U2 at brandenburg gate

Report to follow.

Yrn Prn

This is where our Stash Enhancing eXcursion all began. Okay so the shop was closed because of the Wollfest in Vaterstetten but nevertheless we had to at least make the pilgrimige to THE SHOP.
We didn't get very far but look at all those shelves full of Wollmeise. It brought back memories of being a kid in a sweetie shop and not having any pennies in my pocket for even 1 soor ploom. Don't think Claudia had to wash her windows that week. Actually probably had to wash them twice just to get the drool off of them.


We did get to the annual Vaterstetten Wolfest though. Above and below is the stash. 2 hours at the wollmeise stand and kilos of yarn. We actually planned to fill the bath tub with it and get photos of ourselves in the bath tub but sensibility took over and we decided that the windowsill was probably the best place for a picture. Oh and don't worry, this is not MY personal stash but the combined orders of half of Berlin and the rest of the world. My haul has already been shared out with the other half of Berlin but planning on going to Pfaffenhofen some other time.

Here is what got started on the train. Julia Müller's Autum Leaves. Its the first time I've done anything double knitting and I kind of like it. I think I might knit a matching ipod cover but that will have to wait until the hats are finished. Why is everyone wanting hats for christmas this year? Okay so it does feel like winter has come early and even I've dug out my mittens and bought myself an new snuggly jacket so I guess I've just answered my own question but the problem is, I want to knit mittens and glittens and gloves (oh my)

Next off the needles will be a Gretel hat then a Struan hat and then the above mittens. Miss Daisy's Aran Pocket shawl is my wrestling project at the moment. Its so damn heavy and boring that I'm kind of stuck. Think I'll need to reseve some me time with a good audio book and the thing. I'm sure that once its finished Aunt Joyce will be delighted but until then....

Running is not going too good at the moment. I manged to jar my knee on Monday because of a stupid Audi driver who decided to turn right without looking and I had to jump off my bike rather quickly. I thought it was okay but it gets sore so we've been doing fast walking instead till it heals or feels better anyway.

From Hand Spun to Habitat

I am so very pleased with myself. Even if I hadn't spun the yarn with my own to hands, I would have been very pleased with the habitat hat. Its a bit big for me so I'm looking for a rather large and cold head to donate it to.

I completely over spun the yarn but that's a beginners mistake. The next lot I spun doesn't look nearly so strung out as this lot did so I think I'm a getting a bit more relaxed when spinning.

What Sari said in her comment about spinners not really missing knitting time is perfectly correct. Its more like part of the process of obtaining nice yarn. The whole whirring of the wheel and bobbin is kind of hypnotic and really is an excellent way to chill out and perfect for catching up with reading. Not the reading kind of reading but the listening kind of reading. I've discovered audio books and I'm getting addicted.

Amazon has a good deal with Audible but beware people. Its only really cut out for ipod owners. I ended up buying an ipod just so I could listen to books. Don't get me wrong, since purchasing my new technological toy, I have had massive amounts of fun and still am; what with the music, the books and the new chip thingie for my running show etc. but that's not the point. The point is, I had to go out and buy either a new mp3 player which can also play aac files or an ipod. In the end it doesn't really matter, I've got the ipod and I love it but just to warn those of you who want to do the amazon book thingie, you need an ipod or a really up to date mp3 player. Check out their list of suitable devices before you commit.

Also getting a new wee personality to come live with us. A very sweet little rat called Tar. She should be arriving this afternoon :o) so I'm buggering off early so that I can clear up and make her welcome. I'm soo excited.

Oh and on the running thing. Charleen an I are being very good. Despite being slightly under the weather we went out for a run around the park last night and will be again tonight. I'm actually begining to enjoy this running malarky. Never thought I would.

Söd it

This is the beginning of the Södera Socks for Diana. I nicked BerlinBat's idea again and let her pick what she wanted and in what colour but with restrictions i.e. I pasted the photos from 4 designs which I though she would like and I wanted to knit into word. That way I wouldn't get landed with an uninspiring pattern and its something I've been wanting to knit for ages.

