Up Knit Creek

Change of address

2007-11-04T19:45:00.000Z

This will be the last post on Blogger, at least for the time being. I have decided to move the blog to WordPress.
Click here to be transferred.

Not my fault...

2007-10-28T13:49:00.000Z

...this time anyway! The computer went a bit wrong, as in wouldn't load Windows. Didn't matter which option I selected, I just kept getting the same message "We are sorry for any inconvenience (Inconvenience!!!) but Windows failed to initialise properly blah blah blah". We just kept going round and round, round and round, round and round until I was about ready to chuck the stupid thing out of the window. Sanity prevailed and the nice techie guy Alex came over and sorted it out. Computer has now spent the rest of the week on the naughty step until it apologises for its unacceptable behaviour.

So, there has been knitting (since I couldn't get on Ravelry or Facebook, or any of the other procrastinators I regularly use) and I am now on sock #15 of 16 of the MSP*! Yay! Go me!
To make up for lost time, I also had to do a spot of online purchasing, namely undyed sock yarn and nice shiny new needles from Knit 'n' Caboodle. I was very impressed with their service - I ordered at about 11.00pm on Wednesday night and received the parcel on Friday morning, beautifully wrapped in purple tissue, with a free cable needle and a couple of sewing-up needles included. Excellent.

On Saturday, I went to Lewes Town Hall for the bi-annual show/exhibition of the Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. There was, as expected, much delicious booty to be had. My purchases included some Blue-faced Leicester fleece (I've wanted some for ages and thought I ought to have some as I am originally from Leicester), some BFL/Nylon undyed laceweight yarn (1200 metres for £5.80), both from DT Crafts; a copy (finally) of Barbara G Walker's "Treasury of Knitting Patterns" and some rather lovely dyed merino/silk rovings from P & M Woolcraft; and lastly some very very fine cashmere singles yarn in a deep red which I intend to ply into approx DK weight - if I can extract the wheel from its thick pall of dust, that is.

This morning, I have transformed the undyed yarn into a riot of colour - well, I've splashed the dyes around and some of it landed on the yarn - so the bathroom now has big drippy skeins hanging from the shower screen, a lovely blue laceweight, a "sunset" colour and "autumn" colour for the sock yarn. Photos eventually, when it's all dry.

There is an upside to the computer misbehaving - I seem to have been quite a bit more productive than usual. There's a lesson to be learned there, somewhere...

*MSP = mammoth sock project (still!)

:)

2007-10-07T18:34:00.000+01:00

The MSP* continues, 5 pairs down, 2 and a bit to go.
The other project that I have been working on has been put on hold for reasons that I'm not going into here; suffice it to say that if people give me their word, I expect them to keep it.

I have been spending far too much time on Ravelry which is huge fun but a terrible distraction from actual knitting.
Lucy dragged me away from the computer yesterday in order to visit Kingston University which is somewhere that she is considering for next year, "A" level results permitting.
We went on the train (less than 2 hours, which is good) so I was able to indulge in some train-knitting which I haven't done for ages. We were quite impressed with the university, the facilities seem good and the staff were all knowledgeable and friendly. Other plus points included student accommodation which is bigger and better than Lucy has at home, very tasty biscuits during the "meet and greet" part, close proximity to London and beer that is only £1.50 per pint in the student bar on Saturdays.
We also looked around Kingston town centre and were quite impressed with the wide variety of shops and cafes etc. The riverside setting makes for a very pleasant place to spend time so I would not be unhappy if Lucy eventually decides to go to Uni there.

We are also due to visit Middlesex Uni in about three weeks, so no decision will be made until then. Sadly, no knitting will take place on that journey as I will be driving :(

Today, Simon and I went to the South of England showground for an Autumn Show and Game Fair. We saw some very cute bunnies and even cuter guinea pigs ( I love guinea pigs but don't think Her Royal Mollieness would approve if I brought one home with me). We ate far too much and saw more pairs of patterned wellies in one day than I thought possible. I also finally bought a pair of pale pink ankle boots which I have lusted after for years, ever since seeing some at Heathrow Airport seconds before our flight was called. I would post a picture but that would mean getting up off my fat a**e, finding the camera etc, etc, it's easier to find one on the web:

Not a brilliant pic but you get the general idea

So there you have it, not particularly exciting, not really very fibrey or knittingy (unless you count the quick visit to John Lewis Kingston's yarn dept) but a little true-to-life glimpse into my world.

* Mammoth Sock Project

Birmingham Goodies

2007-09-22T09:56:00.000+01:00

I have heard/read a fair amount of disappointment with the Knitting & Stitching Show at NEC Birmingham last weekend and it's beginning to get on my nerves.
This year was only the second year that the show has taken place in Birmingham so it is bound to take a while for it to become established.
People seem to forget that it is called the Knitting and Stitching show for a reason, that reason being that there will be stitching stuff on display! Knitting has first billing purely because it sounds better and rolls off the tongue more easily than "Stitching & Knitting show" in my humble opinion.
True, there were not as many knitting-yarn vendors as last year, probably due to the cost of the stalls which I believe cost thousands of pounds, but if you want Colinette or Get Knitted they have well-established and efficient websites.
What I like about the NEC show is that there is plenty of opportunity to see fantastic exhibitions of new and upcoming textile artists/designers as well as smaller, independent retailers who have goods for sale that are not available elsewhere.
Suffice it to say that Mum and I both liked it enough last year to go again this year and Sandy (SIL) was very impressed with her first visit, enough to go again next year. (Yay! I'm converting her slowly too - she bought a kit for a knitted felted bag!)

OK, onto purchases:
First up was this

which is to make a new version of my Honeycomb bag (which I can't find a picture of at the mo). I wanted more contrast between the colours so this should fit the bill nicely. It came from Knitting4fun, where mum purchased some gorgeous silk yarn in a beautiful old gold, and Sandy bought her knitted bag kit. I also got this bit of loveliness from them

mohair and silk for me

Spinning supplies were obtained:

wool batts for spinning

sparklies to add to spinning

hand-dyed silk hankies for spinning
and also a little tool for measuring it all up when it's done (in about 2015 at current rates of progress)

The wool batts, silk hankies and Angelina fibre all came from Crafty Notions and the WPI tool came from Knit'n'Caboodle (who were selling the most gorgeous sock yarn - merino, silk and real sterling silver, heavenly). Unfortunately, I have completely forgotten where I bought the three reels of silver-grey machine embroidery thread.
The final yarn purchase of the day was some of this

Not entirely sure why I bought it, to be honest, but it has very er...interesting texture and might make a nice little insert in something else (maybe) or go in a stash swap. It's Noro Ganpi Abaka, if you're interested.

The other big highlight of the day was meeting a fellow-blogger, Kate, from Knit the Knits. I accosted her as she was taking a well-earned rest from the poking, prodding and fondling of all that yarn and we oohed and aahed over each other's purchases. I almost fainted with delight when she showed me her Kauni sweater - the pictures on her blog do not do it justice. I also met the famous Ann-at-work who features regularly in Kate's blog and is a novice knitter herself. I'm so pleased to see that Kate is ~~pushing enforced indoctrination~~ guiding and advising her so well.

OK enough is enough - see ya on Ravelry!

I'm in!

2007-09-21T23:24:00.000+01:00

Finally got my Ravelry invite so I've been playing on there the last couple of days. My user name is UpKnitCreek (what else?) so come and play, it's huge fun.

PS I promise that this weekend I will take pictures of the stuff I bought in Birmingham and post them on here.

Catching up

2007-09-14T15:31:00.000+01:00

and lots of it. Where on earth have the last three weeks gone?
First of all though, I must say a huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lucy for yesterday. 19 years old and every inch the perfect daughter [if you are prepared to overlook the *ahem* somewhat dishevelled *ahem* appearance of her bedroom, that is! ;)]. I can't believe it's 19 years since I held her in my arms and gazed into her big blue eyes for the first time. Tempus really does fugit.

Well, the bank holiday weekend (remember that? It was about a million years ago) saw the girls and me stuck in traffic on the motorway as we journeyed northwards to my parents. There was the obligatory trip to Borders where Bethany ~~conned~~ persuaded me to buy her some books as a reward for her exam results and I drooled over the knitting books [only bought one, and it was actually a crochet book so it doesn't count. The dark side is calling...]. We then spent Sunday en famille with my brother, sister-in-law and nieces, and inadvertently formed our own Stitch 'n' Bitch group. There we were, sitting in the garden, in sunshine (on a bank holiday weekend? No, I didn't believe it, either), Mum, niece#2 and I knitting, SIL crocheting. I felt all warm and glowy inside ... until I dropped a stitch, that is.

The following week saw a return to work and of course the weather changed for the better, humph. Having spent most of my two weeks leave dodging the showers I was less than impressed to be driving around all day in high heat and humidity. Still, I did get to meet the oldest man in Britain.

Last week, I was lucky enough to be given two tickets to a talk by Kaffe Fassett. The talk was the official launch of his new book, although "new" is something of a misnomer. The patterns are all old designs that have simply been reworked in new yarns/colourways, with a few slight changes to some of the garments - the words "old rope", "for" and "money" spring to mind. The talk was illustrated by some beautiful, colourful slides which demonstrated very well where Fassett finds his inspiration. I persuaded Bethany to come with me, as she will be using textiles as part of her Art(mixed media) "A" level, but she was less than impressed - "so far up his own a**e" was the exact phrase she used, if my memory serves me correctly.

This weekend, I am off northwards again as SIL, mum and I are going to the Knitting & Stitching show in Birmingham. Mum and I went last year and although there were fewer stalls than at Alexandra Palace, the whole experience was more enjoyable as it wasn't so crowded [and nowhere near as hot as Ally Pally, a very important point at my age!!].
Ah yes... knitting... well, there has been some; I am halfway through the MSP*, and have completed some other socks too, the pattern for which will soon be available here [scroll down a bit - those teal socks with the twisty pattern? They're mine! Yippee!]. Am I allowed to grin cheesily at this point?
There is also another project on the needles but I don't want to say too much about it in case I jinx it, but it is progressing as well as can be expected.

Reading back over this post, it doesn't seem as if I've been that busy really so I could probably have managed a post or two; truth is, the blogging mojo is not at all strong at the moment. I read other blogs that are much wittier, cleverer, more insightful and generally more interesting than this and begin to wonder why I bother, so for those of you that have stuck with me this far, I am very, very grateful. I don't want to stop because, if nothing else, it's a great way to record all my knitting and crochet projects, but on the other hand, I don't want it to become another chore. We'll see. [I'm sure there's a post in the making following the trip to Birmingham].

*Mammoth Sock Project

PS Big big thanks to all those commenters who sent exam congrats to the girls - it was very much appreciated [see - I do read the comments!]

Excuse me

2007-08-23T17:39:00.000+01:00

While I have a "proud mum" moment.
August is a tense time for many teenagers around the country as they anxiously await their exam results. The Creek household has been holding its breath for weeks now but at last we can all finally exhale.
Lucy sat her AS levels and one GCSE retake, achieving C for Art, B for Communications and A for Media, with a C for Maths GCSE (Huge sighs of relief all round).
Bethany sat GCSEs and got:
C for I.T, D for Psychology (but she doesn't care about that one, so there!), B for R.E, B for Maths, B for Double Science, A for Art, A for Media, A for English (Lang & Lit) and A* for French.
Hooray! Well done girls, I am very proud of you and have had to keep the tissues handy all day!
There will be much rejoicing over the weekend with exams well and truly forgotten (until next year...)

PS Hope it all went well for all the other examinees this year and that you can all carry on with your plans.

Ooops! I did it again

2007-08-20T14:26:00.000+01:00

Left far too long between postings, that is.
Well, I've been knitting socks (you can take that as read really for the next few months as there will constantly be a sock on my needles for the forseeable future) and mooching around at home as I have two weeks leave.
We went to Rye last Thursday, for a change of scenery and a bit of history. It is a charming town with lots of mediaeval buildings, including one that describes itself as the New House because it was rebuilt in 1490!

This is a view up one of the streets that leads from the old harbour area into the town, very steep and very cobbled (and just vacated by a coachload of German teenagers who seemed more interested in causing obstructions than observing their surroundings - yes, I'm a hypocrite; I love being a tourist, but hate other tourists!).
We waited patiently outside the church for the clock to strike the hour, expecting to see the figures at the top of the tower perform their actions, but there was one little chime and that was it!

On Saturday we went to Winchester, another important historical city and the home of one of Simon's (OH) best friends. (Also home of King Alfred the Great, of burnt cakes fame, and capital of Wessex).
We visited Winchester College which is the oldest Public school in England ("Public" in this instance meaning private, fee-paying school, a term designed to confuse and confound everyone denied that sort of education!). No photos unfortunately because
a) the weather was absolute pants - chucking it down with rain all day so visibility was reduced to the end of one's nose,
and
b) I forgot to take the camera.
We did plenty of eating and drinking so the weather did not dampen our spirits entirely.

Simon had to go back to work today but I still have another week off which I intend to fill with fibre-related activities... so far this has meant browsing lots of yarn/fibre shops on the internet and daydreaming about all the things I could do if only I had the time. The fact that a great deal more would get done if I dragged myself away from the computer is not entirely lost on me, but has yet to translate into any kind of positive action. Maybe later ...

There has been some culinary action this afternoon, mainly brought on by the fact that I had a whole bunch of bananas that were far too ripe to be eaten as they were. (I loathe over-ripe bananas and much prefer them with a slight tinge of green on the skin).
Cue: banana and choc-chip muffins

That lot turned out fine (although I haven't actually tasted them ... yet) but this lot:

Oh dear!
I think there may be some of the mixture burnt onto the oven floor as well.
I'm obviously out of practice with the old home-made cakes mullarkey, preferring these days to buy mini muffins ready made at Sainsbury's, to be scoffed at my leisure!
Right, off now for a tasting session ... I'll let you know!

So lazy

2007-08-05T12:33:00.000+01:00

that I haven't posted for almost a fortnight.
Well, nothing much going on around the Creek apart from the never-ending sock marathon - as well as the eight (yes, eight!) pairs of plain knee-high socks, there is at least one or two (maybe three) other pairs in the pipeline. No pictures yet as they're a bit secret.

So the Creek has been very quiet the last couple of weeks but the same cannot be said for my brother's household - we all thought they were going to the Isle of Wight on holiday but it appears that plans were afoot (and had been for sometime) for something altogether much more momentous:

THEY GOT MARRIED!!!!
I am so happy for them both and am overjoyed to have Sandy as my sister-in-law. When Michael phoned to tell me the news, I was so surprised and delighted that I burst into tears and was incoherent for quite a while afterwards. I hope anyone reading this will join me in wishing them every happiness together, now and always.

Well, after all this excitement, I need to have a lie down in a darkened room for a while so I'll leave you with this; I have always wondered what cats got up to when their humans were out of sight ... wonder no more:
CAT CAM

What's in a name

2007-07-23T13:39:00.000+01:00

This post nearly didn't happen at all - I went outside to set things up for a little photo-shoot and turned my back for a minute only to return to find Her Royal Mollieness in position:

Would you argue with that?
Then, when uploading the pictures to the computer, we had a power-cut that lasted an hour and a half. Now, I know that that's nothing compared to what people in the Gloucester area are having to contend with at present but it was still pretty annoying. It happened about 8pm as the light was starting to fade so I had to be pretty ingenious to carry on knitting. I never realised that those clip-on book lights could clip onto a bra and be angled to throw the light onto your busily-knitting hands.

Yesterday we went to the Rare and Traditional Breeds show at the Weald and Downland Open Air museum near Chichester. There were, as the name suggests, lots of traditional breeds of sheep and goats on show as well as pigs and cows, but as far as I know, you can't make yarn from pigs and cows so I wasn't very interested in them. There were also some alpacas and ducks, geese and chickens, organic food, country crafts and lots of fibrey goodness for sale.

The first purchase of the day was some baby alpaca fleece from an alpaca named "Strawberry Shortcake" - who could resist with a name like that? (Not me, obviously).

These alpacas are from the same flock as Strawberry Shortcake and are all one-year-old males. I think the black one may need psychiatric treatment as he seemed to show an inordinate interest in his own pooh!

Next purchase was a whole fleece of shetland wool from a sheep with the original and interesting name of... wait for it... "Lamby"

Lamby herself wasn't at the show but I did spot other Shetland sheep:

Next up was some Wensleydale, a rather stunning mix of colours that kept calling to me every time I walked past so I had to buy it

Beautiful!
As far as I know, the animal that provided this fleece did not have a name, but I thought "Curly" would be appropriate, what do you think?
We saw a fine example of a Wensleydale who had won first prize in its class (he may or may not have been called "Crimpy"):

(Bethany admitted later that she had been wondering why I was talking about curly Wensleydales - and how on earth curly cheese is produced!)

Purchase #4 was 100g of bamboo fibre (no picture this time) - I can only assume that the plant it came from was called "Grassy" or maybe "Panda-bait".
How much longer can I spin out this dreadful "joke"? Well, not much longer now, I promise.
Next up we have Bobby the bobbin and Katie the lazy-kate:

Plying will hopefully be much easier now as this lazy-kate has a brake to stop the bobbins over-running - I had terrible trouble when I was trying to do some "Turkish Knot" plying which is why there are no photos. One big turkish knot would be a better description. I'll have another go now though, so watch this space...

Finally (hurrah!) we have Rosie the rosette:

Second prize in the novice spinners' category (just don't ask how many entrants there were, OK?)

Finally finished

2007-07-12T17:31:00.000+01:00

This is the birthday present that has been keeping me occupied (and not a little worried) for the past few weeks. It was actually completed last Friday but I've only just got round to taking a picture. The intended recipient doesn't even know that I have a blog so I feel quite secure in the knowledge that posting it on here will not spoil the surprise.

Yes, it's another Argosy but I just love this pattern. It's so simple but so effective and can easily be adapted. This version is knitted in very fine merino (although the colour I used doesn't seem to be available now) on 2.5mm needles, increasing to a total of 11 "blocks". It took about 300 metres of a 1500 metre skein, so there is plenty left for me to play with. This is the third version I have done, the others being a silk wrap-sized one for my mum and another lace-weight one in wool and silk for my brother's lovely partner. I may even get round to making one for me soon.

I've also done a bit of spinning, this time using a blend of Norfolk Horn fleece and some soy silk fibre. The soy silk is so smooth and, well... er, silky and has worked very well with the wool. Norfolk Horn is a bit rough for next-to-the-skin use but the soy silk has softened it nicely and made it much more strokable. The two fibres take dye quite differently so the final effect is rather heathery with subtle colour changes - maybe I should spin up some more and make a chunkier Argosy. That pattern works well with just about any yarn, even a home-made one.

Am also working on a commission at present - 8 pairs of plain, knee-high socks. Fortunately, the deadline appears to be quite flexible which is just as well given that I had to undo the first sock completely as it would have fitted an elephant with dainty feet! I decided that some shaping was needed for the calf area of the sock but had underestimated the amount of stretch in the knitted fabric so even with what I thought was a generous two inches of negative ease, the sock was very, very loose on my rather rotund calves. Never mind, only 15 and a bit more socks to go ...

The Birthday MeMe

2007-07-02T19:08:00.000+01:00

Saw this on Sheepish Annie's blog (amongst others) so thought I'd give it a go.

November 23rd:

1869 - Dumbarton, Scotland: the clipper Cutty Sark is launched and is now the only one of its kind in existence, despite being badly damaged by a fire on 21st May this year.

1990 - the first all-female expedition to the South Pole begins. I don't know if they made it...

2005 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf becomes president of Liberia, the first woman to lead an African nation.

Birthdays:
1887 - Boris Karloff (actor)
1718 - Edward Teachor a.k.a Blackbeard the pirate

Holiday:
Kinro kansha no hi Japanese labour thanksgiving day

If you want to have a go, just type your birthday (minus the year) into Wikipedia and then choose three notable events, two birthdays and one holiday.
Simple, entertaining and educational!

UFOs and FOs

2007-07-01T15:59:00.000+01:00

This is a little UFO that has kept me occupied and amused over the past week:

This little seagull chick arrived in our back garden a week last Friday and has been there ever since. I didn't expect him/her to last the weekend given the number of cats that live near us, but he's still here and appears to be quite well. His mother or father visits regularly to bring food and he shelters up by the house, in a corner, in the evenings and when it's raining. The RSPCA website advised putting abandoned chicks on a high surface like a flat roof, but our flat roof gets full sun (huh! that's a joke at the moment) and a chick died of dehydration up there last year, so I decided to leave him where he was and let him take his chances. I expect he'll fly off soon. I'm guessing that he fell out of the nest - a height of at least 25 feet - so it's pretty amazing that he survived at all.

