It's been a while since I updated, and I will blame work busy-ness, parental visits, the resealing of the footpath making my floor vibrate, lack of knitting progress, and laziness. Feel free to determine for yourself the ratio of laziness to other factors.
Anyway, since I last updated here there has not been a lot of knitting going. My red jersey is still sleeveless, an may stay that way as I'm revisiting the idea of a vest (and feeling lazy). I attended the Knit Out my my parents (my Dad and my sister mostly along for the lunch beforehand), and enjoyed it (and expressed interest in helping out next year). Mum had a good time, bumping into the president of the Creative Fibre organisation. At Knit Rangers the next afternoon she was helping both with crochet and knitting tips - she's good like that! :-)
I particularly enjoyed meeting Mel Clark at the Knit Out (and getting my book signed) and purchasing some lovely Koigu yarn from her. Definitely looking forward to purchasing more from her range when she's all set (and her card is tucked away safely if I can't wait)! That's one of the three skeins in the top right there. I've not settled on a project for it yet, but that's hardly matters!
A pair of brown merino/angora socks is half done, largely thanks to my neglecting to take any wool to enable me to work on my blanket at Knit Rangers last weekend. If you're lucky enough to be in Ravelry you can check out the not terribly exciting project here. As I've now worn a whole in the heel of my blue pair, I should hurry up and finish these so my toes will be toasty in bed again!
Also Ravelry related is the swatching that I've started for a scarf exchange that's going on. So far I've got the red rib and reversible cable idea (see left) going on, but I do have other ideas to play around with before I decide on what my pal will get.
Yesterday I wandered down to Wild & Woolly Yarns and picked up two balls of Noro Silk Garden (one skein is shown above), and some Sublime Merino/Cashmere/Silk in a complimentary blue with visions of a scarf for me. More projects to contemplate, and no knitting! When the wool shop owner remarks that you've spent a fortune, and are a "very good customer" you do have to wonder if maybe it's time to take it easy. ;-)
Now for more swatching!
A few weeks ago (quite possibly more than a few), as I was checking out some knitting book from the library, I spotted a book on the Bestsellers stand at the library. You know, the small collection of books that enough people want now that the library can charge $5 a week for them and a $1 a day overdue charge.
Typically I'm cheap enough to be patient, and will add my name to the list of holds for the regular stack copy of the book, and hand over the $1 reserve fee for the usual free 3 week lending period.
As I can, and frequently do, race through a good book in an evening or two, I do occasionally splurge if something takes my eye. And this is all a long way of saying that The Woman In The Fifth by Douglas Kennedy was such a book. I'd never heard of him before, and I can't really say now what it was about the book that suckered me in (though it was not the hardcover book that usually puts me off), but I handed over my money, and went home to read.
I enjoyed it. It'd suck to have handed over $5 for a book I didn't enjoy! There's enough going on in the book that the inattentive reader would wonder constantly what the hell was going on. Really, even the attentive reader will find them in that position from time to time, as that's what the main character is doing at various points, and never truly does he get an answer.
Having found an author with a unique enough style that it was worth the effort, I reserved a few books penned by him, and patiently waited. So far I've read Temptation, and now have The Job on the ready to serve as an escape from numerous unfinished knitting projects!
Unlike some authors who like to recycle, intentionally or otherwise, locales and plot devices, it seems that Kennedy is taken with exploring the questionable decisions men make, temptation, greed, manipulation and betrayal. The things we do, and later wish he hadn't (sometimes only when our lives begin to spiral out of our control).
Two months ago I wrote that I had completed one purple bootee, and one pink bootee. And that is exactly how that project languished until the other day. Finally, however, I had two pairs of girlie bootees, all sewn up and one trimmed with ribbon.
Really, they're so quick to knit it is ridiculous that it took me this long to get around to it. It didn't help that I'm not exactly (or even approximately) sure when my step-niece is expecting to deliver, but that's not much of an excuse.
Now, I just need to package them up and send them on their way to Wellington to my brother, so that he can deliver them. Hopefully they won't still be sitting on my desk in a few weeks like last set of bootees waiting for a trip to the post office for stamps (I knew it was a bad idea to get a non-prepaid package to send)!
In other knitting news, my first ball of hand-dyed yarn is becoming yet another Calorimetry head scarf. I'm very please with how it is turning out! Socks are on the go, too.
I've invited my parents to visit me this weekend, and at this point it looks like I'll meet them in Papakura, where a Knit Out is being held. Dad has a golf thing on Friday, so they're thinking of coming down on the Saturday morning; not a lot of point them coming here from Rotorua in the morning, and then us going over to Papakura together in time for the event starting at two in the afternoon. So, I need to take a look at bus or train timetables. The last time I was on a train was a trip from Hamilton to Christchurch - I can't imagine that an hour or so away could be half as bad!
Life has been pretty quiet. My brocolli has gone to seed, I have more silverbeet than I've ever eaten, and my houseplants are still alive. I started being the "weigher" at my WW meeting. Otherwise, I'm a little sad, a little bit angry, and disappointed, but I'm OK. Knitting is keeping me out of trouble, and Ravelry is keeping me in knitting.
