Doing . . stuff

I've not completed anything craft-wise since the last entry.
I've done a bit of knitting, but to be honest, I've been doing a lot more reading.

I don't feel that guilty. Ok, I feel a bit guilty I've not knitted more, but I'm 2 books ahead on my reading challenge (it's really 5, but three of them haven't yet been entered into the Goodreads library - oh well), and that can't be wrong.

I'm working on a new shawl -Coquille, by M. L. Egan. I'm knitting it in laceweight Zauberball (Lace ball), in a variegated green (summer green on the website). It reminds me of a Tudor corset, which really made it irresistible.

Later. I'm off to read. I did start to read the book that arrived in the post, but I'm also in the middle of a histrical novel, and I'd rather be reading that.

NO, NO, Noooooo........

What is wrong with me? For three years I've not been able to go to any knitting "festivals"/wool events and I was determined to get to one this year.

For me, there's 3 main ones:
Wonderwool, Wales (April)
Woolfest, Cumbria (June)
Knitting and Stitching show, Harrogate (November)
and
other 'minor' ones are:
Fibre-east (July)
Gaelic Wool Festival, Argyll (July)
Knitting and Stitching show, London (October)
Fiber flurry (October)
Masham sheep fair (September)
Knitting and Stitching show, Dublin (November)

I'll get to the Knitting and stitching show in Harrogate - they put on a coach every year. I can do that. . . I hope. . .I forgot about it last year. *sigh*.

anyway

I'm at home, it's the last weekend of April and. . .
I forgot about Wonderwool.
No - I remembered it, but transposed the date with Woolfest. Then I forgot about "that".
*waaahhhh*
(No, I can't go tomorrow, as I've got my cousin's christening to go to. It should be fun. There'll be family there I've not seen in years.)

Nevermind. I'll remember it next year. *crossing everything*

Besides, if I start a "wool fund" for Wonderwool now, I should have a nice little nest-egg for next year. *grin*

Later.

General Update on some projects....

Well, I scanned posts back to January a couple weeks ago, and realised I had forgotten "things".
So here's what I've done (or not done) with some of the knitting and gardening.

Gardening - nothing. My garden lies ignored. I hadn't planned on it, but things happened and I got distracted from the garden. I'm hoping I'll fix it next year. I'm not going to start work on it now because I'd need to start seedlings and it would get too cold for harvest for some of the plants.

Knitting. Ok.
(Jan 2012)
Cable-icious ear-warmer/scarf - I'm knitting erratically on it. It should be finished by now, but it's not. I don't know why as it's a fun knit and completing it would mean I would have finished off the set.

Not-so-Raspberry-as-Cherry Dream Stole - I completed 2 1/2 repeats on it and put it to one side to work on later, but later hasn't arrived yet. Again, I don't know why I'm not working on it. It's fun.

Mochi-Mochi Elephant, Chickens and Hearts - Well, The Elephant is at a fiddly stage. I need to do the legs and tail. I'm not in the mood to mess with them. The Chickens need stuffing (I stuff them as I make them) and with no stuffing, I can't make anymore. I will buy stuffing on Thursday (27th April). The hearts aren't working out. I made 2 sides and they look pathetic. More work needed on them.

Eyelet Gloves - Well, I just got overwhelmed. While the yarn is 4-ply, the needles are tiny and it seems like I knit a million rows and knit an inch of glove (lovely warm fabric, though). I'll work on them eventually. I like them.

Mitered Vest/Jacket - I said I was going to frog and re-start it. I haven't frogged it yet, don't know why.

(Feb 2012)

Indiski Shawl - I'm chugging along. It's a bit better than the gloves. With lace work, the light fingering yarn and small needles don't seem too bad. I feel like I'm making somewhat acceptable progress. I'm still on the first set of borders. I'll be glad when I start work on the second set of borders.

Patchwork Jacket - Well, I'm sewing in an end or two every week. It's heavy and too warm in my lap (for all the lovely soft alpaca yarn) and I'm dreading blocking it. I'll get all finished eventually.

(March/April 2012)

Blue Leaf Shawl - It's just been finished and blocked. I love it. It came out bigger than I expected (I did end up using 5 balls insted of the 4 expected in the pattern), but it's great. All resolved itsself wonderfully, and the beads in the border are perfect.

Reading Shawl #2 - Well, I fixed the hole, but I need to weave ends in and I was wrung out fixing the hole (tiny area, lots of pins to keep loose stitches in place so I knew where to go and multi-strand black yarn - it doesn't seem like a big thing, but it was).

Brea Bag - I've finished knitting the pieces, and skeined the rest of the yarn to finish off and seam the pieces. Dyeing needs to be done next. I've worked out the ratios of dyes I'm using (2 greens and 1 blue from Dylon) as the yarn weight exceeds the amount by weight a single packet of dye will cover. I'm using 66% Green #1, 66% Green #2 and 12.5% Blue.
This bag is part of the Cable Knitting I wanted to start doing more of. I haven't found a pattern for a beret I like enough, and I still need to find the right yarn in order to start the cabled yoke cardigan that I want to make. I'm not having any luck so far.

Kerchief Cowl - Done, blocked and with the rest of my "winter" knits. I'm planning on making a pair of flip-top mittens with the remainder of the yarn. It'll be a nice set. I had thought of a making a hat, but I've more than enough of those.

I've just re-started work on the Mariposa shawl in the last entry, as I wanted something "new" to work on, but didn't want to start a NEW project. Right now I REALLY want to work on old projects. It's not a matter of finishing them, it's more a case of wanting to feel less like being stuck-in-a-rut. Stagnant. So if I'm making progress on them, all is well.

By the way, my "inner knitter" (go read Yarn Harlot's journal entry for April 11th, it's perfect) is all better. She's in the mood to knit now. She's being a pest, in fact, but I'm just managing to ignore her. I have other things I need to do...like...

I had caught up on my reading 3 days ago, but I looked at Goodreads last night and I'm behind again *sigh*. The reading never ends. *dramatic (with hand on forehead) sigh*. Never mind.
I "won" a givaway in Goodreads, and it arrived Friday (20th). I'm now off to start reading it. It looks interesting -in a good way.

Later.

Frustrated, frustrated, frustrated. It happens sometimes...

Well, so far this month, I've not finished a project without incident. I was going to finish off 3 projects that were close to completion (or quickie project) for the month of April and feel smug doing it.

I think it was the smugness that undid the plan....

It's the 3rd week of the month, and I had to re-knit the first project - 98-12 DROPS shawl - (from it being 70% finished) because I didn't have enough yarn and had to order a new batch +2 balls - the new batch was just different enough in tint. . . I added beads to the new knit and then had to frog back 4 rows because I didn't like the way they looked. It still needs blocking as I don't want to deal with it. It'll get done next week.

The second project - Mariposa shawlette - is sitting in a heap, pulled off the needles in mid bind-off row because I didn't have enough yarn to finish it - even with having to miss out the last two rows of the border. After getting over the frustration, I'll re-knit it on smaller needles (3.5mm instead of the 3.75mm I used). I'm a bit miffed at this point....But it sort of helps the project that I'm using Knit Picks/Pro Harmony needles on it and I'm using the 120cm cable on another project so it'll be awhile before that gets started. . . . . . . .
drat.

The 3rd project was a pair of should-have-been-a-quick-knit yoga socks that don't have a heel or toe. I've only done the first sock and I hate it. It's a bit scruffy and the cast on stitches for the leg/ankle section looks like hell and I just don't want to frog it back and re-do it. They're stuffed into a baggie in a bag nearby. I'll might/probably pull them out next month (or I might not - I'm putting all possibilities in here) and do the odious job and finish them off in 2 weeks.

There's nothing else on the needles that are far enough along to finish in the next 2 weeks.

Nevermind. It happens sometimes. I think I'll take a bit of a break from knitting for the rest of the month and catch up on reading for my annual Goodreads challenge as I'm 3 books behind (I should be reading 2 books a week). It'll also probably help my inner knitter as she's sulking in the corner, snacking on chocolate pudding with a shovel.

Later.

Been busy

I didn't mean to miss a post in March.

I've just been busy reading and knitting. I've set myself a challenge for the next 6 months to get as many projects and books finished as I can. I've taken one day off knitting and one day off reading in the last month.

I've only started 2 new patterns in March (a cowl (Kerchief cowl) and a bag (Norah Gaughan's Brea Bag), I've only completed 2 projects (Reading shawl and Kerchief cowl) I "punched" a hole in the reading shawl while washing it before blocking (obviously didn't happen, I just dried it flat). I'm still repairing the hole - I've got it done, but have to sew in the ends - and I'm then planning to get it dry cleaned, then I'll dry block it and spray it 'til it's damp. I really hope all goes well. It's a nice shawl.

The Brea Bag is going relatively quickly considering I hate knitting moss stitch. I've got 1side done, part of the gusset and I'm working on the other side. The yarn I'm using (Drops Lima) is gorgeous. SO soft. I'm hoping it stays soft after it's dyed (I bought off white ayrn and I'm planning to dye it a medium slightly blued green).

As for the rest of the knitting, in April I'm planning to concentrate on finishing a Drops shawl (I call it blue leaf) knitted in Drops Alpaca yarn so I can wear it to a third cousin's christening on the 29th. I'd like to take the bag with me also, as I'm expecting that the knitting will be finished in the next week (or so), but, I need to find large D rings and a strap (I'm NOT knitting a strap as I don't have enough yarn). I don't know quite what I'm looking for, but I'll look around for cheap (leather) handbags and if I see a sutable strap and I'll buy it. I'm also going to line the bag in this lovely cotton with a leaf pattern on it I had planned for a reversable shopping bag. Yum. I can't see all that being finished in April. No way. I'll settle for the shawl being finished - at least that's realistic.
I'm also (still) working on other shawls and sewing in the ends of the Patchwork Jacket. It's long time it was finished. I really think it's more of a case that I'm scared of blocking it. It's a heavy monster and it's not going to get lighter when damp/wet. *sigh*. I'm tempted to get it dry cleaned and block it after I've let it air out for a bit. Yes, that sounds like a good idea. More news on that when it happens.

On that note, I think it's time I quit for the night.

Later.

Changing and changing my mind....then changing it again.

I've spent 3 days (in chunks) putting my ravelry queue back to chronological order.

Luckily, I didn't have to guess at that, since the dates the projects were chosen sit right underneath the project picture. I have NO idea how I'd have chosen to organize them if I hadn't had that. I have put "labels" on them, but since there's multiple ways to organise a list of knitting projects, that would have driven me even more crazy. So I decided on the simplest (and most obvious) method.

