Thursday WIP

The last few weeks have given me a chance to be a lady of leisure. I have got a job now but I don’t start until Monday so I’ve been taking the chance to knit as much as possible.

I’m one of those knitters who needs to be watching something while they knit. As a result I’ve managed to watch in the last three weeks (just in knitting time, not including movie visits):

• All of Wonderfalls. I love Caroline Dhavernas.
• The recent remake of Carrie. It didn’t suck.
• The Little Mermaid!
• Three eps (and counting) of True Detective.
• Jaws which apparently I’d never seen.
• Children of Men which I’ve seen many times and love.

Lately I’ve finished a pair of pink socks that I’ll be posting about on Monday, but since then I’ve started knitting a new pair from some alpaca sock yarn given to me in a swap. I wasn’t sure how to manage the colours since I don’t often knit with high contrast variegated yarn but it turns out it set my muse aflame.

It’s really, really busy. Look at it.

As a result I’ve started writing my own pattern for them. I had to figure out a way to break down the business of the yarn a little and I couldn’t find a pattern that suited me so I made one up. I’m pleased with it so far.

The pattern is simple but not boring to knit.

I could tell as soon as I got through the ribbing that I wasn’t going to like it in stockinette. I had to think quickly about what to do. I looked on Knitting Fool which is my go-to thing for stitch patterns but none of them really did much for me. In the end I took inspiration from Ant’s Nest and did something similar but less likely to make me associate it with ants.

Because I really hate ants.

 

With the contrasting yarn for the heel.

The yarn is Paca Peds, an alpaca-based fingering weight (sock) yarn that comes with a 25g mini-skein of yarn for the heel and toe which I didn’t notice at first. I’m about to start the heel so I’m excited to see how it turns out. I think it will help to break up the irregular colours of the yarn too.

Now to watch episode  four of True Detective and get some more of these socks done before I have to start life as a working person again on Monday.

A Trip Down South

With my departure from England becoming more and more imminent, my previously-scheduled holiday visiting my family this week has taken on a different sort of meaning. It’s more intense and I have found myself revisiting things (and people) from my past with a strange nostalgia that’s both triumphant and sad. In other words it’s been a strange sort of week for me but deeply enjoyable.

Most of the week has been spent in London. I met up with a fellow knitter, a long-time friend and excellent person that I still think of as Cal (though I’m sure she goes by her real name now, it’s how I knew her when we did pixel dolls back in the day).

We took a much-needed trip to Loop which is one of my favourite yarn stores for reasons obvious to anyone who has been there. It’s tucked down a backstreet near the Angel tube station and I’ve missed out on going there the last couple of times due to horribly bad timing (I always end up in London on a Monday when it’s closed). With Wollmeise in mind I very nearly walked out with some brightly-coloured Socks that Rock instead but, after painful deliberation, walked out with a beautiful skein of Wollmeise in the Gianduia colourway – a rich orangey brown that’s much more natural than the usual colours I pick. I’ve fondled it extensively but have yet to take photos.

And no, I have no idea what I’m going to knit with it. And yes, I’m aware that I shouldn’t be buying more yarn right now when I already have so much to take back to Canada with me.

I met briefly with Frankie, a fellow geek I met at university. I believe our first conversation was about X-Men back in a long-distance seminar and we got along swimmingly after that. Unfortunately due to bad planning on my part (as in, I barely let anyone know I was coming down this week) I didn’t get to spend much time with her or another friend Ruth who has managed to turn into an even more interesting and lovely person in the years we’ve not met up.

One of my favourite moments in London this week was wandering around the South Bank and Westminster for no reason just to soak in the city. I do love this country; it’s strange and archaic and modern and banal all at once. It’s also beautiful.

The second of these pictures is from the latter half of my week off. I went back to my hometown, a little island poking off the bottom of England. It’s called Portland and while I moved off it when I was 16 as quickly as I could manage, I still find it gorgeous. And weird. It’s always weird being back there.

