A Crafty Weekend

I have spent the loveliest weekend; I feel very contented at the moment. Three days away from work and I feel like my batteries have been recharged.

I spent a wonderful Friday catching up on some housework. Unfortunately, I can't say I caught up on everything as my office and the bedroom need a good dose of organisation. Also, I still have the contents of the conservatory and shed in my dining room and it currently doesn't look as though the conservatory floor will be finished before Christmas. Poor Iain is so busy working late into the evenings and at weekends I sometimes forget he is in the house. This is always Iain's busiest time, which is a shame as today it would have been lovely to take a walk in the woods.

Anyway, I spent the rest of Friday knitting presents and I am pleased to say the first present has been completed and I have nearly finished the second present - these are for my sister and BIL so I can't really post photos, just in case they decide to look me up. Only two more presents to go after these (and one must be complete by the 19th!) and I have finished gift knitting. Yippee!

On Saturday, several of us visited the Knit and Natter at Get Knitted. As this usually involves quite a bit of talking, I decided to cast on a cardigan for myself. This is loosely based on Sedna by Katya Frankel [Ravely link] but will not carry the cables. I am really hopeful I will have enough yarn to do the sideways bands but I will have to wait and see. I do have some concerned regarding the yarn ... it is a damn sight more colourful than I thought when I bought it off eBay. It is also more colourful than it looked in the skein. I have decided this will be my Depressed Cardi. It is like a party and I just hope I am brave enough to wear it when it is finished.

The yarn itself comes from a small independent spinner/dyer Royal Fiber Spinnery and is a medium tight 2ply worsted (aran), although I think it is closer to DK than aran. It is really lovely to knit with. The skeins are the biggest I have ever come across and are way too big for my yarn swift. Consequently, it took me nearly 20 minutes to wind just one. I have 4 more to go. I have received an offer of assistance (thanks Elizabeth!) which has made me very happy.

Of course, I couldn't resist making several purchases while at Get Knitted. It would have been rude to use their heating, lighting and coffee facilities without swopping money for yarn, right? I purchased two skeins of Manos del Uruguay for my Woodland Shawl by Kathy Merrick.


I also purchased two skeins of Alpaca Sock Yarn by UK Alpaca. These are called rose and sapphire and will make a gorgeous pair of socks.



My final purchase was this lovely skein of Echo Self Striping Sock Yarn by Fybrerspates. This colourway is called flowergarden and I am very excited to own this. It might not be knitted up for a while, but is definately a favourite with equal billing to my Zen String Bambewe. These two yarns excite me so much it is obscence!



The afternoon and evening was spent at Elizabeth B and Kendric's house-warming party. It was great fun and Kendric laid on a feast, including pigs in blankets vegetarian style. I am trying out his receipe tonight to gauge Iain's thoughts. I am also making bread sauce ... yum!

We decided our next collaborative project and are going to cross stitch Elegance of the Orient for Elizabeth S's mum over in the States. We have decided we like to make people cry by craft. It is very satisfying.



All this talk of cross stitch prompted me to pick up a FO and start working on it again. The design is The Fairy Moon and is designed by Nora Corbett under the name Mirabilia. I totally love her designs. I have a sneaky suspicion I have a couple more charts in my crafting stash so I really must spend more time on cross stitch.


Sunday afternoon was spent wondering around the Christmas Market. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit in the evenings due to Iain's work commitments and it really does look its best at night.

My favourite stalls were:

Button Company, Chichester carries a great selection of buttons, ribbons, and other crafty items - very useful for the knitter, quilter, sewer and card maker.


They also showed a variety of quilt and folksy kits. These are carried by The Eternal Maker and I shall be ordering THIS one - In My Folk Art Garden by Cinnamon. The colours, quality, design and textures are just lovely. I just need to get paid first.


Another lovely stall, as always, is Walcot Woollies. When Maddy is bigger, I shall buy her a fleece or a dress from here. Their garments, hats and booties are beautiful.


These mugs are cute, especially the sheep and penguins. They were on the ECP Design stall.

Surprise, Surprise

I have had such lovely yarny fun this week. Unfortunately, I can't say anything about it until mid-January!

I have, up until this week, been working hard on present knitting. I am totally lusting some patterns I have recently come across:

Heathered Skies by Claire Montgomerie (published in Yarn Forward Issue 8) [Ravelry link]
Tidewater Wrap by Nancy Shroyer (published in Interweave Knits Summer 2008)

At the moment I am totally delighted by stranded knitting. I am currently knitting a present using this technique and it is very enjoyable. I love the use of colours in the above two projects.

The other two patterns grabbing my attention are crochet patterns:

Woodland Shawl by Kathy Merrick (published in Interweave Crochet Fall 2008)
Spanish Moss Coat by Tracy St. John (published in Interweave Crochet Fall 2008)

I believe I have a lot more to learn before I can tackle the coat so this might be a project for next autumn. The shawl, however, is a different prospect.

