So many crafts, so little time

A new bloginning ...

2010-02-07T20:18:00.009Z

What do you get if you cross this ...

With this ...

Well, this for a start ...

But aside from a child who non-crafters would consider to be worryingly interested in yarn, not much crafty has gone on in my life for the past year.

Actually, that's not true. I've been thinking a lot about knitting, and crochet, and sewing, and embroidery, and storing up a long list of projects that will get done once I have the time. My Ravelry queue is full, my google reader starred folder is massive, and my new years resolutions all seem to be fabric or yarn related.

They say having a child changes your life, and I can certainly attest to that now. My small person is the best thing in my world - frustrating, hilarious, incredibly hard work, and just such fun to be around. But more than that, he has really changed my view on life. I feel much more motivated, with a determination to make the most of every little thing, and I have a (perhaps false) sense of organisation. With that in mind, I would like to post some rather late New Year's resolutions in this blog.

This year will be a stash busting year, as small people cost the earth plus there is so little time for fabric shopping.
I will try new crafts that I have only wondered at before, and more importantly, make them my own.
I will finish, and finish, and finish. New things will only be started upon completion of an existing UFO.

OK, this last one may conflict with the previous two posts, and I am reminded of my father's pledge to only buy new books upon disposal of one he already owns - a likely story!

I will blog ... but not here. Find my new blog at http://craftylibrarian.wordpress.com/

Guess what I did tonight?

2008-04-11T22:10:00.003+01:00

I took a class in needle felting. Very exciting indeed. Inevitably I succumbed to the prettiness and bought a load of needle felting kit a while ago, and then realised that I didn't have the foggiest about what to make with it. Serendipitously though, my local craft shop was running a course for making teddy bears so I trotted along, fully expecting to come home with a half formed unrecognisable lump of fluff.

However, much to my (and the instructor's) suprise, after 2 hours of furiously poking merino tops with vicious needles (and creating several new holes in my fingertips in the process) I ended up with ...

Fred (who is looking miffed because the nasty instructor made him wear a girly ribbon).

Hoorah! A new crafty hobby!

New socks please!

2008-04-11T22:03:00.002+01:00

Thanks to the marvellous Boxkikker on Ravelry (the generosity of knitters knows no bounds), I finally managed to get my paws on a second Hiya Hiya 28cm circular. I was intending to use these little darlings to knit 1 sock on 2 circs, but when they arrived I knew they would be perfect for solving my current bout of second sockitis, and so I cast on for both of my dad's Jules socks at the same time. And they are flying by. I wouldn't use these needles for fewer than the stitches I have on them, and it's easier if it is a stretchy pattern, but it's working quite nicely for this one.

Heres a work in progress picture for you (complete with nosy furry beast)

Finishitis

2008-04-07T18:07:00.004+01:00

I am, I admit, a starter, not a finisher by nature. My (now constrained by a basket with a lid) stash of works in progress is neverending, as there always seems to be something new and exciting round the corner that I can't wait to try. I blame my memory, if I need an excuse, as I am sure that if I don't start knitting that scarf/sock/hat/jumper right that instant, then I am bound to forget to knit it at all, and my life will therefore not be complete.

However, over the last few days a new determination has come over me. I look aghast at my WIPs and long to turn them into creatures that I can free into the knitting wild. Solitary socks torture me and I can't help but pick up the needles and bustle away - just a few more stitches before bed, just a couple more before I have to leave to catch my train, just one more row after the train home swings round the junction onto the branch line...

And it is working. In the past couple of days I have finished not one, but two of the largest projects I have ever attempted. I'm wearing one right now - knitty's Topsecret jumper - a masterpiece of knitting engineering, being knit entirely in the round with only two very very teensy seams to bind off at the underarms.

Ta da!

It was such an easy knit that I want to start another one right away. It is snuggly and warm in Patons Inca yarn (wool, acrylic and a bit of alpaca for that je ne sais qua).

The second project that I have mercilessly cast off this week is my lovely hemlock ring blanket/throw in baby alpaca, but it isn't blocked yet and as husband constantly (and unkindly) refers to it as "the jellyfish" I'm guessing it isn't much to look at. Soon though, I'll attack it with my pins and spritzer and then we can all glory in its soft beauty.

Hats

2008-04-07T14:12:00.003+01:00

My 'new thing'. I have discovered that there is something infinitely satisfying in hat knitting. Knit in the round, which I love doing, they can be simple and relaxing, like Sam's Very Warm Hat (Freedom Spirit and Wensleydale Longwool DK) which has 6 inches or so of stockinette with a minimum of shaping at the crown.

Or fancy and lacy, like my Foliage (Brigantia Fusion). This is now a bit the worse for wear having been my staple commuting hat for a couple of months - although worth noting is the fact that you can successfull block a lace hat by leaving the house with wet hair every morning.

Hats can incorporate novel techniques, such as fancy beading and magical swirly patterns (Odessa in Rowan Cashsoft DK)

Or funky patterning to show off the yarn. This is IKs Short Row hat, which was a very quick knit on 2 needles (just 6 rounds of dpn knitting for the crown and I-cord bobble). I love the colour change that the yarn - Noro Silk Garden - gives. Just over a ball for this, so a quick knit, although extended by the fact that I had to spend ages in the stash trying to find a second ball that matched the colour phase of the first. Sigh.

Hats can even enhance the most handsome of husbands (Brooklyn Tweed's Koolhaas hat in Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran - looking faintly ridiculous on me, as husband currently unavailable for modelling)

Finally, the best thing about hats is that they are simply crying out for ...

Mittens!

Interim post

2008-03-17T14:12:00.004Z

I'm having great trouble getting myself in gear to photograph the (many) things I've been making over the last few weeks, and I don't articulate myself well enough to describe without photos, si I must apologise for my slow blogging. Hopefully, as I have 6 days off work for Easter, at least one of them will be good enough to get my camera out.

One thing I know I am good at is lists, so here is one for you: A while back (23rd July 2007 to be exact - see this post) I posted a meme listing the knitting related tasks I had tried or completed. I thought now might be a good time to review what I have achieved since I started knitting, and how far I have to go ...

So, from the original list, I have additionally tried:

Shawl

I-cord (I'd not heard of this at the time - now I think it lives up to its name of 'idiot-cord'!)

Toe-up socks

Mittens cuff-up

Knitting with silk

Slip stitch patterns

Twisted stitch patterns

Charity knitting (innocent hats)

Knitting with soy yarn

Knitting with circular needles

Cable stitch patterns

Buttonholes

Knitting with alpaca

Fair Isle knitting

Household items (tea cosy)

Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars

Holiday related knitting

Dyeing yarn (Kool Aid - great stuff!)

Kitchener stitch

Purses/bags

Knitting with beads

Entrelac

Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers

Thrummed knitting

Phew! There's still a way to go, and I'm adding my own ideas to the list every day. I will not however, be knitting clothing for my pets. Nor will I be combing them to harvest their fur and spin it any time soon (2 short haired cats. But perhaps when I have sheep or 2 that will seem infinitely more sensible!)

In the post ...

2008-03-09T19:04:00.003Z

I love getting parcels. Even the most unassuming item that I would not take a second glance at in a shop suddenly becomes much more exciting if it arrives in the post. So imagine my excitement over the last couple of weeks as my UKarma swap parcels have been arriving. For those non-ravellers out there (join join join! You don't know what you're missing!), the idea of the UKarma swap is that you post something that you no longer want, and someone else claims it. Then they post something that they no longer want, and person no. 3 claims that, and so on.

So the delightfully eclectic selection of items that has been confusing the postman currently stands at:

1 skein of banana fibre yarn in a gorgeous minty appley green colour. I've looked this one up, and banana fibre yarn is made from the dead bark of the banana tree, which is soaked until all the cellulose rots away and then the resultant fibre is spun into yarn. Rather like flax into linen. Its a strange yarn, as it is rather rough to hold, but the individual fibres are soft and silky. As it fell into 3 or 4 sections while I was winding it I think I'll make it into a bag.

1 ball of Austermann step sock yarn with Jojoba and Aloe Vera. This is also, serendipitously, something I've wanted to try for a while, ever since M&S started impregnating their tights and socks with anti-smell, moisturising magic. I love a gimmick. This colourway is nice and simple, but doesn't make me go ooohh, so I think it will probably turn into a pair of work socks for the summer. Gosh, I never thought I'd be knitting 'normal' items.

And finally, 1 copy of Yarn Forward (Winter 2008). I've read lots of knitting magazines, in a vain hope to find the perfect one. Simply knitting never has anything I fancy making, although I will be buying the Alan Dart book from WHSmiths as soon as I get there (if I start on the Noahs Ark now, by the time I have someone to give it to, several years hence, it might actually be finished!). The other UK knitting magazines are similarly uninspiring in my view. Interweave Knits is great, although as it is primarily pattern based I always feel like I would prefer to buy the patterns individually (as I now can).

Yarn Forward comes close to being my perfect knitting magazine I think, although I've not tried knitting any of the patterns yet. The projects are modelled on normal people, and there is a good variety of cardigans, jumpers, hats, bags etc. The articles are interesting and varied - the issue I got has an article about angora rabbits! And it is quite obviously not a 'professional' publication - by which I mean it is not published by a big magazine consortium and thus does not suffer from the surfeit of advertising promotions and obviously (yet surreptitiously) sponsored features.

I love this way of ridding yourself of unwanted bits and bobs, particularly if you've received something as a gift that you feel you will never use - I'd never sell something like that, but if someone else could make good use of it, then good luck to them.

The necessity of knitting

2008-02-11T15:06:00.002Z

I've been lurking in various forums on ravelry recently, and I've noticed a recurring post, which is usually entitled something along the lines of: You know you're addicted to ... when

Now I don't think of myself as having a particularly addictive personality - sure I feel a bit miffed if I'm unable to get my weekly fix of Heroes, Torchwood etc., and after 'going cold turkey' from alcohol and caffeine (including chocolate - eek!), I realised how much I was relying on the latter to stay awake past lunchtime, I feel I am strong enough willed to resist most addictions.

However, I am developing a increasing compulsion to knit.

I thought I was just knitting for fun, for presents, or to improve my knitting skills for the future when I might need them (after the apocalypse, stuck on an island somewhere with a couple of sheep perhaps). But I think it's gone beyond that.

A case in point. I'm going to a friend's wedding in a couple of weeks. I need a new dress (don't we all, although husband disagrees). Upon finding a nice dress, the first things that rush through my head are:

I've got a hat (handknit) that will go with this ...

But wait a minute, I'll need a wrap (sleeveless dress in York in March)

Aha! I've got some kidsilk haze in exactly the right shade of green to look gorgeous with the dress and aforementioned hat, and if I make Knitty's Wisp shawl then it will be gorgeous and light but at the same time snuggly warm.

But I'll need a contrast colour somehow, so why don't I just nip downstairs to John Lewis' haberdashery department and pick up a second ball of kidsilk haze in a nice brown colour, which will in turn go with my shoes, and then I can get some brown tights (to go with the yarn).

