~ Princess Pumpkin ~

The Unfinished Jumper

2011-03-22T17:27:00.006+11:00

It's been a long time, I know.

I guess my excuse is that I really haven't had anything knitting related to share in the last year. I'm still knitting, but probably not as much as before. I think the Easter Show shawl really took it out of me last year.

On the weekend I was over at my folks' place and raided my mum's stash. This sounds a lot more exciting than it really was, because my mum has a very tiny stash. The best find in amongst the acrylics and pastel baby yarn was 6 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker in a kind of navy. The receipt was still in the bag - bought in Hong Kong for HKD$10.50 a ball on 15/3. How I wish I knew the year.

Actually there were also 2 balls of yarn passed down from my (paternal) grandmother. Apparently she bought these in Shanghai - gotta be at least 50 years ago. The ball band doesn't even provide any information about the yarn. I'll post a picture if I remember to take one. It's a really soft fine yarn, probably a 2 ply weight, probably wool.

The most exciting discovery of the raid however was a half finished V-neck jumper my mum had been knitting for my dad, in Cleckheaton Country 12 ply, probably around 10 years ago? We found the half finished front (just one side of the V to go) first, and after a bit of hunting, found the whole of the back piece.

The pattern? Well thankfully it was in the same bag as the back piece, only it's in CHINESE, and there's only 1 page.

So now it's become a challenge for me to finish it. I'm thinking it could be a birthday present for my dad (22 April).

So far I've rewound all the odd balls into skeins, washed and dried them, worked out the stitch pattern, done a gauge swatch (seems my mum and I have the exact same tension), and started on the left front last night.

Watch this space.

Oh and I'll post pictures as soon as I remember to take them.

Blue Ribbon

2010-04-04T17:01:00.004+10:00

I can't believe this but I won a first prize for the Sun Ray shawl at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

This was the Sun Ray shawl by Marianne Kinzel from her book The First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. When I set out to do this I wanted to choose something that was challenging to knit and also had a varied enough pattern so I wouldn't get bored. This project was definitely both.

The yarn is the 2/36NM cashmere in Adriatic Blue from Colourmart, held doubled. I used 3mm circular KnitPicks.

Altogether I would probably describe the experience as nail biting. When I started the shawl in the new year, I never thought I would still be blocking it on the eve of submission day.

Nor did I anticipate running out of yarn with half the final round to go plus the bind off. I couldn't find any more of the same colour on the Colourmart website and out of desperation emailed them directly. Thankfully Sue at Colourmart found some and sent it to me FOR FREE. How generous is that? I received the extra yarn on the Tuesday before the Saturday deadline.

One of these days I'll work out how many stitches went into this. The final rounds which had over 2,000 stitches took me well over 2 hours each! I know the crochet bind off was roughly 4,800 stitches and that alone took me 2 nights. Didn't help that I don't really know how to crochet.

Here's a pic of the display in the category. I must say the competition was pretty stiff - especially that beautiful white shawl that came second.

A couple more pics on Ravelry.

Emily's Cardigan

2009-11-03T21:09:00.003+11:00

Unlike the many generous knitters out there, I make it a rule never to knit anything for other people unless they specifically request something. Even then I'm quite cautious about agreeing to make something because in my experience, the requester usually has very little idea about the amount of investment that's involved (and I mean investment in terms of hours not dollars). I get the feeling some of them ask only because they think a handknitted garment is cheaper than a store bought one. Really, I'd much much much rather buy them one, or two, or three.

However, when a friend of mine asked me to make a cardigan for her unborn baby girl, I enthusiastically agreed. She and her husband were expecting their first child and they'd moved to Australia a little over a year ago so they don't have a lot of family around to help them. I know it's a small thing but I wanted this baby to have something handknitted. Afterall, a handknit baby is a loved baby, right?

That was a bit of a long introduction but here's the finished product...

The pattern I decided on was the beaded fair isle cardigan from Debbie Bliss' The Baby Knits Book. It took me months to pick a pattern because I wanted it to be something special but also interesting to knit. By the time I picked the pattern the baby was due in less than 4 weeks so I decided to make the 6-9 month size since it won't be cold enough to wear until next winter anyway.

I had 5 balls of Baby Cashmerino in lilac in my stash (purchased in Stockholm, of all places) for the main colour, and used contrast colours from single balls of 100% merino I bought from Wilfert's in Copenhagen and odd balls of Baby Cashmerino.

I have to say the pattern was very difficult to understand. There was no schematic and no summary of how the cardigan is constructed. It was also impossible to work anything out from the 2 highly styled but very uninformative photos in the book.

Basically in the original design, the body is knitted up to the armpits, then the fronts and back are worked separately and a series of bind offs involving short rows creates the semi-circular yoke shape, then the remaining stitches are joined at the shoulders and stitches picked up along the cast off yoke shape, then the patterned yoke is knitted, incorporating decrease rows to shape the yoke and then finally using smaller and smaller needles to shape the neck. The sleeves are knitted separately and joined to the body in a drop sleeve style.

Is this over complicated or what???

I did some simple calculations with the help of EZ's Knitting Without Tears and ended up knitting the sleeves in the round, joining them with the body at the armpits, decreasing evenly to the number of stitches needed for the yoke, then followed the rest of the pattern.

Too easy.

I also used a rib tubular cast on and bind off to give a smooth edge. That's about all the changes I made and it meant virtually no seaming, except for the few stitches under the armpits.

More pics on ravelry.

Oh and Emily arrived early last Sunday. I hope she likes her new cardigan.

Neglected

2009-08-15T17:41:00.005+10:00

I've been neglecting the blog. Sorry. Here's a few things I've been doing...

Inspiration

2009-04-23T21:45:00.002+10:00

She makes "limited edition handmade knit ranges" according to the new Frankie.

Good things and those who wait

2009-04-23T00:20:00.003+10:00

Well believe it or not I got my hot little hands on 3 extra balls of that elusive lilac DB Cashmerino Aran not only in the right colourway (which is discontinued), but in the right DYELOT. Amazing, eh?

All thanks to Ravelry with a little help from eBay. By searching in the 'Stash' section of Ravelry I found one person in the US who had the exact colour and dyelot AND she wanted to sell but she had just listed it on eBay so I had to bid for it. Talk about timing! Needless to say it was a somewhat nail biting experience especially as the auction ended in the early hours of a Saturday here. In the end I won the 3 balls I wanted easily enough but I feel sorry for the person who bid for 10 but only won 7.

Thankfully I had stopped working on that jumper - so now I'm remaking the sleeves into long sleeves, and I'll probably have enough to make the body longer too. Yay!

Golden Hook

2009-03-28T10:35:00.002+11:00

Blog is working again! Yay!

Jerms came across this website while reading (of all things) business news and I had to share it with you.

Don't forget to check out the Grandmas!

As promised

2009-03-22T16:32:00.004+11:00

A few pics of what I've been doing knitting and sewing wise...

Haven scarf from Kim Hargreaves' Heartfelt book. I used this one skein of cashmere I got when we were in Denmark a couple of years ago. It's so soft. More pics on flickr.

A stack of cushions using fabric from our last Japan trip. More pics on flickr.

I'm also making this jumper modified from a pattern in an old Rebecca magazine. Except I kind of ran out of yarn when I got to the sleeves and will probably have to make it a short-sleeve top (which is pretty impractical). Anyone with random balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in colour 300604 please contact me. Although since it's long discontinued I don't have high hopes.

There's something about the DB Cashmerino range that I find really appealing in a ball, but when it's made into a garment I just don't love it. And it pills.

I did really enjoy the stitch pattern, which is probably why I stubbornly ploughed on even though I knew I didn't have enough yarn.

Hi There

2009-03-19T22:22:00.004+11:00

The radio silence is partly because I haven't been able to log onto this blog for a couple of months (tried everything and got no help from Blogger) and was thinking about shutting it down altogether (except I couldn't even log in to do that). Even now I'm in via a roundabout back way that Jerms managed to figure out. (The last post was a test one he wrote - I was going to delete it as didn't think anyone was still reading it but evidently I was wrong! Thanks Sally!)

To give you a quick update, I am still knitting like mad (will try and post some pics soon). Since the last post I've finished a cashmere scarf, most of a jumper (one more sleeve to go), and one monkey sock.

I also started sewing - 6 cushions, a scarf, a couple of bags so far.... Stay tuned.

yoo hoo

2009-03-19T13:21:00.001+11:00

Wedding Bolero

2009-01-10T16:56:00.005+11:00

I made this for a friend's wedding last October.

The pattern was designed from scratch, knitted on 3mm needles, and took me 3 months.

I was going to post a photo of her wearing it at the wedding after the big day.

But she didn't wear it.

A Little Quiet

2008-09-09T23:43:00.002+10:00

I'm still around (and knitting). Just incredibly busy with the day job, and life in general. In case anyone is still reading this.

No pics this time, but I plan to show a new FO in 3 weeks' time. I hope.

Blankie

2008-07-20T10:15:00.006+10:00

I used about 2.1 balls of Bendigo Woollen Mills' Rustic 12 ply in Elm. The .1 of a ball was courtesy of knittyrobyn from Ravelry. More pics here or on ravelry.

Oh and I finished the bumpy socks started just before our Japan trip.

The yarn is from Live2Knit, Joan in colour Choc Cherry. The pattern is based on Gentlemen's Half Hose in Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. I think I started with more stitches and made a longer heel, and used a tubular cast on. Needles were 2.5mm KnitPicks Options dpns.

Fabric Love

2008-07-05T18:37:00.003+10:00

Here's something to brighten your day...

Fabrics from our Japan trip.

I'm thinking a few tops, dresses, cushions and lots and lots of bags.

I just need to learn to sew.

V

2008-05-25T16:01:00.005+10:00

I finally finished the v-neck for my dad. He's happy, I'm happy.

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino in Natural (SH 937), about 15 balls
Needles: 3.5mm/4mm Knitpicks Options circulars

Comments:
A pretty generic v-neck pattern with set in sleeves. I knitted both the body and sleeves in the round to reduce seaming.

The only difficulty I had was with the sleeves. I managed to mis-measure my dad's shoulder to wrist length, which led to a pretty long first sleeve that had to be completely ripped and remade. Designing the sleeve caps was also pretty tricky, but I found the article on the topic by Pam Allen in the Winter 07 issue of Interweave Knits pretty helpful.

This is the only photo I've got of my dad actually wearing it. It's taken on my phone, hence the awful quality. I can't take credit for the retro kitchen background though.

Dead Sock Day

2008-05-18T10:29:00.007+10:00

First up, I've been hibernating. Partly because life has been really really busy, but mainly because there's not much knitting to show.

I've pretty much been working on my dad's v-neck in all my spare time, and that's about it. All the knitting got done last week and as soon as I finish this post, I'm going to attach the last sleeve and block the whole thing. And boy will it be a relief!

Not that it's not been fun. In fact, it's been quite a challenge since it's the first jumper I designed from scratch. But more on that when I actually finish it and have something to show with the commentary.

Today's post is mainly one of comiseration. Yesterday could aptly be called Dead Sock Day.

First I took out the laundry to find that this...

had become this...

I've machine washed these socks many times before, and there's never ever been a problem. For some reason, this time they completely felted!

When I checked the settings, I realised I had set the wash cycle to intense wash for the previous load and forgot to switch it back. And I only did that because (out of the kindness of my heart) I had taken the dirty stinky tea towels from work home to wash! Just goes to show doing good is bad for you.

After the anguish of this incident, I decided to mend another hand knitted sock just to make myself feel better. This one had a hole in the toe. Easy. Rip back a few rows, reknit, rekitchener, done.

When I finished, I went to get the other sock to try them both on. But when I put the 'good' sock on, this happened!

A stitch near the heel snapped and created this big hole! I just couldn't believe it. Two pairs of socks ruined in one day. If someone knows a good site on darning socks - please send it my way.

Anyway, I want to finish up on a happy note. I did manage to finish the Child's First Socks yesterday, from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks.

More pics on my flickr. And details on Ravelry.

Oh, and we're going to Japan in 3 weeks!

Scary Softies

2008-03-16T18:23:00.003+11:00

Another diversion from my Dad's v-neck...

I used a pattern from this Japanese craft book but didn't have white felt for the bear's eyes. So for now it's just Scary Faceless Bear.

A New Hobby?

2008-03-08T19:16:00.003+11:00

I have some Liberty fabric in my stash that I've been meaning to make into a simple skirt. Then I found this book at Kinokuniya (ISBN 978-4-579-11149-7).

It contains 28 simple patterns for floaty tops, smocks and dresses. Even though it's in Japanese, the instructions are largely pictorial and I think coupled my Chinese (many of the characters are the same), I should be able to figure most of it out.

As with so many Japanese craft books, the photography and layout is simple but oh so pretty. All the projects are for loosely fitted garments, which is a plus for covering up my fairly basic sewing skills, since I've never been able to make anything that's meant to be fitted actually fit.

My first project is going to be the top on the cover, although there are quite a few things I like. Here's a small selection to whet your appetite.

And finally, I've just finished my first sock in 2008.

This was mainly a distraction (oh no, not another one) from my Dad's v-neck. Pattern is Child's First Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks. More pics on my Ravelry.

Convertible

2008-02-10T16:14:00.000+11:00

Thanks to the unusually cold weather this weekend, I finally took some photos donning the very very warm Convertible Cardigan by Wenlan Chia from KnitKnit by Sabrina Gschwandtner.

For my 2 cents about this pattern, see this previous post.

Seeing it's meant to be convertible, I tried wearing it a few different ways - see here, here, here, and here. Or just visit my Ravelry.

