My knitting & ME

Moving

2007-06-06T22:08:00.000+01:00

I have moved over to wordpress so my blog can now be found at

www.myknittingandme.wordpress.com

it is still not quite to my likeing - i need to sort out sidebars etc but as my last exam is tomorrow I will have plenty of time to play.

Great Contest

2007-05-16T16:12:00.000+01:00

Ali is having a fantastic contest, if u enter via here please let her know as every referral gets me an extra entry.

My summer knitting goals:

To finish my Hogwarts Sock Swap Sock - about 1/3 finished (Horcrux Sock)
To start and finish my Sockapalooooza 4 pals sock - i have yarn and vague idea of pattern
Complete (second) scarf for my ISE 4 pal (Fairy Godmother's Scarf)
Knit Ms Marigold
I know it won't get finished but to work on my mitred square afgan at least two hours a week.
Knit Spring Things Shawl (with beads not nupps)

2007-05-13T17:11:00.000+01:00

I found this over on dreamcatcher and just had to have a go.
Edit the list, bold for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

not kidnapped

2007-05-06T02:54:00.000+01:00

Just a quickie to let you all know that I haven't been kidnapped by Jack Sparrow in order to make endless pairs of socks for him but am in fact ill. I have a viral upper respiratory tract infection aswell as bronchitis. hopefully the long weekend will get me back to full health and I should have a couple of fo's as well as some newly dyed yarn to show you all.

Thanks for all your advice on the buttons I have decided to go for the second choice as I can buy them 'in person' as opposed online so can take the cardigan with me and choose the best colour as I know think the purple will suit better then pink or lilac.

Jack Sparrow Socks

2007-04-21T16:02:00.000+01:00

As soon as I saw these socks I knew I had to knit them, they are just so cool! This pair was knit for my housemates birthday and he had already requested more handknit socks.

Pattern: Jack Sparrows Favourite Socks/Wendys Generic Toe-Up Socks
Yarns: Lorna's Laces - Camoflauge and Natural
Opal Uni - Brown
Needles: Clover Takumi Bamboo 2.5mm
Modifications: I knit more rounds after the heel before beginning the stranded work to make the leg longer.

After being inspired by the knitty.com article on dyeing yarn with food colouring I found a supplier of Wilton food colouring in the UK and had a go. These were my first attempts, I really can't remeber what colours I used and didn't write it down. I used the cold pour method in my slow cooker and am pleased with the results. Each yarn cake is about 100g of DK 100% wool. I am going to be ordering some sock weight soon and will probably have a go at handpainting and dip-dyeing too.

My Bulky Cabled Cardigan is almost finised I just need to find some buttons, but can't decide between these or these in either pink or lilac. All opinions welcome!
(The true colour of the yarn can be seen here (it is Sea Thistle) as the flash has really washed the colour out.)

Easter Visitor

2007-04-09T20:10:00.000+01:00

Only a moment ago we had an interesting Eastor visitor, Karl opened the front door to have a cigarette and this little cutie just wandered right on in. We have no idea who's she is but she's not shy!

Substitute - The Who

2007-04-07T23:21:00.000+01:00

(I know I did one of these before but saw this on a friends facebook profile and had to play - I promise some knitting very soon!)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put your music player on shuffle
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense.

NO CHEATING!

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
In the End (live) - Linkin Park
WHAT'S YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE?
In the City - The Jam
WHAT DOES YOUR FAMILY THINK OF YOU?
We Still Kill The Old Way - Lost Prophets
WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
I Defy - Machinehead
WHAT DO STRANGERS THINK OF YOU?
Unsaid Things - McFly
WHAT DO YOUR EXS THINK OF YOU?
Desire to Fire - Machinehead
HOW IS YOUR LOVE LIFE?
A Legal Matter - The Who
HOW WILL YOUR LOVE LIFE BE IN THE FUTURE?
Wonderful World - James Morrison
WILL YOU GET MARRIED?
Hold On - Good Charlotte
WILL YOU HAVE KIDS?
Remember Me - The Zutons
ARE YOU GOOD AT SCHOOL?
Be Natural - Manic Street Preachers
WILL YOU BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE?
Sorry's Not Good Enough - McFly
WHAT SONG SHOULD THEY PLAY ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?
That Girl - McFly
WHAT SONG SHOULD THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Sad But True - Metallica
THE SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE:
Low - Foo Fighers
YOU AND YOUR BEST FRIEND ARE:
About A Girl - Nirvana
HAPPY TIMES:
Alive - Pearl Jam
SAD TIMES:
Place For My Head - Linkin Park
EVERY DAY:
Go Let It Out - Oasis
FOR TOMORROW:
Last Summer - Lost Prophets
FOR YOU:
Further Away - Manic Street Preachers
WHAT DOES NEXT YEAR HAVE IN STORE FOR ME?
The Modern World - The Jam
WHAT DO I SAY WHEN LIFE GETS TOO HARD?
Cure The Itch - Linkin Park
WHAT SONG WILL I DANCE TO AT MY WEDDING?
You're Tender and You're Tired - Manic Street Preachers
WHAT DO YOU WANT AS A CAREER?
A Thousand Apologies - Lost Prophets
YOUR FAVOURITE SAYING?
Pressure Point - The Zutons
HOW WILL I DIE?
End Over End - Foo Fighters
THE SONG THAT YOU'LL PUT AS YOUR SUBJECT?
Substitute - The Who

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

2007-04-06T22:21:00.000+01:00

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Hufflepuff

2. Shoe size? UK 5/US 5.5

3. Foot Length? 9.5inches 24cm

4. Foot Circumference? 9inches 22.5cm

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
a. Brittany Birch 2.5mm (US size 1.5) 5inch length
b. Brittany Birch 2.25mm (US size 1) 5inch length
c. Clover Bamboo 2.5mm (US size 2.5) 16cm length

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
a. Brittany Birch 2mm (US size 0) 5 inch length
b. Blue Sky Alpaca DPNs 2mm - 2.5mm 5inch length
c. Lantern Moon Sox Stix 2mm - 2.5mm

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?

8. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal? Most definitely

(to my pal: I have quite large ankles the circumfrence is 10inches whilst the circumfrence of my upper ankle is 12.5inches. I have bad ciculation in my legs so would prefer a stretchy rib type sock.)

Theme Dye Swap Questions

2007-03-25T16:52:00.000+01:00

What is/are your favorite fiber/s to knit with? Wool (esp merino), silk, cashmere and alpaca
What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Scratchy acyrilic, mohair & angora coz i'm allergic
How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? I've been knitting about 18months. I was origianlly taught 20 years ago by my mum and was useless but began again Xmas 2005
Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Intermediate
What's your favorite scent? Citrus, neroli, ylang ylang, jasmine, patchouli, vanilla and lavender
Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes but i'm on a diet so am trying to pretend it doesn't exist
Favorite candy? Candy? whats that? I do however love Millstones coffee which is calorie free and impossible to get here in UK!
What other crafts do you like to do? Don't really have time for much else except knitting and studying
Do you spin? No, but really want to learn
What's your favorite color(s)? Pinks purple greens and browns
What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Whatever takes my fancy at the time. I'm really into socks and sweaters at the moment
What are you knitting right now? Simple Knitted Bodice in Rowan Summer Tweed and various socks for bday presents
Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes
Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Circs for sweaters etc and dpns for socks
Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to ball winder, no to swift
How old is your oldest UFO? About 5 months, its a lace shawl
Is there anything that you collect? No
Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? I have an extensive Amazon wishlist, and really fancy getting some Duets socks yarn aswell as some Socks That Rock.
What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? None, but I do regularly buy IK
When is your birthday? Novemeber 1st
Finally, what are your four themes?
1. Breakfast At Tiffanys
2. 1970s
3. Bones
4. McFly

Films

2007-03-09T08:52:00.000Z

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up.

Have fun!

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 8

( ) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
(x) Saw II
(x) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 16

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 25

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
(x) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 33

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
( ) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 41

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
() KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
( ) KING KONG
Total so far: 48

( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
(x) Final Destination 2
(x) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
(x) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 57

( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
(x) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
() Hellboy
()Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 62

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
(x) Seed of Chucky
(x) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 71

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
(x) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 80

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
( ) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 85

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
(x) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 95

( ) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( x) Jeepers Creepers
( x) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 105

(x) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 108

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 114

( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 117

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 121

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
( ) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
() Waterworld
Total so far: 123

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
(x) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 127

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 133

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal

Total: 141 out 239.

2007-03-04T14:11:00.000Z

Look at the list of books below:
* Bold the ones you’ve read
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.

If you are reading this (and haven't participated yet), tag, you’re it!

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) - dnf: didn't like it
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) - one of my all time faves!
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Just for fun...

2007-02-17T15:32:00.000Z

I saw this over on katydidknits and just had to have a go.

Directions:

If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

Open your mp3 library
put it on shuffle
press play
for every question type the song playing
when you got o a new questions, press next
don' lie and pretend your cool
don't skip songs

Opening Credits: Room on the 3rd Floor - McFly (Room on the 3rd floor)
Waking Up: Time is Running Out - Muse (Absolution)
First Day At School: Chump - Green Day (Dookie)
Fight Song: Wonderwall - Oasis (Stop the Clocks)
Breaking Up: Shame For You - Lily Allen (Alright, Still)
Happiness: Pretty Green - The Jam (Beat Surrender)
Life's Okay: Stay Together For The Kids - Blink-182 (Take off your Pants)
Mental Breakdown: The Letter - James Morrison (Undiscovered)
Driving: Long Live Rock - The Who (The Ultimate Collection)
Flashback: Transylvania - McFly (Motion In The Ocean)
Getting Back Together: Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters (The Colour And The Shape)
Wedding Song: Miracle - Foo Fighters (In Your Honour)
Birth of First Child: My Little Empire - Manic Street Preachers (This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours)
Final Battle Scene: The Seeker - The Who (The Ultimate Collection)
Death Scene: The Anthem - Good Charlotte (The Young & The Hopeless)
Funeral Song: Unsaid Things - McFly (Room On The 3rd Floor)
End Credits: Cigarettes & Alcohol - Oasis (Stop The Clocks)

Mrs Bob is still missing, we have done a through search of the cupboard under the stairs but no luck. I will keep you posted. (Piglottie if you go here you will find special hamster sized ladders, for helping them up the vertical tubes of the rotastak cages, we have also used her tubes as a way of getting her into a bin/bucket but she's just too clever)

2007-02-15T19:06:00.000Z

Why is it things always happen in 3's

that 'buy it now' item on ebay that' been around a good 2 weeks ( the one you HAVE to have) suddenly gets sold the moment you can afford to buy it! And there is no trace of similar item anywhere on the net.
the morning after you downloaded the new Lime n Violet podcast, (and boy do you need them on this particular morning to see you through the commute) your ipod decides to stick!
one of hamsters decides to play Houdini!

We don't how, as all her stoppers where on her cage (although one may not have been locked) but Mrs Bob is on vacation. We believe she headed somewhere in the direction of the cupboard under the stairs country and maybe more specifically folded table le sol. We left food, bedding, water and her cage - she had a drink, took bedding and food (whilst we both out today) but is still refusing to return home.

I have nightmares that she's making bedding from my cashmere/silk laceweight or my alpaca/silk. The fact that she's a Russian Dwarf Hamster, and as good a climber as she is, could probably not climb the stairs unnoticed does nothing for my nerves.

Knitting is happening, I have severe SSS on the Chain Link Socks and am awaiting some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Camouflage to make these for Karl for his birthday. I already have some LL in natural and will use Opal Uni in brown for the toes, heels and ribs. I have only the tassels to add to the multi-directional scarf for my Mum's friend and am I am about 1/4 through the Green Bulky Cable cardigan (which I'm knitting in purple/pink/grey Rowan Plaid) and loving the way it is looking. I finished Wicked ages ago (so long ago that I've had to wash it as I love it so much) I will get photos as the weekend - promise!
I frogged the Corazen mittens because at the end of last week I purchased a new coat (one I had been drooling over in Next since before Xmas but couldn't afford, it then appeared in the Next discount store half price - it would have been rude not get it) which is green/brown in colour and I wouldn't have worn the mittens in there pink/brown colourway, it is all good practice however. The mittens will be re-cast on but using green and brown. I did however finish my first ever stranded colourwork item - Ring of Fire Hat. I love the design, the colour, everything, except the fact that my head is too small. It is blocking at the moment so photos at the weekend - I am so proud! I may felt it slightly so it is wearable as I am reluctant to give it away as I see it as a milestone in my knitting progress. I will definitely make another but using smaller needles next time.

Off to get dinner, watch TV and knit!

SP10 Questionnaire

2007-02-03T20:13:00.000Z

I made a conscious effort not to sign-up to any swaps as I have a busy university schedule over the next semester but decided to a make the exception for Secret Pal 10 (and the International Tote Exchange 3). I really enjoyed SP9 and like the idea of swapping over a peroid of time as opposed to a once off swap.