I think the basic reason I decided to do this is because after a search through the queue for a project to start, I realised that I hadn't started some of the first projects I'd queued, and furthermore, I didn't remember how many I'd queued from the start of my joining Ravelry (I think in September 2007).

I usually spent hours deciding what the start next. I'd go back and forth from page to page, looking and usually going "hmm. maybe" before going to the next page.
That was futile. It IS futile. I like all of the projects in my queue, whether I decide to knit them or not, there's an aspect of all of them that pleases me.

But.

I have to shrink the knitting queue faster than I have and picking the next in line (unless the yarn I buy, on impulse, screams for a specific project) is the easiest way to do it. My ADD touched brain might not like it, but that's just too bad.

That's it. (I hope).

Later.

A cold is NOT condusive to knitting. . .

Not last time, not this time, not ever.

I'd much rather be curled up in a cosy blanket, with continuous hot tea (herbal or fruit) and lots of sleep.

I caught this throat wheezing beauty from my youngest godson. (many thanks, Darryl.  *humph*).

I'll whine and grumble for a while, I'll take lots of supplements, and I'm planning on a shower tomorrow.

Having grumbled, I must admit that it's getting better in the past day or two - as colds do.

Later. *grumble, cough, wheeze*

(I'm not asthmatic, btw, it's goo.)

More knitting. Hopefully faster.

Well, I've started another shawl, finally. It's one of the primary 16 on my internal set - and my queue on Ravelry.

I'm just happy right now. I have been in a foul mood for a few days and I'm gratefully through the other side. I'm hoping that it's going to last a few days and I can knit in emotive peace.

The shawl is a beautiful Orenberg shawl "Olga's Indiski [Indian] Shawl" designed by Galina Khmeleva (in Piecework magazine May/June 2009) and it's glorious, honestly glorious. I'm using Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace (55/45 merino silk), colourway 501 (cherry). It's a ripe cherry colour, with hints/shadings  of brown and blue that change as the light source changes. At this time, I'm sitting under an energy saver bulb and the colour's a medium/dark blued-pinky-red. Hard to name.

I think, if there's one bad thing I can think of about this shawl, it's that I've got a Kindle, and I want the charts on it.. So, I'm having to type up the charts into text (.txt) files so I can upload them to the Kindle - I don't have a way to transfer them to pdf files. But, luckily for me, the body chart had an error, so Interweave press re-pubished it on their website as a .pdf file, so that was a sanity saver *whew*. I'm only halfway through typing up chart 1 - and that took a day. Eek.

Anyway, I'm going to fix the last row of the edging (I accidentally pulled the needle out), finish up typing chart 1 (and start on chart 2) then I'm back to knitting on the shawl. Yum

I'm itching to knit, and so off I go.

Later.

SOPA shelved

SOPA's been shelved!

I had no idea it was making me so uptight until I read the info via a google search and I jumped up and down with the news. Unlike my impetus before the news, I'm very happy to knit now - and I've a lot of projects to catch up on.

Whew.

I hope SOPA never leaves the shelf, and disintegrates where it is. . .#


Later.

Re-starting a project.

A while ago - a LONG while ago, I started a colourful mitred jacket/vest with removable sleeves. I wanted it a bit big, so I made the squares 18-20 stitches wide and long.

This picture is an early shot of the bottom half of the left front.

At the time I started it, I was on the way to becoming a size 18 (quite happily, as I just wasn't seeing my body change, and had things continued, I might have gotten to a size 22.). Later that year, I walked in front of an office building, caught sight of my winter glory in the mirrored windows and noticed I looked  like a weeble. It was quite the eye opener.
I've lost weight and inches since then and am at a size 14 (average). I'm hoping that eventually I'll (slowly) get down to a size 12 - I'm really not one for exercising like a fiend or starvation dieting (I'm using a mixture of exercising 3 times a week and removing 95% of all dairy products (I'm now lactose intolerant) and it helps that I'm a pescetarian.
Since I'm 47 now, and only 5'4", I'm most focussed on reducing my waist measurements (more a ratio of waist measurement/height - I forget the exact ratio) in order to prevent me becoming (at all) insulin dependant or glucose intolerant. I'm determined NOT to become dependent on a regiment of pills to control blood pressure/cholesterol/glucose (I'm fine, and healthy, but I worry).

Anyway, all of this means that the mitered jacket I started is now big on me. I'm going to have to rip out all the knitting and re-knit the squares in a different size. It helps that I found a free pattern on Ravelry (Freyalyn's Modular Vest) with a different style of mitred square and I'm going to use it instead. The new squares are actually about half the size (I think) of the original ones and I like the orientation of them better than the ones I originally made. I don't know at this point how I'll design/engineer the sleeves - again, removable - but it'll happen one way or another.

So.

I'm off to frog a vest. I'm a bit sad and frustrated, but I'm not going to work on it as it is. So frogged it will be. The "yarn" deserves to be something nice/pretty.

Later.

A small change in Focus

  I'm still knitting. I think I'll always knit from this point on - not necessarily every day, but as often as my psyche is comfortable with. If it wants to take a break, that's fine too, as there's more than enough knitting to sew up when I don't want to knit. . .

  Anyway - the change in focus. I'm primarily a lace knitter and love, love, Love lace, but, I'm finding the beauty and delight in cables. Soft, squishy, textural cables. I want to knit more cables.

 I'm looking for patterns with cables. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to do a full cabled garment, but a persistant pattern is lovely. I'm delighted with the 6-piece plated cable accessory set I'm almost (about 2 weeks to finish the last piece, a gartered scarf) done with.
I'll be sad when it's finished. I've already been thinking about the next cabled piece I want to do, and at this point, I'm pretty sure there's going to be 2 - 3 of them - definitely a beret (piece 1) and a wrap/shawl with either a cabled edging or central panel (piece 2). I know for a fact I'll end up giving the beret away, but I want to knit one and why not one with cables. The developing pattern will be fun. (Yes, I said fun.).

Even as I'm typing this, I'm also thinking about knitting Eunny Jang's cabled yoke cardigan (I'm pretty sure it's in an issue of Interweave Knits). I've had it in my queue for what seems like ages, and I think that this is the year (not sure when, as is usual for me) I'll be starting it (- there's piece number 3) Whee!

One of the other "big" garments I'm planning on knitting and will definitely buy is a pattern for a moss stitch coat from Vogue Knitting (I'm pretty sue I've mentioned it in the past, but like the cardigan, I can't remember the issue or even the designer). As far as I know, it's for sale on their website, and they had it last month on sale, but I just didn't have the opportunity to get it (no credit card). I'll have it bought for me as I'll send the money for it with my Father when he goes on his yearly trip. Hooray!

Anyway, I'm off, as I'm in the process (slowly) of knitting a pair of toe-up sock-lets (no toes or heels) for yoga. I'm tired of my feet cramping because of the cold. I'll probably have them finished by spring *grin*.

Later.

Old Year, New Year.

Well, here's the overview of the knitting of 2011. It's what I've been working on the most. I've got old projects that haven't been finished, and I'm planning on getting a couple of those done this year, but here's what has been accomplished:

Projects completed in 2011:

Felted Slippers (DROPS Design)

Bamboo Circular Vest (Shelly Mackie/Elann.com)(needs to be adjusted, but it's wearable)

Wisp #1 (Cheryl Niamath/Knitty.com)

Cabled Kindle Cover (adapted from pattern by Emily Nimz)

Summer Shawlette (Wendy Knits/Ravelry knit-along)

Seafoam Shawl (Sarah Barbour)

Growing Leaves Shawl #2 (Lankakomero)

Iris Shawl (Krazee Kitty/Ravelry knit-along)

22 (BIG) Leaves Shawl (Lankakomero)(knitted with aran yarn)

Bamboo Dishcloth (own pattern)

North Roe Shawl (Aux Dentilles Dodile)

Nightsong (for the Day) Shawl (Nightsongs)

Thrummed Mittens (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee)

Amurigumi Cephalopod (own pattern, based on Tiny Mermaid pattern from Teeny-Tiny Mochi-Mochi Book)

Braidy Cowl (Maryse Roudier)

Braided Mitts (Tera Johnson)


Almost Finished in 2011:

Hooded Snow Scarf (Nikki McGonigal) (I decided at the last minute to make the hood detachable. it's been knitted and blocked. Buttons and loops need sewing on)

Clapotis #2 (ends -LOTS of ends- need sewing in) knitting finished 29 Dec. 2011 (started June 2007)

All Over Cables Hat (Lindsay Koehler) (just needs crochet edging)


Projects Started in 2011:

Cable-icious Ear Warmer (Scarf) (Kate Black)

Raspberry Dream Stole (Dagmara)

Mochi Mochi Tiny Elephant (Anna Hrachovec) (Tiny Chicken and Tiny Elephant from Teeny-Tiny Mochi-Mochi Book)

Mochi Mochi Tiny Chicken (a flock has been started) (Anna Hrachovec)

Eyelet Gloves (Cara Jo Miller)

Reading Shawl #2 (Danielle Landes)

Mariposa Shawlette (Dutch Knitting Design/The Knitter Magazine)

Moonlight Sonata Shawl (Shui Kuen Kozinski/Elann.com)

Growing Leaves Shawl #1 (Lankakomero)

Mermaid Jacket (Hanne Falkenberg kit, colourway #7)

Classic White Shirt (Sian Brown/Knitting Magazine)


Knitting Planned in 2012:

Shawls, a sweater, some baby clothes.

Getting better.

Well, the last part of the year has been nicely productive - that is, in terms of reading and knitting/craftwork.

  I had, for the last couple years, planned on reading at least 50 books a year. I can, if I want to, easily read that amount. A book a week is no problem for me. I read multiple books - with my ADD, I'll read a chapter or 2 (or more) from 3 or 4 books a day - and if you've ever seen my "currently reading" shelf on Goodreads, You'll notice that there's plenty to choose from.
  Unfortunately, for the last couple years, I've not been doing so well. I really cannot depend upon myself to just "do something" because I should. I need a push. A reason. An old-fashioned "kick up the pants".
  Thank goodness Goodreads has come to the rescue and helped me with that. They brought out a widget/"competition" book reading challenge thingy for your homepage and you get to set (and manipulate) a target book amount. I don't remember exactly when I first noticed it, but my original target was about 35 books, and I kept increasing it. I finally set it (about 2 weeks ago) to 52 books and I got there last week. It was a fun challenge. I think, really, what clinched me finishing the challenge was the e-mail I got from Goodreads saying that there was a page "medal" you would get if you'd gotten to your target - and I'm a sucker for a prize. *grin*.
I'm now hoping that it's a permanent thing and so people can set reading challenges every year. Maybe I'll eventually read over 100 books a year. But I can't see that happening in 2012 - though you never know. . .

