California

I leave today for a week's business trip to California. I'm excited about the trip (and getting some warm weather). And I have the perfect project for the plane -- Ruffles from Interweave Scarf Style.

I subbed the recommended yarn with HandMaiden Sea Silk. Ooooh sooo verrryy sooofttt. Any super soft fabric reminds me of clothes shopping with my Mum -- she'd lead the way through the store, and would touch anything that looked like you could cuddle up in it. 'OOooh feel that' she'd say. So Mum, if you are reading, wait 'til you feel this. It's lush!

The other knitting news: I didn't make my NaKniSweMo goal that I'd set for myself. I'm very close -- I'm working on the cabled yoke. But there was no way I was going to complete it last night before my trip today. I don't know why I set myself these goals. Especially at this time of year when gift knitting takes priority. Aah well, I'm much closer than my last NaKniSweMo sweater - Roadster - that is still sat in my closet waiting for arms, a collar and a button band.

Have a great week!
Sam

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow: enjoying the company of good friends; feasting on delicious food; knitting to my heart's content. Aah bliss!

My friends learned to knit earlier this year and I think they may just be bitten by the knit bug -- they asked if I'd mind knitting with them after dinner. Mind? I couldn't be happier! And since we'd be knitting I thought it would be fun to take around some goodie bags:

And on the knitting theme I also whipped up this felted wine bottle holder. I think they'll get a kick out of it. (At a minimum I know we'll enjoy what it's carrying!)

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Sam

Still plodding along

I just finished the second sleeve and am ready to start the cabling on the Tangled Yoke.
So, it could happen -- I could actually complete this thing as my NaKniSweMo sweater. Here's hoping (and frantically knitting)... I've already been day dreaming about starting some new projects:

There's ZephyrStyle's Wicked -- the long sleeve version. And I have some yarn in my stash that might do the trick.

A Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Astrakhan knit. I don't normally like novelty type yarns but this stuff is so very soft and squidgy; perfect to curl up in on a chilly Sunday afternoon. So that's making it's way to the top of the list, esp. as I've also got the yarn for it.

Ooh and I want to make some more Santa Hats this year. My nephew grew out of his, and I have some friends that have young kids who might get a kick out of them.

With that said, I'd better get back to the yoke...

Tis the Season...

One of the things I love about living in the US is that it feels like the holiday spirit starts in the middle of October. First you have Halloween, and you are surrounded by candy and giggling kids in crazy costumes. Thanksgiving preparation kicks in only a couple of days later when people start planning to spend good times with friends and family. And once that last turkey sandwich has been devoured it's almost Christmas. And I lurve Christmas!

So it dawned on me the other day that I need to get a move on and start my Christmas shopping for friends and relatives back home. Which meant that it was also time to bust out some of my stamps and get cracking on some handmade Christmas cards and tags.
Here's a few I whipped up this weekend:

Now I need to get myself to the shops to start hunting out those 'perfect gifts'. (Or at least some wacky ones that will bring a smile.)

New Knitty Friends

It's amazing to me how the Internet -- something so seemingly impersonal -- can enable you to meet new people with similar interests, in the very same neighbourhood. Through blogging and Ravelry, I've been lucky to do just that. And this weekend a few of us met up on Friday night to check out a local craft fair and then hang out and knit. And again for more knitting on Saturday morning. I had such a great time! Here's some pics, courtesy of Nachaele.

Kelly and Nachaele:

Stitches for Britches volunteer knitters:

...and me! (Nachaele had commented that I hadn't posted any pics of myself and so she took this and sent it to me 'for my blog' ha ha ha!)

Quick update on projects

No major milestones to report on the knitting front this week and so I'm resorting to providing a WIP status (yawn!).

I'm creeping along on the Halloween Mystery Shawl (no pun intended). I'm not done with clue 1, and there's 4 more to go. I'll be amazed if this shawl will be ready in time for Halloween next year. But it is sooo very pretty.

I started the second Harley sock for my Dad so they should be ready in plenty of time for Christmas. I'm even thinking of making him a second pair with the self striping yarn. (I just need to get over that whole pooling thing!)

I also began a Klimt-inspired needlepoint by Candace Bahouth. With all this knitting I forgot how much I enjoy needlepoint. Although it's the last thing I need -- another hobby that just gobbles up time.

Oh yes, and while I'm on the topic of non-knitting crafty stuff, it was stamp club this week. We made a couple of cute cards -- a great little card for Thanksgiving; another that can be used as a recipe card (I guess?).

Not a bad week all in all...

Knitting Frenzy

Whoo, I've been knitting my little fingers off! And the result? I have one of the sleeves of the Tangled Yoke completed:


Turns out that my gauge differs slightly from the pattern and so I've been making a couple of modifications along the way. I'm also thinking about making the body just a touch longer. After reading some of the entries on Ravelry I think a couple of folks have also made various modifications to the original pattern. So I'm taking some comfort (false confidence?) in that.

