Diary of a Knitter - Week 4 Begins

Start Weight - 487
Weight Lost - 2
Weight Gained - 4
Balance - 489

Christmas, been and gone.


So it is all over for another year and whilst the diet took a bit of a hit, both yarn wise and food wise it could have been a lot worse.
I as you can see gained 4 skeins, these were all part of a lovely gift of sock weight yarns from my lovely hubby who encourages my passion for shawl knitting.

Ripples Crafts delightful yarns.

He had ordered this surprise pack from Ripples Crafts who is an independent dyer in the North west of Scotland. Helen the owner had asked him a few questions about what I like to knit and colours and she put together this gift for him. The colours are from the left, Ginger, Assynt Jewels, Very Plummy and Mulberry Delight, these were accompanied by the cute wee project bag and some locking stitch markers.

I also got some knitting goodies from my Mum. She gave me a book I had had my eye on for sometime called Knit Swirl by Sandra McIver.

This is a collection of knitting patterns for jackets all knitted in one piece with if I remember correctly just one seam to sew up.
I must admit to having already cast on one of the jackets, the Strata Sphere using some yarn from my stash.

I will keep you updated with my progress. So far I have managed the cast on of 561 stitches and almost completed the 1st welt.
Mum also got me some cute snowmen stitch markers and a set of Knit-Pro metal needle tips which I had asked for.
These tips are also for a specific project I have in mind. I recently bought my very first skein of lace weight yarn and a friend in one of the forums I read on Ravelry has a design that I fell in love with. It is the Persica shawl,

this shawl looks just divine and when I saw it I knew I would just have to knit it.

So with all the other things I already have on the needles I think I have my work cut out for the beginning of 2012.

Hope Christmas brought you all you wished for.

Stay safe and happy crafting.

Diary of a Knitter - Somewhere in Week 3

Start Weight - 487
Weight Lost - 1
Weight Gained - 0
Balance - 486

Getting Lost

So, I kept the diary almost daily for two weeks, then I have kind of got lost. It has been a busyish time at home. DH had his birthday, I had a cold and felt awful. I did keep knitting though and have lost another skein in weight, so the diet is still on track. Mind you it is now Christmas Eve and who knows if I will receive some yarny goodness from Santa tomorrow. Have I been a good girl this year? Well, I was not out and about much due to illness, so I really have not had much opportunity to be naughty.  I have been naughty on the yarn front though, I do know that. Too many Oh Shiny's have crept into my stash, which is why I am keeping this diary and am on this diet.
I really must concentrate in 2012 on finishing what I start, keeping my knitting ADD under control and of course sticking to the diet. Will I do it? Only time will tell.

So am I ready for the big day tomorrow? Well all the shopping is done, all the food bought, presents wrapped, so yes I think I am ready. No tree this year, so our gifts are piled up under the fire, much to the bemusement of kitten Mysti for whom this is all new,

Is there any yarn in there?

Now back to my knitting and a happy afternoon and evening tracking the movements of Santa on the Norad Tracks Santa website, http://www.noradsanta.org/en/track3d.html Great fun for all ages, okay yes I am a big kid at heart.

So all that remains to be said is a Merry Christmas to everyone, stay safe and happy crafting

Diary of a Knitter - Day 13

Start Weight - 488
Weight Lost - 1
Weight Gained - 0
Balance - 487


Back to Knitting

So without pesky interferences like work or shopping etc, yesterday I was able to concentrate on getting some knitting done. I for once concentrated on one project and managed to finish the centre section of Sylvia's shawl.

It looks somewhat bunched up on the needle, but is growing along nicely. I am enjoying my first experience with Knit Picks yarn. This is the Shine Sport a soft cotton based yarn with a lovely sheen which glides easily on the needles making knitting with it a pleasure. This section finishes with 288 stitches on the needle, then the next row begins the pattern section and the stitch count immediately jumps to 432. So the long rows have begun, but the 4 row pattern is so easy to remember that it makes for great TV knitting. 

And at this time of year TV knitting is just what is needed. There are some great looking new programmes coming on the box this Christmas and a few old favourites which I will try not to miss. I love the crime drama genre, both UK based and some US based. Also our own news based comedy panel shows keep me giggling at their unique take on the weeks happenings.

Oops off on a tangent there, so back to knitting. All that effort yesterday also resulted in a weight loss of 1 skein, so with 2 weeks of the diet passed I am pleased that I am down 5 skeins overall. 

A grey dreich sort of day here, so more knitting is on the cards and maybe some baking too, it is DH's birthday tomorrow after all. And we all need cake on our birthday.

Stay safe and happy crafting.

Diary of a Knitter - Days 8 & 9

Start Weight - 490
Weight Lost - 2
Weight Gained - 0
Balance - 488


M.I.A.

Yes, yesterday I was missing in action. With good reason though, I was out with my friends from work for our Christmas lunch in Edinburgh. 14 of us met up and enjoyed a lovely Chinese buffet lunch in the heart of the city. This was the first time I had been in Edinburgh, other than for hospital appointments with DH, for about 2 years. Wow, the sheer amount of people was amazing. I had my trusty wee camera with me and took a couple of snaps to share with you.

Scott Monument on Princes Street

Balmoral Hotel in the afternoon sunshine.

It was fun for me looking at the city of my birth through the eyes of a tourist, and had I not been alone by this time I would have spent longer.

Yesterday was also the first time in about 4 years I had been on a train. What a great way to travel, from our wee coastal town to the center of the city in 15 minutes. No worrying about one-way streets or where to park, just off the train, up the ramp and there you are. I will definitely be doing that again.

Now to Knitting

So even with all that excitement you may have noticed a weight loss in my diet. Yes with my on-going efforts to finish the Daybreak, I have used up another 2 skeins. I am a happy bunny. The knitting of this shawl should be finished this evening, then just to wash and block. So it looks like it will be ready in time for DH's birthday, which might just make up for his sweater not being. There really is not much hope of the sweater being finished before 2012 kicks in. Ah well, the best laid plans and all that!!

Stay safe and happy crafting.

Diary of a Knitter - Day 3

Start Weight - 492
Weight Lost - 1
Weight Gained - 0
Balance - 491


Yay!!! I have a loss to report today. 1 skein of gorgeous black Rico Design Merino DK bit the dust in my Daybreak project for DH.

I may also manage to add to that tomorrow, as I also knitted on the baby shawl yesterday, and just the fact that I could no longer keep my eyes open meant that I did not finish a skein on that.

So if I use up that other skein today, does that mean I will immediately rush out to buy more yarn in my 2 - 1 diet? The answer to the is a resounding NO. I am promising myself that I will not do that. I will treat myself sometimes, but not every time. After all, those 77.000+ yards add up to just over 44 miles. That is approximately the distance between Edinburgh and Glasgow, the two major cities here in Scotland's central belt. And since this year so far I have knitted just over 11 miles of yarn it means I still have enough to keep me going for four more years.

Anyway, there is more than knitting to be done today. I have great plans to finally begin washing and blocking some items from my finishing box. I am a terrible procrastinator when it comes to such things. All the fiddly bits are done, the ends all sewn in, it is just finding the space in this tiny flat to lay out the blocking boards and get on with it. Hope fully tomorrow this Damask,

will be looking much better.

Also there are plans afoot to start wrapping Christmas presents. All are bought, just to be wrapped and sent out. Oh and the dreaded writing of the cards, definitely my least favourite part of Christmas.

Stay safe and happy crafting.