And finally, here's a glimpse of Dad's v-neck. So far so good.

Green

2008-02-02T16:46:00.001+11:00

A slight diversion from knitting this weekend - I indulged my fascination with Japanese sweets and tried the Green Tea Ice powder (from the Jap Grocery store Maruyu on Clarence Street).

This version came with English directions which were surprisingly easy to follow, despite some amusing phrases such as 'Whip to a thick.'

Basically you add milk and an egg yolk to the powder and 'whip to a thick'. Like so.

The only thing I struggled with was fitting it in our freezer.

A few hours later, wahla.

A bit more crumbly compared to normal ice cream, but tastes REALLY GOOD!

Next up, the Vermont Curry (with a touch of apple and honey). Will keep you posted.

Back to knitting.

Happy New Year Everyone

2008-01-29T21:04:00.000+11:00

At least I managed to post before January's out. Just a quick knitting update really...

1. Second crochet bag, done!

For all the details check it out on my Ravelry. Incidentally this was made over our Christmas holiday near Jervis Bay where we stayed on a property with ALPACAS!

They are such funny creatures.

2. The Convertible Cardigan finally has buttons. They look like giant chocolate buds.

One day I may decide to model this cardigan (it's more like a jacket) but for now, I'm not insane enough to wear it in 30 degree heat.

3. Oh and I finally moved beyond swatching for my dad's perfect v-neck jumper.

Back in August last year, my dad asked me to make him a jumper after he saw the cardigan I made my mum for her birthday. So I promised to make him one for his birthday which is not until April. Plenty of time.

He specified that he wanted something he could wear to any and all occasions - casual, formal, weddings, funerals (my father is a pastor, so he actually goes to a lot of these). It has to be not too dark, not too light (definitely not Aran), not too plain, but not too fancy either. Piece of cake.

I then proceeded to do what I always do when I promise to knit someone something - I procrastinated. (This, incidentally, is why I do not knit Christmas gifts.) Since promising to make my dad this jumper, I've made 3 bags, a scarf, a cardigan, a baby sweater, a pair of socks and half of another jumper.

What have I done on dad's jumper? This...

So far this is my 3rd attempt at the border. And I still haven't quite decided on a pattern. I guess I work better under pressure.

Summer is just too good to blog. Talk next month.

Foray into the Dark Side

2007-12-12T18:11:00.000+11:00

My first crochet project is done!

Despite the stitches being terribly uneven I really like this. I had to make it into a bag because I only had 1 ball of Muskat in this colour.

My favourite bit is where the pink joins the gold...

I used a 5mm hook for the body of the bag and 3mm for the gold bit (it's Twilleys Goldfingering) - they're probably the wrong sizes but they were the only hooks I already own and I didn't want to invest in new hooks until I was sure this is something I want to keep doing.

I'm still not sure.

Garter Scarf & EZ Baby Seamless

2007-12-01T14:52:00.000+11:00

Done!

I like the buttons on this one. Here's a closeup.

Details: Baby Sweater on Two Needles from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitters Almanac
Needles: 4mm KnitPicks Options
Materials: Jo Sharp Silkroad Tweed DK in Autumn, about 3 balls, and 7 buttons

Also done is the garter stitch scarf I started in the Deathly Hallows queue.

Details: 3 balls of Noro Kureyon colour 134
Knitted on 5mm bamboo circs. Cast on 25 stitches and knit every row. Super easy.

Love the colour changes on this one.

Mini Tote

2007-11-26T18:56:00.000+11:00

A quick little project using a ball of Drops Muskat bought in Oslo. Free pattern here. I made a mini version by casting on 25 st (using 5mm circs) as I only had 1 ball in this colour.

In other news, I'm finally attempting to conquer my fear of crochet. My very first attempt shown below...

I have no idea whether it's meant to look like this. (It certainly doesn't in the book I'm using.) The holes are massive and ridiculously uneven. For some reason the holes are always bigger at either end of the row so the piece is kind of trapezoid in shape. Advice, anyone?

The Brown Issue

2007-11-16T17:55:00.000+11:00

This is fast becoming a monthly blog.

Just want to show you a couple of things I've nearly finished.

The Convertible Cardigan by Wenlan Chia in KnitKnit.

Incidentally, this is a really interesting book. Most of the things I won't actually make (e.g. the giant teddy), but the stories about the designers are really inspiring, and of course it's a beautifully presented book with great photography and layout. (My next project from this book will be Anna Bell's Bridie.)

Back to the cardigan, I swapped the cable pattern for one I found in Vogue Stitchionary 2 (due to my aversion to giant bobbles) and lengthened the body and sleeves. I also shortened the collar - looks good on the model but don't think it's really that practical.

Ok. My 2 cents about the pattern.

I should preface this by saying I'm not really a chunky knits kind of girl. In my view, chunkies only look good on people who are not chunky (read: stick figures). I decided to make this purely because I was trying to avoid starting my dad's v-neck (still in the swatching stage btw).

Overall, I did enjoy the process. There is one error but it's easily picked up - pattern asks you to [k, p2] 3 times for pocket edge but you should [k2, p2] 3 times.

In fact, my only gripe would be the lack of collar shaping, which I assume is actually a design feature. The cardigan is basically a conical tube with sleeves stuck in the middle. It completely falls off your shoulder and while the name suggests it can be worn a variety of ways, effectively it can only be comfortably worn as an off the shoulder with the collar folded down. There is no way it can be worn as a turtle neck as the collar opening is way way way too wide.

Having said this, I think it is something I will wear quite a lot in the coming Australian winter (not for another 8 months). It's quite snuggly and warm though the yarn is not as soft as Rowan Big Wool which I used in a similar jacket - photo can be seen from this post.

The next almost finished project is the EZ Almost Seamless Baby Cardigan (I don't think that's the official name but heck, I can't be bothered looking it up).

This was a really fun project (started again because I am still procrastinating about dad's sweater) with interesting shaping that works! Disclaimer first - making this has NOTHING to do with my biological clock ticking (it's not) or the need for a baby gift (I make it a rule not to give handknitted gifts to unappreciative recipients, of which babies would be the front-runners).

My only query would be about the width of the collar. I got gauge and made the thing pretty much according to pattern but the neck opening seems considerably narrower than my observation of the real life specimens.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Until next month.

Alive & Well

2007-09-24T17:49:00.000+10:00

Hello there.

I'm still here. Really.

Much belated photos of the package and socks from my Sockapalooza 4 Pal. I've had this sitting on my memory card for several weeks now but life is getting in the way of blogging.

The package included some dark chocolate (really bitter - just the way I like it), a handmade project bag (excellent for sock projects) and a few postcards from Boston.

The socks are really well-made with a great 2x2 tubular bind off.

At least I'm still knitting....

Last month I finished a pair of K3P1 socks in Collinette Jitterbug. I was inspired by the Ann Budd interview on the Knitpicks podcast a few weeks back where she said the K3P1 is her fall back pattern for socks, so I wanted to try it out. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo before I gave them away. They went to my (lucky) mother who has really small feet (which is the only way to make a pair of socks from one skein of Jitterbug - what's with the poor yardage?)

I also finished a pair of Very Sensible Socks in charcoal grey Zarina. Originally I was going to make them for my dad but soon realised his feet would be too wide for a 54 stitch sock. So now they're mine! The pattern is a K2P1 rib and they are so sensible looking it's not worth taking a photo.

I did try the Widdershin heel for the first time and I think it's a great heel, but I still prefer a heel flap. I think top-down socks are just more fun to knit for some reason.

I've also started the Wenlan Chia cardigan from the new KnitKnit book using some super chunky yarn I got from Nundle ages ago. I've done about a third of the body already and oh I'm using a different 6-stitch cable pattern instead of the one in the pattern - why would anyone put gigantic bobbles down the front of a woman's cardigan? (The version in the book is pink too!)

I've also started swatching for my dad's 'perfect jumper' (more on that in a later post), but yes, I've been busy!

41 hours 39 mins

2007-08-27T18:24:00.000+10:00

The Oxfam Trailwalker is done and dusted and I'm back from the dead.

It was by a long shot the most excruciating and emotionally draining experience of my life.

Some lowlights included...

58km into 100 - Team mate discovers giant blister across her whole foot. 15 min rest stop becomes 2 hour stop.

65km into 100 - Forced to beg for food from passing team. Left dignity on the side of the trail.

72.5km into 100 - 5 out of 8 team mates retired due to exhaustion, blisters and injuries

10k's to go (about 10pm Sat and 36 hours into the walk) - Team mate starts falling asleep and is delirious. Wants to power nap in the bush. Pretend not to hear her.

6 k's to go - Start hallucinating from fatigue. See people and houses on the trail.

4 k's to go - Team mate sprained or broken ankle. Ignore her again and force her to keep going.

2 k's to go (around 2am Sunday and 40 hours with no sleep) - Looking for final turn-off in heavy fog. Visibility close to zero even with head torch. No longer feel any pain.

1k to go - Finally reach the road. In delirium abused enthusiastic volunteers for cheering and clapping.

The Finish - Feel unaccountable urge to stab volunteers who are clapping and cheering with walking pole. Pile into car and fall asleep straight away.

For boring team stats check here. So, when's the walk next year?

In knitting news, my Sockapalooza Pal Andrea from Mexico has received her Marigold socks and has some great pics here! (She likes them she likes them she likes them.)

Deathly Hallows Scarf

2007-08-09T17:09:00.000+10:00

Well the Sockapalooza socks are done, blocked, and packaged (and only 1.5 weeks late - so sorry Sock Pal!).

(More pics here.)

I ended up working the heel as per the pattern because I simply couldn't get the colours to stop pooling when I tried the Widdershin heel, although I did find a very useful link that shows you how to knit this heel for socks with different numbers of stitches to the original pattern (thanks Talvi!).

The pattern is Marigolds by Pamela Wynne of Flint Knits. Yarn is Joan in Lilly Pilly from Live 2 Knit. I used 2.5mm Knit Picks dpns.

In the meantime, I'm working on something I haven't done in years - a garter stitch scarf!

I started this while in the Deathly Hallows queue at Borders, with my iPod plugged in (I was really paranoid I would overhear a spoiler) and grumpy as anything (standing in a queue of 200 people at 8.30am after a big night is not my ideal Saturday morning).

The garter stitch is strangely soothing and the colour changes in Noro Kureyon is just interesting enough to keep me going.

Day in Lieu

2007-08-06T12:05:00.000+10:00

Only 2 posts in July - that's got to be an all time low!

My main excuse... (no, it's not Ravelry) is this little charity walk I'm doing called the Oxfam Trailwalker. It's a 100km bushwalk to be completed in 48 hours in teams of 4. My team has been doing 20-40km walks every weekend to get ourselves ready and unfortunately this means knitting has taken a backseat.

I've only been working on the necessary projects - i.e. my Sockapalooza socks (late! late! late!) and my mum's cardigan.

Yes, the cardigan is FINISHED!

(More photos here.)

After blocking, the cardigan was the purrrfect size and mum was so happy with it she squealed and danced around like a silly school girl (a very funny sight). I found the buttons at a shop in The Rocks called Buttons Buttons Buttons. They have a fantastic range of buttons (funny that) in a tiny little shop. The address is 25 Nurses Walk, The Rocks, for anyone who lives in Sydney.

Forgot to add project details yesterday...
Pattern: Lacy Cable Cardigan from Jo Sharp Knit Issue 2
Yarn: Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette in Musk - ALL of 8 balls
Needles: 3.5mm (pattern calls for 3.25mm)

Modifications:
I made the long sleeves from the sweater version (the cardigan version has short sleeves) and shortened them to fit my mum. I used a tubular cast on for all the 1x1 ribbing and did the sleeves in rounds to avoid seaming. That's it!

Heel Help?

2007-07-19T09:27:00.000+10:00

I have the beginnings of a Marigold to show...

I got up to the heel last night and now I've hit a snag. I'm not a fan of the straight short-row heel in toe-up socks because I like my socks snug and a short-row heel just doesn't have the fit of a gusset and heel flap.

I decided to try the heel from Knitty's Widdershins, which is basically made up of...

Increases to form the gusset (pretty easy, M1 at beginning & end of sole)
Short row increases (i.e. the heel turn bit in top-downs, but in reverse) - slightly confusing as the pattern is given for a 54-stitch sock whereas I have a 64-stitch sock so I wasn't sure how many increases or where to start/end the short row shaping
Followed by the slip stitch (K1, sl1) heel flap from bottom up with decreases at the same time on both sides of the flap - thoroughly confusing as by this time I wasn't sure how many stitches I was supposed to have on my needles, and therefore how fat my heel flap was supposed to be, and therefore where the decreases (P2tog/ssk) were supposed to take place
HELP!

I wish there's a formula somewhere that helps you calculate how many stitches you need for different parts of this pattern for socks with different stitches... Anyone game?

For the sake of expediency, I'm thinking of ripping the whole thing out and trying the toe-up gusset by Wendy Johnson which I found thanks to Emily on Ravelry. (Check out her Marigolds - they're beautiful.)

In other news, what happened to my mum's birthday cardigan? Well, I came so close to finishing it on time (I was literally weaving in ends minutes before we had to go to her birthday dinner), but alas, I completely forgot about buttons!

I gave it to her to try anyway and while she expressed all the admiration and gratitude to sooth the nerves of the giver, it is clearly too small!

I'm hoping a bit of heavy blocking will fix the problem but we'll see. Here it is blocking in all its glory.

Sockapalooza Panic!

2007-07-10T16:16:00.000+10:00

The Sockapalooza 4 socks are due to be sent on August 2nd. I've been eyeing other people's gorgeous finished socks for weeks but have I done anything about my own socks? No, siree!

