Just a quick post - life is mayhem and stressful at the moment while I pack boxes, sort stuff for recycling and throw out rubbish. My hands are raw, my nerves ragged, my whole being sleep-deprived, weary, fed up and I JUST WANT IT TO BE ALL OVER.
As of tomorrow afternoon, I shall be on holiday (was ever a word so misused), and by Sunday evening, I will have (gulp!) moved all belongings into storage and myself into temporary accommodation. Friends and family are helping, I just hope we're all still speaking to each other at the end of it all.
The first week or so, I'll be in a hotel/B&B, just enjoying not having anything to do or worry about, just lots of telly, knitting, sleeping - LOTS OF SLEEPING - and just slowly returning to sanity. I might make a start on the paperwork that's been building up, hell, I might even resume my studies. Then, depending how much recovery time I need, I'll move to stay with friends till I can return home. I'm not making any definite plans on that front yet; I won't be taking any holiday from work during this time, and to be quite honest, coming "home" and shutting the door on the world for evenings of peaceful solitude is what appeals right now. [Is that terribly ungrateful of me?]
Not surprisingly, there hasn't been much knitting going on, but there has been some (essential stress-relief!), and hopefully I'll be able to show you a couple of small FOs next week. Till then, I just keep telling myself that the end is in sight/there is light at the end of the tunnel/[insert your own platitude here]. No, really, it's what keeps me going: in a few days, I can say goodbye to this phase of my life, and I will be happy.See you on the other side.
Wednesday, early hours of the morning - edited to add: My brain is mush, I rambled on about the move, but the ACTUAL point of this not-so-quick post was to say hello to everyone who has stopped by the blog recently, and to apologise for not being very chatty these past couple of weeks, in particular to my secret pal. Congratulations again SP, on your wonderful news (heh, this may mean you aren't so secret any more?)
Runagogo is a fantastic site found via Knit Two Purl Two. It's a group of knitters and other crafters all rising to the challenge set by Rachael to move 100 miles in the first three months of 2007, and exactly the motivation I need to get my fat ass into shape.
I used to run regularly, but in recent years, became increadingly sporadic to the point where I just. Stopped. Running. During last year's trip to New York I picked up a hugely useful and inspirational running book and did actually start some gentle jogging again, but then Stuff got in the way, and that was the end of that.
So, Runagogo is just what the doctor ordered, great concept, cool blog with links to useful sites and tools to help keep you on track.
I've been meaning to take pictures of my yarn purchase from before Christmas, but the weather has been so lousy here in London, that there simply hasn't been enough light. On this new year's morn, there was some actual sunlight, so I scrambled for my camera and quickly snapped these.
First up, a Magic Ball from Be Sweet (I think, since there is no label). I have absolutely no idea what I am going to knit with this, I suspect a scarf, but I don't even know what needle size to use or how far the yarn will go. No matter, it is very pretty, much more so than I've portrayed here.
In the I Knit London shop, there is a beautiful throw made out of some Safricana mohair, which convinced me to buy a couple of balls of the boucle to swatch. I'm afraid this picture isn't very true; the orange isn't as bright as appears in the photo, and the darker skein is a purpley grey. Both are beautiful. I'm going to use the grey for swatching for the throw, and the orange for a scarf. Actually, it occurs to me that I could use it for the curlicue ruffle scarf that I seem to have abandoned, instead of the KSH, although the yardage is a little short. [BTW, apparently, the Be Sweet and the Safricana yarns are the same, but traded by different suppliers].
Next up, another yarn new to me, Manos del Uruguay. The bottle green skein is a present and the multi-coloured is for me. The multi is just the prettiest yarn I have ever seen, and I bought it with no project in mind, just to keep in stash and periodically look at and sigh. I love it so much, I'e added another close-up below.
In addition, I bought a skein of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in the Martha's Vineyard colourway [below], also as a gift, and two balls of Louisa Harding Grace in plum. I'd used the ball I had in stash for a present I am knitting, and needed just another ball to complete, but bought two in case the dyelots didn't match, and I had to start all over again!
