Diary of A Knitter - Jan 14th

More In Than Out


Oh dear, not a good week for the diet this week. 4 skeins of Ripples Crafts yarn dropped through the door on Tues morning. One was from the monthly yarn club which was an extra surprise Christmas gift from DH. Two were a treat to myself from money given by MIL also for Christmas and the final one was a surprise from Helen the wonderful Ripples Crafts herself who was emptying out a basket of unsold yarns to make space for new stock. Oh well, on the bright side more yarn to choose shawl patterns for.
I have only managed to finish 1 skein of yarn this week, so I have a net gain of 3, oops!!!


Progress in Other Things

There may be a net gain in yarn, but there is a loss in projects on the needles, albeit not a net loss (will come to that later).
The Damask I was knitting for my friend in The Netherlands is off the pins and waiting for blocking, here is a pre-blocking photo

 I am so pleased with this as it is my very first attempt at beading and once I started using larger beads the end product pleased me so much. I can only now hope Yvonne will love it too and wear it with pride. Maybe it will even give her the push to try knitting lace for herself. I know she can do it.



I have also been spurred on to update my other projects with photos, so here is a wee taste of what I currently have on the needles,

Girasole

Reminiscence

Mystery KAL Clue 1

Hitchhiler

Stratosphere Swirl Jacket

It would seem I have a theme of pinks and purples going on in my knitting. I will give you three guesses as to what my favourite colours are!!

Stay safe and happy crafting

Diary of a Knitter - Jan 8th

One Week In

So here we are one full week into 2012. I have lost one further skein of yarn weight, but I had to rip back one of my projects and start again. The shawl for my friend Sylvia's grandchild had a yarn join with which I just wasn't happy. It was near the start and very visible so I took the decision to start over. I will certainly take much more care next time. This will certainly slow down my diet progress, but I will be so much happier with the end result.
One project which is going well is the shawl I am knitting for my friend Yvonne. It is growing quickly now that the rows are much shorter.

 I have also started adding beads to it in place of the fiddly nupps which the original pattern calls for. The first beads I used were so tiny that I fear they will be lost in the overall pattern, but I got some more bigger ones which I added in the next area and I am much happier with the look.

The first of my mystery KAL's will begin tomorrow and I am excited to see the first clue and to get started. It will be such fun to watch the shawl grow and see the pattern emerge. I have a long distance knitting buddy for this project. My awesome kayaking friend Laurie in Canada and I will be cheering each other along every step of the way.

I have also taken on a Pay it Forward challenge for 2012. This is where you make something for the first 5 people who reply to your post, in this case it was on Facebook. They in turn offer you the chance to reply to them and you get a handmade good in return. I have until the end of 2012 to make my 5 things, so plenty time and it gives me a plan for the year. Spreading the love of crafting around the world.

Talking of plans, this year I think I will try to complete one shawl every month, or 12 in 12. As I already have 3 on the needles I hope I can manage this challenge to myself. This will be alongside all my other projects. Hey I love to knit.

Stay safe and happy crafting.

Diary of a Knitter - Jan 2nd

Start Weight - 485
Weight Lost - 1
Weight Gained - 3
Balance - 487

Happy New Year

So here we are in 2012. Time for resolutions for some, time for reviews for others. For me a time to take a look forward to what new things I might want to try in this coming 12 months.
2011 ended for me with a lovely yarnie surprise which didn't do the yarn diet much good. A few days before Christmas I decided that I wanted to see just what all the fuss was about by ordering a couple of skeins of Madelinetosh yarn. So I ordered 2 skeins of Tosh Merino light to give it a bash. I chose a sweet pale purple colourway and then promptly forgot all about my order. So you can imagine my delight when on Hogmanay morning the postie arrived with a parcel from the USA. Upon opening this parcel I discovered not only the lovely yarn I had ordered, but also all this,

A wonderful surprise!!

Yes, I have officially become a Loopy Groupie. Apparently this was my 6th order from The Loopy Ewe and I qualified for this lovely welcome pack of a clear tote bag, calender, sock pattern, sweeties and a surprise skein of yarn (Dream in Colour Everlasting sock in Henna). 

Wow I sure ended 2011 with a bang. 

The yarn I ordered was just lovely too. 

La Vie en Rose

You too can check out all the lovely yarns The Loopy Ewe has to offer by clicking the button on the right.

So moving into 2012. I still have lots on the needles to keep me going, but I have been tempted and have signed up for 2 mystery shawl Knit Alongs. This is where clues are sent out on approximately a weekly basis and the pattern emerges in stages. A bit like a treasure hunt. 

So I have one by designer Susanna IC beginning sometime this month for which I will be using this combination of yarn & beads,

Mulberry Delight and Lilac beads.

And a second one beginning in February for which I will show you the yarn nearer the time.

I also plan to learn to knit socks this year. I have promised my friend Gillian that we will learn together, so now I have told you I will have to do it.

I wish you all happy crafting in 2012. Stay safe.