Perfect for halloween in may

A few months ago I made up a little song about how I could feel summer coming. It annoyed boyfriend so I kept singing it.

"Summer's coming, I can feel it"

And I can feel it. That is why I knit myself... a scarf. Okay so it basically got cold enough to wear my woollies for two weeks this past winter. It is a mild climate here and I had a physical job in a freakishly heated place. So I didn't really need a scarf but now.

Now it's a baking south west summer. But I camp and summer is the perfect time for that. And midnight is not the perfect time for nipping out for the loo.

So it's helpful to have the gloves and scarfs by the sleeping bag (I sleep in the hat). When I pull my self out of it in middle of the night, desperate to pee it won't feel so bad.

As a bonus this scarf is so bright anyone can see me coming. Yes the idea for this scarf was conceived staring at a wall of brightly coloured acrylic in the 98p shop. And say what you like about it nothing takes up the colour of freakishly bright orange like acrylic.

It's a ball of black and orange dk weight, 100% acrylic a total of £1.96. Knit in a chevron pattern alternating the colour every other row. I continued until it was boyfriend height (6'1" and a bit) And god is it trashy. I love it.

Autumn Bag

I was once one of those people who would never quilt. Never. It's too hard. But then when you leave the wool/bead/fabric Mecca that is the border country of the South Pennines you take what fate throws at you.

Fate threw Sewing the Seeds a patchwork shop. There I've never been mocked for spending too little, or too much and I've been offered hot chocolate. My visits have turned weekly. From there I bought this Monkey Buttons pattern, two fat quarters and a metre and set out to sew the bag.

Of course I'd never quilted before...

• The instructions where ridiculously confusing. Especially for the gusset. Once I realised it was trying to say make a gusset I was fine but I expect it is written for a quilter making bags not a sewer making quilted thing.
• I messed up my 1/4 inch. Then I decided to keep it constantly messed up. My bag is a bit stretched but no problem.
• I didn't trim the excess lining material and wadding before I quilted. So the edges look scruffy.

Intentionally though I did leave out the zip. All in all I'm rather pleased with myself and the bag. Especially with the colours. It's a very Autumn bag even if, on it's début, the weather was so nice I got to lie on the grass and read until I was almost asleep. That's why this is my favourite season.

Minor reconstruction works

The first project has been sitting about for a bit. Since I left Huddersfield to be exact. In a closing down sale I got incredible discounts on a plain black hoodie and a white t-shirt with a winky face. I knew I wanted to do the white running stitch, I’d fell in love with this simple technique on the streets of Manchester. After I’d decided to put the ‘patch’ on the back I was going to make some kitty ears out of the leftover jersey knit but I moved to Torquay before I had time without my scraps. Photographed last Thursday in the garden.

The second piece is also from that sale however I was using it as a plain black shirt while I still needed one at work. After they upgraded me to a smock I broke out the sewing machine and some ribbon I had bought at another sale to create the Lolita inspired ruffle down the front. I would cite the Japanese shirt that I ripped off but I have forgotten it by now. Photographed this Saturday at St Mary’s Church in Totnes, both by Stephen.

Fluffle is in his pocket, all's right with the world

So you turn up to a camp site in Wales. And it smells like manure. What do you do? We giggle and drive to the next field, light a fire and have a good time.

The rain kept off on Saturday. The only night I got to knitting around the camp fire. So only an inch in. Got some reading done though.

There are two sorts of book that I love. The first could be finished in an hour if I could read that fast. The second takes time. Time that you need to savour each word and the beauty of the prose. Fudoki was, still is in fact, the latter. I'm enjoying every second of the intricately woven plots, the beauty of the description, the fascinating characters. Johnson doesn't explain her world in that awful, clumsy, chunky way that is the feature of bad fantasy. There's no sense that you have to be filled in just this second. The detail of the world is realised naturally. With the action. Making it so much more natural. And Perfect.

Camouflage is definitely the first type of book. It's compelling, interesting and - in parts - shocking. It also switches through three different stories. With several different times spread evenly between them. I usually hate this. It's too easy to get attached to only one and skim through the others. But it worked.

Shopping trips where both successful and unsuccessful. No stereotypical Wales stuff. I was looking forward to some dragons and a T-shirt or two. No luck. I did pick up some Weaving Sticks from a craft fair (better than the knitted dolls and endless honey) and a black sun hat (see daft pic).

Now I'm back. To central heating and a curry.

Going Away

I'm off. For the weekend. Camping in Wales. My Dad and I are going with my uncle Mick and his friends. I consider it cheating that my Dad wants to take camp beds, they are taking full size blow up beds and a fridge freezer.

The place we are going to is called Bala. It's famous for stocking knitting but as the wool for my Anna Socks hasn't come I'll be working on my patterned vest, shown above in my Tool Tote.