Finally, I bought a Rowan booklet for a simple lace scarf pattern (using KSH, um, I DON'T THINK SO) and a needle measurement tool, just because I love gadgets. As you can see, I had a wonderful time shopping and it didn't stop there. This week, I've been flexing the plastic on the internet quite a fair bit. I'm very excited about these purchases but I'll post about them when they arrive.
With so many new projects planned, I'm going to make a concerted effort to regain control of my stash and WIPs, by identifying those that I want to finish (for example, the lovely Cozy, which only needs to be blocked!), and ripping all other UFOs. I also have to plan the projects to work on during my temporary move and additional commute.
2006 was the year I hit a milestone birthday, which officially kicked me over the hill. I celebrated this momentous event in New York with people dear to me. It was a fabulous, fabulous time. Other than this, 2006 was another year of chaos.
2007 is going to be a better year. I don't say this out of desire and resolve, it's simply because there is no way it cannot be. The main reason for the chaos in my life is my home, the story of which is too long and boring to relate here, suffice to say that if you saw how I lived, you'd have me certified.
Renovation has been in the planning for oh so, so long. BUT it is finally here! In three weeks, I move OUT and the builders move IN. The new bathroom and kitchen units are being ordered and ohmygosh, I still can't believe it: by the end of February I will have a home I can live in. Of course, I'm not going to have any money for furniture, but that's ok, it will be renovated, redecorated, with room to move, CLEAN.
The impact this will have on other areas of my life cannot be underestimated; 1) I will be able to cook again, so my eating habits and health should improve, 2) living in a more organised and comfortable manner will reduce unnecessary spending, 3) I will be able to resume my studies.......... even little things like being able to come home from work, and drink a glass of wine on a sofa in front of the telly........... How can 2007 not be any better?
I am so excited about this, and so looking forward to this year, and even though I'll be walking further down the other side of that damn hill, I will be less stressed, much happier about life, rejunevated. I can see a whole different life ahead of me, and it's a good one. I even think I might be able to keep to some of my new year's resolutions, so, inspired by Crazy Aunt Pearl's list, I made one of my own, from which I am going to share one item: as soon as the renovation is complete, I am going to get a cat. While The Orange Cat Who Does Not Live With Me was never one for cuddles or lap sitting, I do miss feline company and I especially missed it at Christmas.
Right, I'm off out to see in the New Year with the I Knit London boys. Happy new year to you all!
All the partying this past fortnight has meant very little knitting, so even if I had time to post, I don't actually have anything to show! But on Friday, I went to the I Knit London shop, for an evening of food and drink and ....... knitting. It was a more sedate affair than other recent social forays, but just as fun, and I managed to work some more on the simple vest and the Oh So Beautiful Socks.
In a taxi on my way home, I realised I had left my laptop and other bags behind, so the next day, I was back and this time, I left the shop with my forgotten things and more besides. Then I drove to Loop, where I again left with more than I had going in. I haven't had a chance yet to take pictures of my swag, so I'll show you after Christmas.
I also managed on Saturday to get all the necessary preparations done, and the fridge is bursting with yummy food, including good wine to take to friends in the evening. No tree this year because of the renovation work, but instead a fabulous bouquet adorns the dining table, and with candles it's all going to look very festive. Can't wait for those lillies to open and give off their heady perfume. All that is left for me to do is, ahem, a little tidying up. Please ignore the background mess in the first photo - I moved the vase to get the best light for the picture. By the way, considering the pictures were taken with my mobile and at night, I think they aren't half bad.
On a final note, back to my lovely day at the yarn shops. In each case, as I was walking to I Knit London and then Loop, there was a ginger cat loitering. The Islington boy was quite amenable to a stroke or two, and also let me take his picture, and so with this feeling of love and goodwill, I wish you all a very joyous and peaceful Christmas.
