Think Global. Act Local.

Or... boring, but important.

I've been looking for one central place to which I can send little knitted stuff that I've made throughout the year. I've now found it! It's called Big Knit and it's like a distribution centre for charities both in the UK and worldwide. At the moment, their big push if for 6" squares or 3 and 6 feet long 6" strips to sew into blankets to send to Kashmir, but they also collect for premmie babies and the like.

Here is what I have after a half a***ed days worth of knitting:


Roll Brim hat.


Garter stitch band hat.


Top of the roll brim hat.

Just think what I could have achieved if I'd actually applied myself!

(My thanks go to my model, Mr. Orange, who valiently stepped in when my usual baby hat/short-row-heel-model, Mr. Tennis Ball, went missing).

The pattern is my "Harry Hat" pattern (available to download for the super-cheap price of only £1.00 VBG!) and each hat took me about three hours from start to finish.

I'm now working on a little waistcoat for a wee bairn (or a wee-teeny as I call them).

Magknits item:



Done and dusted! The photo for the item is shown above in mosaic, Crimewatch-style! The item itself is actually a present, and I really don't want to give it away! I think I'll have to make it for myself soon. That actually might be a good idea anyway, just to test the pattern and iron out any kinks.

Amble:

Good gracious, I've finished a sock!









Hopefully the second one (which I've already cast on for) won't take me a further three months!

Geek stuff:

Found over at Boogaj's place was the top 20 geek books (thanks to the Guardian - a.k.a the Grudian because of all teh spullink mustiks it used ot hav)

1. The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell
3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip Dick
5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson
6. Dune -- Frank Herbert
7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett
10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland
11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks
15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein
16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham

Shockingly, I've only read one of these books (number 9, although I've heard all of the original radio versions of H2G2). I'm going to have to get some serious reading done, and pretty sharpish, if I want to maintain my "geek" status.

Scary!

No words are appropriate here:

Thanks go to Simplicity for being able to out-scare this wimpy little bear over at Berroco!

Next time, I'll have some real progress to show on Arien (mum's cardigan) and I will have hopefully picked up the gazzilion stitches for the Mystery shawl. I need to knit some wool again, the cotton/acrylic mix is killing my hands!

ADDED: apparently there is some kind of shin-dig over in the USA? I understand it involves eating a lot of some kind of dead bird, potatoes and cranberries, fighting with your cousin over who should have the remote control for the telly and drinking alcohol. Sounds a bit like my childhood Christmases (minus the cousin - I don't have any). I would therefore like to wish you all good cheer!

Weird!

No, not me. Well, alright, maybe me. But this is super weird:

Your Birthdate: January 8

Watch out Donald Trump! You've got a head for business and money. You'll make it rich some day, even if you haven't figured out how yet. A supreme individualist, you shouldn't get stuck in a corporate job. Instead, make your own way - so that you can be the boss. Your strength: Your undying determination Your weakness: You require an opulent lifestyle Your power color: Plum Your power symbol: Dollar sign Your power month: August

Apparently, I am a Ferengi! It's so acurrate it's freaky! August is my favourite month (warmer than July, but without the mad wasps of September). I am stubborn and I do like luxury (just can't afford it at the moment!). I love most shades of purple, but especially plum!
Thanks go to Emma for freaking me out!

Arien:

Look - sleevage!








The sleeves are going quite quickly because I'm decreasing two stitches every four rows. I'm still enjoying the cable itself (good job really) and the Babara Walker book really does hold your hand through all the tricky stuff.
Oh, yes, and it fits my mum!

Amble:

I nearly have a complete sock!



Although I've managed to end up with 15 stitches on one needle and 18 on the other. Never mind!

Random stuff:

A gazillion other people have done this, but I think it's really cool.

Click here to add yourself to my Frappr map.



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My parent's mortgage is due to mature at the end of the month and there was some sort of error in the past, and they owe more than they should. I'm telling you this, to explain the lack of knitting progress. I spent all of today looking through past statements and posting on chat forums to try and find out what we can do. I suspect that tomorrow will be spent on the phone trying to talk to a real person. Arrrggggg! I hate financial institutions.

