

Good job it's stretchy look how narrow it is! I've sewn in all the ends that I can for now. Just the collar to knit. It's made separately & sewn on. I've then got to find a zip to match, so that should be fun. I've decided, after trying it on, that it won't look right worn open due to the stretchiness, so the zip will be sewn in unstretched. Let's hope it works ok! I can't wait to get this one finished, so many things are yelling me to knit!!

One Heck of a De-Stash & Zippage Dilemma!

2007-06-21T20:02:00.001+01:00

I've been ebaying like crazy for the last few weeks. I've had a quick count up & I've actually sold 15KG of yarn just in May/June. What's quite scary is that most of it wasn't stuff I'd logged previously on Craft-memo, so that means I've still got LOADS! I'd forgotten about most of it too. Fluffy yarn is officially DEAD. I've listed loads of it at a loss just to get rid. Why did I buy so much of it 2 years ago? No, I don't know either! I've even sold some Lorna's Laces sock wool on the forum as it was never likely to be knitted & I've still got 6 skeins I can drool over, I'll probably never knit them, they should be hung on the wall...hmmm I wonder if DH would agree that it's 'art' LOL! They look nicer in the skein, than on my feet, I think!!!!!!!!

I won some Rowan handknit cotton on ebay today, as the price went up, I was willing someone to outbid me & they didn't, so I hope it's a nice colour when it arrives. I'm hoping to make this jacket in it. I managed to go over 2 weeks without buying yarn :)

I've finished the back & 2 sleeves on the Zhivago ribby cardi. I've cast on both front pieces & am knitting a bit on each one, crazy idea, but it feels like they're growing quicker that way, my logic is a bit weird to say the least! I'm having a 'zippage' dilemma over this now. After reading on Grumperina's blog about zips, it's got me thinking...do I stretch it then add the zip or do I add it as it is.

I see problems with both:

If I fit it stretched -When I wear it open, will it 'bounce' up & pucker the zip??

If I fit it unstretched - When I wear it closed, will it pucker the zip??

What do you guys all think? I can see this getting buttons LOL!

I'm a bad blogger today & don't have any pics for you, I'll fix that for the next post!

Knitterly Update

2007-06-13T15:17:00.000+01:00

Progress on the Ribby cardi is painfully slow. Here's me thinking I'll get loads done at the hospital...not a chance. I managed about 4" of one sleeve. 2 people saw me too, I was so embarrassed, as I've never knitted in public before. I'm struggling to pick it up each day, as cotton yarns & summer patterns are calling me & it's been too warm to knit this! Please give me a 'virtual' kick up the backside to get me going again! Here it as of today:

Some knitterly goodies arrived last week that I just have to share!!!

This is the Turchese Cotton from German ebay. I've been searching for 'Cadbury's purple' cotton & I've now got some. This stuff is so nice, I don't want to knit it, how stupid is that? It was delivered in these little boxes:

I'm hoping to get some of it knitted into these:

I've done my usual crazy trick & bought a ridiculous amount of the same yarn in different colours, just look at the state of this Patons Zhivago mountain from Kemps!!

I'm now the proud owner of the Zhivago pattern book from Oz. These are some of the beauties I love, I could happily knit them all, but surprisingly, I don't have enough of the wool!

and these 2...

Just 2 more...

I would've had some of the pink print Zhivago too, but those naughty ebay sellers beat me to it!

That's the lot, I've been really good & not ordered any yarn for, ooohhhh it must be about 9 days now LOL!

Hospital visit all over

2007-06-10T15:36:00.000+01:00

My dd has been such a brave little girl. We're very proud of her. We knew it was going to be difficult when she screamed at the nurse who tried to put a name-band on her! Every step was such a battle, I asked the nurses to tell her they were going to do something, rather than ask her, as her obvious answer was always going to be "NO I'M NOT HAVING IT". She was in theatre/recovery for 2.5hrs when they'd told us 1.5hrs, that's when horrible thoughts play on your mind, during that last hour or so. She took ages to recover form the op & was really woozy all Wednesday evening & Thursday morning. She came out on Friday morning, a day earlier than expected :) She's doing great & hasn't yet asked for the plaster to be taken off!!! Her she is. enjoying her Wotsits!

