In the pink

Is it just me?
It's confirmed. I am the world's worst mother. How do I know this? Well, when your sick son presents with a high temperature and intense pain, the first thing I think with glee is, extra knitting time. No school runs for the rest of the week, no cubs, no rugby, and no library (he is back on his feet and off my hands from tomorrow). However, I feel totally vindicated. Having received my copy of Yarn Harlots latest offerings - Knitting Rules! I found a piece of myself neatly described on every page. For instance, my level of yarn involvement is level 4 - Obsessed. This is me down to a tee.

"The knitter spends all of her free time knitting, and the time she considers
"free" is expanding. She is likely now neglecting housework with a vengeance and
is dreaming in knitting code. The "obsessed" knitter stalks other people to
stare at their sweaters, and would rather sit on a train for nine hours where
she can knit comfortable, rather than drive. This knitter has discovered books
on tape, buys yarn like it's a job, and dreams of a way to make money from
knitting so she wouldn't have to waste good knitting time earning a
living..."

She's even described my filing systems down to a tee. Her insight into my knitting world, never mind anyone elses is scary, or maybe I am truly a geek of the knitting world. A thoroughly good read with interesting tips and tit bits, I wonder if it's going to be put on to CD......

Knitting news.....
We have grey weather at the moment, so I'm offering indoor pictures to the best of my limited abilities. The ribbon edge cardigan pieces are finished, but are not yet sewn up. I've started 2 cardigans' in pink for summer. One is in chunky pure cotton, by Laines Du Nord (Cleo). I bought this cotton last year on impulse from Loop, got it home and then had no idea what so ever, what to do with it. Because of sick sprog I've been taking time to look through past knitting magazines and books and came across a pattern using double stranded cotton to the Cleo spec, what a piece of luck (Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2000 back in the day when there was a UK edition). I'm making a few modifications as I go. For starters, the pattern only goes up to a 36 and I'm shaping the sides. The second is in a very similar shade of pink, but is Jaeger Sienna, a 4 ply yarn. I want something elegant for the evening which isn't thick. I want something along the lines of Jinny, but without the beads. This time I'm drawing on Rowan patterns from Book 25. Of course, all is being dutifully recorded in my knitters journal. I have to admit that I originally scorned the idea of a journal, until the comments about me being a bag lady became too tedious. I've always been known for carrying large hand bags, add a few knitting projects, knitting books and yarns that I want to match colours to and life was becoming impossible. It all came to a head when I got a ball of yarn stuck around someone's boot heel on the bus. I spent one weekend catalouging my stash, cutting out my bits of yarn and I think I managed to reduce the load in my bags by almost half - now that's got to be a good thing. The only problem is with the sections of this particular journal. It focuses more on creativity, i.e. on the premise that you want to design, rather than log your progress or catalogue your stash for ease. However, it is the best one I have come across for my basic needs. And you never know, it may spawn the designer in me.
Saturday proved very productive, although Ms S couldn't make a knitting session, Ms L did. She has progressed from garter stitch to stocking stitch and is enjoying the experience. On her one piece of work, she is on her third set of needles.
She started on bamboo, went on to circular metal and is now on straight metal in a larger size. She found the differences quite remarkable. I'm meeting up with Ms S tomorrow for a mid week session. I'm beginning to feel like Mss Jean Brodie and her girls. I'm definitely trying to lead them into the enlightened, uplifting, sexy world of knitting!!
P.S life sucks when your text and pictures won't go where you want them too!!

Mary has become contrary

Karin asked my recently how Mary is doing, and by way of an answer I told her that I've finished the first sleeve on the ribbon edged cardigan. I only felt a mild twinge of guilt that she has been consigned to the back of the wardrobe....So the ribbon edged cardigan is coming on a treat. The sleeves have been the most difficult (if you call it that) to do so far. Because I am not using the stated yarn and the yarn is a heavier weight, I've had to do a little bit of tweaking to make sure the arms are not too long and shape in the right places. I've also been practicing short row shaping (SRS) on this garment too. I did use SRS on Jinny, but that was under the close eye of Karin. Being back stitch queen, I was reluctant to change my ways, however the seam quality is so much better, I've had to convert.