So here is my Questionnaire for SP10

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Anthing as long as it is natural. Would love to try some of the more bizzare fibres e.g. seasilk, bamboo (not so bizzare anymore) etc
What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Mohair and angora because I am allergic
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have needle cases for my straights and my dpns(my dpn case is getting full) but my circulars are just in there packets in my bag.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? I orignally "learnt" when I was 9 - I was awful! I re-learnt Xmas 2005 when I received a scarf kit as a present from my Mum.
Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I would class myself as an advanced beginner/intermediate.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Many of differing sorts but the knitting/craft books are on the main one
5. What's your favorite scent? I love the smell of lavender, vanilla and ylang ylang. I also love the smell of coffee, citrus smells and fresh smells
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes but I am on a diet, I have an addiction to Millstones Coffee and Adagio Teas(which are not available in the UK) so in moderation
Favorite candy? I love nutty chocolate and Jelly Bellys
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I used to make cards/scrap-book no longer have time. I have tried dying and as soon the weather improves in the UK will defintely be having another go.
Do you spin? No, but I keep looking a drop spindles and wondering how hard it is!
8. What kind of music do you like? Everything and anything. There is usually an 'on my ipod' section on the sidebar which changes periodically
Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD). Yes
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Pinks, reds and oranges (the brighter the better), purples and greens (think Lime n Violet) as well as chocolate brown.
Any colors you just can't stand? Not a fan of gold(en)
10. What is your family situation? Live with ex boyfriend (who is now housemate)
Do you have any pets? Hamsters
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Scarves, hats and mittens. Not ponchos as such but like capelets.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks, lace shawls, top-down raglans.
13. What are you knitting right now? Socks, Forest Canopy Shawl, Corazon & Bulky Green Cables
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Most definetely
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Either/both
Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Wood or bamboo
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I was bought a ball winder for Xmas but haven't yet purchased a swift
17. How old is your oldest UFO? Forest Canopy Shawl is about 3 months old.
18. What is your favorite holiday? Don't really have one
19. Is there anything that you collect? No
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? For books see Amazon Wish List.Yarn I would love to try is Malabrigo (as everyone raves about is softness.) I have also been looking at the South West Trading Yarn especially the Tofutsie sock yarn and the Vickie Howell Yarn.Hand Maiden Seasilk. Being from the UK if I have a pal from US some Knitpicks would be cool as it is impossible to get over here.
What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? None - but I buy Interweave Knits
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I am currently getting to grips with stranded colorwork and conquered cables last year. I plan to advance my lace skills this summer.
22. Are you a sock knitter? Yes, yes and yes!!!
What are your foot measurements? I am a UK5. I have slightly wide feet so tend to make socks for myself with a bit stretch.
23. When is your birthday? 1st Novemember

To my Pal - anything else you need to know just e-mail me!

Silent Poetry Reading

2007-02-02T22:00:00.001Z

I saw this is Bekki's blog (then it seemed to appear everywhere)

WHAT: A Bloggers' (Silent) Poetry Reading
WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2007
WHERE: Your blog
WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Bridgid, aka Groundhog Day
HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post February 2nd.
RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on this post.

I had a hard time trying to decided on just one but I went for tradition over contemporary

He Wishes For The Cloth Of Heaven

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams

W.B Yeats

WIP wednesday

2007-01-31T17:45:00.000Z

I seem to have quite a few (for me atleast) wips at presentso thought i'd let you allknow how they are coming along (or not)
My main project at the moment - and set become an FO anytime soon is wicked. I just love this and have had such fun knitting it. I choose to omit the pocket and decided on 3/4 length sleeves. I love the fit and the colour and hope to finish the last sleeve tonight.

Of course I have a sock otn, this is the latest from the 6 sox kal. It uses slip stitch technique. I am using Posh Yarns Lucia 4ply (wool/cashmere blend) in Highland Mist with Angel Yarns Sock Yarn in Choco Plum for the contrast.

For Xmas I knitted my Mum a mulit-directional scarf in Twilleys Freedom Spirit and a colleague of hers has asked me to make one for her. I am aiming to get this finished by next weekend when I next see my Mum (hopefully once wicked is finished I can work on this)

I also knitted a Forest Canopy Shawl for my Mum for Xmas and really enjoyed it. After seeing Piglottie's version made from Rowan tweed 4ply I raided my stash and found some Rowanspun 4ply and cast on.

One of my resolution was to learn to do some colourwork. For Xmas I received the yarn and needles to make Corazon. I finally plucked up the courage and cast on. I haven't done much yet but I'm slowly learning

KMKS

2007-01-24T13:11:00.000Z

My Knit Mitt Kit Swap parcel arrived yesterday and I am so pleased with it I can't stop smiling! A big Thank-You to Molly for such a generous swap pal!

The kit included a lovely black and white bag with a fluffly fleece lining, a pattern for some convertible mittens (perfect for me as I travel on public transport and it is annoying having to keep removing gloves/mittens to get tickets/change), 4.25mm bamboo dpns (I didn't already have this size), some supersoft Interlacements Toasty Toes yarn (It is so so soft and in perfect colours for me pinks, reds and purples) and some Eucalan Lavender Wool Wash - which I have wanted to try for a while now but is difficult to find in UK. Also in the parcel was 2 balls of sugar n cream (orange and pale blue), 2 packets of Jelly Bellys, 2 chocolate bars, some pistachio crunch and handmade soap all in an orange hessian bag. How fab. How lucky am I?

I'm a joiner...

2007-01-18T00:14:00.000Z

Lolly has the sign-ups open for Project Spectrum 2. I joined half way though last year so look forward participating in the whole thing this year.

Sign-ups for Sockapalooza 4 should be open at the end of Jan. Keep your eyes posted to Alison's blog I missed this last year so hope to join this year.

I also joined the TBR challenge 2007. The idea being to read 12 books that have been on your 'to be read' list during 2007.

Here is my list:

1. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
2. A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly
3. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
4. The Virgin's Lover by Phillipa Gregory
5. The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde
6. Small Island by Amanda Levy
7. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
8. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
9. Starter for Ten by David Nicholls
10. The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
11. The American Boy by Andrew Taylor
12. Morvern Callar by Alan Warner

Extra Credit

1. Perfume by Patrick Suskinds
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguto
4. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
5. Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs
6. Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs
7. Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs
8. Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs
9. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
10. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
11. Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

I have been busy joining as I also joined the Lime & Violet Sock Marathon. This is a Flickr group and the idea is to see how far you can knit your sock yarn. I have 5.4miles of sock yarn but that doesn't count my recently purchased Lime & Violet and Violet's Pink Ribbon from Lisa Souza, which I am waiting to be delivered. It will be cool to see how far I get in three months.

On a sock theme I also joined Socktopia, each month three themes are given and you chose one knit a pair pf socks around it.

The Wicked sweater is going really well, I am just starting the waist decreases. I will get a progress shot over the weekend. I should get some done tomorrow as I am meeting up with a uni friend to teach her to knit. Wish me luck!

I was tagged by Stephanie so here goes:

The Page 123 Meme
1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author's name.
5. Tag 3 People.

"Antiretroviral therapy may be initiated for maternal indications depending on clinical, immunological and virological assessment. Although Zidovudine is the only drug licensed for use in pregnancy, current US guidelines suggest combination therapy should be used."

Clinical Medicine by Kumar & Clark - Ch.1 infectious Disease, Tropical Medicine & STD's/

I use my desk for my studying so all the books around me are science/medical.

Swap updates

2007-01-17T23:32:00.000Z

I have pictures of my swap parcels to show you all, starting with my winterwonderland swap
2 fantastics washcloths, t-pins (requested by me to help with my blocking, almost impossible to find in the uk!), some Millstones coffee (impossible to get hold of in the UK), a cute notebook and pen and some lovely stitchmarkers (already in use)

Next to arrive was a parcel from my SP9, this contained some lavender bathsalts and some Koigu KPPM (something I have wanted for ages) in the most gorgeous pink/purple/mauve colours. The yarn colour is so me and is defintely a colour I would have chosen myself.

And this morning I was awoken by the postie to sign for the parcel from Coffee & Knitting swap on swap-bot. I was well and truly spoiled! The parcel contained a large packet of Caramel Truffle Millstones coffee (i am drinking a cup as I type - divine!), some pretty handmade stitchmarkers, and some Black Raspberry Vanilla hand cleansing gel from Bath and Body Works. I remember when I was about 14 there was a Bath and Body Works store in my (then) local shopping centre and I loved their stuff - then they vanished. The gel is perfect as I use alcohol gel anyway but the stuff I use smells of alcohol but this smells yummy and keeps the scent on your hands. I used some a couple of hours ago and my hands still smell nice. There was also yarn, lots of yarn. The parcel contained 2 balls of Sugar n Cream, 1 skein of Araucania Nature wool in blue and 1 Araucania Nature wool chunky in green and 2 balls of Valley Yarns Longmeadow (a lovely soft cotton/microfibre)in turquoise.

Still here...

2007-01-10T00:34:00.000Z

Firstly I must apologise to my SP9 and my criminal pal and winterwonderland swap pal. I have received your parcels but have so busy revising for my exama that I haven't had time to blog. I have pictures and promise to get them on the blog by the end of the week.

All is well here I have one more exam left on friday then I am free for 17 whole days, inwhich I plan to knit a sweater (or at least get a fair amount of one done). I have four to choose from they are:

Forecast - using rowanspun aran-cavier here is one made in this yarn.
Bulky Green Cables - using rowan plaid-sea thistle
Wicked! - using rowanspun aran-heath
V-neck sweater - using rowanspun dk-thorn

I will probably end up chosing one of the aran weights but not sure. A fair amount of yarn was received over xmas, and future projects include:

Noni Carpet Bag - using Cascade 220 (green and brown tweed)
Corazen - using Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK (pink and cream)
Socks - using Sock Hop sock yarn (pink cadillac and beat goes on)

I had better be off as I still have revision to do.

So true!

2006-12-10T23:26:00.000Z

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

This is so true, I am truly addicted to reading!

Stranded

2006-12-09T01:38:00.000Z

So I joined the Stranded and have been searching for the perfect project, something that I can get to start over the holiday peroid (i.e. something from the UK and not something that has to travel overseas at the busiest time of year). Someone must have heard my desparate pleas as I have found the perfect project in the new Knitty - corazon, pink and white stranded mittens with a heart inspired fair isle pattern. I immediately phoned my mum and she is getting the yarn and needles for my for xmas - gotta love the mum! I am not going to be using the stated yarn for two reasons, one i wanted a really soft yarn and having used this before its not that soft and secondly,I couldn't find the colours, so I am trying a new yarn. It is by Sublime, a reasonably new company whose yarn I've yet to use, and is the Baby Cashhmere Merino Silk DK in Vanilla and Piglot. I have looked at these yarns before but they colours are very muted and subdued which isn't something I've been looking for in previous projects but for this it looks perfect.

After three attempts I have given up on the Swallowtail Shawl for now, until at least I go to my Mums and photocopy and enlarge the charts. However, having seen Piglottie's Forest Canopy Shawl in a Rowan Tweed 4ply (a similar yarn to the Rowanspun 4ply i was going to use for the Swallowtail) I think I will use the Rowanspun to make myself a Forest Canopy Shawl. I have 5 x 25g so will make it slightly larger like Piglottie's.

Hope everyone is having a good run up to the festivities. If I can persuade Karl we may well get the decorations out this weekend!

2006-12-07T03:31:00.000Z

Unfortunately Mrs Bobs babies didn't survive - we are not sure why but in her infinite wisdom she ate them. I know it gross but is actually quite common. We believe it is probably because she was such a young mother that she couldn't look after them. Although we didn't intially plan on breeding her and Mr Bob we have decided that in the new year we will probably try again. We did however complain to the pet store that i bough them from saying how we bought them as two males and they gave us a FREE cage, and not just any old cage any cage we wanted - after some deliberation we went for the Rotastak Creepy Castle. We already have one of these with two of our roborovski's in, but as we already had all the other rotastaks they had Karl chose the Creepy Castle (probably because parts of it glow in the dark)

I have been busy knitting my Xmas gifts. I completed the second of my stepdads bed socks and also managed to finish my mums hat. I also completed another two washcloths. FO pictures soon.

So whats left:

gloves for mum (to match hat and scarf)
Sock for stepdad (father and son socks form IK Fall 06)
Second bed sock for mum
Washcloths
Lavender bathbombs

I can't see it being a problem as I can knit up until xmas eve, what is worrying me however is that the yarn for my Shetland Shawl will arrive very soon and it is going to take alot of willpower to not cast on and knit that instead.

I received an e-mail today saying that the Sock Hop yarn I ordered has been despatched. I can't wait for it to arrive. I plan on using two of the skeins to make a pair of RPMs.

Whilst reading socks-for-mum I learnt about Stranded - the colorwork challenge. I had been thinking about learning colorwork as one of my new years resolutions and this is just the help I need. I joined up right away. I am looking for a simple beginners pattern, something small like socks, mittens or a hat. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. I have my eye on the Fiesta Mittens and I love all of these Red Bird Knits socks. I found the Red Bird Knits website today, they have the most wonderful sock patterns. Talking of colourwork there is lovely free pattern for a hat over on brooklyntweed. This is definetely on my to-do list.

The rain appears to have quitened down now so I shall try to get some sleep before Uni tomorrow and 3hrs of genetics. I feel a LARGE eggnog latte with extra shot being needed.

FO's and xmas knitting

2006-11-30T21:55:00.000Z

I have my camara back and I have FO's and wips

Firstly the thing I'm most proud of...

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Blackwatch
Needles: Addi Bamboo circs 4.5mm
Modifications: added 2 extra repeats.

Close-up of stitich pattern

I've also made a couple washcloths to go with the homemade lavender soap (now curing) and the homemade lavender bathbombs (to be made this weekend) which will be given to females family and friends for xmas.

I have made a dent in the xmas sock knittin (although the list is far shorter than before due to deciding to make soap). I have completed one of each the bedsocks for my Mum and Stepdad and have two pairs of normal socks to add to this.

Hamster Babies & Books

2006-11-26T23:01:00.000Z

I was planning on a nice photoladen post today but...the hamster appears to have gone into labour, so now is not the best time to start with the flash photography. However, I did find this here and it seemed kinda interesting.

