The Union Jack cushion cover is knitted and blocked and waiting to be sewn up. It's only two seams. Come on get on with it!
The Glace cardigan is almost to the point of separating the sleeves. The rows are endless but soon will be more manageable. Come on what are you waiting for?
The shawl is pretty and a simple lace but I've left it for a while and forgotten the pattern. Come on you could easily re-establish it!
The Kidsilk Haze cardigan languishes in a bag left off when it was too hot to knit fluffy stuff. Come on it has cooled down now!
So I am knitting vanilla socks.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Secret Pal 14 Questions
Here is my questionnaire for SP14
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really prefer natural fibres. I don't like the fancy eyelash type ones.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a really old knitting bag bought by my older daughter and my mother many years ago, plus a vase I made in a wet felting workshop
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting since I was about 6 years old. The avatar on here really is me.
I am pretty competent I think.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have one on Amazon
5. What's your favorite scent?
Rose
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Unfortunately I do. I love dark chocolate, coffee flavour things, Turkish delight.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin. I wet felt occasionally.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I'm afraid I don't listen to music much
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like greens and blues, also pinks and plums. I'm not keen on acid colours.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my long standing, slightly faulty husband and Lily-the-Dog. We have 2 grown up daughters and one grand-daughter
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Scarves yes, hats not so much, mittens yes, ponchos no way
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
At the moment shawls but also socks and cardis
13. What are you knitting right now?
A shawl, socks and a Union Jack cushion cover
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
certainly
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
It depends on the project but always as short as I can get away with.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
An inefficient vintage winder no swift
17. How old is your oldest UFO?
24 years
18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?
Christmas and Christmas
19. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides knitting stuff Pottery baskets
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I subscribe to Interweave knits and Yarn Forward.
I'd really like the Berroco Norah Gaughan leaflet 3
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'd like to improve my colourwork
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I knit socks but mostly for my daughters. I wear size 37 shoe
23. When is your birthday?
May 2nd
24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I am. Mazzam
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really prefer natural fibres. I don't like the fancy eyelash type ones.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a really old knitting bag bought by my older daughter and my mother many years ago, plus a vase I made in a wet felting workshop
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting since I was about 6 years old. The avatar on here really is me.
I am pretty competent I think.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have one on Amazon
5. What's your favorite scent?
Rose
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Unfortunately I do. I love dark chocolate, coffee flavour things, Turkish delight.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin. I wet felt occasionally.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I'm afraid I don't listen to music much
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like greens and blues, also pinks and plums. I'm not keen on acid colours.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my long standing, slightly faulty husband and Lily-the-Dog. We have 2 grown up daughters and one grand-daughter
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Scarves yes, hats not so much, mittens yes, ponchos no way
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
At the moment shawls but also socks and cardis
13. What are you knitting right now?
A shawl, socks and a Union Jack cushion cover
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
certainly
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
It depends on the project but always as short as I can get away with.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
An inefficient vintage winder no swift
17. How old is your oldest UFO?
24 years
18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?
Christmas and Christmas
19. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides knitting stuff Pottery baskets
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I subscribe to Interweave knits and Yarn Forward.
I'd really like the Berroco Norah Gaughan leaflet 3
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'd like to improve my colourwork
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I knit socks but mostly for my daughters. I wear size 37 shoe
23. When is your birthday?
May 2nd
24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I am. Mazzam
New Shawl obsession
I have received a parcel from a Secret Pal swap swap on Ravelry. It is from rdodo and here it is
There are lots of rosey things in there, coasters, address book, candles, chocolates, post-its, a tiny knitted sock on a keyring with some stitchmarkers hidden inside, bamboo sock yarn and some lovely Fyberspates lace weight. It was such a pretty tempting summery colourway I just had to get started on a new shawl and having sworn off Icarus had to look for another pattern. I found the North Roe on Ravelry and decided this was the one. Here it is so far
and yes, it is the one!
There are lots of rosey things in there, coasters, address book, candles, chocolates, post-its, a tiny knitted sock on a keyring with some stitchmarkers hidden inside, bamboo sock yarn and some lovely Fyberspates lace weight. It was such a pretty tempting summery colourway I just had to get started on a new shawl and having sworn off Icarus had to look for another pattern. I found the North Roe on Ravelry and decided this was the one. Here it is so far
and yes, it is the one!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Last week was Isabel's birthday. This coincided with an inset day for Millie so the birthday girl decided we should pick fruit.
We picked yummy raspberries, strawberries. gooseberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants. I couldn't believe how busy the fields were as it was a weekday but when we had our fruit weighed it was really cheap so people were probably stocking up for freezing and jamming. We were just doing it for eating.
I really don't like colourwork. This is why I have a pack of beautifully coordinated Jamesons shetland sitting on a shelf which has been there for about 5 years, suposedly waiting until I find the perfect pattern. Well it will have to be perfect for me to tackle it. However when Rosemary suggested she would like a tapestry cushion for her birthday I baulked at the £50 price tag when a day later I found the perfect pattern in a magazine, knowing I already had the yarn in the stash. Amazingly I have quite enjoyed watching the emergence of the design which will match the painting Rosemary did and hangs on her wall.