Bee asked how many balls of cotton glace I used to make Jinny, given the extension of the waist. The pattern called for 12 balls (I used the largest size). I used 13 balls. Glace goes a long way and even with a 7cm lengthening, it still only took one ball. I also used just under 4000 beads. Of the 8 packs I had (this took 2 extra visits to Liberty), I have less than half a pack left. Each pack contains approx. 500 beads. Its astonishing when you look at the tiny pack.

Just to show how important it is I finish Mary, I have today unraveled a cabled sleevless top I made 2 years ago using Debbie Bliss cotton aran silk. I love this yarn, I love the top, it doesn't love me. So, as a break from sleeve island, I unraveled the top, instead of working on Mary. The yarn is destined to be a sofa cushion because I don't have enough to do anything else and it has been discontinued. Must go, Mary is calling me from the wardrobe!!

From strength to strength

Jinny
I'm definitely on a roll. I finished Jinny some time ago (February)(Jinny is from the current Rowan Magazine - 39 but couldn't find buttons for her. I chose black cotton glace (by Rowan) because it was in my stash and this year is about depleting my stocks. By the end of the year, there should be no yarns of mass volume in my home. Being black, the stated buttons don't suit. This morning I woke up with a determined attitude. Today is the day, I said to myself, I'm going to find button, or I'm buying hook and eyes!! I found my way to Liberty, I was helped by the lovely Carol and (I've been there 4 times previously looking for the perfect match) low and behold, we found buttons, we tried the buttons in one button hole and it fit (be sure to visit Liberty if you can, all the knitting yarn staff and knowledgeable, helpful and take time with you). Now, I must explain that also previous to this I had been to a general store and bought some buttons - these being my fall back buttons, only to be used in dire emergency. I was a really good girl and only purchased one ball of yarn and dutifully went home. I got my sewing needle and yarn out and of course, the buttons are too big. By fluke the button hole we tried was the biggest one and none of the buttons could go through any other button hole, so I've succumbed to the fall back buttons. I'll still be on the look out for a better match, but life is passing me by and Jinny is lying unworn. My friend is in the process of moving and kindly left me her manikin until she settles in. It came in handy. It's a sad day when the manikin looks better than you do!! I had posted previously about the neck edge on Jinny, however when it's being worn the ripple effect disappears, so I'm pleased. And I love the detail on the bottom and sleeve edge. Lessons learned and observations: I definitely need to wear magic knickers with this top. I knitted it 7cm longer and it finishes in the middle of my round tummy, which is good, it means I have to walk around with my tummy held in (I hear this is good for posture!!). I'm glad I lengthened the top it would have been far too short, even with the buttons undone and worn over a dress. I now know I have short arms, the sleeves should be 3/4 length. It was a joy to knit, the beads were not difficult to add or knit in - it was quite rhythmical in fact. My batch of glace is more than 6 years old, and was full of joins. It's a good idea to unravel a ball of yarn and wind it up again to ensure there are no joins before you thread it with beads.
Other knitting
More good news, whilst knitting on the train today, a lady informed me that there is soon to be a new haberdashers in the main shopping area where I live. The shop will definitely be selling yarn. She even told me where I could find the new proprietress. On my way back to collect sprog from school, I stopped off for a chat, and yes, new store will be opening soon and yes they will be stocking Rowan and Jaeger. I could hardly contain my excitement. I think I may have spooked her by beginning the conversation with "I'm so happy I could kiss your feet". I'm not a willing internet shopper. It has its uses, but I much prefer going into a shop and having a good gawp and feel. They also have a really helpful attitude, I was encouraged to think about all the different types and brands of yarn I knit with to see which ones would be suitable for them to stock. More info when they open. Life is good!!

The ribbon edge cardigan is coming on a treat. Just the sleeves to do now and an outing to find some matching ribbon. We had glorious weather today and a defective train. Added together this equals extra knitting time in the beautiful sunshine