1. Copy & paste.
2. Bold the ones you’ve read.
3. Add four recent reads to the end.
4. Tag!

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald - on to read list
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee on to read list
The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (this sounds so good too)
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (movie soon too!)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6) - J.K. Rowling
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Animal Farm: A Fairy Story - George Orwell
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien (lort trilogy though)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
1984 - George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) - J.K. Rowling
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez - on to read list
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) - J.K. Rowling
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter 5) - J.K. Rowling
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Book 1) - J.K. Rowling
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson (i own it and have lent it to 2 of my friends. i still haven’t though)
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) - J.K. Rowling
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - on to read list
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Ender’s Game (The Ender Saga) - Orson Scott Card
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides - read 1/3 then lost the book and never got back to it
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell - on to read list
The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Shadow Of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Unberable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
The Nature of Blood - Caryl Phillips
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules -Ed. David Sedaris
I Know This Much is True - Wally Lamb
Empire Falls - Richard Russo
American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley - Adam Cohen & Elizabeth Taylor
Devil in the White City - Erik Larson

Anna Karenin - Leo Tolstoy
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Highest Tide - Jim Lynch
44 Scotland Street- Alexander Mcall Smith

I didn't realise how many books I had read, although I average a novel a fortnight it always surprises when I actually think about the amount of books of I have read, especially as there is probably twice as many again that I just haven't had the time or opportunity to read.

Tomorrow I plan to make my first batch of handmade soap, and I have ordered the ingredients to make bath bombs too. All the femalesin my family will be receiving lavender soap, lavender bath bomb and a purple washcloth. Luckily I won't see then until after xmas as the soap will only just be cured in time for xmas. Oh well, lets hope it will be worth the wait.

I'm off to go see what exactly is happening in the hamster cage.

2006-11-25T00:33:00.001Z

This meme can only be answered with one word, something I found interesting.

1. Yourself: Achey
2. Your Boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): non-exsistent
3. Your Hair: cut
4. Your Mother: brilliant
5. Your Father: b******d
6. Your Favorite Item: hamsters
7. Your Dream Last Night: weird
8. Your Favorite drink: diet coke
9. Your Dream Car: BMW
10. The Room You Are In: Lounge
11. Your Ex: here
12. Your Fear: needles
13. What You Want To Be In 10 Years? alive
14. Who You Hung Out With Last Night? karl
15. What You're Not: tired
16. Muffins: apple
17. One Of Your Wish List Items: laptop
18. Time: 00.34
19. The Last Thing You Did: knitting
20. What You Are Wearing: PJs
21. Your Favorite Weather: autumn
22. Your Favorite Book: Pride & Prejudice
23. The Last Thing You Ate: cake
24. Your Life: bizzare
25. Your Mood: restless
26. Your Best Friend: mum
27. What Are You Thinking About Right Now? sqeauk
28. Your Car: none
29. What Are You Doing At The Moment? popcorn
30. Your Summer: boring
31. Your Relationship Status: single
32. What is on your TV? nothing
33. What is the weather like? windy
34. When is the last time you laughed? earlier
35. Who do you tag? uh?

off to watch film. Have camara back and 3 fo's and 3 wips to show tomorrow as well as some stash and pics of new hammies.

2006-11-10T23:29:00.000Z

Sorry about the absence but I've had a really busy time of it and its completely taken it out of me, the good news is that I have finally got my referral to a CFS/ME clinic, the bad news is they have a HUGE waiting list (what surprise) and they want me to have more bloods done. Me and needles (unless they are of the knitting variety) don't mix. Luckily my GP surgery is understanding and willing to help me. I say help me, the doctor prescribes me Emla cream (anyone with young children who have had to have blood test probably know this well) and some mild sedatives. I know this isn't the best way but it works, so for now it will have to do.

I'm making steady progress in the shawl but not much else. I realised that with the upheaval of the past month I was not going to get my xmas knitting completed, so have thought about other handmade gifts. I have been researching soap-making. There appears to be two camps, the melt n pour and the actual making from scratch. I like the idea of the later best but am unsure about time scales, and whetherit would be done my xmas, there is also more to go wrong with the actual making. I have found a good on-line store that has starter kits of melt n pour, soap-making and bath bomb making. I am very tempted to get these as I do still have some money left over from my birthday. I was thinking a handmade soap or bathbomb with a handknitted washcloth would make a nice gift. I have very sensitive and dry skin so I think it may be beneficial to me to be able to make soaps tailored to my skin, as at the moment I use great stuff but it is far from cheap.
I promise that if I do branch out in my crafts I will stay with the knitting, its not like you can make soap on the bus or in bed.

I have signed up for a couple more swaps, both on swap-bot, the first is a little of everything swap #2, which involves sending a given number of items in a jiffy bag, incl. CD, something handcrafted, a recipe and something scented among other things. The other is knitting and coffee, after the success of knitter tea swap and hot socks I was really pleased to find this. I'm hoping I get an international pal as I was given some Millstone Raspberry n Cream coffee recently and was most upset that that they don't distribute or ship to UK. I particularly like that they sell small packets.

I had a sort out of my stash earlier and have two new future projects I'm looking into making. First is the Cloud Bolero, the free pattern from Yarn Forward designed by Ysolda. I have the right amount of Rowan Plaid in Creeper (this originally purchased to make a long cable scarf but I like the idea of the pattern better), the second is from WrapStyle, using Freedom Spirit DK. I absolutely love this yarn but most patterns are knit so the stripes are horizontal however this pattern is knitted so the stripes of the yarn are vertical. Being of above average size I don't like to wear horizontal stripes as they accentuate what is already too big for my liking.

Any comments on the best soap-making sites etc are greatly appreciated.

2006-11-07T21:17:00.000Z

I saw this meme on indieknits and thought i'd have a go

Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say? In some diseases such as Reye's syndrome and alcoholic liver disease, the mitichondria can be enlarged and have abnormal shapes.
If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching? Karls PC.
What’s the last program you watched on tv? Holby City (its just finished)
Without looking, guess what time it is. About 9.10pm - acutally is 9.19pm, not bad
Except the computer, what can you hear right now? The extractor fan in the kitchen,
When was the last time you were outside and what did you do? Yesterday, I took the rubbish out.
What are you wearing? PJ's
Did you dream last night? If you did, what about? I vaguely remember having a bad dream but can't remember what it was about.
When was the last time you laughed? Just now, I came down to dish dinner up only to find that Karl had taken the hotpot out of the oven, brushed it with melted butter and then left it on the side. He honestly believed that he had put it back into the oven. Plonker!
What’s on the walls, in the room you’re in right now? 2 lights
Have you seen anything strange lately? Only the hamsters being stupid
What do you think about this meme? Bizare but interesting
What’s the last film you saw? Karl watched The Punisher last night and I happened to be knitting in the same room, so I suppose I watched it. The last film I watched through choice was The Last Samurai
If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money? Buy a house, go on safari and make sure all my family were happy
Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know I was born with a heart condition
If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be? Ensure buses ran on time, esp in the morning
Do you like dancing? Yes
George Bush? no comment
What do you want your children’s names to be, girl/boy? Girl - Abaigeal Jane; Boy- Thomas Edward
Would you ever consider living abroad? Maybe
What do you want God to tell you, when you come to heaven? Thats I was early and to go back
Who should do this meme? Anyone with the time and inclination

Lacevember

2006-11-06T17:43:00.000Z

Over at Lacevember theres a questionaire ot anser on your blog and if you do , you could win a prize so here's mine

The knitting questions, or the usual suspects
How long have you been knitting? Properly and regularly for about 11 months, I got a 'knit your own scarf kit' for xmas last year
How did you learn to knit? Originally my Mum taught me when I was 9 and I was awful, she has alot pf patience but even she gave up. She now admits that she realised I just wasn't meant to knit but now she comes to me for knitting advice. Bizarre!
Favorite thing about knitting? I have to take regular schedules rests because of my chronic fatigue syndrome (during which I'm ot suppose to sleep) so knitting relaxes me during these, plus I love that its a hobby that is creative and productive. You actually have something of use at the end.
How long have you been knitting lace? Not long, I've only a pair of lace socks and a lace scarf (feather and fan) and am currently working on my first shawl. As yet I haven't used any laceweight yarn but I do have some for a future project.
Favorite thing about knitting lace? Being a student I use my brain alot studying and although 'mindless' knitting is fun sometimes I need to use my brain and lace knitting allows me to do that. Plus it looks so beautiful when finished, something to be REALLY proud of.
The yarn questions, or flash your stash
Favorite lace yarn? I have some Soup Dragon Lace weight 50% cashmere 50% silk from Get Knitted in my stash and can't wait to use it.
variegated or solids for shawls? either, although only subtle variations for shawls.
Favorite lace color? Pale varigated, although I'm loving the LL's blackwatch colourway I'm using to make a shawl for my mu.
Technique, or show us your skillz
Circs or straights? Circs and bambo circs at that.
Favorite lace knitting trick? More of an aid but I can't use charts so I write each row down on seperate index card, punch a hole in the top and tie them loosely together with thread then use that as I flip book so I can keep my place. Not really MY trick as it was mentioned in the intro to the Forest Canopy Shawl. Great idea though.
Lifelines? If so with what? Oh yes lifelines, I use crochet cotton as its thin and smooth, visible and cheap.
Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet? Ideally blocking wires but as they are not readily available in the UK (in fact I only know of one supplier over here) I have to make do with pins everywhere.
Pattern, or can you follow directions
shawls or lacey items? Either, variety is the spice of life as they say.
triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls? I have only (part) knit a triangluar shawl and really love the traingel shape. I may knit a different shape in futue but it would be a gift as I much prefer triangles.
Charts or printed instructions? Printed instructions (see lace trick above)
Favorite lace you've knit? I'm really loving my first shawl at the moment
Favorite lace you want to knit? My next two projects will be Shetland Triangle from WrapStyle and Swallowtail Shawl from IK Fall 06.
Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun
Favorite jelly belly flavor? The red cinnamon one that no-one likes but eats coz they think its cherry
Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red..... Who? the Eric I can think of with a relationship to red is the ex-Man Utd footballer Eric Catona (pls leave comments to enlighten me)
Coke, classic or with lime? Neither, Diet Coke (with vanilla)
Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves? Banned until Decemebr 1st then bring 'em on!
What is the definition of irony? Not that used in the Alanis Morrisette song!
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? Whats a tootsie roll!
Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door? Because your son feed's the cat treats/sweets/godknowswhat when no-ones looking
What is your superhero power? Knowing things about your house and cat. lol
If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be? white
What's for dinner tonight? Liver and bacon casserole with mashed pototoes and stemed veg.
What is clogging my children's bathtub drain? Hair, its what clogs mine

btw I received my prize yarn today. I am scouring all the sock patterns i have to find the perfect pattern for this yarn, I also recieved the pink ribbon yarn which is being used to make my mum some pink ribbon socks.

I heard from KMKS pal today. They seem really nice so it looks like another great swap happening.

2006-11-05T20:34:00.000Z

The cutest smallest baby cardigan was completed (minus buttons) last night and handed over this evening. It is so small and tiny and took just under 50g Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. It was a basic top-down raglan cardigan, which believe it or not was the first time I'd knitted something that way. Having been sucessful with a mini-version I defintely plan on making something 'proper' size that way. I have been looking at Glampyre's Easy V-neck Raglan for a while now. I just can't decide what yarn I want to use, I've been thinking about Colinette One Zero, but am unsure on colour as I liked so many.

I have discovered a 'new' (well atleast to me) TV series to knit to. As yet I haven't sucumbed to the Grey's Anatomy trend but only because we can't the channel where we live (i plan on buying the dvd as soon as I get some money) Anyway, the new tv series, I was looking to buy Season 1 of Medium on DVD yesterday but it wasn't in stock, however Season 1 of Bones was. It ticked all the boxes, crime - check, science - check, David Boreanaz - Check. I thought after Angel I would never see him again. I sat up and watched the first 4 episodes and LOVE it. It is something I could watch over and over.

I must dash as am feeling tired and have to go into university tomorrow morning, hopefully I can get back my camara and post promised photos.

Knit Mitt Kit Swap Questions

2006-11-04T06:01:00.000Z

What are your favorite colors? Pink and purple, but i'm really into browns, creams, greens and burnt oranges this autumn as well.
Are you a new mitt knitter? I've never knit a complete mitt, only fingerless mitts, but I plan on making some complete mitts soon
How long have you been knitting mittens? I've been knitting for a just under a year and made my first fingerless mitt around march this year.
Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? I like both, it depends on the pattern. I love variagted yarn but sometimes solid is needed to show off the pattern.
What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? Anything natural and warm, except mohair and angora as I am allergic. I not only get a rash but in great quantities I have a mild asthma attack. I am fine with alpaca though.
Where do you usually knit mittens? I do most of my knitting in front of the TV, snuggles up on or in bed. Although I can be seen knitting whilst bored at uni.
How do you usually carry/store small projects? I have a tin from the Knit Tin or I use a make-up bag. (minus make-up of course)
What are your favorite mitten patterns? I love Tua Cha, and can;t wait to cast on Fetching. I haven't really explored patterns for full mittens yet.
What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? I love cables, and knit in the round on dpns.
What new techniques would you like to try? Making proper warm mittens, and maybe thrumming. I've seen this technique briefly, it looks interesting and very warm.
What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? I always use bamboo or wooden needles as I suffer from joint and muscle pains. My faves are Brittany Birch but i'm not fussed.
What are some of your favorite yarns? I'm really into Cashmerino at the moment after making a pair of bed socks out of it, so soft and squishy and so warm.
What yarn do you totally covet? Sugar n Cream (not available in UK) and Socks that Rock (again not readily aviable in UK). I have a reasonably small stash and I'm still quite new to knitting so I like to be introduced to new yarns, especially those that aren't readily available in UK.
Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? If money were no object Stitch Diva Simple Knitted Bodice using Tilli Thomas Pure Silk and Rock Star. If time were no object probably a huge cabled throw - similar to the one in IK fall '06.
Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I use straights, circs and dpns depending on project but as mentioned bamboo or wood. Brittany Birch are my striaghts/dpns of choice whereas Addi bamboo circs are my circs of choice.
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I would have to be sock yarn from the Yarn Yard in Puzzle - purely because I won a skein and I NEVER win anything. It is a myriad of cool calming blue colours but with a name Puzzle you know nothing will be straightforward.
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? I'm an absolute chocoholic. but anything sweet is fine by me. I also LOVE Jelly Bellys.
What’s your favorite animal? Polar Bear
Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? Probably something superwarm as I have various pairs on fingerless and it is beginning to get cold here in UK now.
If you were a color what color would you be? I don't think I could be just one colour, I have too many differetn aspects to me. Is it cheating to say a rainbow.
What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? The human body in general inspires me. I find the workings of it amazing and the picture in Life by Lennart Nilsson totally inspire me.
Do you have a wishlist? Yes, with amazon and angel yarns
Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? I am really looking foward to taking part in this swap!

regular wips on hold..

