The lace is packed and ready to go.
I will miss this project as it was a joy to knit. The yarn from Wagtail yarns was great to work with; the sheen is impossible to photograph and it feels so soft - it banished all thoughts of previous icky mohair and I'm already plotting what I can do with the rest of the skein (and how to get more sent to me).
The pattern was the Rippling Waters Scarf designed by Dorothy Siemens, Fiddlesticks Knitting and was a real treat to work from, well written instructions and very clear charts - exactly what I have come to expect from Dorothy.
In my recent non-knitting days , I have finally sewn together the Marylin sweater that I knitted earlier this year. I tried it on and was stunned to get a compliment from Matt - however after about 30 minutes of wear I had to take it off and will need to make some adjustments! The collar slides right off of my shoulders and the weight of the sleeves almost drags it off - not a look I want to cultivate!!
Rather than do a major remake I'm considering knitting either 2 short straps to go inside the neckline and over my shoulders to hold the thing on or 2 triangular sections to give me a more built up inner section(if that makes sense?) . Any views?
I finally finished the last lace project of 2005 , only to discover that I had forgotten to bring pins for blocking! Still, I managed to smooth it out and stretch it slightly. There's now the small matter of sewing a few ends in and then I'll need to send it on it's way to it's intended recipient.
It's been a family joke for years that one of our relatives will always give you a gift saying - well if you don't like it just give it back to me and I'll give you the cash instead. This is going to be one of those gifts that I'd be quite happy to own for myself.
Merry Christmas!
Matt and I are in Wales for christmas with his Aunt - bliss - I've been sitting with my feet up & knitting!
Santa brought me mainly non-knit items but my dear cousin managed to send me Alterknits and I can't wait to get home to start playing with some of the exercises in it.
Yesterday we went for a drive around the Gower and spent time window watching - the Welsh , in this area, try to outdo each other with wonderful window displays. This morning there was a thick frost on the ground and Matt's "mountain" was glimmering in the sunlight - wonderful!
I contacted the publishers to ask about errata for the Modular Knits book and got an email back from Iris herself. There are some errata and they can be found at http://www.artyarns.com/newsite/html/book_updates_main.htm
Nothing new on the knitting front as I'm still having problems with my hands. The Dr has decreed a further 2 weeks off of work - i'm dreading the sight of my desk when I return!
Here's the start of the last lace project for 2005. I was hoping for swifter progress but the hand issue is still making it difficult to work on anything.
The yarn is a lucious 4ply mohair from Wagtail yarns, Australia that I fell in love with at Harrogate and as Polly says "It's PURPLE"!
A brief glimpse of my order from Curious Yarns. I have to thank my SP6 for introducing me to this wonderful yarn!
The start of the Pinwheel Purse from Iris Schreier's book.
I tried to follow the instructions but either I'm reading them wrong or there are some errors. When I picked up and cast on as per the written instructions I got a strip on knitting. The shape is made up of 5 of these triangle sections and is described as an octagonal when the diagram clearly shows a Pentagon.
Recovery is in progress - after the flotation session I was able to knit 5 whole rows on Thursday night, 51 sts per row in 4ply! It felt like a major achievement.
Friday started early with a visit to an acupuncturist and curtesy of the needles I felt able to make a flying visit up to Yorkshire to deliver the family presents and spend some time with my Mum, 2 of my sisters and 2 nieces. I returned to London last night and was able to do some small amount of knitting again - 10 rows this time! The project on the needles only has 172 rows left to go until I get to the interesting lace bit so at this rate the xmas present may well be finished for Valentine's day! I will post photos later when there is more to see.
The train journey gave me time to read the latest IK and the decision has been reached - I will rip out my ill-fated attempt at the Coco jacket from earlier this year (moss-stitch kills my hands) and will make the Di Gilpin's Winter Star jacket instead. I think a visit to the copy shop will be called for though as the squares of the chart are impossible to see.
Thank you to everyone for your sympathy. I saw the Dr again this morning and have been told to have another week off of work and rest.
I'll bend the rules later today and am heading for a session in a flotation tank - one of the best ways I know of to help me relax. After that I should be able to make it to Liberty's for a brief visit ( and to buy some more of those presents).