Having reported my enjoyment the back of the cushion will deffinately be stripes!
You'd think I'd be sick of Icarus by now but here's another;
I am going to try something different next though honestly.
We picked yummy raspberries, strawberries. gooseberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants. I couldn't believe how busy the fields were as it was a weekday but when we had our fruit weighed it was really cheap so people were probably stocking up for freezing and jamming. We were just doing it for eating.
I really don't like colourwork. This is why I have a pack of beautifully coordinated Jamesons shetland sitting on a shelf which has been there for about 5 years, suposedly waiting until I find the perfect pattern. Well it will have to be perfect for me to tackle it. However when Rosemary suggested she would like a tapestry cushion for her birthday I baulked at the £50 price tag when a day later I found the perfect pattern in a magazine, knowing I already had the yarn in the stash. Amazingly I have quite enjoyed watching the emergence of the design which will match the painting Rosemary did and hangs on her wall.
Having reported my enjoyment the back of the cushion will deffinately be stripes!
You'd think I'd be sick of Icarus by now but here's another;
I am going to try something different next though honestly.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday
Today Denby Pottery was celebrating the bicentennial. I thought I would like to see what was happening so, after baking and filling macaroons and whipping cream to cover a 'Dougal cake' (this is a line of chocolate chip cookies dipped in coffee and stood on end then covered with whipped cream so looking rather like Dougal from the Magic Roundabout) and walking Lily-the-Dog and before going to Sainsbury's to buy Soya cream for the vegan daughter's variation (naked Dougal;ginger biscuits dipped and stood with single cream poured over on serving) and going to Isabel's for a birthday lunch, I went along. It was great fun and I was very excited by the craft tent and food market with locally made chocolate, cupcakes, bread, cheese etc until I realised I had dashed out with £2.75 in my purse. Well I flexed the plastic in the gift shop as everything was 20% off and then heard an anouncement for someone to return to their car. Oh the shame and embarrassment! I don't know why I felt like that....nobody knew it was me. Apparently in my hurry I had left the window completely down! So I never got to see most of it as I realised time was rushing away. I'm sure everyone else enjoyed it though, there was a Victorian fairground, Pinxton Puppets and a charity stall staffed by a nice lady in Georgian costume complete with authentic anorak. (It was a chilly spot she was in)
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Home again
Well we are back. Lily has been sprung from doggy jail and is snoring on the setee.
What a wonderful place we stayed in! This picture really does not do justice to it. You need to go round the back to see the view over the valley and sit out at breakfast on the decking to watch the finches, tits and woodpeckers feeding in the garden. We drove miles to the Llyn Peninsula to this beautiful cove
We walked all around a lake up in a mountain
Millie drove a train
We went to an Edwardian stables which had been converted to a craft centre. In the folly was a swift's nest with the mother flying in and out of the window feeding her young.
The wall inside was painted with farm animals
Llandudno was fun
On Wednesday I took James to the Wool & Willow festival. It was rather a long drive through the rain and I'm not sure it was really worth the trip but I'm glad we went or I'd have been wondering what I'd missed. On the way back we called in the Colinette Mill shop where I bought a skein of Jitterbug and some bargain skeins of Cadenza in Mist colourway.
It was really fortunate I bought the sock yarn as I got to the neckline of Millie's top and finished the back of my cardigan and could go no farther due to lack of appropriate needles. I did have some dpn's though and there was a pattern on the yarn band so I was able to crack on with some socks whilst Rosemary and Johnny discussed who should wear the results!
There was also wool at Trefriw Mill
What a wonderful place we stayed in! This picture really does not do justice to it. You need to go round the back to see the view over the valley and sit out at breakfast on the decking to watch the finches, tits and woodpeckers feeding in the garden. We drove miles to the Llyn Peninsula to this beautiful cove
We walked all around a lake up in a mountain
Millie drove a train
We went to an Edwardian stables which had been converted to a craft centre. In the folly was a swift's nest with the mother flying in and out of the window feeding her young.
The wall inside was painted with farm animals
Llandudno was fun
On Wednesday I took James to the Wool & Willow festival. It was rather a long drive through the rain and I'm not sure it was really worth the trip but I'm glad we went or I'd have been wondering what I'd missed. On the way back we called in the Colinette Mill shop where I bought a skein of Jitterbug and some bargain skeins of Cadenza in Mist colourway.
It was really fortunate I bought the sock yarn as I got to the neckline of Millie's top and finished the back of my cardigan and could go no farther due to lack of appropriate needles. I did have some dpn's though and there was a pattern on the yarn band so I was able to crack on with some socks whilst Rosemary and Johnny discussed who should wear the results!
There was also wool at Trefriw Mill
Friday, June 12, 2009
Excuse me for a while
My new Cath Kidston knitting bag is packed with W.I.P's and random things I think I need and tomorrow we are off to North Wales for a week.
No one believes that I didn't realise the Wool and Willow Festival is on but it is and I hope, although it is quite a drive from where we are staying, that I'll be able to make a visit.
No one believes that I didn't realise the Wool and Willow Festival is on but it is and I hope, although it is quite a drive from where we are staying, that I'll be able to make a visit.
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