Thus, decision to buy the dress was almost entirely based on the accessories I had already knit, or could possibly make to go with it.

I am actually starting to feel quite naked if I go out of the house without wearing something hand made. I made Knitty's Foliage hat the day before coming to work after Christmas because my previous hat was a bit felty. But then I had the hat so I had to make the mittens, and now I have the mittens I really could do with a scarf ...

And I have some comfort knitting (the Hemlock ring blanket / shawl in baby alpaca) by my bed ... just in case.

I am pretty confident that I could stop knitting if I really wanted to, but I think that my life would be emptier and certainly less snuggly without it.

Blogging hiatus

2008-02-11T15:05:00.007Z

Well, that was quite a blogging hiatus. Nearly 3 whole months with nary a post nor a pic. I've been off the blogging radar partly by choice, partly by necessity, as I have felt increasingly tied to my computer over the last couple of months and I wanted to dedicate more time to non-screen based activities, plus my Christmas making and doing rather took over. Still, this means that I have quite a bit to talk about now!

So, following the traditions of diarists everywhere, and to put things into perspective, a review of my first ever knitting year.

I learnt to knit on 7th June this year. I can pinpoint the date as Rhona taught me the basics at my first KTOG meeting in Baldock. Needless to say I've not looked back. My cupboards are now full of yarn, I have needles galore from raids on charity shops, and have ventured into many corners of knitterdom. I'm going to list my 2007 FOs now, so look away now if you are of the opinion that "beginners" should not attempt anything other than garter stitch and scarves for at least the first 10 years (yes those people do exist - cowards!)

Pictured (not in order)

Fetching fingerless gloves (Marisol Hacho)
Knucks fingerless gloves (Rowan tapestry)
Short row wavy scarf (Rowan tapestry)
Zig zag scarf (Sublime extra fine merino)
Thrummed mittens (Wensleydale DK and Shetland combed tops)
Very warm hat (Twilleys Freedom Spirit and Wensleydale DK)
Baby surprise jacket (Sirdar Baby Bamboo and cotton)
Saartje's booties (Patons DK cotton)
Breeze socks (random cheap sock wool from t'shop on t'market)
Kiri shawl (Garnstudio Alpaca)
Watch cap (x 2 - Rowan Freedom wool and Manos)
Tea cosy (Matchmaker DK)
Lace scarf (Handmaiden Lady Godiva)

Plus (not pictured):

Monkey socks (Violet Green Sheherezade wool)
Easyknits basic socks (Plums and Custard Easyknits yarn)
Foliage hat (Brigantia fusion wool)
Odessa hat (Rowan cashmerino DK and some loverly green beads)
Koolhaas hat (Debbie Bliss Rialto)
Bias garter stitch scarf (various shades of Rowan Scottish Tweed)

Phew! I didn't realise there were quite that many things! And I've frogged quite a few.

Other craft-wise, I was rather overwhelmed by my latest obsession, and haven't therefore much to show other than knitting (see below). I did make a start at the end of the year to wean myself off the yarn, and made some pretty stitch markers for myself and a couple of swaps (knitting related I know, but not actually knitting). I also, with the help of my handy husband finished this just in time for the arrival of the recipient.

I love the felt softies all over the web at the moment, and have been wanting to make something felty for a while. I drew out some random blobby shapes using circles as a basis, then cut out lots of them and arranged the pieces on the dining room carpet, distributing the colours by squinting from a distance. I happened across a massive bag of embroidery threads in a charity shop earlier in the year (I yelped - v embarrassing, but its usually slim pickings in our local shops) and used random colours of these to stitch up the shapes and hang them from the beautifully cut, drilled, fixed and sanded frame. There are also some bells in there for added interest/parental annoyance, and some of the shapes are stuffed with bean bag beans rather than stuffing. I think the small one appreciated it, although he was still at the cross-eyed snuffly phase when we met him so it was a little hard to tell!

I participated in a few swaps in 2007, with varying degrees of success. The International Scarf Exchange was by far the most fun, as knitting something secret for someone you have never met, on the other side of the world, and knowing that someone else is returning the favour for you is a marvellous experience. Both my up- and downstream swap partners were lovely people, and it was amazing to see my scarf being worn thousands of miles away. I'll be hostessing for the next round of this exchange in a very short while, so come and join in the fun!

I was also a member of the Monkey Sock Swap, Stitch Marker Exchange, and Secret Pal 11, although I am not sure if I will participate in the latter again. I received some nice bits and bobs from my pal, and I think my downstream secret pal appreciated her parcels, but sending random stuff is not quite the same as handmaking something for someone.

Speaking of which, I received some amazing handspun skein from Yoshimi (pic to come once I dig it back out of the yarn cupboard!) as part of a Pay It Forward scheme. If any of the 3 people who signed up to receive something from me are reading this - rest assured that I am raring to go after the Christmas present debarcle, and your gifts will be in the post in the near future.

Finally, I must mention a couple of purchases. I was incredibly lucky to become the adoptive parent of Sven, who is of course, a Little Cotton Rabbit.

I have never typed a blog comment so fast as i did to snaffle him, but am very glad I did. Here is Sven posing for you (he took a fancy to other people's Christmas trees and was last seen in our drinks cupboard - I can see that he is going to be a fun rabbit to own!)

Secondly, my sock knitting now travels in style, in one of Monkee Maker's mini totes.

My own monkee made of knit still sadly lies in pieces, but may be revived in the new year so that I can join in with the monkey business spreading like wildfire across the globe.

Next, some plans for 2008. I'm not calling these resolutions as I will never keep them if I do.

I would like to branch out and put my crafty tendencies to good use by making some things to sell. Not sure what yet, but there is a limit to the extent my stash can grow without good reason (or cash).

I will make bigger things. I've already started knitting a hoodie, although I discovered the other day the perils of knitting with variegated yarn and starting a new ball in semi-darkness. Namely, a big stripe right across the back. Sigh. I've decided to press on though as the wool is 50% wool and 10% alpaca, so I think it will probably overdye quite nicely. I'll not be put off though and already have a couple of other 'big' things in the pipeline.

Finally, I will become a 'Fearless knitter'. I think I am already quite fearless, but I'm sure I can be more daring ...

A little brightness to cheer things up a bit

2007-11-16T10:47:00.000Z

So the previous post was lovely muted greens, greys and blues. Well, how about this to brighten things up a little ...

Amazingly gloriously purple isn't it? This fabulous creation is from the International Scarf Exchange, from my lovely secret pal Rhonda.

But I'm getting ahead of myself ...

My parcel arrived earlier in the week, but due to the fact that the Royal Mail delivers to my street at 1045am (I mean, who is in then?) it veered off before it got through my door and went to stay with some other parcels in the Sorting Office. Unfortunately the sorting office is not in a nice part of town, so I had to wait until it was either light (unlikely at this time of year) or husband was available for driving duties before i could go and get it. but when I did ...

ooh, the dilemma. It was wrapped in christmas paper, and said happy holidays - should I wait until December 25 to open it?

nah! of course not! And look at the many reasons why I should have ripped open the packaging

... gosh, I am lucky aren't I? A loverly skein of Manos cotton yarn in the brightest of all reds, some delicious sounding herbal teas (to calm me down when I get too excited about my knitting - yes, it does happen), and look, look, some Bertie Botts every flavour beans - ISE5 pal you are marvellous. I still haven't found these in the UK, so I was so pleased (yes, I know, small things amuse small minds - hee!) - these will be saved until I spend time with my little (well, 25) brother, and then I think a game of jelly bean russian roulette might be in order ... earthworm flavour anyone???

You can't really see (unbelievably it was too sunny for photos. Mind you, it was also below freezing) but I also got a gorgeous little bird stitch marker, which is now helpfully marking the middle of my Kiri shawl, and a very cute ceramic sheep.

Oh, and I mustn't forget this lucky little chap

But now to the scarf, and what a scarf it is. It is in a gorgeous soft silky yarn, which drapes amazingly, and I absolutely love the viney lace pattern. In fact, I think lace patterns in thicker yarns are fast becoming my favourite thing, so Rhonda, you must be a mind reader. I could effuse about this beautiful object all day, but I have knitting to do, so I will go and wrap myself in it and leave you with a gratuitous scarf shot. enjoy!

Catch up post

2007-11-16T10:23:00.000Z

Well, it's been a while, for various reasons, so here is a post laden with some yummy knitting goodies. I am in the middle of furiously knitting christmas gifts for various family members, and in fact the only thing I have on my needles for me is my second baudelaire sock. Sigh. Still, this will be remedied after christmas, when I shall knit myself lots of goodies (he he he).

My christmas pressie list is currently running at 6 WIPs, all, for some reason, in really muted colours. Perhaps this is because I am knitting for men, but it really is no excuse. Dad's scarf (don't look dad) is the closest to being finished, as I am running out of yarn. It's a zig zag pattern I picked out of Jan Eatons ripple book, and is turning out lovely, although I am still struggling with the whole 'carry yarn loosely up side of work' aspect of things - it always ends up looking messy so I think I will have to fold the edge under and seam it before I am satisfied.

Secondly, I am in the middle of making warm things for my little brother, who is off to Iowa in January to visit his girlfriend, and where I am reliably informed it will be -23degrees. Thus, we have the very warm hat (Zimmerman)
The outside (or inside) is Freedom Spirit wool in pale grey, blues and a little brown (not really shown in the photo, oddly enough it was rather too bright!). The inside is some lovely silky Wensleydale DK in a very dark navy. For DK it is rather thin, which mean that the knit lining will be quite loose gauge, but I think this will work nicely - don't want his head getting too hot. I do hope this fits - its quite a tight fit on me but I do have quite a large head. Blocking will be the order of the day methinks.

I have also decided (perhaps misguidedly) to make him some thrummed mittens. Thrumming is the process of knitting in bits of fleece (in my case combed Shetland tops) into a fabric See the yarn harlot for comprehensive information.

I'm using the Manly Mitts pattern from knitty.com as my basic mitten pattern, but have added a few extra stitches to accomodate the thrums and the fact that the wensleydale needs smaller needles than you'd think for a DK (not that it isn't lovely, just slightly uninformative - no gauge or needle guide whatsoever on the ball band). So far, it looks like something from another planet, but rest assured I have not murdered some small space creature for the sake of my brothers paws.
We shall see. It could end up huge and ridiculous, but then, I don't think I have made the equivalent of Mark Darcy's cringeworthy jumper in Bridget Jones yet so something had to go pearshaped.

I also have a Kiri shawl (pdf) on the go for my nanna, in some glorious Drops Alpaca, but it currently looks like an crumpled mess so pictures will have to wait until I have blocked it.

Pay it forward

2007-11-03T10:26:00.000Z

I have discovered that I really like participating in swaps and exchanges. Friends I have spoken to often scoff at the idea, because of the risk involved trusting someone you don't know, will never meet and is likely on a different continent to send you things in return for what you post out. In a way this is true, as my expenditure on the various exchanges has been quite high, and I am still waiting to hear from various people about returns. But this is not the point.

