Knit 1 Purl 1

It's old but..

2008-10-13T17:34:00.002+11:00

It made my day when I saw this.

Ahoy to the captain of the black purl

2008-09-19T16:51:00.003+10:00

The following is a conversation a friend and I had arising out of this post.

Friend: If I ever become a pirate, I'm going to name my ship the Black Purl.

Me: Hehe...that's so cool. It could be the sister ship of the Dreaded Doily and we could invite the pilates pirates to entertain us. I still need a pirate name though.

Friend: We could be a fleet (Armada? Something?) of knitting pirates! I need a pirate name too.

Me: The Yarrrn Armada? (The Yarrnmada just sounds silly.) We could plunder and pillage and search for lost yarn treasure. (Addis, Zara...it would be beautiful) What would be a good knitting pirate name?

Friend: I like that kind of treasure. I don't know. I'm not good at names.

(The worrying thing is - that is a normal conversation for us.)

Greetings from yesterday..

2008-08-27T16:04:00.003+10:00

Yvonne and I made it safely to Hawaii. I doubt anyone reads my blog but I thought I might post anyway. We're waiting for the bride and groom to be to go out for dinner so I thought I'd post.

Random thoughts

- Most of the zebra crossings are actually traffic lights. We didn't realise that the first time.
- The ones that aren't traffic lights - they don't give way to pedestrians. We worked this out pretty quickly.
- I still keep looking left and not right.
- Evil escalators are the other way round.
- I once again can't cope with foreign currency. I have to examine everything.
- Waikiki - there is an ABC store (cross between convience and souvenir shop) literally every 20 metres. We are not making this up.
- Waikiki - there are no sand dunes. The hotels are built on them. There is literally a 5 metre strip of sand and then water. We don't know what happens at high tide.
- Half the signs around here (street signs, signs on the bus) use the word yield - so random.
- I had my first ever female taxi driver on the trip here from the airport. She was Korean.
- There are so many tourists, every second brochure/sign in Waikiki is in Japanese. There are even two Japanese channels on the TV at our hotel.

I'm sure there are more things. Just can't think of them at the moment. Time to go to dinner (plus someone wants to use the computer.)

My bags are packed...

2008-08-25T14:07:00.002+10:00

Well my bags are packed...

I'm ready to go...

Well almost...

I've been sick the last couple of weeks and feeling really weak, could barely lift my arms at one point - but I've knit a bit more than on those awful socks of doom...

(Plain Vanilla socks knit in 4ply from the Jolly Jumbuck - can't find the tag right this minute.)

Anyway, my next post will be from Hawaii - see you soon!

Slow progress

2008-07-29T23:03:00.004+10:00

My parents went to Queensland earlier in the month, and my mum was so excited to bring me back this.

It's four balls of Eki Riva Natal. They bought it from an alpaca farm. They did realise that it wasn't from the farm (it does say Made in Peru) but I didn't have the heart to tell them that I could get it here. (On my birthday, we walked past Tapestry Craft and my mum pointed out, thinking she was showing me a new yarn shop. I did tell her I went there every week.)

It seems like I've been blogging about once a month recently, but with my current knitting progress, I didn't feel like there was much to show.

(Cablenet socks in Ranco Colour #483.)

This is exactly how much I have knitted in the last 3.5 weeks. I have never knitted so slowly in such a long time. I'm getting a bit frustrated with it. I'm wondering whether I need to zzzz it. It's a slow pattern and I think I'm lacking the motivation. I mean I'm impressed if I can do one round.

I also have a lot of at the moment, with the normal busyness of July/August, preparing a wedding and planning a last minute trip at the end of August to....Hawaii!!!!!

End of financial year catch up

2008-06-30T23:05:00.005+10:00

I haven't blogged in a while, so I better do the projects in summary.

Project: Anon's socks

Yarn Harlot's basic sock receipe in The Knittery's 4ply Merino Cashmere in Moses Fire.

These socks are for a girl Jim mentioned who had been in an accident (I think) and was having therapy for her feet. I hope they warm her feet as they heel. I hope they let this person I've never met (and probably never will) know that people care for her.

Project: Mum's birthday socks

Yarn Harlot's basic sock receipe in The Knittery's 5 ply Merino Chubby Sock in Orchard Blossom.

No finished picture yet, but they have been finished for a while and well worn. Made to mum's specifications. Although this yarn is not a 5ply. Its more like 3ply. I wonder how thin the "slim 3ply" really is.

