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

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!

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 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

And I love them.

I have to giggle whenever i tell my cool trendy co-workers (at my cool trendy clothing store workplace) that i’m going to my knit night. They frown and question me with a confused expression. “Your knitting night?” they say as if they might have heard wrong.

I smile, thinking “OH, if only you knew…”

My girls are definitely not what non-knitters would think of when i say knitting group. The richmond knitters are a true SnB, Debbie Stoller style. We range in age from around 25 to 65, with most of us 30 -45. Some of us have children, most of us don’t. Some of us work full time, some casually, some are professionals, some are artists, some are even unemployed (for the moment – career changes ftw!). We are so different, coming from many countries and backgrounds.

What we all are though is passionate, clever and FUCKING HILARIOUS. sorry for the expletives, but i need to express just how awesome my girls are. People who have this nana-ish image of knitters in their head have no idea about the kind of wonderful conversation we have and the trust and friendship we share.

Last night was a little end-of-year get together and there was great food, excellent cocktails and wonderful company to be had. Conversations ranged from family, to work, to things that are best not discussed in print.

And again i had to giggle, thinking, if only those doubters knew how wonderfully wicked and fun my girls are.

sorry if this post is repetitive, but it bears repeating. Also, i may or may not have had most of a bottle of red.

here is an obligatory knitting photo…

that is not of knitting, but of handspun yarn. just keeping it real.

obligatory FO photo

handspun superwash merino – 3 ply, but sadly not enough for socks. *fail*

When my darling friends E+SJ told me they were expecting (something that took a bit more effort and planning than it does for some couples) E told me a story about a knitted blanket that her brother had had as a child. Sadly this blanket was lost to the family but hearing the memories and longing in E’s voice i knew what i had to do for her and her little foetus. E is an amazing quilter and stitcher and though she has tried the yarny needle arts she doesn’t feel comfortable with knitting needles or a crochet hook. SJ knits beautifully but occupies her time with other activities (including learning to be a teacher – pretty important!) so i knew these were the kind of people who would really appreciate the time, effort, dedication and love that goes into a hand knitted blanket. There was no doubt about what i would do!

I picked out the yarn and pattern pretty much as soon as i knew. I chose a beautiful lace shawl pattern* by debbie bliss from one of her many beautiful baby books, but decided against the baby cashmerino. Firstly I figured if i knit it in a thicker yarn i could cut out a few repeats and it would go a bit faster, secondly, baby cash isn’t cheap (even with a staff discount) and thirdly, while it is beautiful, occasionally i have heard tell of it not standing up to years of use, and this was a project i wanted to be a family heirloom. I chose instead Adorn Cotton Cashmere in a beautiful soft sage green – a colour i know E loves, would complement their home and that i thought would suit either a boy or a girl. I know from experience that the cotton cashmere is both wonderfully soft and EXTREMELY hardy. You can throw that yarn in the dryer NO trouble!

I didn’t cast on until the pregnancy had been officially announced, not wanting to jinx anything and once i had the ‘go ahead’ knitted on it every now and again, here and in adelaide, at mine and at friends’ houses, until i got the date for the baby shower (today) and a deadline for the blanket! And so, on Thursday night I finished sewing on the edge, washed and blocked the present and today gave it to the lovely mums-to-be.

Green on Green on a sunny summer's day

Just for frame of reference for size, here is a photo of it blocking on my double sofa bed

a blanket, a play mat and a shawl in one

For anyone wanting to do this blanket i’ll tell you i cut out 2 repeats (18 stitches per repeat) and worked the 24 row pattern 12 times, with a further 7 rows to create the finer zig zag at each end. It still turned out huge! I’d read on rav that this was really big (which was why i was happy to cut out a few repeats) but i probably could have cut out another one or two repeats and still had a good sized blanket!

This was not the only present for E and SJ – good friends deserve lots of knitted things!

Earlier in the year i presented them with the following items, both knitted once it was known Fruiby (fruit baby – a nickname given because E has been blogging each week comparing in size Fruiby to fruits and vegies) that fruiby would be a child of the boy type. E and SJ are very much against gender specific-ness anyway, and have worked on a wardrobe for Fruiby in gorgeous brights of every colour, so i used the very special leftover yarn from my swedish fish socks to create a colourful little vest for him

A stripy vest!

