1 FO + 1 FO = 1 happy bunny

Clapotis and the baby set are done!



I dropped the last few stitches last night whilst watching Resident Evil on video (yes, that antiquated format!).

Here it is in panorama:



And here it is this morning:



And the baby set:



Yes, I realise that this is only a cardigan, but quite frankly the hat looks just like a hat. See the patterning on the cardigan? Imagine that on a hat? You've got it!



I aim to finish the Fluted Banister socks next week and then I'll cast on for "Brigitte" - a chunky-weight long-line cardigan from King Cole.

In the mean time, a secret pal questionnaire ...

I should soon be getting my Secret Pal, and some poor unfortunate will be getting me! With a trapped nerve in my left shoulder (now a week old) still causing me discomfort, there is little knitting progress to report. So, with a no-picture entry in the offing, here is the "Standard Secret Pal Exchange Questionnaire":

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- a nd/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

The first few things I made were acrylic and, while it has it's place, I think I'm "maturing" in terms of my yarn taste. Not my colour choice, mind you!

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I crochet (a little) and I got a top-whorl drop spindle and some fibre for my birthday. Although, I'm still having a little trouble with it.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Ugh! I have weather and pollution induced asthma, a nickel intolerance (contact dermatitis), hayfever, exhema. I am also a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who tries (and often fails) to avoid animal by-products.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I first learnt at the age of seven, got bored, tried again when I was about fourteen, got frustrated and finally picked up the needles properly about two or three years ago.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I most certainly do!

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I like things like sandalwood, patchuli and lavender. Although nothing "heavy".

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Oh, boy, yes! I love chocolate (mostly milk, but hey, if it's dark, I'll take it). I also love licorice.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I love putting up shelves (I'm strange!)

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
OK, here's a flavour: Green Day, Sugababes, Tom Jones, Elvis, Linkin Park, Doris Day (no, really, I do). I am fully MP3-ed up - I even have a little player (not an iPod, but you can't have everything).

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
Have a smooch around my website and you'll get the idea that I have a split personality. I love olive greens and deep purples, but I also like reds and oranges. I'd say it's a kind of autumn colour palate.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm currently single with two part-time cats whom I provide entertainment to.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
To be as healthy as I can, to be as good a person as I can and to be able to fulfill at least some of my ambitions.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I love working with Merino wool and the best I've worked with so far is Rowan Cork - hmmm....
I also liked the Rowan All Season's Cotton that I made my Klaralund out of.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Mohair, definitely! It gets up my nose and makes me sneeze. Oh, and really squeaky acrylic - it goes right through me!

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I'd have to say variegated yarns. Although I'm not overjoyed with the spin quality of Noro yarns, I do love the colours they produce.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Ooh, tough one! I love the challenge of a complex patterned adult piece, but I also love that fact that socks can be so small and yet contain so many techniques.

17. What are you knitting right now?
The best bet is to peer over to the side bar and have a look at the WIP list. And that doesn't include the list of WIM projects (works in mind).

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Nice idea (I made a capelet), but because they are over-exposed, they are so yesterday darhling!

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circulars - they are so versatile.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo for cotton, aluminium for wool, plastic for cleaning the mud from my walking boots!

21. Are you a sock knitter?
A resounding YES!

22. How did you learn to knit?
A combination of my paternal grandmother, a book, and stubbornness!

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Do I include the hat from about eight years ago that I never seamed? No? Then about 18 months old - my All-over lace cardigan that has stalled.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Still liking Leela from Futarama, and I really like manatees (they're a cow that swims - how cool is that?).

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Since we don't really go in for "holidays" in the UK, I'll plump for the summer holidays!

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Ever since I was frightened by a frog in a Victorian-era public convenience I've amassed a small collection of frogs (not real ones, I must add). A picture will follow.

Well, I did all of that without referring to last years answers, so any inconsistencies can be put down to me being fickle.

The Unraveling of a cardigan: a picture story

From this:




To this:



To this:



To this:



And will eventually become a jumper. Hmm ... cozy!

Banisters fluting slowly

Are my Fluted Banister socks done yet?



No, of course not!



I'm really liking the pattern - very simple to memorize and it's surprisingly stretchy.

And now for something completely different ...




How much do I love this pattern?