On a non knitting theme: I've signed up for the Berlin half marathon which is on March 28th 2010. I've already started the training which I'm enjoying as I'm training with a friend of mine and she has the same problems as me. We're both crap at self motivation and we both have short legs. Our pace matches quite well and we've got a wee bit of a rhythm going also its really difficult to let other people down so we manage to talk each other into things like going running in the rain.

I've also go a wonderful new thing. Its a chip which fits into my running shoe and the receiver plugs into my ipod. I no longer have to work out how far I run, what my pace was, how many calories I burned off etc etc. It does it all for me and plays my favourite music into the bargin. I just loaded more cds onto it last night. A wee bit of Metallica is great first thing in the morning. It certainly wakes up the brain.

The kromski is going great. I've taken fbz's advice and keep oiling the crap out of it. I've got 2 skiens of green stuff (BFL) hanging to dry in my bathroom and I'm very proud of myself. I reckon its alright for something I spun myself although I think you can tell that its the first thing I've ever spun. It will probably turn into a hat and if there is enough, some wrist warmers but I won't go casting on hats just yet. First the socks need to get finished. After that, I can cast on all sorts of wintery projects. Well maybe not; I'll get rid of some of the WIPs first.

Sleeping Beauty?

Spinning Wheel - check
(new)Bed - check

add them up together and what do you get?

Sleeping Beauty.........or the Wicked Fairy? As I'm in a good mood today I'll go with the Wicked Fairy side

I am now the proud owner of this lovely spinning wheel. Its a kromski minstrel. This is fbz's photo of my lovely new purchase, before I purchased it. Isn't it gorgeous? And you know what? It works!

I picked it up last night but unfortunately didn't get a chance to play with it straight away. My new bed got delivered on Tuesday and I still needed to build the drawers for under the bed so I was a good girl for a change and did something I was supposed to over something I wanted to. The good news about the drawers getting built and put under the bed is that I've now tidied up loads of stuff and have more room for fiber. Anyway, after the drawers and the tidy up, I was too tired to work out how to get things going so I finished off my
Aestlight instead. The wool is Wollmeise and the colour way is 'am kalten polar' but it makes me think of the northern lights which is kind of appropriate for a shawl called Aestlight.

Anyhoo, back to my new aquisition. Last night as I was too tired to work out how to spin. I had a go this morning before I went to work and I managed to get something which looks like yarn. I am very pleased with myself. I'm now champing at the bit to get away from work so that I can run back home and play with it again.

Even though I've had a spinning wheel for about 4 years I've never managed to get anything which looks like yarn at all. Okay so the 'old' wheel is a no name which I bought in NL for €8 including the petrol costs of going to pick it up. Its a really basic thing and it goes really fast and not really recommended for beginners but at that price, who's complaining?

Spittens

Live long and prosper......
At last night's stricktreff, we had a bit of discussion on what these should actually be called. The official pattern is 'Glittens' but Danni suggested Spockens and himself (when I got home) suggested Spittens. Well, whatever they should be called they're, well actually it's, knitted up on some purple Lanark Mills Aran weight and is very nice indeed. I know they were supposed to be in Wollmeise but that ended up frogged and this wool called to me from my stash. The wollmeise will perhaps become sotto socks and if not then I'm sure I'll find a use for it.

Himself thinks that the Sock Monster's mum will love them and if she doesn't then there is the nice drunk gentlemen whom I met last night who would like a pair but I think that's only because he was drunk and I was doing rude things with them. That however, is a different story entirely and would probably end up getting my blog x-rated.

Back to the point. When I got home from stricking and treffing, I cast on the 2nd spitten so that I wouldn't get scond spitten syndrom which I've heard, can even effect vulcans but I'm sure that with a bit of concentration, I'll get the 2nd one finished this weekend.