E and SJ are massive Dr Who fans (as am i) and it occurred to me that rather than knitting traditional booties, i could pay an homage to a wonderful fandom and still create a cute baby present. Now, I’m not the best crocheter in the world, and of course i didn’t use the recommended gauge yarn, but i managed to create these in reference to 10s distinctive footwear…

BABY CONS!

So now I am moving on to me projects. I don’t think i will be knitting presents this christmas, which is a bit sad, but with so many babies it’s like my gift quota is done! There are more babies to knit for yet, so i hope you like adorable cute things! It does feel weird to be finished with a project i’ve had with me for so long though.

*ravelry link

which of course i have to do.

from Nett: “Whilst clicking about on Ravelry, I came across a cute Popular Yarns Meme, which was supposedly started onFeather & Fan, but the original link is now gone, the original was for the top 50 yarns, but its SO HARD to keep that kind of list up to date, so I’ve snipped it to the top 25…  ”

And I’ve made it 30

Out of the top 50 30 yarns on Ravelry (by number of projects):
Bold the ones you’ve used and would use again,
Cross out the ones you’ve used and would not use again,
and italicize the ones you’ve never tried, but would like to.
Add comments as desired, and tag 5 knitters/crocheters if desired…

1. Cascade 220 Wool, 77175 projects
2. Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Solids, 69193 projects
3. Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted, 68303 projects  - love mal – so soft and smooooshy
4. Caron Simply Soft, 61741 projects
5. Lily Sugar’n Cream Solid, 55009 projects
6.  Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Solids and Heathers, 47902 projects
7. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Solid, 41830 projects
8. Patons Classic Wool Merino, 41593 projects
9. Noro Kureyon, 32396 projects
10. Cascade 220 Heathers, 30573 projects
11. Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted, 28934 projects
12. Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, 28644projects
13. Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, 28175 projects
14. Noro Silk Garden, 27639 projects
15. Lion Brand Homespun, 26665 projects
16. Patons Classic Wool, 25404 projects
17. Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc Peaches & Creme Solids, 25279 projects
18. Cascade 220 Superwash, 25239 projects
19. Lily Sugar’n Cream Ombres & Prints, 25209 projects
20. Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, 24366 projects
21. Plymouth Encore Worsted, 23322 projects
22. Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc Peaches & Creme Ombres, 20388 projects
23. Malabrigo Sock, 19529 projects
24. Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 19238 projects
25. Knit Picks Pallette, 19151 projects
26. Koigu PPPM, 18834 projects
27. Blue Moon Fibre Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight, 18829 projects
28. Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Bulky, 18459 projects
29. Berocco Ultra Alpaca, 17936 projects
30. Red Heart Super Savers Ombres/Multis, 16699 projects

It’s interesting, most of the yarns i haven’t tried i have absolutely no desire to touch whatsoever

My Hubris has been my downfall.

I never do tension for socks. I pretty much look at the needle in the pattern, the needle on the sock band and decide between (usually) a 2.25 or a 2.5. I’ve never had a problem (ok, my skews could probably afford to be on a 2.5, but honestly they’re never going to be easy for me to put on just because of my heel/bridge shape)

Until now.

So, i started, enjoying the complexity of the pattern, the softness of the cashmere, the colour of the wm and  my new way of tensioning. i’ve abandonned 2 handed – it looks cool but doesn’t really make me happy. I’m holding both yarns in my right hand as i normally do and using my forefingers to switch between the two. It’s a little bit quicker for me too and my floats are tight, but not too tight and very even.

I happily knit away on the recommended 2mms, working the heel – my first point of concern – the point at which i should have maybe at least tried the sock ON, especially given i’m looking at that heel and looking at my pointy heeled, high arched foot and thinking, hmmm – doing short rows (MAGIC!) and getting a whole nother repeat of the pattern done.

I am 1/2 an inch from starting the toe. so like maybe 6 more rounds… and i finally try it on.

and i CAN NOT GET IT OVER MY HEEL.

at all.

on either foot.

