skein

River's on track

Yes!  I nearly have a Finished Object!  I need to:
block
sew in ends

for the scrunchie:
find some elastic and sew the ends together
sew the scrunchie covering around the elastic

I'm staying over at the stash flat (loads more floor space with no chance of anyone stepping on it) so will block the shawl tonight and cross my fingers that it's dry tomorrow. 

Unblocked River

I've made it one repeat wider, and added about three repeats to the length.

At lunchtime I knitted the scrunchie.  Luckily there was a packet of silvery beads in the office cupboard!

I've also finished the shell socks, but need some daylight to capture the lace pattern. We were away this weekend, so I've missed out on the daylight again!  I'll have to bring them to work and go out lunchtime on a photo shoot! 

This is just in time for lots of new knitalongs, involving socks. 

Starting tomorrow we have sockapalooozer, the third round.  We'll be getting details of our new partners, can't wait

The vintage socks knitalong starts another pattern from Nancy Bush's book.

There's also a new pattern out for the Six Socks Knitalong.  I've not knitted any of the patterns this year  but I may be tempted by this next pattern, it's beaded and I have a box of beads.

I've started several socks this past week or two, but all of them have serious pooling (see Mary's post - she's having the same problem, it seems), so they're back in the sock yarn pile.  Good job too, I need to sort out my wips!

I've found a list of knitalongs, if anyone feels like joining in. I may have posted this link before, it's astonishing that there are so many out there!

Another go at felting

Clog #1 seems to felting well. Although not quite shrunk enough to size, it feels much more like a piece of thick felting than the disastrous felted moccasins (and has kept its colour).

Mind you, it started off much larger than the moccasin (these are size 11 trainers)

It's been through the washer three times, and is *nearly there*!  Chris is now waiting for clog #2 to be knitted, then he'll repeat the felting process on that clog and do both together for the final adjustment wash. 

River is growing.  I have about 18 inches to go. It's a bit tedious, isn't it?  The person whose gift this is is on holiday from from Friday next week, so I need to finish this, block it and knit that beaded scrunchie thing before then.  I do not like deadlines!  And typically we're away this weekend, with not much opportunity to knit (I'll be drinking and eating instead!).  Really, I should be blocking this Tuesday night.  Any ideas, River knitters, on how much blocking to put this through?   I normally block out a lot with lace knitting, but Kid Silk Haze tends to look OK pre-blocking (not as crumpled) so I thought a gentle block might be better than a severe block. 
(Looking at this photo, it looks like I still have 2/3 to go, yikes!)

And I see an end to the Vintage sock, shell sock kal!
This is knitted in vintage yarn too, some Patons & Baldwin Nylox yarn. 

It's been slow progress, over a month in the making!  There'll be a new kal on 1st February (pattern tba) which is also the day we get out sockapaloozer partners.  Looks like February will be very busy, what with sockapaloozer, the Olympics, vintage sock kal and all of the Rowan mags coming out.

Must. Keep. Knitting!

Scarf complete!

My optimistic plans of finishing half a dozen wips by 31st January seem to be falling by the wayside.  However, my International Scarf Exchange scarf is finished!

Scarfcake (doesn't this look good enough to eat?)

This is red Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk.  I love this yarn, it's so soft and drapey.

This one shows the fuzziness of the Alpaca

And this one shows off the cables (note this scarf is completely reversible)

And this one just just because ...

Vintage Velvet, from Scarf Style. 

The knitting was more tedious towards the end, but I was determined to use up the Alpaca Silk and make a long, skinny scarf.  I haven't measured the scarf, but it's easily 6 foot.

Instead of then working on River (which has a deadline!) I immediately cast on for a felted clog. I'm a bit fed up with moccasins.  I've got the outer sole to finish, and then Chris will try felting just this one.  He doesn't think it's worth my while to knit two if we can't felt them.  He has reminded me to make notes of the size and the needles I'm using; I'm always amazed at just how much knitting stuff filters into his consciousness.  I never note the needle size and always seem to be shouting about it, when I pick up a long lost project.