The next project to finish after that is Miss Daisy's (Aunt Joyce) aran pocket shawl. It was just getting too heavy for me to schlep around and also it was just far too warm to have it sitting on my knee while knitting. Its 100% alpaca for crying out loud. 100% Alpaca = heat stroke when the outside temperature is averaging on 30°C for weeks on end.
Actually scrap that. I'll hang off and wait to see if the temperature rises again. If so then the shawl from the firey depths of hell will just have to wait. I'll cast on some nice boring socks for himself.

Off to London next week. Not for I Knit but for work. Still I do hope to bring a few goodies back. We'll see. It all depends on whether or not I can drag my colleague into a wool shop or not :o)

Sumer Knitting

This might not look very summerish but its a lot lighter to knit than the aran pocket scarf I was knitting for Auntie Joyce.

The aran pocket thing is just to heavy. It even makes my knees sweat when I'm knitting it.

This is for Niece Wies aka the sock monster (see last post). I got a bit frustrated making small thumbless mittens so I frogged and knitted this instead. Its cute isn't it. I've got loads of pink stuff left so I'm going to knit a negative of this and hope that its not too pink for the wee yin.


I think she'll look dead cute in it anyway.














This prime example is of the blue snowflake mittens order by my nephew. they are actually from Selbuvotter. NHM#5 if you really want to know which pattern number etc. The thumb is a pain to knit as its so wee but they turned out very nicely even if I do say so myself. I've still to knit the 2nd thumb but since I've got LFIM stricktreff this afternoon, I reckon they'll be finished sometime today.





My SIL is up next. She's getting Glittens or Spock Gloves as I like to call them. they are very handy things and I think she'll like them. I originally wanted to knit her other gloves but I managed to knit them big enough to fit himself and I know that her hands are a lot bigger than mine but they're not that big. Anyway I'd started them in the wollmeise blaue tinte which I've got loads of and to be honest, that's not really her colour so they got frogged, turned into Neefje Steefje Selbuvotter and she's now getting Wollmeise Rosenrot glittens. Red is much more her colour.



I'm still on my self inflicted yarn kauf verbot but I have just purchased a 2nd hand kromski spinning wheel with accoutriments. I won't be picking it up till mid Sept as soon to be ex-owner is out of town. She's downsizing and getting rid of the wheel and I've always wanted a wheel like that. This of course means that even though I'm on a yarn diet, I won't be on a fibre diet and can then spin my own stuff. There is a way around everything.

Off to LFIM stricktreff now. Lemon Iced Green Tea Frappechino here I come :o)

p.s. its 30° in my office at the moment which isn't as hot as yesterday.

Sock Monster

Ladies and Gentlemen. Roll up! Roll up! Roll up and witness this amazing discovery for yourselves. The ever elusive sock monster has at last been photographed in action.

This rare and exotic creature which is often believed to lurk in washing machines, praying on random socks has now been unveiled. Its not a horrible monster as once suspected. Its my niece and when she's old enough, she will write and apologise to everyone out there who's socks she's eaten.

The real story is that I needed a small project for on the train on my way to NL and this young lady's big brother had asked for brown socks. He's three and he likes brown at the moment (van Gough also when through a brown phase) so I knitted him brown(ish) socks. What one gets, the other needs to get too but brown socks for my niece well, it wouldn't look good on her so she got some pastle coloured stripey things which she immediately stuffed into her mouth. I think she likes them. Her big brother also likes his socks but not that much that he wants to eat them. He now wants blue mittens with snowflakes. I have one finished and I'm working on the other one so he'll have them for the winter. This of course means that the little sock monster will have to get some too but I'll knit her's without thumbs so that her Mum won't have to fiddle.

Loads happening since my last blog. I've managed to finish a few things and start on a few more I finished the whisper cardi, a small laminaria and the feather boa. I also finished fishnet stockings for my sister and the super karla but the border will be going to the frog pond as I don't like it. Will be thinking up a different border and eventually getting around to it.