*facepalm*

I thought i would cry, but interestingly enough i didn’t I think shock set in instead. I calmly decided that yes i would frog and reknit, since the people i love enough in this world to give a colourwork sock to do not have tiny skinny feet, or low insteps. and also, I totally want to wear these in the UK next year what with their double layer warmth, cashmere and general prettiness

So I took the needles out and prepared to frog. Before i completely frogged i did a little tension measure, just to see.

Well, blow me down if i wasn’t getting 40 stitches (and this is after i’ve stretched the sock significantly trying to get it over my heel) instead of the 36 i’m meant to be getting.

WHOOOOOOPS!

So I ummed and ahhed about whether to try 2.25s or 2.5s, but the answer was given me by a weird spillage of needles in another room which meant when i went to grab my 2.25s there were only 2.5s to be had. I saw it as a sign and started knitting.

An episode of Law and Order UK and one of QI Uncut later and i have

And it fits i’m getting the tension given when i smooth out the slight colourwork puckering (it’s the sort that will block out no trouble at all but just makes the unblocked thing look a bit bumpy) and while it is still a bit of a squish over the heel i did get it on.

Now though, I’m wondering what to do about this heel. I feel I should start it earlier and make it deeper? ie spread out the increases over more rows? thoughts? has anyone done this pattern?

So. my socks are back on track, but for anyone good at maths they will see that a sock i cast on on the 1st of october had not yet been finished and is now being reknitted and socks, in general, do like to come in pairs. This means that unless i completely abandon ALL other projects i’m working on at the moment (ha, like that’s going to happen, especially when one of them is Sylvi which is like, whe-hey instant results!) these will not be finished in time for november

The lovely K at Knitting Pretty suggested I make a pair of socks for lilah (which i amended to a pair of baby socks, since lilah does not like to wear socks and also has 4 feet) before oct is over to stay with my ‘socks each month’ challenge. I had been thinking of using some of my NEVER ENDING BALL Of Wanda (sknitches cinema sock club yarn used in the fish socks) to make some baby socks for ALL THE BABIES i know. So, my dear knitters? tell me, does this preserve my sock – a- month (and i have indeed completed a pair of socks every month this year – one was 4 days late, but otherwise on time) or is it just a token effort?

I also have to bear in mind that during November i will have to get cracking on a super special secret project for some very special people as i now have a date i intend to present them with this… well, present!

Please contribute your 2 cents (or dollars?) worth. would love advice and also, comments are nice!

Next post will have LOTS more pictures, of yarn and FOs, i promise!

ETA: I have been SO SO SO busy in recent weeks between travelling, getting new jobs, working old jobs and directing for the first time ever in a short play festival i’m also performing in. If you’re in melbourne come along to the Short and Sweet festival on Sat 5th Nov to see my directorial debut!

A Swedish Fish called Wanda

These are one of the coolest things i’ve ever knitted (or two of, since there are, indeed, 2 socks). I used my very first installment of last year’s Sknitches Cinema Sock Club, which was Wanda (as in a Fish called) on a seacell and merino base. While my first impulse was EEK Orange! I soon realised that this yarn was MADE to do the Swedish Fish Socks* by Spillyjane. I purchased some undyed yarn in a bamboo blend from Wired for Fibre/Live 2 Knit, as i thought the bamboo would work well with the seacell blend.

I popped them aside in my sock-a-month stash and rigged them for July so i could enter in the Sock Knitter’s Anonymous monthly competition. These are only the third colourwork thing i’ve made and the first colourwork socks. This is a great pattern to try stranded knitting on. I wanted to knit them inside out, but sadly I cannot manage that on dpns and i do so dislike magic loop. So I made a valiant effort to create nice loose floats (but not too loose!) and i appear to have succeeded. They fit nicely – not too snug, but not too loose!

As I mentioned previously there have been so many babies arriving or incubating in recent times. I have started an heirloom type project for some friends, but i don’t want to say any more than that because i hope it will become something very special and i don’t want to give too much away!