Now onto the second sleeve. I just want to get that done so that I can get to the interesting bit -- the cabling around the yoke. But first I think a change of pace is needed. I'll be taking a break to see if I can get Clue 1 of the Halloween Mystery Shawl completed. Better late than never, right? ;)

NaKniSweMo

That's right -- it's National Knit a Sweater in November.

It's just the prod I need to pull Tangled Yoke out of temporary hibernation and finish it up.

Besides, I've promised myself that I'm going to finish this one before another sweater finds it's way to my needles. (And the new Interweave Knits has landed and there's at least one project in there that is calling to me... )

So what am I doing typing? Wasting time that's what!
See ya... I've got some knitting to do! ;)

Happy Halloween!

This was poor Buster's costume last year. I like how he's trying to pull off 'regal' whilst dressed up like this. This year I've saved him from the humiliation -- no costume.

Halloween isn't a big deal in the UK and so it's quite the novelty for me -- I look forward to the trick or treaters and the various costumes they'll be donning. I have the largest mountain of candy waiting for them.

Have a spooktastic day!

Kusha Kusha Scarf

My World Series Kusha Kusha scarf is done:

...And so are the Rockies :o(
(They were difficult games to watch if you are a Rockies fan.)

But back to the scarf...
I'm undecided about the outcome: I love the sculptural quality of the Silk Stainless; I'm not convinced that my experiment with the cotton slub (instead of the merino) paid off. I was chatting with Joe about it and he had the exact opposite opinion -- he loved the combination, but not the silk stainless section. He said it looked like it was burnt! Ha ha ha!

Either way it was fun to work on and easy enough that it could be picked up or put down depending upon what was going on with the game.

I am tempted to have a go with the original kit/directions. But first I have a number of other projects that are begging to be finished.

World Series Knitting

I don't know about you, but I don't multi-task well. I love to watch TV and knit, but what I knit on depends on the level of interest I have for what's on the box. And right now it's the Baseball World Series which has me totally absorbed because our local team -- the Rockies -- are in it.

Since I don't have a suitable mindless knit on the go I decided to start one -- the Habu Kusha Kusha scarf:


This is a unique scarf that's knit with a stainless steel & silk blend (yes you read it right). The original kit is knit up with a fine merino yarn and then felted. But since I didn't have any of that to hand I decided I'd knit it up with the slubby Habu cotton that I have in my stash. I'm hoping I'll end up with a similarly cool end product (despite the obvious lack of felting).

Anyway the main thing is that it's an easy knit... which is just perfect for me to keep my eyes on the game. (Although for these first 2 games it's been difficult not to look away at times. Here's hoping they'll pull off a stunning performance on home turf this weekend). I'll have my rally cap on! ;)

Snow days

I love a good snow day. A day when I can stay tucked up inside with the fire on, a constant feed of tea (I have a good husband ;) and a pile of knitting projects to work on. Yesterday was one of those days.

I made some progress on the Mystery Halloween Shawl. Not much progress granted, but I did get past the dreaded row 18, and even to the point where I started adding beads. I ditched the purple beads -- I was hoping they'd add a touch of subtle sparkle. But there's subtle and there's camouflaged, and mine were the latter. So I rummaged around the house and found some black beads that work well. Besides, they are more appropriate for the theme.

I also have one Harley sock completed for my Dad. And I think it turned out alright after all. Just need to get cracking on the other one now... (if I can tear myself away from working on the shawl)

Supersized Shetland Shawl

My mother-in-law asked if I'd make her a big black shawl to keep her warm on those cold Colorado evenings. I'd seen quite a few of these done in a heavier weight yarn that had turned out beautifully and knew it would be just the ticket! Pattern: Shetland Triangle by Evelyn A. Clark (from Interweave Knits Wrap Style) Modifications:

A heavier weight yarn: Catalina 70% Baby Alpaca/30% Silk (yes, this feels soooo good)

Larger needles: Size 9

More repeats: 13 repeats of the body pattern

Purple loveliness

I'm so excited about the Halloween Mystery Shawl that I cast on last night (despite promising myself that I'd finish the other lace shawl first.)

The progress I've seen from the other knitters is simply stunning. And I'm looking forward to the 'final reveal' - will there be a halloween twist in the final clue? But besides all that, I just love this colour! At first I thought that maybe Rockies fever is getting to me, but every time I look at this yarn I just think 'yum'!

On that note I'm going to go and see if I can make some good progress. (It's calling to me....)

Halloween Mystery Shawl

A couple of weeks ago I joined the Halloween Mystery Shawl KAL. (You can never have too many projects on the go!)

The pattern calls for Jaggerspun Zephyr, but I thought I had the perfect yarn in my stash - the Habu Bamboo that I'd bought on my recent trip to Portland. I tried a couple of swatches with the Habu, but it wasn't working for me. I even went down a couple of needle sizes (actually 5 needle sizes!) to get a gauge that I liked. But on the teensy size 1 needles I wondered if the end product would fit anything other than the Bride of Chucky!