Project: Amy's baby kimono

Mason Dixon Knitting's Heartbreakingly cute Baby Kimono in Zara (*sigh*)

The seaming on this really pushed me over the edge. I'm trying to come up with a seam free (with grafting) version. (We'll see how that goes.) Amy (the mum-to-be) really liked it though. She even commented I've subversively used Swan's colours.

Project: Kyle's Jamaica Hat

Rasta Hat by Shannita Williams-Alleyne in Lana Gatto Minicaraibi.

Not a very hard knit although I did almost run out of purple yarn (but had to make the centre in purple otherwise there would have been toooooo much yellow). The colours and size are definately not my cup of tea, but Kyle LOVES it.

Project: Kanga's booties

Sartjee's booties in Eki Riva Supreme.

Because I don't swatch, I ended up needing to knit the larger size to make newborn size and made the straps 25sts instead of 12 (I tried it the other way and it just wasn't going to go over any kids foot, even one belonging to a mother with size 4 feet). I finished them at the baby shower and they were a raging success.

Project: Mayz's birthday socks

Yarn Harlot's basic sock receipe in The Knittery's 4 ply Merino Cashmere in Holiday.

The colourway seemed lovely in the skein and ball but seemed to loose something in the knitting up. Too much turqoise for my liking. Still, the socks are nice if a bit repetative (although I'm a repetative girl).

Honey photo

A slightly large paperweigh?

Snazzy socks

2008-05-16T08:19:00.002+10:00

I've been given a knitting problem (someone else's daughter's socks) and I don't understand the first part of the pattern.

Its Snazzy Socks from some paperleaf knitting pattern thing. I pmed the one person on Ravelry who had knit it, and she confessed that she hadn't understood it and had just done ribbing. Unfortunately, someone else has already knit the first sock, so I have to follow the pattern.

Can anyone help?

Socks: With pair of 5mm (no 6) needles and B, cast on 42 [52:62] sts. Working edging in rows as foll:

1st row: (RS) K1, yfwd, *k5, sl successively 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th sts just worked over 1st and off needle, yfwd, rep from *to last st, k1. 19[23:27]

Yfwd - from what I remember is just bringing the yarn to the front as if you were getting ready to purl. Meaning you'd end up with a yarn over. Right?

sl successively 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th sts just worked over 1st and off needle - this is the bit that reall doesn't make sense. Normally you slip the first st over the 2nd not the other way round (except for double decreases that want to centre on the middle st). Can anyone write this out for me in simple English? I don't mind if you sound patronising. I just can't see it.

Otherwise, I'm just going to give it back and claim defeat.

Hmm...

2008-04-23T22:33:00.002+10:00

The recipient of these socks rang me up the day after I left them outside his door. (Long story).

Him: "Did you come round in the middle of the night and measure my feet?"
Me: "Ummm...hehe...no"
Him: "Then how did you knit socks that fit so well?"

(I finally managed to stumble out something about knitted fabric being stretchy and also normal socks spanning a range of sizes.)

Happiness...

2008-04-18T23:00:00.003+10:00

A couple of weeks ago, I fell off the wagon and got a couple of packages from The Knittery. I wont admit to the rest of the contents at the moment but inside one was this..

Aren't the colours just gorgeous?

The two outside yarns are Merino Cashmere 4ply sock yarn in Holiday and Moses Fire.

The inside is Merino 5ply Chubby sock yarn in Orange Blossom. I'm not sure its a 5ply though. Its actually thinner than the 4ply Merino cashmere, but it looks divine and is a 3-4ply, still okay for socks. I heard the 3ply slim is just thicker than laceweight.

Can you tell I'm besotted with it? My mum choose the yarn, and I actually think I like it better than the other two colourways but we'll see how it looks once its knit up.

These socks are for my mum. She keeps hassling me for a pair of socks. She points out that everyone else has gotten socks except her, inspite of the fact that in that time she's got a hat and scarf. Still its her birthday in early May and I was planning to make them for her anyway.

Don't you just love how they pool? They're just Yarn Harlot's basic sock receipe and its going really quick. That photo was taken yesterday and I've already turned the heel.

Okay....you can stop listening to be smitten.

Knit Aid

2008-04-17T23:30:00.003+10:00

Last night at church, we had a knit-in to knit blankets for Ethiopia. It's much like the Wrap with Love Knit-in except that these blankets will be going to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia.

(It doesn't look that exciting but for a small-medium sized church, with about 15-20 women attending the knit in, there would be enough squares already for 3-4 blankets and some more squares are on the way.)

