This afternoon was a special occasion: the first Purlescence Open House. I opened my doors for a few eager knitters to come and hang out, drink tea, knit together, and oh yes... maybe do a little shopping.

We had a great time. Mel brought some amazing brownies. I meant to take photos, but was too busy having fun... sorry! Anyway, all was going well; there was a little civilised yarn fondling, a little sharing of knitting tips and showing off of FOs, a lot of cookie eating (or was that just me?). Good times.

And then I suggested that maybe people wanted to take a peek at the stockroom.

Wow.

Apparently a handful of really excited knitters seems like a lot more than a handful; Armin flatly refused to believe there weren't at least double the actual number of us running upstairs and squealing. Drawers were pulled out. People were squatting on the floor rifling through the goods, oohing and aahing at what they discovered. (Earlier, Stephanie - a new Ravelry friend - had asked excitedly: "Are you going to stock rosewood needles?" Oh, my dear, what you don't know...) There was squeezing, and stroking, and dithering, and a fair amount of cooing and sighing. And then there was begging. "Will you do this again, Robynn?" "Can we come back?" "Please!" "I'll make more brownies!"

Brownies? Oh all right then.

I'm thinking of making it a monthly event. The next one should be on Saturday 23 May. If you want to join the mailing list, please leave a comment. I would really love to meet more of you!

Posted by Robynn at 06:26 PM | Permalink | 6 cups of tea on the table

Cara read my blog this week, and was suddenly motivated to send me pictures of her wedding gifts. Yay Cara! Thank you!

Behold the Princess Cara tiara:

In action:

(Cara is seen here paying close attention to... a salad.
It occurs to me that I might have a thing or two to learn about throwing a wild and crazy hen party.)

And behold! Gecko doing its work: enacting cosiness!

Cara also sent me another pic of herself wrapped up in Gecko (with strict instructions not to publish it), which appears to have been taken on her honeymoon. Now that's what we like to see: knitted gifts being loved. Double yay Cara! Yay Gecko! (Remember when I said I wasn't sure it was successful? Yeah, I'm over that.)

Posted by Robynn at 09:31 AM | Permalink | 1 cups of tea on the table

Happy Christmas to meeee! Apparently 10 or so hours of DVDs are a marvellous assist in getting some knitting done. Actually, why is it that I always seem to finish multiple projects around the same time? Makes no sense. They're not like lightbulbs. Huh. It's quite annoying, since I then have to hunt around for a whole handful of new things instead of being able to grab an already started project and just keep on stitching. (Aside: how do you feel about starting things? Obviously I love the fun of a whole new project, but I don't enjoy getting it together - photocopying the pattern (or, worse, taking a zillion measurements and notes, if I'm creating my own), winding up skeins, taking out an assortment of needles, swatching to find the right ones, and so on and so on until I can actually cast on and GO!)

Continue reading "Finish-itis" »

Posted by Robynn at 10:45 AM | Permalink | 6 cups of tea on the table

You know what happens this week, don't you?

Ally Pally. The Knitting & Stitching Show. (Well, not the only one, of course; but I'm only exhibiting at this one.) The Big Scary Expo.

What, is that not the right attitude? Is it supposed to be exciting? Weeell... yes, I can see that. But for me, dear knitters, it's mostly scary. Luckily I know some of you will be there, so that's something to look forward to. Stand M33 is the place - and as I have been hinting, there will be some rather special knitterly treats unveiled at the show. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but if you are a lace knitter, or a crocheter, you should be particularly excited. So. Come and see me! I'll need all the encouragement I can get...

Oh, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. Never mind all that! Let me show you some knitting. (Having finally coaxed the pictures out of Armin's electronic clutches.)

Continue reading "Ally Pally, and pikchas" »

Posted by Robynn at 09:58 PM | Permalink | 6 cups of tea on the table

In which Dolores models the finished (but not yet washed/blocked) Jess, for your viewing pleasure.

You'll get better pics when it's been shrunk to (hopefully) fit - this is just to share my glee at having actually completed an actual whole jersey.* And another milestone (slightly topsy-turvy - this is surely something most knitters do at the start of their crafty careers): this is the first time I have ever knit a project entirely from a pattern, no modifications, in the recommended yarn.

Wow.

Continue reading "Done!" »

Posted by Robynn at 12:05 PM | Permalink | 10 cups of tea on the table

Hey, you know what happened to me yesterday?

I finished some socks!

Two of 'em! At the same time! How cool is THAT?

Pretty darn cool, is how cool.

The geeky bit:
Yarn: Wollmeise's* worsted weight, in Granatapfel. One skein (I just kept knitting till I ran out).
Needles: Destiny rosewood circulars, 40" long, 4mm.
Construction: Toe up magic loop, following these instructions, but taking the numbers from Ann Budd's toe-up sock recipe in the Spring 2007 Interweave Knits.