2006-11-03T20:00:00.000Z

I am now on a mission to see howm any newborn baby cardigans I can make before sunday. As mentioned in yesterdays post my little nephew came into the world a little small, he wasn't premature just ickle. Myself and my mum are now busy knitting away so little harvey has some small clothes to wear. 've found a couple of basic patterns on-line and did about 1/3rd of one last night. I'm hoping to complete two my sunday. If anyone knows of any nice, free baby patterns for cardigans and jumpers could you leave a comment with a link. I have an abundance of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino so he's going to be a lucky boy with very squishy clothes.

I ordered my first issue of IK a while ago (fall 06) and it arrived today. I had never seen a copy before and really wanted to make the swallowtail shawl so thought that was a good issue to get - I can now see why so many people rave about it. It is fantastic, so many great patterns - i had been trying to find a nice masculine sock pattern for a while and the Father & Son socks are just perfect.

For all you swap addicts out there, there is a new one open for sign-ups, themed around winter, Winter Wonderland Swap and dishcloths. It seems like fun to me.

Hopefully my camara will be back with me on monday so you can all laugh at our halloween/birthday antics. I really must go as I can hear the Eastenders theme music starting...

oops!

2006-11-02T18:16:00.000Z

So I fell at the first post...but I am going to give myself another chance as it was my birthday. I want to say Thank-You to everyone who has sent me birthday wishes. I will get round to sending you all personal thanks eventually.
I had a great time on halloween and had a lovely meal with my family yesterday. I'm afraid I have no photos as my camara is still at my friends house but as soon as I get it back I promise fancy dress pics.
I have two lots of good news (one sligthly more important than the other) my stepsister had a baby boy on Halloween (just he was born 11.45pm) he is to be called Harvey. THe next not so important but still great news is that I have won some sock yarn. I entered a comp at the yarn yard and received an e-mail yesterday saying my number had been drawn out. It is a site that i've only recently found but they do some great hand-dyed/hand-painted yarn. They have just started a sock club and also have a charity yarn each month. Last month was breast cancer (the yarn was pink surprise surprise) and this month the charity is Everyman with a nice masculine hand-painted yarn. Perfect for making that man in your life some socks etc for xmas.
I finally received my copy of Yarn Forward and had a flick through it earlier. I am really impressed and look forward to reading it properly as well as deciding on what pattern i'm going to try first.
Well, I'm back opf to bed as I still can't shake this cold and what with the brithday festibities over the last two days/night I've probably made it worse. I kinda expected this to happen, its one of the downsides of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, most of the time I'm ok but if I stretch myself beyond my normal routine I pay for it for a couple of days. But as its was my birthday and my 30th at that I decided it would be worth the pain.

NaBloPoMo

2006-10-31T00:46:00.000Z

National Blog Posting Month - its a really cool idea, an alternative to national novel writing month. So I had better get my thinking hat on, as I am going to post everyday in Novemeber. For more info go here.

2006-10-30T23:15:00.000Z

Your Birthdate: November 1

You are a natural born leader, even if those leadership talents haven't been developed yet.
You have the power and self confidence to succeed in life, and your power grows daily.
Besides power, you also have a great deal of creativity that enables you to innovate instead of fail.
You are a visionary, seeing the big picture instead of all of the trivial little details.

Your strength: Your supreme genius

Your weakness: Your inappropriate sensitivity

Your power color: Gold

Your power symbol: Star

Your power month: January

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

I saw this over on Caught Knitting and it seemed kind of relevant.

2006-10-30T21:32:00.000Z

I received yet another parcel the other day, a birthday parcel from my SP9. Being the dap that I am a deleted my inbox the other day and don't have her e-mail, so SP9 if you're there please e-mail me and thank-you for my birthday present!

I received two balls of sock yarn in lovely deep autumnal colours. The photo doesn't do them justice they are deep burgendy/brown with pinky highlights in one and multicoloured highlights in the other. I also got two Yankee Candles, one cranberry and one pumpkin and some Lindt Lindor Halloween ltd edition - not in photo as I ate them. They were very yummy!

So, I posted about all the parcels i've received not really about the knitting i've been doing so I guess now is time for a WIP/FO update.
I completed my first toe-ups last night. I am really pleased with them.

Pattern:
Plain Toe-Up Socks
Yarn: Lana Grossa Cotton Fantasy 4ply Sock (shade 813)
Needles: Bamboo 2.5mm dpns
Modifications: I made these into short ankle socks

I also completed Denmark from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. I love this pattern and will definetly be making more. The pattern is pretty easy but looks fab!

Pattern: Denmark from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

Needles: Brittany Birch 3.25mm

I finished my scarf to send to my ISE 3 pal. This took longer than I expected to knit but once I was over half way it seemed to go quicker. The worst thing about this was blocking, as I had never blocked lace before.

My Mum kept asked for a matching scarf, hat and gloves set for xmas. I have completed the scarf and have cast on for the hat. I am using Twilleys Freedom Spirit and pattern book that goes with it.

Pattern: Multi-directional Scarf from Twilleys Freedom SpiritYarn: Twilleys Freedom Spirit - AirNeedles: Bamboo 4mm

As can be seen I've been pretty busy, I have three projects on the needles at the moment.

Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl

Whitewater wristwarmers
Jaywalkers

I'm hoping this post looks ok as blogger was playing up and I had upload my photos to photobucket and them link to them. I'm not sure how much knitting is going to be happening over the next few days as it will be my birthday. I am off to my friends tomorrow who is holding a birthday/halloween party for me so expect some bizare photos of us all dressed up in our fancy dress.

Swap Parcels

2006-10-22T16:56:00.000+01:00

International Scarf Exchange 3

I received a gorgeous red and navy alpaca scarf along with some yummy chocolates. I am eagerly awaiting the colder weather now so I can wear this oh-so-soft scarf. Thank-you!!!

Knitters Tea Swap 2

Where to being...I was spoiled by Miss Priss Knits and spoiled I was with both tea and knitting content. Thank you. the parcel was perfect!

The tea content

Adagio Ingenuitea, Mug, Adagio teas (golden monkey, oriental spice & vanilla), tropical tea bags. I have very quickly become dependent on the Adagio Ingeuitea and wonder how I managed without one. I have tried the teas and they are really nice, esp the Oriental Spice. I will defintely being ordering from their website.

The knitting content

knitting magazine, stitich makers, sugar n cream yarn ( 4 balls, 2 pink variagated and two green), bamboo needles, (pics of later to follow). To make it even more perfect one of the sugar n cream ballband patterns was for a tea cozy, so I think I have to make one.

and legendary Jelly Bellys, I love these but they are just soooo expensive in the UK.

Hot Socks

As you can tell my postie has been very busy. I received another gorgeous parcel in the Hot Socks swap which was Laura's first time as hostess. Well done Laura and thanks for a great swap.

This parcel reminds me of autumn, the lovely deep jewel tones of the yarn and the sublime warming smell of the tea. I have yet to try it as there is only so mcuh tea one girl can drink and recently i've been inundated. But if it tastes as good as it smells i'll be in heaven. I just love cinnamon.

SP9 contest answers

2006-10-14T14:33:00.000+01:00

Shelby has set a little contest and asked us to list some favourites, so here goes

Actor - Matt Damon
Actress - Audrey Hepburn
Animal - Polar Bear
Band - don't have one but fave singer is Beth Orton
Book - Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Bubble Bath - Liz Earle Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash, used as bubble bath
Candy - Cadburys Whole Nut
Color - Pink
Drink - Diet Coke
Flower - Lavender
Food - Roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roast pots etc
Lip Balm - Liz Earle Superbalm
Lotion - Liz Earle Botanical Body Cream
Movie - Breakfast at Tiffany's
Place - my bed
Song - Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
TV Show - Medium
Yarn - Cherry Tree Hill Supersock merino
Vacation Spot - Ireland

2006-10-13T09:07:00.000+01:00

My life as I knew it has completely gone. I split from my boyf last friday and am still coming to terms with it. We remain friends which is a good thing as we are still living together at the moment. I am on a mission to find a new home but three weeks into the academic year is not the best time to find decent student accomodation. Since this bombshell, knitting has been miminal. I have nearly completed my ISE3 scarf, it should be done in the next few days, and I have frogged my first toe-ups once and after finding another mistake last night they will frogged again. I think I will change to widdershins as I am finding Baudealaire a bit tricky and with all that has happened my brain really needs a simplet knit. I turned the heel on my first jaywalker last night so that should be finished by the end of the weekend.

I recieved my SP9 spoliee and have made contact. I am really looking forward to spoiling them and have plenty of treats in mind. I am really pleased with who I have been given as I am aware of her blog and she seems really nice. My SP9 spolier has made contact so things are going well. I am just awaiting one more thing for my KTS2 pal to arrive then it's off to the post office with that. I recieved my ISE3 scarf the other day and it is so lovely. The softest I've ever felt. Pics to follow.

I had better get back to work as I have an assignment to finish for uni.

Socktoberfest Questions

2006-10-05T14:23:00.000+01:00

So, everyone joining in with Socktoberfest is posting the questions set by Lolly, so I will too.

When did you start knitting socks? Did you tech yourself or were you taught by friend or relative or in a class?
I started knitting socks at the beginning of this year. I had re-learnt to knit at xmas and after looking on web discovered sock knitting and thought I'd have a go. I got yarn, dpns and pattern and the rest is history as they say

What was your first pair? How have they 'held' over time?
My first pair were knitted using 2.5mm dpns, Opal Dreamcatcher yarn and a basic top-down stockinette stitch pattern with a heel flap and grafted toe.
I nearly wore them today but could only find one. I will take a photo to post later (at uni at the mo')

What would you have done differently?
Nothing really, they fit well and I do wear them so as a first sock they are fine.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I really enjoyed knitting with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock. It has such a lovely texture and is so comfy to wear. My fave socks at the mo are my DB Cashmerino socks knitted using Denmark from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush, they are my bed socks so so squishy and warm.

Do you like to knit or crochet your sock?
Knit

Do you knit on DPNs, 2 circs or magic loop?
DPNs, I taught myself on these and get on fine with this method so haven't seen the point in learning something new. Maybe at some point I will learn the other techniques but I'm fine with DPNs at the moment.

What heel do you prefer?
I've only knitted socks with a heel flap and although I do find picking up the stitched tedious, I like the way it looks and fits. I don't avoid other methods it just seems the patterns I use have a heel flap heel.

How many pairs have you made?
I have 6 pairs completed
2 pairs on the needles - one being Baudelaire (my first toe-up) the other Jaywalkers

SP9 questionnaire

2006-10-01T17:03:00.000+01:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I love knitting with natural fibres (wool, alpaca). I love the feel of Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino.
What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I don't like acrylic as I find it makes my hands itch and i am allergic to mohair and angora
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a couple of needle holder but don't have one for my dpns or circs.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?
I was originally taught to knit, by my Mum 20 years ago but was awful and didn't pick up needles again until xmas 2005 when I was bought a 'knit your own scarf kit' the rest they say is history.
Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I suppose I would say I was internediate. I still haven't ventured into colourwork but am competent with cables and intermediate lace.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes a few, at amazon.co.uk (search lyndsey-jane copeman, the hobbies list has my knitting/crochet wishlist) I also have a wishlist I put together for my birthday so this can be e-mailed if requested.
5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I love most smells, but this time of year (autumn/fall) I especially like spicy scents like cinnamon, clove etc. Warming deep scents as opposed to fresh clean summer scents.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Oh yes!!!!
Favorite candy?
Anything that doesn't have dried fruit (sultanas etc) in it. I'm also not that fond of mints or mint flavoured things. I love coffee flavours, nuts and marzipan, all the better if covered in chocolate.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I make card and scrap-book but do this a lot less these days due to time constrants I would love to learn to crochet.
Do you spin? Alas no.
8. What kind of music do you like?
Most I have a very eclectic music taste. Rock, metal, folk, indie, classical etc
Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Yes
9. What's your favorite color(s)?
I love pinks and purples, the brighter the better and have a very pink bedroom but my wardrobe this season is based around chocolate brown and khaki green.
Any colors you just can't stand?
Not a great fan of yellows and oranges
10. What is your family situation?
I live my boyfriend Karl
Do you have any pets?
We have 7 hamsters
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
scarves -alot
hats - occasionally when it gets really cold
mittens - I'm more of a glove person
ponchos - no
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I am addicted to sock knitting as it is portable, quick and cheap
13. What are you knitting right now?
ISE 3 scarf
Freedom Spirit Scarf (for my Mum)
Denmark Socks (from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush)
Rowan Plaid Scarf
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Most definetely
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I've only used circs a few times, so am more accustomed to straights but I do want to branch out into knitting top-down tops.
Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Most definetely bamboo or wood. I am a BIG fan of Brittany Birch. I suffer from joint pain and find aluminium/plastic painful after a short while.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No, (not unless you include a clothes horse and a boyfriend) but would love one.
17. How old is your oldest UFO?
About 2 weeks. I took part in UFO august so managed to erridicate the UFO pile.
18. What is your favorite holiday?
I suppose it would be Xmas/New Year as I love cooking and this is a great time be practice my domestic goddess skills. I am also a big fan of winter so love the weather at this time.
19. Is there anything that you collect?
I don't collect anything.
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I would love a copy of the Stitch Diva Simple Knitted Bodice pattern as I really really want to knit it. I would love to get a chance to knit some socks with Socks That Rock yarn. I also love Sugar n Cream cotton.
What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't suscribe to any.
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I am taking part in My First Toe-Up for Socktoberfest to learn toe-up socks. I really want to pluckup the courage to do some colourwork but the idea scares me.
22. Are you a sock knitter?
Oh yes, yes, yes.
What are your foot measurements?
tbc
23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
November 1st (i'll be 30 this year which I am finding quite traumatic!)

