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Halloween is coming and the Pumpkin's getting fat!
October 31, 2006
More like I'M getting fat cramming my face with homemade cake! We don't really DO halloween in the UK, but there were a lot of pumpkins in the shop, and it seemed almost churlish not to buy one! By the way there is knitting content at the bottom if you want to scroll.
Firstly we made a pumpkin risotto (onion, olive oil, pumpkin cubes, arborio rice, stock, rosemary, thyme, white wine, cheese stirred in at the end):
Then we used the rest to make a cake! The recipe is from our much used and drooled over Green & Blacks cook book, you can see the little strands of pumpkin, also it has Maya Gold chocolate (spicy orange flavour):
Both were SO GOOD. That's my halloween contribution!
OK now onto the knitting. I have been beavering away at the Tapestry cardi. Lots of people ask which pattern it is, and it's my fault for not saying stuff often enough - it's my own pattern I'm using! I've done the sleeve borders, and sewn on the buttons - just the bottom border to go. It's pretty long and dull though, so here's where I'm at now:
I was goofing around while Adam took these. I know this photo is dreadful, but I want to post it anyway because:
(a) It makes me laugh
(b) Adam hates it
Haha Adam! You have a dorky girlfriend!
Posted by jen at 08:29 PM | Comments (9)
Beadmania! With added booze.
October 29, 2006
There is some feverish behind the scenes knitting taking place on the Tapestry cardi, but I'll save it until next time so there's a bit more progress to show off. It's more beads this time! The ton of stuff I bought last time I went to the bead shop is making it's second appearance in this post. I don't know if you guys prefer knitting posts, but if you do, hooray because this post combines knitting and beads!
The first thing is a knitted wire cuff. I made one of these ages ago, and have worn it lots of times. When I was in the bead shop I suddenly had the idea to make one for my oldest friend whose birthday is this week, and that meant I got to buy more of the ace coloured wire in the bead shop, score! Here's a mini photo of the cuff:
Click the photo to see more! It's laid out flat because I have to post it and I'm scared it will get bent - so it's probably safest to keep it flat? I think so.
I also just made a quick necklace using fruity coloured wooden beads, tigertail thread and crimps. I know my mum wants to make a similar necklace (although with slightly more subtle beads I think!) so I've written instructions for anyone who wants to know how to make a necklace like this. Raspberry necklace:
Click the photos to see the necklace and instructions.
Along the raspberry theme and also a bit crafty, Adam and I made some rhubarb and raspberry liquor this weekend. I few months ago Dad and I made rhubarb schnapps, which we tried a week ago and was absolutely GORGEOUS. Dad gave us some rhubarb from the garden to make more, but we decided to add raspberries and make a larger quantity. It will be ready in about 2 months! Here it is just after adding everything to our jar:
I'm pretty excited! OK more knitting next time :)
Posted by jen at 02:13 PM | Comments (5)
The return of the Tapestry cardi
October 25, 2006
After totally neglecting my Tapestry cardi to work on the blanket, I finally got back to it this week. I've actually been at home ill today (stinky autumn bug thingie) but I'm feeling slightly better this evening so I thought I might as well show off my progress! I hope you all haven't noticed I still haven't shown a finished Pinkster, soon I promise.
I've finished all the main pieces and sewn the raglan seams together:
This is to prove it is a real cardi!
None of the stripes line up at all. Which I knew was going to happen when I knitted it, but I now wonder if it matters a little bit. With that Noro Kureyon stuff (that I haven't used but admired on many other blogs) it clearly doesn't matter since the stripe pattern is so long, but maybe for Tapestry it does. Also therefore making a raglan may have been stupid. I don't really mind, but it might make it less smart than I imagined, and therefore only get worn for casual and not to work as well like I planned.
Any thoughts? Or shall I finish the damn thing so we can all decide properly?!
Also I have started the edgings for the sleeves, they are fun, garter stitch with wee picots on the edge and short rows to make it flare:
OK now I'm tired, maybe me and the Caterpillar will watch Napoleon Dynamite (AGAIN!) under a duvet. Hurrah!
