Mundayz

Colinette Jitterbug in Velvet Plum

This and 10 balls of this, along with copies of Yarn Forward was my loot from the Knitting and Stitching Show this year - not as good a loot as last year but at least I’ll actually put it to use! I really need some socks that don’t have holes in them (although I’m worried that if I wear handknit socks with shoes, they’ll wear out quickly). Anyway, I’m planning on knitting the Jaeger DK into a raglan jumper of some sort. I really need some warm winter clothes - I’m constantly complaining about how cold I am (probably because I’m little and don’t move around much :p) plus being warm never seems to be in fashion. Srsly, it’s not until about December that shops actually have reasonably thick jumpers in stock. I cannot fathom how girls are still happily wandering around town in hotpants and tshirts. PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! I resent seeing people wearing so few clothes when I’m freezing my bits off under two hoodies and a coat.

I’m in a fairly grumpy mood, if you hadn’t noticed.

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A little eff-oh

Fetching fingerless gloves for my friend Bliue

I started these on Sunday morning and finished them yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) - these knit up so damn quickly! I started a pair of Fetchings in FEBRUARY, and to be honest I can’t even remember if I knitted the second one or not. So I’ll have to dig those out and see what I’ve got.

I cannot WAIT ’til this weekend, it’s the Knitting and Stitching Show! I’m so excited! Anyway, that’s about it for today

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Socks and soup

Closeup - click for the full view,

I had real trouble trying to knit the heel flap on this, so I took it along to my knitting group (yes, I found a local knitting group! :D) and a lovely lady (I think her name was Lucy) taught me how to do it. Now I’m steaming up the leg towards the ribbing and cast off! But I have no idea how long to knit for - I don’t have accurate scales so I can’t weigh the yarn to check hen I’m at the midpoint. Any ideas?

Homemade carrot soup with crusty bread - tonight’s dinner.

I made this (roughly) following a recipe my mum has used for years. It’s so tasty, I may go and get myself a second bowl

I’ve just remembered I never blogged about this top whorl drop spindle I bought on Etsy. I bought a bottom whorl drop spindle last year and I never got to grips with spinning, so I thought I’d try a top whorl spindle. I still haven’t got to grips with it, but it’s pretty. I wish I could spin

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WIP-age!

Azure Allure! Finally, a picture!

I started this at the end of August, so I’m pleased with how well it’s going

This is my progress so far on a mitten, using this pattern

It seems to have come up very small though, bearing in mind I used this yarn because it feels nice as opposed to it being the right gauge… Bigger needles it is, I think.

My first sock!

I’m excited about this, I’m hoping it all turns out OK! The cast-on was quite fiddly and it’s slightly holey, but my toes can have a bit of breathing space and I can avoid it on the second sock.

Anyway, new hair, (hopefully) new college course, 3 months ’til Christmas (!) aaaaaand… Umm… I think that’s it :p

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Cooo-eee!

Ahoy there!

Quick update:

Mum’s been in Greece this week with my camera, so I’ve got no pictures College isn’t so bad, Japanese and Theory of Music are fun. Azure Allure is steaming along - I’ve finished the back and both fronts and I’m halfway down the first sleeve. I’m knitting the sleeve backwards as it were, so I can lengthen it from the pattern. The body looks like it might come up a little short, but I reckon a bit of blocking should sort that out. But will I need to “re-block” it each time I wash it?

I’ve got new hair tonight, which has made me feel a bit better after saying goodbye to Mr Y today. He’s started uni but it seems he’s having fun on a pub crawl tonight - last I heard he was in a gay bar

Anyway, I feel wary about posting things after reading Meshell’s blog (or lack thereof) - I’m not quite sure what to say but that I hope you’re OK Meshell, and that you’ll be back soon!

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Goodies

Colinette Iona from Ireland

This might become a hat, or a scarf. Or mittens… Or… Any number of things.

Sock yarn from Handspun and Dyed Too on Etsy

Resin pendants from Lunaricsales on Etsy

Azure Allure is going really well - I’m nearly up to the yoke pattern on the back. It’s a lovely pattern to knit - simple and easy to remember but not so simple as to be boring. Mr Y is out for cocktails tonight so methinks it’s a night in for me with the good ol’ needles

I started college yesterday and I already hate it. I’m resitting the first year and I’m pretty down about it, but thank God for my friend Richard who is always full of reassuring advice <3

Anyway, leave me a comment, show me some love! I love to read your comments, whether it’s a “Hi, I read your blog, lol” or a silly joke that made you laugh

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Póg mo thóin!*

The Irish Sea, from 31,000ft

The view from my bedroom window!