Well, at least I have now got the yarn.

This is the 5-ply 100% superwash merino (Joan) from Live 2 Knit in Lilly Pilly. I've never used this yarn before but it feels quite soft and bouncy. And the colours are perfect for my pal (she likes pinks and purples and lilacs).

I'm thinking the Marigold pattern by Flint Knits. (Pal likes lace socks and I think this pattern would work well with the stripy yarn.)

Of course when I put in the order for my sock pal's yarn I had to get some for myself. (Plus it's universally acknowledged that sock yarn doesn't count as stash.)

This is in the Choc Cherry colourway. I think the name made me think there would be more browns but the yarn is actually a mixture of blues, reds and greys. Lovely nonetheless.

Part of the reason I haven't started on my Sockapalooza socks is because, despite a great start, my mum's cardigan is still unfinished and her birthday is this Saturday! I'm up to the shoulder shaping of the 2nd sleeve and I still have hope that it'll get done in time but I don't think I'd be able to block & dry it properly. I also haven't found buttons for it. Panic panic panic.

Spot the Difference?

2007-06-27T11:20:00.000+10:00

Some of you may be wondering what's happened to the Child's French Socks I started way back on my last holiday. Have I unknowingly fallen victim to the Single Sock Liberation like so many before me?

Well, the answer is, no.

However, perhaps worse than that, the reason why sock #2 has taken me so long to produce, is due to a serious case of dopiness. First I miscounted the number of repeats in the leg (frog #1), then I picked up 1 less stitch on one side of the heel flap (frog #2), then I lost a stitch at the start of the foot and didn't realise until halfway down the foot (frog #3), then I miscounted the number of repeats in the foot (frog #4), then I dropped a stitch in the toe shaping (frog #5), and then the best one of all...

In my infinite wisdom, I decided to use KnitPicks dpns on the 2nd sock as opposed to the bamboos I used for the 1st. I know, I know, it's a cardinal rule of knitting to use the exact same needles but I've broken this on many many occasions, swapping between same sized aluminum and bamboo needles with negligible impact on sizing. (Actually, the main reason I swapped needles this time was because the bamboos weren't sharp enough to pick up the K2tog's and it frustrated the hell out of me on the first sock.)

Anyway, the result is that the KnitPicks sock is about 2cm shorter in both the leg and foot (which you can see from the photo above - it's not just an illusion). When I put the needles through the needle gauge, the KnitPicks went through just a tad easier than the bamboos but clearly a little bit of difference all adds up!

There was no way I was going to remake either sock, so the only way to purge myself of this curse on my knitting mojo was to give the socks away. Which required frog #6 - to make it smaller to fit the recipient. She barely noticed the difference but in my heart of hearts, I know!

More photos here.

Yarn: 4ply Merino in Roses from The Knittery
Pattern: Child's French Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Needles: 2.5mm dpns

Started: 20 April, 2007
Finished: 21 June, 2007

Thanks Secret Pal!

2007-06-25T11:42:00.000+10:00

I've been waiting for one sunny day so I can take a proper photo of the haul I got from my SP10.

The fabulous Kae sent me not one, not two, but THREE books...

Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann - my first EZ book and current bedtime reading. This book is even better than I expected. Her no-nonsense writing style really appeals to me and it'll probably be the first knitting book I read from cover to cover. I am tempted to take up her challenge of knitting socks on 4 different sized dpns to see if my fingers will really magically adjust the tension.

I'm already planning to make the seamless jumper with the saddle shoulders (especially after seeing the drool-worthy version here).

Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy - This is more an inspiration book rather than a practical step by step. It's laid out a little like a comic book, with stylised illustrations of the sock creatures (some of which, I must admit, are a bit scary looking). Having said that, there are lots of good ideas and techniques that I will probably used in different combinations. I especially like the different types of lips/pouts.

Finishing Techniques for Handknitters by Jane Crowfoot - An informative book on finishing (and other) techniques. I particularly like the very clear photos showing what different types of increases and decreases look like (for increases I've always just picked up the horizontal bar from the row below and knit into the back but now I think I'll use the pick up the stitch from the row below and knit into the back method as it's so much more invisible!)

In addition, I also got the following goodies...

Cherry pattern by Anna Bell from My Fashionable Life
2 skeins of Berroco Bonsai - a surprisingly soft bamboo ribbon yarn
A pretty spiral diary
A box of chocolate Pocky sticks (not in photo as it no longer exist)

Thanks again, Kae!

Meet Sophie

2007-06-18T17:30:00.000+10:00

I made her a while ago for a friend who's expecting her first child. The baby is now a reality and Sophie has been gifted so I can show her off to the world.

I used a pattern from Aranzi Aronzo's Fun Dolls but I had a Japanese copy from my local Kinokuniya. The pictorial instructions are super easy to follow.

It's my first doll creation sewn from scratch (i.e. not from socks/knitted). She's not entirely symmetrical but still very cuddly. I think I'll definitely make more of these.

A couple more pics on my flickr including one of her cute button tail.

Lethal Weapon

2007-06-13T14:38:00.000+10:00

It had to happen.

I sustained an injury involving a KnitPicks dpn and blood, real blood, on the train yesterday (okay, it was only a small amount) . I was trying to grab it as it fell out of my hand but instead I pushed it into my leg. It went straight through my jeans, grazed the skin and left a red swollen patch on my inner thigh. Lovely.

The culprit.

In other knitting news, mum's Jo Sharp cardi is making good progress. I've finished both fronts and the back. Now I just need to calculate the sleeve shortening - darn these people with short arms!

And pzzzzt... I'm so excited to hear that KnitCast with Marie Irshad is returning to our podwaves soon!

7 Random Things Meme

2007-06-07T18:24:00.000+10:00

Emmms tagged me a couple of weeks ago but I was rude and just ignored her. (In my defense, I was sick as a dog when we first got back and then I was swamped at.... Well, let's not bring that four letter word up here.)

The rules: 'Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.'

1. The name of this blog is a variation of the nickname 'Princess Pee Pee' which my friends gave me because of the frequency at which I needed toilet breaks every time we took a road trip. (You can see why I needed to change it slightly.)

2. 'Sodium' is another nickname I've had. It sounds like my Chinese name. (Incidentally, my friend Kay was nicknamed 'Potassium'. K, get it?)

3. I have eaten dog. It tastes like corned beef.

4. I've never had a pet (possibly due to 3.) tho I've been plotting to catnap one of my neighbour's cat since he wanders into our house uninvited anyway. (He's the brown one.)

5. My favourite number is 7.

6. If I could speak an additional language it would be Japanese.

7. Just for something with a knitting spin, my oldest WIP is a granny smith apple green (what was I thinking?) cardigan I started around 1998. I found it recently and I've actually only got half a sleeve to go. Should I finish it?

I haven't tagged anyone as most people in the blogworld seem to have been tagged already. Anyway, if you want to be tagged, just leave a comment here and consider yourself tagged.

Happy Blogversary

2007-06-04T16:51:00.000+10:00

I didn't even realise until now that this blog had its first birthday a few days ago.

In celebration, here's another photo from our recent trip. Taken at Wilfert's in Copenhagen.

Yarn makes me happy. Awwww.

Sick Puppy

2007-05-30T10:47:00.000+10:00

Well we're home.

Actually we've been back for over a week but I caught some nasty bug on my first day back at work and have been one sick puppy since.

Being sick does have its advantages (more knitting time) but I got into the Artemis Fowl books just before our holiday (yes, I'm regressing back to junior fiction) and spent my bed/couch ridden time reading books 4 & 5 instead.

I did get some knitting done. Like the 1st project using my newly acquired Scandinavian yarn - or the first sock anyway.

The main project I'm currently working on is the Jo Sharp cardi from Knit 2 for my mum. So far all I've done is the back and half of the left front. I love the feel of this yarn (Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette)...

Her birthday is not til mid July so I'm taking it easy at the moment (maybe I shouldn't be). We'll see.

World Tour of Yarn Shops

2007-05-04T05:28:00.002+10:00

If you've been reading this blog you might be under the impression that we've been on a world tour of yarn shops. I assure you it's not true. But here are a few more if you haven't overdosed on yarn shop descriptions already...

Goteberg...
Strikk (Vallagatan 23) - One of the best I've seen on this trip. This place was like an Aladdin's cave. You go through a little door down some steps into 3 spacious rooms full of yarn and knitted goodies.

The first room is full of Collinette, and their own brand of handspun single ply. They have quite an extensive range under their own label (but I've found this to be the case in many Scandinavian yarn shops tho the yarns are the same, they just put their own label on) including a 100% silk, gotland wool, and linen.

They also stock Malabrigo, Araucania from Chile, and of course, Garnstudio. Lots of buttons too. The highlight is their own knitted designs. Quite modern and very clever use of yarn and notions.

I also visited another yarn shop just a street away but it's tiny and I've forgotten the name.

Lund
Sländan (Lilla Fiskaregatan 1) - Again their own line available, including a 100% mohair with similar meterage to Kid Silk Haze (but comes in hot pink, amongst other, more subtle, colours). Their line also includes a super soft baby alpaca (below) which I couldn't keep my hands off.

Small shop but chock full of the standard Scandi yarns.

Malmö
Stopped by Irmas Hus, Kalendegatan 13, but it is mainly a habedashery shop with just one shelf of yarns. Only Rowan and Drops.

Also wandered past Signe Svensson Garnaffär (Davidshallsgatan 25) but it is tiny. Some very nice shops on the same street though.

At Yllet (Jöns Filsgatan 2) there is a small line of yarns including linen and gotland wool again but it's mainly a clothing shop.

One thing worth mentioning is the artist collective shop Formargruppen (Engelbrektsgatan 8) run by 20 local artists. Lovely ceramics, textiles, glass work and jewellery. My favourite was a felted penguin by Yvonne Bävman. There's a photo of the penguins on her site here.

Copenhagen
Wilfert's (Gammel Kongevej 102) - Best shop here in my opinion. Run by Wilfert and her friendly black labridor (I think, I'm not good with dog breeds). Again their own line of yarns including Duo (100% wool) and Duo Silk (wool silk) from Jutland in Denmark, but I found the textures slightly coarse and opted for 4 balls of their Bambini (100% superfine merino).

The shop is very tastefully decorated, with chandeliers and glass cabinets brimming with buttons and notions. There is a very good collection of Rowan yarns and magazines.

I was completely taken by the no brand but luxurious 100% cashmere that they 'buy from some woman up in Jutland'.

Also visited Sommerfuglen (Vankunsten 3) and Strikkeboden (Krystalgade 16). The former is quite good and another treasure trove packed with yarn and lots of knitting books. When I walked into the latter, a woman barked at me 'What do you want?' which led me to leave at unprecedented lightning speed. You can read a pretty good review of both here.

(Front room of Sommerfuglen)

Adventures of a Little Red Sock

2007-05-01T20:40:00.000+10:00

Bergen is a quaint little town, despite being touted as the capital of Western Norway, with a much more relaxed laid back feel compared to Oslo. It was nice to chill out in pubs and meander the streets without an itinerary. On Saturday night after we arrived, we took a stroll after dinner and pretty much covered all the main sights (including the yarn shops, but more on that later).

Pubs along the waterfront in Bergen.

On Sunday morning we took the floibanen up the side of Mount Floyen (320m above sea level) to breathtaking views of Bergen city. Then we took a long walk up to the peak which gave us magnificent views of the landscape - snow covered peaks, glassy water holes, pine forests... you get the idea.

The first red sock came with us as well and I took some photos, much to the amusement of passing walkers.

The pattern is the Child's French Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush.

There are probably 3 yarn shops in Bergen (there maybe more but I couldn't find them). Also we were there on a Sunday and none of the shops were open so all this is just from peering longingly outside the shops...

Husfliden - similar to the one in Oslo but smaller. Tho it looks like it has more modern souvenirs like fleecy blankets and designer homeware. The range of yarns look pretty much the same - Drops/Garnstudio and Tynn Alpakka etc.

Modellstrikk (Vaskerelven 15) - cute little shop on a street full of cafes and other cute little shops. Looked like it mainly stocks Drops yarns and patterns. They have pictures of the types of yarn they stock on the website which gives you a pretty good idea of the kinds of yarn you find in Norway.

Pinnsvinn Designs (Jonsvollsgaten 9) - Had a sign on the door saying it has English patterns. Had some Rowan patterns and yarns. Also sells toys. They have a few pictures of the store on their website.

On our train ride back to Oslo, it gave me a little thrill when we passed Dale (pronounced 'dahl' here) of Dale of Norway fame. I noticed that they have a factory outlet there but as we were on a schedule, we had to give it a miss. Oh well.

Stockholm Knitters

2007-04-28T17:44:00.000+10:00

Just to prove I was there, look here!

Day 1 in Oslo + Yarn Shops

2007-04-27T03:49:00.000+10:00

Took a stroll around Akershus Festning (Royal Fortress) this morning before boarding the ferry to Bygdøy to the Vikingskipshuset (Vikingship Museum). Quite an austere little museum with bits and pieces from 3 buried Viking ships, and of course, the ships themselves. The interior strangely resembles a whitewashed church.

I was struck by the simple yet functional nature of these boats, in contrast to the complete uselessness of the extravagant and elaborately decorated ship Vasa we saw in Stockholm.

We then went to the Norsk Folkemuseum nearby. For the NOK70 entry fee, the place is not really worth it. There are quite a few restored houses but very little interpretation (in either Norwegian or English). There are only so many houses labelled 'Farmhouse' you can look at before it gets really boring (strange that). One redeeming feature is the toy exhibition. I was particularly taken by the intricate doll houses. In a music room, there's even a miniature bust of Beethoven!