Birmingham Childrens Hospital is a great hospital, I wouldn't wish for her to be in anyone elses care, her consultant is the top man for child orthopeadics.

I had a few stark reminders of how precious my childrens' lives are whilst we were there... I overheard an anaesthetist telling a mother the reason for delaying her sons minor op was because a child was having life-saving surgery. Another mother, concerned about the safety of anaesthetising such a small child (age 2) was told they had just sent a 750g baby down for surgery - I weigh wool in grammes, not babies. And finally, the most saddening sight of all, for me, was the plain black transit van sitting outside the main entrance waiting for it's 'passenger', discreetly marked with the funeral directors' logo. Why can't they use the back entrance for those 'collections' I wonder ???

This Weeks Knitterly Stuff!

2007-06-03T17:27:00.000+01:00

At long last I have the photo's of the completed cotton bolero. I really don't like the feel of Sirdar Pure cotton, it's too rough, maybe it will soften after a wash?

It's quite hard to get an even tension, or maybe it's my crap knitting, I don't know!

I found some nice looking cotton from an ebayer in Germany. I asked what tension it knits too & as he didn't know he sent me a ball for free. So I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to my first EVER tension square (yes really!) I guess I've been very lucky up to now as I've never bothered with them!

I didn't have the heart to tell him that the details are on the ball-band! It states 20s/24r on 4.5mm, but it feels a bit thin so I tried 4mm & got 22s/26r, that will do for me!! At 1.00 euro per 50g (his best price), my order is in, it's working out to £1.00 per ball delivered.

Right, onto the current knit... my quest for teal yarn has ended (temporarily!). Good old Kemps have Patons Zhivago, ridiculously priced at only 69p a ball, with a recommended price of £3.50 per 50g! I'm knitting a ribbed zippy jacket from the Patons Weekend Knits book. I started this on Friday with the help of the lovely Seahorse, as I'm still awaiting delivery of the book.

I've switched to metal pins as progress was too slow with the Brittany's! Plus, I hate the way the last knit st on a rib section, is a bit baggy on the rs, so to rectify that, I'm purling the first purl stitch in each group by wrapping the yarn anti-clockwise (ie under the needle) on the rs rows & tbl on the ws rows. Making sense, so far? This tightens the knit stitch, slow, but worth the extra effort me thinks!

This knit will take a while, but I'll have some extra knitterly time this week as DD is going into hospital for her BIG hip operation on Wednesday & they think she'll be in for 3 nights. So I'll be the midnight-clicker on the ward!

I love this yarn so much, that I've gone back to get more & am now coveting this book for it, if I can find it in Oz with more sensible postage!!!

ETA- Update, have now found the book on ebay.com/au Patons Zhivago Spring/Summer knits

Pictures available here

New Stash

2007-05-30T19:35:00.001+01:00

As promised yesterday, here's the scrummy new yarns I've had. This is Fantasia, 80% wool 20% acrylic, machine washable dk, 22sts/28r with 120m per 50g, an exact match to Twilleys Freedom Spirit :) I had to get it in all 3 shades, just typical of me! It's really soft, I can't wait to use some of it. I got the Spirit book for some inspiration, but can't decide what to do first!

DD might get something in this one, there's nice hooded waistcoat in the new edition of Simply Knitting.

This one looks nice with jeans, colours look a bit washed out here, they're not quite this pale:

And finally, this one is very 'Autumnal' & is something completely different for me!

This little lot came from Wolle-Hartmuth. It was amazingly cheap at only 9 euros per 500g pack. I added 300g of sock wool & paid £33.00 in total.

No other knitterly news today. My pins are free & I've spent all afternoon dithering over what to start & ended up not starting anything. Why is is that when I'm working on something, I know 100% for certain what's next to be made, but when the time comes, it doesn't happen, it's very odd!

