Monday 24 January 2005

SP4 "Getting to Know You" questionnaire

So you want to know the details eh? Ok, here we go for more insider info..

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- and/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I don't really mind - I tend to use yarns with a higher acrylic content for my kids as they get washed a lot! I guess I'm becoming more of a yarn snob when it comes to my own garments though - I love Rowan, Colinette, etc.
2. Do you spin? Crochet?
Spin - no. Crochet - yes.
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
I'm allergic to nickel and can't wear anything with mohair content.
4. How long have you been knitting?
Over 30 years on and off!
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Not yet..
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Vanilla or white musk (from the Body Shop)
7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Absolutely - I adore chocolate but don't really go for "candy".
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I used to do patchwork but now I'm just obsessed with knitting and crochet.
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Music? Oooh, Pink, Led Zep, Fleetwood Mac, Stereophonics, Reef, Nirvana, All Saints, Gwyn Stefani,... I don't know if I can play MP3s or not!
10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
Definately pink. I love rich plums/aubergines on the more burgundy end of the scale rather than going into bright purples. Variegated yarns. Muted colours - moss greens, soft blues, beiges, etc. No yellows for me - although bright rainbow colours are great for my kids.
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Hubby & 2 young daughters. No pets.
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
To stay happily married to my hubby for ever and raise our girls to be happy and healthy. :-) To live somewhere less hectic.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Variegated yarns. Smooth yarns which give good stitch definition. Cotton mixes. Very soft merinos. Anything larger than UK 3-ply weight.
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Anything brushed or with mohair content, or that sheds or pills badly. Scratchy yarns.
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Erm, quick practical items like scarves but nothing with dps.
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Scarves or kids' clothes cuz they're quick!
17. What are you knitting right now?
You want all of them? Ok, a feather & fan scarf, a cardi for my youngest, a chenille jacket, and a Clapotis.
18. What do you think about ponchos?
I love them on my daughters but not on me.
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I guess straight, but I do use a few Addi Turbo circulars too.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo for smooth yarns, aluminium for grabby yarns like chenille.
21. Are you a sock knitter?
Definately not!
22. How did you learn to knit?
My mum taught me many years ago.
23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Probably about 7 years - oops!
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Nothing in particular.
25. What is your favorite holiday?
Hot and sunny by the beach in a hotel with my family somewhere like Spain/Balearic islands.
26. Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn, beaded stitch markers, beads (not tiny ones).

There, that should do it!

Sunday 23 January 2005

101 Things about Me!

Well here it is.. it took a while but here we go..