Several of us are planning to visit Get Knitted next Saturday and I might purchase the yarn for the Woodland Shawl then.

Anyway, I feel I should show you a recent present made and given to a friend - thrum mittens. She did confuse them with boxing gloves but has reported they warm her hands up well in cold weather.

Old, New, Borrowed and Blue

I have been bursting and wanting to write about one of my favourite projects for ages. However, it was a special present for my lovely friend Jess and her husband John.

Jess organises our knitting circle here in Bath and, when we heard about her wedding, several of us joined forces to knit the lovely couple something special. The idea was posited by CausticAngel [Ravelry link] and Lizard Ridge by Laura Aylor was decided upon.

With Elle, Elizabeth and Betsan also on board the project flew off the needles. We settled on a modest afghan 3 squares wide and 5 squares long knitted in the recommended yarn Noro Kureyon. It was a pleasure to shop for the different yarns and I think we produced something to be proud of.


I think wrapping the present was as much fun as making the gift itself.


I had so much fun making it. I loved working on a project with friends. I loved the fact this project removed my fear of purling and I now enjoy this stitch. Sewing the squares together was enjoyable, and I no longer shirk from such a job.

Everyone involved was so positive about this project and I believe we all loved working on it.

Together we have made a friendship afghan and I hope it wraps Jess and John in love whenever they use it to keep warm.

Lazy Saturdays

I had a most enjoyable Saturday. I believe this is due to me losing grip on reality.

I spent most of my Saturday ironing. See! I am mad.

Anyway, I was working on a gift and this involved me, my steam iron, a wet tea towel and the TV. DH had to go to work so this left me free to watch several Nick Cave & The Bad Seed sessions. Bliss. I think this might be the reason why I ironed for such a long time as I danced and sung my way through the ironing pile.

I think I need to go to a concert. It has been a while afterall.

As a lazy day project, how about knitting and felting your own netball game (as spotted at Glastonbury 2008).


I am in vinyl love. I really would like this limited edition set by Eels. However, I can't afford it :(

On the knitting front, I you have time pop over to Woolly Wormhead's site and provide her with your head measurements as she is aiming to work out valid small/medium/large hat sizes.

Tuesday Night Knit Club

Had a great meet this evening. It was a small cosy group this evening so lots of gossiping.

Anyway, I have cast on a cute hat for preemies. Thank you very much for the pattern Woll-Ecke. I have been promising to carry out some charity knitting and have kindly been given some yarn (absolutely masses of the stuff!) by a friend of mine. Anyway, this means I must put my pointy sticks to work and start knitting.

The only thing for it is to try to dedicate little blocks of time. I am loving the pattern and hope to finish it tomorrow.

Ripe Wheat Doily

Ripe Wheat Doily
Originally uploaded by Captains & Mates

I'll whisper this bit ... I am suffering from doily madness.

This has caused me to cast on this project.

I really loved this doily that was crochetted by CharlotteUlmer (Ravelry link). I spent days trying to ignore it. It wouldn't go away.

DH is having palpatations ... he doesn't think we are old enough to have a doily.

I don't care. I have to make this one!

Time! It flexes like a ...

Well, madness has been happening at work and it has taken up almost all my energy. I have had a certain David Bowie line trot around my head as each time I look at the clock I discover another morning/afternoon has passed and my to do pile hasn't deminished in the slightest. Luckily, we have a new person in our department since the beginning of the month early and this will really help.

On the plus side (there is always a plus side, right?) I have managed to shake a few things off my needles. I am pleased.

Vera - the glorious VLT pattern is off my needles and off the blocking board. I have been wearing this loads but haven't managed to take a picture of it without pins. Soon, I promise. Meanwhile, enjoy some lace porn.

I also managed to finish All the Fun of the Fair (so called because I purchased the yarn at All the Fun of the Fair, London a while back. I love it and only have about a 1m of yarn left over. I am so happy although I was scared of running out of yarn.

Socks have been causing me some problems recently (did I boast at a knit club?). I have some gorgeous Natural Dye Studios sock yarn and have tried to made a certain sock pattern 4 times. The last time, I had to admit defeat. I love the pattern but the yarn hated it. Finally, I listened to the yarn. Afterall, a good knitter should follow the yarn where it leads her ... Nancy Bush's Latvian Socks (aka Spearmint Arrows). My sock yarn is happy and I am happy. I have wanted to knit this pattern for ages and finally it is on my needles. It makes me happy.

I have also cast on a pair of Thrumb mittens for a girlfriend. She works in a warehouse and her hands become really cold. I thought these would help defrost her fingers during break. They are mad and DH hates them. They really make me laugh. Just need to knit the left.