Now for my knitting:
  The only target I'd set (around June) was to knit every day. I've been doing well. Some days I only knit a few rows, but for the most part, I'll knit about 40-60 rows (mostly spread over a number of projects). If I'm lucky, it'll be between 2 projects. On phenomenal days, I'll actually finish a project and start another. At this point in the year, I'm now firmly addicted to knitting (I have commented on this in a previous entry, but at the time it was an addiction to finishing a particular project...). I HAVE to knit something every day, and I can't do just a couple of rows - I now have to finish to a set point (not a big one, or I'd never get to eat or sleep).
In any other field (e.g. eating), I'd be upset about this. I've a mildly addictive personality and the thought of becoming addicted to anything gets me a little upset. But. (and it's a significant BUT.) There's a moderatly soporific affect that knitting has upon me (affect IS the right word). It's a nice feeling. I'm being creative, I'm being productive, I'm feeling good and I'm happy. It's a win-win-win situation when I'm knitting. I think the only downside is that getting yarn and knitting supplies isn't free. If yarn was truly free, then it'd be win all-around. *laughter*.

So, 2011 is good on two fronts. I'm reading more (and ploughing through the walls of books in my house) and I'm knitting more (and ploughing though the pile of projects in my house). Hurrah!

Lost for words - sort of

I'm knitting. I seem to be always knitting right now. I've got the  "multiple projects" thing still going on, but my brain seems to want to decrease the amount of UFO's hanging around.
It's (obviously) never bothered me before, and to be honest, it doesn't now. But it seems like there's this lizard on the back of my brain getting hissy at the mess - the untidyness, the waste of time of it all.
So we'll see what happens on this front in the next 6 months.

I've recently finished 2 wool triangular lace shawls - one brown and one pink (I'veobviously forgotten the names and hopefully will rectify that in the next post).
But I've only started one new project yesterday to replace them - a pair of Thrummed mittens to go with a  cabled hooded scarf I'm working on(started last month). I figure I might get both of them finished at the same time, considering the repeats on the scarf are 16 rows, and, I haven't gotten the thrum lengths finished (I'm using two different leftover roving yarns for the thrums and there's a lot less of the preferred colour than the other). so I need to pre-cut the lengths and divide them equally into baggies (suitably marked "L" and "R").

Later. I'm off to pre-draft thrums. It's turned out to be more difficult to do than I thought it would be. The yarn isn't cooperating. Drat.

Pondering on projects

I'm amassing a large queue of projects on Ravelry.

Some of them are clothes I love the look of and would like to have the ability to be an ultra fast knitter so I could knit them and wear them almost as soon as they go on the list (an even better wish is the possibility to amass a great weath so I can hire many people to knit them for me *grin*).
But neither of those prospects are for me, so I'll have to trudge along, slowly knitting along and hopefully be able to live to 100 or better so I can knit them all (and wear them at least once).

There are, of course, a few projects listed that are filler/speculative/springboard projects - there to give ideas of what I really want. I'm never going to knit them.
There are a few that I have listed that are possibles - I think I like them, but I'm not sure.

Then there are the poor little projects listed that would like to be knitted, but they're actually what I call "candy floss" projects. These little items are projects who need to be knitted with the designated yarn. Special yarn that costs upwards of $20 dollars a ball. Now, honestly, I will occasionally splurge every 6 months and buy a skein of silk/merino space dyed lace or fingering weight yarn that costs about £16 a skein (better if it's less), but that single skein will make an item. The projects I have listed as "candy floss" need at least 6 balls of yarn per project, making the bill come out to over $100 an item (there's an project I made last year that was in the Vogue Accessories book, and if knitted with the designated yarn, would have cost over $400! I made it with yarn that I bought on sale for £5.99 for a pack of 10 balls and I think it came out absolutely lovely - I forgot the name. *grimace*). They're NOT getting made unless I find a suitible substitute yarn (it happens every-so-often). I'd be afraid to wear them at all, never mind wering them outside my house. Whew.

The finally there's also a 5th category of items in my queue on Ravelry. The "might-make-the-grade" projects. They're projects that are sort of akin to an item I want, but I think I might make if I don't find anything better within my own designated timeframe for that item. Sometimes I get lucky and find exactly what I want, sometimes I don't. It's a frustrating project list.
The reason is this: I constantly have a mental list of items I'd like to cook/design/make/knit/sew. They're not things that I know exist in reality, but I list projects/get items/research techniques to either figure out how to make what I want and/or constantly peruse patterns/photgraphs/books/items of all kinds to see if one day I can  get lucky and either figure out how to make it - or - find that someone else has had the same idea I have and so design a pattern/kit for it - both things have happened before, and I'm sure will happen again. But, for all my skills, I don't have the ability to mentally draft knitting patterns on the fly like my grandmother did (that woman had KNITTING and CROCHET SKILLS).
I don't really even have the ability to re-draft written knitting patterns I like. For some reason I just can't make my brain do that. I don't know why and I wish I could turn it on.
I can draft up beading patterns and I can redraft sewing patterns with help from books (I can't remember the mathematics for them and I get in trouble trying to wing it). I can make up recipes (and remember them) from scratch and do VERY well.
I CAN easily memorise the stitch patterns within knitting patterns and I can make-up and re-design stitch patterns themselves, but making a whole knitting pattern is a whole different kettle of fish.
For me, it's like trying to draft a sewing pattern in 3D AND figure out how to spin the fibre and weave the fabric all at the same time. It just isn't going to happen. I'm envious of those people that can do that and I'll happily give my money to them - provided their design matches what's in my head. Bless them all.

Whew. This entry isn't really what I wanted to say and I don't have the power to re-draft it now so it goes up as-is. . .
My brain needs food.

Until later.

But for all the boredom, go I . . .

Right after the last post, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, gave myself a good talking to and got knitting. I'm still knitting steadily.

I completed and blocked 4 shawls within the last 2 weeks.

I'm rather impressed at myself.

The shawls were:
Summer Shawl knitalong pattern by Wendy Knits
Growing Leaves shawl by Lankakomero
Iris knitalong by Krazee Kitty
and

. . .

I can't remember. I washed it and pinned it out. . .come on - it's the shawl that was being described in the previous post . . .
oh!

Seafoam Shawl by Sarah Barbour.

Whew. (Not because I did all that work, but because I remembered).

I'm hoping beyond hope that I can continue this rate of knitting and pattern completion. Now, concidering that I've got 4 patterns that just need sewing up and blocking, there's a very good possibility I can actually do it.

But. There's a small metal blockage that's preventing me from sewing up those patterns. I don't know why. It's not as if I have to do complex mathematics or physical gymnastics in order to thread or hold a needle. *sigh*

I really want to complete one of them. I'm not so happy about another one, and a third is just a bit fiddly. The last one. . .
The last one. I'm not sure why I'm so reluctant to get the last one finished, but I'll go look at it again and post the reason in a future post.


I've got to go knit - GOT to.
I love this productivity, really, I do.

I'm SO happy.

Later.

Bored yet again. This too shall pass....

Well, I'm exercising patience in all my knitting. If I'm honest, I'm really not in the overall mood to knit, but I know that I must knit. I must overcome and demolish this reluctance to knit, for the rewards will be happiness and pride in myself for completing a project - any project. Plus, I'd then be able start another project to get bored with.

It's funny in it's absurdness, really.

I don't know exactly what I would like to be doing other than knitting, but I think the primary problem is that the project I'm presently finishing (1 1/2 rows before bind-off) is a ruffle edging for a plain but pretty shawl and it is excrusciatingly, mindnumbingly boring. I'm working on the final row of endless knit front and back into the same stitch (kfb).
This is the third time I've had to do this (non-consecutively) for the ruffle. To construct the ruffle, there are rows of knit, purl and kfb in combinations. The initial cast-on knit row was approximately 70 inches long, and while the first row of kfb was boring, doubling the original length, I'm now working on what feels like endless, eternal inches of knitting.
Though amazingly, in the process of typing this complaint of mine, I feel enormously guilty that I'm not working on it. I think it's time I return to my self-imposed torture.

I hope I'm not going mad.

Later.

Back to taking photos. . .

I missed it.

I'm only using the Samsung camera phone right now, mainly because I can't edit any photos on my netbook due to the simple fact I've no photo-editing software on it.
My Olympus digital camera takes photos that are just too large to upload -unaltered- to any website at the resolution I have the camera set to. I'm also not going to change that resoultion because I've found that at lower resolutions, the photos look "bad". Therefore, me using only the camera phone it is.

I'm not 100% happy I can't edit my photos (I'm not even close to being 50% happy if I'm honest), but I'm doing the best I can in the shooting of them. I'd much rather take the photos and have to reshoot/replace some of them in the future, than not take them at all (it's very hard to retake photos of knitting-in-progress when the project's long been finished and blocked).
surprisingly, It's really fun relearning to shoot photos like this. I forgot how much fun photography can be with equipment that's a bit "raw".

I'm off to take more photos. I've a lot of knitting to shoot.

Yahoo!

Well, I've finally got a mobile phone that'll take decent pictures - it's not fantastic, but it'll allow me to at least get photos of projects online (an Samsung E2550).

I don't have the money to afford a smart phone (and to be honest, I don't want one - I'm not busy enough to warrent having one). So I just waited until "regular" phones had better cameras.

It's about time.

I just need to remember to clean the lens/skin apature before taking pictures. That's not hard.

Later

Found a pattern - possibly

Well, I recieved the new issue of The Knitter (#33) and there's this lovely garter stitch shawl in 4-ply (called Mariposa).
I really like the construction, but unfortunately for the Manos, I don't have a pair of 4.5mm needles free in order to to a test knit (not a swatch, as I don't actually care about matching the gauge as it won't happen with the Manos DK yarn). Well, if I'm truthful, I've got a pair of needles (interchangeable tips) free, but I don't have a long enough cable free to use with the needles. I know that if the test knit works, I'll just want to continue with the pattern, and I won't want to wait to do that. I'll lose the impetus to continue, and it's not a big shawl.

