I Don't Believe It !!!

You are Acrylic.
While you are very versatile, your plasticky
countenance can be offputting. You are very
good with children but can become a pill if
left alone with them too long. You are very
flexible but don't give in to manipulation.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I got the link for this from Lixie's blog - thank you. Given my views on Acrylic - how is this even possible ? There must have been some kind of mistake - I demand a recount !

I've Done It

Well - I did it - I jumped in at the last minute and joined SP5 - I hope I do it right - I've never done anything like this before - but I guess you won't know until you try. So, here is my SP5 Questionnaire:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I'm afraid I am - I can't stand acrylic, unless it serves a very specific purpose - like in sock yarn - I'm afraid I don't know what Red Heart and Lion Brand are - but if they are man made it is unlikey I would use them.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I have just learnt to crochet and I'm finding it horribly difficult - I'm so used to holding knitting needles that a crochet hook seems wholely unnatural ! Especially since I'm one of the odd ones that holds the right needle under my arm pit !

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

I don't have any allergies - but I hate cigarette smoke and my hubby is dreadfully allergic to cats - if that is of any relevance at all !

4. How long have you been knitting?

Well, I learnt to start with when I was at primary school and then promtly forgot it all. Then when I went to University I met a Scottish girl who was a mad knitted - her whole family knitted for the family shop, and she taught all the girls living in our student house how to knit. So we all used to sit there smoking, drinking beer and knitting - very odd. So to get to the point, I've been knitting consistently for about 14 years.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, it is here

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

That is a really difficult one - I don't like anything sweet - I love things like Chanel No5, Clarins Eau Dynamisante and my dressing up perfume is Van Clef and Arpels "First" I've been wearing this for years and I love it. I also love Clarins Aromatics Elxir, but that is more of a winter scent for me. I guess I like things that are fresh and airy - I love to have all the windows open and as much light and air around me as possible.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Absolutely - I am a self diagnosed chocaholic - but anything sweet will do - it is my downfall.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

I do cross stitch, not as much as I'd like, but I enjoy doing it. I have also done a bit of card making, but I don't have the imagination required to make stunning things, I'm much better at following a pattern - give me a picture and I can re-create it, but just give me the equipment and tell me to get on with it and I'll probably end up not doing it. I want to teach myself to sew, but this project is very much in its infancy !

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

My computer can indeed play music - what music do I like - well difficult to answer - I like so much. I LOVE Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Billy Holliday, Matt Munro, Bobby Darin all those old crooners ! I Also love Pink Floyd, U2, REM, Avril Lavigne, Julio Ingleses (I'm not sure that is how you spell that), Nickleback, Coldplay, The Brand New Heavies and loads of other stuff, I'd be here all day, if I listed them all !

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I like bright colours very much - I don't do cream, or brown very well and I definately don't wear black. I love red, orange, lime green and blues - I don't really like purple very much.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I am married to my lovely husband James and we have a little boy called Jacob who is two and a half, we don't have any pets at the moment, but we love dogs.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

I'd like to have another baby and live by the sea, where we can all be happy as a family, being outside as much as possible and enjoying each others company. I want so badly for my child/ren to be able to talk to James and I and tell us anything they want to, and for them to be able to rely on us whenever they need support, regardless of their situation. I want to be there for my family and I would love to be better at housework ! I want to be able to keep calm in the face of adversity, or just naughty behaviour. Your basic wants for the future really.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

I don't really have a favourite - as long as it's good quality I'll happily knit with it - I knit with everything from 2ply to super chunky using everything from 2mm to 20mm needles. I love it all. I do really like Rowan's Wool Cotton, it's so soft and great for children. I'd really like to try some of the Noro yarns - I 've only just discoverd them and they look lovely, especially the Silk Garden mmmm.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Anything man-made - acrylic - yuk !

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

I love knitting baby clothes - I've been doing it for quite a long time now and I haven't tired of it yet - although I am feeling the need to knit something for myself that isn't quite so fiddly !

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I love knitting baby hats - they are so quick and easy and look so cute. I love knitting anything stripped - they are my passion. I am also just getting into felting and I'm dying to have a go at something like this. I'd probably do it in different colours though !