Okay okay, the yarn shops.

For lunch we went to the Grunerløkka district. On the main street was the Elna Sy-Og Servicesenter (Thorvald Meyers Gate 48) which is basically a sewing machine shop, but had some very 'sensible' knitting yarns on the back wall - 100% wool in 4, 8, 12 ply, mohair, alpaca and cotton in a variety of solid colours.

On a quiet side street was the find of the day - Guanako garn & design (Seilduksgate 7). This is a more 'modern' shop owned by a 29 year-old. It's only been opened for over a year. She stocks a lot of Rowan yarns and magazines, but also the more traditional Norwegian brands. I picked up a mixed bag of colourful Egyptian mercerised cotton, baby merino and some sock yarn for an absolute song (thanks to Jerms' reassurance that he'll carry it in his luggage).

She's also got some beautiful pieces knitted up, including the Butterfly Camisole in both short and long versions. Also a few Birch shawls in different mohair yarns. The shop is gorgeous and well worth a visit if you're in town.

Finally, we paid the obligatory visit to the tourist oriented Husfliden (Rosenkrantz Gate 19-21) right in the centre of town. They have a massive range of traditional Norwegian yarns. The costume and ribbon section is worth a look and they have quite a few mits and socks knitted up. They also sell Hanne Falkenberg knitting kits, drop spindles and embroidery tools and kits. They even have a working loom in the store!

P.S. The next day we visited another yarn shop near Vigelandsparken (the massive sculpture park) called Tjorven (Valkyriegata 17) but it sold pretty much the same stuff as other Norwegian yarn shops. They have some Rowan magazines and books and a small selection of Noro.

Garn Garn and More Garn!

2007-04-25T15:10:00.000+10:00

Here are the garn (yarn) shops we visited in Stockholm.

Yesterday I went to Marias Garn (St Paulsgatan 20 in Södermalm, closest station is Mariatorget). This one had lots of brands I had not seen/heard of. Mostly yarns from small local mills I think. I must say I was somewhat disappointed - most of the wool is really coarse and stiff, though I did see a few balls of very soft 100% cashmere by their own label and some Drops alpaca. The shop is very nicely presented and had lots of gorgeous scarves however.

Today we were wandering around Gamla Stan (the old town) when I hit the jackpot.

On Österlånggatan I first came across Anntorps Väv (Österlånggatan 11). I was served by a lovely lady who was very bemused that I wanted to take photos in her shop. The store stocks a wide range of Collinette and Noro, and some Malabrigo. It also has a range of soft lace weight to aran yarns that look hand spun and dyed by Östergötands Ullspinneri (although she assured me it's not hand dyed) in solids and varigated colours. They also have plenty of Drops and Garn Studio yarns and a few other Scandi brands, like one called 'Love'.

I ended up with 2 skeins of the not hand dyed stuff in approximately 4-ply, and two smaller skeins of a snubbly single ply in pale minty green and blue.

Further down the same street, we came across Sticka (Österlånggatan 20). This place has some gorgeous knitted up stuff, a few pieces I recognised, including the butterfly camisole from Rowan 37 (ex. the beads) and a hooded top from Vogue Knitting not too long ago. She also had 2 triangular wraps that had stunning colourwork. Initially I thought they were Kaffe Fassett designs, but she told me they were by a Danish designer named Christel Seyfarth. The kits were about SEK1300 each (AUD260!!) and included about a dozen balls of cashmere, alpaca and wool yarns. I held back and only walked away with a couple balls of sock yarn. The restraint!

On our way back to the train station we stumbled upon Ullcentrum Öland (Stora Nygatan 36). This is strictly not a yarn shop, they mainly sell knitwear and felted things like pot holders and coasters, but they had a couple of shelves of yarn at the back. Again, a lot of the coarse yarn but they also had some interesting 3-ply linen/1-ply cotton mix. It feels quite stiff in the skein, almost like paper, but the girl at the counter showed me some scarves knitted in that yarn and they were softer. I'm still skeptical but somehow left with a skein of the stuff.

Finally, I made a deliberate visit to Nysta (Luntmakargatan 50, closest station is Rådmansgatan), recommended by a couple of Swedish bloggers. It stocks some Debbie Bliss, Noro, Malabrigo and Collinette (I got a skein of Jitterbug in Copperbeach). The main range, however, like all the other yarn shops mentioned here, are Scandi brands and the wool is quite coarse and the yarn is not as tightly spun as ones done in Italy ( e.g. Zara).

The highlight of my day was visiting the Stockholm Knitters. It was great to be able to meet complete strangers in a foreign city and be welcomed into their midst. Thanks girls!

We're off! (Well, almost)

2007-04-20T20:54:00.000+10:00

Am standing at a free Internet kiosk at Sydney Airport, waiting to board our flight in about an hour.

The 2.5mm bamboo dpns have been successfully smuggled through customs, in preparation for a lot of knit action on our (*gasp*) 27 hour trip to London. I'm making a pair of Child's French Socks from Nancy Bush's fabulous Knitting Vintage Socks with some 4ply merino from The Knittery in Roses.

Sorry, no pics yet. But you can check out what other people have done on flickr here.

London Calling

2007-04-16T13:15:00.000+10:00

I give you, the London Beanie...

I know, my head is way too round for beanies. This is going to a happy home in the UK.

I used 1 ball of Zara in chocolate brown (MC) and scraps for CC. I made it a lot longer than the pattern required - an extra 19 rounds in fact!

And now, the EXCITING news. We're going on holidays! This has been in the works for quite a few months now and we're leaving on Friday. Yes, THIS Friday!

Our itinerary includes a very short stint in London, followed by Scandinavia, Spain, and home via Hong Kong.

I've already started compiling a list of yarn shops in all those places, thanks to some very nice friends from blogland.

Heidi pointed me to a very comprehensive listing of yarn stores in Scandinavia under the Garn Studio stockists page.

Catrin and Gabriella both suggested these two stores in Stockholm, which I will definitely visit...
Marias Garn at St Paulsgatan 20 - near Mariatorget, Södermalm

Nysta at Luntmakargatan 50, Norrmalm

Gabriella also suggested a few around the Malmö area...

Sländan at Lilla Fiskaregatan 1 in Lund
Irmas Hus at Kalendegatan 13 in Malmö
Signe Svensson Garnaffär at Davidshallsg 25 in Malmö
Yllet on Jöns Filsgatan 2 in Malmö (also in Stockholm at Drottninggatan 106)

I'm also thinking of visiting these ones in Copenhagen, thanks to Maud's write up here...
Sommerfuglen at Vandkunsten 3
Uldstedet on Fiolstraede 13
Strikkeboden, cnr of Fiolstraede and Krystalstraede

Back in London, I'm hoping to make a trip to Loop sometime in our 24 hours there. Oh and amazingly, I even found a listing of yarn shops in Hong Kong!!

Okay okay, I am resisting from doing any more research about yarn stores for this trip, or else poor Jerms will surely die of boredom, and bankruptcy!

Monkeying Around

2007-04-13T10:59:00.000+10:00

The socks which were to be a birthday gift way back in Feb finally got done and gifted.

Here they are in all their true glory. Thanks Hoops!
This is a really horrible photo taken with *gasp* a flash, but it's the only one I got, modelled by the grateful recipient with our glamorous kitchen tiles in the background. It really doesn't do the socks justice. I'll try to get a nicer one off her.

I ended up making the Monkey socks from Knitty after all, but had to go down a needle size than the one I got gauge with because this yarn has very little elasticity - the K1P1 cuff does not spring back to shape once you stretch it.

I love this shot of the stitch detail and gusset.

Project details...
Yarn: 1 skein of Merino Cashmere Sock yarn from The Knittery in Cherries. You can see the colours better here.
Needles: 2.5mm Addi Turbos 80cm (I used the magic loop method). I must say that the Addis are not pointy enough for this pattern. The K2tog drove me nuts.

Modifications: I used a tubular cast-on and did one less pattern repeat in the leg section (mainly because I got bored).

Oh okay, just one more for the road.

Big Bird Socks

2007-04-06T15:00:00.000+10:00

So I finally finished the Socktopia Knit Off socks. Do I get a prize for coming dead last?

These ended up taking me quite a while as I lost motivation after the deadline passed.

Project details:

Pattern: Eleanor from Socktopia

Yarn: On Line Linie 38 Kaschmerino in an egg yolk yellow (Shade 002). This stuff has a suspiciously similar fiber content to Debbie Bliss Cashmerino (56% merino, 30% microfiber, 14% cashmere, cf. DB's 55%, 33%, 12%)

Needles: 2.75mm dpns

Started: Wee hours of Sunday 25th March

Finished: 6th April

Modifications: I wasn't allowed any as part of the Knit Off, but since I completely missed the deadline and was so bored with the pattern after the first sock, I made the holes slant the other way for the 2nd sock just for fun.

Knit Off...!

2007-03-28T13:50:00.000+10:00

I am a dismal failure! Team Louet, I let you all down.

Despite knowing that it starts 3am Sunday Sydney time, I signed up for Socktopia's live Knit Off. "Surely it can't be that hard to pull an all nighter to knit a pair of socks," thought I.

Alas, I completely over-estimated my stamina to pull all nighters in my advancing age. (Was I insane?)

It didn't help that I had a pretty full on weekend - I came home at 3am (2am thanks to daylight saving) from a hens' night on Sunday morning, already knackered, but decided to wait for the pattern launch on the website nevertheless. 3am. Nothing. 3.15. Nothing.

When 3.30am came and went, I couldn't cope any more and stumbled off to bed.

By the time I woke up, someone had already finished a sock! I tried to catch up, purely because I didn't want to let my team down, but I was so groggy from lack of sleep the night before so I only managed 1 sock by the end of the weekend.

(I name thee, Egg Yolk sock. Second sock is still in the making!)

Needless to say, I'm not going to attempt such a reckless venture for a while. I think.

On a more joyous note, I received my first Secret Pal package on Tuesday! It contained a ball of Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran, a ball of Bouton D'or Plum'Kid and the Erika Knight Glamour book.

I've had my eye on the Kid Silk Haze gloves in there ever since I saw a copy at Kinokuniya. Thanks Secret Pal!

In other knitting news, I've started the Jo Sharp cable cardigan for my mum from Knit 2. See?

(In the background is the wonderful Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush which I got recently and a wash cloth made from GGH Scarlett. I was at a LYS a couple of weeks ago looking for 2.5 dpns and somehow walked away with a ball of this softest of all cotton yarns. Don't ask. I'm weak!)

Oh and I'm supposed to talk about my favourite knitting accessory - does a piece of waste yarn count? It's so versatile. I can use it as a stitch holder to hold live stitches, tie knot to make a stitch marker, thread it through a row as a lifeline, and best of all (unlike most other knitting tools), it's FREE! So there you have it.

Cloud Bolero II

2007-03-20T15:06:00.000+11:00

Hi guys, it's been a while.

The 2nd Cloud Bolero was finished on the weekend with just one 'Yikes!' moment when I ran out of yarn during the bind off (the picot edge uses a RIDICULOUS amount of yarn). This led immediately to a panicked call to my LYS who kindly put a ball aside for me. I was slightly worried as I got this yarn a few weeks ago in a sale basket but I needn't have worried, there was plenty left when I went there on the weekend.

Anyway, I made it pretty much to the same specs as the first one so I won't bore you (or myself) with the details.

I substituted the Rowan Polar (which sheds like an Angora wabbit) with a yarn called Luce which I have not seen anywhere else (the brand is really stupid sounding like 'bFashion' or something). It's a mohair acrylic blend, with gold threads shot through. It actually knits up quite soft but the gold threads make it quite scratchy... so there goes my vision of wearing it on more formal occasions with a strapless dress. I think I'll have to wear a long sleeve skivvy underneath instead... um, attractive.

Here's a back shot if you're keen. Go on.

It Ain't Easy Being Aqua

2007-03-11T17:39:00.000+11:00

Blogging on the weekend. This is getting sad. But, the Wave Lace Socks are completed!

(Incidentally, these socks are on the cover of the new Interweave book Favourite Socks by editors Ann Budd and Anne Merrow so they must be popular.)

So, project details...
Wave Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark in IWK Spring 04
2 balls of Grignasco Bambi Merino Extrafine in aqua (vaguely in line with the Socktopia March theme of 'it ain't easy being green')
2.75mm dpns

Modifications: I opted for the 1x1 twisted rib cuff instead of the scalloped cuff shown in the magazine but that's about it. The scalloped cuff is just a tad too feminine.

Oh and a view of the heel and gusset on my flickr.

Sadly, I'm definitely coming to the end of my sock phase and am itching to start a big project. I think it'll be a cardigan from Jo Sharp Knit 2 for my mum.

Oh and I've started the 2nd Cloud Bolero. So far I've ripped back to the beginning only once but reading this pattern is making me cross-eyed! Again!

Bubble Bobble Hat (Free Pattern)

2007-03-07T10:28:00.000+11:00

I made this on a whim very loosely based on this cap pattern from Lana Grossa but using a standard 12ply.

I named it after one of my favourite computer games as a kid. My brother and I got up to level 100 in the 2-player game at one stage I think. Oh the memories...

I wrote up the pattern and posted it on my under construction Wordpress blog. I've been toying with the idea of moving this blog to Wordpress, purely because people have to leave their email address when they comment, which means I can reply to them, and also because it allows pages. However, the task of actually moving is a bit daunting. Have a look at it and let me know what you think.

