I'm Moving...

...to Wordpress:

http://aefentid.wordpress.com/

It's pretty much all there (should you want to read my impromptu witterings in a slightly different format!) and I'm havng fun finding my way round.

Isn't it a lovely feeling when you finally get around to doing something you've been meaning to do for ages...?

I have been keeping my straight knitting needles in a large zippy plastic bag for...oooh...about three years. They poke through it and annoy me, they remove themselves mysteriously from their rubber bands so I can't find a twin pair, they roll out of the cupboard and annoy N.

So generally, this wasn't working. As usual it's taken me some time to sorting out a Better Solution. I knew what The Solution was and I knew there were lots of lovely Solutions for sale on Etsy, for example. But I am from Yorkshire and I have remnants* and a sewing machine, so I was darned if I was spending money on something I could make myself.

I give you, the Slapdash Knitting Needle Roll:



It's made from part of a remnant (the inside) bought in Oxfam and a fat quarter (the green outside) I bought in Village Fabrics in Wallingford (*OK so it's not ALL remnants, but I swear that shop must have the same effect on quilters as a good yarn shop would on a knitter - I felt quite dizzy myself - I only bought two fat quarters). The pattern came out of my head, though obviously influenced by all those other needle rolls out there. Except I think mine has MUCH deeper pockets than usual.

Inside it's bright blue. The pockets are really deep as, well, that's how I wanted them:



...I'd like particularly to draw your attention to the artfully posed babywipes, vaseline and biro in the background. I don't think Jane Brocket has anything to worry about should we both enter a "photos of crafts" competition. I like to call it 'realism'...though actually I'm just not very tidy...hmmmmmmm.

Big pockets one end for big needles (the largest in here are 8mm, my 9 and 10mms are all 'novelty' ones and live in a vase on the shelf):




And smaller ones the other for narrow needles:



I don't do much chunky knitting, obviously!. But also, does anyone need 5 sets of 3 1/4mm needles, really?

And it fastens together with a cord you wrap around and then round itself, and knot, I find ribbons just undo themselves. I need to melt the end of this cord to stop it fraying:



And, did I say, I love my spotty plastic Alex proof table cloth?

But still, there are some orphans. Like the River John Swing Needles (they're too long for the case, but still lovely and sadly unused):




also some very narrow (2 1/2mm) and short needles, and of course the Giant Crochet Hook of Fable:



What would one use a giant crochet hook for? I inherited this from my Grandma via my Mum. I am mystified. it's an Imperial size 4, if that's any use. Answers on a postcard (or indeed, a comment) please...

Stormwater Shawl

I have been knitting this for TWO years. I checked on Ravelry. But now it is finished and very lovely it is too.

Which is more than can be said for the Tesco child's playmat with cut out letters (no, I did not realise this at the time of purchase) I blocked it on:



I should have put it all the way to the top of the bed, but anyway, it got blocked. Lace really does get very much bigger, doesn't it?



And here it is in close up (this is the good bit, not the bit I did two years ago when I was very confused and it was snowing):



Here it is pretending to be a waterfall:



And here trying to steal the limelight from our sculpture (it's an Austin Wright, a contemporary of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and so on, and also a relation of N's). That sculpture is about eight feet tall, if you want a sense of scale.



I shall be wearing this to the wedding we're off to in February. Even if it's freezing cold, oh yes, I have to show it off!

Scandinavianish Jumper

It's finished, I had to do the neck area four or five times, the child apparantly still has a huge head - half the shop bought clothes won't go over it either, though I do wonder if that's down to the same issue as a 'Fat Face' size 14 being an entirely different size to the same size at Dorothy Perkins, or M&S, or Rocha at Debenhams...but, I digress.

I'm quite pleased with it:



Not too shoddy stranding here (slightly shoddy photography though):



And on the model (the model was being slightly uncooperative and would have preferred to be playing with his big spoon. Also, he's teething, hence the drool. It's not excitement at yet another handknit, I can assure you!):



(and I had to use the 'red eye' thing on Flickr, it didn't really work that well...)

