indieknits

New Projects

I've got the luxury of 4 days off work so have done quite a lot of knitting in the last 24 hours!

I've cast on a Baby Picchu using some gorgeous Fyberspates aranweight BFL...

...finished one of my Undulating Ribs socks...

...and cast on a Zetor Scarf using my Saffran Wolllmeise. I was a little worried that I might not have enough yardage for the Norwegian Woods Scarf, so have decided to put that pattern on ice for now. I lost my knitting mojo a couple of months ago but it is definitely back in full force now!!

Now I Understand

Why some people hate Kureyon sock yarn.

I am constantly pulling big knotted clumps of yarn out of the ball. ARGH! It is knitting up beautifully though:

Nothing else new to report, I've just been packing and sleeping! Move day is next weekend so we're nearly there...

I shall leave you with a pic of our first (and only) home-grown strawberry!

 

(I have to admit to cheating quite a bit with this - we bought the plant from Ikea 2 weeks ago.)

Back Already

Okay, so I probably haven't taken as much of a break from posting as I anticipated! Posts will most likely be few and far between though, until life settles down a bit.

My reason for posting today is to show you a sock!! I started Shur'tugal a while ago. The yarn is Malabrigo Sock in Solis.

 

I cast on the second sock about two weeks ago and have so far managed to complete the ribbing and one pattern repeat. Oh dear!

Buttons and yarn

My Wollmeise arrived yesterday. It's the colour I've been after for ages and was worth the wait! I don't know if I'll knit socks with it though - seems a bit of a waste to have this yarn on my feet where no-one will see it. Maybe I should save it for a shawl.

I sold some yarn on Ravelry and bought a set of KnitPro Interchangeables (Knit Picks Options for those of you in North America!) with the money I made. They arrived this morning and have made knitting my Garter Yoke Cardi a lot easier! Here's my progress so far:

(The stitches are all bunched up because this picture was taken pre KnitPro.)

I went to the button stall on Portobello market today and bought the PERFECT buttons for the cardi:

If you haven't visited the stall yet then I highly recommend it; there are so many different types of buttons, unusual as well as plain. The lady that runs it is a character as well!

Yarn Recycling

At last it is the weekend and I can take photos with some natural daylight!

I finished Interlocking Leaves number 1:

 

For ages I was in two minds whether or not to frog this project, because the yardage wouldn't allow me to make the cuff very long (I'm knitting these in the larger size). In the end I decided to just plough on, because they're toe up and I can keep a check on how much yarn I have left for the second sock.

I love the construction of the heel on this pattern!

I also made a start on the Wedgewood Blouse:

Only 9 more inches of reverse stockinette until I reach the charts! This is good for knitting in front of the TV after a few glasses of wine :)

I spotted this pattern whilst aimlessly browsing Ravelry and wanted to knit it straight away. After checking my bank balance and realising there was no way I could justify a yarn purchase before pay day, I decided to frog an old FO. Why not?! I knitted it about three and a half years ago and have never worn it. So now I get to knit a lovely new top in some recycled Rowan Kid Classic. I think the colourway is Smudge. The mohair made it an absolute bitch to frog.

This got me thinking. How many other FOs have I got that I just never wear? Maybe I should gather them all up and get frogging! Not only do I gain more yarn at no cost, I also gain extra space in my cupboards. (That is, until I knit it up again!)

Projects!

Now that the Christmas knitting is done and dusted, I've been knitting for mememe and no-one else!

Here's my progress so far on Interlocking Leaves:

 

I've only ever knit short-row heels when doing toe-up socks so the heel on this pattern is a bit of a revelation to me!

I also made a start on Flared Lace Smoke Ring:

Not got very far yet. The needles I have are so blunt that it's slowing me down. I desperately need some Knit Picks circs for this project but no-one in the UK seems to stock the size I need. I don't suppose anyone has a spare pair of 4mm (US 6) - 24 inch length do they? If so then I'd be happy to Paypal the money across to you! I would get Addi Lace needles but I just don't like them very much.

ETA: Thanks for your advice! I've ordered some Options tips and cables in the sizes required :)

Just because I'm in my pyjamas, it doesn't mean I'm lazy.

I've been surprisingly productive today, considering I've spent all of it in my pyjamas. First of all, I finished my first Wollmeise Express Lane:

I have also:

- Dyed three skeins of sock yarn for Loumms
- Labelled up the cherry and grape jelly and spiced apple sauce that I made last weekend
- Almost finished wrapping my SoSeSaSwa parcel (just have one or two bits to get and then it's complete!)
- Dug out last years Christmas cards, and realised I have so many left over that I won't need to buy any more
- Scheduled a grocery delivery for pay day, which includes most of our Christmas food and booze

Might cast on a couple of cheeky Christmas presents now....Hooray for weekends!