I’ll be posting a few pictures of things I made for my family whilst down there. For now I’m going to go pet my Wollmeise and wonder what to make with it whilst lamenting the fact I have the yarn and the pattern but not the needles for the thing I want to make most of all (despite the fact my girlfriend is shocked that I don’t have every needle size in existence).

 

Socks Yay Socks

I’m so classy, jeez.

I’ve been knitting these socks from some really lovely yarn. It’s the stuff I got in the swap and I adore it; it’s soft, squishy and dyed in a beautiful way. I love the subtle changes in the yarn – the colour, that is, because the yarn is nicely balanced itself.

It was difficult choosing a pattern for the sock because I didn’t think a complicated pattern would look right on this kind of yarn. I browsed for a long time through patterns on Ravelry trying to decide what to do until I realised that the best thing for this yarn would be to knit a plain stockinette sock after all. There are some yarns that just have to be showcased for exactly what they are, and Jennifer’s stuff is one of them.

These socks have been with me through a lot in the last few weeks. I knitted pretty much the entire first sock while I was at an OCD conference. The second has been with me at work and at home and at my friend’s house while we learnt songs to sing to my visiting mother. I do love how a finished knitted object carries all these things with it long after they’re finished. It’s one of the reasons I love knitting for the people I care for; it feels like I’m giving a little piece of myself instead of just string in fancy patterns.

As an aside, I highly recommend the KnitPro DPNs. They’re smooth and warm and beautiful. I usually knit on bamboo DPNs, but I treated myself to some to match my KnitPro circular set.

Never have I made a pair of socks that have ended up actually belonging to me, but I’m determined not to give these away.

We’ll see.

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Swapping Goodies

Over the past few months I’ve been seeing a lot of my knitting friends participating in swaps. This is where you are paired with a person (on Ravelry, of course) and you send each other yarn-based packages on a specific theme. I thought it looked interesting but I was dubious on getting involved when I feel the pressure of these things a little too intently.

Then I discovered Nerdy Swaps on Ravelry and could not resist.

I happened to be paired with an absolutely lovely woman. She has an Etsy that proves the wonder of her creations: Knitsomniac Designs. I’ll be posting a better picture of the hand-dyed yarn she sent me once I have my camera on me, but here’s a photo of what she sent taken on my iPod (aka don’t judge me for quality):

SO MUCH WONDERMENT.

• Two skeins of lovely hand-dyed yarn, superwash merino and nylon. The colourways are called Gaslight and Victorian Euphemism which just makes me super happy.
• A hand-made project bag with a Victorian lady on the front. Very classy, I like.
• A funky steampunk-themed notebook that I’ve already started using.
• Two bars of dark chocolate. Delicious! The mint one didn’t even last long enough to take the photo.

I’ve already signed up for another swap, but honestly? The fact that I got paired with such a brilliant person is the highlight so far. She’s lovely and we’ve had a good old natter through the process. I would highly recommend anyone thinking about doing a swap.

In fact, if you decide to do one in the next day or two, Nerdy Swaps’s next theme is Jossverse. Buffy and Avengers and Firefly, oh my! (Of course that’s the one I’m signed up to, duh.)

 

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A Year in the Making

This jumper/sweater has taken a long time. I don’t mean the knitting; that I started mid-September and fell off the needles at a rate of knots (har har); it is everything leading up to the cast-on moment that has dragged.

I bought this Cascade 220 at The Little Green House for my 26th birthday as a present from my girlfriend’s sister. She insisted I make myself something because I tend to give away everything I make so quickly I don’t get photos of most of them for my Ravelry projects page. I prefer it that way, but I realised I have never knitted myself anything more than hats (except single socks because I can’t get past SSS* when it’s for myself) and this needed to be fixed. So I picked up a couple of shades of green Cascade 220 and some dark grey and knew exactly what I was going to make.

