D is for Dyeing

I've been doing quite a bit of dyeing lately, 1200 grammes last week, above is what's left after I sold five Saturday at my Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Guild meeting.

C is for...

Cables

Both the above cable samples were knitted from the book Vogue Knitting Stitchionary, Cables book, a most impressive book if you are a cables fan!

Candle Tree

Candle Tree is in Barbara Walkers Treasury of Knitting Patterns, one day I hope to add both of these books to my library, but thanks to college and my tutor's extensive library for now I can just borrow them!

B is for...

BOBBLES!

BIGSOCK!

ABC Along!

Ok first things first I did remember to do the drawing for my little promotion competition, there were five people entered into the hat (Pat, Peri, Lorraine, MUK, and Jill) and Neo pulled out Peri! I'll be having words with you Peri about what you would prefer for your prize!


I have also joined the ABC Along on Ravelry, and I see D has just been posted so I've got a little catching up to do!


So A is for...Alphabet





A is forArt Knitting! I also joined the Art Knitting Group over on Ravelry, and it was nice that after uploading photos of this piece to the group that 3 people marked it as a favourite.

This is the finished object I promised, the Shibori Seaweed Neckpiece, I just need to write it up and make a folder with all the related artwork and sketches in and my first course piece will be ready for assessment!

Technically it's ok, the hardest calculation with felting things is a small sample will felt differently from a larger piece, and so even after the swatching and felting that I did in the first instance the final piece didn't actually shrink in length quite as much as I expected, and I've found that if I wrap it around my neck twice that I prefer the shorter look of it, but that's all part of the learning curve!

I do like the seaweed itself, and think it would work quite nicely around a felted bag, a bit Noni like! Maybe a future design idea!

Mitten of Doom

This is the Mitten of Doom! I'm not going to knit another one, this isn't a case of second glove syndrome, more 3rd glove, because basically this was my first attempt at fair isle, and also doing it two handed, and although this attempt is ok-ish, it doesn't really meet my high standards, and I have minor issues with the pattern that I would change if I were to knit any more, so basically if I wanted to knit Endpapers I would have to knit another pair, discarding this doomed mitten.

So I am going to swatch with some 4ply wool and get my squared paper out and I'm going to design my own fair isle mittens.

Later this week, I have got a finished object i havent blogged about yet!

More handspun!

And I sold a pattern...yes really, don't you just love Ravelry!

Fair Isle February!

Cast this on Friday, I was attempting to cast it on Thursday evening but I was struggling with the Italian Tubular Cast-on.

I'd like to say I persevered and then got it, but what really happened was I struggled with it, gave up, tried the Cable Faux Tubular cast-on which I can do, messed that up a couple of times, threw my knitting around the room in frustration, actually that bit was just wishful thinking I just cursed a bit, and then I looked at the instructions and diagrams for the Italian Tubular cast-on again, now I hadn't bothered watching the video, I thought that if I didn't get it from the step by step photos, that the video wasn't going to help, and then.... I watched the video...hey presto
one Italian Tubular Cast-on, and one Endpaper Mitten in progress!


Topic of The Week #3 on the UK SWAP BLOG!

Q: What is your process when planning a project? Do you shop for yarn and then find a suitable pattern? Do you find your pattern and then go out to buy the yarn? Or are you stash-busting? If your stash is out of control, how did it get that way?

My process when planning a project?.... I don't shop for yarn and then find a pattern, ok maybe I have yarn in my stash that was bought just because I had to have it, but mostly, well at the moment I have a few projects earmarked which are looking for suitable yarns. Koolhaus is on that list, Karendipity Gloves, Thrummed Mittens, Anemoi Mittens or some of Hello Yarns Fair Isle designs, I may even have a go at designing my own.

I am stash busting, if I can match a yarn in my stash to a project, then I will, the Endpapers I am working on are just unknown stash freecycle 4ply, I think there is a small percentage of wool in them, but this is my first attempt at Fair Isle knitting and I didn't want to jump in with the good stuff. (Ok I hadn't really got any suitable good stuff for this particular project) Isn't it always the way though, that you never have just the 'right' yarn for the project you want to start.

I don't think my stash is out of control (ok maybe I'm in denial) it's just there aren't enough hours in the day. It didn't help that I started spinning, I can't keep up with the amount of yarn that I spin, and I do love to spin, which is why I am trying to sell some of it in my Etsy shop.

World's Biggest Sock

I Should Be So Lucky!

I was very lucky just before Christmas to win Claire's blogiversary contest, and my hand picked prize certainly brightened up the dull days of January, what you can see here is a small bag of rainbow wool sliver, some patches of silk, some handmade paper, a cone of Habu Stainless steel, and some lovely seeds, I love the Sea Holly, can't wait to get those in, with Spring just around the corner.
And with Spring approaching I was also lucky to win a little contest over on Amber's blog, and my 'fiery' elemental felting wool and 'Mr Mog Made' stitch markers arrived this week!

It's been a busy week, I have been updating the Bigsock blog, ok it's not quite up to date yet, most recently the sock has been in Canada, and there are some fantastic recent pictures here
it's also been spotted on You Tube!