Apart from the mittens for my niece and nephew and their mum (she's getting glittens) I'm trying not to start anything new for a while. I've also put myself on a yarn diet again. This time seriously. I'm really, really proud of myself so far. Since my mum has left (4th Aug) I haven't bought one single ball of wool, not even when i saw the new sauberball colours. The above mentioned socks were from the stash (leftover opal Owl and Candy Stripe I think) and the Glittens are being knitted up on Wollmeise which is also in the stash. I have to remind myself that wollmeise is not just for petting. It really is brilliant to knit with. Steven's mittens are from Blaue tinte and some white Lang's Sockenwolle which was in my stash.

Himself has also been hinting at more socks. I have (thanks to my dealer Winni) managed to aquire some black Wollmeise so that will be getting turned into some boat sized socks for Frank. He's not really into the coloured stuff although he does say that the colours are nice but just not for him.

I also found some cute dress patterns on the net for Niece Wies so that will use up some of the wollmeise too.

Will try and update a bit more.

Diet Schmeiet

The WIP (work in progress for you muggles out there) wrestling is going well but the yarn diet isn't. Last night I turned up right on time to the stricktreff and was rewarded with this.... 3 hanks of Wollmeise. 2 in Sündig and Verrucht which means sinful and naughty (fits me precisely) and the other is Herzblut which is a bit difficult to translate. It literally means Heart's Blood but its other meaning is nice too. In english we would say that someone is your 'heart and soul' well in German you say that someone is your heart's blood.
As I was saying - I got to stricktreff on time last night and Suddenly these appeared on the table; 'for sale'. There was more but I managed to reign myself in to 'only' 3 skiens. The way the Wollmeise shop is set up just now is good for the Wollmeise herself but not so good for me who never seems to log on at the right time. So now I leave the buying on the website to my jammier (scottish word for those with more luck than the average person) stricktreffing friends. Lucky for me, sometimes the colours aren't quite what they expected so I get to enhance my stash :o)

Back to WIP westling. I'm still on the Whisper cardy but hopefully that will be finished for the weekend or by the end of it anyway. I've had a few episodes with this and it ended up in the naughty corner for a few hours while I went looking for a pattern to cast-on. I know that I'm not supposed to be actually casting-on right now but the act of looking for a pattern to cast-on isn't a crime during WIP Wrestling weeks however the act of casting-on itself is. Anyway I found what I was looking for, remembered that I hadn't wound the yarn and anyway, I was WIP wrestling so I couldn't.

Its at this point I realised that I have a particular behavior pattern when it comes to knitting. I seem to get annoyed with a particular project for some reason, put it in the naughty corner and cast-on with some nice new yarn which is screaming at me to do something with it. I then continue with the new project until it does something to displease me and ends up in the time out zone with the now forgotten about original project. The WIP weeks appear to be teaching me to alter this particular tick as I didn't go wind up the new yarn and I didn't load up the sticks. Instead, after finding the pattern I wanted to start, I stomped over to the sin bin and found Berni's socks. She's only been waiting on those since January and Ive got some WIP mittens to finish for her too.

I'm still itching to cast on something new but I'll think about it over the next 2.5 weeks and if I still want to cast-on the old shale shawl then I will. I think the wollmeise violet lace weight I have will be perfect for it.

Now for something completely different. I resigned from the 7's. Its been a long time coming but I've realised that I wasn't giving it my best and when you're not doing that, its time to move on. This year will be my last year in an organisational function. Its really difficult to put my feelings about this into words. If you include this year, I've been doing the 7's for nine years in total and when you do something for that long, you kind of get attached and its difficult to let go. I'll miss the buzz but I know that if things ever calm down for me, I'll be able to go back to it.

Wee Duckies

Easy knit for Easter. Just stuff the head and stick a chocolate egg in its bum and Fanny's your Aunt, an almost instant Easter pressie.