Posted by jen at 07:57 PM | Comments (8)
Beautiful beads
October 22, 2006
Firstly thanks to everyone who made suggestions for my blanket! There were loads of ideas I would never have thought of... I liked the i-cord idea as it sounded neat, but I think fabric or fringe probably fits best with the blanket's general fluffy patchworkiness. I'll do fabric if I can find any that looks perfect, or fringe if not. And I'll probably carry on using it in it's unfinished state in the meantime!
This weekend Adam and I went to visit my parents in Birmingham, which involved a lot of eating and drinking good food, and also a trip to the Spellbound bead shop in Lichfield. I hadn't been for at least a year, they had moved next door and were bigger and better, and they were pretty damn amazing before! I LOVE that bead shop.
I got lots of things which I'll show off over the next wee while as I finish them. I bought wire and beads to make another knitted cuff for a friend's birthday (she doesn't read this website so I'm probably safe), a super swanky tiara kit which I've half made and am totally in love with (it has pearls and diamonds on it! Ok not real ones but whatever), and chunky wooden beads to make a necklace, and ALSO materials to make hairclips for Adam's cousin. She wanted to know how to make them herself as well so I did instructions which you can all see too!
Click to see the instructions and more photos. They are super easy and cute, everybody needs some!
Now I've finished at college I should get on with other knitting projects (like Tapestry), I'm mentioning this now so I read it and feel guilty if I don't. Ok bye for now!
Posted by jen at 07:27 PM | Comments (3)
Blanket Dilemma!
October 17, 2006
Hi all!
I've been busily knitting away at college this last week, but been too busy in the evenings to blog about it! I have knitted the back and a front of the stripy cardi, and also saved a total of £28.80 on bus fares to go towards Kim Hargreaves hat kits - what a splendid effort!
In the evenings I've finished the knitting on the Artfibers blanket. While I was nearly at the end it felt like I was doing ENDLESS knitting (you know, like in that Spanish film!):
It is kind of this big:
I had initially decided to crochet around the edge, using some Debbie Bliss cashmerino superchunky, but it didn't look right and I had to rip it all out - I think it may have been too chunky. But that's not all - because I used many yarns which are of varying thicknesses, the edge of the blanket is wavy:
And I think crocheting around the edge only enhanced the waviness, which I didn't like.
So what should I do?! I could sew a fabric edge on I suppose, or just weave in all those ends and have a blanket without a properly finished edge? Or try the crochet again with a finer weight yarn?
Any ideas?
Posted by jen at 08:35 PM | Comments (17)
Felted bag with free pattern!
October 10, 2006
So here's the first of those promised forthcoming attractions! The second one will be next time or maybe the time after (I need one or 2 more photos and it's not easy to get properly lit ones in a basement flat).
I made up the pattern for this bag a couple of years ago when I wanted to make a bag for my mum's birthday, and had 2 hanks of Colinette Skye to do it with. I am not sure why I faffed around for TWO YEARS before writing the pattern up, but there you go, I'm slack.
I made another one for myself and that's the one in this photo:
Click the photo for more photos of the bag, or click here for a pdf of the pattern. I called it Penny after my mum because it was her bag in the first place! I hope you like it, it's fun and fast to make (honestly! Even though I was slow and rubbish in making mine!), and uses one of the nicest yarns for felting ever.
Right! This post has taken most of the evening, I'm going to curl up and try to finish the knitting on my Artfibers blanket.
Posted by jen at 08:59 PM | Comments (6)
I'm the slowest knitter in the world. And cake!
October 08, 2006
Following on from my last post when I said I thought I was a super slow knitter, I decided to work out what speed I really do knit at. I know I spent pretty damn close to 5 hours knitting on the peruvian wool stripey thingie over the last week, and I've knitted to 6 rows above the armhole shaping. Up to the armholes was 92 rows, and with the waist shaping there was an average of 72 sts a row, which is 6624 sts. Then the extra above the armholes is about another 400 sts, making a total of 7024. Which all means I only do an average of 23.41 sts a minute, ie it takes 2.56 seconds to do 1 st! That is definitely rubbish!
I keep thinking, I should probably learn to knit continental as everyone says that's loads faster, but I don't want to learn a new way. I pretty much know what needles to use every time without swatching, and also I don't want to feel like a beginner again. I'm going to think about it!
