A Surreal Experience

I'm pleased to say I started to feel vaguely alive on Thursday and was much better on Friday so had a lovely weekend. And so started the most surreal experience with Biggy Print. Now, I've used it before, love it and am always amazed how quickly it knits up. But I've never made anything bigger than a scarf. So on Thursday evening I felt well enough to start a new project, a fitted zipped jacket pattern for Rowan International members that had been recommended to me by Linda who'd already made it. And to my amazement by Sunday night I'd finished the front and the back.

It is really weird spending a few hours knitting and then the back suddenly appears. It's almost like magic. I mean, I'd really not been spending much time knitting at all. Very odd. You'd think seeing as I make quite a bit in Big Wool or Colinette Point 5 I'd be used to super bulky yarns. But Biggy Print is really something else. So of course Sunday had to involve a trip to JL to have a look at the zips. I've got a couple in 2 lengths so one of them should be ideal. No doubt the collar won't take long either.

I had a strange occurence happen with a ball of Biggy Print though. The middle of a ball of fell out while I was knitting with it. Hmm. Rather odd I thought. Then it dawned on me the middle of the ball couldn't fall out - or could it? On closer inspection, the middle was 4 short cut lengths. Weird or what. I took it back to JL and they refunded the ball. Never had that happen before.

I also managed to snap one of my favourite 5" Brittany DPNs on a fiddly K2tog. Luckily they're guaranteed so a replacement should wing its way to me soon.

The last odd event happened when I managed to return an Amazon rental DVD case back to them - but without the DVD in it! Oh well. These things happen. Funny how its always in three's though.....



And finally, a picture of Shingle. She'd been waiting for the ties to be done for just ages. I really got the timing of her wrong. Usually I manage to work it really well so that I can wear whatever I've made. But I started her too late in the year and it only dawned on me that she needs to go over a camisole/vest top once she was finished and I'd tried her on. I was disappointed at the time but she does look lovely and will be perfect for next year.

Crazy Electra Socks

I found out the name of these umm 'vivid' socks and boy they're apt. Crazy Electra. I've fallen in love with them more and more and they are currently at the no. 1 favourite sock spot. The stretch yarn is fantastic. I'd hearn some people had trouble with it or just weren't that keen, me, I think its brilliant and want some more. In fact, it will be quite hard work going back to just plain old 4 ply. Except for Lorna's Laces of course. They are always an exception.

I'm afraid that's pretty much it on the FO front. I'm poorly and have been for a few days now and not ventured out into the real world since Friday. So the knitting is very very quiet as my head and brain no longer seem to function. I can manage socks as I can just do a few rows here and there. Thank god for socks......

And why is it when you're ill you think of all the knitting you could get done while you're resting but of course it never happens. If you're ill knitting becomes the equivalent of doing brain surgery. I'm at the stage when I'm looking forward to actually having the energy to do some cleaning and dusting! Things must be bad then.

My leg warmers have come in very handy lately and are one of the most surprisingly useful items I've made recently. Which reminds me, I am now the pround owner of Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Nothing unusual about this you think? Well getting the book has been what can only be described as a challenge. I had it on order with Amazon for 3 months before they cancelled. Why oh why does it take so long to get a book that is easily available in the US? Just don't get it. Anyway, shortly after cancelling I saw it on Amazon with a 1-2 week wait (rather than the 3-5 that ended up over 12!) so I tried ordering it again, only to find the day after it was back to the 3-5 week wait again. So finally, in desperation, I investigated ordering it via Amazon Marketplace from the US. To my surprise I found out the postage was the same as ordering from a UK company. So of course I quickly ordered it and it arrived in about 12 days and was a nice cheer me up on Saturday.

It is a lovely book however something rather odd happened. My husband likes one of the patterns - but for HIMSELF! This is a first, he's never wanted to make him anything more than maybe gloves. I am not sure how I feel about this. I mean if he asks me to make it I can hardly say no, but crumbs, I could make 2 tops out of his 1 - at least....... and knowing my boredom threshold is practically nonexistent, would it ever be finished? Lets hope nothing more is mentioned. Must go and hide the book now.....



Finally Thunder says a big thank you to everyone thinking of him. He's totally healed up and is as bonking mad as ever. The only thing that seems to calm him down when he's in one of his mad as a hatter moods is 1. food (no surprise there) and 2. a lovely scratch on the ear which sends him all gooey and cuddly. Bless.