The FO of today's title does not, unfortunately, refer to knitting but does apply to some sewing that I have done recently and could, in a less obvious way, refer to a much more long-standing project, namely Bethany. It is debatable whether she is a project that will ever be finished, at least in my lifetime, but I'd say she was well on the way to becoming the person she will eventually be. Anyway, the FO in question was this:

her prom dress. I have shown pictures of the dress before at varying stages of completion, but this is it in all its glory, net petticoat and all. Bethany was very pleased with it and received many compliments, which was a great relief. It's so long since I made any clothes that I did wonder whether it would pass muster, but my worries were thankfully unfounded.
The prom was on Thursday at this hotel and a jolly good time was had by all, as far as I can tell (though obviously, mothers are the last to know).
Bethany was accompanied by her friend Misha, who had rather wonderfully co-ordinated his accessories to Bethany's dress:

A striking couple! (Bethany would like it to be known that she and Misha are not, in any way, shape or form "a couple" and never will be OK? They are friends, just friends, nothing more, so don't start...)
There were some lovely dresses on show at the prom but I have to admit to feeling very proud of the fact that my girl was the only one wearing a home-made dress, shrug and necklace and still looked every bit as stylish as the others (more so in some cases, but now is not the time to start that discussion...)

In other news, there has been some knitting (still on the birthday present but it's slow going at present) and some spinning (an experiment which has not turned out as I envisaged) but nothing interesting enough to merit a picture so you'll have to make do with this gratuitous picture of Mollie.

Edited to add:
Shortly after writing this post, I noticed that the seagull chick was limping quite badly so I contacted our local wildlife rescue who came to take a look. The chap decided that given the number of cats around and the fact that a chick died on our roof last year, he would take our baby away. The parents did not like it one bit and tried to attack quite viciously.
I feel a bit sad, but I'm sure it's for the best.

PS In reply to Peri's comment, Mollie is too tired for a blog takeover at present; after all, she's spent all day hard at ~~sleep~~ work and needs plenty of rest.

Still here

2007-06-21T17:23:00.000+01:00

I think.
I don't know where the time goes to these days. Wednesdays was often a good night for blogging as I had the house to myself and could hog the computer as long as I liked but Wednesday evenings are now devoted to S 'n' B (too much B and not enough S, usually) and by the time I get home, I'm too tired. 's OK, I think, I'll blog tomorrow instead, but we all know tomorrow never comes.
So what exactly have I been doing instead of blogging?
Well, there's the usual perfunctory round of household tasks that even I can't put off indefinitely. I have made attempts to delegate in the past but they never come to much, and I do have standards, however low they may seem to others ...
I have been spinning a little, dyeing a little - about 110 yards of blue/brown navajo-plied DK/Aran yarn and 60ish grams of merino-blend roving that is now blue/brown/pinky-red - and I have been thinking about spinning as well. Last year I acquired a Norfolk Horn fleece in a swap. I washed it (dirty job, made the whole house stink) and then put it away whilst I deliberated on its future. I now have some ideas but have to find the time to put them into practice ... if the truth be told, I am a bit nervous about the whole carding/preparing scenario.
I have also been knitting - the fluffy, lacy experiment has been put on hold temporarily as there is some secret deadline-type knitting going on in time for a significant birthday. I don't think the intended recipient reads these online witterings but I'm not taking any chances. I'm finding it quite hard going, actually, even though it's a simple pattern and one that is very effective when finished (I've already done two versions in the past); I think this may be because I'm not 100% sure that the birthday girl will like it. I know she will like the colour and I'm pretty sure she will like the pattern, it's just that I think she feels that knitted items are a bit ... homespun ... a bit second-rate .... and I'm worried that she might feel a bit let-down by a home-made present. She is a very stylish, well-dressed woman and this little gift is meant to embrace that image; I just hope she takes it the right way ... I'll let you know!
Another reason (why am I making excuses? it's just laziness that's stopped me from blogging) for the lack of posts is that last Saturday I went to the local Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Guild, where we were treated to a demonstration of 3D wet-felting by Harriet Appleby who makes beautiful, beautiful felted wraps and bags. I am seriously considering attending one of her workshops (as if I really need another hobby...) When I have seen Harriet's work in the past, I assumed that she hand-dyed the merino tops herself as the richness and variety of colours was so good, but they are all commercially-dyed. Just shows what you can do by careful blending.

Right, the hungry hordes will be home soon - whose turn to be chef tonight?

Slight hiatus

2007-06-10T20:24:00.000+01:00

because I had to go back to work. Three weeks off after my operation and all of a sudden I have to get back into the habit of getting up early, driving to work and actually making myself useful. I had a very quiet first week back but was very surprised at how tired I was - on Friday I got home from work about 4.30pm and promptly fell asleep on the sofa for a couple of hours, which is not something I normally do. Anyway, that's my excuse for not blogging much recently, take it or leave it!
The lack of posts may also have something to do with this:

a little experiment to use up some very fine, floaty stuff that's been in the stash since forever

or this:

detail of the above experiment

or this:

a bit more spinny stuff

Left to right: my entry for the first Sunday Spin-a-long, which was to make crinkle-cut yarn;
next we have a skein of 100% wool which I bought from a craft shop where it was being sold as "suitable for needle-felting" but I thought it would spin quite nicely :)
second from right is more of the dreaded ultra-fine cashmere yarn, this time held double and navajo plied into something a bit more user-friendly;
far right is the second lot of hand-dyed rovings from my dyeing experiment the other week but this time it was just plied from two singles and I'm amazed at how different the colours look.
I'm beginning to think that I just don't have time to go to work, but if I didn't, none of this mucking about with fibres would be possible (nor would eating or paying bills or running a car, for that matter!).
There is also a new bag kind of half done, but my head's not really in a "stocking-stitch-in-the-round-on-thick-needles" kind of place right now so when it'll actually get to be a bag is anyone's guess.

Right, I'm off now to entertain myself by reliving vicariously Lucy's hot date from last night!

Spin, spin, spin

2007-05-31T11:21:00.000+01:00

Still not a great deal of knitting going on here in the Creek, but there is a bag on the needles as we speak. I have already re-started three times so whether it stays on the needles remains to be seen.

I have been busy though thanks to my newly-acquired Landscape dyes.
When I first got my wheel, I also bought some blended wool roving for practice but, to be honest, I very soon became bored with spinning sheep-coloured fibre all the time so on Sunday I had a go:

first-ever hand-dyed rovings

I spun this into pretty fine singles

pretty singles

which I then navajo plied

finished article

Approx 100 yards (59 grams) of 12 wpi yarn (roughly DK/light aran) in pretty colours which I have no idea what to use it for. I have another 60g of rovings dyed in the same colours but slightly lighter which I will just ply together as a 2-ply to see how the different plying techniques affect the final colour. I really enjoyed this experimenting as it has made me realise that I can make any kind of yarn I want!

Speaking of experiments in spinning, take a look here. Diane has started up the Sunday Spin-a-long and the first instalment was "crinkle cut" yarn. I dug out some pre-dyed merino tops that I had bought for felting some time ago and found that I had used up all the nice colours so I picked colours that I thought would clash horribly and used them for the thick yarn. For the thin yarn, I used just one colour but added a strand of silver rayon embroidery thread (it was useless for embroidery as it kept tangling up in the machine so it needed to justify its existence). I then plied the two together as Diane instructed, et voila!

crinkle-cut yarn

I love spinning!

All stitched up

2007-05-23T19:13:00.000+01:00

and slightly more room inside my abdominal cavity. The troublesome and excruciatingly painful gall-bladder is no more, it is an ex gall-bladder that has shuffled off its mortal coil and can no longer turn me into a shivering, feverish, nauseous lump of green goo, incapable of speech or ... anything really.
The operation was a success, the nurses were lovely and overall the experience was as good as these things can be. I have a couple of stitches to be removed provided the nurse can decide whether they are dissolvable or not (I'm guessing not as it's now 10 days post-op and they're showing no signs of disappearing) and then I should be back to normal. I haven't tried driving again yet but will give it a go over the weekend probably.

I managed to finish a pair of socks during my hospital stay and the few days afterwards

Tofutsies yarn, my own pattern. Note the beautiful, sexy T.E.D. stockings

but apart from that, my knitting mojo seems to have deserted me. I have cast on one or two little things and finished off a few bits and pieces but nothing is really shouting "Knit me! KNIT ME!" at present. Obviously, since the op I've had a bit of time on my hands so it has been really frustrating to find myself in the midst of so much knitting time with nothing to show for it.

So, what to do?

Spinning, that's what. The knitting mojo may have gone, but the spinning version is back with a vengeance.
First up, my first ever laceweight:

It's a bit over-spun as I was originally going to ply it but then it became a game of "let's see how fine I can go with this and just how many yards I can make". The result is approx 200 yards of 25wpi yarn. The fibre was a free sample of Suffolk fleece, about 40 grams, kindly donated by Rachel in return for answering a few questions about the fibre and its results. Not bad, eh? I started to knit a lacy neck-warmer with it but couldn't get the stitch count to add up so it's been frogged, to await the return of (hopefully) inspiration.

Second was a little experiment that had been bubbling in the deepest recesses of what passes for my brain for quite a while. About 18 months ago I bought some extremely fine commercially-spun cashmere yarn, thinking that I would fashion all manner of wispy, floaty gorgeousness from it. Needless to say these plans did not come to fruition as the yarn was overspun, prone to breaking and, frankly, too much of a strain on my poor old eyes. I then hit on the idea of navajo-plying it so it would be a little thicker, a little more robust and therefore easier to knit with. There were several unsuccessful attempts at this that mainly resulted in howls of frustration and an almighty tangled mess needing to be surgically removed from the flyer on my wheel. This time though, the spinning godesses were smiling favourably in my direction and the navajo plying worked. Unfortunately, the resulting slightly-thicker-but-still-laceweight yarn was still unusable for knitting as it just didn't "gel" somehow. Next part of the experiment was to try plying it with some merino-blend singles that I had spun whilst at my parents' house the other weekend - this time, Houston, we have lift-off:

We have approx 350 yards of cashmere/merino/other wool yarn at about 15 wpi. Oh yeah ... the colour ... well, that was the other problem with the cashmere but that will have to wait till I get the new dyes I have ordered.

Lastly, Mollie would like you all to know that she has been "doing her bit" to aid me in my convalescence.

Why can't I just lie here all afternoon? What do you mean, there's a patient to be looked after?

Pesky Cat

2007-05-11T22:55:00.000+01:00

... she always has to poke her nose in other people's business; I should be grateful, really, for her help in keeping this blog going and for her wonderful way of "tensioning" the yarn I happen to be knitting with (some might use "sabotaging" in preference to "tensioning" but I know she's just trying to be helpful).
Anyway, thanks Mollie.
We spent last weekend with my parents, just the two of us as the girls had prior commitments (in Lucy's case it was work; Bethany had been invited to the party to end all parties).

Both mum and dad had been unwell the week before so it was uncertain right up to the last minute whether we would actually be going but luckily they rallied round, only for me to go down with a stinker of a cold on the journey up there.
We had a very relaxing weekend, joined on Sunday by my brother, his lovely partner and their respective daughters for a lovely Sunday roast. I love my mum's Sunday roast even though I'm not much of a meat-eater; yorkshire puds, roast potatoes and lots of gravy - I'll never tire of it. Oooh! And custard pie! Mum makes the best custard pie in the whole world, I've really never tasted better.

Monday was a Bank Holiday and Simon, Dad and brother all went off to Donington to watch a load of noisy cars drive recklessly fast around a circuit so we girls took the opportunity to visit Calke Abbey - a lovely, dilapidated country house in beautiful parkland (plenty of ~~wool in the making~~ sheep and deer grazing, a lake, a church - you get the picture). There was also a craft fair in the grounds, including a Weavers, Spinners & Dyers Guild stand. The ladies there were very enthusiastic spinners and were happy to talk spin for ages until I was dragged away. One of them had the most beautiful, hand-carved wheel I have ever seen, gorgeous curves and very organic - I have tried to find an online photo to link to but without success.

Quite a bit of knitting took place (two pairs of baby/child socks from stash yarn) and some spinning. I hadn't touched my wheel for over a month but the spinning mojo reappeared with a vengeance, I'm happy to say, and I have a bobbin of finely-spun merino-mix awaiting its partner-in-ply and a skein (approx 200 yards) of variegated lace-weight Suffolk singles. The Suffolk fleece came from Rachel who was kind enough to send out fibre samples in return for some feedback. All I need to do now is take piccies and send them off to her with my comments on how it was to work with etc.

That was the good parts, now the gutty part:
There is a fairly strong chance that I may lose my job by October, or at the very least, have to re-apply for it. I know this could be a golden opportunity (and the kick up the butt that I need) to start seriously trying to make a living from knitting/spinning etc but my mortgage is just tooooooo big and I'm too scared.
Gutty part two:
On Monday, I'm going into hospital (as long as my cold has receded somewhat) for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Wish me luck.

Hijack

2007-05-01T16:15:00.000+01:00

Yep! I've hijacked this blog because I'm fed up with waiting for "she-who-thinks-she-must-be-obeyed-but-should-really-obey-me" to get on and write something. She's become really slack of late and I think it would be a shame to lose the loyal reader(s) just because she can't be ar**d.

Allow me to introduce myself: I am Mollie.

Obviously, I'm in charge around Up Knit Creek and a good job too or nothing would ever get done.
I have a very relaxed style of management round here but can be tough when necessary (and believe me, it is often necessary), preferring, where possible, to issue my ~~orders~~ requests from a supine position on the sofa, window-seat or bed. My needs are few (warmth, food, comfort and total sensory indulgence) but you'd be surprised how often the humans round here fail to deliver the goods. Last night, for example, I had to raise my voice for several ear-drum splitting minutes before my evening repast was laid before me, and even then, it was not the freshly-killed small furry creature that I had requested; no, it was some *shudders* muck from a sachet! Can you believe it? A Sachet! I have to point out that life in the Creek was fairly comfortable (not purrfect, obviously, but tolerable) until she-who...etc, etc started on all this knitting and spinning mullarkey. Meals are no longer served at my every whim, the amount of stroking and tummy-tickling has decreased dramatically and she seems to be determined to encourage Lucy, my favourite, to be out of the house as much as possible - something to do with "college" and "part-time job", whatever they may be. Huh! Doesn't she understand that to maintain myself at this peak of physical and mental purrfection, I need constant attention from my ~~slaves~~ humans?
I am not the only one to notice this gradual decline - just the other day, I overheard some of the younger Creekies bemoaning the fact that dinner is served later and later and that they are, like, totally fed up with the refrain "just one more row".
I won't even mention the extra hazards that have appeared all over the house - the sharp pointy sticks, the vicious spiked objects in the spinning bag, and the ever-increasing amounts of tangly stuff that keep taking my rightful place on the sofa or armchair - don't get me started...

Actually, I think this blogging lark could be quite fun as long as it's not all about her - I'm a much more interesting subject.
Let me tell you all about me me me.
I used to be called Merlin (huh? what the...) and I used to live with an old lady a bit west of Up Knit Creek but she died (I think) so the people next door took me in. Of course, I could have looked after myself, but if they were willing, well, it saved me the bother of looking for another place. Unfortunately, these people did not realise that I had lost my cherry to the tom along the road (a whole other story, for a whole other time) and were not at all pleased when my girth increased considerably so they took me to a rescue shelter. It was here that I became a mother to three (or was it two?) adorable little kitties who were the spitting image of their mother - how could they fail to be adorable? They were soon snapped up by humans who realised that a house needs a cat, but I was left alone. I missed the kitties at first but knew that they were better off in their new homes. They never send me cards or presents at Christmas or on my birthday so I guess they're getting on with their own lives now. Anyway, one day in January 2002, the Creekies (well, three of them) came to visit. I was very aloof but I could tell they were smitten. I had to have an operation to stop me having more kitties and they poked some techno thingy microchip under my skin (how demeaning!) and a week later I was put in a basket (the indignity of it!) and taken back to Up Knit Creek. I was left alone to explore my new surroundings but there was always a friendly hand to stroke me if I wished and food was readily available so I decided to stay.
I don't get on very well with the neighbours (dogs are sooooo stupid) but then, I only go out when nature calls or if I have to defend my territory so that's not really a problem.
I know I've moaned about the situation here, but my criticisms are all meant to be constructive in order that standards can be raised to my level. On the whole, it's not a bad place to live, and if I'm honest, I have to admit that I quite like all this fibrey stuff - who knew that unspun alpaca fleece would make such a cosy bed...

If only I had a memory......

2007-04-22T16:20:00.000+01:00

... that worked. The one that currently resides in the space where my brain should be has gone on strike with the result that I cannot remember anything! Well, nothing useful anyway. I forgot about yesterday's meeting of the Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Guild so missed out on a potentially very interesting talk and the opportunity to mingle with like-minded people. It has also just occurred to me that I offered to take Peri along with me to this meeting, but I forgot that as well - if you're reading this, Peri, I'm really sorry.
I also forgot, in my last posting, to mention a couple of things that we did over Easter, so here goes.
Good Friday saw Simon (the much-neglected person who shares the Up Knit Creek house with me and my yarn) and me actually going out somewhere together, without children! We didn't venture far because there's lots to see and do in this little corner of Sussex, especially when the weather is as good as it was that day. First stop was Middle Farm where we had a lovely home-cooked lunch and sampled plenty of cider in the barn. This place is really good for kids as there are lots of animals to be patted and stroked and all the usual goings-on of a working farm. The farm shop is excellent for organic and fair-trade stuff as well.
After that we drove a little further along the A27 to Charleston, the country home of the Bloomsbury set. We had to take a guided tour (which I usually avoid like the plague at these sorts of places) and I am so glad we did. The guide was very informative and really knew her stuff. The whole house is a delight and I am ashamed to say that this was my first visit in almost twenty years of living down here. The tea-room does wonderful home-made cakes and the gift shop had some lovely hand-made felted items as well as some knitted and crocheted things too. All-in-all a very civilised and inspiring way to spend a day.

On the knitting front, we have a couple of new items:

This is the "Seashore Sock", my own design, so-called because the yarn is Lucy Neatby's Celestial Merino in "Seashell" colourway and the lacy pattern reminds me of waves breaking on the shore. Its partner is not quite finished yet, but the pattern will be on the website soon.
Second up is this:

A cabled bag, again of my own design, knitted in Jaeger extra fine merino chunky. I wasn't too sure whether the cables would show up once the bag was felted but I need not have worried. I hope to have the pattern for this on the website soon, but I forgot to write down what I did as I went along and now I can't remember! (See, it's that stupid memory again.) I do know more or less how it went, but I didn't write down any stitch counts or the pre-felting measurements. I have numerous little notebooks and pens (a particular weakness whenever I'm in a stationery shop) so there really is no excuse (except maybe my age. Yeah, that's it! It's my age). I suppose that even if I can't remember the exact details, a close approximation would do, after all, felting is a very inexact science anyway.
OK, I'm off to do.............to go.............err........something important's happening...............nope, can't remember!

Feeling pleased

2007-04-09T15:32:00.000+01:00

with myself because I have finished a couple of things quite quickly. Also disappointed because a bag I was making for my website went disastrously wrong at the felting stage. I don't really know what the problem was as the wool was 100% wool, knitted quite loosely and really bashed about with boiling water and a couple of trips in the washer and dryer but it just wouldn't felt! I seriously mistreated this bag but it has ended up as a floppy, droopy, sad old thing (a bit like me, then!) with no shape and no substance - exactly the opposite of what I was trying to achieve. Still, I know the construction works so I will try again with different yarn that I know will felt - watch this space.

Any way, let's not dwell on what might have been, instead - the successes.
I recently bought some DK cotton variegated yarn at a real knock-down price so I decided to make a shapely tee so I could practise short-row shaping around the bust. Well, I did it but I think I may have made the wrong size - the shaping does not really make any difference to the way it fits as it is quite loose all over and has a tendency to fall off my shoulders. I may try again, making a smaller size but with more bust shaping, modified a bit now I have an idea about the principles. I will wear the top even though it isn't exactly what I had in mind, but it served its purpose as a learning tool and the directions made me realise that when writing patterns you really can't assume any knowledge on the part of the reader. It is very difficult, when you understand a process thoroughly, to know how much detail and explanation will be needed by someone who has no prior knowledge, and how much they will be able to discover for themselves - I guess that's why I'm not a teacher.
No photos of the finished article because honestly, I couldn't be bothered.