So I went back to my local yarn store where I found this:

I really should have gone with what the pattern suggested in the first place (especially as I know I can get a good result with this yarn).

Wish me luck - this looks like it's going to be a tough project!

Knitting funk

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything you work on looks crappy? This week has been one of those for me -- it's like I have the opposite of the Midas touch.

There's been the first toe-up socks that I'm working on for Joe. I was excited about trying this approach, but unless the 2nd sock goes better than the first I might just stick with cuff down. I just can't seem to turn the heel very well - it looks a little scraggly. Good thing Joe's not a picky recipient! ;)

And then the Halloween shawl. I was so excited about this project: I've been enjoying lace knitting recently; have heard great things about the mystery shawl projects; and have the gorgeous Habu bamboo yarn and some charcoal grey seeds beeds to work with. But so far I haven't been able to get a gauge that is pleasing to my eye. (Yes, I need to take a lesson from Joe's book and be less picky!)

And Dad's Harley Davidson socks. This is the first time my Dad has asked me to make him anything and so I want the Harley socks to be perfect. I have beautiful yarn to work with. I just keep getting lots of pooling. I hate pooling. I've tried about 4 different sock patterns and a couple of different needle sizes to prevent it. But with no joy.

But today I might have officially broken out of the funk. (Yay!) Either that or my perseverance won out. I've found a way to work the Harley socks by combining a plain black yarn with the lovely Harley custom dye. This might just work...

Every night is 'Knit Night'

I thought you'd get a grin from my version of knit night -- a typical evening with Buster and Bella:

As soon as I head for my room, the two of them follow me in, place their heads on the edge of the bed and wait for the go ahead to jump up and join me whilst I knit.

I love this part of my day.

You'll see in the picture, I've started a new pair of socks -- my first toe-up pair. Why the change? With the cuff down approach I always try to gauge how long I can make the leg so that I'll have enough yarn left for the foot. I normally end up with yarn leftover that I'm not quite sure how to use. (unless I make more of these!) Working from the toe-up I can just keep going on the leg until I run out.

As for other social crafty stuff, my stamp club has started up again. A fun group of girls meet up each month, have a few drinks, appetizers and stamp. We made some great birthday and gift cards the other week, and hard to believe, but we actually started some of our Christmas cards already! (Yes I know... it's not even Halloween yet!)

Speaking of which, I've decided to join the Halloween Mystery Shawl KAL. I'd seen it over on Kelly Girl Knits blog and was intrigued. Not that I need another project... but I'm sure I'm not alone there.

Hedera

The Hedera socks are complete:

I finished them on travels to and from Portland this weekend.
(I've nicknamed them my Hotel Monaco socks because they mimic the colour scheme of the hotel we stayed in.)

Pattern: Hedera by Cookie
Yarn: Koigu
Needles: Size 1 dpn
Started: May 2007
Finished: October 2007

And as usual, my knitting colleagues and creative directors (the B&B team) got in on the FO photography this morning!

Portland, Oregon

Joe and I just returned from the most amazing weekend in Portland, Oregon. We'd gone to join in a friend's 50th celebration and decided to make a weekend of it.

The time in Portland reminded me of when I lived in Amsterdam -- there were the cobbled squares with the trams running through them; the street performers; the interesting characters; the museums; the cool shops, bars and restaurants. Oh yes, and there was the weather! ;o)

I also enjoyed some of the crafty hotspots. There's the Saturday market which features handmade items from a group of creative, talented artists. This was a great place to pick up unique and beautiful gifts. And also to get a bite from the International food vendors (yum!) This place, Limeys, made me smile. It is run by a bloke from Liverpool... not far from my hometown of Blackpool (small world). And yes we did get the 'cuppa tea'!

I also stumbled across Knit Purl (which just happened to be a couple of blocks from our hotel). Knit Purl is a gorgeous yarn store and the staff there couldn't have been more warm, inviting and helpful. There were so many beautiful yarns and accessories in this store... I splurged on Habu goodies. I've already been dreaming what I'll be going to make with these.

The hotel we stayed in was a feast for the eyes too -- the Hotel Monaco. I loved the bold decor. And that it was dog friendly :o) Next time maybe the B&B team can go with us!

Blogiversary

I can hardly believe it -- the end of this month marks my first full year blogging!

I was flicking through the last 12 months and it was fun to take a look at the things I've been able to produce. Here's some of the knits:


And then there's been a bunch of other crafty stuff in the few hours when I'm not knitting (or working):


In truth I never really had a strong desire to blog (as you've noticed, I'm not a gifted writer). I'm more a blog reader... enjoying the works and words of others. It was my Step Kids that suggested I might want to give it a go. And I figured I'd try it... more out of curiosity than anything else.

And yet here I am a year later still posting. It's proved to be a great way to share my hobbies, travels and other tidbits with my family back in the UK. But what's been an even nicer surprise is when you -- folks I haven't met before -- swing by and drop me a little note.
Thank you.