Doing My Own Thing

As you can see, the back of Deep is finished. I didn't get anywhere near as much wrist and arm ache as I expected, which will be due to the lower cotton content. This is a good thing as I really enjoy knitting with Summer Tweed. The downside is that I've done no more on River as I've been quite happily knitting away on Deep.



I managed to sneak in this fab FO - a Beanie hat from Simply Noro using my remaining ball of Shinano. DH wasn't that keen on the pattern in the book but I knew it would look good and was proved right. It's a fab hat. Hopefully though it will be getting warmer and I won't get to wear it much.....



I've also finished my Lorna's Lace's Uptown sock. And casted on for its sibling. And so discovered I've managed to turn the cast on for the ribbing inside out.......which means the cast on row doesn't match the sibling. But I'm leaving the 2nd sock 'correct'. Of course if I had done a 2x2 rib, I could have simply turned it inside out. However, on a K3P1 rib its not that simple. Hopefully it won't show too much once I'm wearing them. But as they're not twins anyway shouldn't be too obvious. Annoying though eh - thats the beauty of knitting - always something to watch out for and new to learn. Where knitting is concerned, its always a continual learning curve. Guess thats part of what makes it so interesting.

I've bought very little yarnwise recently, but managed to nab this lovely Opal Cotton Rodeo sock yarn on Ebay. I wish they did 50g balls though, as I can make a pair of trainer socks from just 50g easily and like having lots of different coloured socks.



That darned cheeky rabbit Thunder gets worse. The other day he was sat snug as a bug in a rug squashed in between my DH & me on the sofa. Then he flies into the air and lands on my latest Rowan knitting mag that I was actually working on!! And proceeds to carry on sitting on it whilst washing himself.....I could hardly believe my eyes. I whipped him off it quickly before he realised that he was indeed sat on what in his eyes are bunny treats, ie. paper and card. Is my rabbit weird or do they all EAT paper and card? Not just nibble or chew, but actually eat it!

Which brings me on to explain a bit about my weirdness. Being a most independent Taurean, I'm not really into joining things and group activities. So I'm happily letting the Knitting Olympics go straight over my head. Me, I just like to do my own thing. Which the eagle eyed of you may have sussed out already. Seeing as I never join knit-a-longs or Secret Pal or anything like that. I rather like being peculiar and weird you see. It makes me happy :) Plus the minute I have a deadline I'm not interested anymore and all the fun goes for me. It's either at my own pace or not at all. Told you I was weird.



Finally, I'll leave you with a shot of my flowers that were for Valentine's Day. I chose them myself and got them a few days beforehand, before the prices went skyhigh and the choice gets limited. They're gorgeous and smell beautiful.

Pretty In Pink

I wish I could explain why my Marakesh bag has been waiting a week just for her lining to be slipstitched in. But I can't. I mean, once I actually got a sewing needle out and some thread it only took 10 darned minutes! And now she's all finished and I have another FO. And very purrty and ever so nice and I'm very happy. A perfect holiday bag me thinks. I've taken a close of the toggle so you can imagine how I was using the large Chibi to force the cord through.......and of course how I ended up putting it right through my finger. It has now healed up perfectly!

I guess all these 'it will only take 10 minutes' just add up don't they. Which would explain the pile of pressing/sewing up thats starting to back up - yet again......

Laura is still awaiting sewing up, though all pressed and ready to go. Elspeth is all knitted up now and half pressed, needs the other half pressing then sewing up, then the dreaded crochet border. Lordy lord - oh boy I just can't wait for that!



However, proper knitting has been going quite well thank you very much. I started Deep once the knitting part of Elspeth was done. Boy doesn't Summer Tweed reek? I like knitting with it though, even if DH does object to the smell. Last night he asked why I didn't wash it first. Funnily enough it seems to bother him more than more than me. The first night of knitting it went wonderfully well, till the combination of cotton and non-stop ribbing took their toll and I got wrist and shoulder ache. So that was the end of that for the day. Now I'm knitting just for a short while a day, till I get just the slightest inkling of a twinge, then I finish the row and put it down. No point doing myself any damage is there. It will get done, but will take a while.



So of course then I had to think what else to start. No cotton of course, preferably something with wool. I decided on River in Cherry Tree Merino Laceweight which has been on my list for a while. She is very pretty but also quite slow going as you do have to concentrate. Well I certainly have to. And it doesn't take too long before all that concentration starts to bore me......