New shop in town!

Yesterday saw the grand opening of the Socktopus shop! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures but believe me, the place looks great. Alice has done a great job (as always). My yarn flew off the shelves and I think I sold about 3/4 of it! Yay! Very happy.

I'm also very happy to hear that Alice will be holding regular knit nights at the shop. It's the perfect meeting point for everyone to hang out, chat, knit and eat cake.

Oooh check out what Ross won the other day!! w00t!

This is what I've been knitting over the last few days:

Gloves for Ross (pattern is Unisex Gloves from One Skein). They are so much easier than I thought they'd be!! I think I'm going to have to do a pair for myself once these are finished. They're done in worsted weight yarn so knit up super quick!

Loveliness

A while ago Emma blogged about a cranberry liqueur recipe that she found, and I knew I had to make it. I added the ingredients to my grocery shopping, which got delivered this morning.

Will be ready in time for Christmas! Nom nom! I only used about half a bottle of vodka so might make up another batch to give as a present to someone!

In knitting news, I have begun my first Wollmeise project.

As you can see I haven't got very far. I did start the Lacy Cabley Knee Socks, but found the pattern pretty frustrating. I don't think it's actually a difficult pattern - it's just that the yarn is so dark I constantly forgot what was going on. I therefore frogged and started again with the Express Lane pattern.

Still waiting for my skein of Campari Orange to arrive...

Oh, and last but not least, I finally made a successful batch of bath bombs!

Sosesaswa Questionnaire

Before I launch into my questionnaire, I wanted to share a picture of Shur'tagal sock number one:

Here's my questionnaire for the SoSeSaSwa swap, which I am hosting with Alice and Justine!

1. What are your favourite colours and fibres? I think in general I like muted, natural colours. However, pretty much anything goes when it comes to socks, except neon and garish! My favourite fibre for socks is merino although I'd like to try something new, like alpaca or cashmere. I'm stalking Wollmeise at the moment and am hoping I'll be able to lay my hands on some yarn in their next shop update!

2. Anything that makes your toes curl? (Fibre, colour, other) Toes curl in a bad way? Neon and garish colours. Anything over 20% acrylic. Too many different colours in one skein. Itchy mohair (it's official, I have sensitive skin. The doctor told me so!) Fussy? Moi?

3. Would you describe yourself as a beginner, intermediate or advanced knitter? I'd say intermediate.

4. Do you have an online wishlist? (Amazon or other) Yes, you can view my Amazon wishlist here. I also have a wishlist with Alice which I need to update!

5. Any new techniques you'd like to learn? Hmm... I really have to learn magic loop! I have the 2.25mm circulars and a couple of instruction booklets, but still haven't made the leap!

6. What is your favourite:

Snack? - Anything savoury. I love wasabi peas, olives, cheese. YUM.
Book? - I'll read pretty much anything in my lunch breaks, but my favourite books so far have been The Thirteenth Tale and The House at Riverton.
Movie? - I have no idea, sorry! Not a big movie buff!
Music? - My music taste is pretty varied, so I'll name a few artists I listen to a lot - Santogold, The Raconteurs, MGMT, Field Music, The Flaming Lips, These New Puritans.

7. What are your favourite items to knit? Socks!! Oh and lace too.

8. Any patterns that are top of your queue? My Ravelry queue needs some work but there are loads of sock patterns in there, all of which I want to knit. I can never decide on which one to cast on next! I've just ordered the Fratello kit from Yarnissima so that's at the top somewhere, but I also want to cast on for some kind of shawl...probably Foliage or maybe Cliete.

9. Do you have any other hobbies? I used to do a lot of t-shirt stencilling but haven't done any in a while. The only other crafty thing I do regulary is dyeing!

10. Tell us about yourself. When did you first pick up your needles? Who/what encouraged you to start knitting? How would you describe your knitting style? Are you a process knitter or a product knitter, etc.

I first started knitting in June 2004. My friend Jill knit me a scarf and bought me a copy of Stitch N Bitch for my birthday. A week or so later she took me to John Lewis and helped me pick out some yarn. When I got home I shut myself away in the bedroom and about an hour later Ross heard me cry 'Eureka!'. It just clicked and I've been addicted ever since!

Little projects appeal to me the most, except for the occasional biggie (I consider Audrey to be a biggie!). I'm not much of a sweater person so don't bother knitting them for myself anymore. I always feel a bit too boxed in and hot when wearing them, if you know what I mean!

Process or product knitter? I've been thinking about that for a while and I can't make my mind up. I definitely consider myself a Knitter with a capital K, though.