For some time now, I have been planning to knit two lace shawls, one as a present for a friend and another for me to wear at her wedding in the new year. Now, you may be thinking that I'm trying to run before I can walk, because quite clearly, SIX FEET of Cozy doesn't count, what with it being such a simple pattern and all. Aha, but you see, I have been working on a more intricate lace pattern, albeit smaller project, for my secret pal. Obviously, my lips are sealed, but I can confirm that I have been bitten by the lace bug, and I'm very sore.
Of course, I have been desperate to get my hands on Victorian Lace Today, especially since the emphasis is apparently on rectangular shawls (my preference), I have scoured bookshops, I have made B drive me to other, larger bookshops and scoured those, I have telephoned other bookshops, visited LYSs, all to no avail: there isn't a copy of VLT to be had in London. When I first tried to order the book from Amazon UK, the dispatch time was 10-13 days, now it's 6-8 weeks!
With so many beautiful patterns available, in the end I decided on the Forest Canopy Shawl, backed up by these lovely examples here, here and here. This decision was partly influenced by the yarn I wanted to use, Posh Yarn's Lucia in mulberry, a cashmere/merino 4-ply bought months ago, but which just hasn't made it to a pair of socks yet. It is a little heavy for some of the more intricate shawls, but I thought would be perfect for the FCP.
So, after a couple of false starts experiementing with guage, the first night saw me get as far as the picture above. As you can see, it is a relatively simple knit, but not so simple that you can watch CSI at the same time (my yardstick). In the first picture, I've stretched it out a bit so that you can see the pattern, isn't it pretty?. Sorry, the colours aren't true in either picture, have to rely on my mobile till I get batteries for the camera.
On Wednesday I went to I Knit London at the New Players' Theatre. As always, knitting in convivial surroundings, meeting new people, catching up with the old, and of course, drinking red wine all added up to a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Even though I knew the lighting wasn't going to be the best, I took along the Knitty Cozy I started for myself some time ago. Yep, it's black, and yep, it's lace, but I know the [simple] pattern by heart, so I figured I'd be safe. Fool, fool! At some point, I made a mistake and although I did try to rip back a couple of rows and fix it, the combination of the afore-mentioned lighting, chat and *cough* wine all conspired to make it worse.
I put it away in disgust, and resorted to my on-the-go socks, whereupon the marvellous Stefan insisted on teaching me magic loop. At first I resisted, thinking it would be too complicated for me, but he made me knit a couple of rows of his own sock-in-progress to test it out. It turned out to be surprisingly simple, really SO SIMPLE, and really more logical than magical. So, having converted me, Stefan got me some 2.5mm Addi Turbos and I continued on my own sock. The little Addis are so smooth and pointy, and the little stitches just glide from needle to needle, I just flew through the next inch.
I was so excited to learn something new, but at the same time, I'm torn. I LIKE using DPNs. I dunno, I suppose handling those tiny bamboo sticks makes it feel more like knitting. I remember my first time with DPNs, and how lucky I was not to lose an eye; now, despite only having knit the grand total of three socks, I am completely comfortable working with four needles, and whip them out regularly on bus and tube journeys. (Harrumph, the circular is definitely better for travelling; I magic looped on the tube home that night, and didn't worry once about dropping stitches, dropping needles, snapping needles...).
Tomorrow, I'm going to catch up properly with both my secret pals. Last week, I sent my spoilee a small gift. Annoyingly, it will not arrive in time for Christmas (although it was bought and sent on the promise that it would, hence my irritation). Something else I have bought for her is still in transit to me; this particular item was quite difficult to find, not to mention very precious, so I hope it's just the Christmas season that is causing the delay and it hasn't got lost in the post.
Hopefully Blogger will be behaving itself too, so I can post some pictures!
Ah, mes amis, sorry for the lack of posting. A couple of trips away have meant little time for blogging, and not much more for knitting. I did take some sock knitting with me both times, but frankly my dear, there isn't much to show for it.