Materials

3mm needles

Double Knitting yarn

Instructions

Duck

cast on 26 sts, knit 1 row.

increase 1 st at beginning of each row until 42 sts (17 rows including row 1)

row 18 - cast off 11 sts and knit to end

row 19 - cast off 11 sts and knit to end (20 sts left on needle)

row 20-27 knit

row 28 - k1, (k2 tog) x9, k1

cut yarn and thread through remaining sts and pull tight. Sew up duck's head, back and tail. Leave seam along bum open for head and choccie egg stuffing.

Hat

cast on 24sts

row 1-8 - knit

row 9 - k4 (k2tog)x8, k4 (16 sts)

row 10-13 - knit

row 14 - k1, (k2 tog)x7, k1 (9sts)

row 15-22 - knit

row 23 - k1, k2tog til end (5sts)

cut yarn, thread through remaining sts, pull tight and sew up.

Scarf

Cast on 50 sts

row 1-2, knit

cast off

sew in ends

Stuff head with whatever you want, cotton wool, capok, stuffing, brains......

add eyes and beak.

stuff choccie egg in bottom and put hat and scarf on wee duckie :o)

What a not so scotsman wears under his......bathrobe?

Well he wasn't wearing his kilt when he tired them on but he has got rather strapping legs for the socks AND they look really good.

When I'd finished Kitchener stitching the toe and sewing in the starting thread I did a wee happy dance all round the flat. I reckon that now I've done kilt socks, all other socks will be a doddle. Even socks for his nibs will be easy in comparison to those monsters.

The pattern is a heavily revised version of the John Anderson kilt hose. I knitted them top down instead of toe up. I used normal dpns and I did different decreases. Neither himself or myself like the v's created by ribbed decreases in some patterns so I did staggered decreasing. I will write up and post the pattern just in case anyone wants it. Although who in their right mind would want to knit kilt hose for a 6'3" rugby player?
Nobody answer that one please.

I've made this sound like a chore and it wasn at all. I liked the interesting cables and once I'd got the leg decreases worked out and done, the repetision knitting was good. The constant row counting between each cable was good to keep the brain active and the foot was really good tv knitting. I watched all sorts of rubbish while knitting the foot on the last sock.

I've now cast-on the jumper for my Mum. I've also frogged it and re-cast-on, frogged and re-cast-on a few times. I actually knitted a swatch this time round because the wool I'm using is not only a different brand but a different weight. The swatch knitted up exactly like it said it would in the pattern then I started kntting in earnest. My gauge was all off so I switched to a smaller set of needles then I couldn't get the right number of stitches cast on. THEN I did the mobius thing again AND THEN I finally got the right number cast-on and discovered that I had the wrong needles again. I decided that sod it, I like a really stretchy cast-on anyway so I started to knit. Knitting kept getting caught on the cable so I investigated to find 3 sets of ickle bunny teeth marks which was catching the yarn. Luckily for her, I was knitting on the knitpicks harmony series and could change the cable. Luckily for her, I still had a spare one of the same size. Luckily for her that she hid under the couch so that wee boss couldn't shave off her fur and take up spinning. As if I could do that to that gorgeous wee bunny.

Brrrrrrrlin

Well its snowing again. I like snow so I can't really complain. I like sitting inside and watching it fall outside. One reason I like it so much is because it extends the knitting season by a couple of weeks. Also people are still using their chrismits and scarfs and it makes everything including that big ugly pick-up truck look pretty.

I don't like it when I step out of the door and fall on my bum because its just covered up a huge patch of ice that even my made for mountaineering boots go for a skite on (skite is scottish word for sliding or high speed. Not to be confused with going out on the skite (also scottish) which means going out with friends to a pub or club and drinking copious amounts of alcohol). Yes, the skiting without the alcohol happened this morning on my way to work and made my jeans rather wet. Not amused