Now, there's a small problem with the cable I want to use for the Mariposa shawl. It's currently in use on the Seafoam shawl, and then I want to use it on the (presently hibernating) first Growing Leaves shawl I started. I could, if I'm honest, just frog that first G.L. shawl, but I think I want to give that shawl away - depending on what it turns out to look and feel like when I've washed and blocked it - if it's ugly and scratchy/squeaky in feel, I'll keep it to use when the weather's cold. If it's pretty and soft, I'll put the photo on Facebook and ask Friends/Family if anyone wants it, and if that doesn't pan out, it'll get donated to the local charity shop.

So, seeing how the Seafoam shawl is being a bit slower to knit than I thought it would be (the yarn is slubby and a teeny bit sticky for 100% cotton, so each ssk takes more time than expected to make), and the Growing Leaves shawl is a bit quicker than I thought (the second shawl, despite each row getting longer, is practically flowing off the needles when I spend any time knitting it), I think I'm looking at about 3-6 months before the Mariposa shawl even gets started.

That's being wildly optimistic, if I'm honest, although that might be a good thing - since it gives a better chance for me to find another pattern or two to use on the Manos yarn - not that I'm being hopeful about that since it took over 6 months to find just one I liked enough to even seriously consider knitting.

Later. I'm off to knit.

Getting better

I love my brain. . .

I finally read the other entry and saw that I'd forgotten to mention a few projects.

A Seafoam shawl (pattern from Ravelry) in 100% cotton yarn (Patons) colour: bright turquoise. I'm about 40% percent finished with the body. I'm not really looking forwards to knitting the ruffle I have to pickup from the edge for, but it'll look great.

The "Classic White Shirt" pattern from the March 2011 issue of Knitting Magazine. It's in the required yarn for the pattern (I think it's Rico cotton essentials, DK weight, white). I'm going to dye it another colour once finished, or I'll only wear it once. I'm unlucky that way with white clothing.

The Patchwork Jacket is still languishing waiting for its ends to be sewn in, but I've found buttons for it and they look good. Not looking forwards to blocking it, though.

The lace wrap cardigan is in a similar postion. I'm feeling a bit "iffy" about my body and I'm not convinced I'll fit in to it in a couple months. I hate the way my brain works (or not) in this way. *bah, humbug*. I'm definitely losing weight and inches - all over. Unfortunately, I can't "see" the weight loss due to that all over loss. *grumble* Dratted brain.

I've blocked the Lace circular waistcoat/vest, and worn it both ways a few times (no true top or bottom). I now have discovered the back of it right between the armholes needs to be sewn in smaller due to the yarn stretching (bamboo yarn - known for its stretching. *sigh*). I'll use bonded nylon thread due to it's stability. Luckily the rest of the vest will be cute even if it stretches a bit more overall.

I think that's all.

I'm generally feeling better. I should be back to "normal" health within the next week.

Later.

Been busy . . .

Another month where time passed quite a bit quicker than I sensed.
Between the exercise classes, choir and taking time out to relax, it wasn't until the last three days, where I've forced myself to take it easy, I've discovered it's almost been a month since my last post.
Nevermind.
I'm doing mon-wed exercise (Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi) then thursday is choir, and I spend the next three days shopping, catching up on paying bills, laundry (I go out to a laundrette, since I've no space for either a washer/dryer), cleaning and knitting. If I'm lucky, I get a day to relax.

Due to a minor amount of stress, a cold sore started this last wed. night, and a chest-cold/cough/sore throat started on the following night. So, I've forced myself to take a couple days of rest and do nothing but be a (moderate) couch potato and do my standard cold-busting routine:
(hot as possible showers, hot/spicy soup to make me sweat, hot herbal teas, daily echinacea/goldenseal/zinc/1g vit-c tablets and honey and vinegar gargles (I swallow them, as I think they'll kill the virus in my gut) once-a-day. really, it's all a bit of a pain, but I think it works to busting the cold a day quicker. It worked on the last one I had.

So, within the last couple weeks I've been knitting on a couple new projects - a kindle cozy (I now have a kindle, all ready with stuff downloaded from among stuff pre-found and downloaded to my netbook) and a new shawl I'm knitting along to WendyKnits' (user name on Ravelry) spring/summer shawlette Ravelry knitalong.

The two shawls I mentioned in the last post are two copies of Lankakomero's "Growing Leaves" shawl. One is in a softened camo-coloured sock yarn, and I then started another one in a solid medium green sock yarn. I'm trying to work on both equally, but I'm finding myself working more on the solid green one. If I'm honest, it's prettier to me.

I've still not found a pattern that jumps out to use the Manos silk blend on, and I've taken a break from the Mermaid Jacket for a month.
I still love it, but the miles of garter stitch were finally getting a bit boring. I want to be happy to work on it, so I thought a rest was needed. It's working well so far. I've had two weeks of rest, I see it and I want to work on it. Two more weeks to go and then it's back to it.

I've started planning winter knitting:
Besides starting work on the Muir Wrap in october, sometime before winter snows strike (I'm thinking I'll start in September), I'll knit a hooded scarf for the winter snows. as the last two we had had days of blizzard-like conditions, and I want a combined scarf-hood item I can roll up the scarf over the bottom of the hood (if you can visualize what I mean) and use it to cover my nose and mouth without worrying about it falling down in the wind. I hope that the design I've picked from the available ravelry pattern choices will work - the final choice won't be revealed until I'm more than half-way through.

I now have a couple new knitting books I've been hoping for the last three years:
The quartet of Barbara Walker pattern books,
Elisabeth Zimmermann's "Knitting Workshop" and
Alison Jeppson Hyde's "Wrapped in Comfort".

The last book is the one I'm a bit happier than usual to receive, since it went out of print a while ago. It was bought for me via a phone call to the Purlessence store. I wouldn't have received it otherwise.

Anyway, I'm off to rest a bit and . . .

*sigh*

. . . cough up things out of my lungs.

yum.....

Lovely yarn, shame about the pattern . . .

or lack of them, anyway.

Ok, that sentence is, on the surface, a bit misleading. Out there online, there's obviously hundreds, if not thousands of patterns I could use with roughly 600 metres of heavy fingering yarn.

I think the problem is that the yarn is Manos silk blend, and it's a wildly variegated, short colour run pattern. I'm not seeing (so far) any patterns that grab me enough to use with the yarn.


I know it's me. I don't want something with long runs of stocking stitch or garter stitch. I don't want lots of lace - the colour is just vibrant and variegated enough that the lace will be a distraction to the colour, or the other way around.


I want just the right amount of the right lace pattern and just the right amount of mixed purl and knit stitches along with the right amount of stocking and/or garter stitch.


I want to do a stole or a shawl and, to add one more spanner to tthe mix, I only have 200g of the yarn.


I know that I've put myself into a bit of a cul-de-sac with the yarn + limitations of pattern, but I know, somehow, I'll find just the right combination eventually. . . . .


I just hope it's sooner than later. *sigh*

In good news, though, I got the circular needles necessary to start the Mermaid Jacket. At this time, amazingly for me, I've completed 55% of the jacket.
I've not yet started the shawl mentioned in the Simply Knitting magazine, but, I've started work on 2 other shawls; they're both being knit with stash yarn *whee*. I'll give more details about them in the next entry. The reason is that while I'm really happy with the progress in all details of one shawl and I love the pattern of the second, I'm not sure about the choice of yarn for it, and if this particular shawl needs to be restarted in the other colour (same company and name), I'm not sure that I'll get to the same place I'm at quite as quickly or with the same amount of joy.
Though on the other hand I might be even happier with the results of the other colour of yarn.

Fun.
*snicker*

Later.

I've a distinct lack of photos

I know that for a while, I've needed to take photographs of my projects.

I know that I have both in-progress and finished projects in Ravelry and that there's nothing to show what's happening with them or what my projects look like. I'm, in fact, sitting next to 2 mostly-finished cardigan (a lace wrap cardigan and "Patchwork Jacket") that need ends sewing in (which I hate to do) and then (minus the requisite blocking) they'll be all done, pretty and soft.

There's also a lace circular vest waiting to be washed and blocked in the bathroom. Again, it will be lovely once that's complete.

But they still need photos taking. I don't want to.

This is strange for me. I like photography. I like holding a camera and seeing the images that result between the juxstaposition of my eyes, brain, fingers and a small piece of computer-controlled mechanics. It's fun. But I'm just not interested in setting up a shot, photgraphing it, and re-setting it repeatly and taking more photos.

I'm sure it's a temporary thing and eventually I'll be chomping at the bit to collect digital images of my knitting.

In the other knitting news, I'm waiting for a few circular needles (80cm and 100cm lengths and two sizes - 2.5mm and 2.75mm) to arrive in the mail so I'm able to work on another cardigan (Hanne Falkenberg's "Mermaid").

I've also finally found a patten to use up the 2 skeins of Malabrigo sock yarn I bought in London. It's a lovely little shawl pattern in the latest issue of Simply Knitting Magazine (spring 2011). All I have to do now is find another pattern for the two skeins of Manos silk blend - that's going to be a bit more difficult as I thought there was twice as much in the skein as there is (there's only 300 yds per skein, and I thought there was about 450. Oops).

Ok, I've projects to work on and swatches to knit. I do hope my photography bug bites soon - those blank spaces in my ravelry project page look bad. Later.

Time flies. . .again.

Ok, a humbled update on my crafting resolutions - I'm not getting on with any of them.

I'm wondering if it's more to do with bad planning than with a lack of will.
You see, I knew there was a set of spinning classes at a LYS (local yarn store), and I really had planned to get enrolled, but I forgot until the last minute (by which time I was busy doing something else). BAD me.

I did learn to hand-felt, though, so something got accomplished (not to mention a pair of slippers got made). I do have to re-felt one of the slippers, though, because when it dried, the stitches still showed a bit. Not the effect I had on the first slipper. It's because I was impatient.

It's early, early in the morning and I've got a yoga class to get to in a few hours, so I'm off.

Hopefully I'll be able to say that I've accomplished something on the resolutions next time I post.

We'll see.

Later

A forgotten technique

I remembered today knitting on a project, that I'd also learned another knitting technique in 2010:

Domino/Modular Knitting (Patchwork jacket).

Project round-up post for 2010

Well, it's been a so-so busy year. I've finished more projects than I started, but there's less long-term projects "still in progress" than there was last year (I think).
If I'm lucky, I'll be able to decrease the long-term projects (slow "forgotten" ones) even further in 2011 - one way or another.
One thing I really do need to do on the internet for my knitting in 2011 is to find another free photo hosting site other than Photobucket (What a terrible site. I can't reactivate the photos I have on there. Bah.). I've many photos that need posting.