The other success, which I am really happy with, is these:

I'm not really much of a sock-knitter - I don't mind knitting them but I'm certainly not addicted to them and would never, ever, join a "sock-a-month" knit-a-long or a sock yarn club. I still have a pair of Jaywalkers languishing around in a semi-finished state because I totally lost interest in them, but I am really, really pleased with these. The yarn is Trekking XXL, colour 110 and the pattern is my own variation on a toe-up, short-row heel thingy. I love the colours, the yarn has great yardage (only used about 53g out of 100g) and I managed the short-row heel without getting loads of gaps!

Stitch detail
These socks will be going to live with a friend at work who has suddenly found that her feet do not stay warm on their own. As long as I have known her, she has wandered about with bare feet even in the depths of winter but has recently found that her internal heating system is not as efficient as it once was and confessed that she now finds it necessary to wear socks - well, what would you do? An opportunity not to be missed. The pattern is available here on the shop page

Busy busy busy

2007-04-02T18:17:00.000+01:00

This past week has gone by so fast I don't know if I'm coming or going (nothing new there, then). A lot of the week has been spent indulging in my favourite activities, namely knitting, spinning and ~~gossiping~~ having deep, meaningful discussions with like-minded people. There may have been a teeny-weeny amount of alcohol involved, but we can just gloss over that - what's a ~~dozen~~ couple of drinks between friends?

So, Monday was spinning, or rather helping Peri to get to grips with her lovely new wheel. As is often the case with these things, there was one tiny little thing missing from the jigsaw, and once that was sorted (in this case, a miniscule adjustment to the scotch tension) she was off. In no time at all, the luscious fibre stacked around Peri's living room will be transformed into equally luscious yarn which she will no doubt knit or weave into something gorgeous.

Wednesday.
If I could choose my ideal Stich 'n Bitch in terms of time and place, I would say "Wednesday evenings, quite early, at Borders in Brighton". Imagine my joy when I discovered that such a thing actually existed, and my grief at realising that I had already missed out on over a year of Stitchin 'n' Bitchin! I have redressed the terrible waste of all that knitting time and went along to my first-ever official Stitch 'n' Bitch! On Wednesday! Between 6pm and 8pm! In Borders! Perfect. It was a very select gathering on this occasion (probably due to the lovely warm weather which sent everyone to the beach) but I am told that there are usually about ten or so, the ideal size in my opinion. I may not be able to go for the next two weeks but really hope to make this a regular feature in my ~~rather empty~~ social calendar.

Friday.
This was the next instalment of an occasional series known as "Work colleagues go mad in Brighton". The series relies on any one of a number of flimsy excuses - someone's birthday, boss is away, crappy day, it's exactly six months till Christmas, it's nearly Easter - you get the picture - to go out drinking and eating in one or several of the many hostelries and eateries in Brighton. This time, it was to celebrate three birthdays in two weeks and just about everyone in our team was there (except the boss, who was on holiday in the West Indies - this may or may not have been an influencing factor!). Anyway, the conversation was surreally funny, the food good and the drinks flowing so I think we can judge this instalment a success. Also, I had NO HANGOVER on Saturday, so a double success! (And my children have not disowned me.....).

Sunday.
Cake and knitting. Knitting and cake. Gossip. Yarns, yarns, yarns. The chance to meet people whom you've nattered to for ages in cyberspace. Cake. Knitting. sssssshhhhhh spending ssssshhhhh. Cake. Cake.
Yes, it was an Angel Yarns Cake Day.
I am in the happy position of living not too far away from Angel Yarns so I have been to every single cake day, a record I am extremely proud of. Not only did I sample some really scrummy cakes and buy some equally scrummy yarn but I also spent about 5 hours talking knitting to real, live knitters (and cuddling babies, something I thought I had forgotten how to do). Big thanks to Tess (aka Wonder Woman) and her staff who give up their precious free time to let us yarnaholics run riot through their stock.

This week is going to seem so quiet.....................

2007-03-25T18:34:00.000+01:00

Well, aren't I the unreliable one! I fully intended to post last Sunday but found myself in the grip of the worst migraine I've had for ages - it started on Friday night and lasted right through till Monday afternoon. Not my favourite way to spend a weekend but at least they don't happen often.

Anyway besides the migraine I've had a few other things keeping me occupied, apart from the usual work and daily grind.
My parents were due back from their antipodean adventure on Friday 16th so I was rather peturbed to get a phone call from my brother saying that they wouldn't be back as expected because mum's bag had been stolen and it contained their plane tickets and passports as well as cash and credit cards etc. They were trying to sort out everything and would be home as soon as possible but it was likely to be several days before they could get another flight. I then heard that the bag had been found and the only thing missing was the cash so mum and dad had been able to get a flight for Thursday 22nd as their passports were now back in their possession. They spent another few days in Auckland, seeing the sights and making the most of their unintentionally extended holiday
In the meantime, I had had my own little drama: trying to cancel the flowers that I had ordered for Mother's Day as I knew she wouldn't be there to receive them. It was sorted eventually but not without extreme stubbornness on my part which really shouldn't have been necessary. (I'm good at stubborn, especially if I know I'm right).
Thursday dawns and I get another call from my brother - mum and dad had arrived at Auckland airport but had been refused clearance at passport control because their passports had been reported stolen. They were marched off to the police station and then taken to the British Consulate where a couple of phone calls solved the problem (God, I hate bureaucracy). Of course, their plane had left without them so there was another delay and another unexpected night in a hotel but they finally arrived back at Heathrow on Saturday, only to face a further two-hour wait while the plane looked for a parking space and their baggage was unloaded. They finally arrived home about 8 days later than planned and were greeted by the flowers which I had cancelled (and been refunded for), still apparently looking lovely.

So Mother's Day was not quite the event I had planned for my mum but I had a lovely day thanks to my wonderful, beautiful, amazing daughters (Lucy told me to put that!). They bought me a card and pressies and we spent a very relaxed day together just enjoying each others' company - what more can a mum ask for?

The creative spirits have been out and about too, and have visited Bethany. She is in the process of planning her final piece of work for her Art GCSE exam and has been using all different kinds of media. The latest ouevre is a photo she took of Lucy and then manipulated on the computer. I was bowled over by it:

I have also been hard at it, but not with such spectacular results. Bethany's prom outfit is nearing completion - there is the hemline and the lace trim to do on the dress and a ribbon fastening for the shrug to be finished. There's also the matter of the head-dress but I haven't quite got my head round that yet.

(The shrug is actually not uneven at the front - Bethany obviously didn't inherit her photographic skills from me!) The pattern for the crochet choker is now available here click "Shop", then scroll down a bit.

By the way, the competition (in which you have to think of an idea for a fibre-related competition!) is still open so keep those entries coming.

Two years today

2007-03-12T20:56:00.000Z

Since the inaugural post of this blog.
I can't believe it - two years of writing this drivel and not one complaint (yet). I've just had a quick look back through the archives and am dismayed to find that the quality of writing has not improved one iota! Don't know why I should be surprised really; after all, I've not made any attempts to improve the grammar or technical aspects of writing, never mind the imaginative or creative qualities. Maybe I should take a creative writing course - I'd love to be able to write stories and I'm sure the basic techniques could be applied to blog-writing. I've forgotten everything I ever knew about plot development (y'know, all that stuff about having a beginning, a middle and an end along with the odd climax or two on the way!) and have often found myself either waffling on without saying anything or finishing very abruptly because I can't find my way to the end. In the secret life that goes on in my head, not only am I very rich, unspeakably elegant and about 3 stone lighter than in real life, I'm also unbelievably eloquent and a master of the mot juste. Too bad that reality keeps rearing its ugly head!

Now if I had half a brain, I would have devised a clever and interesting competition with fabulous knitty prizes to celebrate two years of blogging, but such grey matter as I possess seems to be in a permanent state of fuzziness these days and will not co-operate.
Instead, I shall turn the tables and offer a rather more mundane (though knitting-related) yet-to-be-decided prize to the person who leaves a comment with the best suggestion for a competition. The only condition is that the competition must be fibre-related in some way so come on, get thinking!
My decision will be final and the closing date is 31st March.

Wanders off, singing "Happy blogversary to me, happy blogversary to me, Happy blogversary dear Creekie, happy blogversary to me"

Open

2007-03-11T23:11:00.000Z

Woo hoo!
Please have a look over here
A small beginning, but a beginning nevertheless.

Big thanks to Sheepish Annie for being the test knitting guinea pig, it really gave me confidence to know that someone else had understood what I meant.

Time well spent

2007-03-06T16:16:00.000Z

I recently managed to get hold of some chunky-weight 100% wool for dyeing (no, I'm not giving a link in case you all go off and buy up the remaining stocks!) so I was finally able to have a go with the Omega dyes that my daughters got for my birthday last November.
Although the website is not particularly user-friendly, the same cannot be said for the dyes themselves. It couldn't be easier, no smelly vinegar, no messy soda-ash and the dye is in crystal form so no mucky powder to blow around everywhere either. You simply mix with hot water and off you go.

I dyed 1000g altogether, using submersion and hand-painting techniques (actually, hand-painting sounds a bit too technical, sploshing colour around in squeezy bottles would be more accurate, along with a bit of flinging of crystals directly onto the wet wool). The solid colours were submersed in a nice big preserving pan that I found in our local flea-market, and the variegated colours were shoved in my biggest casserole dish and shoved in the microwave.
Close ups:

Because of this happy colourful sploshing episode there has been absolutely no progress on Bethany's prom dress, but sssssh, don't tell her. I will get started soon but I need to find a large, flat space that isn't covered in clutter to start what I always think is the scariest part - cutting out the fabric pieces. If you make a mistake at this point, you're stuffed! When I made my wedding dress, nearly twenty years ago, I made my mum make the first cut as I was so scared of cocking it right up. Needless to say, the dress turned out fine (which is more than can be said for the marriage, but that's a whole other story) so I guess that now, as then, I'm probably worrying over nothing.

Not much knitting

2007-03-03T19:44:00.000Z

going on at the Creek at present. I could show you a photo of seemingly endless acres of k2 p2 rib in black but it's not that photogenic really.
The reason for lack of knitting (and lack of blogging too) is that I often have the house to myself on Sundays and Wednesdays so they tend to be the days that I actually sit down in front of this little screen and start bashing the keys; last week was different though. We went to see "Hot Fuzz" on Sunday and the cinema just happens to be right next door to an outlet shopping area, so by the time I had watched and shopped I just didn't feel like blogging. Wednesday was OH's birthday so we went here for dinner. The food here is always very good and the service is spot-on too. Our little town doesn't have much to recommend it, but this place is an exception. Of course, when I got home, I was too stuffed to do anything except slump on the sofa and allow my digestive system to do its stuff without interruption.

The aforementioned acres of ribbing are destined to become a shrug for Bethany which she intends to wear for her school prom in June. Now Bethany is not usually one to grasp the concept of forward planning (i.e. GCSEs looming in just over two months, as yet there is no sign of a revision plan or study guide) but we have already got a two-thirds completed shrug and today we went shopping for the rest of the ingredients for her outfit.
Shoes have been bought (am I wise to let my little pumpkin wear 4-inch heels? What if she breaks her ankle? or worse?) and this pattern also came home with us, along with 4 metres of deep green dupion silk, 3.5 metres of lining fabric, a zip, and some rather pretty black lace with sequins. Guess what I'm going to be doing for the next few weekends?

Hello again

2007-02-21T18:17:00.000Z

I know you've missed me (as if!) and I know I'm a very naughty girl because, yet again, I have neglected my ikkle bloggy.
You will be relieved to know that there will not be a video in this post - that will be for the very rare occasions when I feel that moving pictures are essential to the content of the post.

Jury service is now over and I have mixed feelings about it. Sitting on a case was very interesting but a huge responsibility (and I'm not one to take on more responsibility than I absolutely have to) that cannot be taken lightly. I found it very difficult to separate my own gut feelings from hard facts and evidence and although I think we made the right decision, I'm not sure that we reached that decision via the correct procedures. As I had never set foot inside a courtroom before, I think I now have much more of an insight into the way our legal system works and I would be happy to sit on a jury again. I also met some very nice people ( fellow jurors and court officials) so, on the whole, I would say it was a positive experience. All the waiting around could have been extremely tedious had it not been for my trusty needles and yarn - I was very pleased that on the last day of jury service, I was able to wear the fruits of my labours:

(I got a cheer for that!)
Pattern: my own
Yarn: 100% wool, approx 4ply/fingering weight, hand-dyed by a company whose name I have totally forgotten (informative, aren't I?), bought at the Knitting & Stitching show at the N.E.C. last September.

Life has since returned to normal and I have another F.O. - yet another bag. What is it with me and bags at the moment? For years I used a little black back-pack style handbag, with the occasional use of something a bit more stylish for weddings, evenings out etc but recently my subconscious has been shouting "you need more bags! you need more bags!"
I hope to sell the bags and/or the patterns on my website eventually but for now, here's a quick peek at the latest offering:

pattern: my own
yarn: a mixture of 100% wool, aran/worsted weight, bought as a pack of left-overs from Kangaroo's stall at the "Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts" event held at the Brighton Centre last week. Ooooh dear, a bit of a linking frenzy here, seem to be getting carried away.
By the way, I finally transferred to the new Blogger - notice any difference? Me neither.

A departure

2007-02-14T18:24:00.001Z

from the norm.
I got a new toy recently - a webcam - to try and make the most of the whole "Skype" experience and have learnt (thanks, Girls!) that I can post videos to the blog. Not sure it's something I'll repeat but it was worth one try at least. It was a very spur-of-the-moment thing with no preparation at all, so no pictures of the latest knitting or Bethany's birthday cake, or even of anything remotely interesting! I promise that if ever I decide to inflict this torment on my loyal reader again, I will have some semblance of a plan; in the meantime, please try not to cringe too much!

P.S. Happy 16th Birthday Bethany, not too much sushi, now!

A day in the life................

2007-02-06T15:09:00.000Z

........... of a juror.

Monday
9.45am: Arrive at court, sit in Jury assembly room awaiting further instructions.

10.00am: Watch rather simplistic video outlining proceedings and responsibilities.

10.15am: Listen to Jury Officer repeat everything that was said in the video and explain how to complete the (self-explanatory) expenses claim form.

10.30am: Buy disgusting cup of tea from the tea-bar, remembering not to interact with members of the public whose case you may or may not be hearing.

10.31am: dispose of disgusting tea in nearest plant-pot and write little note to self to remember a flask of good tea tomorrow.

10.31am: commence knitting.

12.30pm: Listen to Jury Officer who reads out two lists of names. As own name is on first list, I must go out for lunch before returning at 1.45pm. Names on second list are told to go home.

12.45 - 1.15pm: Eat large jacket potato in seedy little cafe and return to court early to escape the disconcerting stares of strange man in said cafe.

1.15pm: commence knitting.

1.45pm: Jury Officer announces that there has been an administrative delay, he will tell us more in half an hour.

1.46pm: carry on with knitting.

3.30pm: Jury Officer returns (funny kind of half-hour) and announces that defendant has decided to plead guilty so there is no trial and we should report back at 10.00am tomorrow.

4.00pm: Arrive home to resume normal daily activities.

Today was more of the same except I got to go home a little earlier and did not have to endure the disgusting tea. My knitting is progressing well and I am hopeful of finishing the body of the jumper by the end of the week. So much for public duties..............

At the weekend, I headed home to Leicester for a very special occasion - my mum's 80th birthday. My BB (big brother) and his partner had offered to hold a surprise party for her so there have been many phone calls and emails to discuss food, timings, guests, drinks (no, Bethany, you may not have Absinthe) and how not to raise her suspicions. She knew something was going on so I had to tell her that all she needed to know was that a taxi would be picking her up and she needed to look nice. Anyway, all went smoothly and even when we arrived at BB's house, Mum still didn't know what was going on until the door to the sitting room was opened and she saw all the guests.

She enjoyed it!
And there was cake:

lovingly made my eldest niece.
Mum is something of a "Silver Surfer" so BB and I got her a new LCD monitor for her computer but of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give a knitted gift as well so she got this:

an enlarged version of "Argosy" from Knitty.com using HandMaiden Lace silk in Periwinkle. My Dad is treating Mum to a day-trip on the Orient Express so hopefully this wrap will be part of her posh frock outfit on the day; failing that, I'm sure it can be pressed into service when they go cruising round Australia and New Zealand later on this month (jealous? me? hmmmm).
We all went out for a lovely Sunday Lunch here the next day and I, for one, will not need to eat again until next Wednesday at the earliest.
All in all, a birthday weekend to be remembered. Now there's three more family birthdays this month, just hope they don't all expect the same treatment!

Sssssh

2007-01-30T16:46:00.000Z

Do you want to know a secret?
OK then

I can reveal all now that it is in the safe hands of Sandy, my kind-of-sister-in-law. It is "Argosy" from Knitty's winter 2006 issue, knitted in Jaggerspun Zephyr (50% merino 50% silk) in "Cinnabar" colourway. It was very straightforward to knit yet the effect is so light and lacy that people think you must have magical powers! The only changes I made were to the method of casting off each little square - the instructions called for "k2tog, slip st back to left needle and repeat" but I just couldn't get it to look neat so I went for an ordinary cast-off which looks a lot more even in my humble opinion.
There is still another part of the secret to be revealed but that must wait a while longer yet......... the suspense is killing, no?

The bag-shaped groove I seem to have climbed into continues

This was made with some recycled sari silk I got off Ebay. I was very disappointed when the yarn arrived as the colours were nowhere near as jewel-like as normal and it kept breaking when I was winding it into balls. As a result, the yarn sulked in the bottom of the stash for several months before deciding that it would like to become a bag. This was another "make it up as you go along" type jobby and one which I don't think will be repeated; the silk is too floppy for a structured bag like this and is only holding its shape because of the heavyweight vilene sandwiched between the outside and the lining. I gave up on the idea of i-cord inside transparent plastic tubes for the handles as too many small animals were suffering during the experimental stage and resorted instead to poking wire-cored plastic washing line into the i-cord. A tough job, but someone had to do it.

Current work-in-progress is a lightweight sweater for me using some hand-dyed yarn I got at the Knitting & Stitching show in Birmingham last year. It is very fine yarn, somewhere between 4ply and laceweight at a guess so progress is very slow. This is normally a source of some frustration for me as I like to be able to see quick results but in this instance it is a good thing - I am on Jury service for two weeks from next Monday and have been warned that there will be lots of sitting around, waiting - lots of simple stocking stitch in-the-round will be a perfect antidote to boredom.

Normal service resumed

2007-01-20T20:05:00.000Z

Yep! I've got over my motoring angst (well, not over exactly, more that I've put it to the back of my mind) and am back to my normal ramblings about knitting and associated stuff.
Today I met up with nine other members of the Angel Yarns forum for lunch, knitterly gossip and a look at everyone else's books and current projects. We had a lovely lunch here and talked about far more than just knitting. Everyone had brought their favourite knitting books with them and we could easily have opened a bookstore. I think my Amazon wish-list may be just about to grow........damn, I didn't write down the titles! I'm not too sure what the waitresses thought about these strange women who were too busy discussing knitting to order their food but at least we didn't misbehave. Unfortunately, Lewes does not have much of a yarn store anymore (it used to be home to Kangaroo until business rates went sky-high) so any thoughts of stash enhancement were quickly dashed. There is one shop that sells yarn and they certainly have more variety now than they did a couple of years ago but there is little there of interest to me at present. Just as well really, my stash never seems to get any smaller...........

There has been knitting but it has been of a somewhat secret nature so I can only give you a little taster:

All will be revealed in the next couple of weeks, promise.
Current work is a bag in recycled sari silk that I am pretty much making up as I go along. This yarn is some that I got from Ebay and is not how I thought it would be - the colours are not as vibrant as in other sari silk yarn I have used and the yarn is very hairy and not (in my opinion) very well spun ( as a spinner of some 4 months' experience, I think I know what's what!). In spite of this, I think the bag will work out quite well, especially if I add a few details to give it a more finished look. When making bags, I always worry about the handles as they can really make or break the finished article and today saw me trying work out ways to poke knitted i-cord down a transparent plastic tube to make a more substantial, yet toning, handle. I haven't figured this out completely yet, but I think it may involve persuading a very small animal to run through the tube with the i-cord attached to its tail - whaddya think?
OK, I'll get my coat!