It's on a summer skirt I just bought (optimistic or fond of hypothermia - you decide) and I can safely say that it's my favourite thing right now (although that will have changed by next week).

Next time ... a cardigan gets the rip (and becomes a jumper).

Ooo, la, la!

Tres bien, c'est magnifique!

I managed to order a French magazine, from France, in French. Not a big deal, you might think. Well, considering that I only got half a year into my French GCSE and I never kept my language skills up to scratch, I'm quite proud of myself!

So, with a weird serendipity look what should arrive on the same day:




On the left: Phildar Automne 04/05. On the Right: the new monthly UK Knitting magazine.

Things I like from Phildar are:



I like the colour combinations/clashings in this, and it's knit in lambswool - hmmm... soft.



This is the "pop" sweater as seen on Alison's Blue Blog.



I like the asymmetry of the zip on the main body and the short zips on the cuffs.

Nothing really "grabbed" me in Knitting, but this one I could see myself making:



They call it a shawl, but since it's seamed, I'd called it a poncho.

Next time? I might reveal my (very) long list of WIM - works in mind. I have a spreadsheet!

Look Ma, no cable needle!

OK, so you can't actually tell that I didn't use a cable needle. In exactly the same way nobody but me knows that I knit my dad's scarf entirely continentally. However, I know these things, and that's what matters.*
So, for your viewing pleasure: BEHOLD a front!





*

*Actually, it doesn't, but never mind!

7:25 pm :: 0 comments ::

AmyP :: permalink

Happy Birthday to me...

I am now one year older (yay for me) - can you hear the sarcasm?

Have a drink (alcoholic or otherwise) on me:



I now have a drop spindle, some BRIGHT pink tops and a "How to Spin" book. Watch me spin!

Another WIP!

Yes, I couldn't stop myself. I've started a pair of Fluted Banister socks (part of the Six Sox Knitalong).



The yarn (Le Fibre Nobili Lane Cervinia Forever Jacquard in Autumn Sunset from Elann) looks kind of like that Opal Tiger Stripe stuff that everyone goes mad for on eBay.

I've changed the pattern to work them toe-up, and I'll probably make them ankle socks because I'm not too fond of mid-calf socks and I don't have the patience to make them longer!

Clapotis: no progress at all.
Baby Set: a few more rows on the sleeves (which I'll probably finish today).

Tomorrow? I'm one year older :o(

Postal Knitting

No, not like postal chess (knit one row, send it on, knit a row, send it on...)! I mean knitting something on behalf of someone, posting it to the person who requested it, and them sending it on to the intended recipient.

In my case, that means: me, my paternal grandmother, and her chiropodist (well, her as-yet-unborn baby).

It's a v-neck cardigan with cables up the front, back and sleeves. I started on the sleeves and I'm now up to the raglan decreases. I love the stitch pattern. It's basically a wrong-side broken rib, but it looks so sophisticated (to me, anyway).




I almost always knit both sleeves at the same time (even on adult garments) because of a few early "couple of rows short" incidents.

No more progress on Clapotis (or anything else for that matter), until the cardigan, mittens and hat are done. Wish me luck!

The first Annual Garment Count

Happy new year? Well, with the end of 2004 being dominated by the Far-East/Asian Earthquake and tsunami disaster forgive me if I don't feel like celebrating too furiously. For those in the UK, there is an umbrella organization called the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) that is running a campgain for funds. Go here to donate if you are able. As they say: "Every penny counts".

So, because this is a knitting blog, I've compiled a pictorial tour of my year in knitting. I've a feeling that I've left a few things out, but never mind!

This is a run-down of the stuff I've made this year (with links to appropriate project pages where possible).


Broadstreet mittens (currently missing, presumed lost somewhere in Wales)

Cable Tee (Ample Knitters KAL)

Baby Charlie's premmie set

A recycled-shirt crocheted bag

Dad's Silk Garden Scarf

My "Grandad" jumper

Lace-panel waistcoat (self-designed)

Klaralund (the knit-along phenomena of the year)

Denim Ultra poncho/capelet

Regia Stretch Color toe-up socks

Wrap-top (the modifications only were done this year)

100% Australian wool wristwarmers

A domino-knit waistcoat

Top-down raglan jumper (man-sized)

Grannie's mittens

Top-down hat

Camo snood/face cover