Found more stash, need to lie down for a while.

Its been a very wierd but educational day today, my yarn buying habit must have been really out of control for the stash to get to the size it is. I used to be a one thing at a time kind of knitter but since discovering internet yarn stores and knitting forums, that all went out the window.

I have been a good girl lately and the lack of funds kind of yarn dieting has worked wonders, I haven't bought any yarn since March this year but the stash still overfloweth!

I spent today taking piccies of my stash to put on Ravelry and mucking about trying to put it back into the hiding places so it looked less-needless to say failed on the hiding front and found more than I thought I had.

Now to upload all the stash piccies onto Blogger would probably take until Sunday night but just to shame me into tidying it, this is a pic of my knitting corner.

It started off as a nice old table with a lamp on top and a knitting bag (note the singular) with 1 project in it.

Then some books and magazines started appearing (mainly cos the lights in the hallway where the bookcases are didn't work for a while and I had to use a torch after dark to look for a particular pattern).

The project bags started to breed at an alarming rate leaving trails of little UFO's behind them and gave enough shelter for the smaller gadgets (needles, row counters, stitch markers etc etc etc. ) to hide in and avoid being found when needed and forcing me to buy more which then hid amongst the UFO's and started breeding themselves.

It all started to go really downhill after the beads arrived, they started off all innocent looking to be added into the odd shawl or border but then they called in a load of craft wire reinforcements followed by a box of pliers and findings for the wire jewellry.

I will tidy it sometime soon but always get distracted by a pattern or a magazine or something shiny......those beads have a very naughty glint in their eyes.....

Of course if you want to look at the stash, it should be viewable on my Flickr account but its still uploading so will increase as the evening goes on.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10269065@N06/sets/72157601897542690/

Has she gone a bit nuts or just avoiding work again?
yup, its the avoiding work thing.
2 posts in a week-unheard of.
Anyway, I've quite got into this knittted jewellery thing so finished another couple of necklaces and even made a pair of matching earrings for one of them.


The one on the left is gold coloured wire with lilac/purple beads and sits quite low on the neck.
The right hand side is a choker made from silver wire with some Swarovski crystals left over from something else. The beads are mostly clear and pink so instead of putting on a clasp, I crocheted thin ribbon for the cast off and left long ends to tie it at the back.
These aren't for me tho, a friend of a friend has a sister who owns a crafty shop place and is interested in selling them for me *shock*.....could this be a less boring way to make a living than book-keeping? It doesn't take much........

And just to give myself a break from stringing beads for a while, I started a sock last night which is on a KAL on the crafty threads forum. The patttern is designed by Probablyjane and really good to do, looks like 2 colours worked at the same time but nu-uh,
its all done with slipped sts. We likey.

MS3 is finished!

and I'm a bit disappointed, not because of how it turned out-I absolutely love it, but because it was such fun knitting it I'm sad to finish.

Which at a guess would mean I need to make another......

This one was knitted in Habu Textiles pure bamboo laceweight bought at Ally Pally two and a half years ago but sat waiting for the right project to come along and it was worth the wait. I have enough left to make another the same but might try dying it another colour or use it for another lacy project.

The yarn is smooth, silky and soooo soft, an absolute dream to knit, I used good old Brittany Birch needles and some beads which were lying around from something else (and they must have been around for quite a while because I can't for the life of me remember what the something else was!

If the weather improves tomorrow, I'll post some pics of other recently finished FO's but its raining again and the light is really bad, my photography is bad enough without trying to do piccies in dull light. ( finished 2 cardi's, Lotus Blossom Tank and some more jewellry so it might be a bit picture heavy).

Good grief, you forget to blog for a few weeks then go to leave a comment on someone elses blog and realise that you can't go on because your email address had to be changed and you can't remember the new password 24 hrs later.-well you might not, but I do, well in fact I did and only just managed to get back on here after 3 days of trying.

So I thinks whilst I'm here, I might as well bung a bit of knitting on, so rather than trying to do a catch up of the not so recent projects, I present to you the Jewellry bits I've been messing with.

