Wednesday 30 September 2009

Hey look, a photo!

Thank goodness for packages in the mail, 'cause I've actually got something to blog about! A while back I was lucky enough to win a skein of handdyed yarn from Sheepy Time Knits, and the mail system being what it is it's just arrived. I present 490yds of fingering-weight superwash merino, colourway Pansy Ass.

pansy ass 001

The base yarn is astonishingly squishable and bouncy. I won't be using it for socks since I don't wear socks without nylon content. But that's ok, because this is pretty enough that I want to wear it where it can be seen! I'm thinking either an Ishbel Shawl or a Boteh Scarf would be ideal. Admittedly I'm leaning toward Boteh because I may have cast on for an Ishbel over the weekend...

Saturday 26 September 2009

Oops!

Nearly a fortnight between posts, naughty me. I've been busily knitting away on Christmas gifts. And this morning I enrolled on a part-time MA programme! Between those things, and the fact that term starts on Monday at my workplace, well, I've been kinda busy. :D

I finished up a scarf for a friend last night. No pics just in case, even though I'm 99.99% certain she doesn't even know I have a blog. The squares project is moving along nicely. The remaining gifts are doing well, so much so that I've added in another gift to my list. Optimistic, moi? Still, it'll be nice to get all the gifts done and delivered so I can get on with some other things!

I've been taking advantage of the new year feeling I always get in September to have a good sort out. Lots of domestic projects like cleaning out closets and finally getting around to lining our bedroom curtains for warmth and darkening. (Well, I've gotten as far as buying the fabric, anyway...) And I spent a goodly chunk of the afternoon going through my stash, tidying up, sorting and making sure it was all on Ravelry with pictures. Quite a few things had snuck past the camera, but it's all up there now. And I feel like I'm ready to go back to finishing projects.

Monday 14 September 2009

IKnit Day 2009!

I didn't think I'd be able to go this year, but cancellation of one thing and the start of another meant that my Saturday was free for yarny goodness. So I went! I got up bright and early on Saturday morning, armed with cake, a packed lunch and plenty of carrier bags, and headed down to the Royal Horticultural Halls. I got there early enough that I was the second person through the door, but we all had a really good time standing about in the queue chatting and looking at one another's projects. I love queuing with knitters. :D

The place was not nearly as packed as last year, probably because it was split over two days instead of just the one. There were also fewer vendors. On the other hand, the hall had figured out that knitters really would come to an all-day event, so opened the cafe and restaurant for us (unlike last year) and made sure that the cashpoint in the building had been refilled (since it ran out in the first 45 minutes last year!).

The best thing for me was meeting up with people I knew. Last year several of the Ravelry groups to which I belong had had a meet-up, but I was too shy to go and say hello. Not this year! This year I met, I chatted, I cooed over yarn and babies and admired lace and handspun. And another friend was working on one of the stalls. For her I brought cake, but she and her colleagues couldn't eat all of it. Off I went to distribute cake to all and sundry! Well, not quite everyone, but all the people from whom I bought something, as well as the lovely people from iKnit who were running the event. And of course the Posh Knitters.

I spent a lovely quarter hour with the lady running the Knitting and Crochet Guild stall, trying to reverse-engineer a crochet block. I'm determined to figure it out. Chatted with several people about the new location of the Handweaver's Studio, since I was hauling my purchases in the lovely canvas bag they'd given me when I bought Fifi. And I finally got my hands on a Ravelry 'My Name Is...' badge from a lady who'd brought a bowlful to give away.

Oh yes, there was shopping. ;) Of course there was shopping! I'd gone planning to get unusual and unique things, nothing I could get in a shop. And I really wanted a batt to spin, since I've only ever spun from combed top before. Here's what I brought home:

The big pile of fluff is a batt from Rockpool Candy. She does amazing batts, blended with several fibers and often with findings carded in. This one is merino, milk protein and banana fiber with velvet ribbon, black silk lace and red feathers! It's called 'Bordello' and is 50g of loveliness. I'm planning on spinning it up as a heavy-ish single, then plying it with some plain red merino to get more length from it. The red, purple and orange fluff in the bag is combed top, but it's special. It's superwash merino blended with nylon to spin into sock yarn! I'm finally going to be able to spin and knit socks I can wear.
The yarn is a skein of Infinity Lace from Fyberspates. It's actually the colour of cinnabar. The name is appropriate - it's 3000 yards to 100g! I've got plans for a very large lace shawl. This purchase did mean that I failed in one of my goals, since I didn't really want to bring home anymore laceweight. Ah well. It was worth it.
The rest of my purchases weren't planned, but rather were on my mental list of 'stuff I really want to get my hands on if ever I happen to see it for sale'. The book is the long-awaited reprint of Alice Starmore's 'Book of Fair Isle Knitting'. Pretty much everyone is hoping this means that the rest of her books will be coming back into print in the future. It's a hefty tome, containing everything that was in the original edition from 1988, but with added photos. The leaflet is a copy of a shawl pattern called 'Ishbel'. It's this year's must-knit shawl pattern, since it's so gorgeous, but had only been available online and I've closed my Paypal account. Fyberspates were happily selling paper copies, and I got one just before they ran out!
The mug is my new office mug. It just says "I'd rather be knitting". I've been looking for one for ages, and now I've got one! It'll make my colleagues laugh. They've all seen me squirrelled away in the staffroom knitting away over lunch.

And finally, I was walking up to the bus stop afterwards in the glorious sunshine and decided to play tourist. Westminster was looking gorgeous!

Monday 7 September 2009

Hip to be square*

A weekend of meetings and being out and about on the Tube gave me lots of time for end-weaving. I've nearly caught up with all the ends on my completed squares - just a dozen or so that still need doing. And I've made and washed all the coloured squares. As of this moment, I only need to make 57 more white squares and sew in the ends. Then I can finally assemble the afghan!

*I'd better finish making these squares quickly, as I'm running out of new titles pertaining to squares.

Friday 4 September 2009

More squares

I fished out all of the squares I've finished for the blanket and played around with arrangements. I'm about 2/3 done with square-making! I've also rejigged my planned layout so that there are more white squares and fewer coloured than I'd originally planned. First because I'm running low on scraps, and second because the white are quicker to make and finish. I still really like the way it looks, not too plain or boring.

In fact, thanks to the rejig, I've only got 13 coloured squares left to make! Lots and lots of white squares, but I can make about 6 an hour if I'm concentrating on it. Hoping to make 40 or so by the end of the weekend, including all the coloured ones. Then I need to wash this last batch of coloured squares, sew in millions of ends and finish the white ones next week. Then on with the sewing up!

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Moving on

Another gift finished, photo-ed and packed away. On with the next!

Tonight was a bit of a personal landmark. We made a meal using a chili from the plant we grew. I've eaten homegrown fruit and veg before, thanks to a rather rustic childhood, but this is the first crop of our marriage. I am happy. Our chilis make pretty tasty terriyaki beef.