Ireland was beautiful. The 20 hour drive there was a bit much (especially as I was travel sick the whole way there) but it was worth it. We stayed near a lovely little town called Kenmare in County Kerry for four nights and flew home a couple of days ago. I’ve only just gotten round to uploading pictures and blogging (I’m in two minds about whether to blog the whole 6 days on Livejournal or not).

After casting on, frogging and repeating half a dozen times, I finally got to grips with the pattern for Azure Allure from Simply Knitting issue 31. However, on my arrival at Cork airport to fly home, I discovered knitting needles aren’t allowed on-board in hand luggage, and I had no bags to check in. Alas, Azure Allure (which is actually more a mossy colour) will be driving the 580 miles home at the weekend. I also left some bamboo DPNs behind as I really didn’t want them to be disposed of at the security checks (I would have cried had that happened, srsly).

In Kenmare I literally sprinted to a yarn shop that I spotted in a tiny side street:

www.spinayarn.ie

I was in there for ages (Mr Y was surprisingly patient: he went and bought a paper and made himself comfortable on the sofa whilst I chatted to the lovely lady working in the shop). She said that most of the yarn shops in Kerry are closing down, so they opened - apparently they do quite well, with people travelling from Cork to shop there. There were some goregous yarns stocked; Debbie Bliss, Rowan, Colinette Jitterbug, (the elusive) Noro etc. I was really impressed, and the shop wasn’t cluttered like a lot of yarn shops seem to be.

Anyway, I shall stop there for tonight, and I’ll get some pictures in the morning of goodies I want to show you

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* Irish Gaelic for “Kiss my ass”, which is the only Irish I learned whilst there

Hai guyz!

I r bad blogger. Over the last week I’ve bought EIGHTEEN balls of yarn, without having a clue what to do with them. Anyone remember this? Well my mum has been telling me to finish it since I started it and I finally knitted another sleeve last night after discovering I was using a 4.5mm needle as a stitch holder on it. I needed the 4.5 needle to cast on for a cardigan (aiming to use the yarn I bought 13 balls of) that’s on the front of last month’s Simply Knitting magazine. So yes. And I want to knit some mittens.

That was really badly written, and I’m too sleepy right now to upload pictures of nothing much, so I’ll just say that I won’t be around (surprise surprise) for the next 6 days, because I’m off to Ireland. No idea where we’re going so I can’t find out if there are any craft shops around until we get there, booo. But hopefully I’ll get some nice pictures and maybe find a craft shop somewhere. Not to mention Magner’s, ahem.

I shall take my cardigan (well, the needles and yarn) and hopefully my sock yarn (bought it on Etsy! Along with three necklaces) will arrive tomorrow morning before I leave, so I can take that too.

This is an awful post but I’d feel even worse than I already do for not blogging due to laziness.

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Umm… Err…

I sort of… Went for it…

SmurfPop on Etsy

*looks very shifty and nervous and is in two minds about it*

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One down!

One thing on my list to be crossed off: finishing the dress

A year after I first started it… The final product

Talk about procrastinating… I think it turned out alright - I’ve never done a big pattern like this before so there were lots of things to learn, and things to remember for next time (pressing seams, pinning pattern pieces to the fabric and cutting the fabric accurately) but I think I’ll have another crack at it sometime. It needs a few tweaks here and there because it’s a smidgen too big around the waist, and there are a few shonky bits to bear in mind (bits that don’t quite match up etc) but wooo, I made it!

I went into Etsy Chat for the first time last night, and everyone was so welcoming! I especially like the photo feature, that allows people to post a picture alongside the chat window. It was cool to see a snapshot of what people are making, and I favourited a couple of items (so it’s a good way to generate some traffic and sales!)

Non-craft-wise, there’s some good new shoots on my strawberry plants (I seriously check them several times a day now, shows what kind of person I am!) and I’m still playing some piano - currently tackling Feeling Good. I’m getting pretty damn bored of the holidays and I just want college to start again (even though that means Maths Studies and Theory Of Knowledge…) My sleeping habits are all out of whack and I’m feeling farly “meh”. I was meant to meet some friends at the cinema on Tuesday - I woke up at the same time I was meant to be there, oooops. And the PC won’t connect to the wireless internet connection so mum and I can’t both use the internet at the same time. Ohhhh well… Can’t complain really.

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