Four days, four books. Two read before but need a second glance. A Handful of Dust and Brideshead Revisited my bestest and worst Waugh respectively. Camouflage and Fudoki are my new books (new to me at least) bought for the occasion. I accidentally read half of Camouflage last night. Oops

The plan is up Snowden and lots of messing around the camp site. I doubt a visit to the place Collinette grows will be an option but there are craft shops in town as well as t-shirts to buy.

To my fellow countrymen have a great bank holiday weekend and to everyone else have a great whatever you call the next four days.

Bye

I Knit in a Thousand Colours

Or why my projects aren’t usually black Or I think to much about what I wear

I’m sat here knitting a green vest, looking forward to knitting a dark red wrap yet my blog is written on the basis that I’m a Goth who knits. It may seem like a contradiction (at least a contradiction of the cliché) and it probably is. But because I think too much I’m going to tell you why it is.

When I get dressed (for an event this is not just waking up) I start with a single item or idea. The last time I put too much thought into what I was wearing was meeting my boyfriends parents. I wanted a wrap top. That was it. My grand design. A wrap top. As it was my birthday a week before my Mummy bought me a nice silk one. I bought a necklace that fit the collar shape. I met them in London, which meant travelling, so any more jewellery would have got tangled. I wore flat shoes that I could stuff on top of my bag and my everyday corduroy pants.

My silk wrap top (which I’m wearing in the entry before last) was the main bit. At least in my view. And that is what my knitting is supposed to be; the focal point of the entire outfit. This brings me to my essential rule of dressing. I only allow myself one piece of colour. Alright, that is over dramatic. It’s not a rule, I don’t freak out, but it is what I do. The colour piece is also often the focal point.

So my knitting takes colour. Generally dark. My favourite colours (the vest, Charlotte ) or colours on sale (the wrap). Anyway that’s why

Toys

I ordered more stuff from Loop. Needing needles for Charlotte I ordered me some Swallow ones. They’re purple. My preferred needle materials are metal, plastic and casein. I like the smoothness, the cost, the weight of metal, and how light the other two are. Not all at the same time. Also got some cable needles and stitch markers. The stitch markers aren’t for Charlotte though. I broke all my others. I know, silly thing to do.

No that isn’t the summer IK which I didn’t buy for the lace. And I don’t like the Brioche Bodice which I do not want to order this for after I come back from seeing Tom.

Jesus!

It all started last Sunday. After dropping Tom at the train station I saw Greeting from the Knit Café in Waterstones. I was quite impressed but couldn't justify it. It remains on the shelf. (cost

On Tuesday I saw that Shannon over at Knit it in Black, Please (who has my eternal admiration for liking both bunnies and black) had linked to Knitscene. I ordered it from Loop. It came yesterday. (cost £9.50)

And then. And then. I accidentally looked on the previews for the new IK. Silken Spencer, Gatsby Girl Pullover, Wanderlust Hoodie, Swallowtail Shawl: I hate you, I hate you all. I managed to talk myself out of the international subscription. At least until September. (cost £14)

So I went to look at how much it was on Stash and saw the two new Rowan books and the magazine. One section of the magazine is described as 'dramatic and theatrical' another called Fade To Grey my little gothy dreams have come true. The patters look wonderful. It's love! Unfortunately Little Big Wool and Country do not come in black. But I suppose it will save me some cash. (magazine cost £11+ bus fare to the shop) £15)

I wonder if anyone owes me some money.

Shoulders, what shoulders?

I found the camera! So here is a real entry.

The yarn I was using for the Sweet Pea Shawl was looking too thick especially in black… it looked quite fishing net. I may try it with some DK weight black. I hope I will, at least.

So, as you can tell from my inexplicably changing progress bars, I’m now working on knitting the Multilayered Tube Shawl in blue KSH. I bought it last year for a project with KSH and Big Wool, the KSH was on sale but I could never afford the Big Wool. The Shawl is from AlterKnits and is worked in the round. And is bloody boring. I think shall have to seriously take up lace. That way I can make something more challenging and impressive should I find some cheap Kid Silk Haze.

I’ll need some fabric to thread thought the middle. I’ll need a trip to Bury Market (voted the best market in the UK or England… one of them) and possibly my Nan’s. She can help me sew. I’m… not good in that department.

I’ve been knitting it a round and about for three weeks now. That picture is of me in the park. Taken by Tom (thank you ) I’ve also knit it in bars in London, Regent’s Park, Tom’s parents house, restaurants in Ramsbottom, three different beds, and my bedroom which doesn’t have a bed. I would really rather it be done in the next ten days.

I’ve been taking advantage of the half-price Rowan sale (and free shipping!) at my all time favourite online wool shop Stash to buy four balls of Ribbon Twist in Rumba (tension square above) which I want to use to make Charlotte from Rowan 38. Yummers. I’m in a shoulder covering mood.

But first!

I’m going to have to use those three balls of white fluffycrap to make a baby cardi. The apples are just to make the picture interesting.

Review: Alterknits

If I were in the business of judging a book by its cover Alterknits would have me. The fabric covered spine looks delicious on any bookcase. When it's pulled down the wonderfully shot front cover begs you to open it up. Inside the projects are presented much like the cover. A blend of techniques, styles and materials.

