E is for ....

Embroidery. Before knitting and spinning took this hold on me I used to design and stitch needlepoint, these are all worked on 18 holes per inch canvas. I have got a couple of recent works, which haven't been stretched and mounted yet, and when I look at these I do miss it but there are only so many hours in the day!

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!

Drama Queen

I got my Soap Opera yarn spun up last night, I've called it Drama Queen!

With real blue skies and a smattering of sunshine I managed to set the twist, get it dry and actually managed to take some photos! Infact I went overboard on the photos, so if you want any more just pop over to my flickr album!

I'm not sure if I'm going to come up with anything for this weeks theme, but then again I did dye up some fibre this morning that might fit in. This weeks theme is Asia.

Friday Fibre Fix!

Hot off the wheel, well lukewarm really because the weather has been so rotton for photos are these two 100g skeins of merino.

They were dyed at the same time although the top skein has alot more pink and grey verses the blues of the bottom skein.

I've just joined a group on Ravelry called Fiber Friday where the host sets a theme and then the participants spin and then submit yarns inspired by the theme. Last weeks theme was Ocean, shame I missed that one, and this weeks theme is soap opera!

Shameless Self Promotion

Update on The Knitting Daily Pattern store: I have managed to purchase Koolhaus! yippee! I shall probably go back for the Central Park Hoodie at a later date, remember garments are off limits for the moment.

Today I have been uploading yarns to my Etsy shop. I have decided to try out a 'free'postage to everywhere promotion. I also try to keep my prices in line with other handspinners and small businesses so I would appreciate any feedback on this, if you think my prices are high or if anything in my shop doesn't read right please let me know. If you don't want to let me know via comments you can always e-mail me, my e-mail is listed in my blogger profile.

Now for more shameless self promotion...well actually I need you to promote me if my Etsy store and fledgling yarn 'business' are to succeed...I don't need it to go mad but the only way for it to really work is via promotion and from word of mouth or word of blog, so to reach a wider audience I need my friends to blog about my etsy store too, and for everyone that does I'm offering a 10% discount off all my yarn for life, and a chance to win some custom spun yarn in colours of your choosing, we will have a Prize draw on 15th March! Just let me know that you've linked/mentioned me in a post to be eligible to enter!

Talking of my etsy store I'm having a bit of an identity crisis, as you will see my etsy store, old website and e-mail are all under the name Limegreenjelly, although when I started spinning and set up this blog I came up with the name freestylefibre. I have purchased freestylefibre.co.uk for future use, but at the moment all my yarns are labelled with my limegreenjelly branding. My helpful hubby has designed a freestylefibre label, which I really like but does it confuse things to sell yarns under the name Freestylefibre in the Limegreenjelly shop?

Edited to add...if anyone wants to display my limegreenjelly button from my sidebar on their blog to link to my etsy shop...please do!

Grrr Knitting Daily

I just need to get this off my chest...KNITTING DAILY IS MAKING ME CROSS!

Ok its just this small matter of the Pattern store, living in a different country shouldn't make it that difficult to buy the pdf's should it, I mean I get Interweave Magazine.

It all started with the Central Park Hoodie, then Koolhaus, now they are really tormenting me with Babette.

I have e-mailed them about this small matter, which is now turning into a bit of a campaign.

ok feeling a little better now...but it just irks me!

Dull Frog Day's of January!

Is 2008 the year of the frog? It is in this house, but I keep reminding myself its all part of the learning curve.

It started with Rosedale United, I knitted the neckband the week before New Year actually arrived, and frogged it and knitted it and frogged and knitted at least three times, I then tried it on, and the raglans weren't in the right position for my arms and basically decided to start 2008 with a clean slate and frogged the whole thing! Its all labelled and ready to be knit into some kind of a raglan sweater, but everything is on hold this year.

I have decided that the Handknitting course needs my full attention, so for 2008 it has become my top priority. This doesn't mean I won't be knitting because the course (obviously) involves knitting, it just means that I have to be strict with myself about what I knit and concentrate my efforts into designing, swatching and producing the 2 garments, 1 accessory and 1 item for the home, that I need to pass this course, and some of the time it may mean I don't have alot to show for it. Although that said I will have non college knitting on the go...I've just decided not to try and tackle anything that needs alot of commitment...like a sweater, and stick to small items like mittens, maybe some colourwork handwarmers, experimental felted pieces and bags.

Of course I will still be spinning, I don't think I could stop even if I wanted to!