Back in the swing

Startitis Continued
I feel like shouting from the rooftops in a euphoric way, Yes, Yes, Yes!!! Life is good. I have single handedly (is this a word?) unblocked my knitters block. And all it took was some stash yarn and two sticks!! I’m zooming along on the ribbon edged cardigan from the Debbie Bliss Cathay book. It calls for Cathay (obviously), but I have chosen to knit with her DK cotton yarn instead. Why? 2 reasons; the pattern only goes up to a 38inch - I need 40-42, and the DK cotton (in a lovely shade of blue) is in my stash – I’m hoping that working with a slightly thicker yarn and larger needles (4mm instead of 3 ¾ ) will give me the extra room I need for a comfortable fit. I've almost completed the back. I have some cotton cashmere, but have earmarked that for something else. Cotton cashmere can be a good substitute for Cathay in that it has a similar drape. My pet hate is recalculating patterns to fit if they don't go up to my bust size. It isn't rocket science but can be quite brain teasing/testing if there are patterns and charts to contend with, especially cabling. My experiences so far have resulted in drop sleeve garments where they should have been fitted, or very loose around the waist area because I increased the stitches to fit the bust area too soon. I’m sure there are websites that can help you recalculate, but my experience to date is that my dimensions on paper are not quite the same in reality – I wonder why that is??

I’ve had a good weekend knit wise. Saturday, a lady came over to my house to learn to knit. We met whilst I was knitting on the bus on the way to work at the beginning of last year (yes, its taken this long to organise). She came with her two sweet children, a boy and a girl, (both under 6 years old) who were as good as gold whilst they were here. Shea, not to be left out of the teaching curve, taught the little girl to finger knit. Ms S was given a long lecture on different types of yarn, (being a yarn snob and a purest I warned her against anything containing acrylic and polyimide), and taught how to recognise the constituents of yarn. We went through yarn bands and the information contained on them. It was quite fascinating to do, I didn’t realise just how varied the information on the band can be. We chatted about knitting and yarns for a good 3 hours before I let her near the needles. Low and behold, the girl is a natural. She really did take to it like a duck to water. Both she and her daughter went away clutching yarn with big smiles on their faces to carry on practicing.
Bank holiday Monday saw me sorting through my stash. No pictures, the day began entirely grey and we didn’t have sunshine long enough for photos. The result was a catalogue of what I have (not so), neatly recorded in my knitter’s journal (which has been sitting in the bookcase begging to be used for a good 8 months). I dutifully cut off little snippets to stick in the journal and wrote out quantities and characteristics of the yarn. It is much better than carrying about a lone ball of yarn which is then completely annihilated by the dross in the bottom of my (suitcase) hand bag despite my best efforts to keep it in pristine condition.

Purple rain and stain

So I've had my 'fix trip' to the Handweavers Studio, I've decided I have to dye yarn, because I can. I have my instructions, what could possibly go wrong? I select my yarn, I read the instructions in 10 seconds flat and I know exactly what to do. I even go out and look at pots in which to cook my yarn to said chosen colour and decide I have the perfect pot at home.The adage, always read the instructions carefully, doesn't enter my head, not once. My mother's motto of being fully prepared and check then recheck, does not surface at all. I'm eager and I'm going in. By the time I've laid out all my instruments I feel like a cross between a surgeon about to undergo open heart surgery and a plumbers mate. Now, its my first time trying to dye yarn, you would think I'd choose one small skein and see how it works, oh no, I choose, 8 skeins each weighing a minimum of 300 grams - because I know exactly what I'm doing. In my head, all I have to do is weigh out the dye stuff, dissolve it, add the yarn, raise the temperature, rinse it out and hey presto I have coloured yarn. Suffice to say, 8 was reduced to 4. My bath is now a lovely shade of pink and my cooker top is suffering from trauma as a result of purple rain and a bubbling pot of purple dye.

In reality, at the time, I felt completely overwhelmed when I realised I had bitten off more than I could chew, so to speak. I had all of the parifinalia, but hadn't carefully worked out the logistics. For example, how do you get heavy boiling yarn out of a pot into a basin without burning yourself, without all the excess liquid splashing all over the cooker top and onto the floor x 4 times? How do you maintain the liquid at the stated temperature, how do you keep the liquid just below boiling point and not AT boiling point? (Did I mention that my cooker is dying and works when it wants to)How do you cook dinner and dye at the same time -take away is a brilliant thing, even better is a God father who pops in to see how you are doing!! And where are you going to dry the yarn?