Socktoberfest

2006-10-01T15:48:00.000+01:00

So Socktoberfest officially begins today. I have joined a KAL set up by OzKnitter and Socks for Mum called My First Toe-Ups. I am really looking forward to venturing into this area of sock knitting that I have so far avoided like the plague, for no other reason than it is something new. I have decided on my first two toe-up patterns Baudelaire and Love Me Knot. I have yet to decide on yarn but will prob do that later today.

I have goals for Socktoberfest which are:

complete said two toe-up patterns
start (and maybe complete) KOTR kal oct/nov sock - Travellers Stocking
knit sock with cascade fixation from stash

I am aware that I owe you two FO's, I had planned to take some nice photos today but the weather is so so bad that the lighting just won't do them justice. I promise they are worth the wait.

I also have some new arrivals to introduce (we have 3 new hamsters, 2 russian dwarves and 1 syrian) they should be settled in well enough to take photos at the beginning of next week. They are so sweet and are already showing there little personalities.

I am off to finish the Denmark socks (from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush) otn so I can start on Socktoberfest.

My fave tea cup

2006-09-26T18:51:00.000+01:00

For part of the Knitters Tea Swap 2 we have been asked by our hostess to post a picture of our fave tea cup on our blogs. Well here is mine!

It is a one-cup teacup/pot. It is from Whittards and they do them in various colours/designs. I has a lid and a cup shaped filter then goes inside. This means I can make one cup of whatever tea I choose with less washing up. The filter is removed when brewing is completed so there is no need for tea strainers etc. I used to have a matching tile coaster but it seems to have disappeared.

Sock Wars

2006-09-25T02:50:00.000+01:00

I have finished my pair of socks, so I believe I have officially taken out my target. I am now awaiting a reply from her with her mailing address so I can send them to her. I hope she likes bright colours coz boy are these bright! I used Regia 6ply in Crazy Colours, I used just over 50g on 3.25mm dpns.
I wasn't planning on staying up to finish them but it is soo hot that I couldn't sleep and then I got so close to finishing I decided to keep at it and of course once they were finished I had to run downstairs and tell the entire blogsphere.
I really should be asleep as I have to be up for Uni in 4 hours - oh well not to worry.
Good Luck to all the other sockwars warriors out there!

Bubble (01/04-09/06)

2006-09-24T17:24:00.000+01:00

Unfortunately we have lost another hamster. Please don't think we are bad hamster keepers, it is just we have/had some old ones. It appears she passed peacefully in her sleep as we found her in her house.
Bubble was a Winter White hamster, a breed of dwarf hamsters. Her colouring is known as pearl. Bubble was bought for Karl as a birthday present along with her sister Squeak. They are social animals and can normally live together, however after around 6 weeks they began to fight and we had to seperate them.
Bubble was a feisty little girl and very determined. She was not loved by everyone as she was prone to bite. However, she had a special relationship with Karl as she would not bite him and she seemed to like being handled only by him.
We had noticed over the past couple of weeks that she was getting skinny and last week we noticed that it looked as if she had gone blind in one eye. Despite this she was still active and used her wheel regularly, but with the intenstity as before. When she was young she was very very fast.
She was very very houseproud and the neatest hamster I've ever known. She kept all her bedding in her house, and if it is was disturbed by one of us she quickly went to work rearranging it. Because of her girly housekeeping personality when she was split from Squeak we housed her in the girliest cage we could find. Its called the Pink Palace and she soon become known as Karls Princess.

I really love keeping hamsters but their short life expectancy can be hard espcecially when you loose them very close together. I lost Jenson just before starting my blog, and since then Pepper has gone and now Bubble. We still have the Robovoski's (they are only a year old) and Squeak, but she is slowly down and I don't think she will be with us alot longer.

On a positive note they have all given so much fun and happiness and I like to think that we have given them the same that in the end it is worth it.

Holiday

2006-09-24T14:37:00.000+01:00

We had a great time staying the lighthouse and enjoyed various outings. We weren't able to goto see the seals unfortunately as the weather was too windy and the trip was cancelled. We did however go to the Sea Life Sanctuary and saw some seals there along with lots of other sealife.

My other faves were the Rays and the Terripins.

There was not alot of knitting carried out during the holiday so I have to get crackinh now I am back. I have Sock Wars going on aswell as needing to concentrate on my ISE3 scarf and ontop of all that Uni start tomorrow. ARRGGGHHHH!!!!

I have received my swap pal for Knitters Tea Swap 2 and my pal for the Mystery Ball Swap. I can a see a very busy time ahead.

My new fave yarn..

2006-09-14T18:43:00.000+01:00

... Freedom Spirit by Twilleys of Stamford. It is just adorable. The colours are beautiful and the yarn is so so soft. I purchased six balls in total the other day, 3 of Earth (a khaki green, with brown and orange) and Air (blues and greys). I am going to be using the Air as my Sock Wars arsenal, and the Earth is going to turn into multi-directional scarf, (i will then get another 4 balls to make matching hat and gloves). I received the pattern support book today and have fallen in love with all 14 patterns. The upside is that the yarn is a basic DK weight so will be easy to sub for some of the patterns - if desired. This yarn is reasonably new but I am truely in love. It is reasonably prices to - around £3 per 50g.

I have finally finished Flood, but it is just too hot to wear to take pics at the mo. I promise pics after the holiday. It fits great and so warm and snug. I had 3 balls left over (I purchased more than needed as the yarn is now discontinued) and knit a matching cable hat last night.

My yarn has arrived for my ISE3 scarf and I hope to start and complete it whilst on holiday. We are leaving for Hunstanton on Saturday and will be gone for a week. I am quite excited about it only I have developed a sore throat over the past two days and am praying that is doesn't get worse - esp as my (8 months) pregnant stepsister is coming with us and I don't want to pass anything on to her. We are staying in an old converted lighthouse in Hunstanton.
I think I am most looking forward to going on a seal trip. It should be fantastic and I am hoping to get some great photos. The other day out I am looking forward to is visiting Norfolk Lavender.
This is prob be last post until I get back as I have be pack my bags and get organised tomorrow.
See you all soon.

is it too early to think of xmas?

2006-09-11T16:37:00.000+01:00

I have decided to to be totally organised this year with xmas presents. Myself and Karl have pretty big familes so it can get very expensive (and with only one income, we often opt out of present giving) but last night I had a (minor) brainwave. Use my stash to knit the females presents and then buy the males presents. The problem I have with Xmas is that I never think about it until the middle of November. There is a really good reason for this - my birthday is at the beginning of November, so as a child Xmas was never thought of until the 'fuss' of my birthday died down. As you can imagine this can cause issues if I'm going to can knit presents. So I made a concious decision last night to organise the presents to be knit. On reflection I could just be trying to avoid the fact that my birthday is soon and trying to pretend that it has been and gone with out trauma. There will be trauma this year - i'm 30.
After contemplating my patterns and stash I decided on socks for everyone (portable, quick and reasonably priced). I am hoping to make small tubular bags with a picot cast off in the left over yarn to put the socks in to give them a professional look. The bag can them be filled with lavender etc and placed in an underwear draw. I also want to design some tags to attach to the bag with washing instruction etc.
I even plan to use a fair amount of my stash up.
Before Xmas I have to knit:

and I have yarn in my stash to make 4 of these with yarn that is prefect for the recipients.

I cast on the Butterfly Bow Anklets last night using Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Spring Frost and have knit one 24row pattern repeat and am really pleased with them. I will post photos in a couple of days when there is more to see.

My Mum is taking me to The Knitting and Stiching Show at Ally Pally for my birthday. I am really excited about it already esp as we are going to book in to a colourwork workshop. So hopefully I can learn the basics of colourwork. It should be a good day.

I am still plodding on with the Plaid sweater. I still that last sleeve to finish - its really dragging on, esp as the weather has taken an up turn so knitting in a chunky wool blend is not ideal. i WILL get it finsihed by the end of the week.

Saturday Sky

2006-09-09T19:38:00.000+01:00

If you think that this photo is of higher quality than normal then that is because I got boyf to take it as I wasn't feeling up to going outside (read: I was still in my PJs in the afternoon and didn't want to stand in the front garden in them as there was people put there) but as he did such a good job I may have to employ him in future weeks. He doesn't really get why he took the photo he just decided it was easier not to ask.

I will cast on for my last sleeve tonight - had a rest from it yesterday as my wrists were beginning to hurt from knitting with such chunky yarn.

I have almost decided on my yarn and pattern for the ISE 3. I will be using either Artesano Alpaca Inca Cloud-Damson or Artesano Alpaca Opulencia Amethyst - this is there handpainted yarn and very nice. I will be using either the Ripple scarf pattern or the Bertie scarf pattern. When the yarn arrives I will swatch and see what works best. Both pattern were designed with this yarn in mind.

WIP progress

2006-09-09T02:41:00.000+01:00

I only have a few wips at the moment but I have been working on Flood pretty exclusively. In the past 10 days I have managed to complete the front, back and one sleeve. All going well it looks like it will be finished in time for my holiday. I'm loving the way it is looking and it feels so cuddly.
There is one thing that is bothering me, what is the best way to block it. It isn't ribbed at the cuffs and bottom, but the first few rows are knit in a size smaller, is supposed to naturally curl up a little so do i just leave it? I'm not really that informed on blocking so any comments greatly received.

I have also been working on Rosalind. I am about half way through. I guessed at doing three chart repeats and I have done about one and half and I think I my guess was right. I have two balls of each colour so I should even have enough yarn left over to put tassels on it. I love the colour combination - perfect for autumn. I am aiming to get this done in time for the start of uni (two weeks away). Maybe I'll get into my genetics lecturer's good books if turn up to the first lecture wearing it ;)

I have been given my pal for ISE3 and will be hoping to knit the majority of her scarf whilst on holiday in a couple of weeks. If possible it would be great to have it finished before the start of Sock Wars. Sock Wars starts whilst I am away, but I have located an internet cafe nearby so will be popping in there to get the pattern - even being a day behind could be fatal.

Although the date says Saturday it is only 2am and as i haven't slept yet still feels like friday. Saturday sky will come later - unless you want a picture of black?

How lucky am I?

2006-09-05T22:56:00.000+01:00

I received my parcel from my fave colour swap pal this morning. This was a pleasant surprise as I wasn't expecting it until the end of the week. My pal was none other than the hostess of the swap Nicole who revealed herself on a gorgeous postcard.
My parcel was full to bursting with a myriad of purple and even though I was still half asleep when it arrived I managed to grab the camara before ripping it open.

Before...

and after...

In my parcel was:

chocolates (mmm)
Purple & pink notepads
Purple pen
Pink buttons (from Nicole's vintage collection)
Pink & purple pot (which will be used as a make-up brush holder)
Purple sitich markers
Wool wash - which smells divine and will be perfect to wash my Rowan Plaid sweater in (when it gets finished)
3, yes 3 balls of Sugar n Cream cotton
Knitpicks Memories 100% merino yarn - in a colourway that is just so me, which I am probably going to make into a felted pencil case for uni, decorated with the pink vintage buttons.

The pink and purple notepads, pen and stitch markers

and a close up of those stitch markers...

Sugar n Cream in Jewel, Grape & Patio Pink

and finally the Knitpicks Memories in Rocky Mountain Dusk

This was the first swap that I have participated in and I have really really enjoyed it. It has however made me realise how nice the Sugar n Cream cotton is and I just the love the Knitpicks yarn that I am beginning to wish we could get both in the UK. It is possible to ship SnC over from various websites but Knitpicks don't ship internationally which I think is just so unfair. I think all us UK (and Europe) knitters should petition Knitpicks to get shipping over here.

A big THANK YOU goes to Nicole for being such a great swap pal!

I'm now waiting my pal receiving here parcel...I only hope she is a happy as I am with mine.