The point is that you can really make a difference to someone by sending them something you have made, or found out specially for them. I think that is the point. I really don't like receiving cash for a gift. Yes, I know it is easy, and some people like my nanna don't have the resources to go out shopping for gifts, which is fair enough, but I would much prefer to receive a handpicked gift worth 50p than a cheque for a lot more. So with the aim of reviving the art of gift giving, I am participating in a couple of 'Pay it Forward' exchanges.

Well, these are not exactly exchanges. I've signed up with a couple of people who will send me a handmade gift of their choosing at some point in the future. In return, I pledge that i will send handmade gifts to three more people, who in turn will pledge ... and so on.

Here is the first pledge:

Pay It Forward Exchange

The Pay It Forward Exchange, where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness pass it forward too.

I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but I promise that it will be sent (within 6 months).What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I will now Pay It Forward to you THREE, I wonder who you will be?! Please, be a PIF! You will enjoy it just as much as we do!

And, remember...you have 6 months to get your gifts done! Come on, you know you would love to be one of my angels. Then, one day, but you don't know when....you will get a gift that I have made especially for YOU!

Please remember, you don't have to knit or crochet to participate, anyone who can make a nice handmade gift is welcome to join.

ISE5 news!

2007-11-03T08:00:00.000Z

So I got an email a little while ago from my ISE5 pal, saying that she might post my scarf out in the next couple of weeks. Now, is it just me or is that the most exciting news you have ever heard? No? just me then.

It got me thinking about sending my pal's scarf soon too, once I have finished blocking it (turned out that half of the scarf is longer than the other half if you know what I mean - I knitted until I had 50g left and then started from the other end, but I guess there must have been less/more than 50g in the skein. Sigh. Still, it shouldn't be toooo noticeable, unless my pal reads this blog!)

This is not a picture of the scarf I hasten to add. I would not be that stingy! This is the sample I knitted when panicking about the disasters that could happen when blocking a silk/wool yarn in a hard water area. But it all turned out ok, as is the real thing.

It'll be in the post today I think. Hooray!

Stitch markers!

2007-10-23T18:27:00.000+01:00

Just a short post to say THANK YOU! to the two lovely Angelas (one American, one Canadian) whose stitch markers I received as part of an exchange in the last couple of weeks.

Not much sunshine here now, so here are some pictures of the lovely things (needed increasingly as my stash and pile of UFOs grow) on a dingy windowsill (note to self, encourage cat to learn how to dust after sitting on windowsills).

A weekend of knitting (I wish)

2007-10-23T18:14:00.000+01:00

I've not been blogging much, so much time, so little to do, and so excuse me while I waffle.

This weekend, I suggested a walk in the park. Richmond Park to be precise, 2360 acres of Royal hunting park. It was a glorious afternoon, and we spent several hours wandering about in the woods and fields, getting really close to the deer (fallow and red) which was amazing as the stags are in full rut so had huge antlers.

Then we saw this, and I remembered about London's newest inhabitants:

Photo courtesy of BeardyMan

There must have been literally hundreds of parakeets in that part of the park, and all screaming and screeching at the tops of their voices. There have been some moves in the press to cull the beasties, saying that they are competing (and winning) with the local wildlife, but in my opinion, having the opportunity to see something that funky and exotic on a cold winter's day has to be a good thing.

Of course, in order to get to the park we had to go via Vauxhall tube, so I had the perfect opportunity to nip into IKL, which happened to be having a 'Crafternoon tea', celebrating the launch of Jane Brocket (aka Yarnstorm)'s new book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity. In true gentlemanly fashion, and on promise of a cup of tea and a cake, husband deigned to stay for Jane's talk, and he even bought me my tickets for the Stitch and Bitch day in a couple of weeks (he is very lovely).

Big cat and his ways

2007-10-23T18:00:00.000+01:00

I found a lovely basket/trug in a charity shop the other day. It only cost £1.50, which pleased me mightily as I have been looking for one for ages, and next year it will come in handy for collecting all our lovely veg.

However ...

I was rather annoyed (although not altogether surprised) to find this scene in the bedroom late the other night:
He clearly doesn't realise that the basket is too small for him, and that he can't actually curl up properly in it, and that he looks rather silly. He spent the whole night there, on top of a snuggly cardigan that I had foolishly left in the bottom of the basket.

Sigh. I think I may have to go basket shopping again, this time for the puss monster.

Spinning (no, not knitting, in the slightest!)

2007-10-15T18:15:00.000+01:00

I've been a little lax in blogging recently, primarily because I work at a computer all day and I am trying hard not to be tied to it at home too. But fear not, I have not been neglecting my blogworthy crafts, so today I bring to you my very first (well, this time round) bit of spinning wheel spinning.

The story goes something like this - a few years ago when i was working at york, I toddled along to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate, and was persuaded by some very nice Shetlanders (from Jamieson & Smith) that spindle spinning would be great fun, and here, have half a sheep's worth of Shetland combed top to get you going, and 500g of Wensleydale. So I gave it a go and thought it fun. Then a friend at work mentioned that she was in the local Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers and would I like to come along and have a go on her spinning wheel? So I did, and Lo! it was more fun and less hard on the arms (admittedly, after my first go on it one of the legs (of the wheel) broke, but that was apparently not normal and not my fault either!). Then the lovely friend moved to a remote scottish island, proclaimed that she had never got to grips with the wheel anyway, and bequeathed it to me. Hooray!

Then (are you keeping up?) I moved house, twice, and never seemed to find the time to get spinning again. Along the way I acquired a jacob fleece, a bog standard sheep fleece, and two from a Wensleydale/Jacob hybrid creature, all of which are sitting under the stairs smelling sheepy.

Finally, last weekend I was looking at the blogs of my ISE5 secret pals (as a hostess I feel obliged to look out for their blogging wellbeing, and came across this post. Well, there was nothing for it - I snapped. "Spin" I cried, "I must spin or be damned. Just call me Sleeping" (or something like that.

Inevitably, events overcame me (mostly housework, as per usual), but I finally got 5 minutes to myself, and reinitiated myself into the art of the humble wheel. And this is the result:

A small picture for a very waffly post, but I am quite pleased that having only had one spinning lesson I can produce something that, if you squint, could possibly resemble wool.

Roll on next weekend and I'll be churning out skeins of the stuff! (ever the optimist)

I want I want I want!

2007-10-09T16:01:00.000+01:00

Bertie Bott's every flavour beans

Only in the U.S. though - curses!

And how do they know what an earthworm tastes like?

mmmm chocolate

2007-10-05T10:20:00.000+01:00

I've just had my first wispa in at least 5 years. I was so excited when I heard that they had reintroduced them due to popular demand that I went out this morning and bought 2 (including one for poorly husband - but as he is sicky poorly I'll probably get to eat that one too!)

Definitely the sugar rush I needed to get me to lunchtime.

Stitch markers for ISE5 Group contest

2007-10-04T18:00:00.000+01:00

Here, as promised is a picture of the prize for my first ISE5 group contest. The winner can choose either the butterflies or the alphabet stitch markers.

As stated in my email, anyone from my ISE5 group who wants to enter should leave their reply to the following question as a comment on this post (signed please, or I won't know who you are).

"If you were on a sinking ship, and could only save one knitting/crochet/weaving project to take with you in the lifeboat to that desert island on the horizon, what would it be?"

For the purposes of this contest, a project consists of infinite amounts of yarn, needles/hooks/loom, a single pattern and associated important bits and bobs.

Prizes will be awarded on the basis of creativity, hilarity, practicality and other nouns ending in "ity".

Closing date is midnight GMT on 17th October, which gives you a week and a bit to have a think.

Good luck!

ps - non-ISE5 people are free to post, but won't win the prize ;-)

Holiday news (belated as always)

2007-10-04T17:00:00.000+01:00

We've just spent a glorious week at Carsington Water (Derbyshire), where we rented a cottage/barn with 4 other friends, and then proceeded to spend the week eating, drinking, playing games, reading and knitting. Some of us even went sailing on the reservoir while the rest watched and chuckled (for sailing read swimming - photos withheld due to embarrassment potential).

Oh, and the men went all prehistoric on us and spent the week plotting against the resident mice with modified mousetraps (score when we left: mice 2 (pieces of chocolate bait), humans 6 (rather messily it has to be said)).

On the crafty front, I finished my second BSJ, with modifications from the [knit wiki] making it look more symmetrical:

So now I have to find some buttons and the first mayou baby pressie will be finished.

I also finished one of these:
Fetching from knitty.com

Which turned into a pair over the weekend and are currently keeping my paws nice and cozy while I type.

Stash and thrift wise, we visited the amazing Cromford Mill, built by Arkwright (he of water powered cotton spinning mill fame). And totally by chance (honest!) this was the home of Quiltessential, a gorgeous quilt fabric shop run by a very friendly and helpful lady. We could have spent all day there (if it wasn't for the disapproving looks from all 3 other halves) but I satisfied myself with a selection of fat quarters for my stash:

And these beaties that may turn into a lap quilt now the nights are drawing in.
I'll drop in this photo too, for remembrance. These are stunning artisan cotton lawn fabrics, and the nice lady let me take a photo of them as I was dithering and couldn't really justify another expenditure at the time.
But with hindsight, I'm thinking handbag ...

Finally, a picture of the happy holidaymakers:
Dove Caves, Dovedale, after a trek through a jungle like ravine. We thought ahead and brought cake.

Secret Pal parcel

2007-10-04T10:29:00.003+01:00

I received my first SP11 parcel in the post a couple of days ago - very exciting! I am now the proud possessor of the following:

A plethora of crafty books. Thanks again SP.

So, with the following, which fell into my hands when I was wandering in Waterstones the other lunchtime (they have a loyalty card now d**n and blast them) I am now all booked up for the winter with plenty to keep me amused.

Monkey sock swap spoilee you are very bad and naughty ...

2007-10-04T10:27:00.000+01:00

Look what you made me buy!

I was searching high and low for your extra monkey yarn, and therefore I was thinking pink. Pink is definitely not my colour, or so I thought, until the above started calling to me across I Knit.

"Look at us" they cried, "Look at our luciousness, look how although we are both made of silk we are so different - I, Habu am rough and rustic, while my friend Fyberspates is soft and silky, look how our colours match and compliment each other, and look how perfect we would be knitted up in a wavy lacy pattern"...

So just to shut them up I had to buy them! The nice lady on the counter told me that it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so pink was very 'in'. So that made me feel a bit better

I did get your yarn too though. Betcha can't guess what colour it is?!

Finally I can show you this:

2007-10-01T14:56:00.000+01:00

lovely bagsket I made for Jen (she of birthday fame in previous post). I've been holding off posting this, although it turned out that she doesn't even read my blog so I needn't have bothered!

It was well received I think, but the next one I make will not be cylindrical - I have discovered that I am physically incapable of sewing a straight edge to a curved one - much sweating and swearing went into this pressie!

I love making pressies for people, there is something infinitely more satisfying than just nipping to the shops. And it gives me an excuse to create!