(Markings as follows: *internet pattern. ^magazine pattern. " book pattern)

Finished in 2010:
Catnip Mouse*
Rose Flower (3D flower for hat decoration) "
Black Silk Scroll Wrap (FINALLY!!!!) *
Multnomah Shawl (with extra repeat) *
BS Johnson Hat *
Market Bag 1 (it works very well)*
Gypsy Shawl ^
Grey Snow Rose Shawl (a.k.a. Lumiruusu)*
Crow Print Shawl(ette) (full pattern knit with fingering yarn on smaller needles)*
Quant Hair Band *
Baktus *
Winter Reading Shawl *
Vortex Hat (times 2) *
Feather and Fan Diagonal Lap Blanket*
Saroyan "shawl" (a scarf with 3 extra repeats in the increase (and corresponding decrease)section)*
Torreyana Shawl *
Rainbow Shawl *
Eyelet Wrap (Vogue Accessories Book pattern)"
Mario Netbook Case (with handmade wood "buttons") *
Bamboo yarn Dishcloth (own pattern)
Lacy Baktus *
Eyelet Cowl (Vogue Knitting Pattern)^

Started (but not finished) in 2010:
Patchwork Jacket ^
Orenberg Shawl ^
Maelstrom/Vortex Circular Shawl *
Basketweave Diagonal Lap Blanket *
Lace Capelet (Vogue Knitting pattern)^
Bamboo Circular Vest (knitting finished, ends need sewing in)*
Lace Wrap Cardigan (Vogue Knitting Pattern) (this could have been finished 2 weeks ago, but I didn't want to do the blocking needed) ^
Felted Slippers *

"Long-term" projects still unfinished in 2010:
Kimono Sweater (still not spun that silk yarn *grr*) *
Endpaper Mitts 2 (need to re-cast-on the second mitt - it WILL get finished in 2011) *
Prayer Shawl 2 (still waiting on dye - it's getting tiring) *
Clapotis 2 (not bad, just boring) *
Basic Socks (can't seem to want to re-start that second sock) ^(leaflet)
Flickering Flames Skirt (not a bad, boring or difficult project, I just don't know why this isn't finished) *
Lace Leaf Scarf (this is seriously boring -I think this will be frogged in 2011) ^
Knitted Kitties (Really, I've got to knit more of these - I just don't want to) *
Market Bag 2 (I've just got to buckle down and finish this, and I should, considering that the first one works nicely) *
Tudora (I'm still waiting on just enough scrap Noro Kureyon yarn to finish it) *
Secret of the Stole II (Knitting V. slowly on this) *
Mitered Vest/Jacket (I'm bored with this - don't know why, as it's charming and quirky and I really like the colour palette I'm using. I'll figure out how to get started again on this.)
Dappled Lace Kitchen Curtain strips (I'm sort of scared of this project) *
Hat and Scarf Set (I'm still trying to figure out a pattern to finish the cap part of the hat, using vertical stripes knitted in the round to the crown)
Gothic Lace Mohair Scarf (This is a non-entity of a project. It just goes into limbo even while I'm knitting it. It's NOT a boring lace pattern, and the yarn is quite lovely, but it's just. . . blah.) "
Cherry Leaf Shawl (I'm 2 repeats away from starting the border. But I'm scared of the border. Weird.) "
Spring Blossoms Shawl (This was actually in limbo. I'd forgotten about it until just now. I'm hoping to get another ball of the yarn I'm using so I can make it a repeat or two bigger.) ^ (leaflet set)
Cotton Squares Blanket (I crochet a couple blocks together a week. Slow but steady work. It'll take a year or two (or three) to finish this. *sigh*)
Apple Tree Leaves Lace Wrap (This needs working on and it's actually a beautiful lace pattern, but it's a bit boring to work on) "
Spider Web Half-Hexagon Shawl (I'm coming to the end of the first section. I knit a couple rows a month. Not enough, but the yarn's a bit intimidating.) "
DROPS B13-19 baby Jacket (I'm knitting erratically on sleeves) *
DROPS 111-27 Lace Jacket (I'm knitting erratically on it, I'm just being REALLY slow. It's a nicely challenging pattern.) *
Le Cardi Toddler Jacket (Knitting finished, but the seaming and ends need sewing - I just DON'T want to sew all the ends in) ^
Icon doll (This is likely to stay in limbo for years as it's a vanity project) "
Poppy Flower (I don't know why this isn't finished, I just need to knit/crochet a simple disc and sew the petals to it and each other - it'd take a day (at most) to complete) "
Squashy Blossom Flower (It's my own pattern, but I've forgotten what I was doing. I'll work it out eventually)

Techniques learned or first done in 2010:
Knitting a round shawl on circular needles (Maelstrom/Vortex shawl)
(In 2009 I forgot (I think) to note that I'd knitted a square shawl on circular needles (Spring Blossoms Shawl))
Shaping a garment (Lace Wrap cardigan)

I've listed my resolutions for 2011 in the last post, so that's done.

So. . .good luck to me for the next year.

A crafting resolution or two . . .

Ok, the first resolution is that I've decided, in line with my fervent wish to decrease the amount of clutter (crap) in the house, that I will start projects that use my yarn stash.

There's over fifteen (15) carboard flip-top Ikea storage boxes of yarn in my craft area.

I realise I'm a sucker for yarn, so I'm certainly NOT going to say I'm not going to buy any new yarn in 2011, but the list of projects I have or think of in the future, I WILL think of the stash yarn first.
That stash pile has GOT to get smaller.

The other resolution is to finally re-start work on my spinning, braiding and weaving in 2011. I originally got the equipment to finish projects and to increase my knowledge.
To start this, I'm going to take a spinning class in February (I've already talked to the teacher, and somehow I've got to get my spinning wheel down to the class) but I promised I'd take the class - once it goes online, I'll run down to the shop and book (and pay for) a place. I have silk top, flax top, wool and linen fibre to spin and I want to get them done.

I'm not saying that a huge amount of work will get done in the year, but I'm determined to complete a braid, a part of a woven piece (to finally get the loom useable would be something!), a decent amount of spun fibre (the minimum is about a 50g ball in total fibre spun) and a box of stash used in knitting.

It doesn't sound like much, but it will be a start, and if I complete those things in 2011, I can do even more in 2012. I deserve it.

Go me!

I am knitting furiously (for me) on a lace wrap cardigan - knit half a size too small. I don't know yet if I love it, and at the same time I hate it. I hate it for being so knittable.
This frantic knitting goes against my being. I am, by nature, a procrastinator. I'm (somewhat) lazy and flighty, and I don't spend a lot of time on one thing. I find I'm thinking of the cardigan as an alien being, stroking my soul and making me do things contrary to my nature.

I deeply love it as well. I want this cardigan to be perfect in every way, so I can coo over it and wear it every day (once it fits me). It seems a bit strange to be paying this much attention to an item that won't be able to be used as soon as it comes off the needles/blocking pads, but I'm knitting it for the smaller, healthier me.

I suppose that this also means that I'm really happy about being healthier. Which I am.

I want that time to be here MUCH sooner than it should be.

Music and Knitting

The music first:
Last Night (3rd Dec) I was watching Cecilia Bartoli @ the Bridgewater Hall. Astounding. She sang Castrati arias with a Baroque Group (forgot name of group), and it was wonderful. the music and her voice carried all over the hall, and it was unmiked. *whee*. I booked a ticket to see a counter-tenor (sorry, can't remember his name at the minute) singing more baroque music, and I'm SO happy.

Onto the knitting. . .
The knitting umph is back. I don't know when it came back, but so far, in addition to the other stuff, I've knitted a cowl (used last night due to the snow and general cold weather here) in Blue Manos Classica yarn, a circular vest (got to sew in all the ends and crochet around the armholes before I *lightly* block it) in Aqua Rowan Bamboo Tape and though I'm nibbling on other projects in an erratic rotation, I've started on a lace wrap cardigan in a neutral grey Texere White Rose Mohair yarn. It makes me happy to see it in progress. So soft.

Other stuff:
I'm losing inches around my body through a combination of diet and exercise. In 8 weeks, I've gone down a cup size and my clothes feel generally looser. I'm ecstatic. I've got to sign up for the next round of Yoga and Tai chi classes and the first chance I get, I'll be signing up for aerobics classes in order to get me fitter in general. Whoo! Go me!

Later.

It's gone. . .

That frenzy of knitting on projects past, present and future has disappeared. I can't quite pin down when it went, but I think it was about 2 weeks ago - when I started 3 seperate classes (not OU classes). 1 was the evergreen Choir, and the other 2 are Tai Chi and Yoga. My brain must have shifted and pushed knitting out.
I knit for about an hour a night right now, and it feels "not enough", but I can't make myself work anymore than that.
I'm joining a knitting group either this week or next, (the old one I was running died at the beginning of summer and I just don't want to re-start another one right now) in order to restart my "frenzy", and while I realise it might not work as well as that, it should make it easier to knit more than I do now.

*crossing fingers*.

Later

A bit overjoyed

Today, this isn't a post about my crafting - it's about me.

I'm delighted. I've gotten a ticket to Orff's Carmina Burana (and another choral piece). Now it's a wonderful thing to go see it performed, but in this instance, I'm going to be in the chorus. Soprano Section.

*EEEEE*

*squEEE*

There's 2 conductors (one of whom is Mark Elder, and the other one is good as well), the Orchestra is the Halle and the place it's in is the Bridgewater Hall.

I'm going to have another happy dance and do some private gloating movements. . . again.

*grin*
Later.

Another quick update

Well, I think I'm going to exceed the (self) planned limitation of my "patterns-on-the-go". At the end of July, I had 12 patterns I was actively knitting:

Maelstrom Shawl
Spring Blossom Shawl
Black Basketweave lap Blanket
Patchwork Jacket
Beech Leaf Shawl
Pink Eyelet Wrap
Verena Exclusive Orenberg Shawl
Spiderweb Shawl
Simple thin black sparkly Scarf
Black Drops Cardigan
Secret of the Shawl II
Candleflame Lace Skirt (that's sort of the name . . .)

