knittingtastic

Two Down

2010-06-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

Another week gone in the 52 Pair Plunge challenge and I have managed to get myself back on track by completing not one, but two pairs of socks which have both flown the nest.

Orlando the Marmalade Cat socks are all finished and have been sent to their new home...

and a fab odd pair of Karenina Socks which have now gone on tour with the p/hop team.

So, two pairs down, only 50 to go. I had better get back to my knitting!

Flying the Flag

2010-06-11T16:30:00.001-07:00

I have been really looking forward to the World Cup, so when I saw this brilliant Yarnissima pattern I knew I had to track down the yarn and knit a pair for my beloved, which is exactly what I did...

Aren't they fab?! They are knit in Regia Nation Color which has now been reinvented as Regia World. The red, white and blue screamed 'patriot' and it was only after knitting them up it actually dawned on me that rather than flying the Union Jack he would be waving the French Tricolore.

I rushed out and bought something more appropriate

and in order to cover all bases...

Come on England!

Less Haste, More Speed

2010-06-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we are already in to the second week of the 52PP and I have acheived the grand total of half a pair of socks. It's a very pretty sock though.

Sneaky peek...

I am knitting these for a friend in exchange for a skein of Wollmeise. Dangling Wollmeise in front of my eyes will make me do pretty much anything, except maybe intarsia. The pattern is Rumpled by Alice Yu, better known as Socktopus and the yarn is Eidos by The Sanguine Gryphon in the colourway Pyrrus and it reminds me of a certain fictional cat...

I love Orlando, such beautiful books.

Fools..

2010-05-20T05:21:00.000-07:00

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt - Mark Twain

I have signed up to the 52 Pair Plunge. The challenge is to knit 52 pairs of socks in 52 weeks starting on 1st June 2010 and I thought it would be good to record my progress by starting to blog again. Any cheering from the sidelines that you are able to offer would be most welcome.

I love knitting socks, which is just as well!

A sneaky peek of a work in progress:

These are the Karenina Sock by probablyjane and are a charity pattern for p/hop. They are nowhere near as complicated as they look and knit up surprisingly fast, but you don't need to tell people that, let them think you have laboured for hours.

I will be back with an update and hopefully some finished pairs of socks

Still Here!

2008-10-05T01:53:00.000-07:00

I was going to make excuses for having been away for so long but the only one I have is that I have been so busy! It's incredible how quickly life moves sometimes and so true that you really do have to grasp it with both hands before it slips away.

My blog station called me back following a wonderful episode on the bus...

I am in the process of knitting another pair of Canal du Midi socks for my other half and as they are a secret surprise for his birthday they are my current bus knitting project. I was busily clicking away the other morning and heard, 'What are you making?' I took my earphones out and a little girl was looking at me and my knitting. 'It's a sock' I said, 'would you like to see a finished one?' I got a very enthusiastic nod in return. 'Now, you have to remember that I am making them for my boyfriend and my feet are not this big!' I got another nod.

I have to emphasise at this point that my beloved is long of leg and long of foot and his sock is therefore, well, long! Following a rummage in my knitting bag I produced the finished sock and held it up for the little lady to see. She took a look at it, looked at me, then looked at my feet! By this time the sock had garnered quite a crowd and her reaction to my work and the size of this incredible piece of knitted fabric produced an excellent comedic moment on the bus. It not only made my morning but my day.

Yep, I'm still here and still knitting.

Knitting after Le Tour

2008-07-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

Life is a little strange without the Tour de France Knitalong...I don't really quite know what to knit next.

I have a few UFO's lurking in the bottom of my knitting bag that I should really pick up, plus an ever-increasing blocking queue that really does need tackling, but of course I decided just to cast-on something new instead!

This is the 'With Added Gust Scarf' and will be for my 'nearly' Mother-in-Law. It is in the lovely Caber yarn by The Yarn Yard and the colours are so stunningly delicate I can't stop holding the piece at arms length and admiring the dye work! The best description I can come up with for it is almost like a muted version of Dolly Mixture sweets, full of lavenders, pinks and greens but quite dusky...just beautiful.

I hope I will be able to part with this one as the previous Gust scarf was intended as a present and didn't quite make it that far!

Le Tour - Le Grand Fin

2008-07-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

I made it!