So on the needles at the moment is a Rowan kidsilk scarf, which I'm going to be felting in the washing machine and I'm working on my first design piece which is a scarf based on seaweed.

Frogged this week: I had a 50g ball of Noro Cash Island to knit a sample for the seaweed scarf project, gorgeous colour and velvety soft, but it didn't have the drape I envisioned so I cast on for Luce. It just didn't have the right drape and feel either.

UK SWAP QUESTIONNAIRE

Part One: Crafting

Do you knit, crochet, or both? I mainly knit, I do a little bit of crochet occasionally mainly amigurumi type stuff which doesn't involve a pattern.

What do you like to make? I like to make sweaters, scarves, mittens, gloves, bags, hats

Do you have a favourite project? Not really

Do you have a favourite type of fiber or brand of yarn? I love Noro yarn although Kureyon can be a bit scratchy, I also like Habu, and unusual yarns like linen paper, and things like that! And I spin my own handspun too!

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn? Eyelash

Do you do any other crafts? I'm a keen handspinner, by spindle and wheel. I'm also interested in paper making, feltmaking, button making.

What knitting do you bring ‘on the go’? at the moment I'm doing some shibori felting experiments so some vanilla stocking stitch

What do you carry your ‘on the go’ knitting in? Do you want something new? I have a 'Go Knit' pouch, that is perfect for my projects.

Are there any knitting gifts (book, toy, yarn, item, tool) that you have been lusting over? Can't think of anything off hand


Part Two: Your Favourites

What is your favourite colour? Blue, purple, green, brown

What is your least favourite colour? yellow

What scents/smells do you like? vanilla, chocolate, apples

What don’t you like? lavender

How do you like to pamper yourself? (bubble bath, hand creams, massage, manicure) bubble bath, handcream

What goodies to you like to treat your tummy with? (chocolate, biscuits, truffles, etc.) I love chocolate orange, belgian seashells, peppermint creams, soft centres, most biscuits, nothing with nuts in.

Do you prefer tea or coffee while you knit? Any particular kind? Favourite mug/cup? I prefer tea, although I do like hot chocolate too, I only tend to drink plain old tea, i do have a favourite mug...its called scraffito and its from Habitat!

Do you listen to/watch anything while you knit? (TVshow-Along, movies, music, podcasts) I tend to watch tv mostly while knitting although I occasionally listen to music, and play online scrabble! I like Heroes, The Mighty Boosh, and I mostly listen to Radio 1, i like an eclectic mix of music, one of my favourite bands is Hot Chip!

Part Three: Living & Past-times

Where do you live in the UK? (General idea not address) I live in St Leonards-on-Sea, in East Sussex!

Have you always lived here, or did you grow up somewhere else? I grew up in Ipswich, and spent most of my adult life living in Wales.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I'd like to visit the USA

If you couldn’t go to a knitting group, what other kind of gathering would you go to? (book club, tea party, yoga class, jewelery class, etc.) I do like to read so maybe a book club, I also attend a Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers, yoga class.

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamourous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.) my anti style more like, casual, arty, sort of lost look!

Final Part:Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)? Some bath essences and things can make me itchy, and I don't do nuts.

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know? If there is anything further my swap partner wants to know they can always ask me!

Last FO!

I'd just turned the heel of the first sock in the Trekking XXL. I was browsing handwarmer patterns on Ravelry when I came across the Scrunchie Handwarmers from the book 101 Designer One Skein Wonders, knitted in exactly the same colour of Trekking I was using. I just had to have them and proceeded to frog the uninspiring sock.

I just love the colours of this yarn, so there we have it my last FO of 2007, a Happy New Year to one and all!

PIMP THE SWAP!!!!!!

Hey readers near and far, especially all you UK Ravellers, I'm just interrupting this blog to do some gratuitous PIMPING...the Ravery UK Swap group will be having a Swap, sign ups open January 7th, now I do apologise to my overseas readers but this is a UK Swap group.

Now (doesn't matter where you are from) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE could you please go and comment on the SWAP BLOG so that I'm entered into the PIMP THE SWAP competition, stating that you heard about it here!! (I get an extra entry into the PRIZE draw if you do)


Please note that no yarn suffered as a result of my pimping!

Hard to believe its been two weeks since my last post, needless to say I've been very busy and I've also done quite a bit of seasonal driving over the last two weekends aswell.

The craft fair went ok, I sold a couple of knitted bags, but I didn't sell many stockings, I've been giving them away to friends and family with Christmas cards!


