Racing

I love random, over on Caroline's blog, are some links to random things....like a random lottery ticket, and a random wikipedia article, and finally, my favourite the random word generator.

Racing was my random word for today, I have been racing through June, and here we are on the brink of July.

Also on the topic of Racing I did consider signing up for the Tour de Fleece or the Tour de France Knitalong, but time is conspiring against me at the moment, and although I may find the time to knit every day, it is quite disjointed at the moment. Spinning everyday is a fantasy! Aprés Surf is waiting for me to look up which increases I need to use, because I want to make sure they're leaning the right way. Edited to add, finally looked up the increases and am plodding up the body of Seafoam Hoodie!

Yes the braids, all new colours, most of the top photo have gone to the Kent Show to decorate the Guild's stand with my bunting, but the others will be on etsy later this week!

This weeks SP12 Question is quite an interesting one:

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

I guess in some respects I do think I've got quite a good selection of stash, I've got some little habu gems, handspun I haven't decided to de-stash yet, a good selection of different weights, special gifted yarns from special people and I don't tend to buy new yarn unless it's for a specific purpose, because that's how some of the yarn I have bought in the past is still languishing in my stash waiting for the perfect project to come along!

I do lust over yarn, and I do check out people's stash on Ravelry and occasionally I do suffer from a bout of stash envy, but in the main I have enough yarn to keep me busy and the means to buy more if I need it, and enough fibre to keep me busy too, so I think that's perfect for me!

Rock Star

Recently I was commissioned to make some felted sticks of Rock as a novelty for a local Gallery/Café/Cake shop that will hopefully be opening soon.

For those of you that don't really know what 'Rock' is, there is a great explanation here

The photograph I chose for my labels is St Leonards Pier, unfortunately the Pier was cut in half during the Second World War as protection against invasion and the remains were removed in 1951.

Our SP12 Hostess has asked us a question for week 2:

For week two the question is: As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

As a child our family holiday every year was spent at Butlins Holiday Camp in Clacton. As toddlers we were left in the nursery, and as soon as we were old enough we joined the Beaver Club, and enjoyed all the various activities laid on.

One of my favourite activities was rollerskating and as soon as I was old enough to roam free on my own I would be waiting for the Rollerskating Rink to open. If I went through my box of photographs I know I would find a picture of me skating, but you will have to make do with this one of me in some kind of Beauty Contest (number 16) for the time being.

The swimming pool always sticks in my mind as a novelty, it had windows along one side so you could see people swimming from the street, this wasn't a main road, just a street within the camp!

Aprés Surf has slowed a little while I concentrate on college homework, although I have caught the Moebious bug and cast on for one earlier, I was a little scared it was going to be too small so frogged it and will re-cast on with a few more stitches, and see what happens!

I also recieved a lovely card and fridge magnet from my secret pal this week (waves!) Hello Secret Pal! Thankyou!

Tingle Tangle Tingle

It's been quite a busy week! Last Saturday night we went to see the Foo Fighters at Wembley. On Sunday it was my City and Guilds knitting class, and I've finally got a couple of garment ideas on paper, and am working out the pattern, but I'm having trouble picking out the yarn. I know I want it to be dark in colour and a 4ply weight, but I keep changing my mind. This morning while browsing yarns online I changed my mind again and thought maybe a cotton yarn would be better, the first samples I have made were knitted in cotton. So I'm going to hold off on the yarn purchase until I've knitted a few more samples. I'm just feeling a bit panicked because I've spent 5 months thinking about this idea instead of actually doing anything.

Yes oops! I've also been doing a little detangling, this is a skein of laceweight cashmere that my friend Clare (Nimu on Etsy) gave to me, it was a small skein and when I untied it to make it into a ball it just turned into a huge tangle, but I'm almost untangled now. The irony is I wasn't really thinking of casting on anything in particular, but just decided I wanted to make it into a ball ready, when the right project presents itself, I just love these colours!


I love these colours too, did I mention I've been trying out some new dyes? This is difficult to photograph but it's a dark mix of Jade and plum with a dash of purple, handspun superwash. The true colour is somewhere between the two photos! (Yes Sandra I know you want me to dye you some, I will be back at the dyepots this week!)

Our SP12 hostess has asked about our favourite Summer Tipple, I tend to be quite set in my ways in that I drink the same drinks all year round, strong tea, hot chocolate and orange squash (cordial), not all at the same time! Although another favourite Summer drink would have to be Kool Aid, I wouldn't want to drink it though!

I've signed up for Secret pal 12, had to go back to Feb 2007 to find my questionnaire and I've just re-jiggled it!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love natural fibres, wool, cotton, linen, I don't like acrylic or eyelash yarnsalthough they do have there place in the grand scheme of things .