Did you see me riding full blast down the Champs Elysee with the wind behind me and La Asphalt Chanteuse flapping in the slipstream just before midnight?

It was a hard fought battle at the end, but with grit and determination I made it!

I am left wondering now if I have done enough to earn my King of the Mountain jersey as it has certainly been an uphill struggle at times.

I have learnt a lot of new techniques throughout the course of the Tour...

1) The Double Start Cast-On
2) Using contrasting colours for the cuff, heel and toe of a sock
3) A new heel technique (apologies that I do not know the official name for it)
4) The rosebud toe (which was later abandoned in favour of kitchener stitch)
5) Shaping through the calf to give a better fit
6) Lovely twisty cable stitches done without a cable needle

All in all I am pretty pleased! There are a couple of things that I will do differently next time, for example, I am not that keen on the way the heel sits when it is on the foot and I started the contrasting wool a couple of lines too early but, hey, this is only my fourth pair of socks.

I can't wait to see all my fellow Moutons Volantes cyclists crossing the line with their garments in hand, it has been exciting to see what everyone has been knitting and the gusto with which they and all the other riders have approached this project.

Right I do believe it is time for a well deserved glass of something very cold and slightly fizzy...Salut mes amies!

Le Tour - Into The Final Stages

2008-07-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Following a quiet second week I have managed to pick up a bit a speed and make some headway with sock nombre deux...

Thought I would show you the 'neglected' back view so you can see the efforts of my ribbing! I love the heel flap stage of sock knitting as I still find it difficult to believe that this strange alien shape is eventually going to fit a foot, and it reminds me how clever knitting is.

I think I should just scrape through the finishing line on Sunday with a bit more pedal power over the next few days.

Allez mes petits Moutons Volante

Un Toe et Deux Cuff

2008-07-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

Le Tour Update: Somewhere near Pau

As it is rest day I am using the time to knit a new baby hat, but can now update you on The Singing Road socks...

As you can see there is now a finished toe and another new cuff which can only mean that sock one is complete, but I will keep you in suspense to see the whole article until the pair is knitted up!

I am a bit disappointed with the toe and it does bear a passing resemblance to a breast, however it fits quite well so I guess I did alright for a first effort? I will learn to master the kitchener stitch and use this from now on rather than this technique of gathering the remaining stitches together.

I have a train journey to look forward to tomorrow and I always see them as the perfect opportunity for pure unadulterated, guilt-free knitting time so I am hoping to make good progress.

A bientot mes amies!

Winter is a comin'

2008-07-14T14:26:00.001-07:00

Look what popped through my letterbox on Saturday...

The continual rainy days in London over the last week had put me in a wintery mood so there was much excitement chez moi as the realisation hit me that it is now perfectly acceptable to begin knitting in earnest again for winter...Hurrah!

I won't discuss the content of the latest Rowan book just yet as I don't want to spoil the surprise for all you other subscribers, so I am going to hold off for another week or so. All I will say is that there a stunningly, stylish shoot but a glaringly obvious lack of anything for the men...shame on you Rowan, particularly when you have so many male designers and more and more men are picking up the needles, plus it is winter, the perfect time for knitting snuggly woolens for men. Please do let me know what you think about this as I am going to let Rowan know what I think, as it is so strange that they have cut men out of the book completely.

I also picked up the latest issue of Vogue last week as it has all the new trends in for Autumn and Winter, plus a supplement from the catwalk shows.

As I do have a fashion degree I thought maybe I could try and put it to some use and pick out a couple of the key knitwear trends that will be appearing in magazines and stores over the coming season, but I will be creating my very own individual interpretations at home!

Burberry Prossum have a 'bit of a thing' for luxurious cashmere and silk mix fibres knitted into ribbed and cabled beanie hats and another key accessory, the fingerless glove. Using luxury fibres for small accessories is a great way to treat yourself or a loved one without breaking the bank as you do not need that much yarn.

A lot of coverage of gansey and aran patterns has had me reaching for one of my favourite 'comfort' books by Gladys Thompson, entitled 'Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys and Arans - Fishermen's Sweaters from the British Isles'. It covers a wide range of stitches and patterns traditionally used in making Jerseys and Guernseys and there are some excellent photographs illustrating both the knitting and the fishermen.

