Diary of a Knitter - Day 4

Start Weight - 491
Weight lost - 1
Weight gained - 0
Balance - 490

So another skein bit the project yesterday. One skein of Knit Picks Shine Sport on the baby shawl for my friend Sylvia. I am motoring along with this project. It is easy TV knitting, all knit in the round with  8 sections of gradual increases on every second row. I can knit away and watch my favourite programmes at the same time.

We woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground yesterday, which with DH's disability, meant a day in the house. So I decided to get on with blocking one of the projects in the finishing box. So it was duly soaked, rolled in a towel, and then pinned out on my blocking boards. It is just about dry now, so final pics will come tomorrow.

I also started thinking about my knitting kit. Now aside from needles, what could I simply not live without? I came up with 5 things,

from left to right, tape measure, needle gauge, snips, needles for sewing up and stitch markers.

You may think a needle gauge is an odd choice, but I almost exclusively use circular needles which do not have the sizes marked on them like straight needles do.

I keep my nearest and dearest kit all together in a make up bag. I used to buy a fair bit of Avon cosmetics in my life before knitting and accumulated a fair few of these wee bags, so now I have found a perfect use for them.

Knitting Kit Bag

No wrapping of Christmas goodies was done yesterday, so hopefully today I will get my butt into gear and make a start, but to be honest my needles are screaming at me, and I do so want to just relax and knit. So what to do???

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.

Diary of a Knitter - Day 2

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

So day 2 is over. (I write this diary the day after).
No weight lost on the diet yet, but I am so, so close to losing 1.

Yesterday we had severe storms battering us here in Scotland, so what better to cosy up and sort out my knitting. And that is just what I did. I decided early to take stock of what is on the needles at the moment, so I can share with you my progress (or lack of) in this diary.
So here goes (listed in no particular order).

Birthday Boy sweater, allegedly for DH's birthday which is rapidly approaching on the 21st of this month.

Daybreak shawl/scarf. Also for DH, this time for Christmas with a distinct possibility of actually being ready. 

A Girasole shawl in fingering weight yarn for me. I was given money for my birthday back in June and I chose this lovely merino from The Loopy Ewe to knit this beautiful shawl, but life took over and I have only recently cast on.

Again some yarn from The Loopy Ewe, this beautiful Yarn Pirate fingering was reduced to less than half price and just begged to become a shawl.

A fingering weight scraps blanket with unusual construction, which will be ongoing as my scraps bag grows. I have entitled this fun project my Scrappy Wappy Do Dah. It will remain to be seen just how large this project eventually becomes.

I also have a box stuffed full of projects to be fully finished. All the knitting and sewing in of ends is done, they just need to be washed and blocked. I look forward to sharing these with you also.

So there you have it. My on the needles projects, along with the two from yesterday. Plenty to keep me going for a bit. Lets hope my knitters ADD and impulse to Ooh Shiny can be kept under control.

Yesterday I also managed to bake a scrummy Madeira cake which got the thumbs up from DH and also cane under close inspection from our kitten Mysti.

It seemed to meet with approval.

Oh and I may have mentioned to some of you on Facebook that I would reveal the approximate yardage of my yarn stash. Well here goes, it currently stands at around 78,832 yards. Ah well enough to keep me going for a while then.

Stay safe and happy crafting.

Diary of a Knitter - Day 1

So yesterday I decided to go all out on my yarn diet and all the advice says when on a diet to keep a diary, so here it is.

Start weight - 492 skeins (eek)
Weight lost - 0
Weight gained - 0
Balance day 1 - 492

I did knit some yesterday on my commission shawl, in-fact I knitted quiet a lot although I don't have much to show for it as I have knitted the same piece twice. I started on one size of needle but was unhappy with the fabric, so re-started on a smaller needle with more pleasing results.

Shawl progress

Today I hope to cast on another project, my first ever with beads, which is a gift for my lovely friend Yvonne who lives in The Netherlands. She is a lover of pink, so guess which colour her shawl will be?

Yarn and beads at the ready!

It is howling with wind outside and there have been warnings for people to stay indoors today, so a good day for cosying up and knitting all day.

Stay safe and happy crafting!