So then I have a sock to turn to. A lovely and soft Lorna's Laces I've been dying to knit. I love the colourway. Nice and bright - just the way I like them ;)

At the weekend I managed to pop into JL briefly to have a look at the new yarns. And rather disappointing it was. All I came out with was the Tuscan Retreat book. And that was it!!!! This booklet is lovely, however Holiday yarn is very expensive indeed. I nearly fell of the chair when I worked out the lovely Lucia would cost almost STG100 - and I'm only a UK 8/10!!! Hmmm. I do like the yarn but am a bit worried it will snag too easily. There is a nice bag pattern that only uses 4 balls but again, will it hold up being made up into a bag? Not sure I'm afraid. I'm just so glad I stocked up on Cotton Tape in the sales. Much nicer, better brighter colours and not so snaggy. Not to mention cheaper!

Last but not least. I have to mention it though frankly I'd rather pretend it doesn't exist. Yes, I saw the frankly digusting Glimmer Print. I didn't even want to touch it. It just looked horrid. And when I did, it actually made my skin crawl! Yuck. It really was foul and how you could wear that on your skin I really don't know. A terrible disappointment and I'm almost embarassed for Rowan - its the kind of yuckky yarn I'd expect to come from cheap & nasty acrylic/nylon yarn companies. But there you go, I guess my reaction is definitely on the extreme end. Thats me all over really ;) I would print what my DH thought of it, but it is far too rude! Yep, he thought it most gross. And of course this all put me off the pattern booklet for it, as it just reminds me how ghastly the yarn is.

But, on the plus side, the 2 new RYC yarns are GORGEOUS. Natural Silk Aran and Luxury Cotton DK are definitely Rowan quality and I loved them. The pattern books were definitely not me but as they're standard Aran and DK yarns not a problem, I can happily sub them.

So good job I have my stash to go on with isn't it! My purse is very grateful though.....as is my DHs wallet ;)

The Wait Is Over

Wow - for the first time I got my Rowan magazine early. Yes folks, Rowan 39 arrived on Saturday and boy was I excited. It is full of lots of good stuff, some I'll definitely want to make, some I won't, and some that will probably grow on me. But for sure there is enough in there to please most people. And if more classic stuff is your thing, then there are loads of RYC booklets out plus some new Jaeger ones. They don't do much for me I'm afraid, but wouldn't life be so boring if we were all the same?

Me, I'm excited about the new Holiday yarn which I can't wait to see in the flesh. Its chunky which is always a plus for me and I've seen a couple of the patterns for it that really do it for me. The other new yarn, Glimmer Print, is umm, how can I put it..... different!!! What's with the gold in yarn?? But I'm sure people will like it, its just so not my cup of tea. But I think you could probably sub Cotton Tape for Glimmer Print so I may end up getting the booklet for that too.



Back to Rowan 39. Straight away Deep caught my eye and I have some Summer Tweed stash in Lilac that would be fab for this. I won't be doing stripes, just a nice plain version. All that ribbing doesn't look like fun, but I shall persevere!



Nicole is the funkiest 4 ply pattern I've seen. It says you need 4 balls but I might be tempted to try and get away with 3 as I've already got some in my stash. As most of you know, pure cotton and me really don't get along too well so I'd prefer to use my stash rather than get any more. Rowan is notorious for over estimating yarn requirements which is a good thing, as its very rare that I run out. A lot of the time I end up with a ball over.



Sea Horse is a great design, but its in Cotton Glace so I'd probably do it plain in Linen Drape - using up more stash and avoiding chronic arm ache from all that darned cotton!



Bliss and Jewel are the designs in my favourite Calmer that have caught my eye. Both are very 'pretty' designs though, so whether I'll end up making them I'm not sure. I generally don't do 'pretty' too well. But they both keep talking to me.... I just can't visualise me wearing them at the mo.



The Vina Bag is just beautiful. Unfortunately I don't have enough in my stash to make it, or the colours I'd like, so it's on the possible list for now. I just can't justify the cost, especially as I haven't yet finished a HK Cotton bag from Rowan 37 I started last year......yep, its that cotton arm ache again :(

There is also another beautiful new wrap Victoria in KSH in this mag. I still have Birch on my list but am sure I've got enough Cherry Tree Lace to do both, as of course I'm allergic to KSH. So all in all a fabulous mag - these designs are just my top favourites! A welcome addition for this issue is the new easy reference guide which is just fab. Verdict - LOVE IT!



Knitting has been going really well. Elspeth has one front, and I'm currently on the other. Laura has a collar so now needs sewing up and buttons added. I had a dippy day last week and just couldn't follow a pattern, so picked up my Regia sock and finished it the following day. Thats the great thing about 6 ply yarn - it knits up ever so quick. So another January FO!



