So poorly.....

Believe it or not I was so ill at the weekend that I did NO knitting. But then I had monday off work to recover and did loads to make up for it. I started some beautiful Louisa Harding gloves from her new Portrait book. I'm doing them in the new pink Impression and they are going to be great. Lacy and delicate and very feminine, most unlike most stuff I knit.
We're off to London at the weekend for Ali Pali, Knitting & Stitching Show. We are sacrificing Saturday at the show to go shopping and we're going to do the whole show on Sunday. My husband thinks we're going both days because it's 'work'! I already have a House of Hemp jumper on my list of stuff to buy because I've been hankering after it since last year's show and that's not healthy. I seem to remember it being very fine so will probably be a UFO for the rest of my life.
Hello to Beth, I believe you are my only reader!

Time flies...

Well, finally the Rowan Big Wool cardi from book 40 is finished! I did cop out and my Mum did the button loops and covers while I was doing her tax return. I think actually she got the better deal. I am really pleased with it, it fits perfectly and we are showing it off in the shop window this week.
I am thinking about starting my christmas knitting. All my friends are getting Mason-Dixon dishcloths. I am going to attempt to match the colours to their kitchens, but we'll see...
We have some local Jacob's fleece in the shop which my Dad really likes so I'm going to knit him 'Avast' from the new Knitty. I am quite excited about doing the border and knitting it in one piece. A challenge is always good. That will be my home knitting once I've finished the Icelandic jumper. I'm on the 2nd sleeve so it shouldn't be too long now although the yoke probably takes as long as the rest put together!
I've started collecting Kureyon to make the gorgeous afghan in this issue of Knitty. I am always anti knitting squares because I think it will be boring but I love knitting anything Noro because of the colours so I think I can stick it out.

Frogging socks

A few weeks ago I ventured into the world of Kool-Aid dying. I bought some undyed Opal sock yarn and some Kool-Aid colours that I thought my kids would like. It turned out gorgeous and they were both v pleased with their yarn, mostly because they dipped it in themselves.
I started Jake's socks and decided to start from the toe and work up because I'd never done that before. It wasn't as much fun really but I carried on. It turned out they were a bit too small. I thought I'd guess at the number of stitches to start with because he was in bed and unavailable for measuring. So this weekend that almost finished sock got frogged and I started again from the top down. I don't know why, but I like that way much better. I haven't ever done a fancy sock pattern though so that is my next thing.
My Mum finished a Colinette Prism jumper for Jake this weekend. He picked out the colour (Popsicle) about 3 months ago and now he says it's too 'girly'. It can't be coincidence that he just started school this week. He used to love all kinds of girly things, how can he change that fast? Anyway, I'm sure the pattern has a boy wearing the same colour so I am going to take it home to show him.
The icelandic jumper is so lovely but I think it will scratch me to death. I will post a pic of it as soon as I remember!

The knitting season has arrived

Every year at about this time I decide that I need lots of gorgeous handknits to wear in the winter. Last year, well I don't know what happened because all I ended up with was a Natural Fleece and Fur gilet and a Noro Blossom cardi. I did love them both but I must have had time to do more than that!
So, at the moment my WIP is the Rowan cardi, the Icelandic Lopi jumper (which is turning out really nice although I couoldn't be bothered to wait for a 3.75mm circular to arrive in the shop so I just used the main size for the welt. Big mistake really but I can get some shirring elastic or maybe when it's pressed...)and some socks which I have lost heart with and should probably rip out because they are too small for my son and my daughter won't wear them because they're not pink.
My to do list is quite long, mostly stuff for me. I need a black RY Alpaca Soft cardi, a felted Tapestry bag, a Noro Kochoran jumper and a Point 5 jackety coat. Plus I want loads of socks for the winter.
I'm not doing any christmas knitting because it was a bit of a last minute nightmare last year. I might make hubby a jumper but he does take the mickey out of the Point 5 one I made him last year. Apparantly he needs to go to the gym for a few weks before he can muster the strength to pick it up.
We're going away for the weekend in a couple of weeks which is always a great excuse to start a new project. I don't know what I'll take yet. Last weekend we went to stay with some friends and I started the infamous Clapotis scarf in the car. I am quite enjoying it apart from having to fiddle with the stitch markers. I'm doing it in Bamboo and it looks good.