I don't know how long it'll fit him. I really do need to knit faster for a growing boy!

Booze: I got this in my wine order this month:



I HAVE to find a way to get that label off. I'm not so keen on chardonnay, but what a great name for a wine producer :o)

Technology: I need to buy a new laptop as this one has to go back to work, where I don't work any more. I was kind of hoping they wouldn't remember I had it, but they are obviously more efficient than I thought! But...I do get to buy a sparkly new one.

Needles: I have some Knit Picks Options on the way...I only bought the starter pack and the sizes I need for this. (it's beautiful, and since I have Nearly Finished the Stormwater Scarf I need another giant scarf project to start up. Hope it won't take me 2 years this time). I can't really justify the whole Knit Picks kaboodle as I have my Denises (and also, see laptop situation above) but I really want to try out the Options, everyone seems to rave about them!.

Gasps of delight as I FINALLY get to see Winter Knitty

Yes, it's taken This Long (what is it, a week? 10 days? since Amy sent the email out...) for me to be able to see the Winter 08 Knitty! I am in for a nice Sunday of browzing, for tonight I must wrap large baby presents (for both ours and the niece) and whatever N brings back from the shops.

And also drink some wine and some whisky, because;

I have not finished my Christmas Knitting!!!

:o/

Feeling Slightly Scandinavian...

I am not sure why, it may be the appearance of Wallander on our telly screens (in both English on Sunday night, and then - rather confusingly - in Swedish on Monday night....). Or the deeply and marvellously cold weather we're having, or that my Norweigan friend is learning to speak Swedish...

Anyway a slightly Scandinavian jumper has emerged from this general feeling of being much further north than I am. Here is the bottom of it:




I'm making it up as I go along, it's based on the Ann Budd bottom up raglan jumper in my new favourite pattern book. The colourwork I did myself, but am sure I must have remembered it from somewhere. It just so happens that 128 sts (which I needed to cast on for Alex's size) is an ideal number for doing colourwork repeats in.



I am going to have to do something about that curling at the bottom, I have a plan. And the sleeves I'll make quite wide at the hand end I think, with a similar pattern round them. I won't be colourworking in the yoke though as I may have a breakdown.

Bring on the pickled herrings!

Travellers Life

I have lots of these:



It's because I'm a hoarder, I hate to let anything go to waste and always believe 'that will come in useful one day!'. I've tied up peas with little bits of cotton yarn and sown carrots along straight lines of bright green acrylic... but still there's a bagful of odds and ends. Some of them are quite large, some are only a few feet long, some are cheapo acrylic, some are pricey Peruvian stuff, one of them is even my own handspun - they all get saved. I had no idea what to do with them until I remembered the 'Traveler's (sic) Life Afghan' in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off.

All you do is cast on a large amount of stitches and knit. Make sure the needles match the thickness of the yarn you like most (more or less) and off you go. The Yarn Harlot does hers just a row at a time in each yarn, and leaves a long end for a fringe. I decided I'd keep going until the piece of yarn runs out, or I like the effect, and then start with a new bit. I don't want a fringe, but I might back it with fleece or something when it's done, so I'll have a really snuggly thing to watch telly wrapped in.

So this is the start of it:



I made a couple of rules for myself; Only start a new colour on the same side (as most of it's garter stitch it makes it have a proper right and wrong side), only change yarn in the middle of a row at one of the 25 stitch markers (I really have saved some pieces that are very short, just because I loved the yarn), weave in the ends as I go (I will, honest) and if something really doesn't work tink it back and start again. I really do want this to be usuable as well as a nostalgia kick.

There's some Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in there (I think) some Jaeger Merino Aran , a touch of Gedifra Soffici which was left from this, some cotton left from a stripey baby summer top, and a row of red Rowan Yorkshire Tweed from Carolyn . It's quite exciting trying to fit the colours and yarn weights together with the element of chance involved.

But I'll have to start some proper projects too, as otherwise I'll have no bits and bobs to knit with, will I?