Flibbertygibbet

Typepad, I hate you again

I got an email to say that I'd been upgraded to some new version of Typepad. I spent an hour on a post. I even cut and pasted to avoid the issues with formatting in the last post. And Typepad chewed it up again.  Are we back to that ridiculous situation where they've upgraded and screwed it up again?  FFS.

More than I thought

I mutter to myself 'well what will you blog about - you haven't done anything much recently'.  Upon reading the divine Lotusen's blog though, I realise that in fact I've been out and about quite a bit! (I'm the G that she mentions).  Here's the dress - not yet shortened but it's actually quite cool!  

I'm not sure that it's really designer, but this is what's on the label:

I've had a lot of freelance work on - I spent today repaginating a 500 page book, yes, all of it - and also the day job has prevented me from doing fun stuff like having coffee with Helen and the bub, bah. To say it's keeping me busy would be quite the understatement. That's also my rubbish way of saying 'I'm too braindead to fix the formatting problems here, sorry guys'.

London's climate has been temperamental, to say the least. Last night was cold enough to warrant pulling on the Misti Alpaca socks (long since finished though apparently never detailed here) and grabbing the quilt, though we've had scorchio days and too-hot-to-sleep over the last weeks too. I'm persevering with the running despite the weather (purchased shorts on Friday. Needed to wear thermal running tights on Saturday) and using the Nike+ is really helping, as I've mentioned before I am ludicrously competitive with myself. I get a little thrill every time Tiger Woods chimes out to tell me that I've run a new 1m PB. (9:11 - yeah, I never said I was Speedy Gonzales but I compensate with stubbornness)  If anyone else is using the Nike+ website, I'm Scampermouse on there. Come and say hello.

 

I'm spending far too much time on Twitter lately, mainly because it has introduced me to lots of interesting people and places, both conceptually and IRL and all of the following was introduced to me via Twitter.  The zeitgeist nature of it coupled with the fact that it seems increasingly to translate to real life, intrigues me wildly.  On Saturday I went along to meet some Tweeps (ok sorry - the terminology drives me insane, I can't really bear to say that) to meet some people from Twitter at the Crafternoon at The Old Queen's Head in Islington. I'm halfway through making a Measuring Tape Rosette from a kit I got there - I have to say my only gripe about these craft kits is that the thread supplied is usually crap - in theory I'll finish it at home. Ahem.  I did teach someone to purl though.  Halo polished.

In the evening it was off to Wilton's Music Hall, with some of the knitting crew thankfully as time with them recently has been far too curtailed, to see Tiny Wallop's Phantasmagorical Extravaganza.  It was utterly hilarious - to the point where my cheeks were aching from laughing so much - tinged with the sense of buttock-clenching fear that comes only from Audience Participation with us all trying to judge which strategy worked best to avoid being chosen - look at the performer, or avoid their gaze? There's one more night, which is Saturday 18th July, if you're in London. Come! Catherine Rose, the magician and mind-reader who opened the show, was amazing too. I want to know how she did that with the table.  Even when the hall is dark, Wilton's is a magical place, currently raising funds for renovation, so you should pop along and 'drink for charity' - patronise the bar if you're in the area.

 Finally, again via Twitter, this is one of the funniest things I've seen in ages and I now feel the need to purchase the kit. If you don't like profanity with your pastry or are exceptionally easily offended, there's no need to click here. 

Trinkets

Keeping yourself busy is the best way to keep your mind off things, preferably in good company.  We headed to the Make Lounge yesterday for a wire wrapped jewellery course, with the lovely Merle who also taught the belt class.  After an en-route conversation about what constitutes personal style and how it evolves, and how to avoid style ruts, we were amused that we ended up making items that each of us would have picked off the shelves in a shop with 'Oh that's the perfect present for her'.  Although I wanted to steal Abi's too.  Hopefully she'll blog it soon.

I started with a pendant.

It went through a few incarnations before I was happy with it. That is, until I'd pretty much completely remade it. That's unlike me, I don't usually go back and do over but I'm glad I did.  It's blingy and swingy and pretty and shiny.

Most of the participants apart from myself and Abi made bracelets with multiple beads wired on every link.  Maybe we just were slower than everyone! I went for an uncharacteristically minimalist look.

This is on the go again. The first crocheted blanket which I realise to my shame is from April 07??  It has a drunken wobble to it, though I don't think I was drinking when I started it.  It's tapering in so badly it'll end up as a triangle. I'll figure out what to do with it later.  Also working on a couple of quilts - I'm more wary of tackling them when I'm tired as I tend to make mistakes that are more difficult to correct.  Also not as cosy to work on as this is - snuggled under it, on the couch.

This one does qualify...

So here's version 2 of the Very Posh Laundry Bag, all from stash.  Modifications?  I changed the handles to make them less wide - though the boxiness of the last one is quite appealing, the handles are a little wider than I need and so you just end up with lots of fabric bunched up in your hand. 



The bag is symmetrical, it's the photographer that's a little wonky again.  It's made with more Liberty stash and cotton sheeting. 