Woo hoo!

2007-09-20T08:56:00.001+01:00

I'm in ravelry! I'm going to spend the rest of the day at work trying not to look on the site!

My user name is CraftyLibrarian - look me up in a few days when I've put something worthwhile on there ;-)

Scatterday #4: no pictures, just ideas

2007-09-16T17:07:00.000+01:00

Oh deary deary me. There has been a small glitch this week, which means that I can't upload my scatterday pictures at the moment. For some reason my computer will allow me to upload pictures of cute cats, but not things beginning with Q. Sigh. But in the spirit of the thing, here is my entry for this week anyway, which I will redo as soon as my computer stops playing silly b**gers.

This weeks letter sent me running for the dictionary, which is always an exercise in education.

So, I have discovered that a Quadroon is a person who's parents are a mulatto and a white person, so is one-quarter black by descent; a Quaich is a traditional Scottish shallow drinking cup with 2 handles; Quartan is a mild form of malaria where the fever recurs every 3rd day; and a Quean is an impudent or badly behaved girl or woman.

All very fascinating, but not particularly helpful. However, after much deliberation I bring to you the Triplet of Qs:

A quaver from husband's latest piece from his piano teacher
A quadrangle (at Durham Cathedral)
And some rather dodgily drawn Quidditch robes!

Not knitting

2007-09-16T15:20:00.000+01:00

I've been saving my blog entries recently, as I think I've been rather knitting obsessed and I wanted to wait until I had something else to tell you about. Well, on Wednesday I took the day off work, ostensibly to clean the house, actually to get some crafty things finished and phone up for Mark Ronson tickets.

Last thing first, I spent literally hours phoning the Roundhouse in Camden (amazing venue - its a converted railway turntable shed) and trying to get through to their booking line, and then once I had got through, I spent half an hour on hold, muttering through gritted teeth about what I would say to the booking lady if they had sold out. Fortunately, and remarkably for me, they hadn't sold out (guess everyone had trouble getting through) so in October husband and I will be bopping along to lots of rather funky cover versions. I'm just not going to look at the next phone bill!

Cleaning the house is better not mentioned. Small cat helped me clean the bathroom by sitting on the floor exactly where I wanted to stand and cleaning herself, but at least I'm not afraid to wash my face in the sink anymore.

Speaking of puss monsters, I had a rather large panic on Sunday, while husband was in Edinburgh on conference. All had been quiet on the cat front for a while, so I went to find big cat. He was fast asleep in the sun room, but with the distinguishing feature that his left front paw was twice the size of the right one - eeek! Now, I haven't had cats for a while, but even I know that this is not a good sign. He couldn't walk on it, and was a bit dozy (but this is not unusual). A frantic phone call to mother ensued, who advised soaking it in hot salty water and a swift trip to the vet, as she suspected it was a bite.

Of course, I do not drive, and was supposed to be at work on the Monday, and we had never quite got round to sorting out the pet insurance, so after spending some time getting very wet and salty, and being punched in the face by the good paw, I spent a troubled night waiting to see if the paw was better by the morning.

Fortunately, it was better, although obviously a bit tender, so I kept the mogs in all day (they were very affronted) and he seems right as rain now. Typical. We think he had dislocated or sprained his thumb by getting it caught in something (he does that a lot, and falls off things - sigh).

So here is the protagonist of this tale with a happy ending - he looks sweet as anything doesn't he?
And here is small cat, as she plots to take over the world (she gets jealous if we give big cat too much attention). Needless to say we may have to make some modifications to the bird table this year ...
Finally, crafty things ...

I've made a start on this year's Christmas pressies (yes, I know it is september). My first attempt was this advent calendar / bunting.
I'm thinking about doing a tutorial for this, as they are dead easy to make. But the next one won't have gold thread - the front looks pretty but the back is horribly horribly munted.

I'm going to make/persuade husband to make some little stamps out of wine corks, a la Craft Chi with Christmas themes to put in the pockets, with room for a chocolate or two should you be that way inclined. So far my tentative list includes (bearing in mind my drawing/carving skill level):

Christmas pudding
Angel
Christmas tree
Present
Glass of wine
Star
Holly
Mistletoe
Christmas bauble
Stocking
Penguin
Santa
Snowman

Any other ideas?

computer's gone berserk

2007-09-15T19:26:00.000+01:00

I've wanted to use the word 'berserk' in every day conversation for a while, but not particularly in this context. My computer is being awkward in every sense of the word, and while I can just about manage to surf, uploading photos is a definite no-no. Just now I am frantically trying to back up the 1000 photos husband has taken on his shiny new digital camera, while windows screams at me that it wants to go to bed.

HUUUUGGE SIGH OF EXASPERATION!

So rest assured that I have a scatterday and a general crafty post lined up for tomorrow, when hopefully darling microsoft will have got its act together.

Secret pal parcel #1

2007-09-07T20:00:00.000+01:00

All packed up and ready to go, this toddled off in the post on Tuesday. I hope my secret pal gets it - she is off in the wilds at the moment and emailed to say that something was waiting for her at home so fingers crossed (I'm showing remarkable faith and confidence in the Royal Mail to move a parcel from a post office in central london to an address less than 5 miles away aren't I?!)

Scatterday #3

2007-09-07T19:41:00.001+01:00

Today's scattergories are brought to you by the letter R.

I nearly managed to fulfill all three categories with the same word, but was foiled at the final hurdle (more below).

So, for the Plant World I present my loverly Rhubarb in the autumnal sunshine (twice for some reason best known to picasa). Slow off the mark, this plant was nearly removed in favour of a larger raised bed, but in the end I relented and gave it one last chance. The result - last weekend we had home made rhubarb ice cream (yum indeed)!

The Childhood picture came to me in a flash of inspiration - my all time favourite in the days when children were allowed to eat sweets - Rhubarb and custards! I bought these in a fit of reminiscence, but can't eat them as I have two, yes 2 mouth ulcers! Can you believe it? I haven't had one since I swapped my toothpaste years ago and then 2 come along at once - tsk! Still, at least I won't be hyperactive!

Then there was the Arts - As I said, I almost managed to fulfill all three categories with the same thing, and if I had only been able to find a picture, the Arts category would have been filled by ...

Roobarb and Custard - a marvellously surrealist cartoon from the 1980s, narrated by Richard Briers.

However, I didn't want to borrow from elsewhere for this, and so instead I present my favourite piece of studio pottery, this gorgeous mermaid plate by Barbara Ross. Husband thought I was strange coming home from a charity shop with a plate with a naked lady on it, but she just called to me - I love the lilac and orange glazes on her tail and her face is beautifully painted.

Now then, Q .... hmmmm ... might have to get the dictionary out for that one.

International Scarf Exchange 5

2007-09-07T09:34:00.000+01:00

Roll up, roll up for the 5th International Scarf Exchange. I (in my infinite wisdom and manic enthusiasm) have signed up to be a co-hostess on this exchange, and so I thoroughly encourage anyone reading this blog to sign up asap.

The basic idea is that you are allocated a swap partner, and knit, crochet or weave them a scarf. Someone else will return the favour for you. It is (as you might have guessed) an international swap, so you may find yourself swapping with someone on the other side of the world.

You have until September 19th, 2007 - 8:00pm central standard time (Canada) to complete the following questionnaire and email it to isehostesses @ gmail . com (eliminate the spaces) with Sign me up in the subject line. There are only 200 places, so you'd better be quick!

Head over to the ISE5 blog for more information

Questionnaire

1. Name:
2. Email (for pal):
3. Email (for hostess):
4. Blog:
5. Mailing address:
6. Colours (like):
7. Colours (no like):
8. Fibres (like):
9. Fibres (no like):
10. Allergies:
11. Look [(like) ie: lace, geometric, colourful...]
12. Look [(no like) ie: asymmetrical, granny squares, too many different colours together...]
13. Length:
14. Holiday Celebrated:
15. Do you want a pal with a blog?
16. Anything you would like your pal to know about you that they can't find out from your blog?
17. Would you like to angel someone who doesn’t get their scarf?

Blog review #4

2007-09-06T10:30:00.001+01:00

Time for another blog review methinks. I do have loads of crafty things to show you, but that requires me to be in the same place as the sun and my digital camera, which hasn't happened yet. Fingers crossed for this evening.

Anyway, this blog review is for the marvellous Brooklyn Tweed.

This is the blog that inspired me to see yarn colours differently. The amazing Hemlock Ring blanket, which is knit using a vintage doily pattern, but in heavyweight brown wool sounds nasty when you write it down, but has actually turned out divine. Jared, you are a miracle worker, producing gorgeous garments out of unassuming yarn. Oh, and he spins too, of course!

Reasons to visit this blog: To make you think beyond the temptations of all the funky trendy yarn out there and take things back to basics.

Things to see: Lots of different knitted items, all lovingly presented and photographs

Favourite post at the moment: It is still the BSJ, which inspired me to make my own and I've not looked back!

chaussettes, calzini, socken, calcetines, носки

2007-09-05T09:10:00.000+01:00

I'm off to buy sock yarn for my monkey sock swap pal tonight - hoorah! And as the site I will be buying it from has a £19 minimum for free postage, I will just have to buy myself something too!

Secret pal parcel #1 nearly on its way

2007-09-03T15:24:00.000+01:00

Y'know, Ias excited about sending my first parcel to my secret pal as I will be receiving one. I hope it makes the grade.

I love putting present packages together - bits and bobs on a theme, that kind of thing. And of course, once I'd put it all in the box, there were gaps, so I made a couple of extra little somethings to fill in the space (no point mailing air after all!).

I've included quite a lot of secondhand/handmade/recycled pressies (although she does have some brand new yummy yarn and a couple of other things, of course) as I've been given a pal who lives near me and wanted to buy things that she couldn't get herself. Does this sound reasonable? It seemed like I was being a bit of a cheapskate at first, but $60 won't go very far in the UK knitting wise, and I didn't want to be stingy with the parcels. Am I worrying too much? Probably!

I didn't get a huge amount of information from my pal's blog, as there aren't many crafty posts, so I've assumed she is open to anything (heh heh heh!). Now all there is to do is to finish wrapping it up (often the most fun part) and rely on Royal Mail to do the rest (ha! she might get it in a month or so given their track record!)

Now, what can I put in the second box ... ???

Photos (not mine, but nearly)

2007-09-03T10:51:00.000+01:00

Husband has gone digital (hoorah!) and has started uploading his rather marvellous nature photos into flickr.

Anyone wanting to give him a little encouragement (for which I will be eternally grateful) please have a look at his pages:

Beardy man (yes, that was the best we could do for an anonymous name)

and my input? Several hours spotting wildlife for him to take photos of ...

While wandering in Welwyn

2007-09-02T10:01:00.000+01:00

I came across this magazine in WHSmiths:

Its the magazine equivalent of Craftzine, whose blog I read avidly when trying to escape from knitting (it can be all consuming you know).

So now I have instructions for making a "bitchin' birdhouse", a pirate outfit for my pug dog (er, perhaps not), candles, a macrame curtain and umpteen other funky items. This should keep me busy for a while.