Long lost projects...
I spent Saturday poring over Rowan mags, trying to find the perfect Olympic challenge. And realised that I have a missing wip!  From Rowan 27 (or thereabouts)

More stash adventures in the pipeline, I fear!   

 

Two disasters and another challenge

Disaster #1. Lara.
Unlike Amelia's lovely Lara, mine was a disaster, I just didn't like the cardigan once I'd finished it. It has sat under the sofa for the past year (or however long it is since Alpaca Silk hit the shops; I was out of the office and in John Lewis that lunchtime). 

Lara

Aahh.  Cranberry-red Alpaca silk. 

To be turned into this shawl collared cardigan from last year's Women's Weekly supplement.

This will be my February Stashbusters project. 

Disaster #2. Felted Moccasins.
Before felting

After a million hot washes with lots of soap, towels and tennis balls.

I think not. And what's with the drastic fading?  I could have sworn that this is Magpie, as are the red/black moccasins. I have never had a problem with felting Magpie (intentionally) and certainly no fading. This is the second time I've tried to felt moccasins and it's failed.  Same washing machine and same techniques. Oh well.  I'll have one more attempt at knitting and felting these, then it's shop slippers for Mr.C.

The 2006 Knitting Olympics
I've signed up for Yarn Harlot's 2006 Knitting Olympic challenge. 
What a fun idea!
Cast on during the opening ceremonies on Feb 10th, and finish before the flame goes out on Feb 26th.  How could I not do this?  It's meant to be a challenge.  How to interpret challenge?  My immediate thoughts were along the lines of a challenging technique, or something which involves reading a small chart row by row, or anything from Unexpected Knitting. But I'm a multi wip person, and I reckon the biggest challenge you could set me is to work on one project, solidly, for 16 days.  And finishing it in 16 days. That's my challenge.

Now what to knit?

We'll probably be going down to Brighton at the beginning of the Olympic KAL, so it must be something which I can work on in public, on the train, whilst chatting.  So it will be a jumper, just not sure which jumper yet. Felted tweed and rowanspun dk are in the lead at the moment. More next week when I've picked over some old Rowan mags.

The scarf grows

My International Scarf Exchange scarf grows, and is now exactly at the halfway stage, at a hanging weight of about 45". 

I love the Alpaca Silk, but am pretty fed up with knitting a long, narrow scarf.  Grit teeth time, I want this finished by the end of the month.

This also - River from Rowan 38.  I'm knitting this in the sparkly white.  I'm using 5mm and have added a pattern repeat so that it's wider.  I'll probably have to add length as well, as I don't want to lose out in the width by blocking it lengthwise.

You can't really see the sparkle here, but the pattern is developing nicely.  I need to work on this every day - the recipient is on a cruise in February!

Stash enhancement (oops)
Yes, despite my promises, I succumbed at Sandowne on Saturday!  Jill and I went for the day and both enhanced our stashes (with similar stuff!).
Web of wool provided the sock yarn

Thats Fortissima Socka, Opal tiger and zebra, Opal & Regia wool/silk blends, and Austermann Step, which has added aloe vera (or similar) and feels incredibly soft, lasts 40 washes.

Bits and Bobs

Some bargains from Texere

(These are 100g skeins and were £1.25/100g!  I bought several packs of the blue and olive, and one lone red to combine with the leftovers). 

And this beautiful fine kid mohair yarn from Raj yarns. It's 4ply, and so lustrous and drapey.  It reminds me of wensleydale, or alpaca.
What a shame I can't capture just how purple this yarn is!

I really must finish some stuff off now.  I have nine projects on the go (I had ten yesterday, but frogged a too-wide sock!).
Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have reduced this to 3 plus a million new socks started (Jill has already started a pair...)

Birthday wishes

And the winner is...

we have two winners!

