Knitting - March 2004   back to knitting blog

28-03-04

Lots of pictures today!  More yarn and more new projects!  The package from Kerrie finally arrived, I suppose the postman reads my blog and took pity on me.....  :)

Anyway, I have a ton of new goodies:

There's 4 projects worth there!  Details and close ups of it all are in the Stash gallery.  As you can sort of see, the green and black yarn is already being used.  I'm making the Alien Illusion scarf from Stitch 'n Bitch.  I'm enjoying knitting this a lot, it's REALLY COOL how the alien shows up - go and have a look at it (in current projects) and see!

Everyone went to the pub yesterday to watch the rugby, I wasn't really that interested so I took the knee highs to work on instead.  I got a few funny looks, but I did quite a lot - there's only one inch of ribbing left to do on the first sock. 

Also, the front of Soul is almost complete:

The Craft Rocks event at the V&A was definitely worth the trip.  I met two other girls there who go to the university knitting society and we looked round together.  I was surprised how many people were there, and loads of young people too.  It was really great to see so many people sitting around and knitting, with loud music on - it reminded me of revising for my A levels!  There was quite a bit to see for free, including human knitting, where they had people being the needles, it's a bit hard to describe.....but a laugh.  We also did some very small knitting (to stick on a greetings card), and saw some crazy arty knitting.  I got for free 8mm needles (which I think is the only size I was missing), and some toxic pink Sirdar chunky wool.  They said they gave away thousands of balls of Sirdar!  One lady was making a very punk rock scarf with her orange yarn, it had dropped loops and big holes in it at random.  Back to work!

25-03-04

Still no yarn package!  There have been postal strikes - I sent a parcel first class and it took a week to get there, but hopefully I'll have yarn photos to show any day soon. 

The only Rowan supplier in Oxford is closing down, I'm so annoyed about that - you keep hearing about how knitting is all the rage and super hip at the moment, but they are closing a shop, hmmmmm.  Still, they were having a sale so I went to have a look.  I really shouldn't have bought anything, but I did!  I got three balls of Kidsilk haze in Candy Girl to make a Birch.  It was only £3.95 a ball so I couldn't really resist!  I also got a few balls of something else, but that's a SECRET.  I'm seriously going to have to not buy any more yarn for a while.  I don't really like having a stash.  I would ideally have enough yarn for a couple of projects and that's all.  I'm hoping that this summer after my exams I can knit loads and clear a big space.

Tomorrow night is going to be exciting!  I'm going to a crafty event at the V&A in London, which I only heard about yesterday.  There's a performance about knitting (which I may not go to as it's ticketed and might be sold out), but also classes, workshops, talks and other things all related to knitting!  They even have a bar and DJs who apparently knit!  I'm not sure how they can knit and DJ at the same time......You can read all about it here.

I am close to finishing the front of Soul, so even if the post doesn't come I promise there will be pictures next time.

23-03-04

I just got back from my parents house yesterday, it was a lovely weekend as my grandparents, auntie and uncle were there too.  We went shopping and out for a meal, and I didn't knit a single stitch!  I was hoping to take home some yarn that Kerrie picked up for me in Chicago and make a scarf, but the post is being rubbish at the moment and it still hasn't come.  I hope it's not lost!  That would truly be a tragedy!

I also went to the nearby bead shop while I was there - it's an amazing shop.  I bought some lovely glass beads to make stitch markers, which I put together on Monday, and they can be seen in Jewellery - go and look!  Now I need a project to use them....I might make a Birch, as I enjoyed Charlotte's Web so much.

I am probably half done on the front of Soul, so a quarter through the whole thing.  I'm enjoying knitting it, but I don't know when I'll get to wear it, as it's really cold and miserable here at the moment!  Rubbish British weather!

If Mr. Postie hurries up I'll have yarn pictures next time!

17-03-04

Here as promised is the knitting needle holder!  The sewing was finished in two evenings, and I just finished sewing on some buttons.  I'm very pleased with it, I know it's only sewing rectangles together but I love the way it turned out, and the finishing touches on it.