Bank Holiday Challenge - DONE!

2007-05-29T21:18:00.000+01:00

Well, better late than never, my Bank Holiday challenge top is ready. It would've been ready sooner, but I had some stuff to pack & post that I sold on ebay over the weekend.

I used just under 7 balls of Sirdar Calypso cotton.

I made the 36" size, I was dubious, as the completed measurement is only 28" unblocked & it says it stretches to fit! And, much to my surprise, it does...

I added an extra button to ensure it closed without gaping! They were a freebie from Wolle-Hartmuth with a wool order :)

The lacy part is an easy 2 row pattern, I added an edge stitch to make sewing up easier.

Even DH, said (in a surprised tone) "ooohh that's nice!!" Bless him.

I've got some scrummy new wool to show you, but I didn't get to take a piccie in the daylight, so I'll do it tomorrow.

Bamboo & stuff!

2007-05-26T18:54:00.000+01:00

I've just finished Badia from Berroco. I used Wendy Pure Bamboo I got from Spinning A Yarns closing down sale, another of my bargainous purchases (I only have that type!!). I started a knit-along on the forum, but I think it turned into a knit-alone LOL! I made the second size, this stuff knits up really stretchy!

It also knits up a bit darker, it's like getting a can of emulsion home & remembering that it dries darker than the shade card!!

A headless modelled shot:

I wasn't sure about how deep the neckline was at the back, I just followed the pattern, but I think it's fine now it's on:

A nice 5 day knit. I love this tank AND it's machine washable too!

Well, I've set myself a Bank Holiday challenge. I honestly started this yesterday (Friday 25th May 07!) & hope to have it ready by the end of Monday 28th, wish me luck! Here's progress so far, looks like I'm in for a few late nights/early mornings:

The yarn is Sirdar Calypso Cotton DK. Found lurking in the bargain bucket for £1.00 a ball in my LYS! She didn't have the blue Luxury Soft Cotton in stock, this is the exact same colour as the photo, despite what the picture is trying to tell you! I have a thing about ribbed stuff at the moment, god knows why, what a pain they are to knit!

I've finally sewn the ribbon onto the lilac cotton bolero, piccie soon, when dh isn't at work!

This Weeks Knitterly Update! New Pics Added

2007-05-19T11:53:00.001+01:00

The vintage top is finished. I used exactly 3 balls of Sirdar breeze. I was undecided on the buttons, so it was unfinished for over a week. I think they're OK, they've grown on me!

Here's a modelled shot of me, feeling brave, for the first time!

Next up is a bolero from Simply Knitting mag. One of the early editions (number 3 I think!) I've subscribed from the first issue, but thay have such a bad reputation for pattern errors, I've given them a miss. But I have to say, the pattern was well-writen & completely error-free.

I had quite a large stash of Sirdar Pure cotton & picked lilac for this one. I don't really like the feel of it, it's a bit hard to knit. I discovered, about 6" from finishing the 2nd sleeve, that Brittany Birch pins were the best ones to get an even tension with!

I thought I'd try short-row shaping for the first time on the shoulders. I used this really useful article in Knitty.com. I did a 3 needle bind off on the shoulders too. At the end, the author announces 'Wow, doesn't that look fabulous?' errr no, it's not a phrase I'd use to describe this:

It's bugging the hell out of me that I can see the twisted stitches. Look at them, staring at me from the back row! I'm unsure why, on the bind-off, she says to knit through the back loop on the nearest stitch & the front on the back stitch. I assume it's to make knitting them together easier. Messy, messsy, messy!

The pattern has a picot cast-off all around the edges. I actually think it looks quite effective, but if I never see another picot-cast-off again, it will be way too soon:

I used 4.5 x 100g balls & the rest has gone on ebay. I've got too much!

It's still blocking, so I'll post up the finished pic another day.

Captions please...more vintage knitting!