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I did make my straight needles a roll, and am planning to make a customroll for double points, hooks and circulars. (ok my circs are still in a plastic bag, I've also got 2 sets of bamboo double points in padded envelope! so very professional!)

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider yourskill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I first learnt to knit in the Brownies, I did my first sweater aged 12, anddidn't really get into it again until I was 23, I did alot of knitting for 5years but then explored other crafts until last year. I wouldconsider my skill level to be somewhere between intermediate and advanced...Ilike a challenge!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I do have an Amazon wish list here

5. What's your favorite scent?
I don't like anything too overpowering... although I'm quite partial to the smell of chocolate and vanilla and I had a completely yummy body lotion once called icing sugar. I don't like lavender, makes me sneeze!

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I do have a sweet tooth, I like milk chocolate and I like soft centres, strawberry creams, orange creams and peppermint creams, doesn't matter if they come wrapped in dark chocolate if they are this kind of chocolate andgummy bears...I do not like the taste of nuts or dark chocolate on its own.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I LOVE to spin, I spin as much as I can, and dye my own fibre. I also do a bit of collage, painting, needlepoint and sewing.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if yourbuddy wants to make you a CD)
I like an eclectic mix from Marilyn Manson to Doris Day, favourites at the momentare The Chemical Brothers, Hot Chip and Placebo.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love most colours....at the moment I love purples, greens, turquoise, and deep colours like aubergine and black! Not so fond of pastels and pinks.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
There's myself, my partner and our son, Neo who is 4 and our cat Willow.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats and mittens...I haven't worn a poncho since 1975. Although you never know!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I'll knit anthing that takes my fancy, I like socks and gloves or mittens for smaller portable projects but I love to work on garments too!I'm working on developing my ideas into patterns and studying on a C & GHandknitting course.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I'm knitting the Aprés Surf Hoodie at the moment, I would normally have a small project on the needles but havent got around to winding the wool into balls yet!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes of course!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I like to use needles appropriate to the project, most of my needles are all aluminium and plastic inherited from little old ladies, although I have a couple of addi turbo circs which are great and have some bamboo double points which I really love.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes I have both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I don't have any!

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I'm not really a holiday person.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Loads of things...Yarn and fibre of course! I have a collection of Rubics cube puzzles, I have a collection of colourful paper bags which I have been collecting since I was 18, I've also got a small collection of Vintage Vogue knitting magazines.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your handson? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have a subcription to Vogue Knitting, my Interweave is coming to an end and I'm wondering whether to have Knit 1 or Knitscene for a change! Nothing in particular I'm dying to get my hands on as such, but I'm a huge fan of Etsy (I'm a seller there), anything from handmade needle cases to bracelets made from knitting needles, or handpainted yarns, and interesting batts, I just believe in supporting the Indie sellers as much as possible.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I would like to try entrelac, I will have to knit samples for my course so I will get there at some point! I'd also like to find the time to do some thrummed mittens!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am a sock knitter, I am a UK size 5, US 6

23. When is your birthday?
It's April 30th!

24. My Ravelry ID is freestylefibre

H is for....

HOODIE!

My Summer copy of Interweave Knits arrived on a Saturday morning in May, I started browsing sites for RYC Cashcotton to have a look at the colours Saturday night, and Sunday morning I ordered the yarn. I've never really made such a swift decision over a garment before, maybe it was my restlessness at spending the first 5 months of the year making small (what are to me) insignificant items, that spurred me into action, but I am indeed knitting the Aprés Surf Hoodie, the colour is Seafoam, I'm using 3mm addis, and I love this yarn it's so snuggly and soft!

H is also for Heather, we are both doing the City and Guilds course in handknitting, and we also share a birthday, although Heather is younger than me, Heather has also tagged me for the 5 things Meme so here it is:

The Rules Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:

I was 28, I'd recently started a new job with LG Phillips Displays in Newport, South Wales, which I really enjoyed, and I continued working there until they closed down in August 2003, which was fine because I was already halfway through my pregnancy, and ready to put my feet up!

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
Upload a little fibre to etsy (done)
Update the blog (done)
Finish my C & G homework
Do some design drawings for my first C & G garment (this has been on the to do list for quite some time)
Clean the car (this has been on my list for a couple of weeks!)

3. Snacks I enjoy:
this is easy, mini jammy dodger biscuits, milk chocolate (buttons are the current favourite), iced gems, strawberry pencils and mini jelly babies.

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Buy some nice houses, make sure all my friends had everything they needed, travel the world (with bigsock in a private jet) until it's complete and n the record books, think this is enough to keep me busy!

5. Places I have lived:
Shotley
Ipswich
Newport
Cardiff
St Leonards-on-Sea

I shall tag Marianne,Hedgewitch,Mrs Woman, Kim and anyone else who wants to play along!