17. What are you knitting right now?

I'm just finished up a load of knitted bits for the new baby of a friend of mine and then I think I'm going to start a jumper for my nephew.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I really like them - I'm dying to knit one in Hemp - I saw one in Whitstable a few weeks ago by Amano - I can't find a picture of it online - but it was fabulous.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

I prefer straight needles as I hold the right one under my arm, it always feels like I'm going to drop the whole thing if I use circulars.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I usually use aluminum, although I'd like to try some of the wood ones like these.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

I'm a beginner on socks - I have knitted these, but I can't say they were all that successful. I'd like to try some sock yarn with a stretch in it - I think the finished product might look neater.

22. How did you learn to knit?

Oh I think I covered that one somewhere above.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

I think my oldest UFO is about 3 years old - I've got yarn for stuff that I never started that is probably older than that - but I don't think that counts !


24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

My favourite animals would have to be dogs, followed closely by dolphins, turtles and sharks. I don't really have an animated character that I like, but I definately don't like the Simpsons - yuk.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Well now, if you mean holiday as in seasonal holiday - it has to be Christmas - I love Christmas - I love decorating the house, James has to stop me getting the tree sorted in November, I love doing the cooking and wrapping the presents - I love it all.

If you mean holiday as in going away holiday - well, I guess I really loved Indonesia - I lived there for a while, but I went on holiday there first - so it still counts. I also love Egypt and Australia - if I could choose to live anywhere, it would probably be Sydney - if only my family lived there too. I also lived in Hong Kong and loved that too for different reasons. I love a good mixture on holiday, relaxation and culture.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

No, not really - I love ceramics and have been thinking about starting a collection along those lines - We have always bought a pieces of orginal art when we have visited a country, so I suppose we have quite a collection of international art - other than that, just knitting patterns !

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I don't have any at the moment - although I am thinking a subscription to Interweave might be worth taking out. I recently bought a copy of Vogue Knitting and I loved the patterns in there, only problem is I would probably never make any of them - I am no skinny binny and I didn't feel that any of them would actually suit me.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

I am dying to get hold of a copy of Debbie Bliss's Cotton Angora book, and the new Sarah Dallas book.

I hope that covers everything and that I didn't waffle on too much. As I say I'm new at this, so hopefully I'll get it right.

Right off to knit ! Surprise, surprise !

Let Me Introduce You To .......

Scottie - I've just finished him and he's taken me ages - but I'm delighted. I'll admit he's a little wobbly round the neck and a bit uneven on the ears, but all the better to love him I think you'll agree. I just hope the little man he is destined for agrees and cuddles him until he needs repairing !

So, without further ado here he is


Scottie

Woof Woof. I think I need to post a better picture of him, the flash does his figure no favours - I know how he feels ! I'll go for an ensemble photo when the whole lot is done. Please let that be soon !

Unfortuantely due to exceptional progress with Scottie all other knitting projects are slightly behind - I'm hoping for magic fingers tomorrow so that I can make up lost time.

Today did not go according to plan. James took Jacob out for the afternoon, to give me a little time alone - very nice indeed - perfect knitting time - NOT - friends turned up just after he left and stayed for ages - I mean I like friends, but, not when they are messing up my knitting schedule ! Then they left and I had to do lots of Scype and Webcam experiments with James, and Jacob, at the in laws. No sooner had I Doris Day on the telly and a bit of chocolate by my side than I received a phone call to say that James and Jacob were on their way home and I needed to get the tea on !!! So, better luck tomorrow hey !

Emily - thanks for your suggestion re SP5 - I'm going to give it a go - what the heck hey !

SP5

I've been really enjoying reading the blogs of those lovely knitters that are involved in the SP5 - I love reading the answers to all those questions and finding about them - I'm really sorry now that I didn't get involved in it - I think it would have been fun. It wasn't really the right time unfortunately - too much going on, but maybe I should have anyway. Oh well, next time hopefully.

I've been slogging on with my baby bits and they are driving me mad. I'm nearly finished and hope to get it all done and dusted this afternoon, I think that may be a bit over ambitous - but I've got to try with steely determination - I've been procrastinating for too long now.

So, it's back to the knitting and hopefully I'll be back later with some piccies.

Avoidance Knitting !

So, I was getting desperate for something to distract me from my current knitting projects (the hat is all but finished now - photos will follow when I've done the sewing up bit) and I stumbled across a ball of yarn that I bought at Allie Pallie last year. I had actually bought two of them and knitted a scarf for my Mum with one and forgotten that I had another - so I thought - I'll just whip up a scarf for myself - I love, love, love it - the yarn is so unusual and it's so quick to knit with.