But £7.99? Smiths really, have you not heard about the dollar exchange rate? Give us UK crafters a break please!

Scatterday #2

2007-09-02T09:29:00.000+01:00

Oops, I missed the deadline - not great for a second attempt.

The only excuse I have is that a remarkably cute miniature kitten made its way into our garden last night, so I spent considerable time removing our cats into the house (they wanted to beat it up, poor thing) and putting out a box and some food for the kitten. I felt so bad about not bringing it into the house, but we've only had our monsters for a few months and they are still a bit insecure as they are rescue cats. It really was the cutest cat I've met (barring our lovelies of course) - a brown and grey mottled long haired puss, with black and white short hair legs, and a b&w spotty nose. A true mongrel. No sign of it this morning though. Hopefully it has made its way home, as if it turns up again I might not be so strong willed.

Anyway, Scatterday ...

My colour is Gold, which for me means my wedding and engagement rings, being the only gold objects I own. They are really chunky, and now rather battered. There's a story behind that though ...
Vehicle was rather difficult, as I do not own a gig, nor play golf. But then, while flicking through an old photo album I came across something perfect. So here, for your amusement and my embarrassment, is a photo of me (on the right, some years ago I hasten to add) and my babysitter Lorraine with our rather fabulous GO-CART!

Finally, for a household object I present my favourite Gadget. When we got married my workmates gave me a voucher for an expensive cookery shop in York, and rather than buy sensible house things we decided to spend the lot on a single silly funky gadget. So this is my marvellous kitchen timer, made by Alessi and costing all of £35!
You may notice that as a fail-safe there is a grater in the background, but I think this Gadget is funky enough to count as a G object don't you?

Monkey swap 3 questionnaire

2007-08-28T15:44:00.000+01:00

Monkey Sock Swap THREE Questionnaire

The basics:

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep?
Beginner – have just finished my first pair (and am very pleased with them)

The measurements:

Shoe Size: UK 4 (Europe 37, US 6.5)
Foot circumference: 8 inches
Foot length: 9 inches

Yarn Preferences:

What colors do you love?
Blues, greens, “colours from nature”

Do you prefer solids or variegated?
Solids with a textured pattern, variegated for plain socks

Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn?
Wool or cotton

What colors would you never wear?
Orange

What are your favorite brands of yarn?
I don’t have a favourite brand as such, I tend to prefer unusual, locally produced / spun / dyed yarns – things that I can’t buy in John Lewis (big department store).

Are there any new brands you would like to try?
I was interested to read about the new yarns with unusual components, for example, I’m knitting a scarf with soy bean protein in it, Bamboo is great for everything – yarn, needles, socks, chopping boards, dishcloths, floorboards … and I love the idea of Seacell (yarn from seaweed – ha!)

Cookie A. Patterns:

Which of her patterns have you already knit?
None

Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own?
Rhiannon is lovely, but I love any sock pattern with cabling.

Other pertinent information:

Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US?
I’m in the UK, so don’t mind, although for swapping interesting things, a pal abroad would be good.

Do you have any allergies?
Nuts, but that’s not very relevant for sock knitting!

Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals?
I have 2 cats, who will try to get their paws on my socks, but I’ll do my best …

Are you on Ravelry yet? If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name?
Not yet, only 4000 people in front of me though …

Scatterday

2007-08-23T21:51:00.000+01:00

I'm posting this early as on the 25th I'll be in York, celebrating my birthday and trying not to fall into craft shops with my friends.

Random Applique and friend have challenged us to a blogging game of scattergories. This weeks challenge is brought to you by the letter L and the categories Animals, Food and Sewing. Miraculously I had some of these photos already (those are the ones with the good images - its been truly awful weather here, as it often is for my birthday - sigh). I've taken the categories quite loosely to make it more fun to investigate, hope this still qualifies!

Oops, I've just reread the rules, and I'm only supposed to post one picture per category. Ah well, the more the merrier I say!

So we have from left to right, top to bottom:

Lemon thyme, which went into a lovely tea of garlic (from our garden) cooked slowly in lots of olice oil until golden and soft, then add the thyme, stir into cooked pasta and add crumbled piquant goats cheese - yum!
Lemongrass - you can't see, but this is a packet of seeds, as I'm expanding my culinary horticultural experience - so it will be food in a few months time!
Leeks - our first leeks looked like grass for many months, but turned out delicious, particularly shredded and fried with cooked potatoes, shredded sprouts, garlic and cubes of bacon
A lorikeet, at Woburn safari park. Took a liking to husband's beard. I volunteered to be photographer rather than cup holder - phew!
Lionel, the leopard. Nuff said.
A Loghtan sheep (I think). This is a rare breed from the Isle of Man, seen in Rockingham Forest. The type we'd love to have on our theoretical smallholding ...
Linen - waiting to be turned into number 8. This is from a shop called russell and chapple, and is gorgeous heavyweight linen, just dying to be turned into a hanging. It was pretty expensive, at £20 a metre, but as it's theatrical fabric it is over 2 metres wide, which means as long as you don't mind the herringbone going the wrong way it will make a perfect Tree of Life hanging for the firebreast
My first crewelwork hanging (on linen). I love the simplicity of the stitches, combined with the medieval earthy colours.
Leftovers (yarnwise) waiting for something exciting to happen to them. I wonder if it will?

On the needles

2007-08-23T21:33:00.000+01:00

Well, the last proper post was rather vague and waffly, so I shall try to be more concrete with this one. I thought I'd better consolidate my 'on the needles' list, partly cos I don't actually have one, and partly cos it should jolt me into action to actually finish some of these d**nable things!

So, on various needles at the moment are the following:

Breeze socks from Knitty.com. I've finished the first and have just turned the heel and picked up the stitches on the second, so just the 24 row lace/cable pattern repeats to manage and I'm done! This is my second attempt at socks, the first being abandoned due to sheer boredom and dispiriting holes round the heel. This pattern is much more exciting, and fits quite nicely, although next time I won't make these socks in a patterned yarn, so that the cable/lace pattern shows up better.

Update - see 'doh!' post below - sigh

FireBrunette's Candle Flame scarf , which is another 2nd attempt. This new scarf is loverly indeed, and much kinder on my loose/tight knitting (practice practice practice).

Another Knitty knit, this time mittens for mother. After my impulsive purchase of 6 skeins of Rowan Tapestry (it was the Soy Bean Protein, it drew me in), with the intention of knitting a nice wide scarf with a pattern, I realised that the wool was too hairy to make a pattern stand out, so I decided on a simpler scarf, which uses less wool, and leaves me free to make these Knucks mittens, and later a hat when she tells me how big her head is (v large apparently, but we used to take the same size riding helmet so I take that as an insult). These mittens were so quick - ~~I started them on friday night and have nearly finished the 2nd one (it's monday)~~
Finished! As of yesterday! Hooray!

And here's the scarf, which is so easy to knit and very satisfying, so I'm going to add it to my stash of commuting knits This is of course separate and additional to my other stashes ...

Finally, a monkey, who looks rather forlorn at the moment, and not really much like a monkey, but he will I promise

Percent bars courtesy of Yarn Tomato btw - thank you!

Oh, techie toys, why do you torment me?

2007-08-23T15:01:00.000+01:00

Is this not very cool indeed? Courtesy of Spell with flickr

New template!

2007-08-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

Hoorah!

yarn over, and over, and over again

2007-08-21T10:56:00.000+01:00

Doh!

I have just discovered to my annoyance that for the entirety of my first Breeze sock I have been yarn overing in the wrong direction. I did wonder why my nice lacey holes were not nice and lacey (or hole like) but I assumed it was a tension / yarn gauge issue. Now upon starting the new sock, I have been yarn overing and I have holes! Sigh. I guess I must have picked up some dodgy instructions about yarnovers at some point, and not paid enough attention to what I was doing when I was following the pattern.

That'll teach me to knit on the train when I really should be napping!

musings of a secret pal

2007-08-20T15:04:00.000+01:00

I wonder when my secret pal will contact me? I am incredibly impatient i know, but I do so get excited.

My imagination is brimming over with ideas and thoughts about what to put in my packages ...

I think I will make them up as mini-kits, as my treatee (is that a word - the only other way of describing it would be my 'downward secret pal' which sounds wrong) says she is fairly new to knitting, and she hasn't posted a lot of things on her blog so I'm assuming she is open to anything (heh heh heh!)

What do you think? Is this a reasonable secret pallish thing to do? So far I've been thinking sock kit, lace kit, felt kit?? with extra bits and bobs in there too of course ...

hmm. Thinking hat on and list making coming up methinks.

Labyrinthitis

2007-08-14T14:11:00.000+01:00

No, not a word of the day unfortunately, this is apparently what I have wrong with me, although the doctor couldn't spell it. It is basically gunk in my inner ear, caused by an infection, which has completely ruined my brain's ability to detect where I am in space and time (the practical and rather comical result being that if I turn my head left I fall over).

The good thing about this problem is that as long as I don't move too much or too quickly, I feel fine. I can't ride a bike therefore, but I can knit (and type). Hoorah! The bad thing is that it might not go away, which is a shame as I have a nice shiny bike waiting for the good weather in the shed. Ah well.

As a consequence of aforesaid labyrinth issues, I decided to make something nice and easy and non-brain-taxing yesterday - and chose the Watch cap from the Opinionated Knitter. This uses Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Prime Rib" stitch, which creates a lovely thick stretch ribbed fabric. I knitted it on 7 1/2 mm needles, with some gorgeous space dyed Freedom Wool (which smells so sheepy - mmm) and it took less that 100g to make a warm hat with quite a big turned up brim.

Then I tried to photograph it on my head. Bearing in mind that I can't look too far up, these were the results ...

I think you get the gist of the gorgeousness of the hat. I was going to give it away, but given the weather today I think I might have to knit another one for the intended recipient.