I have spent most of the day thinking about 'big' scarves and when I say big I mean big! I want to create a big chunky, statement scarf for this winter but as the weather has turned and we are now once again basking in glorious sunshine just the thought of it makes me overheat slightly!

Back in the Saddle

2008-07-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Le Tour: Stages Huit et Neuf

Inspired by the superb performance of British rider Mark Cavendish, I have battled through the rain and nearly reached the end of sock number un...

Team C.A. are putting in a particularly fine performance as we enter the second week and there are socks, crochet squares, cardigan and jumper parts flying off the needles!

Allez Allez Team!!

Gin, Germolene and Rocky Roads

2008-07-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Le Tour: Stages Cinq, Six et Sept

Well, I really shouldn't have spoken too soon in my last blog entry about the knitting going so smoothly as these last three stages really have been an uphill struggle...

Official descriptions from the TDF website speak of, 'the longest stage of the 2008 Tour', which it feels like at the moment. 'The pack will encounter its first difficulties', and yes I am feeling the burn! And just to bring the first week to a close...'A short, but very nervy stage along the steep roads of the Massif Central. Climbing the Puy Mary before descending on to Aurillac could hold some interesting surprises. The riders need to be careful not to lose precious seconds', or in my case stitches!

The trouble started on Wednesday during stage five when I realised I was going to have to back-peddle a substantial number of rows after getting slightly lost on my chart. I put in a request to Jane for the Le Germolene and a dab of that plus a small gin soon had me back on track!

Progress was then scuppered by a very nasty puncture on the number 12 bus this morning and I had to do an emergency en route repair with my crochet hook. I have a strange love/hate relationship with dropped stitches as I do quite like picking them back up to see how they work but as this one was a 'knit into the back of' stitch it proved a little trickier.

So, unfortunately not much progress, in fact so little I will wait for more sock growth before posting another picture rather than playing spot the difference between one here and that on stage four!

Adios amigos! (my French is failing me today)

Need For Speed

2008-07-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Stage Four: Cholet Time Trial

Phew, just made it through the time trial!

The official desciption of this stage is 'short and intense, but also smooth', and as I am finding the TDF stages are relating spookily well to my sock stages. I have 'intensely' sprinted through the heel of La Chanteuse and have learnt a new technique in the process. By knitting to the bottom of the foot then beginning even short row shaping you get a lovely right-angled heel cup to sit your foot in.

As you can see I have worked in the Asphalt yarn again for contrast and will pick this up again for the toe. My main concern at the moment is that everything seems to be going rather too smoothly...

Au revoir mes petit pois!

Le Tour Stages Deux et Tois

2008-07-07T04:46:00.000-07:00

Stage Two: Auray - Saint-Brieuc

Following a slow start I feel that I am making good headway and have rejoined the 'pack' in this stage.

The main colour has been introduced and after originally naming it 'Chartreuse' I have change it to 'Chanteuse' the French feminine word for singer. Combine this with Asphalt and in a rough Franglais I have christened my TDF socks 'La Asphalt Chanteuse' or 'The Singing Road Socks'.

This particular section of the race is described as 'short and tense on hilly roads featuring the climb up the Mur de Bretagne “wall”' and it seems to describe perfectly how the sock is progressing. Getting to grips with the travelling pattern is a tense affair and a couple of my little birch Brittany needles have developed a nasty bend but they are hanging in there. There is a relief though as the pattern calls for a knit 2, purl 2 rib on needles 1 and 2.

Having a look at other Team CA projects everyone is putting an excellent first push and probablyjane has posted a superb commentator's report and there is the low-down on all the other competing riders.

Onwards and upwards!

Stage Three: Saint-Malo - Nantes

Moving confidently on to Stage Three with the promise of 'a rolling early part of the stage along the banks of the Rance, through Dinan and Calorgen, (plunging) into Brittany on straight and fast-riding roads to end at Nantes, the farthest point of the Loire area. This will be the first real chance the sprinters have at a stage win.' This looks as though it is time to settle back in the saddle, don my comfiest cycling shorts and knit like the wind down the leg before facing the time-trial tomorrow and the possibility of a heel?

Knit on mes amies!

Le Tour de France Knitalong 2008

2008-07-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Le Grand Depart - Brest to Plumelec

And we are off!

Well almost!