This piccie is knitted gold wire with lilac and purple glass beads. Just needs a clasp of some sort now and probably a pair of earrings to match. It took about an hour to knit plus some extra time for stringing beads.

This second one (modelled by DD1) is a choker made from purple craft wire with black beads and a satin ribbon to tie it at the back. Its now dissappeared along with dd1 into the dark hole she refers to as her room, I call it a pit.

You know when you put off doing something for ages and then just never quite get back to it?

Well ain't that just the way with blogging, I've had a horribly stressful couple of months, details of which I won't go into here because this is supposed to be fun.

So the blog has been neglected yet again and when I come back to it, I can't think what to put first! Should I start with the oldest F.O's or the most recent and work back?

pfnerf..

Most recent....

Summer Secret Santa exchange from the Crafty Threads'N'Yarns forum was a real treat,

The lovely Slowasasnail sent me some Kid Silk Spray and beads to go with and a pattern for a scarf using said yarn and beads and some choccy for me and a giant Bonio to keep Foster quiet whilst I knit (it lasted long enough for me to take the ball band off anyway!)

The scarf is now finished and packed away as a Christmas present for someone so I've started getting some of that out of the way too.
So, close up............................ and the whole thing. The pattern is a kind of feather an

d fan with
3 rows of beads lengthways every 4 rows-nice to knit and lovely effects from the yarn.




Currently working on a secret project for a friend in some rather scrummy laceweight, finished and sewn up a jacket in Cotton Glace but need buttons, and a disaster with a cardi from yarn which has been in the stash for a long time, I'm 6 metres short and no way of buying anymore so I will have to take some from the cuffs and re-do the bottoms of the sleeves-fortunately it's a top down pattern-it's in the naughty corner for now but will re-appear soon I hope, when my stress levels go down a bit.

yup its working again, haven't been able to blog for a while because I forgot and then when I tried to earlier, it wouldn't work......right then, off to sort out some knitting photos and do a proper post!

Testing, Testing one two one two

Theres nothing like a bit of a splurge to get the knitting juices flowing again........unfortunately this splurge was as a result of the closing down sale at my LYS. The more reserved photo is a sample of the purchases and the huge pile is the whole lot en masse.
I bought:-
8 Rowan Big Wool
6 Kid Silk Haze in a pale peachy colour
2 Kid Silk Night in Ivory
1 Kid Silk Haze in black (well it was the only one left and looked lonely)
8 All Seasons Cotton in beige and 2 in chocolate
8 Wool Cotton in pale pink and 4 in cream
8 Cotton Glace in beige and 8 in Navy
1 Kid Classic in pink to go with some already in stash but it looked lonely too
4 Addi circs in sizes I don't have already
Erika Knights Classics book
and all at least 50% off recommended price- grand total £149.00 which is rather a lot to spend in one go but on the basis I won't be able to nip in there on the way to the bank anymore and there is 6 garments worth of stuff, its justifiable (to me anyway). The mortgage is paid and the fridge is full so I'm not doing any harm to anyone.

Which then leads to the current WIPs, the big grey blob is a sweater for DH, Garnstudios Highlander and one of their free patterns I have promised to finish this before I start on any of my new things and since I'm up to the neck shaping, I should finish tonight. It was all knitted in the round so no nasty seams to sew, I like this pattern and DH chose the colour so we're both happy.












Next up, the pink sockies are for DD2, my portable knitting for the week, I'm doing them both at the same time on 2 circs and its going ok, pink socks with cream heels cos I wasn't sure if there was enough pink- I should have done them toe up really but I was in a hurry to grab something on the way to her dance class the other day and didn't have my full kit with me (I prefer to do provisional cast on with a crochet chain of waste yarn but didn't have a hook) so cream heels and toes it is.

Once these are finished, I'm planning on starting a sweater for me from the Big Wool since its the bulkiest in the above and I really don't have anywhere to store it unless it goes into the wardrobe as a sweater in waiting but I have a feeling the balls might come tumbling out every time the door is opened.