2007-05-09T22:56:00.000+01:00

Well, when I saw these for 10p, I really had to have them. (Just realised I've paid more than the cover price, very unlike me!!!) I have no intention of ever knitting them. I just cannot believe the expression on that poor girls face. I was actually LOL'ing in the charity shop!

I'd like some captions please, anything goes on my blog... I'll start us off... (I'll post up any that get left!)

"Darling we learnt a new technique at the knitting group tonight, let me show you how to do it through the back loop."

or

"I said from behind, not up my behind, you idiot."

It all obviously went well, as here's the next pattern in the sequence, they've even changed their clothes & let their hair down:

Vintage Knitting - What Goes Around Comes Around!

2007-05-03T13:41:00.000+01:00

I found a vintage 1975 Woolworths kniting book in my local charity shop for 10p, a while back. It was destined for ebay, but when I looked through it, I was amazed to find I actually like some of the designs. I'm currently working on this one, originally made in 'Chadwicks Courtelle Crepe', requires 18 x 20g balls, so goodness knows how much I'll need!

I'm using Sirdar Breeze in Shade Nutmeg. I had a horrible feeling I was going to get the pocket flap in a unflattering postion with the button right where it shouldn't have been LOL! But I think it's going to be OK! Being the 'anal' fool that I am, I'm crossing the cables differently, one side to the left, the other to the right. I'm doing the bands separately after the welt, as I didn't like the way it was pulling-up due it being in garter st. I added a few short rows to try & even it up a little. It will also double-up as a corset I'm sure, looking at this pic, eeep - breathe in:

Here are few others, I like this jacket & I'm thinking of some of the Sublime stash in Linen for this one. The womans' version is also cabled but has some side shaping:

I quite fancy this deep-v sweater in 2 shades of blue (yep, Sublime!). Sirdar have a current pattern for a tank with quite a deep 'V' & this reminded me of it: (check out Mr Cheese, I had to leave him in).

And finally, just for fun, look at the state of Mr Cheese in his crocheted tank, probably having a .... (sorry, I'll get my coat!):

Zip-Along

2007-04-30T15:28:00.000+01:00

I've been merrily working away on the zip-along that Melody posted about on the forum. I used Sirdar pattern 8830 & used 3 x 100g balls of Sirdar Spree. I've never inserted a zip in my life & found Chicknits Zipper Tuturial invaluable.

Here we go, all ready...

Front edges basted together with waste yarn:

Zip pinned in position, needed a bit of 'tweaking' on the right sides to get it in the correct position:

The zip is now tacked into position:

Finished! I spent about 2 hours altogether including the hand-stitching. I've since been out & bought a new machine as mine was donkeys years old & has completely died (probably due to neglect!)

And here is the happy recipient, my 3yr old. As long as her knits are pink, she's generally very happy!

Martha & me!

2007-04-26T12:52:00.000+01:00

Here she is, all ready to wear, this was taken indoors, so the colour is not 'true'.

I dug out my best (only) frock for these shots, dh has told me to get a professional photographer next time, as I'm too picky! This is more like the real colour:

I lengthened the cuffs by 1" & worked less straight rows to compensate, as I liked the longer lacy bit! I pinned the points out on the lacy bits & I'm pleased with how they now lie flat.

I found the little buttons at my local indoor market, a snip at just 15p each!

My Friend Martha!

2007-04-18T09:53:00.000+01:00

I've got a new friend, her name is Martha!! I'm glad the Sublime are 'Rowanising' their patterns by calling them by women's names! I've loved every minute of this knit. The yarn sheds a little bit, & tickles my nose when I'm knitting with it! I'm working the garter stitch bands (yawn!) at the moment & hope to finish those today.

I'm not sure how to block the lacy bits, they're curling upwards at the moment. I might try & flare them out a bit to make the most of the pattern. The one in the book, doesn't look as if it's been blocked at all, it's still curling.

S.E.X. for Socks!