Calling all motorists

2007-01-12T16:16:00.000Z

I'm not normally one to get political but action needs to be taken on this. We already have the most expensive petrol in Europe, if not the world, as well as paying vast amounts of road tax. This is a tax too far.
See this article also.

I use my car for work; if I didn't do the job I do, I probably wouldn't have a car. My car is small, economical and has very low CO2 emissions. If I could afford an electric or hybrid car, I would buy one. This is yet another tax on average people by this government, who have already pushed the tax burden on ordinary people higher than it has ever been. The revenue raised from all the various motoring-based taxes must surely be enough to provide cheap, reliable public transport; instead, bus and train fares rise all the time with no discernible improvement in the service.
Please sign this petition.

P.S. Normal knitting service will be resumed when I have calmed down!

Six weird things

2007-01-07T19:17:00.000Z

OK before we get started on that (and don't for one moment think it's going to be worth waiting for), please have a look here. It's obviously at the very early stages but I'm hoping to set it up to sell some of my stuff - garments knitted or crocheted by myself, patterns for some of my designs and maybe a bit of handspun yarn. If anyone else would like to sell through this site, I would be happy to discuss terms etc (my commission will be very reasonable, I promise). Right - advert over, down to business.

Six weird things about me:

THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.”

Weird thing #1: Although I am a fully trained classical musician, (3 years' hard graft at a conservatoire, dontcha know!) I hardly ever choose to listen to music. I hear music incidentally (on the car radio, overheard from daughters' rooms, on the TV etc) but it is a very rare occurrence for me to actually pick out a CD and play it. (I thought of this one myself)

Weird thing #2: I have a bad habit (so I'm reliably informed) of stating the obvious - e.g. "Oh! You're wearing a skirt". This is a rare happening as neither daughter wears skirts very often, but it is (apparently) both annoying and weird (Lucy thought of this one)

Weird thing#3: I won't let anyone else read one of my books until I have read it myself. I actually don't think this is weird (a bit selfish, maybe, but not weird). (OH thought of this one)

Weird thing #4: When in the shower, I always do things in the same order, and the last thing is always washing my hair. (I thought of this one - well, who else knows what I do in the shower).

Weird thing #5: Despite being a generally patient and easy-going type of person, I find it very hard to deal with other people who are not well. I run out of sympathy very quickly and often end up being quite terse. Illness at a distance is fine - I can deal with an ill brother nearly 200 miles away (not that he is ill very often) but closer to home and I run out of patience very quickly. (I thought of this one myself too, though I'm not sure I should have admitted to it)

Weird thing #6: My relationship with meat is a bit, well....... weird. I like meat but only in few guises. I don't like roast beef or steak but will happily eat anything made with minced beef. A beef casserole or goulash will find me eating all the vegetables and gravy but giving the meat to OH (very embarrassing when we were in Prague). I love sausages and ham but don't like roast pork. Turkey and chicken is fine as long as I am 100% sure there is no fat on it, but other birds (duck or goose) no way Pedro. (I thought of this one myself too though it is backed up by anyone who has ever had to cook for me).

The people I tag are:
Sussex Yorkie
Heather
Peri
Knitabulous
Knit Tigger
Shazza's Knits

Sorry if you've already done it, or if you don't want to have a go that's fine.

First FO of the New Year

2007-01-02T16:41:00.000Z

Yes, it's true - only 2nd January and I already have a finished object. It's very small and didn't tax me too much but it is finished already, having been completely knitted on New Year's Eve, sewn up on New Year's Day and finished off with the ribbons this afternoon.

It's the baby kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting, stocking stitch version using up some Rowan Wool-cotton which is a delight to knit with - very smooth and easy to use. The intended recipient has not yet put in an appearance despite being due on Christmas Day but she already has a name - Layla - and will be OH's great-niece. It looks very small but then it's a long time since my babies were that small so I suppose I've forgotten how tiny they are at first.

Well, Christmas is all over for another year and I'm happy to say that, despite my lack of organisation and planning, it all went off without a hitch, unless you count the tragic incident of the broken fingernail. Everything was going swimmingly on Christmas morning, the turkey was in the oven, the sprouts were prepared, the roast potatoes were crisping nicely and then I went to get a sauce-boat out of the cupboard (sounds posh doesn't it? A sauce-boat? I only bought it a couple of weeks ago 'cause I didn't think our guests would appreciate having sauce dumped on their plates straight from the saucepan) anyway the cupboard door slipped away from my hand but caught the left thumbnail and bent it back beyond its normal limits, causing it to split quite a way down. Very sore but fortunately no blood.
You can tell from this incident that I've obviously had a very quiet, uneventful holiday season as it was by far the most exciting thing to happen all week.

It's back to work tomorrow and I'm really not looking forward to it. I had so many things I wanted to do whilst on leave and haven't managed any of them really. I've done a bit of spinning (three more skeins of recycled sari-silk, making 187g spun in total) and a bit of knitting (secret surprise) but there has been absolutely no progress on the getting-ideas-onto-paper-so-I-can-work-them-out-properly front so my plans for world domination through knitting are no further advanced than they were three months ago *sigh*.

A little while ago, I was tagged by Helen to do the "6 weird things about me" meme. I haven't forgotten but I'm having trouble with this, 'cause I'm just not weird, well, I don't think so, anyway; also having trouble thinking of six other people to tag as nearly all the bloggers I regularly read have already done it.
I will canvass opinion from my nearest and dearest and get back to you on this..........

May 2007 be a year of knitty goodness for you all.

Just to wish you all

2006-12-31T20:28:00.000Z

Not much longer

2006-12-24T23:52:00.000Z

and it'll all be over for another year.
Life has turned even more hectic in these last few days as I have had to add "personal nurse" to my list of accomplishments. OH (or Simon, as he is more usually known) has had a minor operation resulting in an inch-long open wound to the left of his belly-button which needs to be dressed daily. As the GP's surgery is now closed until Wednesday, this task has fallen to me. I have had to re-learn the aseptic techniques I was taught many years ago when I was training to be a midwife and learn the new skill of packing a wound whilst the patient writhes around in agony. I must confess to enjoying the feeling of power it gives me to stand over another human being whilst wielding the forceps of doom, uttering the words "it wouldn't hurt so much if you kept still - I will have to fetch the restraining ropes!"

I have also perfected the art of small cake making in the style of Dali:

These are quite categorically the worst-shaped cakes I have ever made
but, really, who cares as long as they taste OK.

Today, I installed Skype on our PC, having bought the software packs for myself, my parents, my brother and the girls when they are at their dad's. My brother, obviously, was the first to install his and has phoned a dozen times since to nag me into installing mine. He clearly has nothing better to do on Christmas Eve than to muck about on his PC - no turkey to stuff, no sprouts to peel, no mince pies to ~~eat~~ make, no last-minute presents to wrap. Well, I am pleased to report that Skype works and works very well. I am going to have to limit the anount of time I spend using it as it could easily become addictive, especially if you use the Sketch Pad facility. Mike (brother) and I spent ages drawing a beautiful Christmas tree complete with baubles and tinsel, but unfortunately, I cannot get it to open in a format suitable for posting on here. You will just have to believe me that it was the most gorgeous tree in the history of the world!

Finally, a seasonal scene from last year at my parents' house:

Yes, snow. It wasn't on Christmas Day but there was just about enough to make a snowman.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.

Almost there

2006-12-17T17:19:00.000Z

Christmas has crept up on me (again - this happens every year) and I find myself with only one week to go yet several weeks' worth of tasks to be completed before I can relax with a glass (or three) of mulled wine a ~~half a dozen~~ one of my mum's home-made mince pies.
The shopping for presents has been finished although there may be an extra one to get (depends how charitable I'm feeling) which can be got from the supermarket along with the three tons of brussels sprouts. The cards have been written and will be posted tomorrow. The presents will be wrapped tonight (if I can find the vodka bottle before I start). The cake is now decorated:

The tree is not yet up thanks to a slight oversight on OH's part (no stand to put it on). We are having a smaller tree this year as mum and dad are staying and they will not be able to open out the sofa bed if we use our usual tree. Smaller tree = smaller decorations = smaller angel =

Pattern here

All (?) that's left to do is: clean the house from top to bottom, make apple pie, make second apple pie as the first was burnt to a cinder after becoming totally engrossed in some trashy TV programme, make mince pies, make custard pie, pick up turkey,go home again to find order confirmation that proves I ordered a turkey, buy enough fruit and vegetables to sink a battleship, return to shop to get the little tiny jar of cranberry sauce that I forgot and queue for 3 hours for the privilege, drive 180 miles (and back) to pick up parents, deliver presents to brother and family, sit in roadworks for three hours on return journey, disentangle cat from sellotape and gift-wrap ribbon, drop Christmas cake whilst transporting it to a "safe" place and finally run off into the sunset, cackling hysterically whilst asking total strangers if they would like me to accompany them on the viola while they sing Christmas Carols!
How about you? Are you ready?

If you can't talk sense......

2006-12-09T16:05:00.000Z

or in this case, write sense, don't talk at all.
My parents used to say this to me a lot when I was little as I was something of a chatterbox. I took their words to heart which is the reason for the lack of posts on this 'ere blog.

Since last we met, I have been out for my birthday meal (to the Emperor of China in Brighton Marina, and very good it was, too), argued with Dixons/Curry's/Mastercare over our less-than-12-months-old LCD TV and whether they should mend it or replace it (they replaced it - Yay!) and painted the bathroom after first patching up the loose plaster and replacing some missing tiles.
The trip to the chinese restaurant was excellent - good food, calm atmosphere, excellent service - well worth another visit.
The interaction with Dixons/Curry's/Mastercare was frustrating, annoying and extremely tedious; it would take a really really long post to cover all the details but we did get satisfaction (kind of) eventually. Needless to say, when they emailed a customer survey (actually, they emailed several - one after each phone call) they did not score highly. The TV was originally a very good deal, bought on-line last December, but their customer service stinks. If there was a national award for buck-passing, they would win, hands down.
The interlude with the bathroom was boring but necessary, what with having guests for Christmas, yada, yada. The guests in question have to be suitably impressed when they come here, they're my parents (same ones who told me, basically, to zip it all those years ago).

There has been some activity of a knitterly variety -

Wine and Roses mittens from the latest Interweave Knits magazine, knitted in Jojoland merino. It's lovely wool but I was very disappointed with the sudden colour change visible on the left mitten. The colour changes up to this point had been very long and subtle and all of a sudden this green comes along and whacks me in the eye!

Argosy scarf from the latest Knitty, using Jaggerspun Zephyr in Cinnabar colour. This may or may not be a Christmas present - I haven't decided yet. This is the first time I have used Jaggerspun and I am undecided about that as well. The resulting fabric is lovely, soft and drapey and good for showing stitch definition, but it is not the easiest to knit with, tending to split quite easily. It would probably be fine with pointier needles than the ones I am using, but my trusty Clover bamboos were the nearest.

A very orange tea cosy, pattern made up as I went along, wool is some Merino Brights by Elle yarns which I found in a local shop and haven't been able to track down anywhere on the web to see if there are any more muted colours available. This is supposed to be a present but I think it has come out too wide and not tall enough and I don't think I can ~~bodge~~ adapt it to fit.

As well as the above activities, I have been to work (a necessary evil) and kept the household going with food and clean clothes etc, so I've not really been slacking, although I intend to now. I know there's another load of washing to be done and I really should make more mince pies or start the dinner but I'm off to spin more silk, yippee!

It's my party

2006-11-24T16:37:00.000Z

and I'll spin if I want to.
Yesterday was my ahem44thahem birthday so I took the day off work and totally pleased myself.
This is what happened:

Sari silk fibres purchased from a well-known on-line auction site and handspun by me on my Ashford Traditional. It should be noted that these images do not describe the full horror of the situation - they do not show, for instance, the amount of very very fine fibre that now appears to be permanently embedded in the sitting-room carpet, nor do they show the same fibres stuck fast to my jeans and cotton sweater; you will simply have to imagine the sound-track to the scenario, mutterings, swearing and the occasional exclamation, not to mention a string of obscenities when I accidentally picked up my carders by the sharp wiry bits instead of the handles! (at least I kept the blood off the fibres). Proceedings were, however, greatly enhanced by the continuous ingestion of some very delicious cherry- and brandy- filled liqueur chocolates (Thanks, Tony).

I had lovely presents from all my family and really enjoyed my day. The real celebration will be this evening as we are going out for a meal at the marina in Brighton - don't know which restaurant yet as there are loads to choose from and I don't really know if I'm in a Spanish, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Thai, New York or Steak House mood (there's even a Mc*****ds but we don't speak of these things). I must now go and change into the loosest-fitting clothes I possess in preparation.............

As promised..........

2006-11-18T23:09:00.000Z

....I give you the Sunrise Circle Jacket:

and the back view:

The colours are a bit more vivid than they appear in the photos.
Pattern: Kate Gilbert in Interweave Knits, Spring 2006
Yarn: Colinette Skye, copperbeech colourway, just over 8 hanks used.

I had real trouble getting the tension right for this and never really got the row count right, with the result that the sleeves were about 4 inches too long and the jacket is not a short jacket as shown in the original pattern. It would have been impossible to get the exact tension with this yarn as I would have needed to use needles three sizes smaller than recommended and the resulting fabric would have been too stiff, not to mention extremely difficult to knit. I know I'm not the only one to experience difficulties with the tension and can only surmise that either the designer or her test knitter is an extremely tight knitter (and I can assure you that I am not loose, myself).
Overall, I am very happy with this; I have hardly taken it off since it was finished on Tuesday and have already had lots of compliments (and am sitting here with a soppy grin on my face as a result!)

Today was the Angel Yarns cake day. Any other online shop might call this event an "open day" or a "showcase", but AY cuts to the chase and tells it like it is - lots of knitters stroking and fondling the wonderful range of yarns whilst simultaneously gorging themselves and trying not to smear chocolate on the aforementioned goodies. I was very restrained and only bought a couple of "tester balls" for myself and some chunky, slubby stuff for Bethany ( and some sparkly needles) but for me the great pleasure was in meeting people that I only *talk* to online in the forum. It is funny how you get a mental picture of someone in your head only to find that in real life they look nothing at all like you'd imagined. I'm sure everyone on the forum thinks of me as a tall, willowy blonde with legs that go on forever (which is how I see myself, ha ha, I wish) when the reality is a plump middle-aged woman with big brunette hair that never does what it's supposed to.
The cakes, if you're interested, were delicious.

Maintaining the pace

2006-11-12T20:17:00.000Z

...or not, in this case. Following the recent flurry of activity, knitting progress has slowed down considerably.

Work has re-started on the Sunrise Circle jacket (link to the KAL on the right somewhere) and I expect completion by the end of the week but apart from that, nothing, zippo, zilch, nada, rien, nul, (you get the picture).
I'm not sure why there has been a slowing down; I have been out more than usual, to parents' evening, open days/evenings at 6th form colleges with Bethany and a modicum of socializing, but not enough to fully explain the lack of progress. I've not had much chance to knit at work over the last week or two, so maybe that explains it. (The real reason, of course, is that I spend far too much time lurking around on knitting forums , attending to wish lists and reading other people's blogs, especially those dedicated souls who post almost every day). After the Sunrise Circle, I have requests for black fingerless gloves (Bethany), a black neck-warmer (Lucy) and a zip-up jacket (OH) so I better get my a**e into gear and get on with it.

Today, I made the christmas cake and it smells absolutely wonderful. I used a new recipe this year which instructs you to soak the dried fruit and stem ginger overnight in a mixture of ginger wine and cognac, then puree half of this mixture before folding it into the cake. Pre-cooking tastings (ahem, who me?) indicate a treat in store on Christmas Day, and that's before I've added the almond paste and icing. Yum!
The downside (and there's always a downside) is that I had to buy a whole bottle of ginger wine just to use 75ml (10%) of it so I'm having to really force myself to use up the remainder as a mixer with whiskey - honestly, the sacrifices I make to provide for my family!

Production line

2006-11-04T16:26:00.000Z

I have been busy, so busy that blogging has taken a back seat (in case you hadn't noticed!)
This is what I've been up to:

Blocking in progress, closely followed by sewing up to produce this:

(Oh God! I really need to diet).

close up of pointed sleeve:

Yes! Rock Star is finally finished. I can't remember when I started it but I'm so glad it's done and that this time it actually fits, it will be worn a lot and I'm considering another one in a different colour.

The great cushion marathon continues:

Sari silk, circle based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi calculations.

Stash DK yarn (left over from a sweater I made for OH) - pattern made up as I went along.

Based on Log Cabin Knitting in the Mason-Dixon book.

Adapted from the piano stool cover, also in Mason-Dixon.

and I've also managed a bit of spinning and dyeing:

Top is Grey faced Dartmoor, natural and dyed with walnut shells; the rest is just odd bits of merino and some hand-dyed wensleydale that I found lurking in a drawer, originally bought for the ''Great Felted Bag'' venture some 18 months ago which was a an ill-conceived attempt at world domination and untold wealth through the creation of unique felted bags - trouble is, I kind of got side-tracked so it never really happened. The only two bags that actually got made are still in the cupboard somewhere because I liked them so much I didn't want to part with them! I don't think I've got what it takes to be a felting entrepreneur.

The next thing to be completed will be the Sunrise Circle jacket , which has been on the back burner for a while, and some fingerless gloves, requested by Bethany. Oh yes! and a neck warmer for Lucy which I promised her over a year ago, then there's the vintage tie that I started for OH and the second Jaywalker sock, the Elvis wig plus some ideas for a felted bag and............ and....................... and............................
Y'see, I haven't really got time for all this blogging lark, let alone housework and cooking and all the other stuff that eats into knitting/spinning time. Please can someone teach me how to knit in my sleep? Please?

A good excuse

2006-10-25T19:01:00.000+01:00

This time, anyway - I've been away for a few days and was unable to get onto the internet; not because there was no connection, but because the connection was hijacked by my darling daughters onto Lucy's laptop and she appeared to be operating a "strictly no mums" policy. We were staying at my mum and dad's and although they have a broadband connection, it is never active when we are there as the computer has to be moved to accommodate the girls and there is no phone point nearby. So, my brother had the bright idea of disconnecting the modem from mum's PC and re-connecting it to Lucy's laptop which could be sited near either of the phone points. Voila! We have connection! At least, anyone under the age of 19 does, but not me, or mum, or brother. I hardly saw the girls after that except for mealtimes as it is apparently impossible to be a proper teenager unless you spend at least 12 hours a day "talking" on MSN. Hey ho!

Anyway, this lack of virtual communications meant that I had time to do a fair amount of knitting so we now have one back, two fronts and one sleeve of the rock star cardi completed as well as a ball-band wash cloth (not that actual one, mine is a very ~~sickly~~ fetching combination of pink and green) and a couple of cushion covers. No pictures yet as for some reason, I have made one circular piece and one square piece so they can't be assembled until I've knitted another circle and another square. I'm off work for the rest of this week so hopefully Rock Star will get finished and the cushions may be ready for plumping.

I also managed to buy another book (what really? wouldn't be another knitting book, would it?)during an evening visit to Borders - a very civilised idea, going to bookshops in the evening. The Vogue Stitchionary part one. It just sort of slipped into my basket as I was browsing, honest, and I didn't even realise until I was at the till, paying. A preliminary look through has set off all sorts of ideas in my yarn-addled brain so I may have to get yet more cushions to knit for.

It was a short trip to the parents this time as both girls had made plans for half-term, but I will be back up there next weekend to attend the funeral of my Grandpa's second wife - Gladys died suddenly in her sleep on 7th October at the venerable age of 93. If only we could all go like that, just slip away peacefully with no suffering, no fear.

Another week

2006-10-15T11:13:00.000+01:00

gone by and not much in the way of posting.
I have knitted the back, one front and most of the second front of the rock-star cardi so progress has been made but the finish is stilll some way off.
Yesterday I bought cushion pads (five of them) and intend to knit or crochet covers for all of them. This will serve two purposes:
a) use up some of the SOMP (stash of mountainous proportions)
b) create a warm, homespun look for the window seat (hopefully).
One cover is half done and there are lots of ideas for the others, which have been inspired by my latest accidental purchase. How can anyone possibly make an "accidental" purchase? Surprisingly easily if you are browsing the well-know bookstore site and wonder what the "One-Click purchasing" does. I know, I know, the clue is in the name but I had forgotten that it really does do what it says on the tin.