To the left is a bit of a reward for doing all that knitting recently. More Malabrigo. This time pink frost and its lovely. My mum's colours realy as it doesn't, under any circumstances, go with my hair. Red and baby pink do not mix. Also makes me look bluer than I actually am. If I was any bluer, I would be a smurf. All I would need is a white pointy hat and you could call me Smurfette. I got the Malabrigo from our stricktreff 'dealer'. I mailed her to see if she still had the Wollmeise natural lace weight and if she could bring it for me and she brought this too. I'm on a yarn diet!!!!! I will not be lead into temptation. Okay so I dramatically caved into temptation but that's not a bad thing when it comes to Wollmeise or Malabrigo for that matter AND I have been knitting like a fiend recently. have a look at the pickies below and you'll see that himself's aircraft carrier sized socks are almost finished. All I have to do now is the heel and the foot and then Fanny's your aunt, they're finnished.

My trip to the Hague and Paris were both sucessful in certain ways. TH was okay despite the nasty person who decided to express his problem with my weight on a busy shopping street in the city centre.
Unwanted, rude and sometimes downright offensive opnion expressing is a national sport in this country so I try not to get offended. I've been told that the opionee's are just being honest and do this for the good of the opinion receiver's health and looks however, I'm not entirely convinced. Down right nastiness and the desire to make oneself feel good by making others feel bad about themselves seems like a more likely explaination.
The conversation went something like this.

rude cheese head: you're fat
me: excuse me?
rch: you're fat
me: well you're ugly
rch: you're still fat
me: well I can diet but you'll still be ugly.

I did manage to see a few friends there which is always nice and I got to stay in a big posh hotel which was nice too. The best thing about NL is that I can watch BBC1 and 2 there.

Paris was nice too. I didn't get to La Doguerie which is actually good because they have some new books and I would have needed check-in luggage after all. We had fun in the Thistle Bar (one of 3 scottish bars) I know it sounds silly, being scottish and going all the way to paris and then going to a scottish bar. Not living in Scotland kind of makes me homesick sometimes and going to a scottish bar makes me sick of home and anyway, I can buy walkers salt'n'vinegar and irn bru there. Also I wasn't really on a weekend break, I was on national service. We got beat by France but it was a good game and its much better than being beaten by Eng.

Out of Office

I'll be off to Den Haag for a couple of days (work) so my knitting is packed and so is this. Its a birds nest smoke ring in Malabrigo Lace. Its really soft and its a pressie for a friend of mine. I hope she likes it. I really fancy one myself but I'm not sure about the way the colour has worked in. Also its a bit bright in this photo. the real thing has a purple burgandy note to it. I've got enough left to knit another one. Maybe this time with the pico edge. I got annoyed with the last picot edge and frogged it.


I'm not sure if the colours are any better in this close up. A wee bit but not much but maybe I should try without flash next time.

Well I'd bette get going. I've checked in on line so I don't need to get to the airport super early. I've got my pfauenauge clapotis packed and of course some extra yarn just in case I finish everything and have nothing to knit on the train to Paris. I'm going there on Friday. I'm not going for the romantic valentine's weekend for 2. No, I'm off to watch Scotland getting humped by France. Sorry, I'm off to watch Scotland play France at rugby....
Fingers crossed we do better than we did against the welsch.

Quickie

Blogging was invented for rainy wet lunch times when you don't want to stick your head outside and you forgot to pick up your latest knitting project off the couch in the morning rush to get out of the door. Since taking this picture and posting it (record time of 5 minutes. Well its a record for me), the sky has become a deep shade of grey and the rain is bouncing off of the ground.

Oh joy. The weather gods are not on my side today. Not only did I forget my knitting, I also forgot my weather proofs which means that I'll be biking it back on the U-Bahn if this keeps up.

Just to cheer me up though. Here's a shot of Mrs W's shawl. Hope she likes it. If not then I'm sure one of her cronies will.

I'm really getting into my de-stashing or yarn dieting. Once I get back from Paris and before my mum-in-law gets here, I think I'll tidy the stash and see what screams at me next. I'm thinking that the baby pink kid silk night might want to jump onto a crochet hook and become a very lovely crochet scarf/wrap thing for summer.