In the meantime, I made another cake from the Green and Blacks chocolate cook book. This time I made chocolate fig and almond cake, it's very very nice and was easy to throw together:
Who's this little fellow, trying to steal my cakey?
His facial expression is pretty much exactly like mine when I'm around cake! He's a wee pot for putting jam in so it looks loads cuter at breakfast and makes everyone less grumpy!
Finally, here's a preview of forthcoming attractions at www.xtreme-knitting.com:
Also - I'm going to do instructions for beaded hairclips. This is mostly for Adam's cousin (and I promised her I'd do it months ago), but it makes sense to share it with the internet! Bye for now!
Posted by jen at 04:23 PM | Comments (3)
New knits! Including a Peruvian Wool stripy thingie!
October 05, 2006
I know it may sound outrageous, considering the amount of unfinished business around here (knitting business!), but I've started another new project. I am back at college this week, for a total of 3 weeks, and that means I can get about an hour of knitting done a day, during the various breaks. So I decided I could be allowed to start yet another project if I promised to only work on it during the college day, and work on other things in the evenings. I'm not sure who I was promising exactly, since I doubt anyone really cares how many sweaters I fail to finish in a timely manner....
Anyway, the new project is using some very nice peruvian wool in blue and green that Carolyn sent me a couple of months ago. I am making it up as I go along, but I think it will have a stripy body and plain blue raglan sleeves, maybe I will keep some of the ribbing from the cuffs going all the way up the middle of each sleeve. Also it might have a hood depending on how much yarn is left and how I feel when I get there. Here's the yarn:
And here's some of the back:
This project is really making me see how damn slow I am at knitting - 4 solid hours of knitting this week and I'm not even at the armholes yet. Surely that's below average?
The other Brucey Bonus about college is that I can choose to walk or get the bus, and if I walk there and back (it's 45 minutes each way) every day for 3 weeks I save £36! And if I manage to do that, then I think I'm going to treat myself to another Kim Hargreaves kit. I love all her stuff, but I'm particularly fond of the hats. I made one last year and wore it tons (you can see it here). I like these hats from her various collections: Soul, Gem, Mercy and Hope! They're all super cute! I especially like the beaded ones. So we'll see how well I contend with the rain, and maybe I'll have another flaming new project in 3 weeks time :)
Posted by jen at 05:56 PM | Comments (3)
No holiday would be complete without holiday yarn!
October 01, 2006
I say that, but this is probably the first holiday I've brought yarn back from! Everyone said I should go to Artfibers, and their yarns looked pretty special on the webpage, and it seemed a very cool shop so I went there on my first day, while Adam was still working. I thought it would be mean to make him go too! And everyone was right, it was a super shop!
Obviously the best bit was the yarn (although the shop and staff were very nice too). When I looked at the website before I went, I thought I would be keen to buy some of the more unusual looking yarns, but when I got to the shop and felt all the yarns I changed my mind. The more traditional looking yarns (made from fibers like silk, alpaca, nmohair and wool) felt so fucking incredible (I'm sorry to be rude, but they seriously did!) it was all I could do to stop myself burying my face in them and purring.
I knew I wouldn't be able to take much back with me, so in order to try as many different yarns as possible I decided to make a blanket. I got these yarns:
They are Basque, Whisper, Kyoto, Gypsy and Mammoth. They are all lovely but there were another 2 yarns, Rune and Celtic (you can see these all on there website) which I feel sorry I didn't get now, as they also felt heavenly!
I started my blanket a week ago when I get back, and so far I've done about 6 square feet (!):
I think it might be nearly done - it should end up about 8 square feet (2 x 4 feet), so a good size for over the lap, it was never going to be a bed sized blanket. I'll crochet around the edge with some Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran I have spare to finish it.
So thanks everyone who said I should go to Artfibers! I loved it.
I also have made a page with a few holiday snaps on. To put them on the blog I would have needed to make them too small, so they can be found here if you would like a look. It's probably worth a click for the jellyfish photo alone!
Posted by jen at 04:20 PM | Comments (6)