Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Hello

Normal posting will resume soon. Major hardware problems resulted in a new hard drive. New hardrive resulted in no data! Back soon when all is sorted.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Gone roamin'

Today saw me in the far reaches of East Putney (South West London). This is what you do when it's half term and number 1 son is out and about without his mum. This is what you do when, the day before, you volunteer to chaperon 27 cubs on a visit to the Natural History Museum and for added spice, the Science Museum - during fashion week - held on the same grounds. Oh yes, I earned my trip to Stash!!

However, no one told me it would take 3.5 hours to get there. Two 'incidents', one gas leek, one collapsed building and one broken down train later - I finally arrived. I was not disappointed. The best I can say (I won't waste your time gushing about it) is go there. It's a lovely , well presented shop, the staff (I don't want to call them staff, they were so friendly and helpful) are just brill and the atmosphere is calm and inviting.

You may wonder what prompted my visit. Well, I did a search to see if anyone else was knitting the pentagon shrug from the latest VK - I thought I would see if anyone else has started it and if there are any problems I need to know about (given my unresolved problems with the kimono jacket). I found my way to Michelle's blog and low and behold, Stash is her shop!! Michelle is knitting the shrug in Mission Falls 1824 and I decided it was time to visit the shop since I know nothing about the Mission Falls yarn and am stuck for a suitable substitute to the stated yarn. The shop also had a few shawls and stoles (among many other gorgeous items) on display - this has renewed my determination to knit my first stole. Suffice to say I shall be going again - soon!! So my thanks to Polly and Dawn etc. for their reports on Stash. Below are my spoils of the day:
















Some JaggerSpun Zephyr wool-silk by Fiddlesticks - I bought this partly because it brought back happy memories of my childhood and long days out in the family car - a Zephyr. Next some SWTC Bamboo for a scarf, I already have one ball in the same colour. Then I got a skein of Malabrigo - a birthday gift for someone who wants a pair of wristers in a dark colour and finally, the mission falls yarn in Raspberry to try out for the shrug.
We also have on the boil:
An adapted Debbie Bliss pattern from home stash
















a double moss stitch baby blanket, again from stash

And my try at the pentagon for the shrug. This was knitted in Rowan All Seasons Cotton. I wanted to see what it looked like and how it felt to knit it!!

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Oh yeah

It snowed......










Shea's school was closed - not sure why..... But if the opportunity is there to have fun and frozen fingers, who am I to complain about it!!
He went through 3 changes of clothes and still went back for more.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Angels and Demons part 2

I'm hoping I've now ended my technical problems by switching to the new blogger!!

Duplicate stitch - is this the same as Swiss darning?




Good








Bad





Angel 1















































Jessies Flame
Pattern Source: Stitch and Bitch Nation
Yarn used: Rowan Magpie Aran in black and red. Jaeger merino DK in yellow (used double) - all from stash
Started : sometime in January 07
Finished: 2nd February 07
Comments: Shortened body and sleeves and added a row of yellow to the neckband. God pattern instructions and Shea does not want to take it off - so what better credit than that!!


Angel 2

















I started out with a Celtic knot thing going on- until I tried to sew it in place!!



































And finished with Celtic spirals!!

Hooded Kaftan

Pattern Source: Debbie Bliss Special Knits
Yarn used: Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere from stash
Started: sometime in January 07
Finished : 2nd February 07
Comments: I now know I'm not an embroiderer!! The yarn makes the whole garment drape beautifully.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Angels and Demons

The Demon
I thought I would wait awhile before my next post. Wait to simmer down or be proved completely wrong. Neither one has happened so I am going to rant.

There is nothing that I can say about the VK entrelac Kimono jacket that can be printed without me being sited under some peice of legislation I have not doubt. Every instruction after the entralac section is wrong. Once instructed to pick up 361 stitches to give a total of 362 stitches, someone went on a trip and vacated the land of logic. I would like to write ream after ream of how rubbish I think this pattern is, but I am conscious that any number of things may have contributed to so many errors and much as I would like to lay blame, it won't solve my problems.

For instance the decreasing and shaping for the back is wrong ( you are instructed to decrease down to 81 stitches for the largest size with a measurement of 17 inches - it comes out to 14 and has a raglan shaping - it shouldn't!!), the increasing for the sleeve is wrong (you are instructed to increase to 72 stitches but the calculation given will give 92 - and 92 seems most appropriate). There are more examples but I won't bore you. I would not ordinarily put my neck on the block and claim a pattern is wrong, however on this occasion I have passed this pattern and my considerable work so far to many an accomplished knitter and math genius and it just ain't right!!


















The above picture are the instructions followed for right front, as you can see there is still a way to go. If I follow the instruction I end up with -15 (yes, minus 15) stitches. You also get a sense of the raglan shaping going on - please tell me I'm stupid and it's all my fault - I could live with that. I have just recovered this post minus half my rant - obviously someone is trying to tell me something......... Suffice to say I will have to rip out at least half the thing and fudge it myself since VK are too busy to respond to me, or "Thank you for your message. Due to the overwhelming volume of mail we receive, we cannot answer every comment. We do value your input!" For now it has been consigned to the sin bin.


The Angels

I can't show you the angels at the moment. blogger won't let me!! I've finished the baby hooded caftan and Jessies' Flames - Shea loves it.