But I have made some progress on current projects; the simple vest is growing with the underarms shaped, and the back almost finished. BUT..... although I bought more than the yardage specified, I might run out of yarn, since I'm almost done with the fifth out of six balls. It must be because my row count is slightly under gauge. I'll see how it looks once I've started the front section and got a feel for the size and shape, then it might be a frantic call to Laughing Hens for a match.I've also been working on some gifts. One is a present for my secret pal, so I can't show you any pictures yet, but I'm really pleased with it so far. The others are for recipients who don't read the blog, but they're in such an embryonic state (the knitting, not the recipients), that it's hardly worth taking a picture.
All in all a pretty dull post. I'll update later in the week, this time with pictures. Hope you're all on target with your gift knitting!
In my travels through blogland last weekend, I came across these and these gorgeous tea-light holders on Knits and Pieces. This week, Jenna, the creator, added another. Go take a look. I imagine knitting with wire must be pretty hard on the fingers, but the results are so, so pretty and make great presents.
So what was in the pretty Laughing Hens package? Well, lookee here, only six lovely balls of Cashsoft Aran in aubergine. I am so, so pleased with the shade; it's even nicer than I thought it would be. The yarn is for a simple vest I'm making as a Christmas present for my father. He's not got the best eye when it comes to clothes, and I wanted a colour that had a bit of life, but would work well with mostly everything. Neither does he look after his clothes particularly carefully, so of course the yarn had to be practical, but still nice to wear. What better than a machine-washable merino/cashmere mix? Ok, so the cashmere is the smallest element, but IT'S STILL THERE.
I was so impatient to cast on, but I swatched first using 5.5mm Addi circulars (heh, I swatched, you have NO idea how funny that sounds). I obviously chose well, because my stitch count was fine for the pattern's requirements, although row count a little under. (I'll never understand why that should be.)
There have been a lot of comments about the durability of this yarn, like this one in the Knitters Review, but so far I am really feeling the love. It is so soft and buttery to knit with, just feels heavenly to the touch. The swatch looks very neat, although if I weren't knitting to the pattern's gauge, I would probably drop a needle size, especially for a rib pattern.
After swatching, I cast on and knit this pretty quickly. It probably looks like ribbing all the way, but in fact that's 1.75 inches of K1 P1 rib and the same amount in a beaded rib. Easy telly knitting. The vest is designed to be knit in the round, and from what I can make out, there are no seams to sew, and while this simplicity of construction is perfect for a gift for my father, this is my first time knitting in the round other than socks, and I'm finding it quite hard to get a feel for the size of piece without having to take half the stitches off the needle. On the plus side, whenever I look at my work and ask myself how can I only have just knitted an inch, I remember that I've knitted an inch of the back AND front, yay.
Interestingly, the beaded rib produces a completely different and useable pattern on the other side. I actually prefer this reverse side and remember a cotton summer vest I made for myself using this very pattern over 20 years ago. Think it's a bit too fussy for my D though, so will keep the rib the "right" side.
After the alcoholic excesses of this week, it's been a happily quiet weekend spent watching telly, knitting and catching up on blogs and emails. I can't believe it's Sunday evening already and back to work tomorrow.
Having worked on Cozy for so long, I've been at a bit of a loss for another big project for sitting in front of the telly. It isn't that that I don't have other projects on the needles or in the queue, but for one reason or another, none of them has appealed recently. I did start on a gift for my SP, but wasn't completely happy with the first two inches, so ripped it. Obviously, I can't go into any more detail here, since it's supposed to be a surprise!
Luckily, my on-the-go sock-knitting keeps me sane. Besides KIPing on the bus and in the pub a couple of times, I've stood in a taxi queue for half-an-hour twice this week, and each time, the absurdly slow wait was made bearable only by Shepherd Sock and DPNs.
On Wednesday I went to another great I Knit London knitting group meet, which you can read about on IKL's blog. I hadn't seen Gerard since Ally Pally, so it was nice to catch up with him and Craig. Which also entailed drinking far, far too much wine that night.