No camara at the moment

2006-08-31T22:26:00.000+01:00

I'm afraid I have no progress photos of Flood (cable jumper), Wind (cable scarf) or Rosalind as dear dear boyf decided that he would use my camara batteries to put in his Minidisc player to listen to on the bus to work this morning. I am not a happy soul about this as they are pretty expensive batteries esp for digital camara and other battery draining devices, not minidisc players. Why he couldn't have just taken the rechargable battery from mine (which was sitting on my desk next to the camara) i don't know. (sorry rant over)
I finally plucked up the courage to cast on Flood yesterday evening and have completed two of the 14 row pattern repeats. Not sure why I had jitters about this sweater as its not my first. I am hoping to get this finished in 2 weeks time to take on holiday with me. The yarn is pretty chunky so knits up quite fast.
Rosalind is going really well and i'm loving the colour combination. I estimated that I would need about 3 pattern repeats and have just started the second. It is such a nice knit, not too simple the boredom sets in but still easy enought to watch tv whilst knitting.
I have knit one pattern repeat for Wind but have put it aside to get Rosalind finished as this is a autumn/spring scarf and Wind is definetely a winter scarf.

I have my Fave Colour Swap pals parcel all wrapped up and ready to post tomorrow. I hope she likes the things I have chosen. Fingers crossed!

Sign ups for Secret Pal 9 begun to today, I have been so intrigued reading blogs of participants of SP8 that I signed up right away. I seem to have enough swaps etc on the go at the moment,
International Scarf Exchange 3, Hot Socks, Sock Wars and I am hoping that Knitters Tea Swap starts up again soon.
I am promised new batteries tomorrow so as long they are bought I will show pics of wips.

The proof is in the eating...

2006-08-27T00:01:00.000+01:00

and we've been doing alot of that.
The bread cook up lovely and I am beginning to think that there won't be any left for Monday so am attempting bread rolls tomorrow. If may not look much but believe me it lovely.

If anybody out there has the Nigella Lawson Domestic Goddess book and hasn't yet made Granny Boyd's Biscuits, you must. They are really good, if fact they are so good half of them had vanished before I had a chance to photo them. Me thinks Karl might have had something to do with it.

Flapjacks have been cooked but are still cooling, more photos tomorrow.

Saturday Sky

2006-08-26T17:31:00.000+01:00

Today's sky looks alot better in the photo than in reality and is becoming more overcast as time passes.

Knitting has taken a back seat today as I decided to spend the weekend baking. Something I love doing but just don't seem to have the time or inclination to do much of. Today will just be a small amount with the bulk tomorrow. Planned bakes include flapjacks, fairy cakes, chocolate sponge cake, chocolate biscuits, danish pastrys (cinnamon and almond) and cheese scones. I think now is the time to point out that we are having family over on Monday so it won't just be myself and Karl eating these goodies.
As we speak I have a syrup sponge pudding boiling away on the hob and bread dough prooving on the side next to it. I have never attempted to make bread before, well not properly, I have a bread machine but I really wanted to get back to basics. I nearly managed to do all the kneading myself and only called in Karl after 7 minutes or so. I am so proud of my dough that I even took a photo to share with you all.

And for those of you wishing to join in this baking extravaganza these are my can't live without books.

How To Be A Domestic Godess by Nigella Lawson

Leith's Cookery Bible by Prue Leith & Caroline Waldegrave

More finished socks and free yarn!

2006-08-24T17:24:00.000+01:00

I have finished the Ribbbed Socks and love them. I finished them last night and have been wearing them today. I love the feel of the yarn and it is so nice to knit with. This pattern knits up really quickly.

Pattern: Cherry Tree Hill Ribbed Supersock
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Northern Lights
Needles: Brittany Birch 2.75mm dpns
Modifications: None

I suppose you want to know about the free yarn, ok, I ordered a couple of balls of Rowan Plaid in Sea Mist from MCA Direct as I didn't want to run out when I knit my jumper and the company I got the original lot from have sold out. The parcel arrived today and they had sent me Sea Thistle instead, a lovely colour but not what I wanted. I e-mailed them and they said to keep the yarn sent by mistake and they would send the correct out asap. I give them 10/10 for customer servive as I sent the e-mail at 4.30pm and got a reply within 10minutes. The problem is what do I do with 200g of Rowan Plaid? Any suggestions.

I also received some Sirdar Pure Cotton and Sirder Breeze cotton as I have joined the Monthly Dishcloth KAL.The colours aren't great but they were reduced so worth it for experiment knitting. Everyone seems obsessed with knitting dishcloths so I'd thought I would see what the fuss was about. If it's as good as the hype then I may have to order some Sugar n Cream from the US. This months discloth has a lighthouse on it so I'm definetely trying that one especially as we are off to stay in a lighthouse next month.

Of late the knitting has almost seemed a chore, my mind just hasn't been focused enough but that is all in the past now. I had worries about returning to Uni as I had missed alot of last year because of the Chronic Fatigue but I am now retaking my 2nd without penalty and feel much happier about. I know it means another of study but atleast now my grades with reflect my ability. This has mad so much of a difference that i'm itching to pick up the needles.

Calling all sock knitters...

2006-08-23T19:44:00.000+01:00

...there's a new swap in town just for you. Laura from Indieknits has organised a swap via Swap-bot called Hot Socks. The idea being that you send your swap pal sock yarn and their fave hot drink (tea, coffee, hot chocolate). I think this is perfect for the dreary winter we seem to have ahead. What more can cheer you up than some bright sock yarn and nice hot cuppa! This is Laura's first time as a swap-hostess so lets make it a good one for her. Signs up are open until October 1st.

Unst now finished.

2006-08-20T22:12:00.000+01:00

I completed Unst yesterday. It is a really comfy sock due to the stretchiness of the lace. I had a slight mishap with the first one as I didn't see the second chart and the lace is slightly misaligned as it transfers from leg to foot but I don't mind and the second sock is fine.

Pattern: Unst from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Opal Rodeo Cotton shade 1174
Needles: Brittany Birch 2.25mm dpns

I have cast on for the second ribbed sock and completed the leg and am ready to do the heel flap. Hopefully it should be finished by the end of the week.

Saturday Sky...(aka Yuck!)

2006-08-19T17:17:00.000+01:00

Isn't it horrible...rainy and damp. I has planned on walking to shops to get fresh fish to make a lovely fish pie for dinner - not anymore, sausage and chips now.
Nothing else to report, so going to go back to knitting.

New Knitting Mag - Out Now!

2006-08-18T18:49:00.000+01:00

I was just over on Get Knitted and saw that the new knitting mag Knit Today is due out any day now. How exciting - I just hope it lives up to the hype!

(edited to add) Here is Knit Today's website

Yarn, FO & sheep.

2006-08-17T21:54:00.000+01:00

My Booga bag has finished blocking and I am debating whether to line it or not (or should I say, I'm debating on asking Mum to line it, my sewing is horrific!). It is looking really good and I will definitely be making more in the future.

I received the Rowan plaid that I ordered at bargain price after some discussion with the company as they didn't have my first choice, so now I have 10 balls of Sea Mist (to make myself a jumper, undecided which at the mo', from Rowan Plaid Collection and 6 balls of Creeper (for some reason only 5 made it into the photo) to make myself a hat and scarf from the same book. I can see a very cablely autumn and winter ahead, that is why I have joined Conquering Cables.

Yarn was purchased yesterday and I have a project in mind for it but as I am trying to clear my ufo's I won't cast on anything new until September.

Here we have 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Merino Aran (shade 004) for Fetching, 2 balls each of Debbie Bliss Merino DK (shades 004 & 002) to make Rosalind. I am really excited about this project as it encompasses my two loves; knitting and science. I have been yearning after a brown scarf for a while now and when I saw this lovely dark rich chocolate brown I knew I just had to get it. It took me a while to match it up with the green but I think they look great together. There is also a pair of 8mm bamboo knitting needles for use with the Rowan Plaid.

Speaking of scarves I joined the International Scarf Exchange 3 earlier this week. I am having an obsession with scarves for the moment so thought it was a perfect swap to join. I also joined Sock-a-month 2, as with the amount of socks I knit this should encourage me to get them finished. I have decided on my pattern for the Mystery Sock KAL, it is called 'Wonky Lace Socks' and uses Cascade Fixation - a yarn I have been wanting to try for a while.

I will be wrapping up all the presents for my Fave Colour Swap pal tomorrow and they will be posted out shortly. I just have to felt and block the Special Companions giftbag for her and then all will be done.

Whilst reading this blog I saw a link to this - a sheep challenge. What a great idea! I decided to take part and no sooner had I done so than I saw this bag in my kitchen

and when boyf asked why I was taking a picture of a carrier bag I told him about the sheep challenge, he then proceeded to and take this picture (apparently the white/grey blob is a sheep in his PC game).

I think will try and get Unst finished tonight as only have a small amount of the foot and then the toe to finish. Then that gives me two weeks to finish two socks (and a bag, but I'm not too fussed about finishing that) until I'm UFO free.

Melodrama over...

2006-08-17T14:28:00.000+01:00

...and I am fine. All went yesterday at the hospital. Didn't do a huge amount of shopping, in fact we made it into ONE shop, it was a very big shop. As both myself and my Mum have worked for John Lewis in the past we are big fans and spent alot of time in Peter Jones (esp as Mum hadn't seen it since the refurb)Yarn was purchased and will be blogged about later tonight.

Should be sleeping

2006-08-15T04:59:00.000+01:00

At 5am in the morning I really should be sleeping but I can't. I suppose it helps that I know why this sudden burst of insomnia is here. As many will know I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) (or ME) at the end of last year. It is this condition that has had the major impact on my day to day life. However, I was born with two congential heart conditions (for those interested patent ductus arteriosus and coarctation of the aorta). These have both been surgically repaired and apart from taking meds for high blood pressure it is not something that I think of daily. It certainly doesn't stop me being me, unlike the CFS. This maybe because I have had the heart condition all my life and therefore it has become part of who I am, unlike the CFS which is a recent occurence, but it may also be that it just doesn't effect me like the CFS does on a daily basis. I always have to think about the CFS and what amount of rest each activity I do will require both before and after, to stop me relapsing. As you can imagine not sleeping at 5am when I have revision to do isn't a great help.
Anyway you're probably thinking 'what does this have to do with insomnia'? Well the answer is anxiety. I wouldn't call it stress, more nerves. You see I have my annual appointment at the Royal Brompton Hospital on Wednesday and every year I get really really worried about it. It isn't the actual appoitment/visit that worries me. The visit comprises a short, painless ECG, height, weight (can be painful lol!) and blood pressure readings with dr (althought this year I am also due for an Echocardiogram but they don;t hurt either). What worries me is the impact on my life that the outcome could have. Life as I know it could change completely. Now, this may seem melodramatic, and it may be so but at the beginning to 2003 I had an operation (the dr called it a non-surgical proceedure, i beg to differ, i had genral anaesthtic whilst they did a glorified angiogram) which didn't quite work, but it didn't matter as things weren't as bad as the drs thought. All was good. What worries me is that there are no 'non-surgical' options left. If things have deteriorated then i'm looking at major surgery. What is strange is that it isn't the surgery that scares me the most, but the impact it will have on my life. My recovery will be slowed down with the CFS so how do i cope with my final year at Uni etc. My boyf HATES hospitals, how will he cope with me being in one for any peroid of time and mostly, my Mum coped with it all when i was young on her own, will she cope now shes older (no offence Mum if your reading I know you're not old but your not 32 anymore.)
These are the things that go through my head at 5am in the morning. It has kind of become an annual ritual that gets worse each year, as each year I think THIS is the year. There are no guarentees with medicine, many people with my conditions have had many more complicatons than me and although there is a great support group for us (GUCH) sometimes I find it easier to stay away as seeing people of my age with the same problems in a much much worse place than me can put the fear of god into me, on other days it came make me realise how lucky I am, but the bad feelings stay longer than the good.
I suppose I should really subtitle the blog 'The ramblings of a Neurotic Knitter'. Hey maybe that should be my new blog handle 'neurotic knitter'.

The bag is blocking!

2006-08-13T23:11:00.000+01:00

After three turns in the washign machine the Booga bag is now sitting on the floor with a Tesco bag and shoe box in it blocking. I am really happy with the way it has turned out and will probably make another in a different colourway. I do love this colour though as it goes really well with my green combats and brown combats. At the moment I am really into greens and browns - I think I am getting into the Autumn thing a bit soon. I still have 3 skeins of this left and am debating having a go at making a felted pencil case for uni. I don't know if I am up to designing my own but I have seen some felted glasses cases/phone cases which i'm sure i can adpat to put a zip in (courtesy of mummy dearest).
Just a quick query though, how do you block felted i-cord? or don't you? I just draped mine over the airer and let it dry and am hoping after some use it will straighten out. That's one UFO that is pretty much done now, just another 5 to go.

I just ordered some Rowan Plaid (now discontinued) from here for £3.50 a ball, which I think is bargin central. I have the pattern book and have been meaning to knit Karl a jumper for ages, so now I have his xmas pressie sorted. I know the whole jumper for boyfriend curse but after 3 years of living with me he can survive any curse. I also got some for me to make a couple of cable scarves. I love the pattern in the book but will make one smaller as don't think I need two scarves over 2m in length. I am really excited about this as I have been wanting to make a cable scarf for a while but the Irish Hiking Scarf just doesn't seem to work for me.

I'm biting the bullet and going into uni tomorrow to do some revision as, being honest, it isn't really happening whilst staying at home, the lure of daytime tv and knitting is just too great. I'm lucky that Karl works just off the library so he will make sure I don't abscond to Starbucks and knit all day, no matter how much I plead that I will study whilst there. I am to be chained (metaphorically that is) to the library all day. Oh joys of genetics and reproduction.