Thank you to everyone who sent me good wishes for Fozzie, as regards to the medicine hiding exercise, I found some sauce made by IAMS especially for dog food and thinking back to when DD1 was being picky with her food and everything had to be hidden under gravy or ketchup, I bought some of this for Foster (the doggy sauce-not ketchup) and he took his pills like a good boy!!!
So the mutt is good to go again and is helping me train for the Race For Life run on 13th June at Silverstone-(any chance of cadging a lift in an F1 car?)
Also helping are the DD's. Well they have to, they're in it too and I might need them to carry me round the last bit(only joking).
I seem to have lost my knitting Mojo lately, I've been doing some more socks and have 2 larger things on the go but can't seem to get into them right now, I think I need to dive into the stash for something a bit more interesting.......

He's home!!!!

My mutly is home from the vets much better and even pestering me as I type to play with his squeaky dinosaur. Now we just have the fun of getting him to take his pills.......favorite method last time was to hide them in some soft cheese but he's wise to that now and won't touch cheese anymore!

any suggestions welcome.

Not just a gratuitous pet photo this time although it should be.

Poor Foster the dog is v poorly and staying at the vets for a while.

His history is not good and he's a walking ad for pet insurance but the house just isn't the same without him....

History so far:

we adopted Foster 2 years ago from some friends who he was a surrogate baby for. When the IVF worked, he became very jealous and is not good with small people (or small dogs). 2 months after being with us, he had to go to the vets because a blackthorn had gone inside his food and was working its way out of his knee, no complaints from the dog just a slight limp which the vets couldn't pinpoint until he was knocked out for an x-ray. closely followed by a backache (probably from chasing something somewhere he shouldn't) followed by another thorn in his paw causing an infection.

All was calm for a few weeks when he started wheezing and getting very short of breath.

another trip to the vets and general anaesthetic so they could do chest x-rays showed Bronchial pneumonia which was very touch and go for a while. He was taken to specialist vets who took him to Bedford Hospital overnight (apparently a lot of hospitals rent out their theatres/scanners etc overnight to vets) for heart/lung scans which showed a massive enlargement of his heart due to his breathing difficulties. Loads of antibiotics etc later and he was as right as rain for a while. We were very careful in the warm weather this summer and always took plenty of water for him on walks but being a Springer, you just can't tell him not to get too puffed out.(he does have an inhalor but I'm not sure it really works on dogs, although we try very hard to get him to breathe at the right time(how can you get a dog to breathe in when you want him to????)

This weekend, he's been off his food, not even interesterd in a bacon buttie on Sunday and went to the vets yesterday. They were really pleased to see him-it's actually been 10 months since his last visit-and he's very popular (and familiar) but not pleased at how poorly he is...

His temp is 106 deg so he's on IV antibiotics, antinflamatories and asthma treatment.

The vets have so far diagnosed a serious lung infection, low white blood cells and general anaemia and asked if he might have swallowed some kind of rat poison-trouble is, he runs around fields and in the woods where the gamekeepers put goodness knows what down-we can't pinpoint when he became sick since most infections take a couple of days to get into the system and he's not been noticeably poorly until Sunday(anyone who doesn't want a bacon buttie on Sunday morning must be ill or vegetarian or of a different faith).

Anyhow, the vets will phone during the night if he gets any worse and I'm going first thing tommorrow to see him, but the house just isn't the same without the tap dancing noises his claws make on the hard floors when he catches the post in his mouth before it even touches the doormat.

I miss my mutt and want him home, mucky paw prints and all.

February socks.

My Feb socks for the sock a month challenge on Crafty Threads'n'Yarns forum. They're made from Posh Yarns sock club yarn for the main bit and an oddment of cerise for the toes & heels. I made the pattern up with 64 sts on 2.5m needles with a 12 st staghorn cable down the sides.

Very soft and cosy and DH has now been instructed NOT to put these ones in the washing machine like he did with my January ones which shrunk to DD2 size(although she is very pleased with them).

