Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Flower Power!

It is finally here! My August kit from Rockin Sock Club! It is called "Flower Power", and is a lightweight 100% Superwash Merino. The colours are really vibrant, with fuschia, turquoise, brown and greys. Beautiful. See the mini-skein in the middle? That is a super-cute keyring skein we get with each kit.


My camera doesn't do the colours justice- they are actually far more vibrant, and really complement each other. This kit is a celebration of the 40th anniversary of 1967 - the "Summer of Love". Flower Power does it justice!


See the cute treat we got in this months kit: tattoos! A flower power chain and a moon:

The pattern is called "Summer of Love Lace", and is by the very talented JC Briar. It has a lace cuff, and is very feminine. I love that each pattern from RSC is so different from the others. You really get to try new techniques and looks, which for me is the whole point in a club. It does mean not every pattern or colour-scheme will necessarily ring your bell, but I love the surprise!


The pair at front left is knit in Flower Power.

So hopefully I will get the skein wound into a ball tonight, and maybe even get to cast on! *fingers crossed*

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Started winding Pretty Pirate

I started winding my skein of Pretty Pirate, from Yarn Pirate last night, when I realised I hadn't taken any pics yet. I just LOVE Yarn Pirate yarns. She just has a real eye for colour, and I think every skein is a true work of art. In the pic below you can see (left to right) "Cannon Beach", "Pretty Pirate", and "Patience".



I think they will all be socks, but we will have to see...

Thursday, August 23, 2007

One day, I will own a ball winder...

So I am currently winding my skein of lace weight cashmere from Hipknits Project Club into a ball... by hand. Please remember, I have never knitted lace before, so have never had the need to wind lace weight yarn. OMG what a Nightmare. I am not the most patient of people, particularly with pesky tasks like winding yarn into balls, knitting swatches etc, I just want to get on with the casting on and joyful knitting of the project already! I spent about 3 hours winding the night before last, and am not even half way through yet! Granted, I was a little distracted by the fabulous Grey's Anatomy which I was catching up on, but I reckon I have another couple of nights winding left yet. I also managed to snap the yarn at one point, when it got into a knot (the kind where there is a small loop with a tight knot). Because it is lace weight, I just could not loosen the knot at all, and the yarn snapped with my attempts. Oh well, will just mean I need to weave in an end.

I also cheated a little today, and looked at the spoilers on other people's blogs for the new Rockin Sock Club kit. It is GORGEOUS! I will SO post pics when mine finally arrives, but just fabulous! How do you do it Blue Moon ladies? Another great pattern and totally drooly skein of yarn! Yippee! Should be here soon... *fingers crossed*

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Finished Solstice Slip, just in time!

So with August's Rockin Sock Club kit on its way, I have finished the last kit, Solstice Slip, just in time! I really enjoyed knitting these, the pattern was an easy 4-row repeat, and was just a relaxing and almost therapeutic knit. Funny thing though, on both socks I loved knitting up until the leg (they were knit toe up), then got really bored on the leg, and it took me ages to finish, for both socks! But now they are done, I just love them! The toe and heel are both garter stitch, and look great.
Little dumpling loves them too:


I am currently waiting for kit 4 to arrive. Our first kit was "Inside Out" sock, as the cables on this sock make it reversible, with a different look on each side. You can wear them however you prefer! I love that. Funny thing though, one did this great striping, the other one pooled. My husband thinks it looks weird (he is really one for symmetry and traditional looks), whereas I love it. It really adds to the hand knit feel of the socks. These were knit in medium weight yarn, which makes them a little too heavy to wear in shoes, but are actually my most favourite to wear, really comfy and warm. Oh how I love Rockin Sock yarn!!

The second kit was a beautiful skein of Silkie yarn, absolutely gorgeous! This isn't the pattern that we got with the kit. I loved the look of it, but when I started, I got about 2 inches after the toe (again, toe-up socks), and realised that they just weren't for me. I used the heel from that pattern though, and made up the rest. I am quite pleased with them, and would definitely use Silkie from BMFA again.



Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Finally, get to "Eat my Greens"!

Yippee, my beautiful yarn from Hipknits Project Club has arrived! It is kit one, and is a gorgeous skein of Cashmere, in "Eat Your Greens" Colourway. The great thing about the club is that we get to choose the colour yarn we want for each project.