Rosedale United is on its final furlong, I've reached a point where according to the pattern I should cast off some stitches, which I can see would be the front neck, and I seem to have come to a halt.

This weekend whilst visiting family I needed 'something' to knit so cast on some simple socks with some Trekking XXL.

This first yarn is a spindle spun merino 2ply, this was spun from rolags of processed tops, I just mixed up the colours as I was carding.

I spun the first strand the day before the craft fair and the second during the day of the fair. When I transferred the yarn to the bobbins for plying one bobbin looked much more than the other one, but I wasn't too concerned knowing that I had weighed the fibre first. What was really quite funny as this is far from perfectly even yarn, is that when I got to the end of the plying the difference in the two yarns was just 3 inches. Must just be an even amount of thick and thin throughout!

This second yarn was spun from my own handpainted bfl, I started out spinning a 'super slubby' yarn, and only when I'd washed it and set the twist did I get to see that the super slubs weren't going to work out, and realised why. This was a superwash bfl, so the fibres don't hook together like an untreated wool will. Basically the slubs were a little unstable, but I love these colours so much...what's a girl to do?

So I thought about it, and decided to gently spin the slubs out, I went back to the wheel and I fast spun the yarn that didn't need re-spinning and carefully thinned the slubs into a thick/thin semi slubby yarn.

If my experimental samples for my first college piece work out, I may even use this yarn for it!

On the First Day of Christmas....

....my true love gave to me seven Christmas stockings on a home-made Christmas tree!

Ok so my true love didn't give these to me, I'm just using poetic license, and there are 35 mini Christmas stockings ready for the craft fair.


They measure 5cms long by just over 5cms tall.


Its a very simple pattern based on a basic baby bootee, and by the time you get to the 3rd stocking you will be able to knit it without the pattern. Being small they are a quick little knit with minimal finishing....infact if you are very clever you could probably knit it up from the sole seamlessly. I can knit one of these in about 45 minutes!

MINI CHRISTMAS STOCKING PATTERN

REQUIREMENTS:
oddments of double knit yarn for foot and leg, oddments of fuzzy yarn for top edging,either use a fine mohair type doubled or some kind of fuzzy dk. Small amount of filling material. Dpns to give a firm gauge, I have been using 3.25mm. Gauge isn't crucial....I haven't swatched!

Cast on 24 sts, distribute these onto 3 dpns, 8 sts on each needle.

SOLE:
Round 1: Join in the round being careful no to twist, [inc, k10, inc] repeat once (28sts)
Round 2: purl
Round 3: [inc, k12, inc] repeat once (32sts)
Round 4: purl

INSTEP:
Knit 5 Rows

Re-distribute the stitches so there are 8 stitches on needle 1 and needle 3 and 16 stitches on needle 2

TOP OF FOOT:
Round 10: k 18, SSK turn
Row 11: p5, p2 tog turn
Row 12: k5 SSK turn
Continue repeating rows 11 and 12 until there are 6 stitches on needle 2, ending on a purl row (22 stitches in total)

LEG:
Turn, knit 6 stitches on needle 2, pick up a stitch in the gap and knit it together with the 1st stitch on needle 3 to prevent a hole forming and re-commence knitting in the round, when you reach the end of needle 1 pick up a stitch and knit it together with the first stitch on needle two, to prevent a hole forming.
Continue knitting stocking stitch in rounds until stocking measures approx 5cm or desired length, change to fuzzy yarn and work 4-6 rows of garter stitch edging as required, starting with a knit row.

FINISHING:
stitch stocking sole together, stuff foot with polyester filling, stitch small ribbon or plait a cord and apply to stocking top for hanging, add sweets and hang on tree!

Please use and abuse this pattern but link back to me and share photos of your Christmas creations!

Back To Black!

Thanks for all the support and comments on the last post, I feel like I've been properly told off for moaning about my lack of writing confidence.

I'm not going to moan about having nothing to blog about last week, infact I have at least 19 wip's to finish off, so it is more a case of too busy knitting to blog about it, but I should have some finished objects and also a pattern to share with you by Friday! Although as it's the Christmas Crafts Fair Saturday, if I don't make it back this week you will know why!

Above is the silk I've been spinning for a friend, the brief was to spin black with silvery bits, to knit a scarf for her husband for Christmas, I think the 1st skein is perfect, but I had a bit of a disaster with skein 2 being slightly thicker than the 1st, so had to overdye some leftover grey to get more black. Still it was lovely quality silk to spin, it just didn't want to behave!