I have got off to a slow start as the riders left Brest on the first leg of Le Tour, my yarn finished its journey from Edinburgh to London and threw my project plans into disarray. It is so beautiful that I decided my chosen project wouldn't do it justice and have had to rethink at the last moment. I am considering this to be a technical difficulty along the lines of having the wrong saddle for the terrain. On a more positive note my Yarn Yard colours match pretty well with my riding team, Team Credit Agricole, in fact I could not have requested a better colour scheme, although the yarn shows up more bluey in the pictures!

My decision is now made and I am going to knit the Canal du Midi socks from Knitting On The Road by Nancy Bush. This will be my fourth pair of socks and they have a relatively fiddly lace detail on them, a different heel to the ones I have knit before and some shaping around the ankle which are all new techniques I have not tried before making them perfect for the Polka-Dot jersey category.

Cast-on is complete and I have learnt a new technique already, that of the Double Start Cast-On and thanks to the wonder of the internet found a great video to help me. This particular method gives a nice elastic and very neat edge making it perfect for sock cuffs.

Doesn't the yarn look great! I have named this one Asphalt as it has a lovely gravel appearance.

Bonne Nuit!

Hyperbolic Crochet & Coral Reefs

2008-07-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

I have had the most amazing visual overload today that has re-ignited the itch in me to pick up a crochet hook again.

The astonishing Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is currently on display at the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Project Space on London's South Bank and if you can get there for a visit I highly recommend it.

Daina Taimina picked up her crochet hook about ten years ago with the aim of creating a model of hyperbolic space, which is where parallel lines do not stay the same distance apart but gradually curve away from each other. This goes against everything we have ever been taught about parallel lines and was so conceptually challenging in the minds of the worlds greatest mathematicians that they have never been able to write a formula for it or indeed even visualise it...enter Daina.

Using basic crochet techniques and increasing in a calculated way, Daina discovered that it was possible to see the curving of the parallel lines and invented Hyperbolic Crochet. These hyperbolic crochet models have gone on to be used around the world as demonstration models in universities and throughout the mathematics field and Daina has gone on to invent hyperbolic sewing.

The finished hyperbolic crochet items resemble pieces of coral and inspired Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring to begin crocheting a coral reef in order to raise awareness of the plight of reefs. The Hyperbolic Reef is touring and people are welcome to join in and learn about hyperbolic crochet and add their own piece of coral to the reef. If you can't make it to the exhibition but are still inspired there are instructions on creating your piece and it can then be sent to Margaret and Christine for addition to the model, just follow the link for the IFF given above and the details are at the bottom of their page.

It has been a long time since I experienced the Wow factor and this did it for me! The work is incredible. So inventive, colourful, thoughtful, experimental and breathtaking. Craft brings people together in amazing ways and I will just share this last comment with you...

There was a mother with her young son and daughter at the exhibit and they were so excited and the little girl said, 'is this all really made from knitting' and Mum replied with a 'yes', and the daughter piped up, 'well when I get home can you teach me?'

And so from one generation to the next the craft passes again.

Wales!

2008-06-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a fabulous weekend in Mid Wales, spent with old friends enjoying the good times!

This was my first visit to the land of the Red Dragon and I do hope to return and see more of it. The countryside is so stunning, very green and lush and there is an abundance of wild foxgloves and of course sheep! I discovered that even though I have spent a lot of time around sheep I never realised how difficult they are to photograph until now...

Our country retreat

Foxgloves

Cardigan Bay

Stitch Markers

2008-06-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

As you may know by now I am a keen advocate of 'bus knitting'. It took a little while to get over the initial self-conciousness of knitting in such an enclosed public space but now I don't think twice about whipping my Addi turbos out!

My current bus project is the Gust scarf and today I made a mistake and desperately needed a stitch marker. I had a good rummage around the bottom of my knitting bag but to no avail, so I rummaged around my handbag hoping I could find a substitute.

This is what I came up with...

Can you guess what it is yet? Yep, it's the tear strip off my chewing gum wrapper and it worked a treat for the row I needed it for! It also seemed less snag free than the paper clip markers I caught my Mum using whilst knitting up her beautiful Habu silk cardigan!!

So, I wondered what have you used as stitch markers or other knitting notions when the correct tool isn't to hand?