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Since I seem to have worn out the exclaimation mark key, so I'll sign off! Ohh - not broken afterall!!!!

Don't hate me because ...

I made my Christmas cake on Saturday! It will now be "fed" once a week with Bacardi Rum until two weeks before the 25th. It will then be marzipan-ed and finally ice a few days before it will be destroyed eaten!

Mystery Shawl (a.k.a. Moss):

Whoo-hoo! Clue 3 bites the preverbial!



I now have to pick up a gazzillion stitches for clue 4. It really is like knitting with green dental floss.
ADDED: I discovered yesterday that I've not been knitting the shawl on 4mm needles at all! They are actually 3.25 mm needles. I've been changing between all sorts of different sizes of needle that I forgot what actual 4 mm metal needles look and feel like. What kind of knitter am I? Don't answer that!

Arien:


Minimal progress to show. I managed the grand total of 5 rows last night, whilst watching Andromeda and Without a Trace. That's two whole hours of TV. Watch me go!

Uknitty mentioned in the comments about selling or submitting the pattern for my mum's cardigan. I don't mind doing that for small items (you know, one sized stuff like my Harry Hat) but I'd be really nervous about doing anything larger. Also, I doubt that there are many people who have the exact same row gauge as me, and the pattern kind of depends on my too-many-rows-per-inch tension to get the right size. Plus, there may have been a little fudging involved in the pattern. Just a bit. Also, see aforementioned laziness time and energy frugalness.

Needle Storage:

Since this was P.B. (pre-blog), and therefore no-one has seen it, I thought I'd share:








Woodwork by dyedinthewool-dad. Artwork by dyedinthewool-mum. Scrapes and bashes by dyedinthewool-Amy!

Cigar Gloves:

Look at the amount of progress on these babies:



Yup. I took one 100g ball and made it into two 50g balls. Twice. WoooHooo! Can you stand the excitement? I'm mostly concentrating on Arien, because I want to make sure that my mum actually gets a completed item that isn't hot off the needles on Christmas day. She says she doesn't mind (and means it), but I always feel bad.

The Mystery Item:

Well the good news, for me, is that I can't show you anything yet! I submitted the item to Magknits, and it's been accepted! I have to get it done by the end of January (all of the pattern stuff), but I really need to be done by Christmas (it's doubling as a present!)

One more thing:

Does anyone know where I can get wool/wool mix tights (pantyhose??) for less than seven quid a pair (!). I like to keep my legs warm, even when I'm wearing skirts, and if the winter is going to be as cold as they are threatening, I want to be prepared. Online would be perfect, but any kind of mail order will do. I'll even buy them from overseas if I can't get them in this country!

What I'll be doing on Saturday

*

This year Eid more-or-less coincides with Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night. Oh joy (!) - Fireworks ahoy for about ten hours (I'm not kidding).

So, I'll be knitting whilst listening to podcasts of From Our Own Correspondent.

Mystery Shawl:

I've finally finished Clue 2 and I'm about a quarter of the way through Clue 3.



I've now seen a complete shawl and that's given me a little bit of a kick-up-the-posterior to get moving. Although the smell of the yarn (vinegar) makes me feel alternately queezy and hungry.

Is it a bird?

Well, no. But I can't say what it is just yet. Here's a little sneek peek:




Arien:



The photo above is one of the front cables. I'm doing a four-stitch garter edging and the cardigan will have a ribbon facing on to which will be sewn press studs. My mum has problems with very fine motor movement in her fingers and so zips are bad, buttons better, press studs best!
Progess is super slow at the moment because I'm increasing 8 stitches every other row and even though it's aran-weight yarn, it's still taking some time to complete a single row.
Thanks to Uknitty, I now also know that Arien is Welsh for Frost. Ironic really, becuase my mum doesn't really "do" Winter!

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*The photo is supposed to show me being "ticked" off with the noise, with my earphones in. It just looks like I'm gurning. Typical.
For pictures see this BBC News link. Ahh... what it is to be a Northerner!