On Friday, I received an interesting letter ( on headed notepaper from a rather nice hotel in Suffolk):

Dear Anne,
I just thought I'd let you know that I'm spending a few days with T*** and
R**** in the lap of luxury among rich old people taking their leisure.
Everyone thinks I'm so cute in my little uniform. T*** is disappointed that
my namesake here does not wear an identical outfit. I told him "Look but don't
touch - you can't have it all!" He's wondering if I will turn into flesh and
blood as Pinnochio did..... only you and I know.
Love from
Barry the Bellhop
X X X

(names have been disguised to protect the ~~guilty~~ innocent).
Barry was only allowed to go and live with T*** as a reward for behaving well during his stay at the "Up Knit Creek Residential Home for Recalcitrant Bellhops" but I'm now of the opinion that he will have to be recalled and suffer some sort of punishment as has obviously been acting in a somewhat teasing and provocative manner and has probably caused a few heart attacks and fits of the vapours. What is the point of me teaching bellhop etiquette 10 hours a day if it is just going to be ignored the minute those miscreants are released?

Oh dear

2006-10-07T18:03:00.000+01:00

Where has the time gone? I swear it's only a couple of days since I last posted and yet here we are over a week later.
The chat room and map have gone as I decided they took up too much space for too little return and in their place is a new improved photo gallery - check it out.
I have spun another couple of little skeins of yarn, from merino roving this time, one multi coloured strand and one natural strand plied together. Looks very pretty and is quite even but I have yet to see how it knits up.
I have turned my attentions to the rock star cardi (scroll down a bit, 5th row) again as I will need to wear it soon. This is, as mentioned previously, my second attempt at this pattern, the first one having turned out waaaaay too large owing to an unforseen reaction of the yarn (of unknown parentage) to the iron. The result was donated to OH's mum, who has not yet worn the cardi despite professing her delight with it; mind you, the weather has not really necessitated cardi-wearing until very recently.
I also made a start, like many others, on the Swallow-tail shawl from Interweave Knits Fall 2006 and was using two strands of very fine cashmere yarn that came from heaven-knows-where. All was well until I forgot which row of the chart I was on (which may or may not be linked to the amounts of alcohol imbibed). I was frogging and tinking merrily away but could not spot the mistake, or how to fix it. Then I dropped a stitch and thought enough was enough. The whole lot has been frogged and will be started again when ~~hell freezes over~~ I can be bothered and am completely sober.

I am pleased to report that the Bellhop met with great approval and the birthday celebrations look set to continue well into next week, having kicked off promisingly last night with several rounds in a local pub followed by delicious Italian food and wine (and liqueurs) and lots of presents. Turning 50 obviously isn't all bad.

A few little things

2006-09-28T18:29:00.000+01:00

Lucy's shrug, finally finished after three false starts and a decided lack of interest after the first side was complete. Lucy is happy with it, but I don't really like it much - the pattern doesn't go with the yarn and isn't very visible; I think this stitch pattern would be better in cotton or silk............ next time.

This is the first attempt at knitting with my own handspun yarn. It is very variable in thickness, full of nobbles and the colours are a bit yucky but I can't help feeling pleased as punch with this. Things can only get better from here!

Second attempt at handspinning; I have no idea what the wool is as it was given to me by Ann from whom I bought the wheel. I found it quite easy to spin and the overall thickness is much more uniform than the first attempt. I would like to dye this using natural dyes but am a bit unsure where to start (I bought some raw beetroot in anticipation).

Finally:

This little chap is a silly present for a colleague who has a "significant" birthday coming up. What on earth do you give the man who already has everything? Of course! A knitted bellboy! The pattern is by the inimitable Jean Greenhowe, whose attention to detail really makes these patterns stand out. I have several of her booklets and have been really pleased with finished results every time. Her traditional teddy is the best knitted teddy I have come across.

I know I haven't been blogging much recently but as you can see, I've been busy. As well as the above, OH and I went to visit Standen on Sunday and what a little gem it is. In addition to the lovely Arts & Crafts house, the local Spinners' Guild was demonstrating in the conservatory and there was an exhibition by three local textile artists in one of the bedrooms - beautiful felt bags and scarves, fantastic embroidered pictures and some of the nicest patchwork I've seen. The exhibition finishes this weekend so do try and go if you can although the house alone is well worth a visit. (No pictures as Bethany still had the camera!)

I did this..................

2006-09-20T18:53:00.000+01:00

on this:

and I liked it so much I'm going to do some more!

A few weeks ago I joined this group and asked if anyone had a wheel for sale. A lovely lady called Ann replied to my plea - and how! It turned out that she was coming to stay for a few days in a place about 25 miles away from me so she brought the wheel over and gave me a two-hour spinning lesson. She also gave me a large bundle of fleece to practise with so there really is no stopping me now. Thank you so much, Ann, you're fantastic!
The first skein has been knitted up in a feather and fan pattern and will hopefully become a neck-warmer when I have spun some more. I can't wait to try out other fibres but for the moment I'm limiting myself to ordinary wool until I can spin a lot more evenly.
I went to the Knitting & Stitching Show at the N. E. C. on Sunday with my mum and amongst other things, I bought some alpaca fibre - it is so deliciously soft that I have to keep reaching into the bag to stroke it - but it won't be spun until I am convinced I can do it justice.
My mum, who I had hoped would be a restraining influence on me (huh, fat chance!) bought a couple of tapestry kits and some cotton/wool/acrylic blend yarn (which is probably a completed cardi by now, the speed she knits) and I got some Handmaiden lace silk in Periwinkle and some hand-dyed merino 4-ply in gorgeous shades of blues and purples for the amazing price of £10 for 500g - unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the stall I got it from. I would post piccies but Bethany has got the camera for a school trip to Tate Britain. The silk is probably destined to become a shawl or stole and the merino will probably be a jumper of some sort, I'm thinking some kind of modular knitting to show off the colours to best effect.

On an entirely different note - gallstones. Anyone had them, or the op to remove them? Your thoughts would be most welcome.

P.S. Apologies for all the links today, my links finger has gone into overdrive.

Lucy is.........

2006-09-13T17:20:00.000+01:00

today.

She is now an adult in the eyes of the law, but will always be my little girl.
We are going to the pub later so she can have her first "legal" drink and we will be going to a Spanish restaurant on Friday to continue the celebrations.
Lucy didn't want a big party or a lot of fuss so I'm not going to embarrass her with lots of pictures of her as a baby or tell stories about her early exploits (and there are plenty, let me tell ya!), I'm just going to wish her a long and happy life, success in everything she does and lots and lots of love.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY

Yummy carrot cake as requested by the birthday girl.

A few little changes

2006-09-03T09:38:00.000+01:00

I have added a map and a chat-room type thingy just to see if it works so I would be very happy if anyone who reads this drivel would put themselves on the map and try chatting. I think you probably have to sign up for Frappr to do so, but it seems pretty straightforward. I thought the chat-thing was more immediate than comments and more likely to elicit a response!

We went to the BBQ last Sunday and had a really nice time - I met up with a couple of friends whom I haven't seen for aaaaaages so it was great to be able to catch up on the last few years.
Both these ladies were friends back in the days when I was still married, and despite promises not to take sides etc etc, we just drifted apart. Last week we chatted away as if we'd never been apart so I'm hopeful that our friendships can be rekindled - there's already talk of cinema/meal/gossip sessions!
I took my "unbiased" bag along to the BBQ and as a consequence, have orders for at least two more. I got some more sari silk on Ebay and decided to wash it before attempting to wind it into balls and start knitting - of course, it's raining today so have to wait for it to dry (booooooooooooring). This lot appears to be even more tightly spun than the last lot and is trying to twist back on itself so I think it will prove tricky to knit with. The washing doesn't appear to have helped much with the twisting - any of you spinners out there got any suggestions?
Both girls came to the BBQ as well but I don't think Bethany enjoyed herself much - let's just say that she won't be touching alcohol again for the forseeable future!

It's funny how things work out - having just re-acquainted myself with two old friends, I have to say goodbye to a fairly recent friend. One of my colleagues has just got a new job in London and will be moving up there shortly. He has worked his last day with us so we went out on Friday night to wish him luck in his new venture. Usually, "a night out with friends from work" is a euphemism for a pub-crawl but we were very good this time. OK, we started in a pub, but instead of trying to find somewhere sophisticated for champagne cocktails and tasteful little nibbles we ended up in an Indian restaurant called River Spice. I don't agree with the first review in the link - the food was very good and the service was pretty good too, although they did forget two portions of pilau rice initially.
Anyway, Philip had a good send-off and we will all miss him (and his wonderfully dry humour) a great deal.

Knitting.... aaah yes............knitting um, well, you see, it's like this....... I haven't really done much this week (no, really? You don't say!!). Lucy's shrug is about halfway done now but had to put to one side for an urgent commission from OH. He was given free tickets to the Goodwood Revival on Friday and wanted to go (as people are encouraged to do) dressed in period clothes. Well, he found a trilby and suitable shoes etc etc but needed a tie. "A knitted tie would be just right" I said (opening mouth and inserting foot) "There's a pattern in that old book of my Granny's".
The pattern was duly approved as suitable and I set to work - fine wool and finer needles. After about two inches, I realised that it was far too wide for a 1950s style tie so frogged and started again. Trouble is the tie had to be about 44 inches long and I only had four nights to knit it. After the first night I had only managed about 6 inches but I persevered. It was knitted double (knit 1 slip 1 across every row to produce a double-thickness fabric) and I just couldn't knit quickly enough. I admitted defeat after two nights and OH found a rather ghastly paisley number instead. The knitted tie has been put to one side for now, but will be finished eventually, maybe in time for next year's Revival!

Come and chat with me now, please!

A couple of old bags

2006-08-27T12:27:00.000+01:00

Progress on the shrug I am knitting for Lucy is very slow because I am finding it quite heavy going; I don't know why this is as it is a lacy pattern, (interesting to knit) knitted in the round, (plenty of dexterity needed to keep those 5 pointy sticks under control) and the design is being made up as I go along (lots of concentration needed) so there is plenty to hold my interest but it just seems to be taking forever and I felt I needed a quick fix.
So:

This is "Unbiased" from Knitty (smaller than in the original pattern and with a few short rows at the top of each section to reduce the depth of the V in the middle, and lined) knitted with the recycled silk sari yarn from my Secret Summer Santa.
I made the bag smaller because I didn't think I would have quite enough yarn to make a full-size one, but my worries were unfounded as there is still one whole skein plus a bit more left. I think that will make a circular cushion cover for the window seat as I love the colours so much, I want them to be where I can see them all the time. I have yet to find a project worthy of the other beautiful silk yarn that Claire also sent - any suggestions happily accepted.

I also made another bag about three weeks ago - I needed a new bag to carry my work paraphernalia around in as the old one died. I have a large black folder with all the papers, plus I need room for a water bottle, sandwich box and knitting. I hadn't been able to find anything suitable to buy, so, inspired by Sheepish Annie and her tote-making frenzy I got busy with the sewing machine and some inkjet-printable fabric and made this
.
It has so far proved to be suitable for purpose and managed to convey large amounts of stuff around the country during our recent travels.

We're off to a barbecue this afternoon so as it's typical Bank Holiday weather I need to go and find my wellies, waterproof jacket, scarf and gloves!!

As promised............

2006-08-23T18:17:00.000+01:00

We have a sock:

No 2 has been started - about 5 rounds of ribbing done on the ferry last week before I got bored and played a very silly game with the girls that involved drawing pictures of animals with your eyes closed. I tried to persuade the girls to let me scan some of our masterpieces for the delectation of the reader(s) of this blog, but to no avail. Suffice it to say that there were some pretty strange looking creatures (a squirrel who appeared to have a bum [ass] on his head and a camel whose legs connected directly to its neck, to name a couple).

We also have a cardi, from Vogue's Knit1

Can someone please tell me why Bethany thinks she looks ugly in this picture? I think she looks great (yes, I know I'm biased but ugly? No way!). This was taken about 3.30pm this afternoon, shortly after she had got up, so she may look a little .........erm........less than wide awake, but definitely not ugly. It is one of my great joys as a mum to look at my daughters and think how beautiful they are, and then to wonder where on earth they get their looks from (not me, that's for sure). Trying to convince them that they should be proud of the way they look is an uphill struggle, but I keep on trying.
That's it for now, can't write blogs on an empty stomach.

I'm back

2006-08-19T14:05:00.000+01:00

Did you miss me? Well, I'm back now, having put several hundred miles on the mileometer and having two FOs (Bethany's cardi and one jaywalker sock, but no photos as the girls have the camera and are in London for the day).
We went to Weston-super-~~Lame~~Mare for a few days to stay with an old friend of OH. He lives in a large old house and has plenty of room for all of us and is the perfect laid-back host. He also has a 19-year-old cat called Astrid, who was very friendly and soon wormed her way into our affections.

She certainly doesn't look 19 and doesn't really act it either.
Whilst in that neck of the woods, we visited Glastonbury and all its new-age shops.

I have never seen so many crystals, incense-burners, hemp products, Earth goddess statues, d-i-y pagan shrines, divining sticks, etc etc in one place. Brighton has its "alternative" side, but nothing like Glastonbury! I felt spiritually cleansed and full of peace and lurve after soaking up the atmosphere (actually, I felt knackered and full following a lovely veggie meal in one of the cafes there!). From Glastonbury we went to Wells and visited the Cathedral.

Obviously, this picture isn't the cathedral, it's the market cross (I think). I was taking video footage inside the cathedral and haven't yet edited it or worked out how to put videos on the blog. There were a few pictures of the cathedral and its surroundings, but they seem to have mysteriously disappeared (Girls, is that anything to do with you? You know the one I mean - with the gate and the little picture??).
The knitting of Bethany's cardi was completed in Weston-super-Mare and the sewing up was started (but hopelessly cocked up). Pictures when the camera returns.

After our trip to the West, we ventured north to my parents. My brother has just built a ~~Lean-to~~ conservatory so we had a BBQ there to celebrate the opening of this magnificent new edifice. It's so nice listening to the sound of raindrops on glass whilst knocking back Pinot Grigio and munching ~~carbon~~ sausages. We followed that with a family Sunday Lunch at a local hostelry

This is everyone except me and includes, Ma, Pa, Bruv, Bruv's partner, two nieces, a step-niece, OH and two daughters (in no particular order). I'm thinking of setting up as a photographer, specialising in formal, well-presented family groups; whaddya think?! We also had the obligatory visit to Borders (where I was very tempted to join the knitting group "Knit me baby one more time!") and a trip into the city centre where I got the most amazing bargain - a pair of blue trousers reduced from £45 to £10.80. When I went to pay for them though, they were reduced even further to £6.75 - a useful morning's work, I'd say.

On Thursday the girls and I went to Dieppe for the day. We live about 10 minutes' walk from the ferry terminal and hardly ever make use of it. If you get the 8.00am ferry, you can have about 5 hours or so in Dieppe before returning home on the 6.00pm boat. We had enough time to have lunch,

buy some smelly cheese and some CDs (not smelly, although they do make my ears bleed ha ha) and generally wander around soaking up the Frenchness of it all.

We returned home after a smooth crossing

during which the first Jaywalker sock was completed (having been started in about March) and the second one was started. (I may also have bought ~~vast quantities~~ a small amount of duty-free booze).
There has also been some progress on the shrug I am making for Lucy - it has been started three times and frogged twice, mainly due to a) not enough yarn and b) change of mind about pattern stitch. Version three is progressing well at present...............

A bit more

2006-08-05T14:17:00.000+01:00

When I got home yesterday there was a parcel waiting which contained this:

A little crochet bag for holding yarn when you're knitting out and about. This was from Claire/Novice, my secret summer santa, who said that she had waited so long for the recycled sari silk to arrive that she had completely forgotten about it, despite having made it specially. I haven't tried it yet as I've only knitted on the sofa yesterday and today, but I'm sure it will be very useful as I quite often knit in the car and it will stop the yarn rolling under the pedals or getting caught around the handbrake (or getting absolutely filthy from all the sandwich crumbs which seem to have accumulated in the footwells, on the seats, on the dashboard - you name it!) Claire also included the left-over yarn as she thought I might want to dye it and would need to do a test-run, which was very thoughtful. I have never done a dyeing test-run in my life, much preferring to leap straight in and have a ~~terrible shock~~ lovely surprise afterwards. The colour, although not one of my current favourites, reminds me of those long-ago days when I used to pirouette, jete and saute around the dance floor, performing the odd (and I do mean odd) arabesque en route. It's exactly the colour I used to use for darning the ends of my pointe shoes when I did ballet. Aaaah, the memories.

I've now finished my other little crochet project, but still don't know if I should be discussing it or not. In the meantime, a sneak preview:

and
.
I know they're not very clear pictures, but hopefully all will be revealed in the not-too-distant future.

I'm now on two week's leave from work YIPPEEEEEEEEE!
We're not going on a "proper" holiday but we will be getting about a bit. A few days near Weston-Super-Mare (or Weston-Super-Lame, as Bethany calls it), a few days with my parents and of course, mon ami, ze leetle "voyage d'un jour" to Dieppe (eight hours on a ferry for five hours in France. Mad? Probably).
Bonnes Vacances!

Presents

2006-07-29T19:39:00.000+01:00

I am a very lucky girl! The Angel Yarns knitting forum, of which I am a member, has been running a "Secret Summer Santa" and I decided to take part. I have often toyed with the idea of taking part in a Secret Pal exchange but never got round to it - I couldn't really be bothered with setting up an anonymous e-mail address and all that stuff but the SSS didn't involve much effort on my part other than browsing knitting shops (and that was hard!).
Anyway, back to the point, my pressies arrived today and I am chuffed to bits, thrilled, over the moon, happy to the point of bursting and any other expression that signifies great delight.
Lookee here:

Close-ups

and

and of course, Mollie had to get in on the act:

That is three hanks of recycled sari silk yarn which I have been wanting to try for aaaaaaaaaages but couldn't justify the expense; a meltingly soft skein of Angel Yarns hand-painted silk in lovely pale blues, greys and pinks and what doesn't show up very well - six stitch markers with little pussycats on them (Mollie was very impressed). There was also a CD which was based on my predilection for cheesy 60s music - I have a sore throat now from singing along all day (remind me to apologise to the neighbours later).
The clue was a picture of Don Johnson and the other bloke (whose name totally escapes me) from Miami Vice. There was a title next to the picture that said "Miami" and asked "What's missing".
The answer of course was that there was "No Vice" which is Novice (her forum name), aka Claire. Thank you so much, Claire, it was a lovely present and you got my tastes exactly right.

Apart from the excitement of thinking all my Christmasses had come at once, I have been knitting and crocheting. The current knitting projects are:

Sunrise circle jacket - on hold whilst we've had the hot weather, aran-weight wool is no good when your hands are sweating
Rock star cardi - 2nd attempt as first one was waaaaay too big and ended up being donated to MIL
Cropped cardi from Knit1 for Bethany - it's green in the magazine but Bethany wanted Peacock blue which is much nicer than the green IMHO
jaywalker socks - they are definitely around somewhere but not too sure exactly where at the moment. I don't need woolly socks in this weather, anyway.

There may be a couple of other things OTN as well, but I'm blowed if I can remember what they are! Plenty more ideas in the old grey cells though.

In crochet, I have a couple of small projects on the go but I'm not too sure if I'm meant to be discussing them at present. I will take photos before they are sent off and reveal them as and when. Have also promised Lucy a crochet long-sleeved shrug but that's not been started yet. Also got a couple of crochet bags that I want to make soon but they may be delayed now I've got the scrummy stuff from Claire.

Well, I can't waste any more precious time on the 'puter, I've got knitting to do!

No news

2006-07-20T20:47:00.000+01:00

is good news or so they say. In this instance it just means that I haven't got much to say.
I have finished a crochet bag, but in true dim-witted Up Knit Creek fashion I completely forgot to take a photo of it before I gave it to its new owner. The new owner is the same friend whose daughter I knitted the shruggy bolero thingy for recently and she has been having a bit of a rough time lately so I wanted to cheer her up a bit. The bag was the Big Bottomed bag (I think that's what it's called - my memory is terrible) from The Happy Hooker and was very easy to make once I'd understood what a "herringbone half double crochet" is.