I have also found somewhere that sell Sugar n Cream and ships to the UK! I can see a rather large purchase once my student loan comes along in Sept. I really fancy having a go as making washcloths and think they would be a good idea for pressies for my uni pals, along with some nice soap. Cheap but thoughtful! I couldn't believe the colours, they are so many and they ae so vibrant. I have lots of projects in mind but I MUST finish my UFOs first.

Nearly an FO

2006-08-13T18:09:00.000+01:00

The Booga bag is the washing machine as we type...I was so excited about finshing it that I completely forgot to take pre-felting photos. The dreaded i-cord was so easy, I knitted 6' of it in 50mins whilst watching The Omen (a film I had been meaning to watch for forever). I'm off to cook roast dinner (pork, roast pots, yorkshire pudding, cabbage and gravy)now. I love the cold weather you get to have proper comfort food.
Will post when bag is felted.

socks, socks and fave colours.

2006-08-12T00:15:00.000+01:00

I have completed one of the socks for the KOTR kal. I absolutely loved knitting this sock, and will defintely be making more in the future. The lace is really stretchy which is great as I have wide feet and chunky ankles. I made a slight mishap when transferring from the leg to the foot and the lace doesn't match up but I know where I have gone wrong and all future socks will be fine. I could have frogged it and all you purists probably think I should have but I see the mistake as evidence of my knitting journey. I will always look at this sock and remember when I couldn't read lace charts.

I have also joined UFO August in an attempt to get the UFO's I have done and dusted in time for September. I have decided that I WILL NOT cast on another project until these are finished. It is such a great feeling when I have to change the % bar on an item, and even better when it is moved to the FO's section.

I have joined two cool sock kals since last blogging, Sock Wars (sign-ups until 8th Sept) and Mystery Sock Kal (sign-ups til Aug 14th). Sock Wars looks great fun as it involves knitting a pre-determined sock pattern as quick as you can and then posting it to your 'target' to 'kill' them before you receive a pair socks killing you. Your target then sends you their unfinished socks and their target becomes your new target. Confused? It's easier than it sounds...go check it out! The great thing is it doesn't start til Sept 22nd so won't interfere with my UFO August.
Mystery Sock kal, involves finding a sock pattern on the net which doesn't have a picture with it and then knitting it. It will be great to see what socks turn up. I have a few prospective patterns.

I have been busy crafting and shopping for my Fave Colour Swap secret pal, and just have a few finishing touches to the parcel before posting. I am trying to work out how best (and with minimum disruption to my wrapping)to send abroad. I will probably put it all in a nice pretty box, wrapped up etc., then put that into a cardboard box wrapped in brown paper, that way there is quite a bit to get through before the parcel itself it ruined. I don't want it to arrive looking all tatty. This is the first swap I have been involved with so am quite apprehensive about it. It has been great fun and I can't wait until they receive the parcel to see if they like it.

I am off to London on Wedneday for my annual check-up at the Royal Brompton Hospital. I was really looking forward to visiting Stash Yarns but they are closed that week - just my luck! I do however get to spend the day with Mum, shopping on the King's Road, having a nice lunch and no doubt buying some yarn in Peter Jones. The Bluebird Epicerie sellMighty Leaf Tea, so I may get some of that, as I am hoping to join the next round of Knitters Tea Swap, so fancy seeing if it is worth the money. If it is nice I can get some more for me and my swap pal mail-order at a later date. I may also have to pop in Lush and get my secret pal something as there are no smellies in their parcel.

I have made quite a bit of progress on the Booga bag and just have the i-cord handle to do now. I think I put on a DVD and attempt to get it done. I wonder how soon knitting 6' of i-cord becomes boring? I'll tell you next time, the prospect of 6' is so daunting, i'm only 5'2", so its almost 1' more than my height. Oh well no use putting it off.

2006-08-08T18:48:00.000+01:00

Pepper

(June 2004-Aug 2006)

Today we had to take Pepper to the vets and sadly he had to be put to sleep. He had developed a cancerous tumour in his neck and this had either spread to his spine or was compressing his spinal cord and when we woke this morning he had completely lost the use of his back legs. We decided that it was not fair to let him suffer just because we wanted to keep him with us a little longer.

He was just over two years old and in hamster terms he was an 'old man', however, he was sweet, kind and active until the end. He was loved by everyone who met him due to his sweet temperament and gentleness.

He will remain in our thoughts and will be hugely missed.

Bad blogger (and 1 1/2 fo's)

2006-08-05T00:21:00.000+01:00

I am a bad bad blogger for not posting in over a week. And what is worse is that I don't even have an excuse. I could say that I was busy revising, but honestly i wasn't. I just felt really lazy this last week.
I do, however, have a fo (and a half). At long last my Coast wrap is finished. I am loving how it feels and can't wait until Tuesday when i will wear it to the Cambridge KTog. I will get photos of me wearing it then

One of my fave things about it, is the buttons. The buttons allow it to be fixed at the front so the look is almost ponchoesque. I found the perfect buttons at Woolly Workshop, which is quick becoming my fave on-line store along with Get Knitted. They are designed by Debbie Abrahams and hand-made from ceramic. They are lot lighter than the photo suggests but due to really grotty weather I have had to take photos inside.

The half fo I referred to is a completed sock. I know have 2 completed socks, of which i have to knit their partner. I am loving the most recently finished. It was knit with Cherry Tree Hill Supersock (shade Northern Lights) using their Ribbed Supersock pattern. The yarn is much brighter than in photo but thats artifical light for you.

I have joined a kal for the Nancy Bush sock book, Knitting on the Road, which knits a sock from the book every two months. The sock for Aug/Sept in Unst and so have cast on this, and will finish the lone socks partners, between these kal socks. I am using Opal Rodeo Cotton (shade 1174) to knit the Unst. It is a lovely pattern using Shetland Columns and Arches lace pattern. I have slightly altered the pattern by knitting a plain 2x2 rib instead of the patterned rib suggested. It was purely a personal preference, i prefered the look of it that way. I would show you a photo of my wip but blogger doesn't want you to see it. (damn thing can be so annoying sometimes).

yet more new projects

2006-07-25T23:00:00.000+01:00

I'm blaming the heat for the insanity of casting on yet more projects. I have decided to give Branching Out another try. I am using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino with 5.5mm bamboo needles and after one pattern repeat am quite pleased with the result. This is my first proper lace project and am hoping it will be a xmas pressie for my mum. When i have completed a few more repeats I will post picks.
I attempted Short Circuit last night but it didn't seem to do the 'curly wurly' thing, i may not have been patient enough, and frogged it, but am def gonna try again later, probably making it slightly wider. The Booga Bag has yet to be cast on but no doubt will be in a few days as am feeling excited about felting. I will be using Noro Kureyon for it. The heat seems perfect weather as things dry so much quicker.
I finished Sophie really quickly and felted it just before we left for my parents, leaving it to dry whilst we were away. I am pleased with the result although i don't think I blocked it as well as i could have in the rush to leave the house. It was also an experiment piece so I wasn't expecting perfection. I like the stripe design I used and the two coloured handle.

The colours are much brighter, but indoor photos all dull down colour. I used Cascade 220 in 8885 (purple) and 8903 (green).

I did it!!

2006-07-25T00:46:00.000+01:00

The Race for Life was on Sunday and although we were all geared up for scorching heat, someone was watching over us, as just before it started the sun went behind a cloud and didn't re-emerge until we reached the 500m left mark.

Mum and me before the Race for Life

I walked the 5km with my mum. The route was lovely and took us around Verlamium Park, St Albans. There were a couple of nasty hills at the beginning but once we reached the 3km mark it was flat and took us around the lake.

We managed to complete the course in 1hr 11mins, which we were both really pleased with as we both have on-going health issues. I was expecting to complete in about 1hr 30 and Mum was expecting to take about 1hr 45. We were both hot and bothered after but felt great. It was defintely worth it and i will most definetly be doing it again next year - although i think i will sign up for the Cambridge race as it has no hills (they were not pleasant)

Mum and me after the race, complete with medals!!

There is a link to my sponsor page to the right of this post, it will except donations up until 6th August, and any sponsorship goes direct to Cancer Research UK.

Fave Colour Swap Questionnaire

2006-07-24T16:19:00.000+01:00

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?
Pink and purple, i only have two

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?
Knitting is my main craft, but i also dabble in card-making and scrapbooking

3. What products do you really covet?
Lovely variagated sock yarn and anything that is nice.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?
I love reading, films, music and playing with my hamsters

5. Is there anything you collect?
Unfortunately i don't collect anything

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?
I am a Scorpio and the year of the dragon

7.What are your favorite…

…scents/smells?
lavender, ylangylang are beutifully relaxing but i also love the zing of citrus smells

…types of music and/or bands?
i like a variety of music. I love rock bands like chillis, green day , linikin' park etc but also love chilled out stuff like jewel, beth orton and norah jones. I also like classical as it helps me study.

…authors?
where to start...again i like all different types of books and am also open to suggestions of new authors...mainly because i have read all the books by the authors i like.

…animals?
I love my little hamsters, they are the cutest but i can't wait until we have a place big enough for a dog so i can have a West Highland White Terrier.

…places to shop?
whereever has a good bargain. I buy most of my yarn online.

…season?
Definetely Autumn (Fall), as i'm not crazy about the heat and i don't paricularly like the cold either.

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?
I love yarn that is a bit different, I like natural fibres and variagted yarn. I have just started to felt, so feltable yarn is high on my list at the moment.

…candies or goodies?
I have a sweet tooth and like anything aslong as it doesn't contain dried fruit (e.g. sultantas, currants etc)

8. Do you have any wish lists?
amazon.co.uk

9. Are you allergic to anything?
I can't knit with mohair or angora as i am allergic to it. I am also allergic to cats and some dogs and i get very bad hayfever. I also have very senstive skin so have to be careful about what cosmetics and bath stuff i use.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?
I have six hamsters.

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy.
As i said i have to be careful about bath stuff but i like candles. I also like to keep my nails nice and i have a big collection of nail varnish. I like to find new and exciting colours for my nails.

wilting in the heat!

2006-07-21T01:00:00.000+01:00

It is official I was not born to appreciate the heat. I have managed to work how to feel slightly better but this involved lying still with fans blowing on me - not hugely productive. I have also suffered with the heat but never quite this bad or in this way. It feels as thought my entire body is made of lead. Apparently it something quite common in ME sufferers to be affected by extremes in temperature which sums me up I hate the cold to - but at least you can wrap up warm in nice handknitted woollies.
I have managed to complete the fan them flames scarf and will giving to my mum tomorrow so will get pics then. I have also abandoned the IHS as I didn't like they swatch I did using the Cascade 220 or the Noro Kureyon so have reassigned these yarns to felted bags. I have cast on the Sophie using Cascade 220, and have designed an increasing width stripe for the body of the bag using green and purple, the two left over skeins of purple I will probably knit Wavy. Three of the six Noro Kureyon will used to make a Booga Bag and as yet I haven't decided what to do with the rest, maybe and pencil case and minidisc case.
I am off to stay with parents from tomorrow until Sunday (the day of the 5km walk!!!) but will take many pics and hopefully have some more fo's to show you.

meet the family pt2

2006-07-17T00:31:00.000+01:00

Not sure what's going on but it wouldn't allow me to post anymore pics, so I will have do a pt2. OK, three more to go. These are the newest, they are about a year old and are quite a rare breed. They are Roborovski hamsters and have quite a bit in common with that elusive yarn you yearn for. We had heard of this breed but never seen any, when on a routine trip here, we discovered that they had some - three to be precise. Like the other dwarfs they are social creatures and can live in groups, so of course we just had to get all three. We didn't need them, we had no room for them but we just didn't know when we would be able to get some again - sound familiar!. They are cutest and the funniest. Unfortunately two of them decided to bully the other one and we had to separate them about 2 months ago.

Pinky and Perky now live in a very cool cage (which unfortunately I have no pics of at the mo) called Creepy Castle. They are VERY fast, hence the not so great photo, and slightly insane.

There little brother, now lives in a Fairground and is the timidest hamster we own. He is scared of his own shadow, but once he realises you are not going to hurt him he will happily run all over you.

Finally, a picture of Peppers cage, for some reason unknown to me it wouldn't work in the first post.

meet the family

2006-07-16T23:48:00.000+01:00

Today incorporated the mammoth task of cleaning out the 'babies' or to the initiated our hamsters. Whilst doing this I thought it was about time you met them. In total there are 6, and they live in 5 separate cages (two live together). All our hamster live in Rotastak cages except Pepper who has a traditional cage.
I suppose it makes sense to start with the oldest, who would be Bubble and Squeak. They are Dwarf Winter White Russian hamsters and are about 2.5 years old.

This is Bubbles cage, known as The Pink Palace, and the said hammie exiting her tube system. Do not be deceived by her cuteness she can be a little madame and a little slut - she likes only Karl and bites anyone else.

Squeak however lives in her Super Space Station and loves all. Originally they lived together but Bubble began to hurt Squeak so we removed her and they both happily live alone now.

The next hamster to come and live with us was Pepper (so called after Karl's fave drink 'Dr Pepper). He is a Syrian hamster and the most adorable thing on the planet. He has never bitten and loves everyone.