Secret Pal 11 questionnaire

2007-08-06T21:03:00.000+01:00

I'm getting more and more excited about the Secret Pal exchange. Here are the answers to the questionnaire - I hope they make some degree of sense - I've added lots of links to elucidate my waffle.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
- love bamboo, alpaca, cotton, merino
- hate scratchy acrylic, fun fur, eyelash and other fancy yarns with tickly bits.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
- needles in a pen pot (not very portable!)
- hooks in a fabric wrap

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
- started knitting on 7th june 2007
- learnt at the Ktog knitting group - went with the intention of being the 'only crocheter in the village' and ended up being taught by the hostess, Rhona.
- Am therefore a beginner, but very ambitious

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
- yes If this doesn't work, search for "So many crafts" on amazon.co.uk wishlists

5. What's your favorite scent?
- cut grass, earl grey tea, hot chocolate, tomato plants in the greenhouse (don't really wear perfume)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
- yes, very.
- chocolate, but nothing with nuts in it
- I like childish sweets too - flying saucers, jelly babies, cola bottles, that kind of thing. And I get inexplicable cravings for Smarties quite regularly.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
- you name it, I'll give it a go.
- my current passions are sewing (chiefly patchwork and related things), felting, and toy making (just starting out making softies)
- I can spin, but don't get round to it as often as I would like. I have 2 fleeces under my stairs waiting for me to be organised and wash them (sigh). I will do it before the end of the summer.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
- easier to say what I don't like. I don't like dance music, heavy metal or classical piano music of the rachmaninov variety. My ipod currently has a selection ranging from Queen to Keane, from the Cranberries to the Scissor Sisters, and from the best of James Bond to KT Tunstall. Oh, and a couple of audio books (read by David Tennant - he of Doctor Who fame in case you don't know of him). Don't know if I have MP3 capacity - I have Itunes so anything is possible probably.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
- I prefer warm, natural, earthy colours.
- I love the tones that you get in Shetland wool and those on the front of this book
- I like brights too, but nothing too lairy. Colours from nature are good.
- I don't like really babyish colours, pastels etc., and am not that keen on orange.
- I really hate dark and dingy colours - colour should be cheering or calming, not depressing.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
- I have a husband and two cats, and I'm not sure which is the more trouble.
- Neko (big cat) and Yuki (small cat) make a lot of mess, but stay away from my crafty things on pain of unspeakable things happening to them. They just gaze longingly at my knitting now!
- We also have some frogs and newts in our pond - do they count?

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
- Yes
- Yes, but I have a big head so I am learning to knit my own
- Yes, definitely rather than gloves (I have reynauds syndrome so mittens are better than gloves to stop my fingers falling off in the cold).
- Not really, although I'm going to knit myself of these, which is kind of poncho-ish.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Small things (I don't have a lot of patience), amigurumi, scarves, socks, baby booties, bags, hats etc.

13. What are you knitting right now?
- This scarf for my dad (trying out entrelac to hone my picking up stitches skills - which are a bit messy at the moment, but by the time I get to the other end I will be much better)
- A funky 1970s tank top (a Patons pattern with a Dallas-esque model - scary!)
- My first socks (soon to be unpicked in favour of these as I'm feeling quite brave)
- Innocent smoothie hats

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
- Haven't done much circular knitting, so straight needles are the way to go. Love knitting a cylinder with 4 dpns - such fun!
- Bamboo needles are the best, although I have some lovely secondhand anodised aluminium ones that come a close second.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
- no, but I wound my first centre pull ball the other day on my thumb using this technique and as my thumb was rather numb by the end of it, I think that a yarn winder might go on my wish list

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
- ancient - from the days when I was starting out with crochet (many moons ago). I think it was going to be a bag, using yarn unwound from a nasty cardigan, but I never got past the side gussets. Ah well.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Any of the times I have spent in Italy.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
- Stuff, specifically yarn and fabric related stuff.
- I love antique sewing bits and bobs, as you get some really nifty gadgets and unusual colours/fibres.
- Studio pottery (1950's-1970's art pottery, difficult to describe - will try to post some photos later)

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

books - Any Japanese craft books - if only there was a Kinokuniya in the UK (I'd be a lot poorer!). I also love anything Scandinavian - with their simple design styles that'll never date. I'd love to get my paws on the Vogue Stitchionary books. I'm a librarian, so my list of wanted books is fairly endless. I restrict myself to one page at a time on my amazon wish list, but it's sooo hard ...

yarns - unusual, handspun/dyed yarn in natural fibres, any of the Habu or Noro yarns (expensive tastes, I know), handmaiden (love the idea of yarn made from seaweed), anything from Garnstudio (particularly love the colours of their cotton yarns), Shokay yak down (gorgeous colours)

patterns - anything by Elizabeth Zimmermann - I've got the opinionated knitter, am working on my second baby surprise jacket, and it has left me wanting more ...

needles - I covet the glass needles I've seen around but I'm not sure where to get them. Would love some more wooden needles to start replacing the charity shop set I have at the moment. Adore any of the Clover gadgetry, does a knitting nelly count?

I don't have any subscriptions, but I love the Interweave crochet and knit magazines

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
- My husband has requested a Gansey for his birthday / christmas / wedding anniversary (depending on when I get round to it). So I have to learn how to knit a sweater, and the complicated cabling and patternign that goes on in such a thing.
- Oh, and the I-cord cast off - I saw it on a lovely EZ baby bonnet (with a heart shape as the base - v cute indeed)

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Working on my first pair as we speak. I'm a UK size 4 shoe.

23. When is your birthday?
24th August (Hooray!)

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
not yet (sigh). Only 6404 people in front of me though!

Christmas in August

2007-08-06T20:38:00.000+01:00

We went over to St Albans on saturday, and I managed to persuade husband that it would be a good idea to walk out to a fabric/knitting shop in the suburbs - Fashion n Fabrics. I did spend some considerable time in hi-fi shops to compensate for the long walk and dreary session in the shop though (I'm not entirely heartless).

I was absolutely amazed at the number of patchwork fabrics they had, all at reasonable prices, and I managed to get all the Christmas fabrics I needed for present making.

It was slightly odd to be buying snowflake fabric on the hottest day of the year, but I'm glad that I am at least trying to be organised this year.

It was the kind of shop that sells all those little things that you have either been looking for for years but can never find, or never realised that you needed. So I also got 50 embroidery spools, which will go a small distance to organising this little lot. Note - if anyone else makes the journey to St Albans, which I highly recommend, it is useful to note that the shop doesn't take cards. Serendipitously, I had written a cheque that very morning to Jamieson & Smith for their shade cards, and had for some reason shoved my cheque book in my rucksack - phew! Of course, then I botched up writing the cheque as I haven't written one for at least a year, but the ladies in the shop were very nice about it!

Autumnal shades in the sunshine

2007-08-06T20:22:00.000+01:00

Behold these lovely yarns on the hottest day of the year (so far). The greens and greys are Sirdar Sublime Merino (mmmmm), the pale green is Sirdar Baby Bamboo, then there is Twilleys Freedom Spirit in a shade called Air, and Twilleys Freedom Wool in funky purples and greens. Here are their intended applications - can you match yarn to project???

Entrelac scarf
Hat for husband
Felted hat for mother
Baby surprise jacket

My colours

2007-08-02T17:19:00.000+01:00

I've just been playing with this palette generator - you upload a photo and it returns a beautiful coordinated palette of colours for you.

These are the colours it generated from my profile photo: (scroll down, there seems to be an unusual gap here ...)

lovely aren't they. I can see this is going to be a fun new toy!

Blog review #3

2007-08-02T09:57:00.000+01:00

This is a knitting blog I adore. In fact, I don't think I have seen anything on Saartje Knits that I don't love! Saartje lives in the Netherlands, and writes in English, although I should be trying to read the Dutch bits too as I am currently in charge of cataloguing Dutch books at work.

Anyway, the blogs details all the gorgeous things Saartje makes, and includes some free patterns. I knitted Saartje's booties (pdf file) a little while ago, and they came out just perfect, and I am off to buy some Noro Kureyon to make this hat for my mum's birthday soon

Reasons to visit this blog: Classic designs in stunning colours and yarns. Patterns.
Things to see: This page of finished things I really must sort out some better photography equipment - makes my photos look dire :-(
Favourite post at the moment: Glove knitting (24 July 2007) - showing an absolutely beautiful entrelac cuff on a glove - I've never heard of this technique but it looks gorgeous and textural. Gloves are going on my to-do list

Secret Pal 11

2007-08-02T09:52:00.001+01:00

Hooray! I've just got my confirmation email from the Secret Pal people. I am very very excited about this, both receiving surprise packages, and going shopping for treats for my spoilee. In fact, I think that I'm more looking forward to the second aspect, particularly with Christmas coming up (yes, the fabrics are in the shops now!)

This should also force me to keep up to date with my blog, as it is one of the requirements of the exchange. Not that I don't want to, I just need a bit of a push now and then.

Small hats, small coats, small everything ...

2007-08-01T07:22:00.000+01:00

Well, once again I have been delayed in posting, this time by the insistence of a friend that we all go out for a meal together last night. Being forcefed calzone and zabaglione - what a trial!

Anyway, on to the myriad crafty things I have been up to recently.

Up till recently, my craft space has consisted of a cupboard and an old bureau in the spare room. The bureau didn't open out far enough to put anything bigger than A4 on it, and wasn't strong enough for my sewing machine (which spent its working life on the floor), and the storage space - well, don't get me started ...

So a couple of weeks ago, I hit upon a cunning plan. I persuaded my dear husband that the bureau would be much better placed in the library, where it could house the laptop and modem and look a lot nicer than the large melamine ikea table we had in there already. Of course, we'd then have to find something to do with the table ... can you see where I'm going yet?

So now, after much planning, painting, drilling of holes (it's a chimney breast so we kept hitting stone lintel - I have much filling and repainting to do - sigh), organising and reorganising, my "craft room", which used to look like this:

now looks like this:

I have lots of drawers on the right for all my paper-related crafty things, boxes above for my fabric, a linen-basket under the desk in which shall live my yarn (until deemed pretty enough for display in my new display thing - more in a later post when I've photographed it - suffice to say I am turning irredeemably girly), a board for inspirational/unfinished items, and a plinth on the left for my sewing machine. Bless Ikea! I'm feeling more creative already!

Other craft news is mostly knitting related, as that is my latest fad. I've made a start on some hats for the innocent smoothie people who put them on the top of their drinks bottles and give 50p to age concern for each one sold. They are dead easy to make, and may make a small dent in my yarn mountain. Some require bobbles, and I have rediscovered the lost art of making pom poms, which pleases me no end.

and finally, possibly the most exciting news. After reading all about her work on the web (and becoming a little obsessed, it has to be said, I was inspired by this picture on Brooklyn Tweed's blog to overcome my miserly nature and buy the book to get the pattern. And lo, the postman did provide, and he provided mightily:

and out of the book, came forth marvellousness ...

jellyfish? terrible mistake??

but no!, it magically turns into this

hoorah!

This is made in nasty cheap wool, but now I know I am capable of such wonderful things, I'm straight off down to Stash yarns asap to stock up and start making some of these (hope it's cold in york this winter otherwise the recipient is going to be a little warm!)

Quick post - Ravelry

2007-07-30T13:07:00.000+01:00

I've been quite slow in posting over the last week what with one thing and another, but I've got lots to say and show so rest assured that I'll remedy the situation tonight. Meanwhile, some exciting news - there are now fewer people in front of me than behind in the queue for Ravelry membership - Hooray! Admittedly that still means that 7058 people have to be signed up before I get the chance, but it is still morale raising!

Ravelry looks amazing and inspirational, somewhere to meet like minded people without having to trawl the web for knitting and crochet blogs. I am very excited indeed.

Knitting meme - I love lists!

2007-07-23T15:22:00.000+01:00

I found this on the Odds and Ends blog. I have done very little, but this may inspire me to find out what some of these things are, then give them a go.

The rules: Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Additional rule: Mark with a different colour things you have never heard of but are fascinated by!