I received two packages this week. First, the blocking wires for Cozy. BTW, marvellous service from Heirloom Knitting; the wires were ordered on Friday and delivered on Tuesday, with email updates throughout.
Then, on Thursday, another prettily wrapped package from Laughing Hens, the contents of which I'll show you tomorrow.
Cozy is finished! Yeah, baby.
Just cast off. I will take pictures of the blocking process; yesterday, I ordered some blocking wires from heirloom knitting, but I'm not sure when they're going to arrive. Until then Cozy is sitting folded by my side, measuring 67.5 inches long and 15 inches wide. I'm just so pleased to be done with the knitting, so I can concentrate on other projects, what with Christmas and a couple of other knitworthy events coming up.
Not much other knitting to report this week. For a portable project, I cast on My Oh So Beautiful Socks again, this time with 72 stitches, but with such little progress, it's hardly worth noting here.
In blogging news, sometime during the week, I lost half my blog template. Don't know how or when, or indeed why, but I hope I've sorted it now.
With no knitting or yarny pictures, I'll leave you with a gratuitous picture of The Orange Cat Who Does Not Live With Me.
I'm on the home stretch. Cozy measures 48 inches, and I've just started the fourth skein of malabrigo. Trouble is, I'm getting more and more worried about the width; it's currently 17 inches stretched, but merino has so much memory, it keeps bouncing back to 15 inches. I am not convinced blocking is going to give me the additional five or so inches that I want. This is a present for someone, so ripping it is not an option. I thought about creating same-patterned panels to run either side, but even if the seaming was invisible, they would completely ruin the drape of the shawl, so I'll just have to add a border and hope block for the best. If anyone has any ideas or tips for blocking worsted merino, please, please let me know.
Time for a quick update, to show that in between weekends buying yarn, I do actually knit stuff.
First up, My Oh So Beautiful Socks in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. Several weeks ago, I turned the heel on the first sock, and it became painfully clear that the tent stitch (which shows off the different colours so prettily) combined with tight tension meant too small a sock. Hell, I couldn't even pull the cuff over my heel. I briefly toyed with the idea of carrying on and making the socks for a friend with much smaller feet, but no, the selfish gene is too strong. I just love this yarn and I love this pattern..... so it's been sitting in a bag out of sight these past few weeks, until I can bring myself to rip it out.
In the meantime, I have wound another skein of LLSS to start again and cast on. Since I actually like my very tight gauge for socks, I shall keep using the same needles, but this time increase the number of stitches in the round. Here's a close-up of the pattern.
Now I know that a strong flash and a crumpled sheet does not a good photo make, but I wanted to show you progress on my main project, approx 33 inches of Cozy using two skeins of malabrigo pure merino.
I'm utterly delighted with the shawl so far, although it's much narrower than I'd like (you can see the end nearer the camera is wider from my constant stretching). I'm hoping that aggressive blocking will sort that problem. I'm much quicker with the repeats now, but I don't have much time for knitting at the moment *sigh*, so progress is not as quick as it could be, but I make sure I knit at least one repeat every evening during the week and catch up at the weekend.
According to the pattern, this is the half-way stage, so, having run out of malabrigo, I went back to Stash Yarns on Saturday to buy another two skeins. Stash really is a fabulous shop, and into the bag with the malabrigo fell a ball of Louisa Harding's Grace in plum and a skein of alpaca silk plus assorted circular and bamboo needles. The photo below doesn't really show the colour of the alpaca (below right) at all well (believe me, the flash version is even worse), but it's a deep plum colour. Simply gorgeous.