I just cast on 18 stitches - I know a strange number, but it looked right somehow and off I went in garter stitch.

This is it in progress


The scarf in progress

And this is a close up of the yarn


Detail of yarn

I love the colours they are just super. It is finished now and once I've finished off the ends I'll take another photo to share - how I love the immediate gratification of a project like this.

Oh My

I feel the need to knit this or this coming on. I love the colours and the design of both of them, they are gorgeous - I can get the kits from here. All I need now is the money !!! Slight technical hitch there. It looks like they would both be really different to knit - something the like of which I've never tackled before - I think I'd really enjoy it. I'll save up and before you know it I'll be knitting it. My Mum would like me to knit her one as well, so hopefully she'll get the kit first and then I can knit it for her and learn loads of new techniques - how exciting.

I made good progress with my Archie hat last night - unfortunately in the cold light of day I noticed a mistake mid way down and I just couldn't live with it - so off the needles it came and it's now back in a sorry ball waiting to be knit again - I know I should be getting on with the cardigan, but I just don't want to - I'll have to bite the bullet and do it sooner or later, but I'm hoping it will be later - it probably won't be as bad as I think once I get going - no it will !

I'll do the hat and then I'll get on with the cardy - I promise - well sort of !

Ahhhh

I just had to come back and post this picture of Jacob wearing his new Noddy hat - can you tell how much he loves it !!!


Jacob Loves his Noddy hat !

And a little shot of him with the Pox - oh my poor sausage.


My Little Man with the Pox

Button Basics

I haven't done as much knitting as I would like recently, mainly because my hubby has just gone self-employed and we have entered into a partnership, whereby I do the admin and he does everything else - so I have been trying to get my head around doing work again, after two and half year's out of it. I'll get there - but it means I have to use my brain.

Also, my little man has got Chickenpox at the moment - it started on Saturday night and he got it with a vengance by Sunday evening. He hasn't been too poorly, but he really doesn't understand why he can't go out and play with his friends. My prescription for him has been lots of Scooby Doo, it's his favourite and it seems to be doing the trick, although he doesn't understand that it's OK for him to lay down on the sofa and relax and it's not night night time and he doesn't HAVE to go to sleep, bless him. He's starting to get itchy now, so I think I'll be lathering him in Calamine lotion this afternoon.

On the knitting front, Lucky is all but finished. It is just a case of choosing the button now. I always find this quite time consuming - I think a button so makes a garment, especially when there is only one and it really needs to set the right tone. I know, I hear you say, but it's only a baby cardy - but I'm fussy what can I say.

So, should I go for


The Funky Fish



The Natural Option


A Precious Indonesian Button


The Beehive

I'm leaning toward the Natural Option or a precious Indonesian button at the moment. The button from Indonesia is precious because I bought lots of buttons when we were living out there and my supply is running somewhat low now - so I only use them for important things and I recycle them wherever I can - they are so lovely.

Talking of buttons - I have something of a button stash. I didn't realise it was quite as big as it is until I just tipped all the buttons out looking for the right one. I always try and buy unusual buttons when I find them, and I also buy job lots from charity shops - so, do you think this is out of hand ?


My Button Stash

I have also been knitting Jacob a Noddy hat. I worked out the right number of stiches for the measurements that I wanted and off I went, without doing a tension square of course. Two days and a whole lot of stocking stitch later it was finished and looking fab. I tried it on Jacob's head, and of course, it is way too big. I'm going to have to do some nifty seaming to get it to fit otherwise it is rather going to imped his view of the world as it falls over his eyes.


The Noddy Hat

I have, of course, been solidering on with Archie. It is, as predicted, driving me mad - all that blooming counting. Still I need to get it finished, my friends' baby is due any minute and I've still got the little dog to do - oh lordy give me motivation - I even knitted the Noddy hat to get me out of Archie - DH wasn't impressed and told me I had no stamina ! I agree. I'm sure it will be lovely when it is done - whenever that is.


Archie so far

We are thinking of moving to Whitstable now that James is going self-employed. We don't have to tied to London and I've always wanted to live by the sea. We've got friends there and I love it. James can still travel to London from there without too much trouble, so it seems like a good option. Also the houses are a bit cheaper than Tunbridge Wells, so we'll get more for our money. So we are full steam ahead with working on the house now. We need to get it finished and on the market without wasting too much time. I have to say I'm very excited about the idea of moving to the coast. Jacob will love it, he loves the beach. James loves sailing and so they can both go out at the weekend when Jacob is a little older. I think we can have a really nice lifestyle there and I'm so looking forward to it. All we need to do it get on with it.