(there's 18 more that are hibernating)

and 6 I was in the process of finishing (sewing in ends, needed to block, etc.):

Rainbow cape - sew in ends, wash, lightly block
simple Doll - seam & stuff
Torreyana Shawl - sew in ends, block
Toddler sweater - seam, wash
Saroyan "scarf" - block
Grey Snow Rose shawl (Lumiruusu) - reblock

Within the last few days, I've finished the Saroyan "scarf" (blocked it) and added one more project - Vogue Knitting Lace Capelet in sirdar baby bamboo.

Just to even things out, I might be adding another pattern in a couple days - Lacy Baktus. I've wanted to start that for a while.

I think that of ones I'm working on, there's 3 that could be finished in a month if I concentrated a bit more on them (Patchwork Jacket, Simple Scarf & Pink Eyelet Wrap), and there's 3 that I don't know when will be finished - they're all shawls (Maelstrom, Beech Leaf & Spring Blossom), and I want to be a bit flexible about the size - I have enough yarn within each project to be able to do that. The rest. . .well, they'll be done when they're done.

Later.

A frenzy of knitting for the forseeable future. . .

I've never been one for doing a single thing at any time (for the most part, anyway - e.g. one can't sleep and type meaningfully - as far as I understand it , anyway). So I have multiple books I read, and multiple cross-stich projects in various stages of completion, among other things.

It works exactly the same for my knitting. I really don't know how many projects I have going, and to be honest, I don't want to know (I have a ravelry account and the vast majority of my projects are on there, but there are a few that slip through the cracks). But I also have projects I WANT to do, so I get the yarn and/or the pattern, and put it to one side to do later.
Sometimes, I really want to do a particular project *now*, so I start it as soon as possible. I also have a list of future knitting projects, where I want to do it a certain way, but don't have it together yet.
*deep breath*

. . . is there a point to writing all this? . . .

Anyway, I think what I'm trying to say is that at this point in time, is that I don't think I'm going to stop knitting for any considerable length of time (one or two days, maybe, but no longer than that). Right now I can't see me being at a point where I get "knitters block" (so to speak).

I have enough projects on the go that I WANT to finish and enough projects I could start tomorrow (that I really DO want to start tomorrow, but won't) that I'm full up with things to do. *grin*

You know what . . .It feels great!

Later.

Frogging and swatching

Well, I bit the bullet last night. I frogged two projects that had been in hibernation.

My Debbie Bliss Sophia Sweater (I'd only done 1/2 of the back) in the Rialto pattern book - knitted in Sirdar Snuggly baby bamboo yarn. The pattern was fine, but the yarn wasn't worjking with the pattern. I was getting more and more irritated at the yarn as time went on.

So the sweater is gone (not the yarn).
I immediatly started swatching with the Sirdar yarn for two projects - the Capelet out of the spring(?)2010 Vogue Knitting Magazine and the Torreyana shawl out of Knitty.com online magazine. I'm not sure, though. I actually like both of them, but there's something similar in the lace pattern (there isn't, really) about both of them. I'm being picky. I'm going to knit one or both of them. At this point, I'm betting both.

The other project frogged is a baby hat. Last year, I tweaked a nice, very simple pattern to match a baby sweater and I screwed up the hat. I'd left it alone out of shame, but that's gone. I'll re-cast it on in the same yarn. Someday.

I've also finished a couple projects -
a "Reading Shawl" in two types of sock yarn (it's cute, but, it's not - It will work once the weather gets colder) it's been washed and blocked.
and that Baktus I wrote about in the last post. It needs washing.
Both of them need photos taking.

Later.

Busy Me

Been knitting like a fiend (well, it's a lot for me . . .) I've finished 2 more shawls (one's drying right now) and I'm rather happy.
The 2 I've completely finished (ends woven in, washed and blocked) are The Snow Rose Shawl and The Crow Prints shawl (a quick knit in DROPS alpaca -Dark Indigo).

I've recently started a Saroyan in British Breeds Guernsey 5-ply (Conifer)
I've got plans to start a Lacy Baktus once the Baktus (2 posts down -or so) is finished, as I want to use that same needle/cable.

What I'm Not Happy with is Flickr. Even though I understood at the beginning of my free membership I had a limit uploading every month, apparently there's now a limit to the number of photos on my site. Grrr.
I can't buy a Pro Account - I don't have a way to pay them in USD for it (I don't do paypal). I don't know a solution to this as yet, though I'm sure I'll find one eventually.
*sigh*

Later.

Sorry little socks

I'm coming (albeit reluctantly) to the conclusion that I've not got the brain for knitting socks.
I want to. I really want to, but aside from my intial knitting foray, I've not completed a pair of socks in 5 years.

I knit a sock - or part of a sock - and my brain gets disgusted. I have parts of 2 pairs (1 single socks and the first third of one) hibernating in this house and I cannot make myself knit any further on either of the pairs.

Again, I'd really like to knit socks. I LOVE woolen/natural fibre socks. I've seen hundreds of glorious sock patterns (lots of free ones) and my hands itch to knit them - but I just don't.

It's not the complexity - I'm well versed in knitting lace, cables, entrelac, intarsia, plain stocking stitch. I can knit yards of scarves and shawls (as can be seen in earlier entries, I've got 6 on the go, all active.). Some of those shawls are on lace yarn (mohair, even)
I can happily knit in the round - I love knitting sleeveless mittens and I like knitting hats.
Double pointed needles are fine as well . . .

So what is it with the combination of fine yarn, double pointed needles and sock pattern?

I don't know - but I'm completely stumped. A bit frustrated, too.

Later this year, I'll try to finish another sock. . . but I'm not that confident I'll do it.

*cross fingers* I do, though.

Later.

Finished knitting

I've finished 3 items this month - a Shawl (Gypsy shawl), a wrap (the black silk scroll wrap) and a shawlette (Multnomah). They've all been washed and blocked. Photos are up as well.

The knitting is done on the Grey "Snow Rose" shawl, but I've ends to weave in. That is NOT being fun at all with crochet cotton. Once it's done (and I'm over halfway finished), the washing, starching and blocking will be a breeze.

I've replaced two of the "missing" projects with a sweater (Patchwork Jacket from Knitting Magazine 072) in blue DROPS alpaca yarn and a "scarf" (baktus) in green-blue-purple Meilenweit Cotton Fun sock yarn.

Later

Better weather on the way. . .

I've not been journaling, that much is obvious.
The thing is, it's been cold.
Very cold.
Cold enough to freeze finger and toe tips.

But, spring is here, and the weather is getting warmer. So I'll be journaling a bit more frequently than lately.
Not much more, but at least once a month as "usual".

In a bit of last-minute, before-I-go news,
I've finally finished the black silk scroll shawl. I've ends to sew in (feels like a hundred), then it's to be dry-cleaned, then blocked, but I'm HOPING to get it all finished and photos up by May.
I've also started on a new shawl - a swedish - I think - one, called in English "snow rose" (I've only 21 rows to go) . A couple of photos have already been posted (grey lace "blob" thing).

*grin*


Later.

Year end roundup - delayed by cold

It's freezing in Manchester. I access the internet from my bedroom, which is unheated. Right now, it's 40F (5C) in here. To me, brought up in centrally heated houses and in the Western United States, I'm COLD!

So this is going to be as short as possible.

I made real baby clothing. Sweaters/Cardigans, really, but it's a start. It was fun.

I continued work on old patterns and started a few more.
I made a few quick patterns, like cat toys and a hat.

That's it.

Later.

Time flies when . . .

you forget.
I've not been that busy with the knitting or any other craft really.
I've just been getting a little engrossed with entering books from my library into the Goodreads site. Not that that's going to quit anytime soon, but it's a bit easier to do now that I've taken care of all the books in bags and not on the shelves. Now I can concentrate on the shelved books (only 3 rooms of them to do) and that's going to take more time than I thought it would originally, as I only remembered last week that I've got a large stash of crafting books over at my Dad's house.

I'll eventually get back to knitting (and the other crafts), but on that front, I only have one skein left to do on the Black silk wrap. It's only taken 2 years to finish it. Silly me.

More as soon as I can.

Later

photography

Well, I've found and started the two baby cardigans (in pink - *ick*)I wanted to. I'm planning on knitting a simple cap to go with one of them and it looks like I'll be finished with that set well before the first cardigan will be. It's not surprising really, considering that the first cardi is in 4-ply yarn, while the second is in DK weight. *wry grin*

I've started the latest shawl as well (Rainbow Half-Circle). So that makes 7 shawls I've got on the go:

SoTS II
Clapotis
Beech Leaf
Spring Blossom
Rainbow Half-Circle
Spiderweb half (+1) hexagon
and
The everlasting "Black Silk Scroll")

I'd better go knit - I got some new yarn on sale (buy one bag, get one free) from Abakhan fabrics and I've started a "quick" scarf with one batch (Sirdar Illusion)and am planning to start a second (and maybe a hat) with the other batch (Sirdar Fizz).

Wish me luck - the Fizz is a pink yarn. *happy grin*

Later.

Click, click. Click, click

Yep, it didn't take long. I'm back knitting. I stayed away about a week, I think, then I worked on a couple pieces and started two shawls. I thought I had two baby sweaters to work on, but I changed my mind about them, so I'm still looking for at least one suitible baby sweater to start on, and I think I might have found a couple. Just have to correlate them with the yarn in my stash to see if I can start them. If it's all good, then I'll be working on a small garment in about two weeks.

Later. Got to go knit.
*grin*

Taking a small break

Well, I'm a bit burned out with knitting. I like all my knitting projects, I don't want to throw any projects away.
I'm just tired of the physical act of knitting right now.
I'd really, really just like to watch someone doing it. (I don't mean I'd like someone working on my projects, I'd just like to watch someone knit for a while.)

I'll be back when I'm clicking the sticks once more.

Later.

Is there a chapter/group of Lace Knitter's Anonymous?

Because I'm addicted to knitting lace. I've just started two new projects - both lace - I'm planning three future projects (a shawl and 2 baby cardigans) and all three have lace in them.

I don't know.

*snicker*

I'm not worried. I'm actually quite happy that I'm knitting and pleased with what I'm doing. I'm proud of it. I find lace a joy to do. Right now, I'm never happier than when I'm knitting. Even doing other craftwork means that when I finish one of those projects (two fillgap braids, a sewing project, a little bit of woodworking and my crocheted necklaces) means that when I get finished with them, that means more time to work on lace.

All is good.

Later.

Well, I'm working staedily on two shawls - the "ink nib" (forgot the name of the one from Interweave knits) one and the Gypsy shawl. There - that's the craft content.

God I wish I had a Dreamwidth studio invite code so I could set up a journal there.