Colder Days

It definitely feels like winter has arrived over the past week. The heating has gone on and the scarves I made have come in very handy. I really need to finish some of my gloves and armwarmers that I have started though. I think I have 3 pairs in various stages now. My fingers are starting to get rather cold......and I have an urge to do jigsaw puzzles which is total proof that winter has surely arrived.

Lizzy is coming along really well. One sleeve finished and another started so shouldn't be too long before the finishing gets started. Which might take longer than expected as she has frills on the edges of just about everywhere.



Poor Thunder had his op with no problems and was recovering quite nicely. I was due to take him for his checkup on Friday and before going noticed that things were not quite right. As I suspected, he decided stitches were not for him so he removed them. Luckily the wound is small so I just need to bathe twice daily in salt water. This seems to have done the trick and everything seems to be healing up nicely. He seems to be back to his mad old self and is bouncing round the room like nobody's business.



House of Fraser had one of their 25% discount days last Thursday and I just HAD to go. I didn't actually need anything, but boy did I want something. I had a good think before I went and decided on yarn to make the Lana Grossa cardi I fell in love with a little while back. They only had 20% discount off the yarn though this time which was a first as its always been 25%, but still a good deal as it was something I'd been wanting for a little while.

All those balls of frogged ASC have been looking at in a kind of questioning way, asking me what is to become of them. I can't see me making anything to wear for a while so I'm using up some of the smaller balls to make dishcloths and washcloths. They've never appealed to me before but now I rather like the idea, and its get rid of a few balls of ASC into the bargain.



So no surprises that my first facecloth is a bunny design which I finished in a couple of hours for my DH. He said it worked very well in the bath last night but wanted to know where the black eyes and fluffy white tail are. I'm sure men are worse than children ;) I'm going to make a dishcloth next and will do a a house pattern. I found this site full of cute dishcloth patterns and will probably make a few. I'll go down a needle size for the next one though, and see how it turns out. That's the great thing about them, the gauge doesn't really matter. You can always whip up another and of course being machine washable comes in very handy. I wonder if I'll actually manage to finish any gloves now that I've discovered the joys of knitted cloths.....

Saddle Shoulders Are Evil

I've finished the gorgeous Regan scarf from Big Just Got Bigger in the gorgeous Splash colourway. Many thanks Linda for the yarn you sent me - I got just a couple more balls as the yarn just screamed scarf at me. It's lovely and warm and I'm now the proud owner of a proper big superbulky scarf. Not that its cold enough to wear yet but no doubt won't be long.

Macey is dead. She died last night. Well, to be exact she has been frogged. She was not turning out as expected. I was actually sewing - ahem 'attempting' - the collar on with that feeling in your tummy that says, you hate her, she is horrid, you won't wear her. So I left it and had a little chat with DH who agreed I would never be happy with her and that was that. Funny how relieved I was once I started frogging her.

It all really started with the saddle shoulder seams and the realisation that it was practically impossible to get a nice neat seam. Or anything resembling even half decent might not have been too bad. I like my seams perfect you see. It never actually dawned on me that she had saddle shoulders or if I had noticed, it wouldn't have occurred to me that saddle shoulders are pure evil and are designed to drive us totally insane trying to get them to look right. Yes, just utter pure evil. In fact, there should be law against using them in hand knitted designs. It took me hours trying to get them to just 'ok' standard and I was not happy. She almost ruined my Sunday she did. Didn't matter how many times I redid them, they never looked that good. And if that wasn't bad enought, the stupid sewing on of the collar was hard work too. Sewing it on with slip stitch didn't look right, and mattress stitch was no good either as it was too loose.

I was disappointed at the time especially with the saddle shoulders, but now quite happy. She is gone and is no more with her crappy seams bugging me and her stupid collar annoying the hell out of me. Verdict - saddle shoulders are crap. What is the point in them? No wonder I've never seen them before on a knitted design. I know why now! And I'm a bit put off with All Seasons Cotton too. I've seen it used on kids stuff and looks great, but all I can think of is I'd much rather be knitting with Calmer. I am definitely a tactile knitter (aka Yarn Snob)!

So I have to apologise to Linda who is also knitting Macey. I hope I haven't frightened you off and that she gives you less trouble! I know people that have made her and been happy - though all admit the saddle shoulders are a nightmare. But she is just not for me.

Lizzy, which is such a joy to knit, is finally getting arms. The only reason I hadn't started is the design has short sleeves and I want long ones so I tried to plan a quiet half hour or so to work that out. This of course is unlikely to happen so I gave in and worked it out whilst watching tv. She is so soothing after recent events and much needed.......