Secret No More

2007-02-27T10:25:00.000+11:00

The secret knitting that was to be a birthday gift has been abandoned because once again, I've cut it too fine and did not make the Sat deadline. I could have done it if I went without sleep for a couple of days but sense prevailed and I chose sleep.

Also the project I picked didn't really match the yarn I had but I powered on anyway, thinking if I didn't think too hard about it somehow everything would turn out fine.

I should've adhered to the first rule of knitting - If it looks wrong, it probably is!

I actually got through sock 1 and the cuff of sock 2 before I gave up.

The failure of this project is due entirely to my own bone-headedness. The yarn is a soft merino cashmere variegated sock yarn from The Knittery in Cherries and the pattern is the picot edge socks in Jo Sharp Knit Issue 1.

Problem was that I got gauge with the number of stitches but not the number of rows. Consequently it took quite a few more rows to establish the heel flap so I ended up picking up a lot more stitches for the gusset.

The result - an elephantine sock for someone with a really fat ankle!

I had bought the yarn with the Monkey Socks in mind but this yarn is not very stretchy so the cuff was really loose when I cast on for them initially. I might try with smaller needles once I've got over my feelings of inadequacy about the elephantine sock.

I ended up giving away the Cloud Bolero I made a couple of months back.

I'm now working on the Wave Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark in IWK Spring 04 using some Grignasco Bambi yarn I bought on a whim (really should stop doing that...)

Incidentally, I think my sock craze may be winding to a close although I'm still committed to a pair a month for Socktopia.

Finally, I've got new stash - the 8 balls of Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette is to make a cardigan for my mum so it comes out of our gift budget rather than my stash budget (hehehe... sneaky, I know). I'm aiming low this time - her birthday is not til July when it'll be cardigan weather in Australia. (I'm sure she doesn't read this blog so there's no danger talking about it here)

Also I got 3 balls of some really soft mohair/wool blend with gold thread through it at a sale last weekend to make another Cloud Bolero for myself. I actually went to the LYS to get a pair of Addi Turbos in 2.5mm for the aforementioned Monkey Socks but these were 50% OFF! Who could resist?

Shhhh....

2007-02-21T18:27:00.001+11:00

I'm doing a spot of secret knitting this week, hence no knitting progress post.

I'll whet your appetite with the Phylotaxis Scarf I finished in Jan from Knitting Nature. The recipient of this scarf has already received it so I can now post a pic here.

You can follow all my woes with this one on the KAL here, here and here. Or you can just read the project details here.

SP10 Questionnaire

2007-02-20T18:24:00.003+11:00

I finally signed up to a Secret Pal! Here are my answers to the SP10 questionnaire...

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I almost ALWAYS knit with natural fibres but I'm not really a yarn snob. One of my favourite yarns is the good quality but affordable Rustic 8ply (100% wool) from Bendigo Woollen Mills. It only costs around AUD$10.70 for a whooping 200g ball.

If I must talk brands, my staples would be the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino range or Jo Sharp Silkroad Tweed range. I do luuuuv Rowan Kid Silk Haze and anything by Noro but they're not the most versatile/affordable of yarns. (Incidentally, Jerms presented me with a box of yarn when he proposed which included a skein of GORGEOUS Noro Iro. I don't think he realises how many points he scored that day.)

Of course I also like anything hand spun or hand dyed. I mean, who doesn't?

I don't use a lot of novelty yarns but I'm not totally adverse to them. I do loathe that Patons Feathers/Ostrich stuff however.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

A couple of ancient biscuit/chocolate tins.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I learnt to knit when I was 6. I was actually taught by my babysitter.

I'm probably an intermediate knitter. I can follow pretty much any pattern and even make up patterns when I can be bothered, but there are quite a few things I have not tried, e.g. steeking (eerie music in background)...

I'm also a poor finisher. I hate seaming and picking up stitches and I can't for the life of me master Kitchener stitch. I would love a book on beyond the basics finishing techniques.

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

Here.

5. What's your favorite scent?

Anything citrus - like lemon or lime. Or gardenias. I'm not into strong floral scents - they tend to make my eyes water.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Most definitely. The bitterest dark chocolate and Hi-chews. And assorted Japanese snacks, e.g. Pocky.

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

In an ideal world where time is not a constraint, I would do a lot of felting and sewing, and learn to spin.

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

I would LOVE a compilation CD. I listen to a lot of Aussie alternative/rock... The Whitlams are my favourite band of all time. A few more International examples of what's on my iPod are... Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, Kings of Leon, Sufjan Stevens, The Magic Numbers, The Polyphonic Spree and Radiohead.

Yes, have iPods. Can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I'm not into really extreme colours like hot pink or lime green but I generally like all colours. Except maybe shades of yellow/mustard. I also can't wear any shade of brown.

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

Married. No kids. Although am plotting to kidnap my neighbour's tabby.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Yes, yes, no and noooo!

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

Cardigans. And definitely going through a sock phase at present.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Socks. A second Cloud bolero. A cable cardigan for my mum.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Sure!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circs. Addi Turbos and bambo. I have (multiple pairs of) most needle sizes and I'm getting a set of Knit Pick Options for my birthday so it will be hard to get me needles.

I would love one of those Clover felting needles though!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yes to winder, no to swift (surely that's over the entire SP10 budget?!).

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I recently discovered pieces of a lime green (what was I thinking?) cardigan at my parents' place which I started when I was still at uni. So it must be between 8 and 11 years old.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

I love the hot Australian Christmas. Beach, prawns, thongs (i.e. flip flops), mangoes.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Japanese craft books.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Any book by Elizabeth Zimmerman.
Any pattern by Anna Bell from My Fashionable Life.
Yarns you can't get in Australia, e.g. Morehouse Farm Merino, Koigu, Fleece Artist and that Berroco Bonsai stuff. Sock yarns like Trekking XXL or Regia in solids or stripes.

I subscribe to Interweave Knits. Incidentally I'm quite picky about knitting mags. I don't like any of the Australian knitting magazines. I can get Vogue Knitting at my local library so I tend not to buy them unless there's something I actually intend to make (which is rare).

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Steeking. Norwegian colour knitting. Continental knitting.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Recently converted. 26cm. Me, Big Foot.

23. When is your birthday?

21st March

(Hoorah! I finished!)

Elephant Foot

2007-02-15T15:53:00.000+11:00

This looks like a normal enough sock...

Pattern is the Spindle Socks by Anna at My Fashionable Life using Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashmerino in a lilac.

When I put the sock onto waste yarn (I'm a good girl) to try it on for length last night, look what happened!

No matter how I tugged, I could not get it past my elephant sized heel!

It was too depressing. Of course I had to frog it immediately, hence the poorly lit photos - taken at night in haste and frustration....

So for the first time in a LONG time, I actually have no WIP (!) Well, strictly that's not true. I found the long neglected Belisa cashmere scarf which I started after Easter last year. I worked a couple rows on the train this morning but am already bored.... ARGH!!!!

Websites As Graphs

2007-02-13T09:58:00.000+11:00

Here's this blog as a graph.

Cascading Leaves

2007-02-09T10:48:00.000+11:00

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt from IWK Winter 05
Yarn: 2 balls Filatura di Crosa Zarina in grey (col. 1494)
Needles: 2.75mm dpns (I'm actually getting the hang of dpns now and prefer them over 2 circs)
Started: Feb 2nd, 2007
Finished: Feb 9th, 2007

Pattern is for a sock 23cm long and my feet are 26cm (I know, I have big feet) so initially I was going to do an extra half pattern repeat but I ended up undoing that after I tried it on my foot because the sock actually stretched quite a bit.

In the end, the only 'alteration' to the pattern I made was picking up 14 stitches on each side of the heel flap instead of 15 as the pattern calls for. I just couldn't find room to pick up that one last stitch for some reason.

The one feature I really like about these socks is the way the toe decreases taper to a point and actually complete the leaves in the final pattern repeat. Really nice touch.

Of course, I would've liked to have found Mona's tutorial on the tubular cast on she used BEFORE I'd finished the socks. For anyone interested you can find it on the sidebar of her website.

Glamour Feet

2007-02-02T10:39:00.000+11:00

Shot on location in our kitchen.

(Can you really see me wearing these out?)

I'm on my way to meeting my NY's resolutions! These are knitted toe-up and kind of based on this Knitty pattern but I cast on fewer stitches to get the right width.

There are two things I'm not happy with...
1. The heel is shaped the same way as the toe (with short rows) and doesn't fit that well (not surprising, as the heel is not the same shape as the toe, oddly enough).
2. The loose cuff bind off is really ugly. It doesn't look that bad on because it's stretched but when it's off it kind of flares out but if I did it any tighter my heel wouldn't fit through.

Possible solutions...
1. Cuff down socks (with heel flap and gusset) will probably fit better, but it means binding off with Kitchener stitch which I have an irrational fear of (I can do it but it usually takes me ages to do even a few stitches cos I have to refer to about 5 different diagrams and then I forget it as soon as I look away). Alternatively, there is this pattern which is a toe up sock with a heel flap. Is it really as good as it sounds?
2. I can try tubular cast off - another technique I have not been able to master, but other than that, I'm stumped! Suggestions anyone?

************
Postscript: I didn't post any project details initially because I was lazy but here we go - the yarn is Patonyle 4ply in col. 4308. I used 2 balls with plenty left over (I'm thinking a jumper for Monkey). Needles were 2.75mm dpns.

Another Silver Bolero!

2007-01-29T11:01:00.000+11:00

I finally finished the Jo Sharp bolero I started way back in November.

I really thought I would finish this before Christmas but when I got to the 234-stitch 2x2 ribbed band I completely lost motivation.

Meanwhile I got quite sidetracked with a few other projects, including some secret knitting (to be revealed in a later post) and the Cloud Bolero, which was also in silver (or at least the colour was called Silver Lining although in reality it's closer to baby blue).

Some additional pics on my flickr.

Okay, project details...

Project: Short Sleeve Bolero in Jo Sharp Knit - Issue 2
Yarn: 6.5 balls of Debbie Bliss Cathay in Silver (same gauge as the Jo Sharp Summer DK Cotton the pattern calls for)
Needles: 3.5mm and 4mm Addi Turbos
Started: Late Nov 06
Finished: 28 January 07

Modifications:
Instead of knitting the fronts and backs separately, I knitted them as one piece up to the armpits and then knitted the fronts and back separately. This is purely to avoid the side seams and I think it actually drapes nicer without the side seams. I also used a 3-needle bind off at the shoulder, again to avoid the dreaded seaming.

Final 2 Cents:
DB Cathay has great stitch definition so any unevenness in my stockinette really shows (and I'm NOT a very even knitter). That's probably my only gripe with this project.

*****************
On a slightly different note, I noticed that the project list for the Spring 07 issue of Interweave Knits is up. There are a few projects that I like the look of, such as the Tea Rose Halter Top by Wenlan Chia (of Twinkle fame) and the Dollar and a Half Cardigan by Veronik Avery.

Let's just hope it doesn't take 3 months for my issue to arrive this time....

A Very Aussie Aussie Day

2007-01-28T19:02:00.000+11:00

We had no real plan for our Australia Day long weekend up until Thursday night because I simply had not had time to think about it since work was so busy last week.

When we finally sat down to watch the Tennis on Thursday night, I happened to flick to another channel where they were playing a pre-Australia Day concert in Canberra and The Whitlams came on. Of course I had to watch because they're my ALL TIME FAVOURITE band, and right at the end, they mentioned something about playing in Sydney the next day....

What?! I googled it straight away. Apparently the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority was putting on a concert at The Rocks to celebrate Australia Day.

And it's all FREE. So our Australia Day activities were set. (Never had I been so happy to be a taxpayer.)

The line up was great. They had FIVE stages with all Aussie bands (almost as good as the BDO without the hefty price tag). We managed to catch the following...

2.30pm - Holly Throsby

A gorgeous little folk outfit with her as singer guitarist, drummer Bree Van Ryke (who also drums for Darren Hanlon) and a guy called Jens who seems to play every string instrument under the sun - double bass, cello, mandolin, banjo). There was one tense moment when a wild gust of wind blew the double bass off its stand and it toppled onto the ground - thankfully these classical instruments are tougher than they look.

4pm - Josh Pyke
Well we didn't actually watch a lot of it we were off foraging for food. He had a cool violinist.

5.30pm - Alex Lloyd

The highlight for me was definitely when they did a cover of Hallelujah and the whole crowd started singing along.

And also the very dramatic dancing by two girls very close to us throughout the entire set.

7pm - The Whitlams

I haven't seen these guys since the Easter Show last year and they were in good form. They did some of their more political songs (Blow Up The Pokies, Year Of The Rat), a few 'Aussie-flavoured' songs (Love This City, I Will Not Go Quietly, Beautiful as You) and a few of my favourites - I Make Hamburgers, Laugh In Their Faces, and Louis Burdett.

My voice was coarse by the end of the set with all the singing along and cheering.

I also wore my thongs for the occasion, ate two whole corn cobs, got sun burnt and had beer split on my foot. All in the spirit of celebrating being Australian. It was a great day.

Just a few more pics on my flickr.

Lost & Found

2007-01-24T23:33:00.000+11:00

This post is about my Christmas present.

I know I know, Christmas is already a distant memory for some of you but there's a reason for this lateness.

I want to start by telling you the back story. (Okay, if you're a little short on time you can just skip down to where I've marked the crux of this post with lots of ******)

Two years ago, the first Christmas after we got married, when I was still under the optimistic delusion that, one day someday soon, I will succeed in training Jerms to read my mind, I began dropping some obvious hints as to what I wanted for Christmas. They include casual comments such as "Oh I found this really cool knitting doll kit online today... it's really really cool... did I say it's really really cool?" and "Um, Ben Folds has put out a new book of sheet music. Did I mention that I'm in love with Ben Folds?"

