Sunday 8 July 2007

Well, now ....

... it has been a while. Between non-working cameras, being sick and all manners of busy, I have many unblogged things about which I would like to blog. I realise that was quite possibly the most grammatically incorrect and just plain bad sentence to be written in a blog this year, but it's late - cut me some slack.


Anyway, as I have a ton of new photos just released on my computer, I'd better get started. Let me introduce to you my first ever baby item - the cabled sweater:



This started off as a present for someone, but crossed wires aplenty meant it is no longer headed their way. Someone mentioned giving it to charity but I have a strange connection with it that makes me unwilling to give it away. This is probably due to the whole evening I spent with it, attempting to do the neckband.

First time about to cast off - that doesn't look right, I'd better rip it out.
Second time halfway through cast off - no, wait, it was right the first time.
Getting ready to knit it for the third time - is that shoulder seam sewn up wrong? better unpick it ....
Halfway through unpicking - nope, it's supposed to be like that, I'm just holding it funny %$^&^%&*!!!.
Then finally (a minute or few later), it was done. Thankfully. So I feel it needs to stay with me so that I can see it looking gorgeous on a little one and know it was worth all of that.

Speaking of frogging, meet the Donegal sock as she looks now:



Yes, she is no more. A number of unfortunate circumstances conspired against her and so she had to be ripped.

There was a distinct tension issue going on when I returned to the sock with a new zeal for removing DPN ladders. Incidentally the ladders are gone, but so is a good fraction of the width.



There was also a bit of an unsightly hole where the ribbing had changed to stocking stitch, I had a sneaking suspicion they were going to be too wide, were knit top down when I prefer toe up and were really meant to be jaywalkers but I was watching a film so went for the no-brainer instead, but these were not the most pressing reasons for frogging.



No indeed, the broken needle was the curse of the project. The straw that broke the camel's back needle, if you will. I have joined with Jolene in the lamenting of our broken cocktail sticks! Love bamboo as I do, I am starting to feel the need for metal only sock needles lol. This injury took place in my bag somewhere from bus stop to back door, but they feel pretty fragile in the hands too. Another one of my bamboos also broke in a 3mm size and I wasnt even using it - I ask ya! When I have my wool shop, some fine day in the future, I will sell single DPNs for just this eventuality.

But anyway, ripped she is and Jaywalkers will be the pattern of choice, once I have enough working needles to knit the thing without giving myself a splinter.

But I feel the need to balance that lot of moaning with some happy, happy thoughts. So here's a quick run through of some nice things to be happening arond these parts recently.

New member for our Belfast SnB. We love her, she is great, she is never allowed to leave us or we will hunt her down and steal all her stash (I hear there's lots).



My first ever knitted dishcloth. Repeat after me: instant gratification.



Bead shopping! oh how I love it!



Also you see the itsy bitsy crochet hook i finally got for beading the MS3 (membership closed now so I hope you're all signed up). Here it is so far (I'm up to row 80 of clue 1 so far and loving it!).



Now that was a mammoth of a post, and yet I still have more to say! It will have to wait :)

10 comments:

GaietyGirl said...

I look like a total psycho lmao

GaietyGirl said...

Oh, and yes, it's Spirit in 506. Can't remember the dyelot, and it's sitting on my printer in Belfast, so I won't be able to check that til next week. In fairness though, once it's in the ballpark, I'm good with it. Gotta love yarn with lots and lots of colour changes :)

GaietyGirl said...

4 words (no, not "this woman is crazy")
Lorna's laces shepherd sock.

I shall bring it along for fondling purposes when it arrives :)

GaietyGirl said...

Oh fantabulous!
Yup, I'll totally take those off you.

The big question is - cash or sock yarn in return?

I am such an enabler :D

GaietyGirl said...

Rocking :)
Just wanted to check though. I doubted you'd hit the "too much" yarn stage, but stranger has happened...

Unknown said...

I understand your woes of broken bamboo needles. Here in Southern Italy, it is extremely difficult to find bamboo needles, let along bamboo dpns. So I have resorted to using whatever metal dpns that pass my way from Germany (I have a friend in Germany who sends supplies my way. . . never have I met a more knitter-unfriendly country than Italy). However, I have found that metal dpns are rather undesirable for sock knitting. Perhaps there are some nicer light-weight ones in the US, but I have yet to come across such beautiful and wonderful things. All the best in your sock endeavors.

And who dared to mention that you give one of your children up to charity instead of giving it to a rightful owner?!? It's like adoption vs. . . permanently lending a child to a dear friend.

I hope you and the sweater have some adventures before it finds where it belongs.

Unknown said...

Drat it, I posted with a purpose and promptly forgot it.

I put up the pattern for the cabled handwarmers, at long last. Unfortunately, due to my sister having ownership of the handwarmers, and her being in Dublin and all, also the disappearance of my knitting notebook, I had to attempt to write down the pattern from memory and pictures. Luckily, I did remember some of the important things.

You Dropped One said...

I think the sweater is very cute... would it fit a teddy bear so we can all see how it'll look on a tiny person??

I also like the dishcloth, and now your next one can be a multitude of colours!!!

You Dropped One said...

I can't post pictures until the internet behaves itself long enough to get them saved and uploaded... I can always do the posting in work (as always) but pictureless I shall have to be until it fixes itself

GaietyGirl said...

Working from home is fab once you can be disciplined enough to actually do some work and thus not have working from home privilages revoked lol

The place in Donegal is Kilcarra.
Kilcarra Yarns Ltd
Kilcar
County Donegal, Ireland
+353 (073) 38055
fax: +353 (073) 38193
Owner: Kilcarra

I do believe that they do some of the spinning for Debbie Bliss as well. I'll bring some along tomorrow - don't forget the colour chart!