Thunder says hello and isn't it about time more pics were posted of him. He really is the sweetest rabbit and we are just so lucky to have him. Here he is munching on his absolute favourite, organic celery! I'm just so fed up with taking indoor pics and having to use the flash. I want nice bright days so I can get some decent pics without flash! Then I could show you my lovely Cotton Rope bag Marakesh which is all done too. Maybe next time!

Only A Week To Go

As you can see, the lovely Laura is almost finished. Just the collar and sewing up to! I heard from Rowan - a paragraph was missing from the pattern - and the front has no buttonholes at all as it messes up the very lovely ribbing which you can in the photo. As the yarn is super-bulky you just slip the button through a gap. So easy peasy in the end. Apparently Rowan had tried emailing me but their emails got bounced back. Seems like my firewall is working maybe too well.....Never mind, we got there in the end.

I've been faffing about trying to decide what project to start next. Part of the problem of course is that the new Rowan mag is out on the 1st Feb with 2 new yarns and accompanying booklets. Which of course will no doubt contain projects I'll want to make. So the idea was to make a quick knit that might be finished by the time the mag drops through my door.

Nice idea, but just didn't work. I did actually start a little halterneck summer top but got fed up after a few rows. It just wasn't happening so I frogged it. Then Elspeth started talking to me and after finding a fab bargain on Ebay for 4 balls of my favourite yarn Calmer for £12 plus postage, it was obvious it was meant for Elspeth. Only problem of course is that its a lace pattern. Which will take longer than a week for sure. And of course the minor problem that I cannot in any shape or form, read a knitting chart. Not forgetting that I also HATE lace knitting unless it involves no shaping at all then at least I can easily spot a mistake.

Knitting sends me into a trance so I rarely knit in the day, and the thought of having to concentrate on Elspeth turned me cold, so I decided to make it in good old stocking stitch. Which will suit me far better as I'm not really a delicate lace type of gal. So far she's going along nicely with the back complete, though now I regret not making something chunkier. Jumping straight from 12mm needles to 5mm ones is not to be recommended. I still feel like I'm knitting with toothpicks and that each row is taking just forever. But hey, I've started so I'll finish ;) And isn't she just a gorgeous colour?



I think she'll be perfect for holiday. Which reminds me that when I was looking through our jab records to work out if we needed any more for our trip to Langkawi in May, I was surprised to realise it was 10 years ago, in 1996, that I went on my first longhaul vacation to Kenya. It wast truly amazing. I remember it perfectly even now.

A weeks safari followed by 2 weeks on the beach recovering. I travelled on my own and so began the yearly ritual of jetting off each year somewhere exotic. The year after I went to Thailand for 3 weeks, followed by the Maldives, etc. etc. I just love travelling on my own - there is nothing quite like it. Of course I've gone with my DH for years now, but boy did I enjoy my independent travelling years. So to whet your appetite, here are a few pics from Kenya.....they're already on my computer as I printed them for an exhibition at a company I used to work for. I took hundreds of photos while on safari and still love looking through them all. You just cannot explain what it is like to be there. It really does have to be seen to be believed.

Beth Makes An Appearance

It's kind of been one of those weeks. You know the two steps forward and one back sort.....I'll explain. Knitting first of course.

Laura has a left front. And an arm. She would have had a right front cept there are no flippin instructions for the buttonholes anywhere on the pattern. If you have Big It Up, you can see for yourself. Ooh I was cross. I'm hoping to hear from Rowan before the other sleeve is done.....

The Cotton Rope Marakesh bag is all done apart from the lining. The pattern was a bit ambiguous and I ended up frogging a few rows so I could work the top bit where the cords come out properly but got there in the end. BUT while trying to thread the end of the cords through a handmade toggle managed to put a large Chibi needle right through my finger - and out again!!! Yes, it was very sore and bled a lot.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the next evening while in the bath I noticed one of the holes was pale green. Very odd I thought. What can that be? Eventually DH sussed it was the plastic from the Chibi case!!! Once I removed said plastic from finger it started to feel much better and is now healing quite nicely. Well it would really wouldn't it?



I have yet another FO all completed! This is Beth and she is lush. She came out much better than I hoped and I wore her all day today and she proved very popular. She was really easy to sew up too. Hurrah!!! The shaping was all done 3 sts in and this really made a difference so will probably do that again. I've done the shaping 1 or 2 sts in before but found it made the sewing up harder rather than easier. But 3 sts in seems to be the thing to do. Sorry about the missing head but husband was not doing his job too well as photographer. Will try and get a better one. Photo not husband!