At that time it was leading up to Christmas and the deadline to return back to England was looming, so I didn’t start the sweater in Canada. I figured I would get back after a month or two and would knit it then. I didn’t bring it back to England with me.

Nine months later I get back to Canada for a two-week visit. Yeah, things didn’t go exactly to plan. However, I cast it on as soon as I could and started knitting as quickly as possible.

If I hadn’t had to stop for a couple of other projects with deadlines I think I could have knit this jumper up in two weeks, tops. It’s a quick knit, it’s satisfying, and it’s easy to adjust to your own shape and size. The pattern is $5 in Paris – this is a link to the Ravelry page. I recommend it; it’s beautiful and simple and fun.

So here it is. A terrible picture of my first adult-size sweater. I made it with a lot of negative ease because that’s the look I was going for; hence the lots-of-shaping. I can’t stand knitting sleeves so they stop at my elbow. I made the collar with big needles so that I can wear it low on my shoulders. All I have to do is weave in the ends and then I’m going to be wearing it ALL THE TIME. I AM SO PLEASED.

Better pictures coming later – I finished it at night so there was no way to make it look good!

*Second Sock Syndrome

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Three Day Weekend (AKA knitting time!)

It’s bank holiday Monday next week and I have Saturday off. That can mean only one thing; masses and masses of knitting.

The timing is perfect. I am leaving for Canada in just over a week and I need the Avengers blanket to be done by then. I’ve done:

1. Black Widow
2. Hulk
3. Coulson
4. Iron Man

which means I need to do

1. Captain America
2. Fury
3. Thor, and
4. Hawkeye.

Hawkeye is our favourite character, yet he’s the hardest. I’m doing a purple mask on a white background (Matt Fraction’s comics-inspired) but every time I do it I mess it up. It’s a simple design but somehow it keeps going wrong. I’ve tried it three times already. I’m determined to get it done.

On top of the main character squares I have a bunch of plain squares to do. I’m reeling them off two or so a day right now. I have discovered that for the first twenty minutes or so on the exercise bike at home I can knit. After that the sweat gets in the way a bit, but yes, this is how little time I have left to finish the blanket; I’ll be knitting in my sleep soon.

No pictures yet on the offchance that Nari happens by here.

I can’t wait to finish this blanket. I can’t wait to be able to do something else! I am going to start a boatneck sweater in the green Cascade 220 I bought a year ago. It’s still in Canada so I will be casting on while I’m out there. Can’t wait to get some natural fibres on my needles – yarn snob or not, I’ve had enough of acrylic!

This might actually be the biggest project I’ve ever done. It had better turn out okay.

Pictures in a couple of weeks!

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Are You A Yarn Snob?

What is a yarn snob?

It’s when a knitter (or crocheter/weaver/etc) has expensive tastes. When the 3-for-£1 offer on acrylic yarn in the pound shop makes a person recoil. Only fancy pants natural-organic-spun-by-angels-crying-with-joy yarn will do.

Confession: I’m really not a yarn snob.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of quality yarn. I knit with sea silk, with baby alpaca, with merino blends. I like locally hand-dyed stuff and get a kick out of meeting the person who made it. I think there’s something wonderful about all the different fibres there are. Having fondled some qiviut, I am in a constant state of lust to own some of my own.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But I truly believe acrylic has its place too.

Right now I’m knitting a blanket for my girlfriend’s 30th birthday which, okay, it was totally in July. But I am seeing her in person in a couple of weeks for a holiday – probably the only time I’ll see her while we’re applying for my permanent residency – and it would be nice to give it to her in person. It’s acrylic. Yes, that’s right, I’m giving a blanket made of acrylic to the person I love. There’s no place for yarn snobbery when you need your expendable income for a holiday in Las Vegas, and this blanket is going to be all the colours since it’s based on Avengers. (Yes, there will be pics when it’s done.)

It’s true that the squeaky feel of acrylic is starting to get to me, but I have some delicious dark blue locally hand-dyed 100% silk to knit with when I’m done. Maybe I’m just an occasional snob.