Next for the finishing is a striped sweater (only a sleeve left to do so hopefully completed in the next couple of days)

Hmm. photos of the Icarus shawl from Interweave I made for a friend to give her Mum for her birthday. I like making shawls but this is the last thing I make for anyone outside the family for a while, it became a bit of a pain because there was a deadline for making it and I don't get to wear it!
Nice to make though, Kid Silk Haze from Rowan and the pattern was easy enough but it held me up on other things I wanted to do (well that and having to take a week off knitting from the sliced thumb and another from the steroid injections for the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome thingy).
At least now I'm back to other stuff. Just finished my February socks for the Sock a Month challenge (photos tomorrow in daylight) and nearly finished my stripey sweater in Rowan Little Big Wool bought in a sale (see January posts).

I was supposed to be a good girl and finish the Icarus shawl I'm making for a friend but my new purchases yesterday made my fingers twitch so DD2 has her snuggly socks for bed.

Made in Garnstudio Eskimo, 8mm DPNs and 26 sts cast on, they took about an hour each to knit (size 37)

Instant gratification knitting, just what I needed after all the shawls recently. I have now promised myself no knitting for anyone outside this house for at least 3 months so I can catch up on the family stuff (sweaters and socks all round!)

Major stash enhancement today at www.scandinavianknittingdesign.com.

Cazzie and I drove down and were made very welcome by Bruce and Birgitte (and Oliver the dog) and had a really nice chat about all things yarny over coffee then went on to some serious purchasing....

The firt piccie is Eskimo 100% wool chunky for a sweater for me(the mauve shade) and pink and blue for slouchy socks for the DD's




Second piccie is for DH's sweater, Highlander Yarn in a marly grey colour and some 100% alpaca which is soooo soft and 4 ply weight for some fingerless mittens and socks.







and the third photo is a skein of Yard Yard hand dyed sock yarn in Blueberry Muffin which the naughty Cazzie slipped in the boot of my car as a thank you for driving. Totally unneccesary but very, very much appreciated, I love the colours they are very me and will join the sock a month challenge in March (I've already started Februarys)

All in all a wonderful day out, apart from a slight detour on the way home when I switched the Sat Nav off cos it was bugging me and I missed the turning for the M1 as we were talking so much!!

Januarys Sock-a Month challenge socks completed!
After all the hand problems this month (sliced thumb and carpal tunnel injection in right wrist), I never thought these babies would make it off the needles but finally they have. The main colour is a sock club yarn from Posh Yarns and the stripes, heels & toes are some leftover cream anonymous sock yarn.
I made the pattern up using 60 sts on 2.5m needles from the top down with a chevron stitch on the leg highlighted by the stripes.


These other two pairs were made before all the injuries for DD1 to take on her school trip to the Welsh border last week. Both made in stash DK, very boring to knit but quick and snuggly enough for hillwalking and pot-holing apparently.
She had a great time but came home exhausted and has taken all weekend to recover-I'm still catching up with the washing, when it said on the kit list to take bin liners for the laundry, they certainly knew what they were talking about!!!

OOPs, forgot to put in the piture of the fingerless gloves as modeled by DD1. Slightly adapted the Fetching pattern from www.knitty.com to make it longer. I put extra cables at both ends but knitted in the recommended yarn-DB Casmerino aran which has been sitting in stash for a while, because of the extra length, I had to break into a second ball but I dare say the rest will be used at some point ( along with the other 6 the same)

DD is really pleased with them and took the photo herself which I didn't realise until after I had taken some more myself and came to post this only to find about 6 piccies of the same gloves on the camera!

but hey ho, at least it proves she likes them....

I was going to chicken out on the sock a month KAL on my favorite Crafty Threads 'n' Yarns forum because of other knittting commitments but the yarn was calling to me in a very LOUD voice.
The reasons for the cowardly behaviour were-
1. Needed to knit boring thick socks for DD1's school trip to the Welsh border next week (rock climbing, caving, abseiling etc etc
and she needed some handknitted for these (her words not mine but what a fab DD for saying it).
2.I also promised to make a shawl for a friends Mum for her birthday (this will be posted later) I forced myself to do 1/3 of it before starting the socks.
3.I sliced my thumb open and couldn't knit for 10 days whilst the sts were in.
4.I wanted to made DD some fingerless gloves as a surprise for above mentioned trip.