And another FO - this time a cute swan washcloth. See, I do make things for my husband :)

I'm still without a car. It's been in the garage for over a week now. They've obviously tried to re-repair the repair but it's not happening and I won't accept any more shoddy work so they're replacing the whole panel. Again....I should hear more at the end of the week. By which time the nasty rash from the Monster Munch episode should be starting to settle down. More about that further down. Anyone that suffers allergies or intolerances will understanding exactly what I'm talking about.......

MEME: Seven times Seven

Annarella tagged me other day and I like this one so I'm playing:

Seven Things to Do Before I Die:

1. Visit Tibet
2. Visit Australia
3. Visit Russia (my dad is Russian!)
4. Learn Spanish
5. Make Fletcher from the Noro Iro my DH bought me
6. Be given an eternity ring - in due time of course
7. Move to Cornwall and live by the sea

Seven Things I Cannot Do:

1. Keep quiet when angry. It just makes the explosion to come far worse!
2. Eat meat or fish. Well I wouldn't, being a vegetarian for many years.
3. Use any toiletries or household cleaning products containing chemicals or additives. I'm allergic to practically everything so make many toiletries myself using aromatherapy or buy natural and organic products. One whiff of a chemical and I can suffer an asthma attack - and any high street toiletry product will do evil things to my eczema.
4. Bear anyone smoking anywhere near me. My DH is just the same too.
5. Throw anything away that can be recycled. I live at that recycling depot...
6. Eat anything with lactose, yeast or eggs more than once a week without suffering severe pain and other nasty things that trust me you do not want to know the details about.....
7. Eat junk food. It's organic home made food please thank you very much. I make all my own soups, pasta sauces, curries etc which are all organic and very tasty. Otherwise the crap in most junk food does nasty things to my body. Every now and again I forget this then get reminded. Like the other day when I ate my DHs Monster Munch and was rewarded with a bright red itchy full body rash. Which will take about a week to go. Allergy/food intolerance sufferers will know all about that one...

Seven Things That Attract Me to Blogging:

1. Making internet friends from all around the world
2. Showing off all my lovely projects
3. Sharing patterns and links I've found
4. Being able to post pictures of my menagerie and know people enjoy them
5. Learning from other people
6. Being able to show friends you no longer see as much what you're up to
7. Getting lovely comments

Seven Things I Say Most Often:

1. **** ***!
2. Thunder GET DOWN
3. Yeah right
4. Stop that
5. Yes, yes, yes, whatever
6. I love you
7. You're so cute

Seven Books That I Love:

1. Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters - Jane Crowfoot
2. Tully - Paullina Simons
3. Flashpoint - Lynn S Hightower
4. Last Minute Knitted Gifts - Joelle Hoverson
5. Sylvia Plath - The Bell Jar
6. 25 Bags to Knit - Emma King
7. My Rowan books of course

Seven Movies That I Watch Over and Over Again:

1. Badlands
2. True Romance
3. The Transporter
4. Gone In 60 Seconds
5. Ong Bak
6. Kickboxer
7. Layer Cake

Seven People I Want To Join In Too

1. Chris
2. Rebekah
3. Mandella
4. UKnitty
5. Mary
6. Fred
7. ???

No pressure of course. Just if you want to.

It's Still Cold Outside

Awww! See even Thunder agrees its a bit nippy whilst snuggling in between my DH's legs for cuddles. He looks like a baby still in this picture. Is there anything cuter?

My spreadsheet amendments seem to have done the trick nicely and I've come up with a few more patterns I'd like to make from my stash. There are still a few to go but so far it's been a great help. I would really like to reduce my stash a bit. It's not really that bad at all but I'd still love to reduce it some more. Maybe in readiness for the new yarns coming out at the end of the month..... But then again, its great being able to go through my spreadsheet and see what I fancy making. I mean, when you've decided what you want to make you always want to start it right now don't you? So of course you have to have some projects waiting to be done. Sounds good to me!

I've got some FO's to share so here goes.......Firstly yep, it's Lizzy now finally finished in all her glory. The frills on the wrists really set her off and I'm really pleased with her. She will need a wash before wearing as she's a little stiff - not surprisingly with all those twigs & other paraphanalia in the yarn. She is very different from what I usually wear and I can't quite imagine wearing her. But as its too cold yet I have plenty of time to work out what to wear her with. My DH is really impressed.