The Lure of the East

2008-06-14T11:45:00.000-07:00

Last year I joined a fantastic charity called The Art Fund who are an independent source of funding for UK galleries, museums, and historic houses. In return for funding to buy pieces for their collections the 'establishment' then offers Art Fund members something in return, usually in the form of discounted or free entry to their exhibitions or collections. Brilliant! So I get to contribute towards a little piece of heritage for the UK's galleries, museums or historic houses and I get discounted entry to most of the major exhibitions within London and the 'establishments' get their much needed funding.

Being an Art Fund member has meant that I have been to see a lot more exhibitions than I would have gone to had I just been a member at one gallery as I am not tied to one gallery. This morning I headed off to see The Lure of the East at Tate Britain. I was not sure what to expect so it was a very pleasant surprise!

The exhibition covers work by British artists from the seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries who were responding to the sights of the Near East, including Turkey, Egypt and Palestine. It is a very opulent exhibition, full of rich colour and texture making it perfect for anyone interested in textiles and colour combination.

These are my three favourite paintings:

An Arab Interior by Arthur Melville

Leila by Frank Dicksee

Edward Wortby Montagu in Oriental Costume by George Romney

They are not my usual 'cup of tea' but I am so captivated by the colours I can already feel a second visit coming on...

Repeat After Me

2008-06-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

As me and my beloved are heading off to France this summer and I am currently in training for the Tour de France KAL, I have decided that it is time to refresh my French conversational skills. In order to do this with the minimum of embarrassment I have been looking at a few audio courses I can study at home or mutter quietly under my breath on the bus...

This appealed to me because of the word 'Active' in the title but I can still remember a few key phrases from school.

'Taking Off in French' sounds incredibly exciting but I don't fancy completing Le Tour on this bike!

Anything with food on the cover is always going to be a 'guaranteed' sale!

Vive La France!

Socks Are Friends

2008-06-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last week was about finishing off a pair of socks I have had lurking in the bottom of my knitting bag for far too long and now they are done all I can think of is knitting more and more socks...just as well with the Tour de France KAL coming up!

I only learnt the art of sock knitting in February when I decided it was time to face my fear and attend a short course at I Knit being taught by Jane. It is true that you do catch the 'sock bug'. This pair are the outcome of Jane's gentle and patient teaching and I am so proud of them!

Before I had even finished the first pair I had chosen the yarn to knit up a pair for my beloved...

And then before before I knew it I was casting on a pair of Go With The Flow socks in lovely Yarn Yard Bonny Buxom just for me!

Socks are friends. You can take them anywhere. They don't take up a lot of room in your handbag. They are easy to squish if you need to jump off the bus in a hurry. But, what I have found most intriguing is that socks in progress encourage conversations with total strangers! It's great! I have chatted to a lady who was just curious, another lady about her cousin's generator and a man about his mother who at 90 could still knit on four needles and she was blind!

Tour de France Knit Along

2008-06-08T02:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick news flash!

I have just been accepted as a member of Team Credit Agricole for the second annual Tour de France Knit Along

Le Tour kicks off on Saturday 5th July in Brest and ends on Sunday 27th July in Paris by which time about 200 riders will have tackled 3,500 kilometers of road and I should have learnt a new knitty technique and cheered on my team! I am knitting for a Polka Dot Jersey, also known as King of the Mountains and it a project that will be a challenge to me.

Watch this space for updates during Le Tour and you can follow all the teams at the main website and cheer on all us sporting knitters.

Right, I better go and limber up!

Zippedy Gust

2008-06-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Following the success of the Hypoteneuse scarf I have just cast on another of Anne Hanson's patterns...

This one is Gust and is in Caber yarn by The Yarn Yard...I'm so excited already!!

Magic Balls!

2008-05-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

They have arrived!

My beautiful Magic Balls by the yarn genius that is Sophie's Toes are the current pride of my stash and they were worth the hard fought battle to get them as I am sure you discerning yarn addicts will agree...

Magic Balls have been revived by Emily Parson in her Etsy shop and utilise an age old technique of tying together leftover lengths of yarn and winding it into a ball for it to be knit into a technicolour dream item. Emily uses lengths of her hand-dyed sock yarn and supplies a scarf pattern with each ball, but she has also knitted the most amazing Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise jacket from a ball which is what sold the yarn to me.

Unfortunately all this winding takes its toll and the Magic Balls will not be available again until the autumn but I am going to have a go at home...Google 'Magic Balls Yarn Knitting' and you will find lots of articles on the subject to help you create your very own individual Magic Ball!

