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.

Eureka

Just in case you were not sure - I'm here to let you know that there is a God. I know this because my mother always tells me He never gives you more than you can bare. He was listening when I wailed (to anyone who would listen, telephoned dozens of shops I visited during the sales - but bought nothing I might add) into my lukewarm tea about my beloved lost journals. So Saturday night, I'm looking for embroidery thread to finish the hooded kaftan - found the journals and knitting book - under the armchair. You know when you move the arm chair and do all but lift the darn thing up and you don't see anything? They were there lurking all this time calling out to me. Haven't found the embroidery thread. That I can live with!! Now I have no excuse to finish the many projects tucked behind the sofa.

A finished object
Thanks to Polly and Dawn I have completed my first pair of Wristers using Malabrigo yarn




















As you can see, someone has his eye on them. Luckily there is enough for 2 pairs!! Once again many thanks Polly.

We have finished!!

The above is the not the royal we. When I say we I really do mean we.
Miss L has finished Gwen



















Miss S has finished her first project, a cushion cover


















I have a couple of FO's too most of which blogger won't let me show you but I'll leave you with this.

Above is the garter stitch matinee jacket from the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino 2 book. This is my answer to feeling broody!!

Garter stitch matinee jacket

Yarn: Debbie Bliss baby Cashmerino in blue

Date started: 22 December 2006

Dated completed: 26 January 2007

Comments: A dream to knit. The yarn is scrummy and the pattern very easy.

Snow knitting today

I know... corny
This is what we were greeted with on Wednesday morning




















































I'm still trying to work out if I should be feeling good about the fact that son number one chose his best home made sweater to go play in the snow. My first instinct was to shout through the window to change into something else - but then I thought it is such a beautiful morning, maybe he wanted to wear something beautiful too!! The sad part, it was all gone by noon.

Kimono Jacket
The pictures I couldn't post before


















The shot above was me in the throws of picking up 361 stitches and feeling very sorry for myself. Until I worked out that my 19 triangles multiplied perfectly into 19 to get 361. The markers did help though. I'm up to the armhole and division for the back.




















A typical Saturday afternoon at mine. Miss L has started her second project, which will be for for Miss squeaky clean!! Pictures of a finished Gwen to follow. And Miss S has started her very first project. Me working on Jessie's flames. 2 day's later I got a further taste of how I managed to lose my journals - by leaving the pattern book at college. Fortunately my tutor found it and put it up safely for me.

Eggs in one basket

The world as I know it has come to a stand still - I have lost not 1 but 2 knitting journals - my world has caved in!!I am in the middle of Faye and I need my journal, I need to start the embroidery on the hooded caftan - and I need my journal (the design had been sketched in there) - and so on for at least 3 other projects. You may ask why I had 2 - one was for personal use and one for college work, so all my ideas, sketches home work and project details are in the second journal!!

When the concept of journals first became commercialised, I scoffed and thought "what next". Then I had the opportunity to take a good look inside my hand bag because I couldn't find something - post it notes in various degrees of decay, serviettes, scraps of paper, till recipes - all crammed with knitting pattern info not to mention the scraps and balls of yarn all tangled together with polo mints, lint and sticky lollipops. But you know what, give me back my big junky hand bag with all the crap in it. I just feel sick about all the information and work I've lost. 4 years ago when I felt faint on a bus, got off, puked everywhere and left my handbag on a wall. When I went back 3 days later, although the handbag (gorgeous leather ) was missing, the contents had been neatly stored under a nearby bush - including my credit cards, driving license and my knitting.

I have been left feeling bereft , like a headless chicken etc, etc (I could go on all day about my feelings of retchedness) - as though I can't exist or knit without my journals. And then the thought hits me - there was life before journals and there still can be - in the meantime, of course I've had to start a few new projects:


















This picture was taken at the beginning of the week. Jessie's Flame is almost finished now, just a sleeve to go. It's from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. Then there's the Kimono Jacket from the last edition of Vogue picture of same for some reason will not upload.

So my dilemma - do I start a new journal or buy a bigger hand bag?

On a more positive note the wind is howling a gail outside and its looks as though we about to be flooded!!