Even to my semi-delusional mind back then, it soon became apparent to me that he was not catching on. For one, there were no visits to www.dotpebbles.com under Mozilla's 'History' page and definitely no visits to Allan's Music superstore in the City.

But being the refuse-to-give-up gunho die-hard that I am, I decided that I just needed to be more obvious.

So I made a wishlist...

with descriptions of each gift, expected price, and more importantly, WHERE one might be able to purchase these gifts, if one was looking to do so.

To be honest I can't remember what I got that Christmas. Needless to say it wasn't on my list.

************
So this last Christmas, I decided it was time to be practical and give up on any school girl silliness and just tell him exactly what I wanted. Tickets to see the Lost and Found Orchestra as part of the Sydney Festival.

We went to the matinee performance last Sat at the Opera House, (which is why I'm only blogging about my Christmas present now) and it was FANTASTIC.

The set looked quite strange to start with, lots of steel structures and stages, even a bathroom up one side of what used to be the choir circle.

When the lights dimmed, a group of people walked on stage and started playing... instrument cases!!

Basically the idea is that they use instruments made from everyday objects, which, as far as I can remember included...

different lengths of plastic tubes
drain pipes with mouthpieces that sounded like bassoons
a massive wine glass xylophone
vibraphones made from water cooler bottles
beer bottles
shopping trolleys
plastic barrels
those bouncy exercise balls
witches' hats as horns
garbage bags
saw violins
bicycle horns
a harp made from a bed
really long tubing with a cone at the end

And vacuum cleaners! Serious.

Because a lot of these instruments only made one single tone, it required incredible coordination across a fairly large number of people to produce a coherent piece of music. It was a bit like a concert cross with a dance cross with a circus. There were certainly tap dancing elements (the creators created Stomp), acrobatics, clowning, as well as my favourite, a kung-fu sequence where about 10 pairs of people 'fought' with broom sticks and 'played' a percussion piece at the same time.

You can read a write up here. I'm sorry I have no pictures. You can't take photos inside the Concert Hall and in any case there're probably plenty of pics on the web.

************
btw, to Jerms' credit, he did get me something on that wishlist eventually. But this has taught me an important lesson about marriage... ladies, don't try to change your husbands. It's much easier to change yourselves.

Tooroo.

New Year's Knitting Resolutions

2007-01-18T13:00:00.001+11:00

I know it's probably a bit late to post NY's resolutions but I really wanted to come up with some this year to give my knitting a bit more direction, rather than going for the same old boring 'safe' projects again. (Although there will no doubt be some of those as well!)

So here we go...

9. Socks
I have only ever knitted one pair of socks. It was the Sock of Doom from Sock Wars (which I wasn't a participant of, but thought I would make them anyway cos I was so bummed I missed the sign up date). I ended up giving them away (very unlike me, see resolution 2) so I don't actually have a photo.

Anyway, I didn't think I would really get into it (I mean, hand-knitted SOCKS? There's got to be less daggy things in the world) but as it turned out, I really really enjoyed it!

Up until that point, I had never thought about how a sock is constructed and the different ways it could be knitted (what on earth is a gusset? And a heel flap?).

I still think hand-knitted socks are daggy and I don't know if I'll wear them outside the house, but I'm going to give them a go just cos the structure aspect of it really interested me.

With that in mind, I went to my LYS last weekend and bought 2 balls of this Paton self-pattern stuff. I was really after the Filatura de Crosa Zarina to make the Embossed Leaves Socks in Interweave Winter 05 (at least these don't look too daggy) but they didn't have it and the lady at the shop was so friendly I couldn't walk away without getting something.

As you can see, I'm just up to the toe-turn (is that a proper sock knitting term? The Toe-Turn).

8. Design a pattern (and write it down!)
I've made up my own patterns before, but I've never bothered to write them down.

My original resolution was that I should try and get a pattern published but maybe that's a little too ambitious. In any case I will post the pattern on the blog if that really happens.

My biggest problem is I have no idea about sizing. I can design patterns for specific individuals, but how do I work out smaller and bigger sizes? I'm assuming this is simply a matter of doing the maths but I'll have to find out what 'standard' sizes are. Anyway, will deal with that when we get to it.

(Although I could always design a poncho or a muumuu...)

7. Experiment! Be Bold!
This one stems from an audit I did of my projects over the last few years, all of which used one single yarn in one single colour.

I can't believe I'M SO BORING!

So this resolution means I can do one or all of the following...

A multi-coloured project
A multi-yarn project
Something subversive/unwearable/just for the hell of it

6. Learn Continental knitting
I just know this will make my knitting so much faster. Plus I'm getting RSI on my right thumb from holding the needle the 'English' way. Argh.

5. Learn steeking
This is too scary I can't even bring myself to think about it as yet.

4. Learn to spin
I already have a plan about this. One of my friend's mum has a spinning wheel. I can just ask her to teach me, right? Right?

3. Actually give away knitted gifts
I have to stop hogging them for myself. I really have to stop hogging them. (But they really prefer a CD or worse, a GIFT VOUCHER!) No, I must stop hogging them...

2. Get involved with a knitting group
I need some knitting-obsessed friends. (Refer to resolution 1.)

1. Act normal
I've been making an effort not to appear completely obsessed with knitting in front of my non-knitting friends (which are about 99% of my friends) because, well, they just end up being disturbed by how much I know about knitting.

So here's my final and perhaps most difficult resolution. I'm not going to talk about knitting with any of them. Even if they ask me, I will first gauge whether they're doing so out of politeness (in which case I'll be as brief as possible because they do not deserve to know how much more fun knitting is compared to drinking or playing computer games) or out of genuine interest (in which case I'll do my best to evangelise them).

The exceptions are Jerms (this is the price he pays for having a free cleaning & cooking service), this blog (you chose to read this) and friends who actually knit.

(This has got to be one of the longest post I've ever written.)

Ocean Boy

2007-01-04T09:49:00.000+11:00

Jerms in one of his rare moments not choking on sea water.

A few more pics of our dive off Port Douglas has been uploaded to my flickr!

Mind you, these ones were taken using a disposable underwater camera so the images are a bit fuzzy!

FNQ Holiday Wrap

2007-01-02T09:27:00.000+11:00

Now that we're back in cold, wet Sydney, it's time to reminisce about our Far North Queensland holiday before all those lovely memories fade.

Itinerary: 1 night Cairns, 3 nights Palm Cove, 4 nights Cape Tribulation. (Click links to see where we stayed!)

Cairns Highlights: Not much considering we only stayed for 1 night and slept most of that day! We did have a great seafood platter for 2 at Mangostins on The Esplanade for dinner. Great value too - only 75 bucks with the 25% early bird discount (seated by 5pm and done by 7pm). Yeah we true Asians.

Palm Cove Highlights: Great little beachside resort town that's a little less touristy than Port Douglas or Cairns. Thanks to the stinger net on the beach (below) we swam with wild abandonment and baked off on the beach afterwards. (We did lie under one of many palm trees so as to not get too burnt.)

Speaking of stingers, I love this article which basically says that YOU WILL DIE if you get stung by a stinger. This, according to Aussie Stu, is actually not true because it does depend on where you get stung - e.g. chest and face more likely to be fatal.

I must say reading The Phantom comics while lying on the beach was a highlight. It's got classic lines such as "Cold voice of angry Phantom chills even jungle tiger's blood - Old Jungle Saying". Hilarious.

Also the 40 min drive between Palm Cove and Port Douglas has magnificent views of about a million beaches.

Port Douglas Highlights: I've already raved about this in a previous post but snorkeling on the GBR was really the highlight of the entire trip. Here's one of us knackered on the boat afterwards! (More pics on my flickr!)

We went with Wavelength which I highly recommend. The 10% off for YHA members also helps!

Daintree/Cape Tribulation Highlights: Aside from licking a limey ant's bum? Snorkelling AGAIN on the Great Barrier Reef! This time we went with Odyssey H2O and I must say we enjoyed it more than the dive at Port Douglas.

Although there were only 2 dives (both off a reef site aptly named Turtles - see below), the Reef was more pristine and more beautiful there. And it's only a 45 min boat ride to the Reef!

Jerms found a turtle and I saw at least 3 sting rays. Pity we didn't have an underwater camera that time!

Another highlight was swimming at the freshwater swimming hole behind Mason's. Apparently they were one of the first white families to move to the Cape. The fresh water was so refreshing after the really salty sea water!

Finally, seeing a cassowary was pretty special - even though we only got a picture of his butt (can you spot it?). Apparently he's the resident cassowary at the Coconut Beach Resort and his name is George!

Check out the slightly 'modified' speed hump sign and cassowary warning sign below too... *chuckle*.

For more info about The Daintree, we found this guide pretty much covers it.

I Licked An Ant's Bum!

2006-12-31T16:14:00.000+11:00

Day 8 - New Year's Eve

Went kayaking around the Cape today. Our guide was a real Aussie bloke called Stu. Everyone was to him either a brother, sister, mate, love, or possum. Gotta love that.

He's one of the most laid back people I've ever met. Whilst on Myall Beach he picked up half a dozen coconuts that'd fallen onto the beach. We carried them on our kayaks back to his 'office' which is basically an outdoor tent canopy and he hacked them open with a machete. We drank the juice and ate the flesh, which he also hacked off with a hunting knife.

Then Stu decided he fancied a walk in the 'garden' and gave us an impromptu bush tucker tour. He climbed a tree and found a jack fruit (tastes like bubble gum), then pointed out a cashew tree to us (cashews are actually a nut grown on the end of apples, see below), a lime tree (we could pick as many off as we wanted), a macademia tree (nuts still green) and then, he pointed out a fruit covered in green ants.

Stu tells us the ants have a lime flavour in their green butts so what does he do? Gives us each an ant to lick.

It really has a lime taste! Very potent too!

Anyway, pics to come when we have the technology.

Hot Hot Christmas Holidays

2006-12-27T17:49:00.000+11:00

Day 1 (Xmas Eve) - Cairns

Got up at 5am for 7am flight. Arrived in Cairns around 9am.

Slept most of the day. However we did manage to go out for dinner. Had a seafood platter with prawns, mussels, bugs, oysters, calamari and fruit! Nice.

Here's a picture of the lagoon in the middle of the city. And here's a sign accompanying...

Read the bit about water tight swimmers? Gross.

Day 2 (Xmas Day) - Palm Cove

Drove to Palm Cove (20 mins from Cairns) where we'll be staying for the next 3 nights. This is Trinity Beach enroute to Palm Cove. Just one of about 7 beaches between Cairns and Palm.

And here is Palm Cove.

All the beaches are really nice but I still think beaches in Sydney and Byron are nicer. Sand on Palm Cove is pretty coarse but there's shade everywhere thanks to the abundance of palm trees.

Weather's been good. No rain so far and not extremely hot but still around 31 degrees each day and quite humid. Thank goodness for air-con!

Spent the rest of the day at the beach and just chilling out. Finished my book (The Innocent Man by John Grisham). Well worth a read.

Day 3 (Boxing Day) - Great Barrier Reef

The whole day was spent snorkelling at the GBR. Weather conditions were perfect. Needless to say it was FANTASTIC.

The tour was a full day one to the outer Reef. Took 1.5 hours on a boat to get there. Will post pics in a separate post, including some underwater ones! (ps. pics have now been posted on my flickr! Teaser below!)

We did 3 dives at sites called Ray Ban, can't remember the 2nd one and Turtle Bay.

Heaps of tropical fish (plenty of Nemos), different varieties of coral in an array of colours, and a turtle! Had so much fun and didn't get sunburnt (except on the top of my head and my left ear... ouch!)

Day 4 - Still at Palm Cove

Today was our laze around day. Went to the beach in the morning before it got too hot, then back to the resort for a swim in the pool.

We then decided to visit Mareeba and Kuranda in the Atherton Tablelands, west of Cairns. The drive took an hour up some pretty windy roads. When we got there, there was nothing but a coffee shop! About 90% of the coffee produced by Australia is grown in Mareeba - which is why we decided to visit since I am such an addict.

I was kind of hoping for a tour about the roasting process of the beans (above) or something. Instead there was just a shop and cafe. Pooh!

Here's a really ancient expresso machine.

Best thing about the drive was finding some really cheap mangoes and lychees. My 2 fave fruits! Look at Jerms fondling those juicy juicy mangoes...

What?! $3.50 a kg? Give me 2!

Another highlight was driving past a town called, wait for it... Speewah!

Yeah. Small things amuse small minds.

Don't worry folks, I haven't been neglecting my knitting - even in this heat! Here's the beginings of the Phylotaxis Scarf, my 2nd Knitting Nature project.

Completed Cloud

2006-12-20T13:23:00.000+11:00

I'm coming out of hibernation.

Finished the Cloud Bolero a couple of nights ago but only got round to blocking it last night. I hovered the steam iron over it cos' I didn't want to flatten the scallop stitching, plus this yarn is really soft and fluffy.

Here are the project details:

Pattern: FREE from Yarn Forward magazine, by Ysolda Teague, in the M size
Yarn: 2 and a bit balls of Rowan Polar in Silver Lining
(This yarn is discontinued but I found some from Cucumberpatch in the UK. They have excellent service and shipping rates. Also fast shipping, even to a backwater like Australia!)
Needles: 8mm circulars
Notions: Button or ribbon as fastener - I haven't got a proper ribbon yet, the one in the photo is from some left over Christmas wrapping

Modifications: The pattern calls for 2 balls of Rowan Polar if making the XS, S or M size. However, it also has provisions for extending the cap sleeves by 1 pattern repeat (4 rows) , which I did, and therefore ran out of yarn just before the cast off row.
I also lengthened the bolero by 3 or 4 pattern repeats I think.

