Print o' the Wave

So I mentioned that I was knitting Eunny Jang’s Print o’ the Wave stole. This is a Big Deal. For the longest time, I have wanted to knit this, I’ve googled and visited every mention of PotW on the world wide web, followed the Yahoo Groups knitalong and more recently, the French knitalong. [Hey Eunny, if ever you need someone to catalogue all the references, I’m your gal. Got 'em all right here.]

So, why did it take so long to start? Well, for one thing, yarn choice was particularly difficult. I’d never used laceweight before and didn’t know what qualities to look for, other than being, um, fine. After much research on blogs and forums, I finally settled on Jaggerspun Zephyr, and early in the new year, four balls of Zephyr in plum and ruby arrived at my door.

Then there were gauge issues. Following general wisdom, I tried bamboo circulars, but the 3.5mm Addis produced a too holey fabric, and the 3.25mm Ponys produced something not very different and in addition were simply dreadful to use. The join between cable and needle is not suited for the combination of tight tension and fine yarn, and I had to ensure at all times, that the stitches remained on the needles. If a stitch moved onto the cable, there was no way I could get it back onto the needle again, and the piece was wasted. In addition, I felt that bamboos produced a looser tension than my norm, and I like the knitted bits in lace to be dense, not holey (if that makes sense). In the end I used 3.25mm metal straights, which so far have proved to be the best solution all round. Actually, I am awaiting delivery of some Addi Turbos in 3.25mm, and yesterday I ordered 3 sets of the new Addi Lace circulars in 3.0mm, 3.25mm and 3.5mm from Colorsong, but I prefer straights, so will probably stick with them for this project.

Another challenge was the provisional cast-on. I read Eunny’s lace tutorials, but to be honest, they made me more anxious about gauge. Real, practical help came from the ever fabulous KnittingHelp.com, and due to the number of times I had to cast on for this project, I did indeed get some real practice.

In the midst of all this research and experimentation, there was Victorian Lace Today. As soon as I heard about this wonderful book and its emphasis on rectangular shawls and wraps, I put off starting PotW until I could see VLT for myself. As it turned out, it took four months till I got my own copy, yep count 'em, one, two, three, FOUR months, and yes, as soon as it arrived, I swatched for a couple of the patterns. However, in the end I decided that the Zephyr was probably best used for the PotW. [I do love VLT and have already earmarked two designs for future projects, hence the order for more Addis Turbos and Lace.]

So, a couple of weeks ago, I cast on and started again in earnest. The first few repeats were, in a nutshell, a nightmare. Reading from a chart for the first time, using such a fine yarn for the first time, the ill-advised combination of metal needles and tiny stitches, all this conspired to make the first few repeats a slow and painful experience, with much ripping and reknitting and swearing. Usually, I would know at the end of the row if I had made a mistake, but there were also occasions when I would have to unknit a few rows of small, tight sk2pos. Each time I reached the end of the row with the correct pattern and number of stitches, the relief was overwhelming. In short, I hated every moment, and often questioned my sanity for persisting.

Happily, that was all part of the learning experience, and soon I began to have a "feel" for the pattern and see where a stitch was incorrectly placed. My errors became fewer and more quickly rectified, and as my confidence has grown, so have the repeats got easier and quicker. The picture to the left, taken earlier this afternoon, is mostly the result of two weekends' work. This is the centre panel; there is a border to be attached as well, and I understand that blocking transforms lace knitting, but clearly, not even an agressive blocking is going to render this baby into anything other than a wide scarf. (For perspective, the needle is 14" long). When casting on this final version, I decided to stick to the number of stitches as specified in the pattern, even though I knew that it would turn out narrower and shorter. Since I am so new to laceweight, I thought I would knit this as specified so that the finished object could serve as my yardstick for future lace projects, a reference point to calculate measurements and modifications.

Although I am now quite familiar with the pattern and am speeding along, I still need to concentrate, and I can't work on it without good lighting. So, for mindless knitting there are the stripey socks, and this is what they looked like earlier this afternoon. I'm trying to do both socks moreorless at the same time, ie at each turning point on the first sock, I'll stop and catch up on the second.