The anticipation is everything...

We have just had some Icelandic wool arrive in the shop and although it's a bit rough, the colours are gorgeous. I just can't wait to start knitting it and I am enjoying that feeling because I know when I do, I'll start thinking about the next thing I want to make. I'm sure a lot of you are the same. The choosing of yarn and projects is SO much fun. Anyway, when we bought it they persuaded us to take the pattern books even though we got it for felting. It turns out there are some great patterns and I am going to do a traditional jumper knitted in the round with a yoke. I've never knitted anything in the round except socks, bags and hats so I am really excited. I am hoping to start tonight. I'll put a picture up when it's finished!

I am just finishing a sock yarn jumper for my son. It's not the best because the pattern is a bit lost over the front and back but looks pretty good on the sleeves. He chose the yarn so I'm sure he'll be pleased. He's 4 and always very appreciative on whatever I make him, unlike his 2 year old sister...

My Rowan Big Wool cardi is coming on really well. I finished the back this afternoon. I have made a mistake in the pattern but lucky for me it only shows up on the wrong side.

My lovely sister Becki with my crochet hat. The pattern is free from www.theknittingparlour.co.uk and will be in Simply Knitting Issue 19! It's designed especially for using Feza Premier, it shows it off brilliantly, unfortunately knitting it isn't quite the same.

How many times can you knit one ball of yarn?

I have a gorgeous skein of Colinette's new Tao silk which I'm using to make a display scarf for the shop. I decided not to do a normal garter stitch one or stocking stitch because with it being silk it needs to be a bit fancy. So I tried lace stitches, moss stitch, ribs, all kinds of things and nothing looked right. Nightmare. In the end I plumped for a drop stitch and garter stitch with a ruffle at each end, a pattern from my Auntie Val in California. It looks OK, but this silk needs something really special so I'm still not 100%. I'll see how it goes.
My hubbie and I spent Saturday recording the new Knitting Parlour Crochet Virgins DVD and we did a new improved version of the Knitting Virgins at the same time, with a new troubleshooting section! All kinds of hilarity when the next door neighbour started doing some heavy duty drilling and a wood pigeon started cooing right outside the window. Still, it's done now - what a relief!
All the new Rowan stuff arrived in the shop last week. What I really want to make is the kidsilk haze dress in the new magazine but it takes 25ish balls so would therefore take me FOREVER to knit so although it's gorgeous, I can't be bothered. Instead I am about to start the Big Wool Pampas cardi in the new shade Mulberry. I am keen on the pattern but had dilemmas over the colour because I do like the Mulberry but it might remind me of my school jumper.
I caught up with listening to some knitting podcasts at the weekend. I must check today whether Knitcast has posted the Shannon Okey interview. It might keep me going until her book comes out in October. I think Knitcast is my favourite podcast because Marie always talks to people who inspire me and it always makes me realise how lucky I am to have a 'knitting' job!

The weekend of little knitting

I have hardly had time to pick up my knitting this weekend, we've had so many social engagements - a rarity! What I should have done is taken it with me but between running round after the children and supping lovely red wine, it wasn't really practical.
Anyway, I did start knitting some toe-up socks with some gorgeous Kool-Aid dyed Opal sock yarn. I don't have a pattern so I'm making it up as I go, just trying to reverse what I do normally for top-down. I have a feeling I may come a cropper at the heel! The toe has gone OK, I used scrap yarn and will graft it at the end. Hopefully if it works the pattern will be on the Knitting Parlour website soon.
The Webmaster(!) did put my teacosy pattern on at the weekend. I designed it for the competition in Knitting magazine. It's a shame you don't get the teacosy back. I wonder what they do with them all?
I'm quite chuffed today because it's a bit cooler I've been able to wear my Colinette Ariel top for the first time. It's Raphael Giotto and I really love it.