Anyway, the photo above is the sock in progress and the other a badly shot close up. The yarn is from Posh Yarns sock club, I can't remember the name of the colour but since the weather has been so grim this week, the colours cheered me up, lovely orangey reddy, brown and some ivory left over from something else for the ridges, toes and heels.

I'm making the pattern up as I go along but when I do the 2nd sock, I might try to write it out and post it on here if the technonumpty in me can figure out how to do that bit. It's basically just a ripple pattern with a couple of rows of another colour thrown in, one of which needs to be purled for the ridge effect.

Finished knitting Rogue last night and sewed hem and sleeves, just the top of the hood to stitch now but I think it may need a bit of knitting adjustment first so I was sensible and left it for today when my mind and eyes are not so tired.
Hopefully photos later!

Rogue Sweater, the story so far......
I started Rogue back in October but Christmas knitting and other small projects with deadlines kept getting in the way, I finished the sleeves way back and started the body at the beginning of November but then it was set aside until the 28th Dec when life started to calm down again, I motored through the body and was looking forward to finishing it this weekend but right thumb injury last week is making knitting very difficult (read impossible) so I thought I'd blog it instead.


The yarn is Garnstudio Alaska which is aran weight pure wool and very nice to knit, it gives a good stitch definition and soft on the hands. The colour is a bit darker than the photos, it would probably be better to photograph it in daylight but every time I remember to get the camera out it starts to cloud over and rain again!

So the top piccie is the sleeves, unblocked and curly at the edges,

the middle is the front neckline and the start of the hood and the bottom is the body bit in full with curly hem waiting to be slip stitched into place.

I chose not to do the pocket on the front, I'm feeling bulky enough round the middle at the mo and don't need extra inches added by a kangaroo pocket and besides, I'd only walk around with my hands permanently stuffed in it and stretch it out of shape or fall flat on my face cos I can't get my hands out in time (it has been known on more than one occaision)

I've tried the body on and it seems to fit quite well so here's hoping!!!

As soon as knitting activity resumes, this baby's going to be finished and worn loads.

I only have another pair of socks and gloves for DD1's school trip to finish by the 22nd January and a shawl to do for a friend by the 10th Feb so no pressure really!

Gratuitous pet photo

This is Foster the Springer trying to look innocent on Christmas day, he never quite succeeds though. What the picture doesn't show is the Christmas stocking he has nicked (under his right front paw which is empty but he won't give it back and is planning on shredding later.

I went into my LYS yesterday on the entirely innocent not stash enhancing mission to buy some KSH for a shawl I've been asked to make for someone else and the rotters had started the sale.....well whats a girl to do????
3 KSH as required. 14 balls of Rowan Little Big Wool in various shades to make the stripey sweater in Arabesqe booklet.
The LBW was reduced to £2.50 per ball and the pattern called for 11 balls but I want to make the sweater a little longer than on the pattern so I bought all they had left (well I could hardly leave just a couple of lonely ones sitting there could I?)
Now I just need my thumb to heel so I can start on it......

Christmas knitting- okay so really pictures of the Christmas knitting should have been posted ages ago but I've been busy knitting things for me since then....until last night when I sliced into my right thumb and now I can't knit for a couple of weeks.....so what to do instead, blog about knitting and sort out my stash and planned projects.

The pictures above are the lace tablecloth made for MIL's Christmas present and hopefully below will be the finished article.....

The tablecloth was very well recieved and now has pride of place on her dining table.

The yarn was crochet cotton from stash and pattern is Springtime Design by Marianne Kinzel,

size 2.5mm DPNs to start and ever increasing lengths of circulars as the cloth grew.

I also made socks for FIL in his favourite rugby team colours-green, black and gold and some for a friends Dad in his favourite rugby team colours-cerise, french grey and cream but I forgot to take photos of these before giving them away.