Having summed up my stupidity, the end product is lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Next time I will take more time in preparation, put newspaper on the floor and give myself lots of time in which to complete said task. I've learned that this is definitely a high summer deal as well.
The yarn took ages to dry and of course the process was followed by 3 days of rain, so the yarn came in to dry. In the end and out of desperation, I had to place the damp yarn on the heater to dry out because I was afraid it would start to smell moldy and stale. I'm sure that's sacrilege, but did not want the yarn to spoil (not by damp, but placing it on the heater instead, mmm). You can tell I know exactly what I'm talking about can't you.
I will end on my complete amazement that it took only 2 teaspoons of dye to colour over a kilo of cotton yarn. I started off not knowing how it would all turn out and even though I scared myself a few time, I would do it again. Besides, my son thinks I'm brilliant. He has given me his order and colour of yarn so that he can finger knit a scarf for his Nanna.
On the knitting front, Maggie has been frogged and abandoned. I figured out that my knitters block was due to wrong yarn and wrong pattern. Something just was not right. Mary is ticking along and I have startisis, so I'm looking at the Debbie Bliss 'Wish you were here' book. I am a little puzzled by the sizing on some of the garments. I'm pleased that most of the patterns have gone up to a size 46", but of course the pattern I want to do, the asymmetric wraparound, only goes up to a 38". Of the lovely patterns to knit, this one favours a larger, or more curved figure, so you see my confusion.

On the Shea front, he has successfully completed his home care badge at Cubs. This included cooking a meal, serving it, setting a table for a meal, doing the washing up, keeping his room tidy, washing and ironing a garment (his cub scout scarf) and sewing on a button and a badge. So now he is fully domesticated and can give the cleaning godesses a run for their money. Of course it all comes at a price and bribery is no stranger in my house!!

Getting down n' dirty

Spring is in the air
For me, Spring is not officially here until after Easter. Despite my battle with the squirrels (am I the only one?), I set about making my back garden look pretty. I won't start on about the front garden, suffice to say, it's a work in progress. I live on the ground floor of purpose built flats and feel it's my duty to make sure my upstairs neighbours have something other than dirt and Shea's play things to look at!! The soil has an abnormally high clay content, so after 10 years of unsuccessful planting (trust me, I tried everything), I bark chipped over the whole yard and now have a growing collection of pots and tubs. I'm not into fancy and ornate, they are just more difficult to clean. I may have mentioned that I have no colour sense, this also applies to plants and flowers. Over the years I have made so may faux par's it's not funny. I had no idea mother nature could clash with herself.
This year I am trying not to let the colours clash too much and have tried to go for soft pastel colours, or so the back of the packets tell me. I've also sewn herbs from seed -hopefully, I'll have a herb garden to die for. I cook all food from scratch and have in previous years hard little luck where herbs in the garden are concerned. But of course, it was the poor soil!!

I'm also giving bulbs one more go. We have 2 very persistent squirrels in the area. They have no shame. They will literally look me in the eye while digging in the garden. I can even hear them laughing and tittering away at me - where those squirrels are concerned, I'm not far away from a straight jacket. Digging in the potted plants today, I came across unshelled monkey nuts and acorns. At least now I know why they are digging up the garden every two minutes - and all this time I thought they were after my bulbs. What I don't understand is what they have done with the bulbs. It's not as though they dig them up, bury their treasure and put them back. All trace of the lovely daffodil, lilies and tulips to be, completely disappear. So this year, instead of planting the bulbs, I bought tulip plants. They are delicately variegated and look like they will be red. My neighbour gave me a bleeding heart that she split from a bunch. I'd forgotten all about it and couldn't work out what it was when it started to sprout, it almost ended up in the compost bin behind it. What a loss that would be, its beautiful. The lovely black background is my compost bin. See I'm doing my bit for the environment. not sure my neighbours agree though - it can be mighty pongy at times.




Mary
Poshyarns, you must visit her blog, it's beautiful - asked if I like working in denim. Not anymore. It makes my hands tired, I can usualy knit merrily away for hours (regular breaks in between), but with the denim yarn, and I have to say this is only with Rowan(but the difference in the finish is so much better), I can only do a couple of hours at a time and that's with regualr breaks. Not to mention what it does to my skin, talk about dry, AND, it leaves a great big huge dent in my right index finger because of the way I wrap yarn around it. I won't even talk about the dye!! Having said all of that, thank you for your encouragement over Mary. I am getting that old feeling back and will be picking her up shortly. The problems are more to do with the pattern (which means me) than anything else and thats what's putting me off finishing her when I really want to. I knowit will all be worth it if I can finish it with no more problems. More knitting news soon.