In London, we have been blessed this Easter with unusually fine weather with constant sunshine, and I have had a lovely and relaxed three days so far shutting out the world and just knitting, internet surfing and lots of telly. Tomorrow, Monday, is the last day of this long weekend, and I will probably have to eshew the knitting to focus on some essential life stuff. Pah. Wishing you all a very happy
Easter, and I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

There is currently much debate on a certain knitting list about the niceties of naming and shaming bad suppliers (dear reader, if you're in the UK, you'll know what I am talking about). The topic has been hotly argued from both sides, with terms such as libel and freedom of speech looming large.

My observations:

1) I have dealt with a number of online suppliers (as well as bricks-and mortar shops) in the UK. Of these, there are two where I have not only experienced poor service but shockingly bad customer relations. I am full of admiration for those brave enough to start their own business, but I will NOT accept lies, misleading information or refusal to communicate. Your poor attitude repels me and ensures I never consider buying from you again.

2) Without wanting to perpetuate the stereotype, knitters and other crafters are positive-minded, supportive people. Our tolerance levels are high. Frankly, I am amazed that it has taken this long for this subject to be discussed in an open forum. But, surely the fact that a significant number of said knitters have voiced their opinions, and thereafter defended their right to do so, surely this is indicative of the extreme and unacceptable frustration felt and the seriousness and longevity of the problem. I am not for one moment advocating rudeness or personal attacks, but factual representation of the position can only help suppliers and customers alike and hopefully identify the steps necessary to improve the situation.

3) I have no desire to give airtime to rubbish suppliers, instead I'd like to list my favourites:

The Woolly Workshop
Laughing Hens
Web of Wool
Get Knitted
Posh Yarns
K1 Yarns

Each of these sites offers a different product, has its own individual identity and outlook, and each is run by talented, hard-working women. Against the backdrop of angry emails and subsequent reprimands, I searched online at the weekend for a particular sock yarn, ordered it from Web of Wool on Saturday, received an order confirmation the same day, a despatch email on Monday and came home on Tuesday to a delightful package. From online search to cast-on = three days (including the weekend).

This is Regia Mini Ringel in 5220 (green and blue), on new bamboo DPNs for socks for B.

In other knitty news, I still have some FOs to show you, but it's all about finding the time to block, photograph (in the right light, heh), and upload. In the meantime, in addition to the Regia socks, I have experimented with some of the patterns from Victorian Lace Today, cast on Eunny's Print o' the Wave stole in tacking thread Jaggerspun Zephyr and Cookie A's Hedera socks in PY Lucia. I'll post about these properly when there is something more substantial to show!

I have also joined Sundara's Petal Collection. There are a lot of sock clubs about, but I love the look of this one, and I'm so looking forward to the first lot of sock yarn.

Finally, a finished pair of socks

I love, love, love these socks. LOVE them.

So, flashing back to a couple of months ago, once I had settled into the hotel, and finished off the OSBS and a present for my secret pal, I began these socks for B as a small thank you for project-managing the move (time, energy, planning and sheer physical labour).

I flew through the first leg pretty quickly, the yarn - Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, bought last year at Ally Pally - is soft and with my Addis, produced a lovely gauge, but to be honest, the colourway knitted up was pretty blah. Also, I clearly remember Gill saying that it would be more than enough for a pair of socks, but when I wound the skein into a large ball, I lost faith, because I was unsure how sock-big B's feet were, because the yarn was new to me, in short, because I am still a sock newbie, I am ashamed to say that I did not believe that the skein would suffice for two man-socks.

I bought a ball of Rowan 4-ply soft in a light olive colour, and boom, the CTH came alive. The Rowan shade matches one of the dyes in the CTH perfectly, and simply allowed all the different browns and greens to reveal themselves. I fell in love.

I chose the 4-ply merino because I was impatient, because I couldn't stop knitting these socks, although I knew that it was not a satisfactory substitute for heels and toes. I wasn't really aware of any solid sock yarn available in the UK, but at some point towards the end I searched online and found Opal solids and more upsettingly, a CTH solid in the exact same olive shade as in the multi. Patience, who's Patience?

These socks were knitted up very quickly (and at one point, from the same ball, not something I shall try again unless absolutely desperate), but were not finished quickly, as I had to keep getting B to try them on for size, before I could finish the toes. The picture to the left shows both socks with only the toe on one sock left to do. As you can see, I had quite a lot of yarn left, so could easily have added an inch to the cuffs.