We seem to have lots of knitters and not enough crocheters - although we did manage to teach a couple of new people. Unfortunately, not I. (Perhaps that a good thing, otherwise I've have to crochet the blankets together instead of knit them.)

I started my square on Monday and I had tried to do maths so that I would have done just enough of a square, so that I would finish by the end of the knit in. Unfortunately, I misjudged and finished a little early, so I had to begin another one.

I used some Panda Carnival 8ply I had in my stash (due to miscommunication between me and my dad). Despite my anti cheap acrylic stance, it was actually bareable for the square. I'm not sure I'll buy cheap acrylic but I wont absolutely refuse to use it.

It doesn't seem like much but this is a sneaked picture of the knitting of the knitting speed demon of our church. She claims its not true and that there are others faster than her, but everyone knows she is by far the fastest.

Pretty yarn pics tomorrow (or when I next post)...

More socks

2008-04-15T17:41:00.005+10:00

[I bought the dark grey coat - inspite of my worry that the size was too big and others comments that the colour was too drab for winter and that it looked like a blanket.]

On the 6th April, I finally finished the Afternoon tea socks. (They were the last of my Southern Summer of Socks Socks, albeit 6 days late. This means that excluding the six days, the only goal I didn't complete was knitting a sock for my sockblocker keyring, which I imagine would take about an hour, once I find it. So fairly sucessful, particularly for someone who 6 months ago had never knit socks, to now have 6 pairs.)

They're Earl Grey socks in Ranco (Colourway#488), 76 stitches around on 2.5mm. It used up most of a skein.

I named them afternoon tea socks because they aren't grey and I keep thinking there is a flavour of tea called "Afternoon tea" (although I could be making that up), that I think I remember the receipient it drinking once.

(Why is it that I either forget to take a photo at all or only remember to take a photo right before I have to give it to the person so the lighting is shocking? That or I only finish it last minute and have no choice? Yes, I'm stretching the sock out on my camera bag - but never fear - I now own sock blockers!

[Tune in next time for prudy sock yarn, an extra bright rasta hat, sock blockers and other goodies, charity squares and a returned easter show project!]

A dilemma

2008-04-08T08:01:00.004+10:00

Hilfe! I want to buy a new coat and I have a few in mind, but I can't decide which one. I would love it if people would provide their opinions. (I wont comment on what people have already said.)

The dark grey one....

The light grey speckly one with belt...

The cream one with belt...(it didn't come in my size at this store but I know it does exist in my size in other stores).

This is a close up of the fabric on the cream one...

Please let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate it.

Normal knitting content will resume shortly.

Easter show

2008-03-24T20:12:00.002+11:00

I went to the Easter Show today to look at my cardigan and the rest of the knitting. I did take photos of the rest of it but I don't think they are anything that hasn't been taken before (try here or here).

Here is my cardigan.

Can't see it...here it is.

and a close up

Now, I don't really care and am not upset, but I don't really understand why they placed it there hidden away behind other garments. Why did they both to show it at all? Do they think it really makes it look better or is a good position to put it? I'm just perplexed.

At first, I thought mine was the only garment to be like this, but on looking at my photos I found some others like it. It just shows how noticeable it is. (It wasn't in all the displays either.)

(Look carefully, down the bottom...)

The RAS, their window dresses and whoever else can do what they like. I just wonder what their logic is.....

Easter lamb?

2008-03-21T23:07:00.003+11:00

At work on Thursday, a girl had brought in, not an Easter egg or an Easter bunny or even an Easter bibly, but an Easter lamb.

Kinda makes more sense....

A Jewish tradition - a Christian take

2008-03-20T22:32:00.007+11:00

"It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus...got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him...When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." - John 12:1, 4-5, 12-16

(This was a very humbling experience, having my feet washed. It took alot to bite my pride and allow Tim to wash my feet, as I felt it was too below him to wash my feet, and yet he and the others wanted to serve us in this way. The impact of this expresion of servanthood is no less powerful today than it was two thousand years ago.)

"Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.' 'Where do you want us to prepare for it?' they asked.

He replied, 'As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: 'Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there.' " - Luke 22:7-12

(I'm not entirely sure why there was a Menorah for Pesach (Passover) instead of Chanukah (Festival of Lights) or something relating to the temple, but I guess it has more of a Jewish feel than the Noodle salad I was asked to bring along.)

