26 Jan 2006

The late late knit show

I arrived home yesterday to 2 packages.
I felt like I was a kid at Christmas time.
The first parcel contained some items I ordered from Get Knitted.com, on recommendation from
Isobel when she ordered some Debbie Bliss Maya.
Of course I ended up ordering 4 skeins of maya, in 2 different colours, 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces, 2 balls of GGH as they were very keenly priced in the sale, and one skein of Noro Kochoran as I wanted to try it out.
Isobel was much more sensible than me however and ordered one skein of maya. Ah well, I have plans for them all already!
They packaged the wool very nicely, the lorna's laces wool and the kochoran were parcled up seperately in pink crepe paper, and they also threw in a free lollipop and pen!



The second package was wool that I was successful in bidding on in ebay. This was almost 2 weeks ago and I was starting to think it wasn't going to arrive.

The bluey/pink wool I think I'm going to make into a bag, its a lovely wool.
The pinky wool however, Im not sure what to do with yet. The colour is not as vivid as I expected, its a rather dull colour really, and its 3 ply, so I don't know what I was doing bidding on it. The curse of getting excited about wool hits again! I may be able to do some socks with it or something.
However, I haven't just been buying, I've been making also.

I started doing a winter muff for my sister, as she was going skiing and requested it. However, I got mixed up with WHEN she was going skiing, and that along with the wool order taking its time to arrive, I didn't get it started in time. I didn't even try, as the wool arrived the day before she was leaving and I knew it wouldn't get done in time. I put it aside for a few days. So now I'm working on it, and its knitting up really fast, I should have it finished tonight. I'm sure she'll still use it, its her kind of thang.

24 Jan 2006

The weekend ahead


This is where we are heading this weekend, to have this view for the whole weekend!
Isn't it amazing?!
I hope we get some decent weather in order to make the most of the weekend.
I can't say where it is we are going...yet, but it will be the main heading of a post very very shortly!
(and yes, I know its still only Tuesday, you don't have to think it!)
Here is another view:


Knitting wise, I have been very slow. I cast on for a pair of wristwarmers using Noro Silver Thaw, as I had done a hat in it previously, and after (almost) finishing the first one, I have come to the conclusion that the wool is too heavy for the pattern. So I face the decision, to frog or not to frog. I think I'll put it aside for a while and concentrate on other things for a while, and then go back to it and see how I feel about it.

I have been learning a bit about html tonight also, please see my results on the right hand side of the page, the link to The Time Traveller's Wife and Gorillaz! I'll be getting there over the next few weeks, with stolen time at my BF's PC when I can.

18 Jan 2006

Hats again!


I finished a hat that I started at the weekend for my bro. I have included here 2 photo's, one of the top of my head showing the ribbing and decreasing (and the thread of wool that I hadn't quite tidied away yet, can you spot it!) , aka the photo above, and one of 2 hats done in the same wool, following the same pattern. The longer hat is a result of the first hat I did in Rowan calmer not turning out as long as a previous hat I had done to the same pattern, done in Noro Silk Garden. Just shows that I didn't really pay too much attention to my gadge eh!


This time I used Rowan Calmer, size 5 circulars and then 4.5 dpns when decreasing, previously I used Noro Silk Garden and size 6.5 circulars. I have no photo on file as such here for that hat but may be able to add it in at a later stage. The reason the photo's are so dark - well, why wouldn't they be dark if they are taken at 6.45 in the MORNING, as I wanted to get them both before I passed one of them over to the bro. I think I may have to frog back the smaller one, starting at the cast on edge, gulp.
Now, as promised, I will start something for myself. What to do eh? The possibilities are just endless, but I think that I will do some wristwarmers to start with, then may go for a bag. I've just read on Calana Crafts blog that Noro Silk Garden felts, so that looks interesting enough to look into further methinks!
Ciao

16 Jan 2006

Anniversay!