I've put the pictures in the Other gallery for now, but hopefully over the summer I'll put a proper sewing page on here.  I'm not that good at sewing, but I've done a few things.

Click for more pictures.

In other knitting news Soul is chugging along, but not enough to merit a new picture!  I've been studying hard in the day and just doing a bit of knitting in the evenings, so don't expect vast progress!  I'm going to my parents this weekend, I'll update before I go if I've got any news.

14-03-04

I've got a couple of finished projects and one new project to share today!  Pia is complete, just in time for more cold wet weather, hmmm.  And I've made a necklace with the beads Becky sent me from France.  So of course that meant I had to start a new project!  Here's a little picture of Soul (in Rowan Calmer in Laurel) - I've not even finished the first pattern repeat yet:

I really like the colour, it's lovely and goldy, and the yarn is so soft.

I'm pleased with Pia, it fits well and I love the D-rings on the straps and the shaping on the back, which you can't see in the magazine.

You can see Pia in finished projects, and the necklace in Jewellery.

I went to London yesterday to return all the extra yarn which the Funky Chunky bag didn't need - it was SO much more fun last time when I went with Kerrie!  But I had to go because I only had 28 days to return it, and yesterday was the last day.  I didn't buy any more yarn (which shows remarkable restraint since there's loads of projects I've got my eye on), but I went to a fabric shop I'd heard about but not been to before called MacCulloch and Wallis, which had a fantastic selection of haberdashery.  I got some bright pink cord and other small things to make a needle holder.  My grandma gave me one when I started knitting, but it only holds 2mm - 5mm, so I needed one to put all my big needles in.  I'm making that today, so I'll show it when it's finished - next time I hope!

09-03-04

Thank you everyone for your comments on Charlotte!  I feel sorry to have finished her.  But I've got lots of other things to make!

I'm being a bit rubbish about updating at the moment - I've got a

lot of work on and so I haven't been knitting much, and so there's no news....  Anyway, there's news now - I finished the knitted Funky Chunky bag, and like it a lot.  The knitting was very quick, it must have taken as long again to do the finishing (lining and straps).  I used some Rowan fabric to line it, which is lovely, it's stripy and in really nice colours.  Go and have a look (in finished projects), you know you want to.

So what's next?  I'm trying to finish Pia and the knee-highs before starting anything else.  But then I'm going to make Soul from the Calmer Collection (a new Stash addition!), and lots of other things.  It's going to be a Summer of knitting this year, when all the exams are over.  Sadly they don't start until June!

04-03-04

I've finished Charlotte's Web!  I finished the fringe last night and darned the ends in today when I had a spare half an hour.  I LOVE her!  This was a really fun first lace project.  I'd always thought of shawls as being a bit "old" for me, but it seemed the perfect project to use the lovely Koigu that Carolyn sent me (thanks Carolyn!).  And I don't think it's old at all.  It was surprisingly quick to knit, I know it may seem like an age since I begun it, but I've not been knitting very much for the last couple of months.  Anyway, have a look and see what you think, click the little picture for lots of bigguns!

Also I've done a bit on Pia, there's a picture of the stitch over in current projects for those who want to see.

01-03-04

I'm sure you've all been over to Magknits by now, which is great!  Kerrie has done such a good job, and the result is fab.  You can see my pattern over there, I definitely want to submit some stuff for the cold weather edition as well - we'll see!  All the patterns are great, and I love Amy's stripy top and Julie's felted bag - I got to see that "in the flesh" and it's very sweet.  (I can't be bothered to link to those individually!)

Charlotte is blocked, and turned out lovely, so soft and pretty.  The fringe is about a third done, so hopefully I can put photos of her up next time I update.  I'm also up to the armholes on the back of Pia, so not exactly zooming along, but plugging steadily away.

There are several things I want to make in Stitch 'n Bitch, after a proper look.  Sadly apart from the Hoodie I mentioned last time all the yarns aren't available in the UK  :(

I realise I could have a proper look around and make substitutions, but it's nice to try new types of yarn.  I think after I've finished a load of projects I'll order it all at once from a US supplier, to save on postage - that will be a lot of fun!