Street Roses

2008-05-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

These beauties grow happily down my street and I am always amazed by their colours...

...I know they will never win any prizes, but that coral colour and the yellow and pink together!

Community

2008-05-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

One of the loveliest things about knitting is all the people you meet along the way. You do actually become part of a community and it is not long before you realise that you are never alone.

Thanks to the internet we knitters can chat to others anywhere in the world and swap tips, tricks, compare yarns, get serious stash envy and learn about our chosen craft. Sites such as Ravelry are bringing thousands of knitters together every day. This week I met up with Gabrielle of O.R.K. Because to do a dodgy street yarn deal and sat for 15 minutes and talked Wonder Wool and IKnit amongst other knitty topics. I have also met other people through Ravelry and it is always so easy to chat because we have a common bond...knitting!

So remember, if you are knitting you are never alone. There will always be another knitter out there happy to talk yarn, so make the most of it.

Small communities can achieve great things and I have added a 'Stars of Charity Knitting' links section to the right. You will find a number of charities who accept knitted items kindly donated by knitters for very worthwhile causes. I have listed those I am personally involved with. There are many more out there that you may find a more common bond with, but I am sure you will have a spare half ball or odds and ends of yarn lurking in a bag that can be easily whipped up into a beautiful knitted item that will be gratefully received. Knitting the hat for for the Sailor's Society was how I learned to do cables (see picture below), and the Burundi Bears are great fun for letting your imagination run wild with colour combinations!

Movement

2008-05-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to the Tate Modern to see the Duchamp, Manray, Picabia exhibition and didn't leave disappointed as I finally got to see one of my favourite paintings in the flesh (no pun intended)

This is the amazing Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp and it got me thinking about movement in patterns and how stitches can me used to give the effect of movement. Repeat stitch patterns are described as 'travelling' and give a line through a piece of knitted fabric and cable work in particular can be used to incredible effect. I still find the Bloody Stupid Johnson hat a mean feat of cable work and it literally runs around the wearers head! Another good example would be Gust by Anne Hanson which has a lovely rhythm running through it and is similar to my current 'bus knitting' wip, the Hypoteneuse Scarf by the same designer.

I hope you can see where I am coming from? Now I am on this train of thought it will keep popping up and I am sure to find more examples. The Hypoteneuse is nearly finished, just another 3 repeats to do and it apparently requires a 'stern blocking'...watch this space!

And So To Knitting

2008-05-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

Allow me to introduce my current favourite work in progress (WIP)...the Kerry Blue Square Shawl from Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls by Martha Waterman.

I am working in Rowan 4 Ply Soft and it is a lovely yarn to knit with. I have a guilty secret...I am a serial sale stalker. You will find me lurking near bargain bins, rummaging through end of lines and quietly stashing odd balls of discontinued treasure. This is how the striped Kerry Blue has happened.

I have collected a number of half price balls of the 4 ply and they look so fab together. I think I am going to have to go and buy one ball of full price cream but I can live with that. Stashing yarn in this way is such a great way to get a creative project together as you will find yourself trying colour combinations that you may otherwise have never contemplated. I love the murky green with the pink and in turn the green with the brown, yet I am not a big pink fan but it really lifts the other colours. I can't wait to finish the shawl.

The pattern looks really complicated for lace knitters in their beginning days like me but all it requires is a little concentration. It is really quite simple and looks so effective. This will also be my first lace blocking and from what I have heard it is the most exciting part of a lace project...will keep you posted...

Blank Page

2008-05-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

Why is it when faced with a blank page this is when the mind too goes blank?

There is a writer who always starts the next page before retiring for the day, so when he returns the following morning he does not have to face the blank page syndrome. My mind is so blank right now I cannot even remember who the writer is, in fact maybe I even made it up or saw it on a movie.

I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while now. So many things go through my mind whilst knitting and I either scribble them down on scraps of paper or they vanish into the ether before I even have time to do that.

My mind is so random and sometimes so blank that may be somedays there will not be a lot to say and others may be filled with the most remarkable happenings. Who knows. All I do hope is that my blog is more interesting than the diary I kept at the age of 8!

I look forward to meeting whoever may stumble across my lame ramblings please do say Hi...it will reassure me that I am not the only one who understands what on earth I am on about!