I've fallen in love (again)

2006-07-15T01:57:00.000+01:00

I've just re-discovered the heavenly darjeeling tea. Whilst hunting in the cupboard I found an unopen packet, decided to have a cup and have re-discovered this wonderful liquid. I am afraid to say that I am a tea snob - I can not abide tea bags or 'normal blended tea'. It has to be loose tea and either darjeeling or Ceylon. Now I have rediscovered the joys of tea I think I will pick up some red bush tea when I go out tomorrow. My problem is that everyone I know raves about the Redbushcompany, but they only produce tea bags. Whittards however do Rooibus(African for redbush)loose so I think I will try that.
On the knitting front I have finished one of the socks for my stepdad - the pattern isn't to my liking although the sock turned out fine. I am going to wait a week or so before starting the next. Instead I have cast on using some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock from my stash, in Northern Lights. It is predominantly purple so fits in well with Project Spectrum. I am following the Ribbed Sock pattern, which I haven't tried before so should be interesting. I will post pics when I have more than 3 rounds to show.

all html'd out

2006-07-13T00:38:00.000+01:00

I have spend a considerable amount of time over the past 48 hours trying to get my head around various html codes so as to customise my blog. With help from Karla and Lissa Explains All it is beginning to make sense and slowly but surely its getting there. I will be adding new links over the next week or so.

On my rounds I discovered a great new swap, favourite colour swap. I signed up immediately as it has three different price catergories so those of us who have less disposable income can still take part without a) skinting ourselves b)feeling bad that our parcels are not as great (in monetary terms) than others.

I have also signed up to project spectrum. So on my travels this month i shall be on the look out for purple randomness. I will maybe attempt to make something edible of the purple colourway. I will soon be casting on the IHS which will be my purple knitting project.

I am looking forward to a future project of a Noni bag and have joined the Noni bag kal in anticipation. I really want to make the huge felted carpet bag but feel this may be slightly adventurous for a first attempt and will probably make a one of the smaller ones from the same pattern. Although I am on stashalong I am allowing myself the free day and it may be taken up already this month, next month i have to go to London so will no doubt be yarn hunting there for the Noni bag. I was getting really excited because Stash Yarns isn't that far away from the hospital and was all set to visit only to find out they are closed that week - how gutting!!!!

New Yarn

2006-07-11T21:45:00.000+01:00

My parcel arrived from Get Knitted today with the extra ball of Debbie Bliss cashmerino I needed to complete my stashbusting scarf and with it was the other yarn I treated myself to. My boyfriend was a bit disappointed as they used to put lollies or sweets in the parcels along with a pen and this time there was a nice smelly candle. He was looking forward to the sweets, I on the other hand appreciated the nice candle.

The Cashmerino isn't shown here but there is the Noro Kureyon (Shade 164 ), Cascade 220 (shade 8885) and Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (Natural)

I am going to make another Fan the Flames from this as a Christmas present for my Nan. I thought that the natural colour was a good colour choice as it will show of the lace effect on the ends whilst being neutral. I haven't ever used this yarn before but know it is very popular. I hope to make some socks out of it soon.

The Noro yarn is going to be used to make a Irish Hiking Scarf, I have got enough yarn to make matching cabled wristwarmers either Tua Cha or Fetching. Noro is a yarn that I have wanted to work with for a while but as so much of it contains mohair (of which I am allergic) I am somewhat limited but the Kureyon is 100% wool. I am very excited about casting on this project but will refrain as will make the plain scarf first.

This is the Cascade 220 in a gorgeous deep purple. I will use this first to make the IHS,and wristwarmers and then use the Noro for the second one. Both of these will be for me but I am planning to make an IHS, cable wristwarmers and hat for my best friend but am unsure at the moment to which colour to use.

If you are beginning to see a pattern in that all my yarn is either green or pink/purple I'm afraid that I absolutely love pink and purple and have many clothes/accessories etc in these colours but also have a lot clothes/accessories in khaki green and brown. I will make an effort to branch away from these colours but can't promise too much.

The Tua Cha wristwarmers are now finished and I am just waiting for the autumn to wear them. I plan on finishing the Fan the Flames scarf in green by the end of the week and casting on the IHS. I may well cast on the voodoo wristwarmers or the maybe a more challenging pair of socks. In the mean time I want to make a pink hairband from some Sirdar Tufty I found lying around especially for the Race for Life and maybe yarn allowing will make some simple wristbands.

Maybe it will work this time!

2006-07-10T00:15:00.000+01:00

Why is it when you have some cool pics to show the world the technology decides to censor you? I am in love with my (single) Tua Cha (pattern from knitty) and can't wait until the pair are finshed. The second was cast on last night. I am really sorry this has been discontinued as the colours are so lovely and perfectly match my duvet cover).

More pink...trainer socks, just like normal socks but with less rib and only 3 or 4 rounds before heel flap. They are great stash busters as use up less than 50g of yarn and perfect for wearing in summer. These are made with Opal Rainforest in Flamingo.

I manged to do absolutely no knitting today which is unlike me. I will have to make up for it tomorrow. My pedometer arrived yesterday so can take it out with me when i go training tomorrow. How exciting!! (oh dear! I must get a life)

Buttons Buttons & More Buttons

2006-07-09T22:40:00.000+01:00

I have at last discovered to add buttons - of the virtual kind, with links, to my blog. I have to say a BIG thank you to Karla for her e-mail as it helped enormously. In gratitude I have added her button to my links so all can visited her blog. I am feeling really pleased with myself as two weeks ago would never imagine I would even attempt html and was so envious of people with lovely brightly coloured buttons on their blog. I have a link to my sponsor site if anyone is feeling generous and wishes to sponsor me for the Race for Life.

I have plenty of knitting pics to show both finished and wip.

WIPS

This is a lovely wrap that eventually has buttons on it so has the look of a poncho about it. It is made in Patons Coast and Patons Washed Haze Aran. The Coast doesn't have the best texture when in a ball but knits up to a lovely heavy drape. It ia just garter stitch interspersed with drop stitch (the washed haze aran bit). I also have a pattern for a matching bag. Below is a (slightly blurry) close of the stitch detail.

A while ago I ordered some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock from Get Knitted and chose this a my free pattern. It is called Fan The Flames and is designed by Sue Morgan. I have use Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino Shade 503. (Yes I am having a green phase at the moment) It was supposed to be one of my stashalong projects but I only had two ball of the yarn and 1/3rd through realised would need another - but as the purchase was to complete the project its not so bad. This is just the fancy end section there is then a length of garter stitch and the same pattern the other end. I think if I make another I will do the main scarf section in stocking stitch but will finish this as it is.

Of course as I have a pair of socks otn, these are trainer socks using Opal Rainforest yarn in flamingo. They are great as use up less than 50g of yarn. I have already made a pair for my stepsister, complete with matching knitted gift bag and want to finish mine by July 23rd so I can wear then for Race for Life - being pink and all. I was going to show you them along with my gorgeous Tua Cha wristwarmers in Debbie Bliss Maya but blogger is playing up and won't seem to upload my pics. Will go have a tantrum (i.e. shout and boyf to make it work who will look at me perplexed and I will do it myself).

Brain Hurts!!!

2006-07-08T00:44:00.000+01:00

Spent today at an open day for University of Cambridge and found out that i will be one of 14,400 applicants for 1 one of 20 places on their graduate entry medicine course. I found the day very enlightening and although they drilled home the realism of disappointment still made you leave with a glimmer of hope. I have other unis to go and look at but will def apply to cambridge anyway - as they say, you've got to be in it to win it!
For my sins I have agreed to do the Race for Life in two weeks with my mum. What was i thinking - 5Km in this heat. It should be good and will no doubt get pics of us before and after the torture. Wish me luck!

Kool-Aid Pictures

2006-06-25T19:53:00.000+01:00

At last I have the pictures from the Kool-Aid dying. I didn't take any pictures during the dying process as I was too afraid I would end up dying the camara.
The method I used was as follows:

Arrange yarn into required size skeins, remembering to tie in aleast four places or the result will be a beautifully coloured tangleed mess!
Soak yarn in warm water and vinegar (this helps the dye to bind to the yarn) for 20mins, allow to dry or use when damp.
Prepare Kool-Aid ( I used one packet with 200ml of water in a pint size plastic beaker).
Dip required section of yarn into dye, squeeze excess back into beaker or into dish but returning to beaker before next dip. Repeat 2 or 3 times.
Repeat with different sections of yarn and differetn colours.
Place yarn in microwavable dish and 'cook' for 1 to 3 mins depending on microwave and yarn size.
Allow to cool
Once cool wash in mild detergent ( I used my normal wool handwash stuff) and rinse
Allow to dry

Here is the dyed Kool-Aid yarn drying outside in the sun.

Sock yarn dyed with Kool-Aid

Top Left - Jamaica, Grape Illusion & Tropical Punch

Top Right - Strawberry Kiwi & Grape

Bottom Left - Stawberry Lemonade, Blue Raspberry & Grape

Bottom Right - Jamaica, Tropical Punch & Raspberry Reaction

Aran Weight Yarn (100% wool with polyester twist)

Really sorry but can't remember what i used for these.

Uninspired!!!

2006-06-22T22:03:00.000+01:00

I've been feeling really uninspired over the past few days. I just haven't had that urge to pick up the needles and I really don't know why. I have two projects on the go, a gorgeous wrap in Patons Coast and Washed Haze Aran and a pair of socks for my stepdad, but somehow they just aren't giving me the fix I crave. I think it maybe that I have reached the stage where I need to venture to the more complex patterns. The trouble is I don't actually have the confidence to start something 'tricky', as I still class myself as an advanced beginner - I've only been knitting since Dec 2005.
I'm just hoping the 'thrill' of the needles returns soon, maybe its the weather leaving me feeling lethargic. I do have a great pattern from US for a lace effect shawl using recycled sari silk, but I'm waiting for the needles to arrive to start it. They should be here shortly, so maybe this will get the juices lowing again.
I also want to start cabling, I have cabled once, a hat, which I found quite easy and have patterns for socks, wrist warmers and a scarf. I think whilst studying the simple knitting is s great way to unwind and clear my head of long (and often boring) scientific explains but now I have this ridiculous long summer it appears time to get the brain cells working and advance my knitting. Who knows by the end of the summer I may even have designed something myself (don't hold me to that, prob being too over confident now.)

Kool- Aid Dying Complete

2006-06-18T16:55:00.000+01:00

Had an excellent two days with the Kool-Aid. Firstly I used the opal undyed sock yarn and some undyed 4ply, then today I used the aran weight yarn. Am still waiting for the aran weight to finish drying but think I prefer the colours achieved with the 4ply. I also washed out the recycled sari silk yarn so as soon as the needles arrive can start work on that.

I used the dip-dying method for the 4ply yarn, just dipping it into the dye in a plastic cup then putting the yarn in the microwave - this seemed to work really well and some great colours were achieved. I was however only using 25-50g of yarn at a time, as I was wanting to experiment more with colour than aiming to achieve the perfect yarn to knit with, however I now have enough of the same colour combinations to knit a few pairs of trainer sock - perfect for presents in this weather.

The aran yarn was dyed in batches of 100g and I had to adapt the method for this - I put the yarn in a microwave dish added the dye squished and cooked for 2 mins. This appears to have done the job but the colours are not so pleasing - but I will pass final judgment when they are dry and balled. As soon as this is done I will post piccies for all to see.

All in all I am pleased with my attempt and will definitely be making it a regular in my crafting timetable.

Losing my blog virginity

2006-06-15T01:29:00.000+01:00

Hurrah!!!

I am no longer a blog virgin... and it didn't hurt one little bit.

I have been thinking about doing this for a while but never got round to it, but what with uni over until October thought i'd give it a go. The commencement of the blog coincides with my first attempt at Kool-Aid dying tomorrow (well today really, but after some sleep) so my next entry will be either joyous and jubulent or gutted and gruesome. Hopefully with pics if a) can get camara working and b) can work out how to upload pics.

About Me

I spend most of my time knitting or studying. A rather unvaried life for some, but I like it. I am hoping that this blog will allow me to share my knitting and dying triumphs, (and hopefully spinning, if i can find a teacher) and allow me to share my experiences of ME. Knitting and ME are two of the most dominant things in my life so on a day to day basis it is these that either keep me going or drive me down.

On the upside i have a very supportive boyfriend and 6 gorgeous little hamsters who no doubt any regulars will come to know and love - the hamsters that is, not the boyfriend.

All the best for now

Bagpuss

My knitting & ME

Moving

Great Contest

not kidnapped

Jack Sparrow Socks

Easter Visitor

Substitute - The Who

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

Theme Dye Swap Questions

Films

Just for fun...

SP10 Questionnaire

Silent Poetry Reading

WIP wednesday

KMKS

I'm a joiner...

Swap updates

Still here...

So true!

Stranded

FO's and xmas knitting

Hamster Babies & Books

Lacevember

Knit Mitt Kit Swap Questions

regular wips on hold..

oops!

NaBloPoMo

Swap Parcels

more sp9 questions

SP9 contest answers

Socktoberfest Questions

SP9 questionnaire

Socktoberfest

My fave tea cup

Sock Wars

Bubble (01/04-09/06)

Holiday

My new fave yarn..

is it too early to think of xmas?

Saturday Sky

WIP progress

How lucky am I?

No camara at the moment

The proof is in the eating...

Saturday Sky

More finished socks and free yarn!

Calling all sock knitters...

Unst now finished.

Saturday Sky...(aka Yuck!)

New Knitting Mag - Out Now!

Yarn, FO & sheep.

Melodrama over...

Should be sleeping

The bag is blocking!

Nearly an FO

socks, socks and fave colours.

Bad blogger (and 1 1/2 fo's)

yet more new projects

I did it!!

Fave Colour Swap Questionnaire

wilting in the heat!

meet the family pt2

meet the family

I've fallen in love (again)

all html'd out

New Yarn

Maybe it will work this time!

Buttons Buttons & More Buttons

Brain Hurts!!!

Kool-Aid Pictures

Uninspired!!!

Kool- Aid Dying Complete

Losing my blog virginity