I said that I'd draw a name out of a hat if there was more than one correct guess.  Well, I've changed my mind, as there's just two winners.  I was weighed in pounds and ounces, so I've rounded up all of the metric weights and converted to the nearest half pound.

My birthweight was 4lbs and .... 2oz!  Congratulations to Jill and Kathy B!!!  Jill's a knitting friend, but I swear I hadn't told her my birthweight! 

There are no new born photos of me either.  I gather that I wasn't very attractive (ah!) - long thin & hairy! 

Knitting news is thin on the ground.  I've spent a few nights over at the stash flat. Bliss, you'd think, time for lots of knitting. But I'm still getting caught out when I go through my magazines.

I did, however, start four new things.

1) Debbie Bliss Astrakhan shawl collar cardigan.  Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!  I can't stand the yarn!  Pulled out immediately and probably destined for ebay.

2) Noro Dibs on Ribs (no photos, there's only an inch done)

The construction of this looks interesting. Two chevrons, joined in the front centre, then the ribbing parts added afterwards.

3) International Scarf exchange scarf, in Alpaca Silk.  At last!  This has to be ready for next month, so I need to get a wiggle on.  This is Vintage Velvet from Scarf Style book. (Check out this blog, lots of the scarves in different yarns to look at). 
It's a nice, easy to memorise pattern.  This is also my first time at trying out reversible cables, and it works!  You cross the cable over on alternate sides, and the cable is actually a k1,p1 ribbed cable (though you can't see this unless you stretch the scarf out).

Spot the difference!

Right side                                                Wrong side

          

Wonderful yarn. If you click on the photos I'm sure that the yarn looks even better!

4) Not yet started.  This is a belated 50th birthday pressie for a work colleague. Got the yarn - Kid Silk Haze in white sparkle.  I'm hoping the sparkle isn't that pronounced, as this is going to be a stole for the summer, and not necessarily evening wear. 
Now, what to knit?  I'm thinking of either River, from the last Rowan mag, or the Puzzle Wrap from Sharon Miller's website.  I like both.  I'm thinking that River might be something she can wear more often.  I'm also thinking of adding a bit more width to the stole.  Decisions!  She's off on a cruise early next month, so I really ought to think about working solely on items #3 and #4 for a few weeks, see if I can really surpass myself and finish a stole and a long scarf in the next three weeks!

 

 

 

January Stashbuster!

Presenting my January Stashbusters project, felted moccasins from Felted Knits.

Knitted in Rowan's Magpie, which I discovered in the stash flat. I hope it's Magpie, as it was already knitted into several jumper pieces, from two designs! 

Another view, next to his well worn moccasins. These still haven't worn through yet, after two years of solid wear!

My second FO for 2006 and it's only the 9th!  Chris will felt these down - his job after all of that knitting.

But wait!  There's more!
Gardening gloves from Louisa Harding's accessories book.

Knitted in Louisa Harding's Kashmir DK, a blend of merino wool, microfiber and cashmere (label's spelling, not mine).  A bit splitty, but very soft and nice to knit with. I wonder what gives with the labelling though.  Needle size is given as US6/UK8. No metric sizes, how weird. 

That's three (small) FOs for January already. Hopefully there'll be a pair of socks and a few other things before the month ends.

I'm going to wait until tomorrow before reading all of the guesses at my birthweight!

Happy birthday to me!

It's my birthday!  In honour of this fact I will have a little competition, and the winner will receive a parcel of miscellaneous goodies, largely knitting related.

What was my birthweight?
*hint* I was premature, so below average weight (hard to believe, I know!).

 Just leave a comment.  Pounds and kilos accepted.  Nearest guess by Sunday evening wins. If it's a draw I'll pick a winner out of a hat.

We cracked open the champagne last night at 12.15 ... and carried on drinking vodka after that. Nothing like a lot of alcohol and a very late night to feel your age! 