Right, I'm off to take the quiche I've made for lunch out the oven before it burns and pop in to see if my sleeping little man is doing OK. He's so tired with the chickenpox, but he will not admit it - I think he needs as much rest as possible to help him fight it off, so telly and knitting this afternoon I think - that's me knitting not a two and half year old, although I'm sure he'd love to have a go !

Oh More Wanting

Having seen the gorgeous result of Jane's Rosy cardigan from Debbie Bliss - I want to do it and I want to do it now. I'm so fickle - I just change my mind all the time. I really really want to do it though and I don't think I'm going to be able to resist for much longer ! Only question is what colour should I do - should I go for safe and boring cream - or something a little bit more wild - problem is I don't really have anything in mind to wear it with and I always seem to end up with wild and random colours in my wardrobe that don't go together - perhaps I should find something to wear it with and then choose the colour. Mmmm - something to think about.

I'm steadily getting on with my knitting - I have finished knitting the bits for the Lucky cardigan, all I have to do is give it a quick iron, sew it all together and then sort out a button for it - won't take long, it's so little. I have made good progress with the Archie cardigan - but the pattern is driving me mad - there is everything in there that I don't like.

I hate it when you do the back and then you go to do the first front and it tells you to make it x number of rows shorter than the back - why didn't they just tell you the number of rows you had to do on the back instead of giving it to you in cm ? presumably if your tension was right, if they told you the number of rows to knit you'd end up with the right length - grrr I hate it. Also, now I have knitted the right front I have to mark the position of the buttons, first one to come 1.5cm below the pocket placement and last one to come xcm below start of next shaping - I hate all that measuring and counting - why don't they just tell you what rows to do the buttonholes on - that's why you buy a pattern after all. I hate counting up the rows - doing the buttoholes and then finding they aren't evenly spaced, especially since this pattern requires you to knit the buttonholes as part of the garment i.e. it isn't a button band - if I get it wrong I have to undo the whole thing - I have done that so many times, no matter how careful I am, I always seem to get it wrong - ho hum - suffice it to say, I probably won't be doing this cardy again - still once I've done it once, I'll have written down all the information that they don't give you in the pattern so second time around it should be easier. I guess I'll see how it turns out - it seems quite fiddly for a quick baby knit - still at least it isn't a fairisle !!!!

I want never gets !

I am coverting these fabulous wellies. It's the Zebra ones I want - I know they are nothing to do with knitting, but I want them badly - I think I'm going to have to get them - I know summer is coming, but hey I'll need them for the winter ! Also we are going to Devon in June - do you think I could find an excuse to wear them there ?

My socks are finished - I'm not going to post a picture of them because frankly they are not beautiful, they are far too big for me and look baggy round the ankles - I really don't know how to do anything about that because they are really difficult to get over my heel, but once I get them on they are too baggy round the cuff - what to do - try to get a stretchy yarn is the only thing I can think to do. I have some Opal sock yarn sitting around somewhere, so I'm going to have a go at knitting those and see if they come out any better. We shall see.

Back to the baby knitting now.

Little Green Cardi

Well, I've made excellent progress with my little green cardi


Little Green Jumper 

I love knitting this little cardigan - it is so quick - how we love All Seasons Cotton on 5mm needles - it grows so quickly it actually makes doing the moss stitch pleasant, you get into such a rhythm with it, you almost can't put it down - unless your two year old little boy soaks you with the hose that is !! I should be finished it today - that is unless the guilt eminating from the massive pile of ironing overwhelms me and I have no choice but to do, but I can't see that happening !

I gave the scarf and bag to their new owner yesterday - Jane, and she was very pleased with them - at least she said she was - so I'll believe her. Hope you have many happy hours with them Jane, and if they fall apart - send them right back and I'll sort them out - not that I'm suggesting that they will fall apart, but you know me and sewing machines don't really go together - well not yet - I'm going to try to get started on the little pair of trousers I want to make for Jacob this week, I'm scared of that machine though - I think I was scarred at school and yes, it's been that long since I last used one properly. God I'm doomed - hand me that quick unpick, I just know I'm gonna need it !