I'm a big fan of introductions, both to books and patterns, that tell me what the designer was thinking. Radford gives out her aims as trying to 'reorder the way I… looked at knitting's potential'.

Some of the patters appear to miss the mark by a few years. The Zigzag Sweater Blanket is made from felted sweaters in a way that designers and craftspeople have been exploiting for a while now. The Recycled Sweater Totes is a more ingenious take on this.

The knitting you would have to do for some of the projects is hardly challenging for people past the advanced beginner stage, the difficulty in the pattern appears to be in the different techniques and materials. Some of the patterns call for crotchet, sewing, eyelet setting, and embellishment in a way that may be annoying to people who, by preference or ability, only knit. Especially in projects like Velvet-Trimmed Raglan Pullover which, aside from the velvet trim, is very plain.

The projects knit with different materials do not miss the mark. The Crepe Paper Crown looks stunning and I can't wait to try my hand at the Herringbone Leather Cuff. Even the more common none-yarn materials such as wire are given a new, creative twist.

The garments come in a range of styles so most people should find one to suit themselves but only three sizes are given for the adult project with no written guidelines about how much ease to give. Thankfully the pictures are very useful for understanding the pattern. They manage to be the perfect balance between artfully shot and practical.

Aside from the patterns there is a 'creativity notebook' and exercises sprinkled throughout the book. The note book may come in useful, if only for the graph paper, but the exercises seem quite tired and forced. Neither detract anything from the book or - more importantly - increase the price. Which is, at least in the UK impressive value for money.

Does the book show a new potential of knitting? In places. It is much like any other pattern book though. Projects you want to knit, projects you don't want to knit. There is something for every taste but definitely not everything for all tastes.

Links: Leigh Radford, eratta

Personally, it’s the legs and the arms I feel sorry for…

Yay! Only the heel left and my boyfriend will have a nice green pair of hand knit socks. Now I want some. Only ankle socks. So on Thursday night I was browsing Get Knitted and found these three patterns. Which came this morning with a lolly (and a pen but) Okay… so two of them aren’t ankle socks but spiders, and lace! I really need new ankle socks (getting blisters after loosing my last pair) so I may, if I can get the wool and the needles, start them on the train down to London next week. Fingers crossed.

I know I said that I’d take my Yoke vest with me when I came home on Thursday but those progress bars have guilted me into picking up my patterned vest. As soon as I’m done with the heel I’ll get to work on that and I have plenty of knitting time this weekend. House sitting until Wednesday and then a train to London. And new travel sickness pills!

Well considering this post is short on pictures have a gratuitous elephant shot from Chester Zoo this Thursday.

P.S I'm going London next week.

Getting Dizzy

I've done something I never thought I'd manage. Well two things actually.

One, I'm reading a chart; Two, I'm knitting in the round on DPNs; Three, I'm starting a new project.

Well three then. I was being a good girl yesterday, casting on the front of a vest after taking a break and then… 'Clare you have a package'. Two balls of Noro Kureyon in 124 (red, blue, pink, purple), 4 and 4.5 mm DPNs, and four balls of Rowan Polar in 645 (purple). All from the lovely people at Celticove.

I was itching to try the DPNs but unwilling to drag my yarn out for Mrs Beeton. I cast on for the Hurry Up Spring Armwarmers instead.

The DPN business is a lot easier then it looks or seems or sounds like. Once you've got your first round going you're pretty sorted. It's all rather anti-climatic. I thought it would be harder, thought I'd have a nice warm glow at the end of it.

Oh well. Whole new knitting doors have been opened to me. Circular ones.

Bleeding fingers are so totally goth

When I was first learning how to knit, buying my first needles and my first yarn I stumbled on Yorkshire Tweed. It was love at first sight. It was the reason I moved to Huddersfield. All right, not really, but I loved it, I did.

But off I went with my blood red acrylic and learnt how to knit.

Back in Heywood there was no Rowan. Two busses separated me from its glory. So off I went knitting patters from Stitch and Bitch in Sirdar. When I got back to Ramsbottom I knew I had to knit something from A Yorkshire Fable.

So what? Something small because that's all I could afford. A hat. Mist. Stripes, not fairisle, cost again, but with that mini stripe on the bottom from the fairisle version. No bobble!

It was three balls of 4 ply and two pairs of passed on needles. Not overly exciting. I knit it from around Easter last year, through exams, and cast off on an awful summer holiday. I finished it yesterday. It remains unblocked and slightly short.

So then I promised myself. Never. Ever. Something. On. Small. Needles. Again.

But promises are made to be broken and Kim Hargreaves was born to enable this. Meet Shimmer. In Black.

To add insult to injury they were so lovely to order from that I will have to buy something else. Damn. So Temptation or Forest Fruits?

The hat will be stuck in it's box until I manage to finish an Airy Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. It's not for me. This is why it's pink. A better picture will come with the morning. Probably.