It will be a lace shawl, which from other pics I have seen looks gorgeous. I have only done a small amount of lace in socks before, so am virtually brand new to it, and will admit to being a little intimidated, but excited to get started.
This yarn has been a long time coming, the original one went missing in the post! So Kerrie from Hipknits kindly put another skein in the post for me *phew*.
I think they are also putting the kits up for sale on the Hipknits site, shortly after each kit is sent to members. So if anyone is interested in buying a kit for themselves, it should be available soon.

My 2 year old seems to like it as well. Here he is having a squish of it:

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Lego made Knitting Machine

Just found this great video on youtube, it is a knitting machine made completely of Lego! Fascinating to watch, quite the creation! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV19wqtfyF0 Made by Thomas Johnson, he has videos of other Lego creations on there too.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Thought I would share a photo of my beautiful boy wearing his recently cast-off Toddler Star Sweater from Adorable Knits for Tiny Tots, by Zoe Mellor. He looks adorable in it, the colours are beautiful (yarn is Rowan Cotton Glace) and the best bit... he seems to love it. Even at 2, the boy has standards and if he says no to something, he MEANS IT!








Darned Royal Mail!

I have been waiting excitedly for my first Hipknits project club kit to arrive all month, drooling over the photos published by other members of their yarn. I thought it seemed to be taking a while, so decided to email Kerrie at Hipknits, who confirmed it should be here by now. Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It appears to have gone missing in the post! But, no need to despair...the extremely lovely and helpful Kerrie has said she will put another skein in the post for me. Phew! So hopefully should be here in a few days, fingers crossed. Is it just my bad luck, or do Royal Mail seem to be just APPALLING at the moment? Lately I seem to be having nothing but late and missing deliveries!

On another note, I cast on the "Judy's Grandmother's Baby Sweater" from "Greetings from Knit Cafe" last night, using Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool. I am LOVING it, I think it will be just gorgeous. After my Ms. Marigold mistake, I was quite meticulous with this swatch!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Another one hits the frog pond...

So, after getting not quite halfway on my Ms. Marigold vest, I thought it was maybe looking a bit small. So I decided to check my tension. Despite knitting a swatch, I had a whole extra stitch per inch then needed! So my vest was going to be tight fitting, probably corset like in a restricted breathing kind of way. Sigh. So I ripped the whole thing out. Isn't that just the most crushing thing...to look at something that you have been working on for a while, and then RIPPPPPPPP.

As I say, I had knitted a swatch, however it was late at night, and my fingers were just itching to get cast-on, so I guess it is my own fault for being too eager. I substituted yarn to Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo, which is knitting up really nice, and very affordable! Is 80% Bamboo, 20% Wool mix, and cost me £2.15 per 50g ball, which I think is a snip. It is my first time knitting with bamboo, and I am happy with the look. I would definitely use it again. I was also thinking although it has 20% wool, it might be nice and cool for desert-wear in Phoenix. I am starting to think more of vests, cotton sweaters etc, and not so much wool sweaters, scarves and mittens. Not much call for them in the desert!

I am not going to immediately cast Ms. Marigold back on, am still a bit gutted to be honest... Plus I should soon receive Augusts Rockin Sock Club kit, as well as the first kit from Hipknits Project Club, which is a really pretty shawl. We get to pick our own colours for Hipknits, and the lovely Kerrie then dyes them before shipping with the pattern. For this one I chose colourway "Eat your Greens". Can't wait to see it. If only the postman could hurry it along...

Friday, August 10, 2007

Cool Knitted Tagging

I have heard of knitted tagging before, which I thinks is just great! How wonderful for parking meters, car ariels, shop door handles etc to be covered in colourful stripes of knitted art! Check out this great texas based group, called Knitta. I love their personal intros at the end of the video too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSjHvbewS1I

Iced Tea




Just received my new Emily yarn, a 80% Lambswool, 10% Cashmere, 10% Angora mix in "Iced Tea" colourway from Posh Yarn. Should make a beautiful pair of socks!

Skein doesn't do the colours any justice. When it arrived I must admit to being slightly disappointed, but once I wound it into a ball, I was in love! Beautiful shades of green, pink and pale brown. Was going to use it to make DH a pair of socks, but think it may have a touch too much pink in. Oh well, another pair for little old me then!