The scary thing about tidying the stash is even though I only tidied a bit of it (the stuff I could see) I've not sorted the stuff in boxes yet. I'll need to empty out everything and perhaps weigh and catalogue stuff. Now that is scary. Perhaps I'll skip the weighing part. I never had a good relationship with scales anyway.

Back to the grindstone now

Frank's Fuzzy Feet Finished.

Thanks to an ear infection, I've been quite industrious over the past week or so. I was off work for a whole three days and managed to get lots and lots done. Frank's fuzzy feet got finished, laminara got blocked, shawl for Joris' mum got started finished and blocked, birds nest cowl started and finished and I've started a clapotis with the wollmeise pfauen auge or whatever the colourway its called. I bought that particular lace weight ages ago to do the peacock feather shawl but the yarn didn't want to be a peacock feather shawl. I've started various projects with it only to frog after a few centimeters again because the yarn didn't want to be a laminara, a jeanie or anything else I attempted. So this very nice but stubbourn yarn got thrown into the naughty corner and left for a few months to think about its behavior and repent. Last week's bedroom and stash tidying episode brought various UFO's to light and also the naughty corner yarn came creeping out looking very sheepish (pun intended) and calling out 'I want to be a clapotis' so its becoming a clapotis (piccie to follow sometime)




The baby sock in the above photo isn't actually a baby sock, its my size 38s. I've not got tiny feet. They're kind of average but when compared to Frank's titanic sized feet, they're more like wee tiny life boats for one. Okay so the huge sock is not for a giant. Its an UN-felted Fuzzy Foot.




This is the after foto. After 2 times in the washing machine. They fit himself extremely well and have been keeping his feet all snugly. I've still got some of the wool left and I would guess that I have enough to make myself a pair but I've got that purple stuff too. Decisions decisions... I'll make up my mind some day.




You may already have guessed since this blog is kind of picture heavy but I have a new digi camera hence another photo of Laminnara. This time while its blocking on top of a towel on my bed. I love it and I've hardly had it off of my neck since it dried. Tis very warm too.




This lovely example is for my friends mum. She used to knit for everyone and however she's now quite ill and unable to knit. She's always cold when she goes to visit so I thought a nice wee wrap, shawl, tuch or something would be good for her. I used a whole ball of some italian kid silk mohair thing. Same stuff as kid silk haze but very much cheaper and in my stash (yarn diet not broken for that) and that was including the frill at the end. The instructions I got were rubbish and in typical brit style, written out row by row. I like charts. Charts are easier to read and you're less likely to loose your place. Why do the majority of UK designers insist on writing out row by row instructions (yes its rant time again) when a chart takes up less space, gives you view on what its supposed to look like without a photo and the only translating which needs done, if you need it translating, is the key. Oh and its almost idiot proof. I ended up charting the thing myself. I also ended up changing a few things and ingoring the instructions on the frill. It turned out really well and will be on its way to NL tomorrow.

Even though its Monday, I'm actually in a good mood. The weekend was good and without hangovers. Shocking considering that this weekend I was celebrating my new job, it was karaoke AND 6 nations. I'm off to Paris on Friday to watch Scotland getting humped again. This time by France. If we win the wooden spoon 3 times in a row, do we get to keep it? Actually I think its time we started selling them back to the rest of the participants. Would be nice if someone else won it for a change.