The one has a ribbon closure so socks don't escape on the tube on the way home.



And some of the precious Tinsel Trading stash ribbon (yes, stash!) to bind the bottom.

This one was so much quicker to do as I didn't muck up the side seams on it, necessitating ripping and restitching like the first one. Now just one more, and that will do it I think... probably...

Stash-busting - yeah, that's what it is

I'm going to the gym pretty frequently at the moment (the more I go the cheaper it gets through our work health insurance; it's making me feel a million times better including helping my back and posture; and as I'm already committed to paying for it each month it's like economising.  Almost.) I rented a permanent locker there so that I no longer get a second daily workout from schlepping all my gear back and forth so that kind of impacts the economising theory, but still.  I decided to make some bags to carry home laundry etc, rather than taking plastic bags from the gym all the time, and so trotted off to John Lewis for some fabric.  Cos you know, it's not like there's anything that I could possibly use here.  The idea was to get pure cotton so that I could chuck the bag in the wash with everything else.  I got some very cute Amy Butler and some chambray to mix with prints.

Then I saw something on Twitter about Liberty fabric and thought 'Duh.' 

As it's not like there isn't some of that around the house.  Yards of it hidden in various places in the craft room.  I have a selection of half metres of prints which proved irresistible in various sales, but I never had the right project for them until now - I'd originally planned to use them for quilting and then reconsidered putting the Tana Lawn with heavier weight cotton.

I used some plain cotton for the lining and some of the by-now ubiquitous Tikki binding (which Tiina cut for me on the day of the quilting class before Christmas.

The pattern was from this Japanese craft book and I'll definitely try more - both patterns from the book and more bags.  Next one will likely be a modified version of this one so that it's less boxy.  Oh, the possibilities...

PS thanks for the sweet emails and comments - the ex-mole is looking grand really.  Just waiting to get the all clear letter and putting the Vitamin E on it...

My heart beats for...

Made at the Make Lounge.  Just in time for me to wear my heart on my sleeve this weekend.   Kisses to you all for Valentine's Day... xx

Sofa time

For one reason or another, I've been spending quite a lot of time on the sofa. 

I'm persevering with the bellatrix socks though they're not turning out like I expected (I thought they'd be more Lizard Ridges-ish, like some of the photos.  I think that some knitters modded it to 5 stitches between the repeats which would make it more bobbly, less space in between.) 

I also finally finished this, to curl up under whilst on the sofa:


Yes, my first bed sized quilt, all for me.  Contrary to what the cats think.  They pounce on it (and by extension, on me) whenever they can.  My only regret is sticking to my 'use what you have dictum' and using a lightweight wadding on the inside.  Won't make that mistake again. It's definitely more of a summer weight.  I machined it all, apart from the second side of the binding which I did by hand.  I used this tutorial, which makes it so easy.  It's about double-size I guess, the bed it's on is super-king.


"Nice.  When do you get one?"

I've been taking it easy after having a very minor procedure at the doctor on Friday -  sensible women get suspect moles removed.  I went back and forth on whether it was necessary; and where to get it done, at my local surgery's dermatology clinic or at a private hospital using my insurance and went local in the end.  While I can't say for sure yet that it was or wasn't a good choice, I have some reservations about the care and certainly the bedside manner.  My internal conversation was turning remarkably rude and increasingly frantic as he said things like:

"It will certainly leave a scar.  More stitches might make that better.  Or it might not." Ok.  So stitch more. In for a penny...

"Oh, well I said it wouldn't hurt but it turns out I didn't mean it."  WFT?  Is anesthetic on the 'cutbacks' list?

"You can have stitches without any anesthetic at all you know."  Yes well I've seen enough episodes of Casualty and ER to know that you can also do a tracheotomy with a pen but that's not necessarily the option you choose.

Home to the sofa and feeling punched in the chest for two days now.  I ventured out to the cinema to catch up on some movies (Bolt is funny;  watching in 3D is surprisingly fun.  Bride Wars - well I know, what was I thinking...) and purchase a huge pile of  books, my equivalent of the 'I was Good at the Doctor's' lollipop i.e. I didn't tell him just what I thought of his handiwork.
Warmed by the thoughts of all the lovely friends who offered to come around, to pick me up from the doc, who checked in with me. I'm fine.  And about to curl up under a new quilt.

The Sockalong

I started a sock knitalong (KAL) on Ravelry, if you want to join in.  Come on down.  If you're not already a Rav member, just sign up for an invitation and it will be through in a couple of days.

 

Here's the Bellatrix socks, being helped along by the lovely stitch markers which were a gift from the even more lovely Denise who's probably too busy to join a KAL at the moment unless it's for very little pink socks, mwah. 

As usual with my wayof knitting something, I've screwed up the pattern on the first one, so I've started on the second one; then I'll go back and fix the first one.  Probably.  Must learn to count. 

To house these, I've got one of Sue Moon's fabulous sock bags.  It appears she still has a couple on sale - they are so beautifully made so go in and snap one up if you can. I made the mistake of buying three that I really liked as presents - and then didn't want to give any of them away.  It's got lots of useful pockets and interiors 'straps' so your store needles.  So clever.