"The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt.. 'Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast... This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.' " - Exodus 12:1, 3, 6-8, 11

The ceremonial foods

"They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs." - Numbers 9:11

- Wine - The four sips/glasses of wine help us to remember God's four promises about how he would save his people. "I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD." - Exodus 6:6-8

"Then he [Jesus] took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.' " Matthew 26:27-28

- Karpas - Green herbs to be dipped in salt water. The green herbs are a sign of life and the salt water represents tears of sorrow shed during the captivity of the Lord's people. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." - Exodus 20:2

(Pasley dipped in salt water. The pasley is atop the celery in the bottom right.)

- The Matzoh - Unleavened bread called "bread of affliction" because it recalls the unleavened bread prepared for the hasty flight by night from Egypt. "Do not eat it [the Passover lamb] with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt." - Deuteronomy 16:3

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' " - Matthew 26:26

"For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." - 1 Corinthians 11:26

(The unleavened bread is in the top right.)

- Maror - Bitter herbs is a reminder of the bitterness of slavery and suffering in Egypt. "So they [The Egyptians] put slave masters over them [the Israelites] to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh." Exodus 1:11

(This was horse raddish paste (top). It was very bitter and hot. It was certainly an unpleasant reminder of the bitterness of the suffering of Israel in Egypt.)

- The Haroseth - Represents the mortar used by Jews in building palaces and cities in Egypt during their slavery. (It is a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinamon and wine.) "They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly." - Exodus 1:14

(This is on the left hand side.)

- Maggid - The Story of Passover "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." - Exodus 12:12-13

- The Passover lamb - The lamb is symbolic of Jesus, our Passover Lamb, as well as to the deliverance from Egypt. "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed." - 1 Corinthians 5:7

(The lamb is on the bottom left.)

(It was a very moving evening. I think it was an excellent (although not necessarily enjoyable - though much was) way to begin the more formal Easter commemorations.)

(The text, while not strictly following the traditional Passover Seder, comes from the outline we used.)

Easter Show

2008-03-19T17:52:00.002+11:00

As it obviously wasn't finished on the inside (I have lots to do when I get it back), my Arietta Cardigan did not receive a prize at the Easter Show (I am completely not disappointed at all) but it was displayed!!!! =) I'm pretty excited about that.

Socks, Show and Silence

2008-03-16T21:40:00.004+11:00

I finally finished a project.

(Sorry about the bad background. I only just finished them before I had to give them (what's new?) so I take what I can get.)

They're birthday socks, and although a couple of days late, I normally only see Bec on Sunday. I hope they fit. They're just standard 3x1 rib heal flap socks in Ranco.

I was actually really tempted to knit them so the inside was on the outside, the fascination of the inside patterm, but conformity got the better of me.

I know (other than earlier this week) that I haven't posted in ages. I think partly its that they've blocked photobucket and flickr at work (well at least uploading to them). (As much as this inconviences me, I understand why they've done it. It does cost them bandwidth and money.) But really in recent weeks, its mainly been because I've been trying to finish my project for the Easter Show. Don't worry I have absolutely no chance of winning. How do I put this, I handed it in, but it isn't finished on the inside. I hope they might display it. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos as my camera was not working as I was handing it in. Never to fear, Clem fixed it.

More regular blogging show follow, until the next knitting crisis occurs.

Ta

2008-03-14T23:35:00.002+11:00

A package arrived at my house a couple of days ago (don't worry Erin, it was early but I didn't open it till Wednesday).

And as I looked at it, I wondered who was posting something to me. I read it said NZ but then thought back to all my secret pals. It was only reading the word "yarn" on the customs form, that I realised who it was from.

Inside was this card

It matches the similarly coloured wedding dress Pam designed for me.

and this

Gorgeous Touch 4ply wool. Erin, is it mean to be sock yarn? Or other 4ply project yarn? I just sit there looking at it.

Similarly, due to good sense and training, Clem gave me

Zoe Mellor's The Big Book of Kids Knits (which is much better than The Big Book of Kids Nits which is what I almost typed).

Danke

Forteenth night

2008-01-08T14:07:00.000+11:00

Okay. I know I know, I'm extra late with this post (its past Epiphany and everything) but I thought I'd show you my knitted Christmas gifts.

Mum

I gave my mum the Irish Hiking Scarf I finished in October. She seemed to like it (although she can't really use it at the moment) and it shouldn't cause skin irritation like the pashmina I bought her. I just need to block (to make the ears a bit longer) on her Center Square hat, and the kinda matching set will be complete.

