Avoiding startitis

It was pointed out last night at knitting that i am a terrible blogger. But I have been meaning to post about this!

The awesome Yarn Harlot recently blogged about her annual case of startitis

Which got me thinking… I have a very strong desire to knit ALL THE THINGS, but especially all the WARM things, what with going to London! I’ve got a few projects i desperately want to do before i go, but i also want to finish all my WIPs!

so things i want to knit

Poppy*

I cast these on week before last and should have them done on Thursday. I don’t particularly like the thumb in this pattern, and if i knit them again i would work my regular thumb gusset and work another round or two after the little finger.

Other than this though i love them! I added an extra ruffle and put them a bit closer together because who doesn’t like an extra ruffle.

Handspun Possum and Merino from NZ with Kidsilk Night trim

I feel like these will be awesome for when i need to keep my hands warm but have my fingers available for oyster cards etc.

From the same book i want to knit Chevalier* for when it’s F***ing cold. these are knit in a bulky yarn so should only take me one or two days. I’ve actually had the yarn combo picked out for a while, so will be nice to finally do these!

And i want to knit a cowl or possibly two. I have a few patterns queued for stash yarn so will do one of those. I’ve been told that having a cowl close to the neck and then a scarf is a must for a UK winter.

On counterpoint I have the WIPS…

Sylvi is going great guns and will be finished before i go. I really want to line it, but i think there’s probably a level of CBFedness i can’t quite get past with everything else going on

Gossamer is a project i started in 2010 and i JUST NEED TO FINISH! especially now it’s on the interesting bit. the good news is it’s really light so i could pack it to knit in the UK, but i won’t wear it til summer over there, so would rather finish it and put it in storage til i get back. but i don’t want to put it in storage on the needles (or cable as the case is atm)

This is a bit of an ongoing project that i pick up every now and again. It has the same problems as Gossamer  in that i probably won’t wear it in london much but i hate the idea of putting it in storage unfinished. (even though it’s been about 2 years between working on it at some points!)

The sock yarn leftover blanket is very happy to be popped away and added to when i have sock yarn left overs from the UK!

so that’s kinda the plan, but there’s one other thing to consider… baby knits! Oh yeah… i would really like to try and get one thing done for my bestie before i head off.

but i have finished a present for my darling canadian friend

Petit Facile Pullover from Interweave Knits in Malabrigo worsted in Verdes

*ravelry link

2011 retrospective

I made lots of things some for me, some for other people, some big, some small.

according to rav i completed 11 pairs of socks (2 gifted), 3 adult jumpers/cardigans (all for me), 2 hats (both gifts), 3 scarves/shawls (two for me, one not shown), 13 various things for babies and children (all gifts) and a pair of mitts (not shown and gifted).

It always surprises me at the end of the year when i look at how much i’ve actually knit for other people.

1. wallflower, 2. elijah’s cardi, 3. fruiby’s vest, 4. blanket, 5. IMG_0081, 6. mini cons, 7. synesthesia, 8. thea, 9. fishies, 10. theo’s jumper, 11. stockport, 12. kalajoki, 13. kitty hat, 14. pixie hat, 15. skew, 16. noro scarf, 17. soaker, 18. livia, 19. fay, 20. shur’tugal, 21. baby ribs, 22. DSC_0315, 23. DSC_0326, 24. baby vest, 25. mochi socks, 26. brown bear, 27. swallowtail, 28. moonflower socks, 29. port adelaide socks, 30. jade’s tunic

I currently have 6 wips. (hey, not bad at all for me!) The most exciting of these is Sylvi which i hope to have finished and lined before i go to the UK

I got six lovely insallments of socks that rock

1. comfort and joy, 2. Drop Dead Sexy , 3. schwartzwald, 4. maia, 5. electric kool aid acid test, 6. pinky swear and augerbenius

In the spinning world i only finished 8 yarns, though i have a few on bobbins.

you can't tell what colours i like at all, can you?

1. nett’s bunny hop angorino, 2. katie’s merino/carbonized bamboo, 3. mel’s wensleydale, 4. berry superwash merino 3ply, 5. nett’s camel bunny silk , 6. wensleydale singles, 7. lush bunny, 8. merino rose fibre

my spinning is still not as even as i would like and i’m really really bad at getting my singles the same length for plying, but i still enjoy it and i am improving.

Not a bad effort for a year plagued with illness, restlessness and then extreme busy-ness!

but honestly? I’m glad to be done with it!