In the mean time I plan to sit here watching DVDs and sewing up some of the garments I did earlier in the year. I keep looking at the parts of Simply Marylin and am still not sure if I like the neckline on me so may rip it back and have another go.
Christmas knitting is officially off!
I woke up on Sunday with major pain in my wrists, knees and other joints. My body has said it has shut downtime. The swelling is beginning to go down but it hurts to knit more than 1 row so realism has struck and family members will get an I.O.U. containing a photo of their balls of wool! Friends may just be given the yarn for them to make it themselves!!
Sue , a member of the Liberty knitting group, invited us over for a belated birthday party and to celebrate her new studio.
I had some idea of what to expect having known Sue for a few years and drooled over her exquisite embroidery, her wonderful sense of colour and passion for texture.
As each person arrived and came into the room their jaws dropped and then their fingers twitched - soon we were exploring all the drawers, boxes etc.
One of my favourites was the hat box on top of the shelves labelled "Tiaras and bits" - just what every girl needs!
We had to twist Sue's arm to show us this cloak that she made for her City and Guilds. The accompanying ruff was fantastic - too bad my photo's didn't come out. Have a look at Nickerjac to see more photos
Jan exploring the other end of the Studio. The sofa was fantastic, loads of great pillows; embroidery, beads and textures to explore everywhere and don't forget all those books!
Having finally recovered from the Autumn show circuit, I've been pondering over the number of conversations I've had with other knitters. Some belong to physical groups; some to on-line groups and some to both. Some knew no other knitters and were amazed at the interest of others in their hobby / craft and it was great to introduce them to others and to the Knitting and Crochet Guild, Stitch n bitch and other groups.
What has come out of this for me is a sense of fellowship with other knitters, a feeling that you are never alone and that there is always someone to talk to about your ideas, your inspirations and your knitting and your successes and disasters. I've made wonderful friends all around the country and from a very diverse group of people age 7 -70+. I have learnt things from all of them.
I was upset to hear that one young knitter had been told she was too young to join a group (at 17) and others who were told they were to old to attend the group (at 40+) and I really wondered about these groups - are they about knitting or are they about egos and public persona.
I've talked to knitters who feel isolated due to care commitments / work commitments and lack of finances. Older knitters have a lot to offer in terms of their skill and practical knowledge. Young knitters can offer great enthusiasm and are willing to have a go at incredibly complex tasks because no-one has told them it is too difficult.
Teaching beginners to knit has helped me look at my own work more analyticaly and the social aspect of knitting has drained my bank balance and free time as I discover more new and varied yarns, patterns and techniques to explore!
I will continue to offer my time through Relax and Knit / Knit n Natter, I will continue in my work with the KCG but would love to have more feedback from the knitting community (this means YOU!) about what you are looking for for yourself as in individual, from your group / guild. Please take some time to think about this and do please get in touch.
Jacket front
On Saturday I had the privelege of spending a few hours with Sheila. I've met her several times in the past at shows and guild meetings and have always admired the wonderful garments that she wears. She's a great believer in trying anything new and has expanded her knitting (and other) horizons by attending a number of the American Knitter's Conventions.
We'd agreed to meet for lunch at an Art Centre / Theatre and after lunch she took me to her local yarn store (yes I did buy more yarn and no you can't see it as it's a present!) then she asked if I'd like to go to her home and have a look at some of her work - what a treat!
I love being allowed to explore someone else's bookcase and their stash! I had a great afternoon and persuaded her to model some of her creations. Here she is wearing a great entrelac jacket - it's only when I looked closer that I realised it is in Tunisian Crochet!
I think I will have to do some serious practice!
I knew I should have taken a close up! Actually - I was so busy talking I didn't even remember to take any photos - I had to ask Sheila's husband to do it for me!
Sheila has lent me a copy of "Wild Knitting" to play with as there's some good ideas in there for the knitted garden. There's some other crazy patterns that I might just have to play around with as well.
We are both members of the KCG and spent some time talking about how we need to preserve the best of the old and incorporate it into the new. I loved a vintage cloth that Sheila had and think the design would translate well into a semi-circular shawl.
I spent the rest of Saturday looking through my vintage bed jacket patterns for inspiration and think I've found one which will make a good shrug for my youngest sister (though probably not in time for this Christmas!)