1. I'm a Leo and consequently have Big Hair.
2. I love luxury.
3. I have 2 daughters.
4. I always thought I'd have a daughter and a son.
5. I adored being pregnant.
6. I bite my nails and wish I didn't.
7. I'm allergic to nickel.
8. I prefer organic anything.
9. I adore chocolate.
10. My favourite drink is Jack Daniels and coke, no ice.
11. I also love Tia Maria, again no ice.
12. I dislike food/drink that smells/tastes like perfume e.g. Southern Comfort and Parma Violets.
13. My yarn stash insulates the underside of my bed.
14. I love retail therapy.
15. My favourite yarns are cotton, viscose, rayon, and/or merino blends.
16. I used to hate the colour pink.
17. Now half of my clothing is various shades of pink.
18. I said I'd never have a Xmas baby as their birthday gets "swallowed up" by Xmas.
19. My first daughter was born in mid December.
20. I love variegated yarns.
21. I don't wear solid orange, turquoise, or bright red.
22. Bright red lipstick looks disgusting on me.
23. My favourite fruit is a sweet and juicy clementine.
24. I love the look of beaded knitting.
25. I own a bead stash.
26. I have never got around to knitting with beads myself - yet.
27. My favourite vegetable is broccolli.
28. If I as much as look at mohair I start itching.
29. My hubby is my soulmate.
30. I often forget that.
31. I used to be a rock chick.
32. I love the smell of leather.
33. I now prefer aubergine colours to black.
34. I'm 5 feet 9 inches tall.
35. I hate to be apart from my girls.
36. I don't have any tatoos.
37. My ultimate fear is of falling.
38. I can travel by aeroplane but I'm petrified of going up ladders.
39. I'd rather take the stairs than a lift.
40. I hate the feeling of being out of control.
41. I like to be safe.
42. I believe my youngest daughter used to be my nan.
43. My youngest daughter seems to remember me in a past life as a man.
44. I have a Master of Science degree in Advanced Software Technology.
45. I've never been into playing computer games.
45. My first and best ever job was as a computer wargames programmer.
46. I love steak and vegetable cornish pasties.
47. I was the princess in our primary school play of "George and the Dragon" and remember it to this day.
48. I'm useless at general knowledge quizzes.
49. My favourite online knitting magazine is http://www.knitty.com
50. I hate swimming underwater.
51. I have a bicycle which I don't use as it has the loudest and squeakiest brakes in the world.
52. I learned French, German, and Spanish at school.
53. I adore Italian food.
54. I have always had eczema to varying degrees and can't use regular soap.
55. I have yet to find a brand of soya milk that I actually like the taste of.
56. I love using bamboo needles and Addi Turbo circulars.
57. I cannot knit with dpns.
58. I wish I could.
59. I don't and won't knit socks.
60. I can and regularly do crochet.
61. I don't like brushed yarns.
62. I like eyelash and fancy yarns.
63. I don't knit with any yarn finer than UK 3-ply.
64. I don't like to take risks.
65. My favourite female singer is currently Pink.
66. I enjoy gardening.
67. I don't like weather which is windy and raining at the same time.
68. I own an umbrella in my favourite colours.
69. My favourite Xmas present this year was my pair of dusky pink kitten-heel pointed-toe zip-up leather ankle boots - mmm hmmm.
70. I have been totally inspired by my local knitting group.
71. I love to read knitting blogs which have lots of pictures.
72. My favourite and most easily accessible yarn is currently Rowan.
73. I currently have 9 WIPs.
74. My New Year's Resolution is to have a maximum of 5 WIPs.
75. I don't think I can resist buying more yarn.
76. I would knit all day long if possible.
77. I can't imagine life without the Internet and email.
78. I don't like very strong or very mild cheese.
79. The most enjoyable French project I did at school was about food.
80. I love the taste of fresh cooked salmon.
81. I'd love to take my hubby to Belgium for a weekend.
82. Then I could take him to the chocolate shops.
83. I don't like small fiddly things.
84. I think the worst thing about being a mum is the almost constant sleep interruption.
85. I think the best thing about being a mum is the children.
86. My face was bitten by a family dog when I was 3yo.
87. I don't want any pets in the house unless they're just visiting.
88. When I was 1yo I fell into an empty bath and split my bottom lip open.
89. I honestly thought I might die when I finally gave birth to my first daughter after a long and traumatic labour.
90. At that moment I wasn't scared.
91. Now I'm just not ready.
92. I got stuck in a lift when I was a student.
93. Apart from that time, I loved being a student.
94. I'm quite an emotional person.
95. I'd like to get my stomach a little flatter.
96. I'd love to live in the south-west of England.
97. I'm definately a home bird.
98. I'd love to go to a top hair stylist to have a restyle/makeover.
99. I hate woodchip wallpaper.
100. My house has woodchip wallpaper in almost every room.
101. My family are my life.

Thursday 20 January 2005

You have mail!


Look what the postie brought today!
It's been one of those memorable days - i.e. one which started with a parcel of new yarn arriving! This is my latest ebay acquisition, which I'm hoping at some point to turn into a scarf type affair I think. The yarn is a viscose/acrylic mix in the most yummy colours. The cost was minimal, so I can justify it for this month.. ;-)

Yet another temptation


Multi Cardi in progress
The other day my youngest daughter (nearly 4 years old) helped me to sort through my stash, and pounced upon these yarns. She promptly asked me to knit me something with them as she's really into rainbow colours at the moment.
One is a blue acrylic with multicolour flecks, and the other is a bright green cotton/acrylic mix eyelash yarn. They're both 4-ply so I combined them to produce an aran-weight yarn which we both love.
I swatched, and promptly composed a cardigan pattern using my Knitware Sweater Design software, and here it is so far.

Clapotis in progress..


Clapotis in progress!
At last a photo of my Clapotis in progress. She's coming along nicely, but I MUST stay focussed. So many more yarns to knit up!

Tuesday 18 January 2005

We have pictures!


"Whole Lotta Love" baby blanket

At last! What is a knitting blog without pictures? Sparse! So here we go. The one above is my baby blanket that I recently raved about once it became a FO. You can't see the design too well but it's lots of sqaures each with a heart in, and it's cute.
On a more sober note, I've decided after consultation with my local knitting expert (the knowledgeable Rose) that the Military Jacket must be frogged. Completely. The yarn will be disappearing back into my stash until I can face starting again. Ho hum.
And to lift spirits, Clapotis is ongoing. So I'll go and knit some more of her, and maybe even take a photo to add here soon. :-)

Monday 17 January 2005

To frog or not?

I have a dilemma on my hands. I have completed the back and front of the Military Jacket completed, with the shoulders joined using a 3-needle bind-off. Am I a happy bunny? No. Why? Well because:
1) The fronts look longer and looser than the back, although they are exactly the same number of rows. I swapped from using my bamboos to metal needles for this at some point, as the bamboos were too "grabby" with the chenille yarn.
2) I got the second buttonhole up from the bottom of the front positioned incorrectly, i.e. 16 rows too high, which of course has thrown out all the others. And we're talking 200 rows total length here.
3) I realised when joining the shoulders that the pattern is wrong! The back shoulders have 22 stitches each side, whereas the front shoulders both have 18 stitches. I've saved that, and I don't think it should look too bad as I put all the bind-off stitches for the shoulders and back neck onto stitch holders instead of actually binding them off at the time - phew!