Details
Pattern: basic cuff-down sock
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock
Needles: 2.5mm DPNs for cast-on and 2.5mm Addi Turbo circular needles for body

I love these socks because:
1) they were a dream to knit, I will definitely be using CTH again
2) the addition of the olive toes and heels brought a dull colourway to life (but goodness, the amount of seaming at the end!)
3) they remind me of my long but happy stay in the hotel and knitting them on my longer commute.

Happily, B loves them too, and expressed surprise at the fine knit - not sure what he was expecting, thick cabled aran socks for trekking to the South Pole perhaps?

BTW - that first picture, see my new bathroom floor?

One Oh-So-Beautiful Sock

So, I mentioned that in the midst of all the mayhem, there has been knitting. Yes indeedy.

First up, my Oh So Beautiful Socks. I started this project way back in September, and immediately fell in love with both the pattern and yarn. But, nearing the end of the first sock [above], it became clear that it wouldn't fit over my heel, and I reluctantly put it away in a plastic bag until I felt strong enough to rip it.

I started the second sock and this time, increased the number of stitches to take into account my tight tension and the stitch pattern. But, although the size seemed better, I lost enthusiasm. I'm not sure whether it was Christmas knitting or just other projects that captured my attention, but this sock languished until I arrived at the hotel in late January with a box of yarn, bags of WIPs and lots of knitting time. It was one of the first projects I pulled out, and think it only required an evening or so to finish.

Before grafting and seaming

Unfortunately, the bag with the first sock is missing, and indeed, I think it had already disappeared some time before the whole packing chaos began. The bag had been sitting in the hallway, and it is possible that it was mistaken for rubbish (heh, not by me). Maybe it will turn up sometime. Until then, I present sock no 2 as an FO.

Details
Pattern: Oh So Beautiful Socks by Judy Sumner, designed for Lorna's Laces
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Purple Club
Needles: Sock no 1: 2.5mm DPNs; Sock no 2: 2.5mm Brittany DPNs and Addi Turbo circular needles

Knitting these socks, I learned two new things:

1) Sometime during sock no 2, Stefan taught me magic loop, a method I took to immediately. To be honest, I prefer the look of DPNs, but the Addis win on speed and ease of transportation.

2) Right from the cast-on of the first sock, this project introduced me to on-the-move knitting, and I came to rely on my little sock to entertain me in queues, in the pub, on the tube. For this reason only, I post this picture, of my never-to-be-seen-again half-naked foot, taken while driving a van full of boxes and furniture down the A2 (despite the circumstances, a really fun day out of London). Clearly, I wasn't the one driving the van.



__________________________________
Edit 24 March: image added

This time I’m really back

It’s March, and I last posted properly in January, eek.

So as not to bore you witless, some bullet points of the past six weeks.

< Sorting and clearing
Days (and nights, sometimes 48-hour shifts) I have toiled, reminisced, cried, packed things for charity, for rubbish and others for storage.

< Boxes
Newly-developed ability to turn flat-pack into a box in nano-seconds

< Gales
Normally not especially noteworthy, in this case however, a crucial element affecting the logistics of my move

< Stress
Fatigue, tears. There has been shouting.

< Hotel
Wonderful hotel room with modern, trendy bathroom You have no idea what a walk-in shower means to me

< Commuting
Hate the early wake-up call, but LOVE the G&T at the bar in the evenings

< My birthday
Dinner here

< Appreciating my friends and family
Nuff said

I am still in the hotel, and much as I am loathe to leave it, I am in all likelihood moving back home next week. Which is not ready and NOWHERE near the state I had envisaged, not even close. All that hope and optimism about a better future in my new year’s post? A long, long, LONG way to go baby.

Still, on the positive side, much progress has been made. I can’t fault the work so far, I just wish there had been more of it. And there is a plan in place for the next stage to keep my sanity.

Right, that’s enough of that. This is a knitting blog and my next posts will be about the knitting.

Hello, I'm back.

Thanks to everyone who has left a comment or sent an email; I will respond and post properly at the weekend, which I'm hoping will be entirely devoted to catching up with what's going on in knitblogland.

Ex

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.

A time for reflection and resolution

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!

Mwaaah, I wanna play

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.

Knitting hiatus

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.

Stick a fork in me, I'm done

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, no
Me: 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*