Clem

I knit Clem these Earl Grey socks, using Merino Cashmere Sock yarn in the colourway "Chocolate" from the knittery. I couldn't fully work out the "CL" in the pattern so ended up just doing a cable without a cable needle (as it was only two stitches and happened 6 times on each sock). I couldn't be bothered ripping back the first couple though and its not really that noticeable. I finished these in November. (They are my November socks for Southern Summer of Socks). However, I couldn't blog about them because Clem occasionally reads this blog. (I have a feeling he was suspecting socks though as one day I measured his feet.) (Clem if you're reading this, are you ever going to try them on?)

Dad

I knit my dad, Earl Grey socks too. Although this time I used Ranco (colourway #489 I think - it's grey anyway). When I knit Clem's I knit 76 stitches around on 2.5mm needles. (I don't know how Yarn Harlot got 72 stithces around on 2.25mm needles for a size 12 foot. I must have extremely small guage.) I actually got my dad to try Clem's on, to check for size (for Clem and secretly for my dad too) and he said they were fine but maybe a tiny bit tight. So I knit these ones with 80 stitches.

Unfortunately, with so many stitches I was going to run out of yarn. I realised this when I got to the end of my first sock. I had weighed the yarn first and gotten 107g and only had 51g left after the first sock. (107-51=56 ie. not enough for a second sock!) So I didn't kitchener the toes, knitted the second sock, sewed in all the ends, got any left over yarn and knitted as far as possible. I then added up all the stitches on the first sock that had been knit beyond that, divided it by two, ripped back to that point and then knit to the end with the left over yarn from Clem's socks. I used the extra grey yarn to knit up to the same point on the second sock and then finished it off with the brown as well. (I'm sure that made no sense to anyone but me.)

The socks are actually a tiny bit big for my dad, so I'm slightly tempted to rip them back again and get a bit less browness on them (but I don't think I'd be able to get rid of it altogether). I suppose I could have bought another skein but for a few rows that are going to be hidden in a shoe, I didn't think it was worth it.

Other stuff
I actually knit my grandmother and aunt each a MDK washcloth but I forgot (in typical Anna style) to take a photo of it. *sigh*

With so little Christmas knitting. I still had to finish the dishcloths and socks on Christmas day. I think I was distracted by other knitting. I'll post more about that later.

Of yarn and other things

2007-12-18T08:39:00.000+11:00

As Clem and I will be apart on Christmas day, Clem gave me my Christmas present on Saturday. It was a huge box wrapped up in Christmas paper. Inside the box was this:

For the knitters its more of the same yarn he bought me when he went to WEBS a year ago. It's the only yarn he knows. There is some Cascade 220, some Dale of Norway Freestyle and some Noro Kureyon. (And yes, he got it from WEBS this time too - although this time online.)

At the bottom of the big box was this:

Any guesses?

[Normal blog programming will return shortly.]

Of pengins (the third and final)

2007-11-23T13:15:00.000+11:00

Okay, I finished this almost 2 weeks ago and haven't blogged since.

I finished my pengin (Pasha). I made it for two friends of mine who were getting married. The husband is a Linux evangelist. (The linux logo is a pengin. The number of people I've had to explain what Linux is... *sigh* )

I stuffed it with polyester stuffing from Lincraft. [I stupidly went to Lincraft on the first Monday in November, where I was overrun by lots of women buying hat components (for the first Tuesday in November).

(Dear women who require hats for the first Tuesday in November - if you are needing assistance putting a hat together (as evidenced by needing the shop assistant) then you are obviously not into hat making and as you have left your hat purchasing to the last minute - go buy a hat!!!! You can get them for the same price ready made in a wide variety of styles. Thank you *sigh*)

It took me 10 minutes to finally be able to talk to a shop assistant to just ask them "You don't have to come with me, just point me in the extremely vague direction of where polyester stuffing is". And the bag is huge, 200grams is about the size of a pillow. I'm never going to use up all this stuffing.]

I hadn't bought eyes so I just embroided (well...kinda, I just kept sewing over in the same spot with white yarn). It's also a little lopsided but it still stands up and looks cute.

I also tried to embroider the back with the couples initials (I was originally going to write their whole names and the date but gave up). It didn't turn out very well though. I was almost tempted to undo it but didn't. I am a knitter not a sewer and I think the yarn was a bit big too. Well...never mind

The piece d'restiance was rushing into Coles to buy a present bag and seeing only two types available, picking up the smallest one without really looking and then realising it was a Happy Feet bag (A pengin in a pengin bag! - Not all Linux but you know...) I was very impressed at my good fortune.

I'm not sure I have a career in knitting toys but it was fun anyway.