2007-04-11T18:20:00.000+01:00

I've had a splurge on sock yarn this week. I found these on ebay.de, the only place to go for sock yarn imo! They are abo/development yarns by Opal. I've no idea if they'll go into production, or what they'll knit up like, but I'm going to have fun finding out! Some of them have even got TEAL in them, how exciting is that LOL! A few are a bit masculine & as I don't do socks for the males over 13 in my house, I might have to sell those few. The colours look a bit wishy-washy as this was taken in the sun, they're more vibrant in real life.

Ivy is Completed!

2007-04-11T14:12:00.000+01:00

I've been waiting since Saturday for dh to get a piccie of this & here it is, all finished. I've enjoyed this project & will be making another one, one day! The colour is most 'true' in the top picture.

I had to undo loads of rows of the ties as they were way too long! For the sleeves, I went straight in at 69sts & just did one lot of decreases as I didn't want them too flared. I grafted the neckband together & I'm quite pleased with the finished result. My very first me-sized knit using dk, but I'm already working on the next thing, I'm hooked!

Ivy Progress

2007-04-05T08:43:00.000+01:00

Here she is, all ready for sewing. I finished the ties for this on Tuesday & boy did my fingers ache afterwards!!! I've never blocked anything before sewing up so, hopefully I got the pieces all the same size! These were taken at night, it's not quite as dark as the pics suggest. Hoping to start sewing up today, now it's all dry.

For anyone pondering on the instructions for the fronts, here's what I did. I had 3 columns on a sheet of A4, headed up - front decreases, front increases, sleeve decreases. I then went through the pattern & wrote down the row numbers under the relevant column, that each inc/dec would appear on. On the same page, I also wrote down the twisted rib instructions for the 10sts, so I had those to hand aswell. That way, I only had to glance across each column to see where I was at, it worked for me!! I also had 2 row counters going, one for the total row count, the other for the twisted rib sets of 6!

I've been itching to cast on the Martha cardi, but I want to get this out of the way first & I needed to give my achey fingers a day off!

Cor Su-blimey!!

2007-04-03T10:10:00.000+01:00

I'm soo excited, the postie just landed with a scrummy bag...here's what was inside...

It must be eye-candy Tuesday, this is too much excitement for one day. This little lot came from Wolle Hartmuth. It's all Sublime Angora Merino & I have, 550g of Chilli, 600g of Clover, 570g of Dusky & a lonely ball of Husk (well I couldn't leave it on its' own!). 2 of the balls even have ball-bands, in case I was ever in doubt as to what it was! Some of the balls have visible knots & are different weights, but that doesn't worry me.

I can't believe the price I've got this for, 34 balls for £54.00 & that includes delivery! If I'd got this over here, it would have set me back £170 & frankly, it would be out of my price-range! This is the kind of price I like to pay for my S.E.X.!!!!!!!!!!

I've got the Angora book & first up is going to be the Martha Cardigan, in the Dusky blue I think, but not sure, it might be Clover or Chilli LOL! I also want to make the Pirouette Wrap Top. I've got 7 balls of Chalky blue from a previous order to make that!

I'm building up quite a stash (ie mountain) of Sublime (yes, there's more!!)

Ivy is almost complete, just the ties to make (I might cheat & try some ribbon first!!!) & half of one neckband to finish, then I can attack this lot!

2 Finished Objects in March

2007-03-30T16:41:00.000+01:00

These were finished before Ivy hit the pins (she is 'otn' on her own, I promise!). First up is a shawl-collared gilet in Sirdar Spree in Faded Denim from Kemps (bought for £1.50, before they reduced it to just 69p a ball!). Pattern is Sirdar 8817, designed for Peru, but I think it works for the Spring weather. I'll probably make this again & would start the ribbing an inch lower to get it to sit better on my waist as I've got a long body! I found the lovely buttons in my LYS. The owner has a strange sales technique & looked at me in amazement when I said I wanted 5..."you want 5, they're 40p each?" Maybe I should have just taken one & had four laid-by for future weeks!!!!