I sent off my present for the Angel Yarns forum Secret Summer Santa on Tuesday and am very pleased to report that my spoilee, Miss Naomi (no link, I don't think she has a blog), has declared herself very happy with her gifts. That's a huge relief because I really enjoyed choosing what to get (and making some of it) and would have been very disappointed if it had not been to her liking. I've never taken part in any of these Secret Pal type things before, maybe because it's a bit too much commitment, but this one was just right. One gift (about £20 in value) and no messing about with secret e-mail addresses and all that mullarkey - a quick fix, that's all I need!

This week at work has been very trying, mainly because of the weather. The temperature round here has been up to 36 degrees celsius ( about 90-something fahrenheit) which is quite unusual, even in high summer. That in itself is not a problem and if I were able to be beside a pool with a cool drink and a hot book, I would have no complaints at all. The problem is that I spend most of the day in my car, which does not have air-con, driving round crowded streets at 20 mph before going into the houses of elderly people who insist on keeping their windows closed to avoid draughts. Add in the fact that this year I have decided to grow my *fiendishly thick* hair long (but not yet long enough to tie back off my face and neck) and by the end of the day I feel as though I have melted into a puddle of ectoplasm on the car seat. Still, I'd be moaning if it was raining.

Finally

2006-07-14T19:33:00.000+01:00

Yes, finally, it's dry.
.
Time to knit: 2 days, including having to wait for Monday morning to get more yarn.
Time to dry: forever (well, 4 days actually, but it felt like forever).
Time spent admiring it: all day today so far!
Both OH and Lucy have said that they think it's the most professional-looking bag that I've made so far, so I'm pleased, really pleased.
*Wanders off with slightly scary grin plastered all over face*

Still drying

2006-07-12T21:43:00.000+01:00

I was hoping to have a FO to display today but it's not dry yet. The item in question is a felted bag ( a girl can never have too many bags) from Pursenality Plus (it's the pink one on the top row) but it is so thick (which is good) that it's taking ages to dry (which is bad). It has been hanging up for the best part of two days and has been subjected to a very hot iron and a turn in the tumble dryer but is still not completely dry. I'm just itching to get the handles put on and sew in the pocket and the trims and start flaunting it about but my patience is beginning to wear thin. If it's not dry tomorrow I might have to construct a bonfire in the garden and support the bag over it on a spit! (Take that, you unco-operative bag!)
I have used Twilley's Freedom wool in a mottled turquoise instead of the Cascade 220 called for because the Twilley's is easier to get and I know from past experience how well it felts. The drawback is that the range of colours is nowhere near as good as the Cascade and I have to ~~turn my brain to mush~~ do sums to work out how much I need - as it turned out in this particular case, I didn't do the sums very accurately and had to buy an extra ball of black for the trim.

The ~~woolly-headed loonies~~ lovely members of Angel Yarns forums have set up a Secret Summer Santa recently, a kind of Secret Pal exchange only a bit simpler. We each have to send our "spoilee" a gift to the value of £20, knitting-related, and with a clue to our identity. It is proving to be quite tricky, as not everyone has a blog so it's not easy to get clues about likes and dislikes from a few short posts on the forum. I have made my purchase(s) now but there are a few other item(s) that need to be gathered together to complete the parcel (I'm being deliberately vague in case my spoilee chances upon these humble ramblings). The trickiest bit is the clue - what on earth can I give as a clue that won't be either screamingly obvious or so convoluted as to be unsolvable? I'm stumped, I tell ya, stumped!

A quickie

2006-07-06T20:54:00.000+01:00

Started this on Saturday evening, just finished the final weaving in of ends about half an hour ago;

Crocheted in "Wendy" Supreme luxury cotton DK, used 2 x 100g balls (201 metres per ball). Pattern: my own, using the "triple strand lace" stitch from The Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting and Crochet Stitches (The Harmony Guides) - I say "pattern" but really I just made it up as I went along. Very simple, no shaping and no complicated stitches or techniques - if you can do chain and double crochet (US single crochet) you can make this.

Scary

2006-07-02T11:31:00.000+01:00

The girls went to a fancy dress party yesterday - Lucy (top) was "an eighties' throwback" and Bethany was a fairy - she also had a pair of red wings and biker boots to complete the look.
I had to go and have a lie-down in a darkened room after that.

The glorious sunshine that we have had here for the past few days doesn't suit everyone:

Poor Mollie just doesn't know what to do with herself - she's been desperately trying to find a shady spot to cool off but without much luck. When I knelt down to take this picture the stones were so hot I almost burnt my knees.

Last but not least, a finished object

This is the Lotus Blossom Tank from Interweave Knits Spring 2006 (or was it Summer?). I used Rowan wool-cotton which is a dream to knit with. I had to alter the neckline afer the first wearing as it had a tendency to gape and flash my boobs - not a pretty sight as I am considerably better endowed than Dolly Dummy. I unpicked about an inch and then decreased about 8 stitches evenly across the next row, then carried on as per the pattern. It's now safe for me to wear in public.
During the knitting of this, my Denise needles cord connector snapped (see previous post) but I am very happy to report that one week after sending the e-mail, a whole new set of cords arrived in the post. That's what I call service!

Not much knitting

2006-06-25T13:10:00.000+01:00

Going on chez Up Knit Creek. I have started the Lotus Blossom Tank (scroll down) which I am doing in a subtle pink shade of Rowan wool-cotton. The yarn was an E-bay bargain about a year ago and has been sitting patiently waiting for the right project to come along. I've never used this yarn before but would definitely use it again. It's soft, easy to work with and the stitch definition is excellent. The tank is knitted in the round and I'm about half-way through the stocking stitch above the lace pattern - unfortunately, whilst knitting on Friday, the cord connector on my lovely Denise interchangeable needles snapped clean off causing me to drop several stitches. This is the second time that a connector has snapped so I e-mailed Denise straight away and got a very quick response, apologising for the problems I've experienced and promising to send a whole new set of cords. I'm sorry to say that if I was dealing with a British company, I would probably have had to prove that I hadn't deliberately broken the cord and then pay for the grudgingly sent replacement, promising to not be so hard on the replacements in future. The Yanks (used admiringly) certainly have a lot to teach us about customer service. Speaking of which, I was talking to Tess, the owner of Angel Yarns last weekend and she told me that they have sometimes received knitted garments through the post which have obviously been washed on the wrong programme as they have shrunk and felted, with a note from the irate customer demanding their money back. Tess usually obliges, which I think is very good of her, because, surely, if you've spent a lot of time and money on your new knitted project, you take great care with the washing of it. How can it possibly be the store owner's responsibility if you don't bother to read the washing instructions? To say that I was gobsmacked was the understatement of the year.

This morning I have done a little gardening - not my favourite pastime, and certainly not with any results worth showing - but there was little patch in front of the roses that was really bugging me, so I tidied it up. Trouble is, there's now lots more little patches which need tidying, but they will have to wait. I do have a grand plan for the garden that I drew up about 6 or 7 years ago, but so far they remain just plans - there has been no action on them whatsoever.

Mollie trying to avoid the heat.
This picture pretty much sums things up at the moment - I would like to be able to go to sleep, hidden from view, and wake up when everything's over. It hasn't been a good week really; I don't like to use the blog to air my personal problems so let's just say that whoever said that being a parent was the hardest job in the world was lying. What they should have said is that being a step-parent is the hardest job in the world - all the problems and few (if any) of the joys.

Finished

2006-06-18T19:18:00.000+01:00

The little sparkly bolero thingy that I was knitting for my friend's daughter is finished.

(excuse the dustbin, it was the only thing I could find to raise Dolly Dummy up to the required height!) The bolero thingy is going to be worn over a scarlet strapless dress and has matching beaded bag and shoes so I think she'll look fabulous - hopefully I'll get photos of the whole outfit on the big night.

In other news, I went to a Cake & Knit event at my LYS today. What can I say, my two favourite activities in the same place at the same time. Bliss.
I was quite restrained - some Twilleys "Freedom" wool (to make a bag from this new book which I acquired on Friday) and some Celestial Merino in Seashell colourway (scroll down a bit).
The main problem with where I work is that it is very close to a large branch of Waterstone's and a branch of Borders so it is very difficult to resist the temptation to go in and browse the Knitting & Crochet section on a regular basis. It's a good job I'm not in the office all day every day otherwise my stash of books would be as big as the yarn stash - who am I kidding, I've got enough books to start my own shop already!

Today was Father's Day in the UK; my dad doesn't really go in for "all that commercialism" but I wanted to mark the occasion without going over the top about it. After much pondering I had an idea for the perfect present - useful, a little quirky and handmade by his ~~favourite~~ only daughter. Dad has recently and reluctantly started to use a walking stick owing to an arthritic knee which sometimes gives way without warning, but although the stick is very useful it also gets in the way when he has to do other things like paying for goods or showing his bus pass. The solution to this problem was simple - I crocheted a loop from household string which Dad can attach to the stick and loop over his wrist at the appropriate moment to stop the stick falling on the floor. He seemed quite pleased with it and I await the results of the first test-drive!

(Dad on his 80th birthday).

Oooh eerr

2006-06-12T22:07:00.000+01:00

Just found this on someone else's blog (sorry, I've forgotten whose) so of course I had to have a go

You Are The Moon

You represent the unconscious side of life, what happens in dreams.
You are capable of great genius - but also of great madness.
Emotions tend to be primal for you, both your fears and your fantasies.
Your intuition is always right, listening to it is the difficult part.

Your fortune:

You are about to embark on a very important journey - and a very difficult one.
Some of your deepest dreams will be realized, as well as some of your deepest nightmares.
Follow your creativity and visions; stay away from your weaknesses.
You are taking a voyage to the center of yourself, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.

What Tarot Card Are You?

Bit scary, wish I hadn't bothered now.

The Big Knit-In

2006-06-10T10:06:00.000+01:00

I should have blogged about this earlier, but I kind of forgot, so here it is better late then never.
Click here for the official info and eventually piccies from this year's event.
Unfortunately, ~~being a total dork~~ I was thinking about knitterly things so I forgot to take my camera - you'll have to rely on a non-visual description.
The girls spent most of the day attending to Bethany's dreads, putting the final touches to the wild and woolly creation springing forth from her cranium, but did take time out to eat a good chicken wrap from the BBQ and to look around the degree shows by the photography, textiles, fashion and knitting students - very innovative stuff going on there; I wish I could do one of those courses.(Bethany also knitted a few rows on an octopus's tentacle, but Lucy has resisted all attempts and pleadings to learn how to knit).
I showed a friend how to do hairpin lace and she showed me how to knit with wire - I have tried before, but the wire I used was just too stiff. This time we were using pure silver wire and it is much easier to manipulate. Thanks, Joan. We also entered the heats for the fastest knitter - I managed 117 sts in 3 minutes but the woman who won had knitted 141 sts! She was knitting continental style and afterwards I asked her to show me how to do it. Thanks, Marianne. I think it will be ~~when hell freezes over~~ a very long time before I can work up any speed using this method, but I'm really pleased that I know how to do it. I had figured out the knit stitch some time ago but just couldn't get to grips with the purl. Next I'll have to work out yarn-overs and k2tog etc. It feels really weird to be a beginner knitter again and it's quite frustrating that I can't (yet) manage to produce a nice even-tensioned knitted fabric.
I resisted the temptation to buy yet more yarn, despite Laughing Hens' blatant and despicable attempts to seduce me with Colinette, Noro and Rooster yarns. I have enough projects lined up to see me through to Christmas, not including any knitted gifts I may make, so increasing the stash would just make me completely lose the few remaining marbles I still have.
The weather stayed warm and dry, the music was good, the food plentiful and the company of like-minded friends very relaxing; all-in-all a great day out.

A friend at work has asked me to make a shrug for her daughter to wear at the school prom, so I had to go into the LYS yesterday to pick the yarn and pattern (didn't buy anything for myself - how good am I??). She chose a gun-metal ladder yarn and a simple tie-front design which IMHO will look stunning with the scarlet strapless dress and silvery shoes. My own beloved #1 daughter refused to go to her prom last year, thereby denying me the chance to get all gooey and indulgent over ball gowns, pretty bags, limos etc etc. Whether beloved #2 daughter will choose to go next year, we shall have to wait and see. If she does go, I don't think there is any danger of her wearing a conventional ball gown, more likely to be something composed of recycled t-shirts, netting and a few laces to hold it all together - she doesn't really do conventional. (Speaking of which, the dreadlocks had to go as she risked being suspended from school. This has led to much sighing and bemoaning of how "lame" the school is and a new, shorter, haircut which actually looks very good).
Enough blogging, I should be knitting.

Changes

2006-06-04T18:23:00.000+01:00

Bethany will not be very happy about this, but never mind.

Before:

After:

It broke my heart to see that lovely Colinette Point 5 used in something that wasn't knitted, but #2 daughter has admitted to being satisfied with the result, so that's OK then.

Revealed

2006-05-31T18:31:00.000+01:00

The secret can now be revealed as this:

a birthday present for my brother's step-daughter (does that make her my step-niece? Who knows?). She was very pleased with it, but was too tired to try it on as she had had a very long day, so I hope it fits OK.

I have now finished the "Short 'n' Sweet" bolero from The Happy Hooker. I had to fudge things a bit and give it a huge blast of steam, but it fits (sort of) and has already been complimented several times. If I make this again, I will alter the neckline because the V-neck did not turn out very V-necked - the shaping was too close to the shoulders and the slope wasn't long enough or gradual enough. Not quite sure if my crocheting skills are up to this kind of adaptation or whether it was a question of gauge/tension (which, obviously, I checked thoroughly!!! Not). Photos when I remember. (Edited to add: I've remembered!)

The Sunrise Circle jacket is proceeding nicely - the first sleeve/front is finished and I think it will be more or less the right size this time so the second sleeve has been started, although really it's the third sleeve 'cause I had to frog the original first sleeve. It is now becoming a bit tedious to knit - all that stocking stitch in ever-increasing rows, but I love the style of the jacket so much that I'm determined to get on with it. This got me thinking about whether I'm a process knitter or a project knitter, and in true sitting-on-the-fence- fashion, I've decided I'm a bit of both. The Sunrise Circle jacket is a project that I want to wear, but the process is a bit dull (in spite of the unusual construction) so there have already been a few "process" items interrupting progress - e.g the Short 'n' Sweet bolero (because I hadn't crocheted in ages) and the birthday cardi above (because I wanted to design a short, pink, girly cardi without any sewing!). The Jaywalkers, which are still OTN, are very much a process knit as I certainly won't be wearing woolly socks for a good few months (although, British summers being what they are, that is perhaps a rather rash statement!). My favourite sort of project, though, is one that is not only interesting and challenging to knit but also looks fabulous when finished - I'll let you know if I ever chance upon this Knitting Nirvana.

Secrets & Lies

2006-05-24T17:42:00.000+01:00

The secret is this:

Sorry about the poor quality photo, I forgot to use the zoom thingy on the camera. Anyway, this is a small part of the secret project which will be revealed in all its glory in due course (i.e. when the recipient has tried it on and pronounced themselves satisfied........or not, as the case may be).

The Lies...........
Well now, that could refer to the yarn I bought today - not actually a lie, more of an omission, but too good a bargain to pass over and probably best not mentioned to OH;
Or it could be the lies I tell myself about completing one project before starting another - current WIPs are:

Jaywalkers - one sock about two-thirds done
Sunrise circle jacket - first sleeve/front about three-quarters done
recently re-discovered short-sleeve cotton top that was started about a year ago and has just been found languishing in the window seat amongst the stash, minus its pattern; cue large-scale search through mountains of knitting magazines and books until said pattern re-appeared
Crochet lacy cardi from "The Happy Hooker" (Oops! forgot to mention I'd acquired that - another little ~~omission~~ lie )
an Elvis wig, also started over a year ago and also found in the window seat. I have absolutely no idea why I thought this would be a good thing to knit, or where the pattern is
a Sailmaker top which has been halted for about 4 months because the chart is too damn small to read comfortably

There are one or two other bits and pieces lying around in addition to those above, mostly little try-outs that may or may not evolve into a bona-fide knitted garment, as well as several items in the planning stages (yarn bought, pattern selected, waiting for the green light).

Of course, I have proved to be so unreliable that you really have no idea whether any of the things I have written are actually true or not - you'll just have to wait and see whether any of the UFOs finally materialise. We are going to my parents' this week-end, so there may (perhaps) be a finished object in the not-too-distant future - then again, I might be lying.

Flowers

2006-05-17T10:34:00.000+01:00

These arrived this morning:

from my mum and dad, because I haven't been very well. At about 1.00am Monday morning I woke up with what I thought was severe indigestion. This has happened before so I wandered off to find some ranitidine which usually does the trick. It didn't. I took some more and by 4.00am I was still in agony but with no more pills to take. At 8.30am OH phoned the doctor and I was seen at 9.20. The doctor prescribed some more pills and some very yucky medicine which I took straight away and promptly threw up. I took some more and it stayed down this time so I went back to bed. About 3.30pm Lucy came up to see if I was OK and I wasn't, the pain had hardly diminished at all so she phoned the doctor who told her to get me to hospital. OH came home from work and took me to A & E where I was attended to by a doctor who looked young enough to be my grandson (well, maybe not grandson, but he was very young). Two blood tests, one urine test and much poking and prodding later, it turns out that I have probably got gallstones (which had already been diagnosed by Dr Lucy after her research on the internet!). I was sent home with painkillers and strict instructions to go straight back if it got worse and am now awaiting an ultrasound scan to confirm the diagnosis. I am told that most people who have gallstones just get one painful episode and then aren't troubled again, but I have had similar attacks before which were diagnosed as acid indigestion or a possible ulcer. Whatever the outcome, I DO NOT want to have pain like that again. Ever.

P.S. the sunrise circle jacket has been temporarily usurped by the secret urgent project - more details later.

Progress (or lack thereof.........)

2006-05-14T12:41:00.000+01:00

There hasn't been much - the Sunrise Circle jacket is not quite back to the point at which it was frogged, but should be in the next couple of days, if I'm not side-tracked by a little project which is potentially quite urgent (can't say too much yet as if it happens it will be a surprise). I also have a request from Bethany to knit a "thing". After a bit of interrogation, it turns out that the "thing" in question is actually part of a costume that she would like to wear to a fancy dress party. Closer questioning revealed that said "thing" needs to be "a kind of knitted tube in soft fluffy stuff in a nice colour that I can wear over another top". I have some soft fluffy machine yarn, that my machine doesn't like, in a nice shade of blue that will do just nicely, I think. If I knit it in rib, it will be fairly self-supporting and the size will not be too critical (or the knitting too complicated - maybe Bethany could even knit it herself!!).

I was having a mosey round some American sites the other day and was bemoaning (to myself, as no-one else here is interested) the fact that Knit-Picks do not ship to the UK, and there is stuff on the website that I would like to try. This started off a more generalised moan about the lack of choice we have here compared to the wonderful array of fibres and colours available in the US; a little later I got an e-mail newsletter from Kaleidoscope Yarns advertising special prices for Colinette yarn - these special prices appear to be about double what I just paid for my latest Colinette purchase, so I stopped moaning! I love the Colinette website and spend many happy hours just drooling over the colours, daydreaming about all the gorgeous clothes I'm going to design one day.

Just had a slight disaster in the kitchen: I managed to knock a container full of assorted sprouty things (lentils, chick peas, mung beans and aduki beans) all over the floor when I was putting away the shopping. I had been looking forward to a crunchy sprouty salad for lunch but the best I can hope for now is a forest of plants growing under the fridge where we didn't manage to get all the little escapees!

Sulking

2006-05-07T20:30:00.000+01:00

The lack of posts this week has been down to the fact that I am sulking, big time. My knitting hates me and doesn't want to play any more and keeps on laughing at me so instead of trying to put on a brave face I am sulking. Despite lots of frantic knitting this week I've got very little to show for it. The Rock Star cardi was finished on Wednesday morning, but it started being really nasty to me straight away and when I tried it on, it just laughed and laughed and laughed. Why? Because it is miles too big for me, that's why, and it thinks that is hilarious as I spent so much time knitting a tension square that turned out to be completely useless. The yarn I used was recycled from a jumper that my mum knitted over 10 years ago and I have no idea what it is made of - I guess there must be quite a large proportion of acrylic in it which did not respond well to very hot steam blocking. The upshot of this is that the rock star ~~traitor~~ cardi has gone to live with MIL. I don't even have a photo. I will knit another (in the right tension and size this time) but I need time to lick my wounds before I embark on number two.