There. Said that as well.

I'm off to go eat dinner.

Later.

Photos

I've uploaded some photos of the projects - you can see some of them in the little flickr square to the right. If you don't see knitting pictures, or you want to see more photos, double click on the photo in the "knitting pictures" square to your right (not the picture of a ball of brown wool) and wait - then click on "photostream" and you can look at all the photos I've loaded in so far.









This photo is of a fillgap braid I'm working on for a future knitting project - a handbag.




Later.

Projects update. . .

Well, It's been about 12-18 months since the last one. I've written about various things I've been working on (or started) and I thought it was about time that I said what's happening to them.
Here's the list of stuff (not in any particular order) :

Fountain Pen Shawl - in limbo but not hibernating. I'm planning on working on it very soon.

Gypsy shawl - slow progress - I'm on the edging, which has 30 stitches per row, so I can spend 15 minutes on it and achieve progress.

SotS II shawl. Hibernating. Bah.

Brown Mohair scarf. - slow progress. It sits next to me along with a few other projects that are listed, so I work on it, albeit a couple rows at a time. Nice yarn. I'm glad I'm not sensitive to mohair.

Cotton phone socks (one for me, one for My Dad)- They're done and in the process of being sewn up. Since I'm not in a hurry, I expect they'll be in use in a couple weeks. ok, a few days. *he he*

Kimono cardigan - Hibernating. I ran out of the mulberry silk yarn (discontinued) at the very end, so I'm having to order some bleached mulberry silk top in order to spin about 10grams of heavy 4-ply yarn to fill in the last 10" of collar/edging. Then I can sew it all up and wear it. *sigh*

SotS I shawl - finished, finished, finished. I gave it to my best friend as a LATE christmas present. she loves it.

"Tickled pink" not pink scarf - Hibernating. I'm thinking that this might be frogged. I'm just not loving this or even liking this anymore. The way I'm knitting it is making it look blah. I'll see in a couple weeks.

Knitted shopping bags - Still in hibernation. Why I can't finish sewing up the first one is beyond me. Maybe I'm not convinced it'll be strong enough to use. The second one just isn't calling to me. I think it's getting time to call it quits and frog it. Shame on me.

Brown prayer shawl - I finished that long ago. I'm using it now. Lovely and warm.

Flickering Flames Skirt - in hibernation. It's obviously not important enough to work on. *sigh*.

Debbie Bliss Sweater. - Hibernating. It's in a box in the living room, and I see it every day. I've not forgotten about it. Bad sweater - ok, bad yarn choice. Shame on me.

Knitted kitties and various cat toys - in hibernation. I just don't want to do anything with them. Someday I'll want to, but I don't want to now. It's a shame as the only thing I have to do with the cat toys is sew them and fill them with catnip. What-ever.

Pink Fur hat - to be frogged. I don't remember where I was in the pattern when I last put it down and I just can't see the stitches through the "fur". It's time is done. Oh well.

Mitred vest - hibernating. I need to get some colour matching and blending for future squares happening, but I've started too many new projects. Bah.

Cotton Squares Blanket - Hibernating. Definitely hibernating. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of crocheting I'm going to have to do. Brain hurts. . .*grin*

Black silk wrap/stole - hibernating. Darn. I should have this finshed by now, darn it. *grr*

Cotton chenelle prayer shawl - definitely hibernating through no fault of my own. I need some dye stuffs from a company in the states (Dharma), and resources are SLOW. Bah.

Wall hanging - well, this hasn't even gotten started, so it's a fermenting kit right now.

Diagonal feather and fan blanket - new project, in limbo for a bit. It's just something to use up a giant ball of acrylic yarn (400g), so I'm in no hurry. I'm almost halfway, though, and it's pretty. Strange, but pretty.

Kitchen Curtain - It's slow but steady. Like the Gypsy shawl, it's only got short rows to work on, so I nibble on it every week. I suppose it's glamour will fade soon. Bah.

New scarf - It's a self designed project using up three balls of a luxury yarn (forgotten the name). I'm nibbling on it enough that I'm on the last quarter. Yahoo. I will definitely have to block out this piece before I complete the sewing. . . I'm not looking forwards to that.

All projects being worked on have to fight with the miniature "tapestry" rug I'm enamoured with working on. Not a problem, really. Ha.

I hope this was enough information.
Later

New Tapestry Project

A long time ago, I had a subscription to a needlework series - over 100 magazines that included projects, templates and kits of different types. One of the magazines had a minature rug/carpet in tent stitch. It was designed for a doll's house, but not having one, I ended up framing it - it now sits on a book shelf in my living room.

That sort of ignited a bug - I bought a few books on making miniature carpets and doll's house tapestries. This month, I finally got a project together using #18 "canvas" and DMC tapestry wool (plyed down from 4-ply to 2-ply to fit the canvas - it also makes the skeins go much further *G*). The book I'm working from actually calls for Paternayan wool, but I don't have access to that (I wish I did). So, I'm working with what is available. So therefore, I've started making (stitching) a miniature carpet called a memling bergama.

This is an up-to date photo of the progress:

Now, while the photo is a bit rough, it comes from my mobile phone. The colour balance is a smidge off.

I've also started work on a lace curtain (one of the free patterns off Ravelry.com from Elann.com) for the kitchen window. I'm using DMC Cebelia cotton 20 in 6 shades of cream/ecru (including white). While the original pattern calls for a solid 48" wide curtain, I'm going to knit 7" wide strips in each colour and to add a bit more interest, I'll randomly add somewhere along the length a stripe of pale yellow and a stripe of soft apple green. I'm only 2 1/2" on the first strip, so I've quite a ways to go - it doesn't help that I don't know quite how long I want each strip to be. But it's looking pretty so far. *yay!*

Oh my, oh my, oh my. . .

Oops. I have an excuse for not updating. I've been busy knitting.
I've been working on 3 shawls (fountain pen from Interweave Knits magazine, Gypsy shawl from another magazine and intermittently on the SotSII knitalong -which finished long ago.) I've also been working on a brown mohair scarf (own pattern), a cotton phone sock (own pattern) and a couple other things I can't think of off the top of my head.

I'm going to start on another phone sock (for my Dad) next week, and hopefully, (I'm crossing fingers) I'll be taking and uploading lots of photos to update projects.

I'm off to knit. I want to finish my phone sock.

Bye!

First post of '09. . .

Well, the first post of the new year. whee.

I'm not in a particularly good mood right now, but not anyone's fault, really. A great Aunt (my Father's) died recently. I'll miss her bigger than life presence. I didn't see her very often, but she was a wonderful lady. Every time I visited them (her and My great Uncle), it seemed to me that she ran her house and family like a military unit, with everything "in perfect working order". Maybe that wasn't the truth, but it was fun to think so.
Again, I'll miss her. *raises glass* Here's to you, Aunt Elena. You were wonderful.

Ok, onto crafting. well, since the news knocked out the end of 2008 note I had planned, I'll just post the news at hand.
I've almost finished the first cardigan I started - it's only taken 2-3 years. I'm on the neckband, and I'm about 1/3 the way through. *whee!*
Next to be finished? Well, since I'm on a roll, I'll go for the second knitted shopping bag. I'm on the second handle, and I know that if I get into gear, the whole thing should be completed in a week (including the sewing up).

I'm crossing fingers I do it.

Later.

Knitting is slow, but steady.

I'm at present, working only on the prayer shawl. This is becasue it's getting bloody old here in Manchester, and I want something I can wrap up in and throw off.
I'd really prefer a nice shetland or faroese shawl for this winter, but I've not got one near completion (or even started, for that matter. . .).
But, in order to facilitate my wish, I'll be ordering a book of shetland shawl patterns off the net (ok, I forget where from, but I've got the picture in my head), then I'll be ordering Alison Hyde's "Wrapped in Comfort" book from Amazon. After that, I'm getting the wool for both and starting one or the other in the summer. I will have one of each eventually.

So, for the time being, it's a slightly-skinnier-than-I-wanted-but-I'm-not-frogging-it prayer shawl for this winter. It's warm, as it's been tested by sitting on my knees while I was knitting, and they were nicely toasty. *mmm*.

I'm hoping, that with less than a standard ball left to go, I'll finish it by the end of November, but It'll probably be in December that I'll be casting off. That's fine. There's only two ends to weave in - about 15 minutes work.

I'll be looking forwards to washing it, as I expect (ok, hoping) that the wool will bloom and get fluffier once clean and dried.

Ok, got to go knit . . .

Later.

Sweater in the headlights. . .

The skirt is still chugging along.
I've finished the knitting on a scarf (just got to do the boring sewing and washing), and I've done a little bit of knitting on my stalled sweater.
That's the thorn in my paw - the (Debbie Bliss) sweater. I don't know whether to continue and finish the back and see how it turns out or frog it and. . . - what to do, what to do. . .
Arrgghhhh!!!!! *snarl*
I think that really, I'm resigned to finishing the back following the pattern. The worst that will happen is that it'll be longer than I wanted, and the best . . . you get the idea.

No pictures this time.

Later.

The flickering Flames Skirt . .

is roaring into life. I'm on the third tier, and dreading the row lengths. 640 stitches - that's the biggest thing I've had to do so far. 64 repeats per row. OW. I'm going to take them slowly and carefully as I know I'm going to drift away during them. I can just imagine me and the fate of the skirt if I have to rip back more than row to fix a mistake. Not Pretty. Not pretty at ALL.

The ever changing photos at the time of this entry also include (besides the skirt) the 10 groupings of the cotton blanket squares, SOTS II (the feeble amount I've done on it) and a future present (which most of the time is blind knitting, as I cannot see the stitches through the fur - so it's "resting").

The mitered vest is on the 21st square per front. I'm still colour blocked on one side (don't know why), so I'll be concentrating on that during the weekend.

Until the next Entry.

Night.

Mitered vest. . .

I'm stalled. I've completed 17 and 1/2 squares on each front panel and I'm having a think about colour graduation. I'm not sure where to take it.
I'm not even sure right now if the fronts will remain the fronts or if I'll turn one of them into half of the back.
I'm just hitting a "writer's block" in knitting.

Ah well.

The skirt is ticking along. All the sweaters are still in limbo and last week I actually knitted a few rows onto the SOTS II shawl that I wrote about earlier this year. Not that there's any photos of anything yet. Well, I took a few photos of the mitered vest fronts, but I haven't processed them yet. Maybe tonight. Maybe not. I'm feeling lethargic.