Remember my plans for a Cozy for me? Well, I cast on the Jaeger extra fine merino aran on straight needles, allowing for the different gauge by adding two more repeats across the needles. Since the wool is black, my intention was always to have this as a portable project, particularly suited to long car journeys in daylight, Saturday afternoons at I Knit London and the like; I even took it to Ally Pally (all that sunlight in the Knit and Relax and Knitterati Glitterati areas would have been ideal, but in truth it never even left the car). Several weeks since casting on, I have barely finished the first repeat. It's not just that on-the-go-daylight-knitting opportunities have not been there, I'm not really sure the gauge is right. The fabric (all two inches of it) is stiff and tight. It could be that I need to knit a few more repeats for it all to fall into wonderfully soft drape-y place, but even B has noticed that I am simply not feeling the love (heh, B's appreciation of knitting is a concilliatory measure to appease me if I'm feeling irritable).Me: Did you [find the phone charger/call the builders/pay the bill]?B: Er, no. What [phone charger/builders/bill]?Me: The [phone charger for the mobile, with the dead battery/builders supposed to be renovating the flat/bill that has "reminders" in red all over it] that I asked you to deal with a hundred times already.B: Er, noMe: I told you etc etc..... very important etc etc..... you never listen to me etc etc..... how many time do I have to tell you etc etc..... why do I bother etc etc.....?Pause
B: Darling, have you bought any yarn this weekend?Me: Ooooh yes, I went to [Stash/Loop/IKL] and I bought some [Debbie Bliss/Jaeger/malabrigo/Cherry Tree Hill] and..... and...... and...... [more excited chatter]B: Because the black one isn't working out.Me: EXACTLY, you're so clever, you're such a wonderful man for listening to me and taking an interest in my crafty pursuits etc etc....... I'm so lucky etc etc .......B: *sigh of relief*
Last Saturday was a day of irritation and stress, interspersed with short bursts of knitty goodness. Knitflicks at the Ritzy was showing The Devil Wears Prada, and since my trips south of the river are not as frequent as they used to be, I decided to combine a visit to Stash Yarns to pick up some more malabrigo pure merino for Cozy (progress report to follow in next post).
After a tortuous drive, due to 1) a dreadful standstill at the Wandsworth one-way-system and 2) road works in Putney, I was not in the best of moods when I finally arrived at the shop, but my mood lifted as soon as I stepped through the door. Luckily, I had phoned ahead to make sure the malabrigo was there, so there was no disappointment on that front, and a little chat with Michelle, the shop's owner, and a look at the new (and older) yarns made for a very pleasant and calming 45 minutes. Pictures of purchases to follow.Unfortunately, there was no way I could avoid the road works traffic and it took me just under an hour to get to Brixton. The programme had already started, and the box office closed when I arrived at the cinema. I know I was in an irritable mood and probably over-sensitive to the minutes ticking by, but you know Mr Cinema Manager, in order for the public to see films, they have to buy tickets, and get this for a novel idea, for them to buy tickets, the ticket office has to be OPEN, dammit. Whilst I screamed silently, other people waiting were more vocal and eventually the duty manager opened up the office.Miraculously, the film had not yet started, hoorah. I chose a seat and sat down, then a minute later, moved again, and again a third time. The screen for the showing was small, with dreadfully uncomfortable (through age and much use) and dirty, ripped seats. It was certainly not conducive to knitting. Worse still, it was half-term, and in the front row were three pre-teens, who walked and talked throughout the film.All in all, the experience was nothing like the usual at the Ritzy. As for the film, it wasn't the satirical look at the fashion industry I'd been expecting, but thoroughly entertaining nonetheless. I loved every minute of it, and the clothes, ohmigod, the clothes...........After the film, I braved more bad traffic to get to I Knit London. I wanted to see the Cherry Tree Hill supersock they had recently got in store, buy a few things for my secret pal and then relax in the shop and perhaps sew a few blue squares together. In the end I only bought a set of dpns and the first issue of Yarn Forward. I'd forgotten that Gerard and Craig were in Bracknell for the Unravel festival, but got to meet Stefan instead, who was just as helpful and charming as the boys, if in somewhat odd attire. While I was there, a lady came in to learn how to knit for the baby she was expecting, how cool is it that she felt that she could walk in and ask to learn? When I left the shop, she had needles and yarn in her hand and was looking very happy.So I headed back north of the river. In total I’d driven about four hours but very few miles. Before going home and closing the door on the world, I stopped at my local, where over an excellent Thai red curry and a large glass of pinot grigio, I finally relaxed and read Yarn Forward. It's had rave reviews from bloggers so far, so I'll reserve my thoughts for another post.