A new year, a fresh start

I want to change the name of my blog. I know what i meant by the title, but it never sounds right. It kinda makes me sound like a junkie and i don’t want that.

so…

here are my suggestions, and i’m willing to take suggestions from the crowd.

I will  make a decision tomorrow night after SnB

 

Crafty like a Fox

Knitickyboo (it’s already the blog address)

binkabooknitty (a play on my extended online alias, binkabookitty)

Knitty Kitty (i do love cats so)

A Yarn or Two

Crafting my life

 

these are all pretty lame, so give me ideas people!

 

 

Happy New Year!

It’s 2012. but you knew that, because you are on the interwebs, which means you are looking at some kind of electronic equipment that knows the date and time. But i digress

Happy New Year my lovely crafterly friends, from near and far – WordPress tells me that i have readers all over the world, but particularly from the UK (see you there soon!) and US! so Hi! I also had 47 SF cable car’s worth of people traipse across my site. which is lovely! i also just realised that may well be the first time i have ever written or perhaps even read the word traipse. I had absolutely no idea how to spell it, but i guessed and I think i’m right, so yay!

My year of being a Notorious sock knitter with the Rockin’ Sock club has come to a close. My last installment for the year has been my favourite – which is good. It’s a bit of a pity, because i found the experience to be a little underwhelming. I didn’t LOVE any of the colourways this year, though i had a lot of respect for the dyeing, especially with aubergenius and pinky swear (Jan) which were such a perfect match. The patterns were a bit hit and miss for me. The ones i liked i felt I had seen similar things before and the ones i felt were really original didn’t grab me at all. And while the community were lovely and welcoming, i wasn’t as involved as i could have been. But still, I have done it and i can cross it off my knitting bucket list!

Comfort and Joy - the November (and final) instalment of RSC 2011

I finally finished my wallflower socks`, and before the end of the year too! They took up the last 3 months of my ‘sock a month’ year, so i ended up 1 pair behind (i finished an extra pair in january, though i started them in december ’10). I have the remaining two ‘parcels’ of yarn+pattern there, and one i will definitely take with me to the land of the engers when i head to the UK in late Feb.

I should also add that these were only my second stranded sock and my first time using wollmeise!

FINALLY! Wallflower, but Stephanie van der Linden, in Wollmeise (Stella Polaris) and an undyed merino cashmere from Wired for Fibre

Yes, I have my UK Visa and i’m heading off and it is STUPID the amount of time i spend planning what yarn is coming with me, what will go happily to storage and what will go to mum so she can post it to me along with mail, summer clothes and other goodies. With all the other planning i should be doing, this is taking up a disproportionate amount of my brain time^. I am going to be taking a lot/getting a lot sent because with my VAST stash (256 yarns stashed on rav and that’s not all, though take into account there are double ups due to multiple colours being grouped together for the one project) it seems stupid that precious money that will absolutely be needed for expensive London rent and food and WARM CLOTHES should get spend on yarn to replace what i already have. SO! my plan is to arrange for yarn that has maximum time to weight ratio attached to find its way to me in London. this means a lot of my sock yarn and laceweight. I have been using my rav queue to whittle down pattern to  yarn matches and have about 94756924569276924753* shawls and socks ready to be knitted. This is good too because it means some of my handspun and souvenir yarn will finally see the light of day as a FO.

amongst all this crafting and planning christmas and a bunch of birthdays happened. I didn’t really do the crafting presents for everyone that i’ve done the last few years. a couple of reasons for this but the big one was ALL THE BABIES! i spent the time i would normally be making xmas presents doing things for small people instead. (there are more baby knits on the way too!)

I did however get some gift spinning done and had a few presents already made for people – mum got some of my handdyed yarn and helen got a hat` i made for her back in march.

Here are the spins, in order, for nett, katie and mel:

Super Angorino from Ixchel (50% angora, 50% superfine merino), spun 2 ply, 130m, 50g, around a fingering weight.

Merino and Carbonized bamboo from Ewe Give Me the Knits, n-plied, 135m, 100g, around a DK weight.

Wensleydale from Ixchel, 2ply, 85m and 100g around a DK weight.

The wensleydale i’m particlarly proud of – i think it’s one of my most even and beautiful spins yet!

^TBH I think a lot of my brain power has gone on this plan because in the looming face of moving to a whole new country, this is a manageable problem

*figure may be an exaggeration.

` ravelry link