Now it's just as well that I've finished the socks, because I have some more deadline knitting coming up. Any day now the postie will be bringing me a scrap of shot taffeta from my dear friend Cara's wedding dress, and then I get to hie me to yarn shops in search of some matching mohair, and then I get to make her a shrug. And ideally, I also get to make myself a shrug, because my bridesmaid's dress isn't any warmer than the bride's (although, weirdly, it's far more frou-frou). I think my recent impulse-buy Goldiehair will be perfect for my own shrug/wrap; but for Cara, what?

Distressingly, I think I know what. I think the Silk Rhapsody I'm using for my moebius will be a perfect match for her dress. Oh dear. I do think I spotted some more in the same colourway in Stash, so I'll have to cross fingers it's still there. But how much do I need? Follow my logic here, please, tell me if I'm making sense:
The Crystal Palace yarn called for in the pattern is roughly the same yardage as the Artyarns, but is an awful lot finer. So one is supposed to use double strands; the pattern says to use one strand of print and one solid together, except for the trim, which will be two strands of print.
So. Ignoring the trim (I have other plans entirely), we can estimate that two fine strands x 240m are the same as one strand of chunkier yarn x 240m, when knit at the same gauge. Do you think? So I could just ignore the print yarn and buy as many balls of Silk Rhapsody as I'm supposed to buy of solid-colour Kid Merino - viz, two.

Right?
If you think I'm sailing a little close to the wind, bear in mind I do already have one skein in use on my moebius, and should worst come to worst I could cannibalise that. (Sob.) But still - your thoughts please?

Well. Moving on. I have had some serious postal treats this week. First came my thrillingly naughty looking nostepinde.**

Which is further proof of the dangers of Ravelry. Not Just A Timesucker, its powers of enabling are... beyond imagination. I mean, I have a swift and ball winder. They work all right, even if they are ugly. They're certainly more efficient than hand winding. But they're not maple and walnut, are they?*

I think I need a lot more practice on this thing. The instructions I read (and which I pretty much completely failed to follow, I now notice) mention that the writer developed proficiency in a mere half-hour, after five or six balls. Well. It's probably fair to assume that her balls weren't 525m long.

Knitters, if you're minded to try this newfangled nostewotsit, I strongly recommend checking your yardage before your wrist falls off.****

So that was Monday, and today? Today I got some books.

More Ravelry-assisted enabling to blame here, at least partly. On a discussion about magazines and where to get 'em, someone linked to this magnificent shop, P&M Woolcraft. Not being a spinning/dyeing type person, I expect much of their delightfulness is going right past me, but the books! Oh, the books. What a selection. And magazines! And subscriptions! The prospect of being able to enjoy subscriptions to certain US publications that really don't know how to handle their subscribers... well. It's a treat. And you know what? I've had No Sheep for You and Favorite Socks on preorder from a major bookstore chain for months. Months. They haven't been able to tell me what was happening, so when I saw these titles at P&M I popped them right in the basket. The very next day, would you believe, the bookstore emailed me to say that they couldn't fulfil the order and were cancelling my purchase. Saved me the trouble of doing it myself!

So this morning the books arrived, and it was cold and grey outside and I must admit... I dived right under the duvet and devoured them, every one. What a treat. And no calories, either.

PS. I see my title promises yarn, as well as socks and books. Yeah, I've gotten a little of that too. *blush* I have no self-restraint. But I'm also all photographed out right now. Next time, okay?

_____
* Actually, if you don't already know the Wollmeise, you really shouldn't click on that link. It exerts some sort of hypnotic power. Every time I see that bouncing wool, I get an overpowering urge to go look at the pretty colours (again), and then I really want to buy more yarn... like I need that. (Soon, my pretties. Soon.)
** It's not just me, is it? Have I really inherited my mother's filthy mind?
*** From Hello Yarn. Friendly, helpful, and very speedy.
**** I also recommend encouraging your bridal friends to choose their dress based on what matches the yarn you already have in stash and that gives spectacularly good yardage, rather than the rather pricey and hard-to-get stuff, come to think of it. But that's another issue.

Posted by Robynn at 01:22 PM | Permalink | 3 cups of tea on the table

Yup. Done at last. Took me ages to get this sewn up - it's been *nearly* done for weeks and weeks.

[A crochet adaptation of the fabulous Lizard Ridge, for short-row-phobic crafters. For details, see below.*]

As I've said before, this project was a bundle of fun. It was easy, mindless but not boring, perfectly portable, and the colours were delightful.

But I'm not convinced by the finished product.

Continue reading "Gecko Ridge - done and dusted" »

Posted by Robynn at 05:18 PM | Permalink | 10 cups of tea on the table

"So are you hooked yet?"

Oh no, I said. Socks are great and all, but I love all forms of knitting equally, I said.