I LOVED the pattern, despite the strife I had with reading it at first. It was such an interesting knit and so well designed. It's knitted in one piece from the collar down with NO SEAMING (yay). The cap sleeves appear magically as you increase the number of stitches in each row. Also I loved the fact that you try it on as you go and make adjustments along the way so that it's a perfect fit.

The only thing I would change about the pattern is probably adding a button hole at the collar. This isn't written in the pattern and by the time I thought of it I had already gone too far down.

If I was making it again (very likely) I would also print out the pattern with spaces between each row's instruction. Nearly went blind reading it.

Norbert

2006-12-11T14:33:00.000+11:00

The new Knitty is up!

This would be quite tempting to add to my growing collection of handmade stuff toys....

On a more distressing note, I ran out of yarn for my Cloud Bolero on the weekend. I'm making the M size which requires 2 balls of Rowan Polar according to the pattern, but because I made the longer version of the cap sleeves (i.e. added the first 4 rows of section 1b before moving on to section 2), I only have about 30 cm left when I got to the bind off row. Plus I plan to make it a bit longer than required now that I'm going to need extra yarn anyway.

I've ordered another ball already so in the mean time it's back to the Jo Sharp bolero.

Cloud Disaster

2006-12-06T11:28:00.000+11:00

I needed a break from the monotonous stockinette stitch of the Jo Sharp bolero last night (plus I was getting RSI from the small needles) and decided to start the Cloud Bolero using the Rowan Polar that arrived yesterday.

It started out being a really interesting knit as I couldn't tell from the pattern how it would turn out so it was a bit like secret knitting.

Unfortunately it also meant it was impossible to pick up any mistakes. It wasn't until row 20 that I realised something had gone terribly wrong....

The total number of stitches was correct but the numbers between stitch markers were out by 1 or 2. It didn't help that the instructions are written in this format with no stitch chart...

Row 20 (RS): k3, (yo, k1) 3 times, (k2tog) 6 times, (yo, k1) 3 times, yo, slm, k1, yo, k1, pmB, (yo, k1) 3 times, (k2tog) 6 times, (yo, k1) 3 times, k1, yo, slm, k1, yo, pmB (k1, yo) 3times, (k2tog) 6times, (yo, k1) 6 times, (k2tog) 6 times, (yo, k1) 3 times, yo, slm, k1, yo k1, pmB, (yo, k1) 3 times, (k2tog) 6 times, (yo, k1), 3 times, k1, yo, slm, k1, yo, pmB (k1, yo) 3 times, (k2tog) 6times, (yo, k1) 3 times, k3. 130 sts.

And that's just one row!

I counted and recounted and counted and recounted but couldn't find the mistake for a whole episode of Grey's Anatomy (will have to watch that one again). Eventually I found a mistake IN THE SECOND ROW!!!!!!

To be honest I don't think that was the only mistake but I was so fed up with counting by that stage that I just ripped the whole thing out. That was round about midnight....

One problem with being someone who is highly competitive when it comes to math-related challenges is that I can't rest until I've solved the problem. So there I was up til 2 in the morning redoing the whole thing until I got to row 20 and made sure that the pattern was actually right.

Needless to say I'm not my usual Little Miss Sunshine self today.

Super Geek Of the Year

2006-12-05T12:32:00.000+11:00

Jerms sent me this link today with the note "well, it appears you may have married the wrong nerd..." Indeed!

Well if I can't maybe some of you ladies out there can.

On an even more knit related note, I have a progress pic...

I'm onto the 2nd sleeve now. I'm knitting the sleeves in the round using the brilliant 2 needle method up to the shoulder shaping, yes to avoid any unnecessary and dreaded seaming....

My stash is also returning to a healthy level after I flogged off a stack of stuff on eBay to make room in my stash drawers. Yesterday I received 2 packs of Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed - the Autumn colour one will be used to make the Phyllotaxis Scarf in Knitting Nature...

... and the lilac colour probably for a cardigan from Jo Sharp Knit 2, next winter.

And just as I'm posting this, the mail lady today came with a package - 2 balls of Rowan Polar in Silver Lining, which I'm using to make the Cloud Bolero by Ysolda Teague, a free pattern from the new Yarn Forward mag.

Where is She?

2006-12-04T18:27:00.000+11:00

It's not like I've gone off blogging. I've just been too busy putting my leftover stash on eBay... including this ball of DB Cashmerino Aran for anyone who wants to knit a pair of Fetching.

I've already made mine!

There are some real bargains there as my main aim is to clear some drawer space for new stash. Including some Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed for my next Knitting Nature project.

At the moment I'm beavering away at the Jo Sharp Bolero. Am up to the 1st sleeve now. Progress pics to come.

Quick WIP

2006-11-27T15:25:00.000+11:00

Have started the first of my summer knits! Although progress is slow considering we've had several days of 35+ degrees (Celsius) in the past couple of weeks.

It's the short sleeve bolero in the Jo Sharp Knit 2 book.

I'm using some Debbie Bliss Cathay in silver I got on eBay for a sweet sweet price. Here's where I'm at so far.

I decided to knit the back and fronts in one piece, then separate the stitches from the sleeve shaping, but still knitted right across - to avoid losing count of rows (this means I'm working with 3 balls of yarn at the same time - which has its moments).

The DB Cathay is unexpectedly soft to work with, considering it's a cotton blend, and has a really nice sheen to it - looks much nicer in reality than in the photo.

The project is meant to be my holiday project when we go to the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree this Christmas (can't wait) but I think at this rate I'll finish it by then. I might make a singlet with the leftover yarn instead.

Tea Towel Bags

2006-11-17T18:15:00.000+11:00

ISBN 4579110412

I've been meaning to share this Jap craft book for a while now (it's one of the few books I actually bought IN Japan).

Some really great projects apparently made from just tea towels... including bags, seat covers, heat mats, tissue covers and MORE BAGS!

As with most Jap craft books, this one has some really stylish photos despite the simplicity of the objects.

Here's a picture of the materials...

This bag was the reason I bought this book...

I'm yet to find a tea towel that actually has that lovely flower pattern though.

I remember looking at haberdashery shops in Japan and they actually sell fabrics similar to the ones used in this book! Those lucky buggers in Japan....

Anyway, a few more pics in my flickr for the really keen.

Ta Ta!

2006-11-17T14:24:00.000+11:00

The long awaited photo shoot of the finished Asymmetrical Cardigan turned out to be a bit of an anti-climatic hurried job. Done in about 2 minutes before we ran out of the house to go to work this morning...

And with the buttons undone...

This is a dancing back shot (very silly, yes)...

Overall it was an enjoyable and interesting knit. The 'star of David' pattern took a while to get the hang of so it maintained my interest. Also I LOVE things that are knitted in one piece.

For this cardigan, the fronts of the cardigan including half sleeves were knitted separately up to the collar then joined to knit in one piece. The only slightly annoying thing was that it got too big and heavy after the fronts were joined and I couldn't carry it around on the train anymore, hence the slow progress towards the end.

The collar and button bands were also knitted in one piece then sewn onto the cardigan. I was a bit dubious about how the asymmetrical collar would look in the end but it worked out exactly as the book illustrated. A highly recommend project!

So, project details...

Pattern: Asymmetrical Cardigan from Knitting Nature by Norah Gaughan
Size: Petite (I'm nowhere near a petite but the book has quite generous sizing)
Yarn: ALL of 14 x 50g balls of Nundle Woollen Mill Pure Wool 12ply in Grey (I unraveled the gauge swatch to get enough yarn)
Needles: 5mm and 5.5mm
Notions: Shell buttons from my LYS
Modifications: Pretty much to spec except I added an extra button

Errata:
1. Right front neck shaping... BO 4 st ONCE, not twice (to match the left front neck shaping)
2. Back length... only knit 10" in pattern (NOT 13") and then 3" of 2x2 rib

Some Asymmetrical Action

2006-11-10T17:31:00.000+11:00

The Asymmetrical Cardigan is almost finished! I'll be getting some buttons from my LYS this weekend. (Also hopefully some 'hair' for the poor neglected zebra.) Here it is all seamed up!

And a close up of the collar...

I must say I had some doubts about how the collar would turn out before I seamed it. Aside from its odd shape, it also looked too narrow compared to the collar on the cardigan. But after some serious steam iron blocking, it actually worked out well!

I was also worried that I wouldn't have enough yarn for seaming but thank goodness I left long enough tails at the end of each piece. In fact when I finished I had about 5 inches to spare (I already undid the gauge swatch in order to finish the button bands). Phew!

I lightly steam ironed the whole thing once it was seamed and that's also made a world of difference. The yarn actually feels softer and the stitches are a bit more even. The ribbing especially has flattened such that the whole piece fits quite nicely (I was worried I'd made it one size too small).

Anyway, hopefully will have more photos to show next week. Stay tuned!

New Stash Update 2

2006-11-09T14:34:00.000+11:00

I promised more stash update in a previous post but I've been too busy with work and managing my eBay sales.

Anyway, here it is...

For years now I've been salivating at the publications by the French yarn company Phildar - they have a huge number of knitting magazines, or 'catalogues' filled with interesting and modern designs. But they've always been in French! Until now.

They've just launched their English website and online store in October. They only have 6 of their catalogues translated in English so far and postage is exorbitant, but I got two anyway. (The magazines were 8.28 euros ex. VAT each but postage was 16 euros for both!!!) I suppose it's really expensive because the magazines are actually quite thick, and the English translation is actually a separate magazine.

The one shown above is the Winter 1 magazine. You can flip through all the projects in each magazine online, which is great. The few things I have my eyes on are...

I also got the Special Twenty magazine, which has a Kate Hudson lookalike on the cover and a few interesting pieces like the poncho below...

ARGH! I've Run Out of Yarn!

2006-11-06T10:16:00.000+11:00

This work in progress of the Asymmetrical Cardi is long overdue. It'll be a month tomorrow since I started working on it but I have been distracted by a number of other projects - like the zebra, and Fetching.

Last night I finally finished the collar and neckband - that's the strange looking piece in this pic.

All weekend I have been haunted by the dread that I will run out of yarn. I had to undo the gauge swatch to finish the 2nd neckband - with only around 3 inches to spare!

I still need more yarn for making up the cardi, but thankfully I left long tails of yarn after each BO. Now we have to wait and see whether that's enough. I managed to do the left sleeve and side seam last night using the tail from the left cuff. Looking good so far...

Stash Bustin'... NOT!

2006-10-30T19:06:00.000+11:00

I've been selling off some of my stash on eBay (no, I've not gone mad)... to make room for new stash. A lot of new stash.

New stash include...

8 x balls from Nundle Woollen Mills (to make a mystery present),
the new Jo Sharp Knit 2 magazine, and
the Fall 06 issue of Interweave Knits (yes it's a bit late to be showing this off but believe it or not my issue arrived 2.5 months late - it's a long story)

Before you say this is a disappointingly small stash, let me tell you that this is only part of the big picture. More to come later.

New stash, new stash, new stash!

Stripey Dog/Bumble Bee?

2006-10-23T10:19:00.000+10:00

We have lift off with the Zebra.

The pattern is from this Japanese craft book.

I got the socks for 8 bucks at a sock stand in Chatswood Westfield (2 pairs for $15!) - unbelievably it's the only place I've been able to find this type of socks.

It turned out to be a tad more difficult than the monkey as there's a lot more hand sewing involved. And I couldn't get the head to shape like the one in the book and the body ended up being too long - well my first attempt at the body was too short so I had to redo it with the other sock (thankfully these socks are longer than the ones required).

Anyway, here's a progress shot...

And here's what it looks like so far - bit like a cross between a dog and a bumble bee.

Asymmetrical Away

2006-10-20T12:54:00.000+10:00

I started the Asymmetrical Cardigan from Norah Gaughan's Knitting Nature er... nearly 2 weeks ago.

Was going to post some progress shots but have been too lazy to whip out the camera. And this knitted up sooo fast!

By the time of posting I've already joined the two fronts and am doing the sleeve-back-sleeve section.

Project details on the KAL.

In a milestone, I finally frogged the Rebecca 28 sweater to give me the yarn I need for this cardi. Did I mention I LOVE my ballwinder? It channels the destructive instincts in me.

This weekend however, I'm putting the cardi aside and starting the ZEBRA. No more procrastination!

Butter is for Basting

2006-10-18T09:30:00.000+10:00

Yay! Darren Hanlon's new album Fingertips and Mountaintops is getting some great reviews. Read them on the Candle Records site.

The clip for 'Happiness Is A Chemical' is on YouTube. It showcases Darren's unique dance style and is highly amusing.

Here's what he says about the clip on his website...

"The clip features me as an evangelist guitar playing preacher spreading the word of happiness. I got the character idea from Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter. In it he has the words good and evil tattooed on his knuckles. I wanted to write sad and glad on mine but it looked silly on film. Also look out for a cameo of the amazing young Jindbyne actress Eva Lazzaro. She's the most intelligent and funny 11 year old I've ever met. She told me her favourite CD at the moment is Cat Power. She also likes The Shins but prefers their first album to the last one. She also told me to 'think of the animals darren' when I ate a lolly that contained gelatin (horses hooves or cow skins)."

And this is him on his addiction to craft...

"I usually become anxious in the weeks leading up to a tour and try to fill each day to take my mind off it. Last week I realised I'd inadvertently become addicted to craft. I went insane and spent 2 days building this 'thing' out of cardboard and paper mache for the window at Polyester Records in Melbourne. The diorama even has a scale model of the theatre we recorded the album in!"