I've put together a kit for a future project (a wall hanging in two parts), but I look at it and I don't know. Ok, so it's part of that "knitting block".

I'll sign off now. I've got colours and squares to look at. Wish me luck.

Later.

The mitered vest. . .

Is coming along. Had a few frogging incidents after discovering faults with my plan, but all is (slowly) ticking along.

I'm working alternately on both the fronts, so I can then see how I'm going to progress with the back. I might (might) be able to get away with knitting it together competely (picking up stitches for the square sides as I go along), but I'm nowhere near that point. Hell, I've only managed to knit a total of 5 squares so far (3 for one side and 2 for the other).

I've decided that the mitred fronts are going to mirror one another, with one diagonal going left and one going right, but I'm not decided which side is going which way - but the colours look good so far.

Anyway, I've done my entry and it's time for bed.

Night,

New project (and old one)

I've finally finished the squares. Every last stinky one. The last ones are drying as I type this and in a couple days, they'll be packed away. Ok, they'll be packed away for about two weeks, while I finish the last two pieces of homework for the year. Then I'll take photos and then I'll start crocheting them together. *crossing fingers* You know, I really hope my plan works. . .
Well, I suppose there's going to be news on that as it happens, won't there. *grin*

I've also started that new mitered square vest project. I did the samples and I've worked out (approximately) how it's going to be constructed (there might be triangles, there might not). With the detachable sleeves (yep, that'll be "fun" if it works), I expect though, that it should take about 18 months to get finished. Nothing new in the speed stakes there.
I've also decided to add the aqua shades to it just to take the edge off the colour changes. Well, it might work. If not, it'll get fixed.

It's nearly 1am, so I'm off to bed.

Night.

Project done. . .

Well, I'm FINALLY, officially finished with the cotton blanket squares *much cheering*. But un-officially, I've got 4 more to do for the cushion. *sigh*. But, this means that within two days, I'll have totally finished the knitting for the latest "big project" with nothing planned to take it's place. No, I'm not counting the crocheting I need to do to put the squares together - that's starting in the winter and is a seperate part of the project all together.

I've many medium sized projects to take it's place (all cardigans), so I suppose they'll have to do.

But. . .

On the back-burner, there is a possible new medium sized project involving some (hopefully all) of the green and blue leftover skeins of floss. It (if it works out) is going to be a simple squared-up vest, based on a combination of a sweater I saw on the "Wendy Knits" blog and also from a free pattern on Elann.com - "sonata print lace-up tank".

They were both made of mitered squares and since I've seen them, the technique has grown on me. The sweater was lovely, but the Sonata tank needed to be made in a different colour as I think the yarn for that is hideous, but I always thought that the technique for both items was out of my league - I don't know why.

I just need to think on the mathematics for a while (about a month or so), then I'll knit a few test swatches and joined-square test samples (I'm not planning on sewing anything but side seams and buttons for this vest) and see if it's feasable - for me.

On a seperate project (green flickering flames lace skirt), it's working. So far. I've not gotten the first tier completed yet, but the "new" needle size seems to be fine, sizing wise. I've stretched it out a bit and there's no blatent "tent-ness" like there were in the first incarnations. *hooray!!!*

Later.

Small update

I've been busy - sort of. Between visits to my Friend and my Friend visiting me, organizing getting people to at least think about coming to my knitting group (the group I'm in) and degree work, I've managed to get a bit of knitting in.

I've gotten a mobile phone (cheap and basic - just fine for me). Made a cover (green cotton) for it.
I've been whittling away at the blanket squares - about 60 left to do. I think.
Ticking away on other projects, including SOTS II( just a few rows).

Photos eventually.

Night.

The Flickering Flame skirt is about to do just that. . .

Go up in a blaze. I did the swatch - in fact I did three of them last year, all on differing sized needles, just to make sure. I then got all 64+ little markers for it and started.

I came back to it last week after a while and found I'd been working on a tent. The effing swatches lied to me, and becasue of them, I've re-started this beastie twice now (I'm on the 3th attempt) and I've stepped down from a 5.5 to a 4.5mm needle (Denise circulars). Not quite finished the first row yet, but I'm crossing everything that this works. Otherwise I might torch the damned thing.
*sigh*
Ok, all I would do in that case is frog it and put the needles away for a while. I'd then wait a couple months, find the 4.0mm needles and start again.

I'm crossing fingers this works. . .
please?

Later.

Well, time HAS passed. I'm ashamed. No I'm not.

I'm not so busy I can't spend 10 minutes throwing in an entry.
I've got half an hour and here's an entry.
I'm still working an the black shawl - for all my bleating about how important it was to be finished, that didn't happen. I'm 60% finished though, and hopefully I'll be done with it this year - we'll see.
The blanket squares are being worked on - still - and I'm 85% done. got less than 150 to do and they SHOULD be done by the end of September.

I'm off to a knitting group meeting in about 2 hours, so I'm off. . .
Well - that took less than 10 minutes.

Later.

The 2 Main projects for April

Are the "Cotton Squares Blanket" and the "Silk Scroll Wrap".

They'll probably be the main projects for May, as well.
The reason for this is
1) because I'm 77% finished with the squares (only 203 left to do for the blanket!!! Whee!!!!
and
2)I need the shawl for a choir concert happening mid-May in Bakewell parish church.

Other than that, there's thought of frogging and re-starting my Debbie Bliss Rialto "Sophia" Sweater I've started twice now. I have been looking over most sweaters knit by people and have discovered with sweaters including cabling, unless the look is deliberately sloppy, like Aran cardigans, then it's preferable to have it a bit "snug". Not skin tight, but you want to know it's on you. So I'm having a bit of a think. I'd actually not be upset to frog it, but I'd be a bit ticked-off to find that I'm just going to re-start with the same size I'm knitting now. So it's in hibernation for a couple weeks while I do some maths.

Before I forget, while I said I'd started the "Secret of the Stole II" pattern, I had. But unfortunately, I decided I just didin't want to work on it. I completed 35 rows and put it into hibernation. It's lovely so far, I've seen photos of the finished project and it's beautiful.
The thing is, I'm just not in the mood for it. Maybe sometime in the future. I don't know.

Anyway, on another note, I really must go and read. I got a couple pairs of glasses last month (got to love Tesco opticians - free eye test and £20 for a pair including lenses - Yahoo!). I found out I'm getting on a bit and the finer lens muscles are getting weak, so I need reading glasses now (+1.50 and plano something (can't read it right now) in the left eye as well *sigh*), but according to the optometrist, everything else is perfect. At least I'm back up to my original reading speed again. Before the glasses, I was getting a teeny bit depressed there for a while. I'm fine now.
Got a lot of books to catch up on.

Later.

*Sigh*

Forgot yesterday - meant to make an entry.

Been knitting hats. In three weeks, I've finished 3 hats and started on a 4th. Not got photos yet, but I'm planning on purchasing a styrofoam/polystyrene wig head so I can do that.

I'm still with the mountain of projects.

Just to mention a few off the top of my head:

Two prayer shawls (both hibernating)
Two sweaters (one hibernating, one in danger of being frogged and re-started)
The ever growing Blanket Squares (now over 70% finished - Whee!)
A "Tickled Pink" scarf (pattern from an issue of Knitter's Universe)
Pair of basic socks (hibernating)
A lace leaf scarf (hibernating)
A pair of "Endpaper Mitts" (hibernating due to imminent frogging on just started 2nd mitt - I'm not happy with the tension)
2 knitted kitties in grey eyelash yarn (just got a head and a tail left to do, then got to sew and stuff them)
The hat mentioned at the start - it's due to be a gift, so I'm not divulging anything other than "it's pink and fuzzy".
2 finished projects that have needed the ends sewing in for three months (a Shawl and a mesh shopping bag) - don't know why I haven't yet done this, but I just keep forgetting them.
A Lace Skirt ("Flickering Flames" pattern off Elann.com) - I'm nibbling at this every week. I expect I'll have it finished for next summer.

I need to take photos of all the above things so I can document them on Ravelry. Sometime this month *cross fingers*.

There's other things, but I've got to go study.

Later.

News long awaited

Well. I've missed another month. I made a post in another journal (Wordpress), thinking that - somehow - it was this one. Silly me.

Basically, what I said in the othe one was that I had put most of my long-term projects to the side to work on a few small projects.
They were:
2 pairs of gloves (Maine Morning Mitts)out of two balls of Noro Kureyon.
3 scarves (two versions of the Noro Striped Scarf from the "Brooklyn Tweed" blog) using again, Noro Kureyon.) and a re-knit of a Christmas present I was given (store-bought scarf).

They're all done and washed now. I just have to take and post photos in Ravelry.

I've just today started the Secret of the Stole II knit-a-long. I've got 4 sets of clues to catch up on. I should be all caught up by (and waiting for) clue 7 (hopefully).

Back to the knitting.

My First Post of 2008

Well. It's 4:30am. I'm in the middle of insomnia. It's fine. No big thing.

In fact, I'm so used to its erratic nature, I do things to kill the time - in fact, I've been knitting blanket squares for that very thing. I'm in the middle of the 6th square since Midnight.

But on the other knitting front, Here's a general overview of 2007:

Knitting projects completed this year: I don't know (Really. I didn't keep track).

Knitting Projects on needles as of 31st of Dec.: 15 (I think - I just did a rough tally)
I do know I've not done as much as I wanted to, but on the other hand, I know that I've accomplished more learning curves in knitting that I expected to.

I did/worked on -
Knit-purl patterns
Lace - that of right-side patterning and each-side patterns.
Cables (easy and difficult at the same time - but immensely satisfying.)
Stranded knitting (NOT fair-isle - that's a big beastie I might never get to)
Intarsia - a.k.a. "the other type of stranded knitting that's not fair isle"
Horizontal striping (even did a small tutorial about it in this journal)
A knit-a-long
A sweater (and I plan to make (ok, begin) at least 2 more in 2008)
Adjusting other patterns
and
I made up my own pattern (that's not as easy as it seems, as an untaught flying-by-seat-of-pants skill - but I did it.)

I had hair-tearing-out moments and very satisfying "I-did-that" moments - as to be expected for 2008 as well.

I also expect to complete the knitting for the cotton squares blanket and also to make baby clothes (new thing) in this year. I might even get brave enough to learn "the dreaded" fair-isle.

Other than that, I'm fine with completing present projects and starting new ones within the year - I might even keep track of what I've done . . .*chuckle*

I'm off to knit some more - got time to kill before 8am.

Later.