Afghan - only in crochet
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down - on the needles and growing very slowly
Socks: toe-up - now there's an idea
Knitting with camel yarn - no, but I do have some yak, camel and other random fibres waiting to be spun
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL - not sure if I will be brave enough for a while
Sweater - does a tank top count?
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn - ahem, most of it is at the moment.
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn - oooh, exciting
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting - huh?
Knitting with bamboo yarn - soooo soft
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing - well, toys and dolls, so I suppose they will need clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items - my first properly shaped things were booties
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn if I ever get round to spinning the masses of sheep under the stairs ...
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments. - perhaps in many years time, but am an odd shape so would be a useful skill.
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns - well, eyelets, which nearly count
Branching out - see variety of stuff on blog!
Publishing a knitting book - oh definitely - aim high, that's what I say!
Participate in an exchange - I'm signed up for a stitch marker exchange and secret pall 11 - very excited indeed.
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit - if I ever have any [sigh]
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money - that would be nice
Buttonholes - suppose i'll have to, not being a big velcro fan
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn - etsy here I come ...
Knitting with dpns - an increasingly long running sock saga
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles - can make pom-poms now, after reminding myself how to (last made a pompom in infant school I think - which was, ahem, a few years ago!)
Knitting for a living - or winning the lottery and then knitting for fun, but all the time instead of in spare moments between work and husband looking after ...
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks - rude scottish word?
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously - sounds like a recipe for mayhem
Fulling/felting -gave it a go with some merino tops and it came out quite nicely, but need to practice I think. Tried to felt a charity shop jumper but misread the label - turned out to be superwash so just made a fluffy mess of the sheet and towel I washed it with [sigh]
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads - have crocheted with beads and it turned out to be very pretty
Swatching - when I can be bothered (very bad habit - slap wrist)
Long Tail CO - wondrous thing, but still can't cast on evenly
Entrelac - French rustic cuisine?
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn - don't like changing colour
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning - suppose I'd better. If we are going to be self-sufficient that probably means in socks as well doesn't it?
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen - in the stash, waiting for the perfect pattern. Slubbed linen/cotton mix, dk weight, 150g - any ideas?
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine - bless 'em
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets - they wouldn't appreciate it / would rip it to shreds
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair - ick
Hair accessories
Knitting in public - every day on the train, trying not to poke my neighbours with the knitting needles.

Blog review # 2

2007-07-20T11:10:00.000+01:00

Just time for a quick review of a cute blog. Monkee Maker makes monkeys, and they seem to be quite amusing creatures to have around. Not a lot more I can say about this, except that it is a truly original blog, and I hope to start my own monkey family soon!

Reasons to visit this blog: Great fun blog, and knitting related so I can justify putting this on a craft blog
Things to see: Monkeys causing trouble and having fun. They're just off on holiday ...
Favourite post at the moment: Do blonds REALLY have more fun?

teacosies, booties, ships a sailing

2007-07-17T18:22:00.000+01:00

Quick post this evening, as we are off to see Harry Potter at the cinema, and I have to make pizza.

These little cuties are my latest knitting escapade. They aren't quite the same, and the seams aren't really neat (can't get the hang of keeping my selvedges tidy), but they are at least functional. The pattern is called Saartjes Booties from Saartje Knits and I've knitted them in 4-ply cotton. They are very simple, once you have got the hang of something called a long-tail cast on (think I have - v complicated)

In other knitting news, my tea cosy languishes unused and unfinished, as I still haven't found a teapot to fit it (and therefore don't know where the holes should be. But I'm off to Ikea on Friday all being well ...

Finally, non-knitting related news - I've pasted together the first of our patchwork blocks for Fran (don't look below Frances Mayou! you'll spoil the surprise)

this is my first go at applique, and I used the method described in various posts on blogs - I cut out the exact shape I wanted (in reverse) out of freezer paper (waxed on one side), then ironed it on to the wrong side of the fabric. Then I pritt sticked all round the paper and folded over the seam allowance as neatly as I could (not very then!). I snipped the curves as I went, and now have lots of neat shapes pinned to their background. Suppose I'd better start sewing them on!

Blog review # 1

2007-07-10T18:48:00.001+01:00

Well, I don't really have a lot of crafty things to report this week. I thought I'd start a weekly review of blogs that I read, so that I can share with you some beautiful things I see every day as I trawl through the web.

Il bloggo

Is a blog written by Hanna, who lives in Sweden and studies journalism, and spends most of her time being creative. Her blog posts are always beautiful, full of gorgeous colours and images. I try not to feel too overwhelmed by the creativity that I see here and elsewhere, but I do think I have a long way to go.

Reasons to visit this blog: Inspirational colours and images
Things to see: Art journals, crafty things, gorgeous flower photos, Smilla (particularly after she has had a shower ;-)
Favourite post at the moment: Mini sheeps

New craft - well, kind of

2007-07-10T18:33:00.000+01:00

I have a bit of a penchant for close up photography, so while husband was playing hide and seek on the beach on a recent camping holiday:

I happened to spot a small stone, firmly wedged in a hole in the groyne (sea defence). So I took a photo of it. Then I spotted another, and another and another, and before I knew it, I had lots of photos of small stones stuck in holes.

There is something rather beautiful about these dull little pebbles, forced by the sea into the holes and wedged there until the next storm takes them on their way.

My birthday - coming up - soonish

2007-07-05T15:12:00.000+01:00

A to Z, whose blog I regularly stare amazedly at, linked to the following nifty blogthing, which tells you all about yourself just from your birthday. Why am I so addicted to these kind of things? Perhaps I should collage all the results to look for trends and collate the results to discover my real personality?

Anyway, the following is available at What does your birthdate mean?

Your Birthdate: August 24

You understand people well and are a natural born therapist.
A peacemaker, people always seem to get along when you are around.
You tend to be a father or mother figure to friends, even to those older than you.
You enjoy your role, and you find that you are close to many people.

Your strength: Your devotion

Your weakness: Reliance on others for happiness

Your power color: Lilac

Your power symbol: Heart

Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Beautiful inspirational book

2007-07-03T21:16:00.000+01:00

Ah dear, bookshopping in my lunch hour is a dangerous business.

Not only do I have Europe's largest academic Waterstones a mere stagger from my office door, but there is a closing down art bookshop round the corner, from where I just had to get the following (they also had moleskine books on sale, but I resisted!)

Slightly out of focus, sorry, long evening ...

It has a whole history of tile making, from medieval floor tiles, to modern designs. Here are just a couple of them:

Art-deco shop tiles - perfect for printing or stencil designs?

Victorian tile from the Mosaic tile company, designed for decorating primary schools.

Socks!

2007-07-03T21:06:00.000+01:00

I am nearly 5 inches into my first ever pair of knitted socks! Thanks to a sock-knitter from my knitting group, who inspired me to request this book from the library,

Easy knitted socks: fun and fashionable designs for the novice knitter
Jeanette Trotman
ISBN 9781844482146

and once I had found the 2.5mm dpns in a charity shop there was no stopping me!

So here is my first sock effort: OK, so I botched up the rib to main sock transition, when I knitted instead of purling, but I guess I'll just make the sock a bit longer, and fold over the (rather loosely knitted) rib section to hide it :-)

My sock knitting inspiration's blog, with most marvellous socks on it amongst other things is to be found here: Random knitter

Guess what this is going to be?

2007-07-03T20:49:00.000+01:00

Cryptic huh?

But it now looks like this ...

And once I have finished the quilting (I am just going to quilt the white bits - to highlight the lovely japanese indigo fabric) then it will look even better.

This little beauty, which appeared out of my own imagination I'm proud to say, will take pride of place in our library (which happens to be blue - cunning huh?)

Pins and needles

2007-07-03T20:32:00.000+01:00

Well, the jumble sale was a bit rubbish, and the local charity shop has had a makeover and has no bargains to be seen ... except ... they had a whole sackful of knitting needles!

So now I have a set running from UK size 13 to 6, plus a couple of extra random pairs, a stitch holder, some double pointed needle sets, a row counter, and a gigantic Tunisian crochet hook - all for the princely sum of £2.50.

I also snaffled a couple of jumpers, one of which I failed spectacularly to felt in the washing machine (it was Jaeger and therefore too good quality to felt methinks, despite being 100% shetland wool) and made a little bit of a mess of the other things in there (sigh); a large ex-hotel cotton sheet for backing my wallhanging; and a couple of funky stripy teatowels. But all in all quite disappointing.

Still, Saturday was Letchworth's continental market day, so husband and I had tartiflette for lunch and got free samples of some loverly salamis.

word of the day

2007-06-29T13:54:00.000+01:00

insouciance

- Carelessness, indifference, unconcern.

This is definitely how I am feeling today. Fortunately, it is Friday, and I have a large glass of wine and a sewing machine waiting for me at home.

Tonight I am going to work on my japanese wall hanging, although it isn't working out quite as neatly as I hoped, as I used the wrong (more than 1/4 inch) foot on the machine for the first 10 patches or so. Oh dear. Still, wonky can be cool too!

I'm going to make a start on this lovely 'bagsket' this weekend to use up a little of my fabric stash, and I'd really like to finish my knitted tea cosy (and buy a tea pot to put it over - its a little smaller than I thought it would be!).

I've also started thinking about Christmas (already - eek!). I've just found these pretty gingham themed Christmas goodies from Cambric & Cream - and my mind is ticking over creatively quite nicely ...

Oh, and I have a jumble sale to go to tomorrow morning - hoorah!

Roll up roll up ladies and gentlemen

2007-06-26T12:23:00.000+01:00

And sign my guestbook!

I'd love to know what you think of my site, as I'm only just starting out and need all the help I can get.

Who knows, there might even be a prize for the best suggestion :-)

<---------Button on the left

one more post for today

2007-06-25T21:18:00.000+01:00

to complete the set of crafty posts - we have had knitting, crochet and sewing (potential), here is my latest scrapbook page.

The photo isn't great, as I was trying to fend off a wild beast intent on killing my feet at the time and the sun was shining a little too brightly (shouldn't complain I suppose).

I am really pleased with this - the pictures are the earliest ones I have of my parents - the one on the right is their wedding photo, complete with huge hat on the part of my mother.

The two on the left are dated 1972, which would make my mum 19 and my dad 25.

I stitched on some of my left over wedding shawl organza (the pink fabric), and used a couple of olive green ribbons to highlight the offset photos. The photos themselves are attached to dark green vellum with photocorners and then glued in place. I added a few antiqued letters so that I will remember what these are in future, as I had to trim off the dates where the photos were going manky round the border.

I have a whole album of photos from my mum, dating from these up to when i was about 16, and as they are not in an acid-free album, I have the perfect excuse to scrapbook them all (ha ha! - evil laugh - off to the craft shop I go!)

I have this to be going on with, courtesy of my wonderful husband who saw my pleading looks while we were in Paperchase the other day.

yummy yarn makes short scarf

2007-06-25T21:09:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed a flurry of activity, as I have realised that I have not been posting as regularly as I might.