My very bright sock is finished and the colour has really grown on me. I've used Regia Stretch and love the feel of it. Although the yarn looks like it should be for a toddler, it is perfect for autumn when the days are grey and rainy and you need a bit of sunshine in your day.



I had fun and games knitting some convertible mittens - originally they were going to have fingers and after some frogging gave up that idea. One is finished and I rather like them. I'm almost looking forward to colder weather so I can try them and see if they work ok.

I managed to find a UK supplier of the Knitting 2006 Daily Boxed Calender which I'd been hearing about. I can definitely recommend Calender Club for quick service as I got my copy the day after ordering. They have branches around the UK so I thought I'd ring my local one to see if they had a copy but they didn't, but the very nice guy gave me the office number and a code for free shipping into the bargain. So I am most impressed as it has cost me just £9.99! As I bought it for myself I've opened it and gone through the patterns. There is a real variety and several that I will definitely make.



Poor Thunder is off to the vets tomorrow for an operation. He's got a little frisky in the last week and after a check up at the vets yesterday was declared 'most definitely ready'! I feel sorry for him already though. He's so young still and so cute looking.......but my husband is getting a bit fed up as he seems to be the target of Thunders attentions ;)

Somerset Sock In Wedded Bliss

My somerset sock now has a mate and they are now living together happily ever after and look very cute snuggled up together.

While they're settling into married bliss I've beeing having a think about what magazines to continue to subscribe to. My sub copy of Family Circle Easy Knitting arrived a few days ago and as usual there's something I like in it. It has patterns for socks on 4mm DPNs using 2 strands, so these would be a real quick knit. I like the sound of that......

FCEK is the one subscription that never gives me any troubles. I order it, my copies arrive, no problems. Lovely.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for Vogue Knitting or Interweave Knits. I got so fed up with VK that I cancelled my direct sub with them and took one out with GMC in the UK who are fantastic and since then, no problems. I do love VK though and wouldn't be without it.

Interweave Knits has been a challenge of a subscription from day one, with late issues, missing issues and once an issue arriving without any packaging whatsoever. Funny though that this is the only magazine that keeps sending me reminders to continue my subscription. I think not. I'm waiting on the last issue to arrive of my subscription and that, I think, will be that. There isn't anything I want to make from IK really, a few bits I like but nothing that screams KNIT ME!!! So unless the new issue has something that gets my knitting juices going I won't continue. And even if I decide I still want it, it will be via a UK company. I've learn that lesson the hard way. What I don't get is if FCEK can provide a brilliant subscription service from the US, why can't VK and IK? Anyway, rant over. It's time to move on.



Lizzy is looking lovely. If I get into serious knitting mode I could make a big dent into those sleeves. Whether this will happen or not is anyone's guess. I'm currently on a sock and glove/mitten binge at the moment. Yes, another one.

I ended up frogging my flip-top mittens I'd started from the S&B Nation book as I wasn't happy with the pattern. The thumb didn't have a proper gusset and just wasn't good enough so rip, rip it went. However, I did find this great pattern for mittens using Biggy Print which I'm amending to make them flip-top ones. These will be the 'freezing weather' mittens as boy these mittens are solid! They stand up on their own and would walk if they could. But for sure they will definitely keep out the cold. The pattern uses 8mm DPNs - yes, for Biggy Print! Great was of using up a couple of balls if you're lucky to have some lying around.......will post a photo when they're finished. No doubt I'll make another pair in Rowan Polar that will be quite a bit softer if I decide I'm happy with the design.

Well done Knitty.com for this amazing pattern for a knitted breast prostheses that really got me thinking. What an amazing attitude this woman has - make sure you read right through the article - the ending is superb. If you go through to the designer's site, make sure you have a look at the Watermelon design. How amazing can knitting be? I've never seen anything like this site before and am sure there is nothing similar in the UK. There really should be.

Ally Pally

Well I managed to finish the fringing on my Adriafil Baba scarf on the train to Ally Pally and the Knitting & Stitching Show. Luckily it wasn't that cold on the way home so I didn't end up using it but am very pleased with it and it is very soft and warm and the perfect length for a cream Roxy jacket I have. It was nice to actually use the whole 2 balls and have no leftovers remaining whatsover.

The show was good fun though very, very tiring indeed. By the time I met my best friend and we actually arrived it was almost 2pm and we sat and had a cup of tea and lunch while the Elle Fashion Show was just finishing. Then we were off and ready to go buying. Of course the best stalls are always busy and the ones you're not interested in quite empty but that's always the way. As usual Colinette was the absolute favourite and we couldn't resist buying some Point 5. Unfortunately I have been barred from taking a picture of it as it is a Xmas pressie from my DH. I'm also not allowed the 2 double ended Clover stitch holders that I bought either. Yes, they're for Xmas too.