Spurred on by Ravelry, and some wonderful efforts spied, I decided to give dyeing yarn/hand painting a go. Too impatient to wait for an online order of dye to arrive, I opted to use food colourings, as suggested on Knitty. I grabbed my cheap paint brushes, covered the table with rubbish bags, and readied the microwave (as per Justine).
Not too long after finishing work for the day, the three balls wool I ran out to buy in my break (a light grey washable deal) were skeined (an activity that drove Maddy wild) and being coloured with abandon. Each is different, and I'm looking forward to them being dry so I can ball them up and knit! (Update: They're dry now, and you can see the finished skeins to the left.)
I bought a few more different balls of light coloured wool to experiement with, which should be fun. Now that I've done one lot, I can see how vivid the dyes are and can adjust accordingly for my future efforts, and hopefully end up with a (two) sock quantity of custom yarn!
After spotting Calorimetry at kiwichickknits the other day, I've taken to it with avengence (or at least like a person who doesn't have several unfinished items on needles).
I hate having cold ears. And I hate having to pull a hat down over top of my hair clip. Now I have a solution! This buttoned head scarf is a quick knit, and does exactly what I need it to. So, I've made three!
The first one served to further reduce the ball of Ashford Tekapo that I used for Maddy's jumper (and so stained my hands). I knit this on 3.75 mm needles, and finished it off with a funky oblong button I bought for some unknown reason a while back. It's a little looser than it might be (even on my big head) but is still comfortable.
Second attempt is knit from a Cleckheaton Country Naturals wool, a rich cream with browny flecks. The same size needles were used, but this 8ply knit up smaller over the same number of stitches (and a couple less rows), and is a snug fit, and pretty much perfect.
And the third? Well, rather than completing a pair of socks in the same yarn, I decided to use the unallocated third ball of Vero Tweed. I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get an of the fuschia in the finished headwarmer (I have enough to try again), but the green, blue and purple does look rather funky. This yarn is a heavier weight, and I reduced the number of stitches to about 90 from 120 (no, I didn't get a final count), and used 4 mm needles for another suitably snug fit.
So, yay for warm heads! And woo for projects that don't require much thought (especially if you're a short-row fiend like this sock knitter); like my blanket, these are perfect for taking places like Knit Rangers (which was fabulous, and much more productive for me this fortnight than last) where I spend as much time (if not more) talking as knitting!
Other knitting news? Well, I stumbled across this event, which isn't too far away, and conveniently on my day off in a couple of weeks. And, I'm starting to have sock knitting withdrawal... since the friend I was hoping to celebrate my birthday with is either dead or ignoring me, tomorrow may be a sock knitting evening for me.
My mitred square blanket is now a rectangular! Since taking this photo on Sunday night, I've completed the last two squares in the third row of my blanket, meaning I'm now halfway!
I would be more pleased with the progress if I hadn't just noticed (thanks to the last photo update) that it has taken my more than one month to complete four squares. Oh, bugger it - I'm pretty darned pleased anyway! Gotta love a project that'll keep your toes warm while you're knitting it.
I'm still stoked with the colours and how they're working out together. I was asked at Knit Rangers if there was a pattern to the placement, or if I am just making it up as I go along. Well, there is a set repeat, or at least a plan. Basically, I worked the first row using each of the seven colours in a grouping I liked. Then, the second row started with the fourth colour in that set,and then cycling through in the same order. The third row started with the fourth colour in that second set, and on I'll go.
I sat for ages with paper and coloured pencils plotting how I'd work the three solid colours and four variegated yarns into a "pretty" arrangement, with some attempt at symmetry. I gave up on that after much frustration, and I'm glad; the ordered randomness is working out great.
I do have additional balls of the charcoal grey to work a border, but the more I think about that, the less likely it is that'll actually happen. I don't think it'll be necessary to add to the size, or the "finish" it off. So, there'll probably be something grey being knit in the coming year - no doubt inspired by the abundant rain clouds.
The last time I posted an update on my very red project, I was still undecided as to what I was actually knitting, a vest or a jersey. Since that time I've settled on a jersey, and was all set (after much ado) to work raglan sleeves and a roll neck to go with the yarn-over cables.
Now, those cables are gone. I didn't work a single row more than is shown in the first and last update photo before I unravelled back to the 3x2 ribbing and settled into super-easy stocking stitch (a bunch of knit rows, as I worked in the round). As I reached the armholes, and prepared to switch to straight needles, the raglan shaping disappeared as well. I've be lying if I said I hadn't contemplated knitting a v-neck vest after all. The only thing that has stayed constant is the redness (on which everyone who sees it passes comment).
Now I'm working on the rolled neck. I've stuck with the 3 by 2 ribbing (originally chosen to work with the cable pattern), and am having to concentrate as the neck grows; because it is inside out (so that it is correct once rolled - no piking out with a turtle neck) I'm doing knit two, purl three, something my mind and muscle memory seem to find a bit of a challenge.
Only twelve or so more centimetres of ribbing before I start on the sleeves. I haven't decided yet if I'll knit the sleeves in the round too (from the cuff up), or on straight needles. Plenty of time for that, I figure, knowing how long it took me to get it to this stage!
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