Total project cost - £9.50

Next up is the 'Mommy, don't knit me that' aran bolero for my 3 yr old dd. A nice quick knit on 5mm & used just 2 x 100g balls of wool mix aran from the bargain bin in the LYS! And yes, she has worn it 3 times, without complaint & she looks so sweet in it. I put it with a denim dress, I'll get a photo next time she wears it!

Total project cost - £2.15

My one big gripe about both of these patterns is, why on earth don't they tell you to pick-up the wraps to hide them after working the short rows? I did it, because I know about it, but it would take hardly any extra space in the pattern & produces a much better finish.

And finally, because I think it's worthy of blog-space, is a super little sock bag made by Franny off the Crafty Forum. It's not in use yet, but it will get used alot! My request was anything purple/pink, she got it just right!!

Stocktaking!

2007-03-25T18:12:00.000+01:00

I started this task back in January & today I've finished logging my yarns on Craftmemo this afternoon & I'm rather disturbed by the quantity I have. Bearing in mind I've only starting knitting again in the last 2 years. There wasn't a single ball of anything 'knittable' in my house 2.5yrs ago.

Get ready for this... I have the yarn for 100 (yes one hundred) projects, not balls, projects. This is excluding sock wool, part balls, odd balls, left-overs, fluffy & novelty yarns, of which there are also very MANY! Now, there may be 5 balls for a scarf, 250g for a dd sized project or a whopping 1 kilo bag of something or other for a me-sized project. I daren't add up the amount of balls, it's way too scary.

What is equally (or more) disturbing is the fact that the total spend is £1047. Now ,most of my purchases are at sale/bargain price, I could easily treble the price if it was shops' rrp. Why on earth have I amassed such a ridiculous amount of yarn? No, I don't know either. It really is more than I could realistically knit in the next 10 years. So why, oh why, do I spend ages pondering on what to knit next, when I could pick any one of the 100 things? I also spend ages online drooling over the new yarns & patterns out there. If I were to knit it all up, why would I need another 40 sweaters, 5 scarves, 35 jackets & 20 tops?? I only knit for me & my dd! Where on earth would I keep them all. Is it possible for a woman to have too many clothes? A large part of my stash is in the loft, maybe it could become a walk-in wardrobe, as it looks like I'm gonna need one. I think as it's spread out around the house/loft in about 5 different places, it doesn't seem a lot. if I'd been asked, I'd have guessed at yarn for about 30 projects.

I have actually knitted some of up, since I started logging it, but the old yarns have been replaced with new acqisitions, so the count remains the same.

This has been a real wake-up call for me & I think it's time to do some serious de-stashing & re-coup some of that dosh. I might even post up some pics, to spur me into action.

Introducing IVY

2007-03-23T16:49:00.000Z

Well here 'she' is. This is going to be an almighty challenge for me. Just getting this far has reminded me why I only ever use dk & small pins for my dd! I like my knits to be quick! I've joined Glenna's Ivy Knitalong, so hopefully, that will keep me going at it.
Saturday night update: the back is finished, phew what a marathon!

Completed Central Park Hoodie

2007-03-20T15:32:00.000Z

At last, I have a completed CPH to offer. What a nightmare trying to source 30mm wooden buttons, this has been waiting for them for 3 weeks. I used all but a few scraps of 500g Sirdar Donegal Tweed in Oatmeal. Added 1" to the body length, shortened the sleeves by 2" (despite my gorillia arms!), lengthened the hood by 1" to accomodate my swan neck. What an unusual creature I am! It's just the fit I was hoping for, I will wear this alot.

Yarn for Ivy (finally!)

2007-03-17T14:51:00.000Z

I've been dilly-dallying over what to get for my Winter weight Ivy. I'm having a bit of a teal moment & have succombed to its' lure! This is Wendy Mode, I've only seen it on the T.B. Ramsdens website, so had to order it without seeing it anywhere, the shade is called Teal Green. The colour of my wording is my definition of a proper teal, this looks more of a jade green to me, but it's lovely none-the-less. 50/50 merino & acrylic, machine washable. I got this from the lady on my local market who stocks Wendy, but hadn't heard of it (that really confuses me, she can't knit either, but that's another story!!!!)