But here's a picture of the colourway Mist I bought. It is just beautiful and the colour just talked to me and the 8 skeins I got will make a gorgeous jacket.

That was the main purchase at the fair. I didn't end up spending much money on myself as the lovely Knit Tin scarf set I fell in love was equally admired by Joanne so we ended up buying each other one, yep, for Xmas. These tins are fabulous as you get to choose the yarn you want and they make up a kit for you and include the gorgeous Brittany Birch needles and a simple pattern too! The needles are lush and the perfect size for scarf making. They had Rowan Ribbon Twist and various Colinette yarns available for the kits and more that I can't remember. Check out their site at The Knit Tin which will shortly have an online ordering facility. This stall was a great find and had some beautiful stuff. I chose Colinette Point 5 in Lagoon for my kit and boy is it bright and colourful.

Web of Wool is always a favourite and I bought my friend a kit (yes Xmas again) then decided I wanted one too so she's bought me one as well. I chose a yarn with some new fangled ingredient called Polycolon and came with bamboo Clover DPNs which I haven't tried before. Anna did explain what Polycolon did. Something about keeping your feet dry is what I remember. I also got some fabulous 5" Brittany Birch DPNs and I just love them. They are the perfect length though feel like knitting with toothpicks. They are also blunter than other needles but this doesn't actually make any difference. They are now officially my favourite sock knitting DPNs.

It was lovely to see Sue and Carol at Get Knitted. I also bumped into four of the staff at my local John Lewis on the way in and on the way out.



And that was it really shopping wise, apart from the new Vogue Knitting mag for just £2 which I couldn't resist even though my sub copy arrived on Saturday. Oh yes, and a ball of the brightest sock yarn imaginable. I quickly nipped to Web of Wool again to buy a ball so I could show Joanne how to start knitting a sock. Can you believe she wouldn't let me start my sock kit! So I had to go and get a ball didn't I?

I've been asked for some more info on my Cat jacket which I made using Colinette Point 5 instead of Rowan Big Wool. I used the shade Blue Parrot and the pattern is Cat from the Rowan Big Wool Collection. I wasn't keen on the collar for Cat so followed the pick up instructions for another pattern in the booklet and just knitted it in garter stitch to match the jacket until I was happy with the length. The stitch tension for both of these yarns is the same but Colinette is worked on 12mm needles and Big Wool on 15mm needles for this design. The row gauge is slightly different but as you measure the length anyway it didn't make any difference. It took 7 balls to make the small size. The original pattern had stripes but I just knitted it plain. I got so many comments at the show that I lost count. It was lovely to have complete strangers come up to me and say how lovely she is, but she got so big headed she could hardly contain herself ;)

PS - some Big Wool designs are knitted on 12mm needles so can't be subbed with Point 5 so easily as they have a different tension. Make sure the design has a 7.5 tension first! And of course the yardage will be different so take that into account too.

Letter Have It!

Well she's finally finished and I'm really pleased with her. I'd actually finished knitting her before we we went to St Ives so chucked her in the machine on our return, and only realised after that I'd forgotten to take a picture of her pre-felting. Sue from Get Knitted was right, Colinette Skye does shrink a lot! Good job I made her a little bigger than the small size in the book. Getting a zip was fun as I only took a sample of yarn with me but of course the colour changes after felting and I wasn't happy with it once I got it home. But once the zipped was changed it was all systems go and I'm very happy with my latest bag creation. Seems ages since I last made one but it's only a couple of months.

I think she may be coming with me to Ally Pally on Thursday. She deserves an outing doesn't she?

I finally managed to cast on the 2nd Somerset sock. Socks are weird. As soon as you start one you can't put it down. But then you can happily forget about them. Until the next urge to cast on starts. I really need to get this sock done so I can start on my winter Alpaca ones. Ooh, my feet can hardly wait.

On Saturday we went to see The Moscow Ballet performing Swan Lake which was fabulous. I must have seen Swan Lake 3 times now but each time is as magical. I just love going to the ballet and luckily my DH is happy to indulge me once or twice a year. But coming home reminded me how cold it gets in the evenings now so I may have to bring a scarf with me on Thursday to keep me snug on the journey home. Just have to knit one up then. I spy the Adriafil Baba just asking to be knitted up......



And lastly, here's Thunder have a relaxing time on the sofa. He prefers the cushions without covers apparently. I'd literally just taken one off for washing and he buried himself in it. Lucky bunny!