I've also got a Cotton and Clouds bag that I love. 

I haven't got much time for knitting really, finishing up some freelance work that's doing my head in as these things always do, especially after work.  Someone decided I could make time though...

My feline paperweight. 

Bueller?

Can't believe it's flown by so quickly, this weekend.  A mixture of working and socialising, and a little bit of knitting.  Yesterday I met up with two lovely ladies, Ruth and Abi.  We stopped into Loop quickly and yet it took me a suprisingly short amount of time to do a considerable amount of damage to my credit card.

I met Ruth after we'd commented on each other's blogs, a couple of years ago now, and I went up and introduced myself to her at Origin.  I then got a bit embarrassed as it occurred to me that it was perhaps a slightly stalkerish thing to do.  Similarly, Abi and I met after I mentioned I was doing a market stall, she popped by and introduced herself. Her young daughters pointed out "Mum, if we said we were going to meet someone from the internet, you wouldn't let us out.'  Fair point, well made. I'm am glad, however, that all of these introductions did take place, and which led to coffee, cake and chatting about vintage handbags yesterday. 

Here's the last knitting project that will be completed for a while:

Easy ribbed handwarmers in SkeinQueen Cashmere Silk for a friend's birthday.  One of them is very late and the other one is only a little bit late.

In Loop yesterday I asked Abi when she was going to start knitting socks and she was more than game, so left with some very lovely Jitterbug. It's her first pair of socks, and we're going to have a bit of a KnitAlong.  I'm going to try my first pair of patterned socks (well, the horrendous garter rib ones don't count because they got frogged, even though they'd met the Yarn Harlot...)

Anyone else fancy joining in?  The idea would be to do something sockish that you haven't done before - either your first pair; magic loop when you've only knit with dpns; toe-up instead of top-down or vice versa...  leave a comment if you're interested.  There's no deadline for completion - well ok, let's say the end of the year. 

I'm going to try to Bellatrix socks in the new skein of Misti Alpaca. I'm also going to cast on with Lucy's handdyed because I just can't wait, and really want to see how they come out.  Also they will be stocking stitch so I should be able to work on them in company:  the Bellatrix will take more concentration from me so I'll be able to work on them on the tube etc but probably not when out.  That should keep me busy for a while.  Two pairs of socks running concurrently is just about right for me.

The other question I wanted to float out again was the idea of running the fabric swap again as a couple of people have asked about it. Details of the last one here - again, leave a comment if you're interested!

The Is-It-Or-Isn't-It-A-Mushroom beret

Yeah, more knitting.  Really, what's going on around here?  I'm having problems with my sewing project, that's what's happening.

This is for a friend - long story about it initially being her Christmas present and then I went for the scarf instead because she'd scored an adorable beret from her flatmate who works for a fashion retailer, it's a one-off sample and very cute. 

But then she said she'd love another one.

Sorry for the blurry 'traditional dirty myspace photo', as Lucy calls it.

It's knit in Rowan Big Wool, a freebie pattern from Simply Knitting I think - the issue that came with the 20mm needles that the pattern calls for. It knitted up like a pointy fairy toadstool, so then I blocked it with a dinner plate inside and it developed magic elastic tendencies and would have fitted a small child inside. But miraculously it sprang back rather nicely to more of a Portobello shape.  Once the ends are woven in, it will be delivered to complement the scarf. 

I am also the very lucky recipient of the remainder of the beeyoutiful scientifically-handdyed yarn that Lucy made her gorgeous socks from - I'm really intrigued to see how my version will knit up with my tension and ahem, lack of general knitting precision, plus the fact that they will be on much smaller needles than my last couple of pairs.  But they will be the most beautiful treat for me.  Thank you Lucy! My plan for knitting this year is to cast on a number of smaller projects and be able to bounce around between them, ideally always with something small ready to pop into my bag. 

A very knowledgeable friend kindly helped me out with my tax return this past weekend which is another load off my mind and to-do list.  We've tentatively agreed to do the next one in April, as soon as it's due, to get it done and dusted - how very grown up.  I'll trade her expertise for her choice of yarn, possibly from Art Fibers, and get my boss to mule it back from San Francisco the next time he goes over for work (their store is relocating; but their website remains open during the move) or from somewhere else that doesn't ship outside the US perhaps.

A little scheduling around here is doing me the world of good - earth-shattering changes are yet to be discerned but I feel like I'm making a little bit of solid progress towards all the big things I mentioned before.  Managing to bring lunch to work four out of five days this week (good for finances and healthy eating); finishing projects; working insane hours but with a purpose.  Almost running a few miles - with some walk breaks to protect my poor shins - almost every other day is tiring but really making things easier overall.  I'm attempting to plan time around working and freelancing to see friends and I'm looking forward to a meet-up with a couple of particularly favourite ladies this weekend, and also getting to visit some precious new and almost-new babies soon.  Long may it last. Hope whatever you have grabbed on to for this year is working for you too.