Thanks to a little judicious shopping yesterday, my camera is again talking to my pc. Having uploaded the photos, I was really tempted to edit previous posts and replace all the bad pictures taken by my mobile, but I have decided just to focus on future posts.
However, it does mean that I can update on something long overdue, namely Sock Wars. These are the marvellous socks knit in Koigu that killed me. How lucky am I? Sent also by my assassin were lip balm, chocolate (um, already eaten) and raspberry and pomegranate tea, but even without these wonderful goodies, I am so absolutely delighted with the socks. Thank you Geeyouknit for a fabulous package.
This is the sock and remaining yarn (and small thank you present) that I sent back to my assassin. As posted previously, I could have started (and perhaps finished) the second sock, but t'was not to be. Unfortunately, Geeyouknit has also been killed, so I'm not entirely sure where the socks are at this moment, but hopefully they are on their way to Spooky Knitter. Sock Wars was a lot of fun (and these pictures are soooomuch better than my mobile's). 
Specs: Debbie Bliss merino DK, 100% merino wool in burnt orange.
I went to Ally Pally this week for the Knitting and Stitching Show. It was my first time and it didn't disappoint, it was eff-ay-bee.
I loved being able to look and touch beautiful yarn that I have been drooling over on the internet. It was particularly exciting that Cheryl Potter from Cherry Tree Hill was there, and I came away with a skein of Supersock and a pattern for a vest that I am going to make for my father.
I went with Gerard and we focused on the yarn stalls. We both thought the new Sirdar range, Sublime, looked like Rooster, yarn, brochure, image. Talking of Rooster, did anyone see the fabulous knitted sofa cover? Now, that would look very nice in my study.
I would have loved to look at all the other non-knitting stalls, but I'm glad I didn't. I would have ended up buying things and starting new projects, and right now life is simply too chaotic to allow for any other crafts.
It was great to see Gerard being recognised so much - hopefully, I will be seeing him and Craig behind their own I Knit London stall next year! In fact, one of the best things about the day was meeting other knitters, bloggers or LYS owners, although one person was heard to say that their shop was too high-end for Ally Pally. Oh, we laughed about that over a glass of wine in the pub afterwards. Miaow.
I have just found unpublished comments left this week by my Secret Pal and by my Sock Wars assassin over two weeks ago! It turns out comment moderation was activated, but the email address for notifying me was one I used when I started blogging way back in 2001. I hardly ever look at this particular email address, as it's now just a repository for email from strangers who generously want to share their massive wealth with me, if only I would just give them my bank details, or those good, good people, who, naturally concerned for my health and wellbeing, keep me up-to-date with the latest pharmaceutical offerings at very fair prices.Back to the point: I have updated the email address for notification, and removed comment moderation altogether. Many apologies for seeming to ignore you guys, honestly I had no idea, and I do appreciate you dropping me a line.
Secret Pal 9 has begun. Well, actually, it doesn't start until the 15th, but the questionnaire has been posted, and we have been matched. I've already visited my spoilee's blog, and am really looking forward to spoiling her. So, for my secret pal (hello wherever you are!) and anyone else interested, here are my answers to the questionnaire.
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I have mostly knit with DK wool, sometimes cotton. This year, I've started to use different textures and weights, and am pretty much open to anything at the moment. With all the lovely choice of natural fibres available, I can't see the point of acrylic on its own, although undoubtedly there are practical benefits, I mean who actually enjoys handwashing?
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Um, nothing. They are usually poking out of my basket, alternatively I find them under the sofa, under the bed, in the bed. Some of the roll-up holders are so pretty, but all the straight needles I use are 35cm long, which tends to limit the choice. One day I'll make one. I have a set of pretty coloured Boyes interchangeable circulars which came in a practical, but oh-so-ugly (olive-beige, plastic cover, nasty) zipped pouch. Any rogue Addis get stuffed in there too.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
My mother taught me about 30 years ago, and I've been knitting ever since, but there is always stuff to learn, for example, I knit my first socks this year.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, but it needs updating.