Fuzzie

Another photo of my Laminnara and the colours show a bit better but not much considering that the wool looks slightly green in the photo and there's no green in the wool. Still using the rubbish phone camera though.
Went up to the Faden Insel at lunch time. Actually I was on another secret errand wthat I don't dare post here just in case the person involved sees even though they're not a very bloggy person and also not really into knitting. You never know so best kept unpublished for now. Anyhoo the Faden Insel was on the way back to work so of course I couldn't resist going in. They now have the new knitpicks tunisian crochet for doing big projects. You can screw one of those cords on and bob's your father's brother, you can do big blankets etc.
The yarn diet was broken only slightly as his nibs requested fuzzy feet last night and I don't have enough feltable stuff to make them for him. I had made a pair for him before but he managed to really felt one so that it fits me (must make myself another one). He was doing the wash so I couldn't shout at him for being careless. At the moment, he's at home nursing a bad cold and would like fuzzy feet to keep his tootsies warm. He insists that he has the flu but he's a guy. What more can I say?
I'm getting sidetracked yet again. Anyway the fuzzy feet. Actually I do have enough feltable wool for his fuzzies. I have purple feltable wool but I don't really fancy making using that for him. Purple is my colour. I bought some manly navy blue stuff for the manly fuzzies. That's really a contradiction in terms but never mind. I bought enough to make a new pair for him. I will just chuck the other black one in the wash some more so that I have a pair and then knit myself another pair of purple ones. Or, I could make a bag out of the purple stuff. Here that would be a good idea. Nice purple cable pattern then felted.
I've taken a couple of hours free this afternoon so I'm off to the bookshop on the way home. I'm on a yarn diet not a literature diet. Oh and I've decided to sign up for the OU english lit course. I'll be doing that soon and then starting in September. I read that much that it makes sence to get some sort of qualification out of it.

Catch up and Australia Day

This is what I managed to get done on my road trip this weekend. its not such a good photo but its a phone camera so what do you expect? I would have gotten more done but I did have to do a stint of driving, partying, meeting new niece and shopping. The pattern is.......yep you guessed it.....Laminara from Knitty and I'm actually enjoying knitting it. The yarn is malbringo baby merino. The colourway is paris night. Unfortunately, you can't really see the colours in this photo (apologies again for my rubbish phone camera). Its a very dark grey with dark lilac and turquoise. Sort of twighlight colours. The best thing about this project is that its for me :o) I'm still on the monster kilt socks for Frank. He has extremely long legs. I've got Charleen's darkside cowl done (one night knit)in Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran and of course a couple of wee jasjes (dutch for wee jackets) for my new niece also in cashmerino and something else soft.

I'm on a yarn diet at the moment and its going well. I'm only allowed to buy yarn if I get rid of 500g of stashed yarn. Its called Wollabspecken in german :). I'm thinking of starting up a group on ravelry as I've come up with some pretty cool rules and fun things to help those with yarn dietry issues. Not just me actually. I pinched some ideas from some fellow yarn adicts. So far I've managed to get rid of a few extra gramms of wool and after the monster socks are done, the laminara, the wips, ufos and orphans, I'll be able to buy a few kilos again :o)
Rule so far is for every 500g used. I get to buy 100g. I also get to buy 100g for every 2kg I loose personaly :) Sort of Wollbauchbeinpoabspeckregime (wool-tums-legs-bums-fatloss-regime). Dunno if that will make the next edition of the Duden dictionary but I kind of like it.



Life wise, everything is cool. My new niece (yippee a girl, I can knit wee dresses for her and everything) is lovely and weighs a tonne already. My nephew is gorgeous too and keeps giving his new wee sister kisses and cuddles which is really sweet. Berlin is cold and grey but that's January for you. I reckon that January was invented for knitters. You see the thing is, all those folks who don't knit, crochet, sew, quilt etc etc are absolutely bored out of their minds and hate January. I love it. I get to spend time at home knitting, reading (currently on a non fiction kick) and other indoorsy stuff. I've even heard of some folks who start their christmas knitting in January. If you're that organised then fine. I'm going to wait till summer. the mittens which I didn't get finished this year are up for next year.

And to my lovely Australian friends. Happy Australia day. This time last year, I was in an Aussie bar in Amsterdam with Mess (my twin brother seperated by parentage, a continent and 4 months) getting rather drunk and doing my impression of Shrek by shouting at Donkey (another aussie who's nickname is donkey. I won't say why though) This year, I'll have toast with butter and vegemite. Yumm.