 

Happy 2006!

The older I get, the faster time whizzes by.  It seems like yesterday when we were celebrating the new millennium.  Now we're heading for 2010!

We've spent the last four days at the stash flat, which isn't good news - I spent half of my free time looking through knitting magazines, and the rest looking after a very sick man.  Chris caught my cold flu, and was bedridden for two days. He's convinced it wasn't my cold he caught, but a much more severe cold virus.  He managed to get up for several hours on New Year's eve to quaff the champagne though.

I worked a few more repeats on the mystery shawl2 kal.  Still very boring. Past the halfway mark now and 26 pattern repeats till blocking day. 
 

This is tedious knitting. I will have to grit my teeth and spend an occasional evening knitting on this.  No more shawl or lace knitting until it's finished!

And picked up the Rainbow Jacket again. It took me ages to work out where I was on the sleeve. And to discover that I made an error in the first half of the jacket, which means that I will have to replicate the error on this half as well (the jacket is knitted in two pieces, wrist to centre back).  It means that my shadow knitting pattern doesn't meet in the middle, but I don't think it's a dire problem, as long as it's symmetrical.  No pictures, it's only a few inches longer than before.

The neckwarmer from Knitty is finished, apart from sewing on a button (I've picked a button, look!  Just need to find a sewing needle now)

Lovely stuff, this alchemy synchronicity!  I used two strands of sychronicity, which is apparently sport weight (6sts/inch), though in my opinion it's more like dk weight.

Knitting Resolutions 2006

Nothing much to alter from 2005.

1) New yarns - no need to buy them as soon as they appear in the shops. This is 2006, we are not about to have a yarn shortage!  I didn't do too well last year - found myself falling for the new Debbie Bliss alpaca silk dk weight and her cashmerino astrakhan.  Both are still in the stash!  I promise to knit up at least one load in January!

2)  Sale yarns - resist!!!  A lot of my stash is sale yarn, bought in packs when Rowan discontinue shades/yarns.  In retrospect the only yarn which I wish I had bought more of in the sales is dear departed Magpie. Great for felting.  I'm pleased to report no major sales purchases in 2005. 

3) Knit the nice stash.  This is a great resolution!  I intend to stick with this one in 2006.

4) Don't hang onto failed wips.  I have a few FOs which I'm not too keen on this year, but time may change my mind.   This is a very sensible resolution, and will stay for 2006.

5) Chuck the yarn scraps.  Sensible and yes, I did! I think I'm now resolved enough on this issue, and this resolution won't be on my 2006 list.

6) More adventurous socks.  Lots of plain or ribbed socks were knitted in 2005.  A few  patterned one. This was a half hearted 2005 resolution, and will be removed from my list this year.  I'm a member of a couple of sock kals, which I'm sure will help me to knit more adventurous socks, without a resolution.

7) Lotsa lace. Oops.  I really fell by the wayside with this one.  I will need to keep this resolution for 2006.   Where's that Mystery shawl2 kal got to?

8) Colourful knitting.  No fairisle knitting, but certainly some knitting in more-than-one-colour per garment.  I've still Suzanne and Rainbow Jacket for 2006, so this is another resolution which will be omitted from the 2006 list.

9) Early and less Christmas knitting.  Less, certainly, but I was very late last year in my Christmas knitting.  I'll change this resolution to Occasional Christmas knitting throughout the year.  Let's try to knit a little Christmas knitting each month.  A bit like those people who buy next years gifts in the January sales, I'll be better organised.

10) *New* Let there be a little texture in my 2006 knitting.  (Blame this new resolution on my magazine reading this weekend.  Lots of cabled designs that I want to knit, including Medrith Glover's Arans a bite at a time pattern)

11) *New* Keep on stashbusting! I've been a little lax with my Stashbusters each month.  For the whole of 2006 I will knit a project a month from stash, at least!

And now to go and update my typelists. Time for a 2006 (empty) album as well!