We went to the in-laws new house at the weekend, so that is somewhat of an excuse I suppose. I managed to pop into a wool shop and stock up on a few (non) essentials while I was there, plus in the dark evening in front of the telly (as always) I finished my short scarf/neckwarmer, made from another impulse buy - 1 skein of Louisa Harding Coquette yarn in olive, with a ball of Debbie Bliss merino to bulk it out a bit and add some softness.

Ok, so it is only just long enough to go round my neck and tuck into my coat, but I think with the addition of some tassels and a bit of stretching when i block it it will be just the thing for those autumnal commutes.

Bamboo flowers

2007-06-25T21:04:00.001+01:00

I finally finished the purse I was making several weeks ago, from the Sirdar Just Bamboo yarn I impulse bought in York.

Now, which of my fine friends might receive this as a pressie I wonder ... it'll go in the box and await a suitable occasion methinks

Fabric from reprodepot

2007-06-25T20:49:00.001+01:00

Here are pictures of the marvellous fabric I have just purchased from Reprodepot. I have a yard of each, and lots of plans for using it up...

This is the fabric from Westfalenstoffe - one with stars and moons, one with cute little sleepwalkers

Some mini paisles

I love this Noah's Ark fabric

And some slightly more grown up Japanese taupe fabric

Now just to finalise the plans for these ...

Personal DNA

2007-06-22T15:41:00.000+01:00

Found this rather nifty, but perhaps a little too enlightening personality test from ATTAP on How about Orange's blog.

Apparently I am a 'generous experiencer' which isn't entirely useful to know, but is interesting nevertheless.

It has sliding scales and graphical illustrations that you tweak to answer the questions, so it is much more exciting than your average Likert scale.

The colours here are a bit lairy, but its quite nice to have a graphical representation of me!

Try it yourself here

Beautiful site, marvellous ideas

2007-06-19T11:11:00.000+01:00

Have just found the following site: Purl Bee - its the blog a shop in New York (on the list if we ever make a shopping trip there) and has the most beautiful ideas for using up fabric. I particularly love the swatch portraits - definitely an idea for decorating my sewing space. The round frames make the fabrics look so much more exciting than square ones.

I have been reading the following post from Tree Fall - it's a really useful post, with lots of US fabric sites. I was wary of ordering from a random shop in the states, so it is nice to see another blogger recommending sites. Unfortunately, Manda has also disabused me of the notion that you can spend up to £18 on fabric without paying duty and VAT. Apparently (and this does appear on the Customs and Excise website, albeit in very very small print) the £18 limit has to include postage and packaging.

All of which means that my bargain from reprodepot that should be winging its way to me as we speak, might not be such a bargain after all - and now I have to wait for the cusstoms letter from the Post Office. Sigh.

Still, I'll know next time, and the gorgeous fabric I'm waiting for will be reward enough for the hassle.

And another exciting thing

2007-06-15T22:24:00.001+01:00

Oh dear, I should save these things up so that my blog looks more active, but my memory is terrible so I just have to enthuse about my latest foray into fabric collection. Last night I ordered 5 yards of fabric from reprodepot. And most of it was on sale, which makes it even more exciting!

I have a metre of Sternt fabric from Westfalenstoffe with a white background and blue sleepwalkers

A yard of Westfalenstoffe Sonne, Monde & Sterne fabric with navy background and white stars

A yard of some gorgeous Noah's ark fabric

A yard of blue Petit paisley, which has mini paisles in bright primary colours all over it.

And a yard of lovely japanese taupe fabric, called 'Blossoms on water'

Ok, so the last one doesn't really match the other 4, but those are primarily for the patchwork quilt I am contributing to for the new Mayou baby. Having said that, they almost look too beautiful for baby-use. At least reprotdepot have a minimum 1 yard order so I should have lots left over.

Unfortunately, there is a nasty tendency of some mail firms to charge huge fees for customs and excise matters, so I have to be a good girl and only buy up to £18 worth of stuff in one go, otherwise there are all sorts of hassle. I hope it makes it through ok.

My first published crochet

2007-06-15T22:18:00.000+01:00

On another blog at least. Rhona from the Ktog knitting group has very kindly added my crochet cardigan (unblocked, so slightly wonky) to the ktog website blog. I had to admit to the group that it was made from bargain cotton - £1.99 for 3 balls from Lidl, but I think it has come out quite well considering. I'll try to post a few clearer pictures of the shell pattern once I've blocked it. The pattern is from the Happy Hooker book, and should have ribbon fastening it, so I'm off to VV Rouleaux on Marylebone High Street tomorrow - hooray!

totoro

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

I'm so pleased with this amigurumi pattern, courtesy of Heavens-hellcat. My version has turned out a little wonky, but from the side he looks great. I'm working on the small totoro next, but I'm not sure if I'll complete the set - the wool could be quite expensive for the giant totoro!

Cats again - but on topic this time

2007-06-14T10:55:00.000+01:00

Have just remembered this pattern in my Amy Butler Stitches book: the cat tunnel !

I thought I was going to be quite limited in what I could make for my new pussycats - not wanting to dress them up, I was going to make catnip toys and that is about it, but a cat tunnel? Great!

Pussycats - off topic, but very cute

2007-06-12T10:45:00.000+01:00

We finally got round to getting our very first pussycats at the weekend. Cats Protection North Herts came up trumps with a pair of 8month old kittens, brother and sister, who were found as strays a couple of months ago.

OK, so we weren't actually looking for two cats, and husband really wanted one that looks like a tiger, but that's the way with animals.

Big cat (on the left) is about twice the size of his sister, and looks like Felix. He started off being very timid, refusing to come out of his carrier for the first 6 hours at home, but perked up at the mention of food (typical boy). Yesterday he was a changed cat, killing everything in sight and terrorising his sister.

Small cat is a sweetie, a bit of a fidget but very friendly. She is black with ginger underfur, so who knows what colour she will turn out in the end. Fortunately, she can hold her own when attacked by big cat, and is clearly the boss - telling him off and ordering him to clean himself properly - just like a proper big sister!

Their favourite game last night went as follows ...

Big cat and small cat sit at the bottom of the stairs
Big cat give the word and they both bolt up the stairs as quickly as possible (sounds like thunder).
Small cat hides under the futon.
Big cat pretends that he doesn't know where small cat is, and calls her.
Big cat goes looking for small cat in the bathroom
As soon as he is out of sight, small cat runs out from under the futon, and leaps into the bathroom to surprise big cat.
Big cat chases small cat downstairs again.
Repeat ad infinitum.

Sometimes they varied the game as follows - big cat would pretend to go and look for small cat, but would actually go and hide in the bath, so that when small cat went to surprise him, he could leap out at her instead - such fun!

just had an update from husband - apparently when he left the house this morning they were both sitting on a high windowsill, on top of my chitting potatoes (fortunately no longer needed). Am frantically racking my brain now to remember if there is anything dangerous on surfaces or shelves - we shall see what destruction they have wreaked when I get home I suppose!

Wine cork stamps

2007-06-07T21:50:00.000+01:00

Just found this brilliant way of using up the hundreds of not-really-recyclable wine corks that I have collected (over the years I might add).

Amy at Craft Chi makes funky stamps out of them, and now I do too!

Fun, and environmentally friendly. My kind of craft!

Audio crafts

2007-06-07T11:06:00.000+01:00

Ok, so this isn't really a crafty post, but I just had to write down how great the first ipod audiobook that I have bought is. It is called The Stone Rose, and is a Doctor Who story. It was recommended by my friend MC, a fairly major David Tennant and Dr Who fan, and, sharing her views, I was delighted to discover that you get two David Tennants for the price of one - a Scottish narrator and the English Doctor. Hooray! It is currently brightening an otherwise dull day, cataloguing social policy books.

Finally, an excuse to crochet!

2007-06-05T20:46:00.000+01:00

As if I needed one.

But at long last, one of my friends has taken it upon herself (with her husband of course) to have their first child, which will (all being well) be born in December 2007.

All very exciting, and it means that I now have a legitimate excuse to make baby clothes, toys, afghans, and general zakka, without scaring my other half or cluttering up the house.

So, the ideas bublling out of my overful brain so far are:

1. Soft waves ripple afghan in Garnstudio Muskat DK cotton yarn, in funky bright colours.

2. Patchwork/applique ABC book. Could take a little time, but doesn't need to be done until he/she is learning to read.

3. This amazingly cute set if it turns out to be a girl (terribly sexist I know, but babies bring this kind of thing out in you)

4. This octopus (by request)

5. A patchwork textured play mat, to be made in conjunction with Laura and Jen. Get ready to cut up those old jeans girls!

6. And no doubt umpteen other things that I find and that make me go 'aaah'.

Hooray!!!

Buckles from Cromer

2007-06-05T20:36:00.000+01:00

We spent a few days camping in Cromer, Norfolk last weekend, and I was determined to come home with something exciting.

I was allowed by the husband to go into a wool shop in Sheringham, but with the strict instructions not to buy aything. Hmph.

However, when we strayed into a marvellous 'book' shop called Much Binding in Cromer, I found, in a set of drawers marked "Ephemera: Odds and ends" these two marvellous painted belt buckles.

The first one is larger, with a design of leaves and fruit. The second has 4 birds, which look oriental, although they might not be. The oval buckle at least seems to be gold leaf, or at least gold paint.

I think they might be quite old, but I'm not sure. They are certainly delicate, and have been a bit battered round the edges. There was a third, blue buckle the same as the square one here, but it was the most damaged, and worked as a bargaining tool with the man holding the holiday money!

So I did manage to find something exciting after all. I think these would look lovely on black silk ribbons, but they are too fragile to use, so they will stay wrapped in tissue until I finally manage to find a treasures cabinet to put them in.

Amigurumi

2007-05-25T17:12:00.000+01:00

Here are some of my very first amigurumi, made from the lovely crochet patterns at Garnstudio

I've always wanted to make cute softies, but haven't managed to find any patterns I really liked. But these are pretty funky.

They went to my boss's son(4) and daughter(0) when they were finished, as I really don't have the space for them. Apparently the octopus's legs are just the right size for grabbing by baby hands!

I also made these rather handsome young people from the same pattern range. I've never been great at faces, so they look a bit vague, but I thinnk its part of their charm. I really like the squiggly hair - made by chaining as many as you please, then putting 3 sc or dc in each chain.

My new bamboo crochet hooks are doing me proud (thank you husband). They are sooo much nicer to use than plastic or metal ones, once you get used to the weight.

The yarn is Jaeger Aqua, in lots of different colours. I love working with cotton rather than wool - the sturdiness of dc stitches is really tactile.

This amigurumi making has:

1. Left me with a huge amount of small quantities of brightly coloured yarn.

2. Left me with a hunger for more. Next I am going to work on a Totoro by request of my husband (who loves all things Ghibli) based on this pattern by heavens_hellcat and a small bear with what is left over of the brown yarn.

The dreams of a crafter

2007-05-18T14:10:00.000+01:00

I have started this blog with the intention of recording all the beautiful things I have made, or intend to make in the future. To be honest, at the moment, the latter category outnumbers the first tenfold, but I'll get better I promise!