Well... yes, I do, I can't say that I'd rather knit a sock than a sweater, or a lovely lacy wrap. Generally speaking. But right now I would.

Right now, in fact, I have an unhealthy desire to toss all my other planned and current projects into a messy heap somewhere while I cast on the next sock IMMEDIATELY.

Harvey doesn't understand this.

Well, Harvey, it's like this. My inaugural socks are imperfect. They're a leetle too long in the foot; the stitchery is far from flawless; they are displaying an early tendency to sag. Plus, as gorgeous as they are, it's unlikely they'll ever get shown off in public. (The fault is entirely that of my shoe wardrobe — to show off socks, I need either really long boot socks, or I guess a kind of cute lace-up or similar shoe that I just don't have, certainly not in a large enough size to fit handknit socks into.) But they feel great. I put them on, I don't want to take them off.

Also, I really enjoyed the portability of socks. They look set to fill the gap in my handbag that has just been vacated by Gecko Ridge. In fact, I took them on a road trip just last weekend, and I do think it's the first time I've really enjoyed knitting in a car; normally I find myself wanting more elbow room, and put my knitting away pretty quickly. And I see how satisfyingly mindless they are (or will be once I've internalised the construction; I'm about halfway there now); get started, go, don't overthink it or check the pattern every five minutes.

And as previously mentioned, I am so curious about the possibilities of socks. I want to try out every possible way of making them. This will result in many wonderful pairs of socks, keeping my feet warm and cosy for years — or until I wear them out, which I hear happens fairly quickly with handknits, so this could be a self-perpetuating cycle.

I better get started.*

_____
* No. No! Don't you encourage me, either. Not just yet. I need to at least try to do that chenille wrap thingy.

Posted by Robynn at 10:34 AM | Permalink | 3 cups of tea on the table

In between the impossible busying of the last few weeks/months/did I ever have a life ever, I have managed to do a teeny bit of knitting. One stitch at a time. Which, it seems, is all it takes to eventually finish a Clapotis.

It's rather lovely, and is going to look stunning on the recipient, and I would dearly love to have one of my very own. But, dear lord, it does go on rather, doesn't it? I like a little shaping and a little textural stitching in my knitting. Still... I have another four skeins of Lion & Lamb, all wound up and ready to go, and maybe I'll get around to it before next winter. For now, I've started a little summer jacket thing.

I've never really been interested in knitting denim-type yarn (this is Rowan Denim), but suddenly a week or so ago I was bitten with the absolute, frenzied need to make a casual, jeans-jacket inspired cardi. Maybe because I never had such a jacket before; the classic style is generally not cut for the busty, but relatively slim-waisted woman — so this was an opportunity to get my own, custom-fit version! It took me about five minutes to go from "ooh, there's a nice idea..." to "confirm order". The inspiration may or may not show through clearly in the finished product... but it'll be a fun, relaxed, wearable garment, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it fades. That piece is just a swatch; yeah, I believe in making big tension swatches, especially when shrinkage is such an issue.

That picture is totally faked, by the way. I do not sit around drinking tea out of pretty china while I knit. I wish I could, but I don't. Most nights, I get in around half an hour of knitting in front of the TV, as we finish watching whatever show we started watching over supper. (Usually Medium, Ugly Betty or the West Wing; we're working our way through the whole (borrowed) box set. Beloved has ruled Heroes out as too drama-y, after a promising start.) ...But it makes a pretty picture, no?

The other time I get to haul out my needles (or hook, more often; I find crochet better suited to public transport than knitting) is on the train. But I don't do that very consistently; the train is also the only time I get to read. Which explains the slow progress on Gecko Ridge. But we're nearly there.

Now I'm at the panicking-that it won't-all-go-together-perfectly stage. Especially since my tension seems to be way less regular in crochet than in knitting; that, or the gauge varies quite dramatically between different shades of Kureyon. My squares are not all the same size. Still, I can always fudge it with some extra trim... I think. It's going to be interesting.

Only one other thing to report. That fair isle cardi... that's taken a trip to the frog pond. Sad, but there you go. I'd let it languish for far too long (Christmas knitting and that infernal Clap), and when I came back, the magic was gone. I think the fair isle and the colours were a poor match, actually; although I had swatched a different fair isle pattern that worked really well. So I'll probably go back to it at some point with a different stitch pattern pasted onto the same cardigan.

Probably.
When I'm done with all the other knitting I have lined up.
Like this.

Italian silks, bought in Venice. Not as soft as the Jaeger or Debbie Bliss, but such beautiful, subtle, lustrous colours! (You'll have to take my word for that. I've been playing with the Big Camera, but alas, I'm still not much cop. Also, the light in our front room is crap, and there's nowhere to take pictures in the bedroom. Yeah. Let's blame the light.)

Posted by Robynn at 12:07 PM | Permalink | 6 cups of tea on the table