Of Cake

2007-11-09T23:43:00.000+11:00

To distract you from the fact that I don't have knitting photos for you - I give you a picture of the belated birthday cake we had at work today made by M.

(I think he used two tea cake tins stacked on top of each other...)

Of fluro greens

2007-11-08T23:48:00.000+11:00

*sigh* Unfortunately, the new green just didn't work out. It was too fluro. It did nake it easier to see the brown but the brown just didn't mute it enough. I just couldn't see myself wearing it. If it had just been a lighter shade of the same green as before or if I could even find a darker green, but alas, alack, no. (At least not in this cotton.) So its back to the old green, which at least I'll be happy wearing. So I've done little more than the back waist band and its the 8th. I really doubt I'll get this done by the end of Nakniswemo. (Actually I think attempting Arietta even without problems was going to be a major feet.) Still I'll keep at it.

Of colours

2007-11-07T23:47:00.000+11:00

Arietta's colour dilemas still haunt me. In a brief recap, this is what Arietta was looking like

This colour combo has two problems. 1) You can barely see the brown in the green part. The pattern has a much more vibrant distinction. 2) The white and cream looked virtually the same and weren't going to work next to each other. However, I love the waist band colours and could not bare it if I had to knit those rows again.

I did contemplate frogging it and starting over, moving colour A to colour E and subbing the taupe colour (#682) for A. However, I was really hoping against this and that colour didn't scream out either.

The green (colour D) in the pattern was looking more a blue/greeny colour in the photos. I thought about changing the green for mint (#653) but instead to decided to sub in green (#678). (I think I was using olive (#683) before.

I also bought some light blue-violet (#656) to use for colour E. I'm not sure how all these things will go.

I think the light blue is going to stay (it is different enough from the darker blue). However, I'm not so sure about the light green. It looks a little fluro to me. I'll knit it up till about the same point and see what it does and then make a decision. I highly doubt I'm going to finish this jumper by 30 November. *sigh* Why did I a) not swatch and think about colours before hand and b) not think about how long this cardi would take in a month period before hand? *sigh* No forethought.

[I know no one really cares about all this but at least I'll have it to look back on.]

Of efficiency!!!!!

2007-11-06T15:22:00.000+11:00

(Ahem - The Challenge Programme is now $22 better off...)

Sock Meme

There is a sock meme posted over at Southern Summer of Socks. Here are my answers...

1. What’s your favorite sock yarn? (please note that the word “yarn” is singular. Just pick one. I know it’s hard.)
I've only knit one (and a bit) pairs of socks. I'm currently using yarn from The Knittery but my first pair of socks was yarn from Em, who got the yarn from either here or here. (I can't remember.) I'll see how The Knittery yarn goes but I really liked the first sock yarn.

2. What’s your favorite type and brand of sock needle?
I have only used knit picks dpns 2.5mm. It works for me. The needles are sharp, shiny (and slippery). I guess I could try something else but it works for me.

3. Do you knit your socks toe up, cuff down or sideways?
My first two pairs (one done and one in progress) are both cuff down.

4. Do you knit both socks at once or just one at a time?
So far, just one.

5. What’s your favorite toe and why?
I graft using kitchener stitch after decreasing...is this what this means? I don't know any other way.

6. Favorite heel?
I've done heal flap with a slip one knit one row and a purl row. It works fairly well - should I really be doing this meme. I don't really get w&t so I'm not sure if fullon short rows are really for me. (I never thought I'd be a heal flap person - go figure...)

7. Do you prefer plain or patterned socks?
As in plain or verigated yarn? Or stockingette or patterned patterns? The former - I think it depends although the verigated yarns keeps me interested. I think I prefer wearing plainish socks - lacey socks don't appeal to me (although a small cable is okay).

8. Who do you knit the most socks for?
I've knit one pair for me and now onto one pair for someone else. I'm guessing most will be for me.

9. Do you darn your socks? If not, what do you do with them?
I don't currently, but suspect I will have to learn. When I was a child, my grandmother used to darn all our socks (well not mine because I grew out of them rather than wore them out).

10. Do you only wear handknit socks?
No. But this is my aim.

Bonus Question: What pattern, if any, is your basic “I-just-need-a-pair-of-socks” sock pattern based on? Do you keep it written down or memorized?
The Yarn Harlot's Plain Vanilla Sock Receipe. I have Knitting Rules (Erin I need to return your copy!) so its written down.

*sigh* If I lived in Melbourne, today would be a public holiday....