Klaralund gets motoring

Ooh - I'm loving this yarn and pattern. In theory it's 4 rectangles. In practice it's genius. I'm loving the extended garter stitch and it really is a fast knit (for me, anyway).

And I have sleevage! Both are done and cast off. I suspect that I'm going to have to cast on for the front (or is that the back) tonight just to make sure I don't leave the project languishing and the bottom of the "To do" pile.

D'ya ken John Peel?

Well, this is my first non-knitting post, but I feel it's significant to me. The legendary British DJ John Peel had died aged 65. He was a true radio pioneer working on both BBC Radio1 ("young" music) and Radio 4 (talking radio mainly for older people), and also the British Forces radio services.

Knitting content either later today or tomorrow.

My brain is green

What Color is Your Brain?
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I'd say it's quite accurate, but it doesn't take into account that fact that I'm eccentric.

OK, socks:



Toe-up, short row toes, and some kind of heel that I don't know the name of, and a ribbed cuff. Needles: 3mm x 40cm circular. Yarn: Regia 4-ply in (I think) Clown.

Klaralund: I gave in!

I promised myself that I WOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT CAST ON FOR KLARALUND YET!

So I did. Last night. I am so weak!

I cast on both sleeves at the same time so that when I've finished the first, I've finished the second (I am such a cheat).

The tension square was done in both continental and English styles. The former was taking me too long, so I reverted to type!





In the next post: my mum's Regia toe-up socks (I'm quite proud of myself - despite the dodgy short-rows on the toes).

I am a guru (apparently)!

Everyone seems to be doing this quiz, so who am I to go against the grain? I'd say it's fairly accurate of me: if I could knit errmm... twenty-three hours of the day (the remaining hour set aside for eating or reading knitting magazines) I'd be quite happy!


You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting
and do it all the time. While finishing a piece
is the plan, you still love the process, and
can't imagine a day going by without giving
some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation
involves leaving ample space for the stash and
supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn
ends and you begin.


What Kind of Knitter Are You?
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Secret Pal info makes a move.

I decided to copy my Secret Pal information over here and added/changed a few little things (nothing major though).

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibres)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I prefer the natural fibres, but I can (and have) knit just plain acrylic. Although having now handled a skein of Noro Silk Garden ....?

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I crochet and eventually I’d like to teach myself to spin.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibres, perfume, etc.) I have sensitive skin and I tend to sneeze when too close to mohair. I have hay fever and asthma and a nickel allergy. Oh, and I can only wear expensive perfumes! Not really an allergy but I’m a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Read here about what that entails.

4. How long have you been knitting? I started when I was about seven, gave up, and started again about two years ago. And I love it!

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, I have an Amazon one here.

6. What's your favourite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) I love Patchouli scents – dark, musky, that kind of thing.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? I would say I have a bitter-sweet tooth. I love nougat (especially the stuff with nuts in – just not walnuts though), strawberries, liquorice allsorts and Morello cherries.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I sew and I love woodworking (neither are really very portable - hence the knitting).

10. What's your favourite colour? Or--do you have a colour family/season/palette you prefer? I like most colours – I don’t really like LOTS of bright yellow. I love purple, and green, and red, and beige.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I am single and I have two part-time cats (one belongs to my left-hand neighbour and the other to my right-hand neighbour).

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) To have reasonably good health for the rest of my life (oh, and become a dictator to a small country!)

22. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

I’d have to say Fry or Leela from Futurama cartoon-wise and I love frogs.

23. What is your favorite holiday?

I don’t really ‘do’ holidays, but I love spring and summer time.

24. Is there anything that you collect?

Frogs! Pencil toppers, cute little frog toys, frog plant waterers ... I’ll have to take a picture one of theses days.

Other knitting stuff: I currently subscribe to “Knitting” magazine (the only UK-based magazine there is), I recently found a copy of "Vogue International" and love it, and I’ve just joined Rowan International.

Other non-knitting stuff I like: frogs, roses, ‘Angel’ TV series (and Buffy, for that matter), buttons (I have a ‘collection’), books (SciFi, Bonk-busters (hey, it’s retro), knitting books), candles, handbags and shoes. I’m a UK size 18/20 with UK size 6 feet and I’m an ‘average’ 5’6”. I don’t drink, smoke, drive or take illegal drugs (yep, I’m a regular square!).

Books I own:

Knitting in Vogue (#1)

Knitting without Tears by E. Zimmerman

Knitting from the top by B. Walker

Designing Knitwear by D. Newton

Domino Knitting by V. Hoxbro

Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook

Rowan Calmer pattern booklet (not really a book, I know)

Harmony Guides: 220 Aran Stitches and 250 Creative Stitches.

Noro Collection 2 by Cornelia Hamilton

Here in lies a lesson ...

More knitting + less revision = one very nervous student!

Yes, I should not have cast on for that seventeenth project (no, I haven't counted them - I was just guessing), and yes, I should really have read more during the course. Never mind!

In knitting news: I've started my tension square (swatch) for Klaralund in both continental and "English" styles. I'll probably end up working it in my usually chucking action because once I get up a good head of steam I'm quite fast.

This is the colour of the yarn I'm using:




I love the colour and the feel of the yarn - it has the look of a very fine chennile, but I've found if I'm not paying attention it is possible to split the plies of the yarn (oops!).

I'm new here ...

First post: very short!

I'm not moving things from my website, just adding more of a week-to-week commentary on my knitting.

Today I got the yarn for my Klaralund, but I've not done a tension square yet.

Thrilling, isn't it!