So what to do now? Obviously some remedial work is required if the jacket is to be saved. Which means I'd have to undo the 3-needle bind-off on both shoulders. Then I'd either have to frog and rework:
1) the back and re-work it on the metal needles to match the fronts, which would still leave the problem of the odd buttonhole positioning, or
2) the fronts and re-work them on bamboo needles (ouch - that was hard work with this yarn!) with the buttonholes in the correct places, or
3) the back and the one front with the buttonholes and re-work them on the metal needles, or
4) nothing - forget it and find another use for the yarn!

I've put the project aside for the time being due to my indecision. What would you do? Comments may help me - please!


On a happier note, at least Clapotis is benefitting from this crisis. I'm now on the straight rows.

Monday 10 January 2005

Make mine a Tia Maria..

Yes - the Bug Hat is finished! It's a design from the "Junior Knits" book which I did in Rowan All Seasons Cotton in shades of mustard, dusky raspberry, and aubergine. Lots of stripes = lots of ends to seam in, but it seemed a good idea at the time. Looks great, but WAY too big for my daughter. Never mind. We live and learn. I think after all those ends I deserve a small glass of Tia Maria.. mmm.

The Military Jacket continues.. I'm almost at the armhole of the 2nd front. Why oh why did I choose such a LONG jacket?! The yarn is Wendy Elite Cotton Chenille in a faulous mink/chocolate variegated colourway which looks fab, but boy does it like to twist the night away.

One of these evenings I WILL get some photos added I promise..

Looking forward to tomorrow as it's Tuesday which means Knit Chat Club at Beatties in Wolverhampton for my lunchbreak from work. Best part of the day.

So.. that means my WIP count is now at the magical number 4 so I can officially Start A New Project! :-) It's going to be the lovely Clapotis in the cotton/rayon mix yarn which I mentioned earlier. I've already wound it into balls ready to go, so... I'm off to clapotie!


Friday 7 January 2005

Lessons in Life

I think I struck lucky. This New Years resolution of mine is teaching me a few things about long-term UFOs which I didn't learn first time round, such as:
1) They will likely not fit when you finish them
2) You will probably not like them when you finish them
3) You will therefore not want them when you finish them
4) This would explain why I was mysteriously knitting things for myself and then always giving them away afterwards. Doh.
5) Having less WIPs means I can see more of our lovely carpet in the lounge ;-)

Last night DH came back in from a night out and I told him I hadn't knitted a stitch all night. He was shocked of course and wanted to know what I had been doing. Seaming - haha, that's still using yarn he says. Yes but I don't like doing it. Oh and unpicking a top to convert into a
Shapely Tee. No, you've been ripping says clever hub. I guess he does listen to my knitting rants sometimes.. ;-)

Thursday 6 January 2005

FO alert!

For once in my life I'm actually keeping up with my New Year's resolution - this time it was to reduce my WIPs to 5 or less. Well it's on track as I've finished no less than THREE of them!

First was a quick knit scarf in Sirdar Funky Fur to send to a relative for her birthday - must wrap it tonight! It's very soft and funky, and I hope the recipient will love it.


Then there is the Hearts Baby Blanket using Rowan All Seasons Cotton in Gay colourway. I'm so proud of this as it's my own design and it's turned out really well. It's for a friend who's due to have her baby at the end of this month. I can't wait to see her little one and present the gift!

On a grander scale, I've finally finished my Colinette Fandango cardigan which I started about a year ago! It's been sitting in the seaming pile for months, as I hate doing that - are there any knitters who like seaming?! It's in the Lagoon colourway which should liven up these dull winter days. It was my own design using the Knitware Sweater Design program which is excellent.

As soon as I get the photo upload sorted out I'll add some pics.

Now I wonder if all that seaming justifies me starting my
Clapotis...? I bought some beautiful cotton/rayon mix yarn from Mystical Creation Yarns to make it in. I can thoroughly recommend them for service, choice, quality, and price. Hmm, that means I still have 6 WIPs in the pile, so I guess I have to finish 2 more WIPs first. Ho hum.

Tuesday 4 January 2005

New Year, New Blog..

Well here I am at last.

I've been mulling over the idea of my own knitting blog for several months, and finally took the plunge. I've derived so much inspiration from other knitting blogs over that time, that I felt it was high time I contributed in my own little knitting corner of the web. And it feels good! :-)

So why the title? Well 'cuz I'm constantly snowed under with yarn of course.. aren't you?! It's the curse of a knitter, and one I will endure with much courage and commitment.. ;-)

I hope to get lots of pics in my posts, but for now I'm just happy to play with my settings. You know what I mean.