Apparently it'll be on display in Sydney next week at Fish Records in Newtown.

Arisaig Finished!

2006-10-10T14:25:00.000+10:00

I finally decided not to make the contrast colour tie, after trying 2 different colours and giving up about 10 inches into the 80-inch (!) tie.

I decided to fasten the side with mini shell buttons instead. Here's a closeup...

And this is what it looks like on the inside.

So, details about this project...

Material: 11 balls of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in 207 (and I needed every bit of that - I had to undo the gauge swatch to have enough yarn for the button loops)

Pattern: Arisaig from Knitty Fall 05 in the small size

Pattern modifications:
1. Used 3.0mm needles throughout - i.e. did not use smaller needles for ribbing
2. Lengthened 2x2 rib section significantly - I think it's about 3 inches
3. Ditched the tie around the collar - I picked up a large number of stitches and knitted a few rows of garter instead
4. Fasten with button by crocheting a button loop on the side of the right front

So there you have it.

Up Til Dawn

2006-10-04T14:53:00.000+10:00

I'm STILL working on Arisaig.

I blocked and seamed it on the weekend and it took much longer than expected. Here's what the back looked like pinned to the ironing board. (Yes I steam ironed the whole thing! I have no shame. It was the only way to get the ribbing to flatten.)

All the pieces of the puzzle are ready!

I'm pretty happy with the seaming - the seams are reasonably invisible although you can still see some bumps near the top of the shoulders. I'll try blocking it again later. Here's a close up of the sleeve seam.

I started on the tie in a contrast dark rose colour last night but decided I didn't like the colour combo. I'm also not sure whether a knitted tie would really work, or whether it would just get stretched.

Long and short of the story is, I decided to ditch the tie and pick up stitches around the collar in the main colour and knit a few rows of garter stitch to match the sleeve cuffs instead. I bought some buttons on the weekend which I thought could be used to secure the fronts instead of the tie.

Did I mention I'm hopeless at picking up stitches? I worked out I had to pick up around 330 stitches in total. Before I knew it, it was 3am in the morning... and I'm not that happy with the result either. The edge is not very flat along the top of the V part of the collar (as shown in the pic above).

I think it's going to be a long night of unpicking... at least I have nice buttons!

My Darren Hanlon CDs also arrived right this moment! At least I can listen to new music while unpicking tonight!

Monkey Story

2006-10-04T11:37:00.000+10:00

Once upon a time there were two monkeys who were good friends.

One of the monkeys courtesy of Mrs. Hooper. The other, Mrs. Jones.

One had big floppy ears, squishy arms and legs, and a long spindly tail.

The other was hairy all over except on top, somewhat squishy as well, and always has a cheeky grin.

They were both really cool monkeys and did lots of really cool things together. Like scratch each others' backs and eat lots of bananas. (They had their own banana patch so all the bananas were free.)

And they lived happily ever after.

THE END.

Pieces of Arisaig

2006-09-29T14:52:00.000+10:00

I have not been idle.

All the pieces of Arisaig are finished! Hoorah, no more tiny rows of ribbing and boy am I sick of that lace pattern (as lovely as it is)....

I made quite a few mistakes with the sleeves, which was annoying because it's nothing complicated - I just kept losing count and sometimes I would forget to increase or decrease at the end of a row even when I had increased or decreased at the start of that row!!! Brain's gone to mush I think.

I did do something clever - a 3-needle bind off on the shoulders (see right). It saves a tiny bit of seaming (which is my pet hate, along with knitting in the round) and it looks way neater. Here's the blurb about it in Knitty but I used the instructions at the back of any Interweave Knits cos' there's a picture!

Hopefully I'll have the finished Arisaig to show and tell next week. The long weekend should help. I haven't yet decided on a colour for the tie yet but maybe a lilac or rose.

My next project will be the long awaited Asymmetrical Cardigan in Knitting Nature. In the meantime, my travel knitting consists of...

Cashmere lace scarf using Belisa Cashmere, which I started not long after Easter. Don't ask me why I'm putting myself through another fine lace project. I'm mad.

Handmade Felt Book

2006-09-26T09:37:00.000+10:00

ISBN 4277430023

Beautiful Japanese book published by Ondori with lots of projects for bags, hats, creatures, corsages, baby booties and more.

Pics on my flickr.

A couple of the more basic projects have step-by-step photo instructions but the rest are just diagrams. Both wet felting and needle felting projects are included.

I'm not sure whether it's suitable for someone with no previous felting experience. I bought it more for inspiration and ideas rather than to learn how to felt.

Some really unusual bags are included, like the melon bag below... although I'm not really sure it's a bag - looks more like it's stuffed with fleece and it's a bit difficult to work out from the instructions when you can't speak Jap.

My absolute favourite in the book are these flower corsages...

Zoo of Socks

2006-09-25T11:51:00.000+10:00

Came across this book on Angry Chicken's blog and just had to have it! (ISBN 4579110617)

Managed to find it at my local Kinokuniya (my favourite shop to browse at lunchtime, when I get one).

There are about 15 different animals you can make from socks or gloves. My faves include the pig, elephant, panda and red robin (I like them all!). There are pictorial instructions and look pretty easy to follow - although I haven't made anything yet.

There's even a small section on making clothes for the dolls (a top, pants, dress and hat). More pics on my flickr.

My first project will be the zebra, which is Jerms' favourite. Kudos to him for holding the book in the sun so I can take these pics.

In related news, Jerms and I did a photo shoot of a couple of my other Japanese craft books at the same time. I'll be posting pics of these in the next couple of days. Stay tuned.

Wee Make-a-long

2006-09-18T14:28:00.000+10:00

First installment of Hilary Lang's (of Wee Wonderfuls' fame) make-a-long story is up!

I need some sewing skills.

One Angry Dwarf & 80-Piece Orchestra

2006-09-14T09:52:00.000+10:00

Have been meaning to post about the Ben Folds and Sydney Symphony concert I went to last Friday.

It was AWESOME (and I'm not one of those cute Gen Y's who use the word liberally).

Here's a not so nice write up in the SMH. While I agree with Mr. Zuel that it's hard to improve on the originals, I think it's a bit cynical to say 'what's the point' when the arrangements showed off both Ben and the SSO's talents (like he , 'not just your usual pop-classic duet), the audience had a heap of fun and all the musos looked like they enjoyed doin' it. Isn't that what entertainment is all about?

Highlights for me were...

When he had to stand away from the piano and sing Not The Same - painfully uncomfortable, awkward and hilarious
The sci-fi'esq intro to one of the songs - I think it was One Angry Dwarf
Getting the story behind Cigarette - all the words are from one sentence in a newspaper article. Strangely he played Landed instead after telling the story
The orchestra playing the melodian part of Stephen's Last Night
And of course, finishing up on Luckiest in the encore - this last one for completely sentimental reasons

He also played a few of my favourites that don't usually get much airplay at gigs - Evaporated, Alice Childress and Carrying Cathy.

There are some fuzzy videos on YouTube. Of particular interest is this rendition of Rock This Bitch.

We got our photo snapped by some photographer sponsored by Jameson - hence the annoying logo. This is NOT an ad for them.

Yum Cha Fun

2006-09-13T16:30:00.000+10:00

Went to Regal for yum cha on the weekend. One of my favourite Chinese desserts (aside from dun dan and sweet tofu) is the black sesame roll.

I have no idea how it's made or what ingredients are in it (except for mashed up black sesame) - probably better that I don't know.

I love playing with my food. Here's me unrolling the black sesame roll and rerolling it around a chopstick. Very silly I know.

Video of Jerms eating his can be found here.

Spiral

2006-09-06T18:36:00.000+10:00

Found this amazing crochet pattern on kpixie.

Almost tempted me to buy now and learn to crochet later.

There's no description of the level of difficulty but I suspect it's of the treacherously HARD variety.

Crikey.

Nature Adventure

2006-09-05T18:03:00.000+10:00

My Knitting Nature has finally arrived! I'll be blogging my adventures on the Knitalong with supplementary pics and excessively self-indulgent comments on this blog.

My first project is the Asymmetrical Cardigan.

I'm tempted by the Coastline Skirt though...

Fingertips & Mountaintops

2006-09-04T13:43:00.000+10:00

I put in my preorder for Darren Hanlon's new album, Fingertips and Mountaintops, today. It's coming out on October 2nd.

This is the first album of Darren's that I'm actually forking out real money for. I've heard his songs on the J's before and loved them (especially Falling Aeroplanes and I Wish I Was Beautiful For You) but have never really bothered to find out more.

Finally went to one of his gigs a few months ago and absolutely loved it. He is so funny live.

Just to be safe I bought all his other albums as well. To save on postage, you know.

There's a few audio tracks on the Candle Records website. Well worth a listen.

Chugging Along

2006-08-29T13:23:00.000+10:00

Arisaig is coming along nicely. I've finished the back and have started on the left front.

I am a little concerned about whether the 2x2 ribbing will flatten sufficiently after blocking. I already used larger sized needles for it but the DB Baby Cashmerino is very springy - too springy perhaps?

Revenge of the Cardigan

2006-08-23T19:13:00.000+10:00

Came across Ben Kweller's free 'One Minute Pop Song' podcasts completely by accident on iTunes. I don't know how I missed them before considering I subscribe to his newsletter...

Anyway, they are quite amusing vignettes* of his life and well worth a peek if at least for this incredibly daggy aran cardigan he wears throughout. (Man, I had one of those when I was a kid in that exact shade.)

I like the episode where he talks about how he learnt the drums from his dad. I think it's ep 4.

You can also get them on YouTube, but mate, if you got this far, just follow the links on his website.

Actually I came across BK's podcast cos I was downloading Zach Braff's (also free) podcast about his new movie 'The Last Kiss' (which unfortunately for Australia, is not coming out til Feb 07). Again they are short vignettes* of cast members doing very very inane things. I'm sure there are links on his blog.

*I really truly hate the word 'vignette'. I think it's one of the ugliest words on the planet, but I was forced by my thesis supervisor to use it over and over again in my thesis to refer to these videos that I showed my research 'subjects'. Clearly the experience has scarred me.

Space Invaders

2006-08-23T14:36:00.000+10:00

Found these super cool space invader 'wall decals' (is that the technical name for wall stickers?) on Via Alley. My brother and I used to have a space invader game. This brings back memories... awwwww.

Too bad they're sold out.

But check out these Potato Queen charaters by Genevieve Gauckler. Would be great for decorating a kid's room. (Now I just have to find the kids.)

Death By Ribbing

2006-08-21T14:21:00.000+10:00

I started Arisaig about a week ago using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in a navy.

I finally finished the 2x2 ribbing on the back today. Done on 3mm needles it was an absolute killer (the pattern actually calls for size 2.25mm (!!) but I'm generally a tight knitter and I didn't think changing needles between the ribbing and the pattern does that much for the shaping anyway). I don't know if I have the stamina to go through the ribbing two more times (for the fronts).

Does anyone know of an Arisaig knitalong? I need some mutual motivation!

Scoops

2006-08-21T14:10:00.000+10:00

Been meaning to mention this for a while...

Sophie Cooper is behind Scoops Design. She had a stall at the Young Blood Designers' Markets and I got one of her cool poodle brooches. She's got some funky customised tees too.

Looks like you can buy her stuff online. Always handy.

Rockin' Cupcakes

2006-08-17T13:07:00.000+10:00

I have been salivating over a Rocky Road Cupcake recipe that was in a Donna Hay magazine a couple of months back (I think it was issue 27... Anyone?). Then we saw this in a cafe in Glebe on the weekend...

I was going to get one after we'd had lunch but then we'd spent all our money on parking and at the markets and had literally no cash left! Worst thing was, I forgot to even take down the name of the cafe. All I know is that it's on Glebe Point Road, opposite the school. Ideas, anyone?

They also had this...

(It says 'Malteaser "Lindt Chocolates" Cake' on the sign.)

Young Blood

2006-08-14T12:51:00.000+10:00

Jamnuts and I went to the Sydney Design 06 Young Blood Designers Market on Saturday.

We had a fab time checking out all the innovative and funky fashion, jewellery and homeware designs of up and coming Australian designers.

I didn't get any photos cos' Jamnuts was too embarrassed by me taking out my camera like a I'm about to steal these people's designs, (not that I have the skill anyway) but I've made a list of all the labels that stood out for me...

Christiania - chunky perspex jewellery, a playful take on victorian cameo jewellery.

Slingfings and bird textile by Rachel Bending - Gorgeous gorgeous Jap inspired printed fabrics and clothes. I fell in love with this tie wrap dress (below) in a bird fabric print but couldn't justify spending $230. Now I can think of a million reasons why I should've got it.

(btw, you can buy any of the dresses in ANY of the bird fabric designs on the Slingfings website!)

I also liked this apron dress but not sure how often I'd really wear it...

High Tea With Mrs Woo by 3 sisters, Rowena, Juliana and Angela Foong - Modern fashion designs with an Asian twist. Very unique cuts but beautifully fitted designs. I loved the top and dress on the left. Check out their lovely website and design gallery.

fg by Felicity Gleeson - resin bangles embedded with bits of lace, crochet doillies or fabric. Really feminine stuff. She also makes these unusual alien looking dolls and brooches from antique fabric. An ecclectic combination. According to her card, "This wistful collection was created with the scent of freshly baked scones and jam wafting in from the next room, to the sound of someone putting the kettle on and cups clattering onto their saucers." Unfortunatly she doesn't have a website and I forgot to ask whether she has any stockists but you can email her at felicitygleeson(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)au