After that upsetting episode, I decided to start the Sunrise Circle jacket. I knitted a tension square and was spot on with stitches but a little off with rows. Unfortunately, the row count is crucial to this design so all this (yes, all of it)

has to visit the frog pond.
I have knitted another tension square with 4mm needles instead of 4.5mm, and am still spot on with the stitches but the rows, again, are a little out. If I drop another needle size, I might get the correct row count, but the stitch count will be wrong. I rather foolishly thought that this Colinette was my friend, but even she is laughing at me too!
I am beginning to feel rather paranoid that I am never going to finish anything that will be remotely wearable, except by aliens with 10 feet long arms. The last item of clothing that I finished was this which is the right size but I don't like it!! (Too frou-frou for me).

On a slightly more positive note, we all went to London on Bank Holiday Monday. OH & I did the National Gallery while the girls (and their friend Mark) did Tate Modern (as well as some sights of PPOI* - Camden and South Ken tube). We also had lunch in Covent Garden and wandered around Regent St and Piccadilly. I had forgotten how many foreigners there are in London - we were in Trafalgar Square and heard lots of other languages but hardly any English. (This is not a criticism, merely an observation). I used to find it quite amusing to pretend to be French when I was a student in London but these days I wouldn't get a second glance; how times change.

A bientot, je dois faire le frog!

* Placebo Places Of Importance

It's arrived

2006-04-29T17:43:00.000+01:00

The Colinette "Skye" that I ordered on Monday night arrived yesterday. Apart from taking this photo,

I'm trying very hard to resist touching the yarn until I come to wind it into balls and get started on the Sunrise Circle jacket. I'm hoping that the Rock Star cardi will be finished some time this week, as I have an extra long weekend due to the Bank Holiday and a two-day strike at work and then I can get started. I haven't even knitted a tension square yet in case I just get carried away and can't stop. (My name is Annie and I'm a knitting addict.........)

The ballroom dancing is going very well so far - neither of us has been injured- and last night we learnt how to turn during a waltz; very handy as most ballrooms have walls in them that need to be avoided! We've also learnt the cha-cha-cha, (which I really like although OH says it makes him dizzy) the quickstep and a bit of rock 'n' roll. The quickstep is simple enough from a steps point of view, but trying to fit it to the music is another thing altogether. To my mind, the sequence of steps (slow, quick, quick, slow) fits to music that has three beats to a bar, but the quickstep is danced to music that has two or four beats, so you don't always start the sequence on the first beat of the bar. For OH and me, who have both spent over 30 years playing in orchestras "staying with the beat!!!!!", it's really hard to go against the beat when you're dancing.

The girls and I had sushi for lunch today - I think I can safely say that we now have two more converts, especially Bethany, who is working out how much pocket money she will need to save in order to go there every two weeks for a "fix".

I've been a naughty girl.............

2006-04-26T18:30:00.000+01:00

.............because I've just ordered some new yarn. This should be winging its way to me now, ready to make this and I've even joined the knit-a-long (button in the sidebar, hopefully). I had made a sort-of promise to myself that I would only use up stuff from the stash but I felt that a design like that needed something a bit special, colour-wise, and there really wasn't anything suitable lurking in the window-seat (home of the stash - well, most of it, anyway). I decided that as I had been so good by using up recycled yarn to knit the rock star cardi, I was allowed a bit of a splurge. I won't be starting the Sunrise Circle jacket straight away as the rock star cardi isn't finished yet, although the end is in sight - I have about 18 more rows of the first sleeve to knit, then the second sleeve and the ties at the front. I really love this pattern and can see me making it again in a different colour.

I was a little bit side-tracked at the weekend by this

Meet Mi-Ke the fortune kitty (pattern available here).
If I knit this again (which I probably will as Bethany has requested one, but she wants a kimono to dress it in as well!) I would use smaller needles or thicker yarn and felt it before stuffing. The fabric is too open and the stuffing is too visible but on the whole I think he's really cute.
I've also knitted a "hat of infinite possibilities" from The Knitting Way which is basically two moebius strips sewn together as far as they can be. This produces a piece of knitting that can be used as a hat, a hand-warmer (I was going to write "muff" but I know what dirty minds you knitters have!), a neck-warmer or anything else you can think of. An interesting knit, but slightly too small for my big head (it's just my hair, really) unfortunately. The book had some unusual patterns in it but on the whole I found it a bit too spiritual for my liking - whilst I totally agree that knitting can be a great stress reliever as well as an absorbing pastime, I don't really think it can be compared to any of the great religions of the world (it is just possible that I may have missed the point here, as I know next-to-nothing about any religion) and I found some of the writing a little too cheesy. Just my opinion, y'know, not trying to upset anyone.

On a totally different note, OH and I have started to learn Ballroom dancing. Every Friday evening we trudge along to the local community centre and spend an hour and a half trying not to kick each other or fall over. So far we have learnt the waltz, the cha-cha-cha and the quickstep and I love it! I sewed all the sequins on by myself!

Moan whinge moan

2006-04-18T21:33:00.000+01:00

If you're hoping to be entertained, enlightened or otherwise diverted for a short while, look away now as today's post is a bit of a whinge.
Last Wednesday I finished work full of anticipation for the Easter holidays - six whole days off in a row! I had plans, and plenty of them, mostly for knitting but with the odd bit of wet-felting, fabric-printing and even another sock creature thrown in.
Sadly, it was not to be.
Thursday was fine. I had an appointment for an X-ray on my hip at 10.00, and by 10.20, we were in Brighton, strolling around The Laines looking at the new shops and restaurants in the area by the Library which has undergone massive redevelopment. We had elevenses (latte and hand-baked Italian biscotti - yum) and later on had sushi (double-yum) for lunch. During the evening, I remarked that my throat felt a bit sore. "Never mind" said OH encouragingly, "it'll be fine tomorrow".
Friday, I felt as though someone had rubbed my throat with sand-paper and poured concrete into my head. Saturday, my nose dripped, my eyes felt as though they'd been pumped up with a bicycle pump and my ears just bloody hurt!
It's now Tuesday and I'm beginning to feel a bit better (i.e. I can breathe without feeling as though I've just completed a marathon) but my plans are in tatters.
Back to work tomorrow and I haven't finished the rock star cardi, I haven't finished the jaywalkers, I haven't finished the machine-knit jumper I started (it's too short so it needs some hand-knit ribbing round the bottom - 360 sts on 2mm needles!!!), I haven't finished the hat of infinite possibilities, the fabric-printing and wet-felting didn't even get started and a new friend for Mr Wetty, Claude Grenache & Optricia is still just a twinkle in my eye!
I have, however, finished eating my Easter egg but it has to be said that chocolate is really tasteless when you're full of snot.

Wiki meme

2006-04-11T22:26:00.000+01:00

I saw this over at Spitting Yarn and thought it was fun.
You have to look up your date of birth (day & month only) on Wikipedia and list three interesting facts, two births and one death, complete with the year.

1869: The clipper Cutty Sark was launched, and still survives today.

1959: Charles De Gaulle made a speech declaring his vision for "A Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals" So, it's his fault, is it?

1963: First episode of Dr Who was screened on BBC1 (I didn't see it 'cause I was just a year old!)

1887: Birth of Boris Karloff

1970: Birth of Zoe Ball (best presenter of Live & Kicking)

1990: Death of Roald Dahl - writer of excellent children's books (and some pretty saucy stories for adults, too)

Have a go! It's easy and it's free!

Meet Mr Wetty

2006-04-09T20:39:00.000+01:00

Optricia and Claude have a new friend, Mr Red Wetty (although I think Beige Wetty would be more appropriate - he's obviously a TOG)

Mr Wetty also sports a curved tail and bitterly regrets not going to his orthodontist as a young Wetty.

Warning! Knitting content

2006-04-09T13:11:00.000+01:00

I actually have a FO to show you. Don't get too excited, it's not the most interesting piece of knitting in the universe, but it is finished. This was a request from MIL (who isn't really a MIL as we're not married, but it's easier than writing "my partner's mother") and she chose the pattern herself from a selection of freebies on the internet - and no, I can't remember which site it came from. Anyway:

and it's reversible (this wasn't in the pattern, I just knitted two and sewed tham together)

It is due to be presented this afternoon when we go for tea, so hopefully it will meet with approval and may even be used today.

We also have a Jaywalker
as yet unfinished and without a partner but I haven't touched this since last week as I've been concentrating on other things. I'm a bit worried that it will be too big (my feet are quite delicate compared to the rest of me!) so there may be a trip to the frog pond in the offing.
Most of my somewhat limited knitting time this week has been taken up with the Rock Star cardi. Unfortunately, progress has not been as smooth as I would have liked, chiefly because of my apparent inability to follow a pattern. This pattern uses a number of charts, which I quite like, but I get carried away and forget to look at the written instructions which say things like "starting on row 6 of chart A". In true Up Knit Creek fashion, having happily knitted away at least two 20-row repeats of said chart, I then check the instructions! "Oh dear," thinks I, "that's wrong, then." Do I frog? No. I carry on regardless, fudging as I go and tinking the odd row that is too wrong, even for me. The back is now finished, and I can't see any obvious problems.

I suppose I could be in for a nasty shock when it comes to sewing the sleeves into place, but I'm prepared to risk it...............watch this space!

Belated update

2006-04-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

So much for my resolution to update more regularly!
Not much knitting to show - the rockstar cardi has just reached the armhole shaping on the back so doesn't merit a photo yet; I have also jumped rather late on to the bandwagon and started a pair of Jaywalkers in some Cherry Tree Hill supersock merino - this yarn is a joy to use, so soft and it knits up really evenly. The first sock is just past the heel so again, not much to show.

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all you mums out there. I had a book from the girls - Sarah Waters' "The Night Watch" which I had been reading in Waterstone's recently but hadn't quite got round to buying. I haven't started it yet as I am still reading "Saturday" by Ian MacEwen.
My Mum received this:
along with a bouquet of flowers which were apparently beautiful (that's the trouble with ordering flowers on-line or by Interflora, you never get to see exactly what you've sent). We also went out for Sunday Lunch, to a favourite place of mine called Birling Gap; unfortunately the weather was so foggy and miserable, as well as windy, that we were unable to go down to the beach afterwards

(photo courtesy of Freefoto.com ).

Three other items of news:

I have to have an X-ray on my hip (it's been painful for several months now and isn't getting better on its own).
I have had a picture accepted on to the V&A website! Check it out - yes, it's the DACC (damned Aran chair cover).
My brother and his partner have both started their own blogs - very different but worth a look - Michael's and Sandy's

A Biography of Mr Claude Grenache

2006-03-24T23:47:00.000Z

This is Mr Claude Grenache, from Switzerland.

He has a degree in English Literature and theatre. In his spare time he enjoys sampling fine wines and skiing in the Swiss Alps. Mr Grenache likes bpop jazz and he plays the oboe. He think s that stimulating conversation is a must for any social gathering and he lives in a decently-sized apartment in Berne, Switzerland's capital. He hosts a dinner party once a month for his university professor friends and attends a book club once a week.
At present, Claude Grenache is a bachelor and isn't intending to take a wife any time soon

Mr Grenache's biography researched and prepared by Bethany.

Let me introduce you............

2006-03-23T12:43:00.000Z

............to

Claude and Optricia.
I found a book in Waterstone's the other day which I just had to buy, and these two are the direct result of that purchase.
The author makes a living from selling these creatures and has now written a book to share his expertise. Claude was made by following one set of instructions to the letter, and Optricia was made by following the basic techniques and using my imagination.
I hope there will be many more of these, they are great fun to make and are just so quirky - I love 'em! (Not sure if I could bear to cut up any hand-knitted socks, though).

At last

2006-03-18T10:14:00.000Z

I can now show you proof that I haven't been slacking recently (well, only at blogging, but I do have a full-time job and children and a house and a cat etc etc).

First up is the finished lacy frou-frou cardi that was finally completed about 10 days ago. It has been wined and dined (we went out for dinner last Thursday) but I'm still not convinced that it is for me............

(If you look very closely at the bottom left hand corner of the picture, you can just see the very end of Mollie's tail - she felt I needed her advice on taking photos)

(I have told Mollie that the best photographers try and stay out of their photos)

I have also finished this recently, to go with some gloves that I made from HipKnits sock-weight cashmere - unfortunately, the gloves seem to have migrated into Lucy's pockets so may never be seen again

It was knitted on my machine, just to try out some punchcards that I got on Ebay, but I think the eyelets lend it a certain "Clapotis" effect (actually, now I've looked at Clapotis again, who am I kidding - it's just a scarf with holes!)

Have also done this:

which is for Lucy. It's not quite finished as there will be some flowers on it in (I think) reds, blues and purples. It was adapted from the Wobbly Circles tote (scroll down a bit) pattern in the latest Interweave Knits magazine and was knitted in Twilley's Freedom Wool, which felts incredibly well. The fabric is really firm and thick.

Last, but not least is the current WIP, Rock Star cardi from Alchemy Yarns

I know it's not much but I only started it on Tuesday and I've been getting home late most days this week so knitting time is quite curtailed at present.
There won't be much progress this weekend either as I have an urgent date with my knitting machine for a somewhat experimental project - details will follow if successful!

You may be forgiven....

2006-03-08T18:27:00.000Z

....... for thinking that I had forgotten about this blog, but that is definitely not the case. I just haven't got anything to show at the moment. I was hoping to have the frou-frou cardi finished by now, but those ridiculous frills take forever to knit - I remember now why I've always avoided fisherman's rib, it doesn't grow! Hopefully by the weekend, there will be a finished frou-frou to be photograhed and displayed - whether it will be worn or not is another matter.
I have just bought some black and off-white wool to knit a bag for Lucy, which I am itching to start, so there is extra motivation to get the frou-frou finished. It's so close to being finished that I daren't stop now in case I never pick it up again. I'm not very good at being faithful to one project at a time, in fact I'm suprised I haven't been arrested for committing multiple knitting bigamy. Tut,tut, what would my mother say?
Short post tonight, I need to be knitting, not blogging about it.
*wanders off, muttering "knitting is not a virtual hobby, it really does exist"*

Fiddling and faffing

2006-02-26T20:35:00.000Z

I've been doing a lot of this over the last couple of days, trying to get a unique font for this blog and then trying to find a means of making it available to others. I think I have succeeded, thanks to Bethany who has kindly agreed to play host for the download file, and who has talked me through what to do using words of one syllable. I'm not a complete Luddite with computers, but I don't know much (if anything) about html and all that techie stuff.
Anyway, if you wish to see this blog in its very own totally unique font, please click the link in the sidebar and download the font to your PC. Please let me know if it doesn't work and my technical adviser (thanks, Bethany) may be able to help.

On the knitting front, I am plodding on with this, but I don't really know if I like it now. I have one sleeve and all the frilly bits to do so I'll decide when it's finished, but I can't help thinking it's a bit too frou-frou for me. I also knitted a small moebius neck-warmer/headband on 15mm needles using some Rowan R2 braid which I dyed last weekend; there may be a photo later, if I can be bothered! Trouble is, although I'm very happy with the colours, the yarn is a bit difficult to know what to do with, and I have discovered today that I am terminally useless at grafting in garter stitch (unless it's meant to have big holes in it?.............No? thought not!).

As a bit of an aside, I have been shocked recently at some of the vitriol that has sprung forth on a couple of knitting forums, particularly regarding a yarn retailer not too far from Up Knit Creek. Although the vast majority of posts on the subject were only concerned with trying to sort out their orders or to get some kind of information, a few posts were intent on doing maximum damage to the company in question and personal slurs on the staff, past and present. Obviously, I don't know the whole story, but I was horrified and very saddened to think that such words could come from the knitting community that I have always found to be friendly and supportive.

In other news, Lucy starts her very first job tomorrow. It's a part-time tele-sales job (which is not her ideal choice, by any means) so I wish her lots of luck and hope she makes a real success of it.

OK, it's knitting in front of the telly time now, the new Stephen Poliakoff drama is about to start.

Little stitches

2006-02-17T16:42:00.000Z

Last weekend I went to "Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts" at the Brighton Centre, where I was helping out on the Knit 'n' Natter stand (mostly nattering, in my case). The show is geared mainly towards cross stitch and card-making (I have voiced my opinions on card-making in the past so I'll say no more about it) but there were one or two stalls of interest to knitters including Mo-bair, run by Victoria Smedley. She dyes, spins, weaves and knits and makes teddy bears from mohair and other fibres which are all in gorgeous colours but what really caught my eye was the teeny tiny knitting needles she had for sale. I had to buy a pair (just the one, how restrained) of size 22 (0.7mm) just to see whether it was actually possible to knit with them. I'm happy to report that it is!

These samples are both 27sts by 40 rows and are the lattice-work pattern from Alchemy Yarn's "Rock Star" cardigan. The top sample was knitted on 4.5mm needles with some reclaimed yarn of unknown parentage and the bottom sample was knitted on the teeny-tinies using some almost invisible cashmere that has yet to decide what it wants become. I would love to knit a shawl using the teeny-tinies, but they're only about 4" long so it's not really practical unless I make lots of separate motifs and join them together - any suggestions? (Lucy's suggestion: Choose a shape that tessellates well.)

Just because I can, a gratuitous picture of Mollie

Not Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T16:06:00.000Z

In our house, 14th February is not a romantic day of fine dining, flowers, wine and chocolates for two, it is the anniversary of Bethany's birth.

15 years ago today, I was in the far from romantic position of being poked and prodded by a midwife, given numerous pills to pop by a homoeopath, and having accupressure applied to my ankles, all in an attempt to get the baby out. Everybody told me that labour is quicker the second time - hmmph, everybody lied! The baby had been breech up until the last minute, but in turning head down, had got herself into an awkward position that meant labour was long, tiring and singularly unproductive until the last half-hour. 14 hours after the onset of contractions, she finally made her way into the world, all 8lb 12oz of her. Bethany's birth should have prepared us for Bethany herself - unorthodox, unique and all in her own good time!
She was a good baby, very placid and always smiling, but babyhood soon gave way to the "terrible twos" with a vengeance. Many's the time I had to carry a screaming, kicking, fighting toddler down the High Street because her plans did not match mine. By the time she started school (which has been "Boring" since day one!) she had calmed down and begun to show her flair for language, although one teacher did describe her as "eccentric".

Now she is 15, Bethany has grown up into a highly creative individual who definitely has her own outlook and her own views on life and is not afraid to express those views, often in a very eloquent and surprisingly mature fashion. On the other hand, if she's not in the mood, conversations consist of a series of grunts, followed by a narrative composed of "y'know, blah, blah, blah; and then we came home".

Bethany is an obsessive Placebo fan (go on, admit it), a talented web-site designer, ~~founder~~ God of the A.S.P.P* (for more info, look hereif you dare), has a wicked (and far too knowing) sense of humour, is appalled by discrimination, is a talented artist, a loving sister and daughter, a voracious reader, prone to start things and not finish them (hmm, wonder where she gets that from?), impatient with those less able than herself, does not suffer fools gladly and is totally and utterly unique. And she'll always be my little baby.

Happy Birthday Bethany
Edited to add a picture of Bethany that she actually likes

* Apple Sticker Political Party

Proof.........

2006-02-11T09:24:00.000Z

.......... that I wasn't fibbing in the last post:

and:

a good job, if I say so myself. (Not bad for 46, is he?)

Another Birthday

2006-02-10T09:04:00.000Z

Well, secret project #2 (did I say there were two secret projects? Yes, well, there were two) was finished over a week ago and has been received by the recipient. Unfortunately, I forgot to take piccies so I'm waiting for my brother to send photos of him modelling it. It was a reversible hat knitted in sock yarn, pattern available here. The one I did for Michael was black on one side and lots of different shades of blue on the other. I'd tell you exactly which sock yarn I used if only I could remember where I put the leftovers..............................
I enclosed a note in the parcel to explain why I had knitted a woolly hat for him - basically because he is now at that age (46 ha ha ha) where his own natural head covering is no longer thick enough to keep in any warmth. Yep, my big brother is going bald!

I'm off to Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts at the Brighton Centre this afternoon, to help out on the Knit 'n' Natter stall, so if you're going, please come and say hello.