Hope to cast on soon. I know lots of people have loads of WIP's, but I just know I'll never go back to them if I leave them, so it's one at a time for me.

This weeks S E X (so far)

2007-03-15T10:41:00.000Z

Those naughty forum members made me go to Lidl today for a bit of stash enhancement. I got 12 balls of cotton/viscose mix in a pretty duck-egg blue for only £7.96. It feels just like Wendy Pearl & it may well become a Summer Ivy. I got 2 packs of dpns for only 99p a set, they're a bit longer than I normally use, but I'm sure I'll be fine with them.

I had a scrummy parcel arrived yesterday too from Kemps. I couldn't resist some of their specials. Patons Essence in plum at just 69p a ball, a lovely wool mix, with a felted texture destined to become this jacket:

And Patons Spritz, I thought would be nice to make to one of the new Sirdar Just Bamboo patterns as it matches the tension exactly. I saw some knitted up in my lys & it feels lovely A snip at just 79p per ball:

No Mommy, don't knit that!

2007-03-15T10:35:00.000Z

This was the reaction from my 3yr old dd when she saw the bolero pattern I'd bought to make for her. "You look lovely in red", I told her, "but I want a pink one, I don't like red, no Mommy, don't knit that". I have a saying in my house " The tail doesn't wag the dog" she will wear it & learn to like it !!! Never had this trouble with any of the 3 boys!

Bad News from Childrens Hospital...

2007-03-09T11:58:00.000Z

My 3yr old dd was born with a dislocated hip. This was found on a routine scan at 8 weeks, offered because she was a breach c.section. She had surgery at 3months to put it back in, followed by 12 weeks in a hip spica. She's been x-rayed every 6 months since then. We know that the hip socket is shallow & not forming as it should & a further op may be necessary. We went on the 7th March & actually saw the consultant for the first time in ages. He says the time has come to do the surgery. I can't remember the technical name for it but they've got to cut some bone from her hip & place it in the socket to shape it so it covers the femeral head properly. She'll be in a Hip Spica for 6 weeks, then another GA to remove wires from the bones & the spica.

The op is performed to prevent early arthritis in the hip which would probably lead to a very early hip replacement, possibly in her 20's or 30's, so we know that to put her through this is the only option for her.

We're on the waiting list with surgery expected around July/August this year.

Monkey Socks

2007-03-03T15:18:00.000Z

Caught by the sock bug again...darn it. I'd been officially sock-free for 5 months until Christmas, annoyingly addictive little blighters they are too!

After seeing some of these completed on the Crafty Threads forum, I've joined the knitalong. Here's progress so far:

Yarn is the very gorgeous Online Bamboo, new for this Spring/Summer 2007. This stuff is fabulous to knit, I'm in love!

All finished, I did 7 repeats of the pattern on the leg as I hate having odd bits of sock wool left, that I can't find a use for. I'm proudly wearing them today!

Regia Surprise Socks

2007-02-28T09:11:00.000Z

Regia Surprise Colour - shade Chianti. The surprise being, that until you make them, you don't know how the pattern will look. These are mine, 64sts done on 2.5mm:

I was rather hoping for something more like the left side of this picture:

CPH Central Park Hoodie

2007-02-20T21:11:00.000Z

I saw 2 of these completed on the Crafty Yarns & Threads forum & decided I had to get one too. As we all know, the pattern is from Knitscene Fall 2006. Mine is in Sirdar Donegal Tweed DK shade Oatmeal. I learnt that this knits up to an aran tension on 5mm pins. I didn't do a swatch, I just started knitting & it does indeed, knit to aran tension!

All pieces knitted, just about to graft the hood. Grafting the toes of socks takes all the concentration I can muster up, I can feel this bit going pear-shaped before I even begin!

Well, I did it. I didn't realise that grafting leaves an annoying one stitch difference when completed, but as DH would say, no-one will notice it from the M5!

All done, just waiting for buttons from an ebayer who's sent the wrong size! I'll post up the finished piccy when it's all ready!