Eek! I have nothing to show you!

I have been beavering away on college homework knitting (we are on necklines) with good intentions of actually getting it done on time, apart from the time I'm being distracted by Scrabulous...an online form of Scrabble, although I can knit and play at the same time! Rosedale United is doing well, the sleeves are attached and I'm creeping up the yoke, stitch by stitch!

I gaze longingly at my wheel, I do have a commission of some silk to spin for a friend, to knit a scarf for her husband, so I will be there soon!

You may have noticed my small is beautiful button over in the sidebar, go and read the manifesto and you will understand what it is all about. I started this blog as a record of the stuff that I made, and basically it stays that way, but along the way I have met some very special people, and it makes me happy.

I really don't know where I'm going with all this at the moment, but I just want to make sure you all know how much I appreciate all the comments and love you bring my way. You make this blog the small and beautiful place that it is!

I'm not much of a writer, which is why I struggle sometime's with the public blog writing thing and my blog ends up with more picture's than words, although my friends also know that I can witter on via e-mail.

You also have to be a bit fearless and brave to 'put it out there' in the public forum of your blog, I don't know why I fear this so much and after making so many good friends maybe it's time I just came out of the closet and stopped hiding behind my hanks!*

I really admire people who can write, like Mrs K, as a prime example of someone who is good with words, can spin a story and make us all laugh with a good rant, I'd like to search for the writer in me, if there is one, and while I'm finding my voice, I'm also adding new blogs I've found on my journey, come with me if you like. The first one in there is note to self, and Kyran's writing this week also led me to flawed but authentic which is talking about Where You Find Inspiration, and from there onto Fluid Pudding. Fluid Puddings list of 100 things is one of the best I've seen so far.

Inspiration is a funny thing, a bit like co-incidence, I think another reason I think I can't write is because my thoughts aren't coherant and I wander off at a tangent, and expect everyone else to just keep up with it all. I'm still not even sure what I'm trying to say! No giggling at the back!

* what was I saying... usually if I write too much in a blog post I spend alot of time reading, re-reading and even just deleteing the whole thing and starting over, like writing words and talking about inner things is too much, so I'm just going to post this one, it's the third revision but I'm not going to over analyze it, just going to hit the button and put it out there!

Unfortunately, I can't even take the credit for the cat photo, but she's a right tart for the camera, our Willow.

I can spin a Rainbow!

That yummy Shetland Fibre from Jen over at Fyberspates that I bought at Ally Pally got spun at the weekend. I was a bit worried with all those colours that I would end up with muddy colours if I didn't chain ply... but I carried on and plied it as a 2-ply anyway...I just dont enjoy chain plying...maybe its not for everyone...anyway inspite of my worries it turned out ok!

Well better than ok really, I think its flippin great! It's one of those yarns that will eventually find something to be....I'm thinking gloves at the moment, but when it finds its voice it will speak to me. 165 g of squooshy handspun goodness, about a worsted/doubleknit weight!

The colours aren't dissimilar to this skein of pure gorgeousness that I was lucky enough to win over on JudyMacs blog. Its Cherry Tree Hill laceweight suri alpaca, and such divine colours, it would be a scandal to waste this yarn so I will be saving it for a special lace project, I have been looking for something fitting to knit Muir, and I can imagine it would make a stunning Muir, although I do also have that lovely Knitwitches laceweight too, still I can take a long think about it as I don't have time for a new project right now.

I was also lucky enough to win some Socks That Rock Lite over on Jills blog, and some stitch markers, a candle and a bath bomb, and chocolate, which didn't make the photo shoot, ( since I don't need to list bath bombs in my ravelry stash yet) I do have a project lined up for this here which I found over on Ravelry. The colourway is Highway 30, and I absolutely love it!

I did dye up quite a bit of fibre at the end of the Summer, and its being queued for spinning, as and when it tells me how it wants to be spun, I'm not always taken with my own dye jobs so I don't always take a before photo, although I really love these colours and was just having a go at plaiting, it may well make it onto the wheel next, it seemed apt to add it on to my COLOURFUL post!

What Colour Are You?

you are plum #DDA0DD

Your dominant hues are red and blue. You're confident and like showing people new ideas. You play well with others and can be very influential if you want to be. Your saturation level is low - You stay out of stressful situations and advise others to do the same. You may not be the go-to person when something really needs done, but you know never to blow things out of proportion. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

Isn't this almost exactly the same colour I chose for my flickr widget?