Happy Birthday Mum

2006-02-03T22:27:00.000Z

Today, 3rd February, is one of the most important days in my personal calendar because it is my mum's birthday. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to speak to her today so her Happy Birthday wishes will be a bit belated but no less heartfelt for all that.
I wasn't supposed to be getting her a present because my brother and I bought a new TV for Mum and Dad as a combined birthday/Christmas present, but I wanted her to have something to unwrap on the day:

This was whizzed up on the machine using some very fine merino wool which was originally intended for something else that I've forgotten. It's lovely and soft and very delicate and probably includes a few cat hairs as Mollie insisted on sitting on it as soon as I'd finished blocking it - it all adds to the character.
I don't get to see my parents very often as they live 176 miles away but I think about them a lot and they are both still a very important part of my life.
Before I started writing this post, I had all sorts of phrases in mind about the things I wanted to say about my mum, about how she has always been supportive and encouraging, even when I know I've let them down; her patience (especially when I was first learning the violin!), her common sense, her passing on of knowledge and skills (especially knitting and cooking) - you get the picture, there's lots I could say but it all seems a bit inadequate somehow, so I'll just say this:

Happy Birthday Mum, I love you x x x

Mum aged 22

I'm still here..............

2006-01-31T21:20:00.000Z

............. just haven't got round to blogging lately. No excuses, just haven't done it. I have, however, done this:

Tubey from Knitty.com, started January 2nd (I think), finished January 22nd. No stripes and knitted in some soft cheap acrylic yarn chosen by Lucy. She is very pleased with the end result and has hardly taken it off since the last yarn-end was woven in.
If I were to knit this again, I think I would shape the neckline where the fabric goes round the back of the neck as there is a tendency to bunch up and make the back of the sweater hang lower than the front. I used a few short rows to try and overcome this, but neckline shaping would make for a better fit, IMHO. Rather predictably, Lucy did not like this picture (hence the missing face) as she said it makes her look fat. All I can say is, if that's fat, I want to be fat!

Two other projects have also come to a conclusion, but as they are both birthday presents, the pictures will have to wait. I am now knitting a corkscrew scarf from Loop-d-loop whilst I try to figure out the best way to proceed with the unreadable chart for the Sailmaker top. I came across Loop-d-loop in Waterstone's the other day (they had some quite interesting knitting books in there this time) and decided to buy it as I thought the patterns were rather unusual and might appeal to the girls. Bethany looked through it and liked one pattern (can't remember which one, now - well it was over 24 hours ago) but Lucy hasn't even looked yet. I like the wonky fair-isle, the ballet t-shirt and the diagonal-rib cardi but they won't be knitted for quite a while yet as the "to do" list is growing ever longer, in fact , it is becoming the FCOK* list

Before I forget, many thanks to those who left nice comments about the aran chair cover - I'm never sure whether to reply via the commenter's own blog, or to their e-mail or to add a comment to my own blog; in my ~~laziness~~ confusion, the replies (I'm ashamed to say) get overlooked. Knitty Fred, if you read this, please leave a comment or e-mail me, it would be really nice to meet up when you come to Brighton.

*Fat Chance Of Knitting

Still knitting..............

2006-01-18T18:57:00.000Z

............... I know it's hard to believe, given the scarcity of posts recently, but I am, in fact, still knitting.
On the needles at the moment is Tubey for Lucy which is about two-thirds complete, the Artworks Sailmaker top for me which is about 6 inches up the first piece and a secret project which has barely got beyond the casting-on. The progress on the Sailmaker top is proving to be very slow, mainly due to the fact that the chart is virtually impossible to read, being both badly printed (I think it's been copied from a poor dot-matrix print-out) and a very small scale. It has obviously been printed that size to make sure that the pattern fits onto an A4 size leaflet which, in turn, fits into a pocket on the bag that the kit comes in. Personally, I would prefer a decent size chart and no bag rather than the titchy little chart and a bag that advertises the company without paying me for the privilege! (What's wrong with the old carrier bags that I normally use for transporting my knitting, anyway?).
The secret project is destined to be a birthday present for a member of my family whose birthday is before the beginning of March. Before you say "Stop! That's too many clues - the person in question will easily guess who they are!", there are five people who come into that category ( six if you count the ex-husband, seven if you count his niece, nine if you count two of my cousin's children!) so I don't think I've let the cat out of the bag. I don't know whether the project in question will be finished in time (skinny yarn, small needles, lots of stitches) but it will be done eventually. I hope to be able to post pictures of the finished item with its recipient in due course. I love teasing people about presents - I make up terrible lies about what I've got for the girls at Christmas and take great delight in disguising presents to look like something really mundane. I think I must get it from my mum - when I was eight, the only thing I really wanted for Christmas was a heart-shaped gold signet ring, complete with an engraved "A". By the time I opened my last present I was feeling quite disillusioned that all my begging and pleading had been in vain and was sulking when mum gave me a large flat box which she had "almost forgotten". (What a horrible ungrateful child I was). When I finally managed to prise off multiple layers of sellotape and large ribbon bows from what I thought was another box of crayons I was over the moon - inside the flat box was a little heart-shaped satin box containing the most perfect signet ring I had ever seen, far in excess of my expectations and a perfect fit as well. That was 35 years ago but it still fits:

and it is still a very precious treasure. (Sorry 'bout the fuzzy pic, it's hard to take photos with your left hand - unless you're left-handed, of course).
OK that's it for today - more knitting and less rambling next time, I promise.

Pictures

2006-01-05T21:51:00.000Z

As promised, the aran chair cover in all its glory:

I'm so relieved to have finished this as it has been a WIP since last January and I was really sick of the sight of it. I think it was worth the slog though.
Before we took the Christmas decorations down, I had to take a snap of Fat Fairy

She has been a fixture on our tree for the past ten years and every time I suggest that we get something a little more glamorous or less home-spun, I am shouted down vehemently. She was knitted from a Jean Greenhowe pattern in some cheapy acrylic and is actually quite heavy - the top of the tree tends to droop as soon as she takes up residence so some tricky manoeuvring is required.
We had a lovely Christmas with my parents in Leicester - no snow on the day, but we did get enough on Tuesday for the girls to have a snowball fight in the garden; there is video evidence of this fight and the teeny weeny snowman made by Bethany:

Aaaaaawwww! how sweet!

My knitting resolutions for 2006 are:

to try and have no more than 3 WIPs at a time
to try more multi-colour knitting (intarsia or fair-isle, I'm not bothered which)
to knit something for OH and possibly my brother, who has not had anything hand-knitted for him since he was about 10
to be more adventurous by either designing my own patterns from scratch or adapting ready-made patterns
to knit something really fabulous that will become a family heirloom (any suggestions?)

That's enough for now, Happy New Year.

At last.....................

2006-01-04T23:00:00.000Z

the aran chair cover is finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was finished on Sunday evening and there will be photos as soon as I remember to charge the camera.
I'm now knitting this for Lucy in a plain blue and this for me. There are also a few little bits and bobs floating around in my imagination but nothing definite yet.
Very short post tonight 'cause it was my first day back at work and I'm knackered!
G'night.

2005-12-24T17:41:00.000Z

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas

and a New Year filled with all the woolly goodness you wish for

Success

2005-12-20T20:14:00.000Z

Much to my amazement and disbelief, it worked. A hot (60 degrees) wash with a couple of towels et voila!

They turned out just the right size and are lovely and thick. The wool I used was Twilley's Freedom wool which is a very lightly spun chunky-weight 1-ply, almost like very thin rovings, but it has felted brilliantly. The clogs are being modelled by Bethany who was the intended recipient, she's just got them a bit early (well....... her feet were cold and they would have been tricky to wrap!) I now have a request to knit a pair in either black or burgundy for OH - he hasn't worn slippers for ages but now seems rather keen to have some.
I have been working quite hard on the aran chair cover (hmmmm...............where have we heard that before!) but I don't think it will be finished before Christmas now. I have been taking it to work and knitting it in the evenings (with only a small side-track for one of these in left over HipKnits silk) but progress is very slow. Still, only one more day at work, so you never know!
Short post tonight 'cause I feel crap - sore throat, headache, hurty eyes - yep it's the annual Christmas cold.

Hangovers and stuff

2005-12-14T22:38:00.000Z

Last Thursday was our work Christmas "do". It was a lunchtime thing with the table booked for one o'clock and I still can't understand why I didn't get home till 10.30pm. I have no recollection at all of going from the restaurant to the pub, although I do remember being in the pub. The overall impression was of a thoroughly enjoyable time so I can only hope that the memories return and don't hold any nasty surprises.
Friday seemed an unbelievably long day and I was very glad to get home at the end of it.
Saturday - our telly packed up (well, actually it packed up a few days before, but it was confirmed on Saturday) and the replacement rental set would not fit in the only place we have for a telly so we sent it back. We have a small portable which we are using as a temporary measure until the proper replacement arrives (more of this later).
It was OH's Christmas "do" on Saturday night - a dinner dance at a hotel just outside Chichester. As that's 45 miles from home we decided to stay the night and make a mini weekend of it. It all went well although the DJ didn't play a single Christmas song! Wot! No Slade! Hmph, can't really be Christmas then. On Sunday we decided to look for a new TV as well as doing a bit of Christmas shopping so on our way back eastwards we stopped in just about every electrical store known to man. The TVs that would fit and that we could afford were very few and far between and were all out of stock. There is apparently a nationwide shortage of 26" LCD TVs at present according to Curry's, Dixons, Comet, Asda et al. Strange, then, that when we got home I was able to order one straight away over the Weird Wonderful Web. Fingers crossed it's being delivered next Thursday, just in time for the televisual treat we are promised this festive season.

This is my size 6 foot (in a slipper) next to a rather alarming piece of knitting that I have just completed. The pattern (felted clogs from Fiber Trends) assures me that they will felt down to the right size but I have to say, I'm quite nervous about the finished result. They are in the washing machine as I write this so stay tuned for the next gripping instalment. If successful, they are destined for a Christmas pressie, but don't tell anyone, it's meant to be a secret!

Slacking

2005-12-06T20:58:00.000Z

Yes, I know, I've been slacking again with regards to blogging. I don't know why, I suppose it's just the time of year, not being able to get on the computer (too many kids and OH hogging it) and not having much to blog about. May also be because Lucy has introduced me to "Snood" which is a ludicrously addictive waster-of-time - Thanks, Lucy!
My car (thanks for asking!) is well again - in fact there was nothing wrong with it, according to the garage, who kept it all day and then charged me £30 for doing nothing. It has started perfectly every time since last Monday so there was obviously a jinx about.
In knitting news, I have to say a public "Thank You" to Uknitty who sent me a lovely knitting journal, out of the blue. She is obviously determined to turn me into an organised knitter who not only finishes things but also knows exactly what is in her stash and what patterns she has. I hope it works. I actually have two finished objects to report, but alas, no photos because my brain has completely mutated into a fluffy, woolly cloud and forgot to remind me to take pictures! The finshed articles are:

machine-knit tunic/jumper for MIL, very fine cotton yarn in a wedgewood blue with a lace border and picot hem, deep V-neck. Designed by moi using Knitware, which is really simple to use even with the aforementioned brain.
Hand-dyed 100% cashmere gloves for me - yarn from HipKnits ( a last-day bargain from Ally Pally) in a mixture of peach, soft greys/purples and greens - sounds a bit odd but looks very nice. Pattern from Vogue Knitting on the Go Mittens and Gloves (could be Gloves and Mittens - can't remember).

It looks as though I have hardly used any of the cashmere yarn - the ball doesn't look any smaller than when I started - so I need to find another little project to use up the leftovers. ( I just weighed the gloves - 22 grams the pair!). I've just got up off my a**e and snapped this arty little number:

Lovely and warm and they really do exist!

I have one or possibly two projects which may or may not be Christmas presents (not that I dithering, or anything), but I'm not sure either of them will be finished in time as I really want to finish the chair cover (otherwise Uknitty has sent me her pressie under false pretences and I cannot allow that). The main body of the cover is knitted, sewn up and is on the chair so it's (still) only the cushion cover to knit. Will it be finished before Christmas? Watch this space...................

P.S. Had a mini Depp-fest at the weekend - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Ed Wood"; the latter involves the delicious Mr Depp wearing a fluffy angora sweater and various other assorted items of womens clothing - a real treat.

That Monday feeling...............

2005-11-28T10:53:00.000Z

After another weekend where I failed to achieve everything I wanted to achieve (this is not unusual, my plans are too ambitious) the week has started very badly. Three lamps are now without bulbs/fuses and we don't have the right spares until I can get to a shop - the fuse is going to be tricky as it's a very unusual fuse, apparently. This means that I have to confine my knitting to daylight which is in rather short supply at the moment. As if this wasn't bad enough, my car wouldn't start this morning. I've had the car for nearly three years and it has never refused to start, even in last week's very cold temperatures. The chap from Britannia Rescue (who arrived within 20 mins!!!) said that the starter motor is failing to engage so he bump started me and I drove to the local garage, who have said they'll "have a look and try to get it fixed today". The net result is that my visits for today must all be cancelled and rearranged and I have to hang around waiting for that phone call - y'know the one I mean - where they say "Well, we know what the problem is and we can have it fixed by three weeks next Tuesday, but I'm afraid it'll cost you", so I gulp and say weakly, "How much?" and they reply "about £16 for the part, plus labour, making a total of £6 million pounds. We don't take American Express by the way".
I HATE Mondays.

Cake

2005-11-24T23:10:00.000Z

I've managed to get the keyboard back from those two girlies after their debut blogging experience. I swear, I didn't bribe or coerce them in any way to write what they did about me and I was very touched by what they said.
In addition to heaping the praise, they did this:

Yummy choccy cake

(Excuse the gratuitous second picture but this is a first in our house - a cake that wasn't made by me!)
I can happily report that the cake tasted every bit as good as it looked although there was some doubt as to whether it would actually evolve from the curdled lump of stuff in the mixing bowl into an edible item. There was mass hysteria in the kitchen along with threats of violence and some actual bodily harm. ( In all my years of baking, it had never occurred to me that a food mixer was a weapon but apparently it is.) Anyway, the devastation of the kitchen was made good (yep! they even did the washing up) and now there isn't a scrap of evidence left to suggest that the cake ever existed apart from the warm chocolatey feeling in my tummy.
The anguish of turning 43 (oh my god, I can't believe I've admitted that in public) was made bearable by the lovely presents I got - lots of money (not sure yet whether it will be used to ~~fund my habit~~ increase my stash or go towards the object of my desire (ssssssshhhh, whisper it.........a spinning wheel), a Johnny Depp DVD (thanks Lucy), earrings and an incense holder (thanks Bethany), new cosy slippers, chocolate, and a whole host of "Clover" accessories for applique, bias tape-making and patchwork (from Simon, my SO). I also got some lovely cards, which I should post pictures of, but they'll get squashed in the scanner. Thank you, thank you, thank you, I'm such a lucky girl!

Happy Birthday Mum

2005-11-22T19:20:00.000Z

[This is Lucy & Bethany, and seeing as we have college and school tomorrow when it is actually her birthday, we're doing a special birthday update for mum, today.]

What with Bethany and I being mum's daughters, we think she is a wonderful mum, but when it actually comes to writing about her, it is actually more difficult than you might think.
Whilst we don't always agree on certain things, we are all still very close.
Without wanting to sound full of ourselves or anything, we think mum has done a very good job raising us. She has taught us to be open-minded, individual and to excel in the things we enjoy.
We know that the vast majority of daughters will say that their mums are the best, but for us, we think it is actually true; our mum is caring, thoughtful, generous, understanding, kind, a bit untidy [in a good way], a wonderful cook, fabulous knitter [of course!] and an overall amazing mother.

Happy Birthday Mum, we love you to bits.

Lucy & Bethany
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[L-R: Lucy, Mum, Bethany]

A quickie..........

2005-11-20T23:03:00.000Z

.....just to prove I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, although from the lack of posts this week I may as well have done.
I've been getting well stuck in to the dreaded aran chair cover and can confidently predict that the end is in sight (no photos though, battery's gone dead). I've also done loads of swatches for MIL's top. As it's being knitted from some very fine cotton on the machine there is no way I could avoid doing a swatch. I have designed the pattern myself using Knitware Sweaters version 2.5 - it's just a Vee-neck, three-quarter length sleeve straight up and down top with a band of lace around the bottom edge and the sleeves. The lace is proving a bit tricky though - I don't really understand how punchcards work so the finished product is not quite how I imagined it to be. Also, when I'm doing the lacy bits, stitches keep dropping off and it's a real pain to catch them. If anyone has any handy hints on how to avoid this happening, I would be very grateful.
I haven't done any more to the sailmaker top, which is the only other WIP at present, as I really want to finish the DACC (see above); this hasn't stopped me pondering what to make with the HipKnits cashmere I got at Ally Pally, favourite so far is a pair of gloves. I can't help feeling that cashmere is too good for socks - if I make gloves, I'll be able to feel them and see them (and rub them against my face whenever I like, which would be pretty hard to do with socks).
Trouble is, I don't seem to be able to get as much knitting done as I would like. I used to take my knitting to work with me and fit in a few rows in the car whilst waiting for my appointments, but we've changed the way our appointments are organised and I no longer have gaps. I can't believe the difference it makes, my progress is so slow now.
Anyway, that's enough for now, I should have been in bed ages ago. Night, night x x x

Tagged.......

2005-11-12T12:10:00.000Z

.............oh dear, this is a tricky one. It has made me use my brain (ouch! that hurts) and think about what I'm doing instead of just mindlessly going with the flow like I usually do.

Favourite yarn to knit with
Probably HipKnits silk - it is so soft and silky (hmmm, funny, that) and feels delicious as you knit with it. It has a slight tendency to come apart (especially during casting on), but the end result is sooooooo worth it. The only improvement I can think of would be if it was available in a finer yarn.

Favourite needles
Clover Bamboo - definitely a superior bamboo needle, beautifully smooth and warm to the touch. I also love my Denise interchangeables - it's so handy to be able to add in a bit of extra cable as your knitting expands. I have only used Addi turbos once, for sock knitting, and they were pretty good, too. (Yes, OK that's three favourites, but I've always had difficulty making decisions).

Worst thing you've ever knitted
A willie warmer (my own pattern). I made this when I was about 20 - my boyfriend of the time had to spend several weeks in hospital and I was very concerned that his willie would suffer from lack of attention. He was very embarrassed by it and refused to try it on when I gave it to him. The next time I went to visit, all the other men on the ward asked me to make willie warmers for them too, on condition that I measured them first! I seem to remember that it was made from pale blue acrylic DK yarn in moss stitch with the word "Spike" embroidered down the front.......too much information? Sorry.

Favourite knitting pattern
I don't really have a favourite - can't even think of anything I've knitted more than once. Patterns have to have some sort of pattern (cables or lace or texture) to keep me interested or be knitted in fabulous yarn.

Most valuable knitting technique
Short row shaping on shoulders, coupled with three-needle cast off = perfect shoulder seams (effect usually ruined by the bodge up under the arms or the crappy way I insert sleeves).

Best Knitting magazine or book
I like Interweave Knits, but their subscription dept stinks. As for books, my current favourite is "A gathering of lace", as something to aspire to. I also want to read Elizabeth Zimmerman because I feel I need to shake off the boundaries imposed by commercial patterns and get more creative.

Favourite Knit-a-long
I'm with Kate on this one - I don't like them. I've only joined one or two, and whilst I like the idea of a knit-a-long, I found that I don't much like the reality. I would prefer a real-life knit-a-long, where we could all look at each others' WIP and ~~get riotously drunk~~ have meaningful discussions about techniques etc.

Favourite knitting blog
As listed on the right; also You Knit What, and many many others. I probably spend a good hour every day looking at knitting blogs (thinks...............I wonder if that's connected to current slow progress).

Favourite knitwear designer
This is really hard......... I see lots of designs that I think are really excellent, but never knit them 'cause they wouldn't suit me. I like things that look as though they have been "tailored" or at least been influenced by tailoring, and also things that are unusual in the way they are constructed, but I don't really have a favourite designer.

Knitted item you wear the most

This was from Vogue Knitting Spring 2004. It was supposed to have been knitted in some Cherry Tree Hill yarn that I couldn't get over here ( I even had trouble finding it on American websites) so I substituted Wendy Supreme cotton DK. Lucy is wearing it in this photo and it's too big for her, but I wear it a lot and usually get compliments. It was interesting to knit and is very comfortable to wear. I want to try another one in SWTC Karaoke but it'll have to join the queue.

Well, that's yer lot. If you haven't already done this and you want to have a go, consider youself tagged.