One week today, thats the anniversary. This blog is one week old today, yayy, celebrations.
I didn't get a chance to look further at this over the weekend, I was hoping to do some work on the blog but didn't get near a computer at all.
My PC at home is fairly knackered and very frustrating to use, which is why I avoid it at all costs! But my better half's PC is great, and I thought I would get using it last night. However, I came down with a cold yesterday and was so wrecked by the time we got to his place that all I wanted to do at that stage was go to bed, which I did.
However, did manage on Saturday to attend the Stitch n Bitch meeting, which was my first time going. A bit daunting at first but everyone seemed very nice and I look forward to the next one. There were plenty of ideas going around and I must look into some of them.
One of the girls was telling me about a place in Rathmore that spin their own wools and had some samples with her, so thats on my list to do: go and visit them and bring loads of cash (ha ha, where will I get THAT from!). There was also discussion about a felting class but unfortunately its on during the day so I won't be able to make that. I may enquire though if there will be one on in the evening sometime or at a weekend. I will struggle on with my own felting attempts in the meantime!
I went home full of enthusiasm, and ended up not touching me knitting for the rest of the weekend practically! Still, I cooked a lovely lamb kofta meatballs recipe, subsituting beef for the lamb, and coconut (light) milk for the creamed coccnut as I couldnt get my hands on the creamed. Got the recipe from January's edition of Delicious, and a friend of mine had cooked it previously so wanted to have another taste! However, we must be pigs, because it was supposed to do 4-6 people and we ate the whole lot.
Anyway, enough of an essay for the moment, Im sure that I will have plenty more to say, and add, the next time.
toodleoos for the moment

12 Jan 2006

Taken by the short and curleys

Well my second curley wurley is not as large as the first one, in width that is. The wool that I used, Lang Yarns, Nabucco, was really nice, had some thin strands and some chunky strands, which made the increasing part of curley's quite difficult to do at times, and unfortunately left the curley without that width that I expected it would have. As I only had one ball of the wool, I couldn't do anything else with it. Still, its a fashion item, I'm giving it to my sis, T, for her skiing trip, so she can go and be fashionable at aprés ski! Well, what I want to know, is how does the curley get from this (on right) to this, its a total transformation!
I think I'll have to take a break now from curleys or I'll be dreaming of them. A hat for my bro, which has been promised since Christmas, is the next thing, and THEN I'll do something for myself! I promise, and I'll hold myself to that, lol.

More Chrimbo pressies


This is the teapot cozy that I did on my Mums request. I got the pattern from Knitty, and you can get it here:K. Kozy I used the required amount of Noro Kureyon, but it still didn't turn out as large as I expected so I will be adding to the height of it by picking up stitches from along the top edges.

The tangelled mess is the almost-finished French Market bag from knitty. I still have to graft together the handles, and just waiting for some quiet time to do that where I won't be disturbed, as I've never used kitchener stitch before. I used Freedom 100%wool by Twilleys of Stamford, 50m/50g ball, and size 4.5 dpns to start and switched to circulars when it got too big for the dpns. I knit a swatch for it and still need to measure this and then try my first attempt at felting before I plunge in with the bag itself. I am very exited about the way it will turn out, but nervous about trying it as all the reading I have done about felting is from the States and using top loader washing machines, and I have a front loader. Im also excited about giving it to Siobhan (all being well with it turning out right!) as I know she will love it.
What do you think of my attempts?

10 Jan 2006

Curley Wurley fever


Curley wurley number one is done!
My, it is so easy to knit. The amount of stitchs on the needle are really deceptive until you start casting off and it just gets longer and longer and longer.
I used one ball of Noro Silk Garden (plus a tiny amount extra from another ball as I wanted to have all pink on the cast off edge and I was seriously pushing it and tested my luck too far and ran out), I used size 5 addi circulars but didnt knit in the round, figured with that amount of stitches on the needle it would be easier. The pattern I followed was taken from the internet and I can't remember the site but I'll post it here later.
This curley wurley is for a friend's 40th, I will be doing another project for her also. She doesn't even know about this blog yet so I will delay telling her about it until she recieves this from me!
I am hooked and I cast on immediately afterwards for another curley wurley !

9 Jan 2006

Elven princess



Me, modelling a hat I knit for my sister.
Hat is taken from the pattern from the website www.garnstudio.com
Of course, I didn't use the wool that they recommended as I couldn't get my hands on it. Instead I used less than one ball of Debbie Bliss, Cashmerino Astrakhan and used size 6.5mm dpn'sand it is soooo sooofftt. I want to knit one for myself also, its on my list!

A few Christmas presents I made

Here are a few photos from Christmas presents I made. I don't have the total photos with me at the moment to load up but hope to over the next few days.

Monday blues

I have just created my new blog!!
I will have photos soon......
Monday morning blues, and I have to give a speech at lunchtime. I have chosen the title "My new yoga" for my speech and am going to talk about my knitting obsession.
See you later!