She really is something quite special. Easy to knit, not so easy to sew up. The stitching itself was easy enough and looked great, it was just that Noro Shinano does not appreciate being yanked and pulled about so short lengths and extra twisting are essential. Unfortunately I like very long lengths and sewing up in one go. This just didn't work and made the sewing up a lot more annoying than it should have been. But hey, you live and learn and she was worth it in the end.



Then we have the Snowflake Hat which was easy to knit. She needs her ends sorted and pressing but thats it. No sewing up - YEAH!!!!



And lastly a sock knitted with Regia 6Ply. Of course until it gets a mate its not a proper FO, but it looks cute anyway. I love the K3P1 rib too. Will definitely do that again. As you can see, I don't bother pressing my socks. I let my feet do that job!

I'm desperate to get into a big, relaxing project now. Had enough of smaller ones where you have to keep checking where you are in the pattern. I just want some mindless knitting please. Bigger projects are just so relaxing.......

The Marakesh bag now has some matching lining and is pressed. So now just the bag lining and sewing up to be done but thats nothing major. The ties are all done. My my, I am ahead of myself!

Chris asked me where I was off to for my holidays in May. You just have to visit her site and see the most amazing picture of Chaos the very inquisitive cat!

I am very happy to announce that we're going to Langkawi, Malaysia in May and I just can't wait to go. It's been on my list for a few years but due to flight price increases etc. haven't managed it. But I finally got a great deal and now we're going. It will be lovely. I love the Far East and so far have visited the Maldives (4 times!), Bali, Thailand & Sri Lanka. Told you I liked the Far East:) I have been elsewhere too (Kenya, Egypt, Antigua and Mexico) plus Majorca and Ibiza in my teens but its the Far East that I find totally irresistible.

Interestingly I met my DH in Bali. So of course we both share a love of travel and long haul holidays. I can't describe how amazing I find seeing other peoples different cultures and way of life. It kind of puts things in perspective for me.

And if you think I've been to a fair number of fab places, trust me, there are lots more places on my must visit list including Russia, Cuba, Australia, Tibet, Borneo, Galapagos Islands, Antartica and Canada and to name just a few plus of course re-visit some of the places I've already been!

Fred asked me how I was getting on with my new Brittany's. I just love them. They're the perfect addition. I couldn't do without my longer 33cm Inox but wherever possible, I go for the shorter length Brittany's. They feel so luxurious to use. I did find one pair not quite as smooth as my Inox, but no doubt they will feel smoother over time. Not that they were rough or anything - far far from it. In a nutshell, I adore them and am so glad I got them. Luckily for my wallet, the longer length Brittany's are just too long for me so the Inox are still safe!

Thinking Ahead

Well we're well into the New Year now. And for the last couple of weeks I've been thinking about summer clothes and what I want to make. As we go away in May - which is amazingly only 4 months away - I need to start planning. It's nice to have something to look forward to and imagine wearing summer clothes, especially while its so cold.

You might have guessed I don't really look back on the previous year and I haven't made any new year resolutions for at least 10 years. For me, its all about looking forward.



To start with I'm almost done on the Marakesh rucksack bag in Cotton Rope. I think it will be the most perfect holiday bag. It will now join my pile of sewing up which is getting quite ridiculous. I also need to finish off Laura which will probably be the last Big Wool project for a while. I did kind of lose the urge to make her as all I keep thinking about is all the new spring yarns that will be out on the 1st Feb from Rowan that I can hardly wait for ..... but I had a go at her yesterday and now her back is done.



Of course its not like I need any more yarn but I often change my mind about what pattern to make if something better comes along. Oh its so exciting..... all these new yarns and patterns to look forward to!

I've done some work on my knitting spreadsheet which is kind of like my bible. I'm a real super duper organised type of girl! It list all the yarn I have and all the projects I've made together with the yarn used and any other notes. Now I've juggled it about and have the project I have in mind next to the yarn and now a new list of patterns that catch my eye together with the yarn specifed from all the magazines and books I have. I hate having to search through everything when I'm looking for a particular pattern I know I've seen so hopefully that will make life a bit easier. And seeing how many magazines I currently subscribe too this is well needed.

I've frogged a couple of projects that I'd changed my mind about. The Drift coat in Rowanspun Chunky will now become a blanket. I've been promising myself one for ages so have started a few rows. It will be ever so warm and cosy as a blanket as I just couldn't imagine me wearing the coat. Also frogged are the Biggy Print flip top mitts. Super warm they might have been but flexible they definitely weren't.

The only problem with all these new ideas and projects I want to make is of course too little knitting time do do it all!!!!