What about you? To you shun acrylic or embrace it?

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Demon and Self-Striping Yarn

It’s been a bad week.

Last Saturday I was quite happily sitting in the Knit Studio with the usual charming company when I happened to check my email. There was one from my Dad entitled ‘Demon’, which is the name of my gorgeous (and young) black cat. I assumed it would be photos of him since Dad knows how much I miss him and the other cats.

It wasn’t. It was an email saying Dad came home to find Demon paralysed in both his legs. He had an embolism and was put down almost immediately. Dad was too upset to phone me and tell me.

He was four.

Demon’s the one on the right with the biggest eyes. The other is Tiger, who is fine.

This photo makes Demon look like he has different coloured eyes. He didn’t.

Of course, this totally threw me. I moved away from my hometown for a multitude of reasons, mostly that it makes me effing crazy. My Dad takes good care of our cats and loves them dearly; they are a huge part of his life and he dotes on them. Most of the time I ask Dad how he is and he promptly tells me how the cats are doing. Except for the male thing, he’s totally a crazy cat lady.

So I’m torn up over Demon dying so young, over Demon dying alone at the vets, and at Dad having to deal with that.

Add in some other stresses and let’s just say I haven’t had the best week in my life.

Someone suggested I buy some yarn to cheer myself up which, let’s face it, is not a suggestion I’m likely to turn down. Fortunately for my bank balance I had left my purse at home with my debit card and only had 10 quid on me; 4 of which I had already spent. I bought a skein of self-striping yarn because it was cheap and because I haven’t tried it before.

Guys, it is MAGICAL.

I didn’t realise how much FUN it would be! I went to my friend Lucy’s house for the evening and spent it knitting this. I’m making it without a pattern, just plain stockinette with lots of decreases for my skinny wrists. I’m probably going to write up the pattern later when they’re finished. I adore the muted colours in the yarn and how even though it’s just stockinette it’s still totally exciting.

It has taken my mind off the horrible events last week and though I am still upset, at least I have my knitting to distract me.

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Yarn Lust: Doctor Who vs. Downton Abbey

To continue in my current Doctor Who theme I thought I’d feature a yarn I haven’t actually tried yet but seriously want to, preferably as soon as possible. Just to shake things up a little it’s a crossover yarn based on both Doctor Who and Downton Abbey. You know, two of the best shows ever. Kudos, indigodragonfly; you have created a yarn of beauty (and pure geekery).

You can find the selection here. Hop in your TARDIS/stylish classic car and get on over there to ogle it immediately. Geronimo!

With Sticks and String

It doesn’t matter how much chaos there is in my life (and there is quite a lot); I can find solace in something simple. I can pick up my sticks and string and turn one thing into another. The quiet peace of order from chaos is one of the few things that keeps me chilled out even when the weight of all this crap is piling on my shoulders. I can escape for a few hours with a good movie or show and some luscious yarn.

At the moment I’m sticking to the simple projects. Any attempts at lace lately have been a massive failure and I can’t be doing with any more disappointment. Garter stitch and stockinette and ribbing are my friends.

My current project. It is (or will be) a pair of fingerless gloves in 2×2 ribbing with Heritage Silk yarn. It’s soft and shiny. I love anything with a touch of silk.

They will be for my lovely girlfriend. She mentioned cold hands in her (one day our) new apartment and I offered a pair. We will have been together three years in a couple of weeks so it’s part of her gift for that. Sure, it’ll be summer there soon and unbearably humid but she asked and I will provide.

Hopefully I will be going back to Ontario for a couple of weeks vacation in August/September. I’ll be stopping off at the Little Green House of course! In the meantime I’m spending a lot of time (and quite a bit of money) at the gorgeous Knit Studio. If you’re in Newcastle upon Tyne or the surrounding area I would highly recommend it.

It feels good to write in my blog again. Now back to my sticks and string.

—

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