Time for a Diet

Good grief no, not a food diet, what with the wonderful feasting of Christmas just round the corner!! No a YARN diet.
Upon taking stock of my yarn situation now that December is upon us has made me realise that it is time for me to diet. Not a full blown cold sheep you understand, just a diet. Our wee flat is beginning to burst at the seams with my yarn and DH's model kits. So how do I propose to do this? Well I am not going to fully cease with my addiction to yarnie awesomeness, no, I am doing a 2 or more out 1 in. Yardage is not my issue here it is the sheer number of skeins (or balls) of yarn and how much space they take up. There are a couple of exceptions for which I will allow the rules to be broken.

1. Gifts (seriously do you expect me to tell people not to buy me yarn as a gift?)
2. For commission work. If someone wants something knit in a particular yarn and I do not have it, then who am I to argue.
3. For any swap I may take part in.

So from 1st Dec 2011 - 31st Dec 2012 or beyond this is my goal.
I am already behind due to yarn which was ordered in Nov, but arrived this morning, ah well into stash it goes.

Melon Bomb

Also commission yarn which was ordered yesterday by the customer and also arrived this morning

8 Balls of Knit Picks

And this gorgeous yarn from my favourite indie dyer Ripples Crafts which is just the most gorgeous colour and even has sparkles

Assynt by Moonlight Carnations

Ah well, off I go to count up my entire stash in number of skeins and I will report back tomorrow to let you all know how things are progressing.
Stay warm and safe and happy crafting :)

Knitting ADD

How do they do it?
How on earth can some people work on only one project at one time?
These are questions with which I have in my wee bubble been trying to answer. I just cannot seem to be so monogamous with my yarn and needles. I love having choice, I need to have choice. Sometimes I want all out lace, sometimes I just want mindless garter or stocking stitch. There are other times when a wee bit of pattern is enough for my feeble brain to cope with. I love having choice. I always have at least 4 projects on the go. (Hahaha only 4, I feel the blush building)
This month I have been mostly concentrating on the Christmas gift list, therefore I cannot give you a rundown of projects as who knows, the intended giftees might just be reading this. Suffice to say I have one finished and a second well on it's way. This makes me happy.
I have also been adding to my wonderful stash at an alarming rate. From e-bay, I bid on and won 3 lovely lots of 100% wool all the way from China. The first is wonderfully autumnal

The second has much more of a spring like feel

And the third is definitely a manly option

From The Wool Shop I added to my growing collection of 100% Merino yarns with some wonderfully coloured Adrifil Knitcol, which are beautifully self striping yarns in a variety of colour options, here is just one example

I have 6 different colourways ranging from all blues to rainbow brights.

And finally I have once again been stretching out over the pond to The Loopy Ewe where I have discovered the delights of Malabrigo Silky. A glorious blend of Merino wool and Silk. This yarn is just so yummy and in the Tatami colourway is so like butterscotch I just want to eat it all up. And so soft, jeez it is just as petable as any of our cats or the dog.

Talking of the petables, they are all doing well and Mysti has settled in so well. It is like we have had her forever. The older cats took a few days to settle with her, but peace broke out, (with the exception of 5am every morning, WTH) and all is well. Skye is sometimes bemused with this little thing who adores her and follows her around, but puts up with her all the same.

Knitting on!!

Whaaaa!!! Where has the time gone? It is ages since I checked in here. My goodness I must have been busy doing something, but what? I know that I had a Meningitis scare last week, a headache which just would not go, felt sick and could not stand light. Not nice! Especially when travelling to be checked at the local out of hours center at 10.30pm in sunglasses. Must have looked a bonny sight.

Well I promised I would let you know all about the swap packages, so here goes,

Ooh yarn, and what is in the tissue paper?

Wow just look!!

And here is what I sent

It really was so much fun. 

I am now getting together bits and pieces for my 2nd swap, I have been partnered with a delightful lady in Wales who mostly crochets. Now I have no idea about crochet, I get into such a fankle, but I have a few bits and pieces so far, and some ideas also.

So what have I knitted recently well,

These are just three things that are completely finished. I have other bits in my finishing off box, where all the knitting is done, I just have to get round to the washing and pinning out etc.

On other topics, we have a new addition to the household, meet Mysti

She is about 6 months old and full of mischief, she looks so cute, but don't for one minute let that fool you, she is hard work. But loveable all the same.