Love Hate Relationship...

2007-02-20T20:58:00.000Z

with this, my sweater made with Rowan Chunky Print. My first experience with Rowan yarn. Love the yarn, hated making the fringe. Love the finished look, hated washing & blocking it. It took 3 days to dry & was headed for the bin if it got into day 4. DH calls it my line-dancing sweater, bless-him! Pattern is from Simple Stylish Knits by Hilary Mackin. The armhole depth came out too short after sewing up as her sleevecaps were small (her pattern, not my knitting I might add!) I managed to convince it during blocking that 7.5" was more beneficial to us both! Some side-shaping would've been nice too, I'd try to incorporate that if I made it again.

Very Belated Happy Birthday to me!

2007-02-06T10:50:00.000Z

Happy Birthday me for 28th Jan. Happy Birthday to Owen who was 5 on the same day & now moans that he wants his own birthday, never mind son, one day you'll have them on your own!!

Gorgeous flowers from DH, special treat as I was 40

All set for Winter.

2007-01-14T09:14:00.000Z

It's finished. I'm dead pleased with this. A really quick & satisfying knit. Used exactly 15 balls not 16 as per the pattern grrrrr! Just waiting for the cold weather to arrive, I'm sure it will soon!

Old Biddies Lace Scarf aka ARGOSY!

2007-01-14T09:01:00.000Z

I was thrilled to get this finished & blocked. DH took one look & announced it looks like an old biddies lace scarf! Men, dontcha just love 'em? It's made me a bit conscious of it now, so I've not worn it yet!

It's done in Noro Silk Garden Lite shade 2014, same as the one in Knitty.

Hobbycraft

2007-01-09T14:07:00.000Z

I've heard rumours that Hobbycraft is a great place to pick up an knitterly bargain. So, I drove the 10 miles into the unknown territory of Wolverhampton & guess what, barely a bargain in site. Just a few skeins of Rowanpun 4ply was all they had at what I'd call cheap (49p each). I managed to find a pattern for my dd (no mean feat when they were all piled up in no particular order I've honestly seen tidier knitting patterns at the charity shop, what a mess.) only to find it was just 49p too. "Were there any more you wanted" enquired the cashier. Yes loads, but how does anyone know they're 49p & which ones exactly are reduced, she had no idea.

Feeling brave, I headed into the city centre & had a mooch in Beatties, now this was more like it, but I was about a week too late for their sale. Loads of Rowan at half price. I figured that the limited colours left must be the dross of their range, so didn't bother. But I did get a pile of current Sirdar patterns that were just 5p.

Progrees is good on the Bigga jacket, collar done, not as bad as I was expecting. Can't wait to finish it & get onto the next thing. I'm a really strict knitter & refuse to start another project until the current one is completed.

Venturing into Blogland

2007-01-07T14:21:00.000Z

Well, this a new thing for me. I read lots of blogs & thought I'd join the happy band of knitterly bloggers. I'll be mostly whittering on about knitting, current projects & stuff. I'll try to keep it updated.

I don't have a cat I'm afraid. If it's an unwritten blog rule, then I just broke it. I've toyed with the idea of getting one to photograph wrapped in my prjects as bloggers do, but I really don't 'do' pets, so I'll have to make do with dd's cuddly one!

I made these socks for myself straight after Christmas. Regia Sierra in shade Ethno. Xmas pressie off ds3. In fact I'm wearing them today. I also have glittens to match, there is a mitten top hidden under there somewhere.

I treated myself to some Noro silk garden lite & last week made Argosy from Knitty.com winter issue. It's all blocked & ready to wear/photograph.

The current project is a cabled jacket from Womans Weekly knitting & stitching special. One of the worst patterns I've ever worked from, badly worded, strange abbreviations. Started this on Thursday night & finished all the pieces by yesterday. Dreading the collar, 'cause the instructions for it are pants too! The weatherman says we're getting a cold spell later this week so I need to get it ready for snuggling up in.