5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
Fresh, lemon-y smells rather than sweet, musky ones (although they are nice too!). I am not keen on vanilla. I love seaweed or watermelon scents.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Although I DO like chocolate, crisps are more my thing. I prefer salty or sour things (margarita, anyone?).
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Crochet, sewing, tapestry, card-making, albeit I haven't done any of that for years. I cannot spin.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
In my dreams, I am on a dark stage in a smoky club, singing my broken heart out à la Judy. When I'm not a diva, I listen to a wide range of music, from Sinatra to the Sugababes, Crowded House to the Cure. I was a teenager in the 80s, so own a lot of punk and goth music (love those jangly guitars). My current favourite band is the Killers.
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I've always loved purples and pinks (dusky tones though - bright pink is a big no-no). Currently, I am strangely drawn to burnt orange and all greens (really, my younger Goth self would be horrified). Not keen on brown on its own, but love it mixed with, say russets and gold, autumnal colours. The colour blue is very evocative (the sky, the sea), but I have no blue in my home and very little in my wardrobe (jeans). Looks great on men though.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live alone. I have an orange cat, but last year he moved to live in a house with a garden. He doesn't call or write.
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Hats don't look so great on me, or rather, the hats looks great, I on the other hand look utterly ridiculous.
Scarves - love 'em. What's not to like? Quick to knit, makes a great present, transforms a so-so outfit to a great one. Love scarves.
Mittens - sorry, knitted gloves are not for me.
Ponchos - pass; not entirely sure what this means. I love shawls, but ponchos? I think I had one as a child.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Jumpers/sweaters, although I'm really enjoying shawl knitting at the moment.
13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks, scarf, two shawls, jumper, cardigan
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Handmade or bought, all gifts are treasured.
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
35cm straight, only because that's what I am used to, and I think they have all been aluminium. Am still a bit of a circulars newbie, and only on flat pieces so far. DPNs tend to be 5 inch bamboo.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No. I wind yarn using other someone else's arms or various inanimate objects.
17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Six months. A fabulous jumper with bell sleeves, using a gorgeous purple Jaeger DK. All knitting done, just can't bring myself to sew the pieces together (because then I can no longer pretend that it's gonna fit).
18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas and new year, and so many others.
19. Is there anything that you collect?
Stationery. Candles. Green glass. Bills. Clutter.
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I subscribe to Interweave, although I haven't received a magazine yet, that's my only subscription. I buy the UK's Simply Knitting off the shelf sporadically. There are loads of things I would love to get my hands on, too numerous to list here. Most of the overseas yarn that I covet, I try to find online, but I suppose what immediately springs to mind as hard to get are the KnitPicks products, especially the needles and KIPer bags, because KP do not ship outside North America. Bad KP, bad!
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Loads! Finishing techniques, magic loop, toe-up socks.....
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Socks are a great portable project, and sock yarn is luscious. My feet are a UK 5.
23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
ETA: this post has been sitting in my drafts folder for a few days now; bizarrely, I want to answer each question with my life story. Sorry for rambling, I'm not so good on short answers.
As soon as I had her email address, I googled and checked out my assassin's blog, but as there was no mention of SockWars, I figured she was one of those who hadn't been keeping up with events and was in the dark about her target. I relaxed. I stopped knitting my socks.
Fool, fool! For, as I write, my assassin's socks are winging their way over the Atlantic to me. Upon receipt, I shall die and must send her my own weapons (currently consisting of 3/4 of a sock) and target's details.I always thought I would go out in the first round, but I might have had a fighting chance of getting further if I hadn't been so complacent. Never mind, it's been great fun, and I can help my assassin by knitting as much of the sock until the package actually arrives. Elizabeth, I'm really looking forward to receiving your socks, even if they are full of all of your sad.