I whipped this up for my second cousin (who’s now managed to break her ankle, which is bad for anyone but especially a mum with 2 boys under 2!) in the 13 hours is took to watch season 5 of Dr Who with my old housemate. I even finished the sewing up! all that was left was picking out the buttons and blocking it. I chose the colours as baby Theo has the most beautiful coffee coloured skin and i thought the darker tones would suit him. It’s a simple pattern from Debbie Bliss worked in Adorn Silky Merino DK

Striped Jumper for baby Theo

With all the socks and baby clothes this year i desperately needed a big old quick knit for me. I found satisfaction in the form of Stockport which only took as long as it did due to more illness. bah. so much time spent being sick this year. over it!

Stockport from Rowan 46

I will endeavor to get some photos of this ON me at some point. I worked it in the original cocoon in the most gorgeous colour. I made it longer and bought an extra ball accordingly, but given my tension was a smidge on the loose side and i have lost a lot of weight i did the medium (which even with my current size is still a size smaller than i’d do based on measurements). Well, I didn’t touch the last ball and it’s actually quite big! I highly recommend doing a smaller size than you think you need with this pattern. I had also been advised to keep the neckband tight, which i did. I stretched it quite a lot before sewing it in. It  still is a bit of a struggle to keep the top on my shoulders. AND the cocoon grows.

But all that being said, i love it. It’s warm, it’s comfy and it looks good even if it is big.

I have almost finished my Thea by Kim Hargreaves – half a sleeve and a collar to go. I knitted a whole sleeve in a day 2 weeks ago when i was completely laid up with the flu! Sadly I think I am coming down with another (or a reprise of this) virus. The show is now over, having closed last night, and everything went well. There was a good review on Arts Hub which mentions me especially. And i got some knitting done I worked on my August socks backstage! My brain is turning mushy now, so I will leave it there. Hopefully I can get back in the habit of blogging regularly.

*ravelry link

I received what will probably be my last wm skein (for the moment) in the post last week. All my yarn has come from destashes and it’s really easy to see what colours i like! I may destash one of these since i’m not in love with is, but all the others are just LOVELY.

L-R: Pinie, Sabrina, Aquarius, Neptun, Stella Polaris, Verzaubert, Der Letzst Versuch, Fleiderbusch, Magnolie (dark) (some of these are WD but not sure which)

I find it really interesting the way WM has taken off. I describe it as being like collector’s cards. You don’t necessarily NEED them for anything, but you kind of want to collect them all, just for the sake of it… For me, there are certain colours I want to see in person and pet and play with and one day knit, but there’s also definitely the desire to COLLECT. however. I’m putting the breaks on – after all – i’m yet to knit with it and i should make sure i like it first!

I went to a Blessingway (as opposed to a baby shower) for a dear friend on saturday afternoon. Her due date is the opening night of our show, so she is the ONLY person I know (in Melbourne) who has a valid excuse for not being there! (remember to let me know when you book!!)

It was lovely to see her and to help her make things for her birthing process, namely prayer flags (very non-traditional) for the room and a contribution to a necklace for her to wear. We also got to do kitchy things, like decorate onesies (BIG PUFF PAINT DUCKIE!) and play games (like baby animal bingo – AWESOME). I’m keeping track of these sorts of things as i’m hoping to be involved in the planning of someone ELSE’s baby shower later in the year.

I got to give S her lovely knitted gifts, which you should know by now is my favourite part of unselfish knitting. she loved everything.

pixie hat, ribbed sideways knit cardi and milo soaker

Two of these patterns came from my vintage knits baby book – the pixie hat and soaker. the other is from a great ACS pattern book, the cocoon baby collection. I’ve talked about the cardi before and the hat and soaker are pretty self explanatory. I was trying to do a slightly upsized version of the hat for baby’s older sister, but am having epic hat knitting fail. She WILL get something, but not just yet!

This is not it on the baby front this year!!! I just found out my second cousin living here in melbourne has had another little boy (only a year after the first who received the blue baby sophisticate coat last year) and two of my bestest friends in the whole world have now officially announced that they are expecting. This is a bit more of an acheivement in their case as a gay couple, but they’ve done it and there will be another tiny person around in January!

So much baby knitting! lucky they’re small!