I Know It's Only Sock and Sole

But I like it.

Let me introduce you to the first pair of socks I have ever knit - made in Regia 4ply Kaffe Fassett Design Line yarn, and using Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Basic Sock Recipe.  What makes sock knitting a little bit amazing is that you are working in 3d.  It's like sculpting with wool.  And of course, it took a lot of time, so I guess I was really working in four dimensions.  Preeetty cool.

So maybe working in four dimensions implies manipulating time as well as wool, but there were moments when time really did stand still.  I think.  Or maybe it stretched.  Anyway, it was like Groundhog Day.

But YY loves them because no one has ever made something so personal for him before.  And that just makes me swell with pride for my little, woolly, misshapen experiments.

Say Have You Met Lidiya?

I've been pretty busy at work over the weekend, and when I wasn't working I was keeping good to my word - I cast on Lidiya.  This will be the fair isle dress published in Rowan Magazine 48 and designed by the coolest dude of colour and pattern, Mr Kaffe Fassett.

So far, even though my tension isn't fantastic and I mucked up the fair isle pattern a bit, I still think it looks beautiful. But I've run into two little problems:


Problem #1.  I cast on and watched The Philadelphia Story - a classic Grant/Hepburn with Virginia Weidler's  irritatingly perky rendition of 'Lydia The Tattooed Lady'.  Really, because I'm a little sadistic, I strongly recommend that you watch this film whilst casting on Lidiya. Yes Lidiya.  Oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia, Lydia the tattooed lady..... (You may experience some pain in the centre of your brain.)

Problem #2.  I realised very early on, that tangling up 3 yarns, plus weaving in the ends as I go, and trying to carry repeated colours up is just insane.  I can't stand having the strands twisted while I work, it almost drives me as potty as a certain tattooed lady.  So I see two possible solutions to this:  either I accept that this will be very slow going, or I make like a kitten and tangle that yarn.

Speaking of animals, Miss B takes an occasional and 'helpful' interest in my knitting.  Last night while I was eating dinner I realised I'd left Lidiya, Oh Lydia on the bed, and that was exactly where Miss B was leaping about.  I came upstairs with dread, but discovered nothing much really.  I hadn't lost anymore corners from my books, no more buttons missing from the TV remote...but something was definitely amiss.

For one thing, Miss B was nowhere to be seen, and I could see rabbit shaped depressions in the duvet right next to my knitting.  I took a closer look at the green yarn and discovered a tiny stretch of the DK had been worn away to a thin straggly lace-weight.  It was damp.  She had been dutifully 'cleaning' it for me.

I did point out to her (as tactfully as I could) that perhaps she should be cleaning her fur instead - the other day she had a clothes moth sitting on her chest.

She just stared at me.  I'm wondering if they're in cahoots.

Rowan 50 Online

If you haven't had a look at the digital Row@n magazine and you are looking for inspiration, then trot on over there now.  You can drool over  photos of stunners (like Yew Scarf - below), watch videos illustrating why modelling is possibly not the greatest career in the world, and read tasters of articles published in the full magazine.

The article that caught my eye in this installment is Shetland Lace in A New Light, by Kate Davies (of Doll Heid and o w l s fame).   I have to buy this issue of Rowan Magazine, even if only to find out what kind of torture device a knitting belt is. (Incidentally, Kate Davies blog, Needled, is beautiful and just the thing for a rainy autumn afternoon.)

Other items of yarnlust in this installment of Rowan include the girly, cropped, cabled jumper Affection.  Although I'm not entirely convinced of the usefulness of the cropped jumper, this one makes up for what it lacks in length with soft stylishness.  Dare to bare your kidneys - but do it in style.

Speaking of daring, Connie is an intriguing jumper offering surprisingly easy access to one's bra and a particularly unusual blend of exquisite Kidsilk lace and stolid Pure Wool ribbing.  The back of it really is divine (I'm sorry I can't link to a picture of it - have a look in the digital mag!) However...

I'm not conservative - so the front opening and lace work doesn't offend me.  I really like it.  What has me yo-yoing between yarnlust and yarnloathing is the contrast between that and the opaque sections.  The fact that these sections aren't just in a different yarn and stitch, but a different colour (is it only me that can see this?)

Bottom line is, I don't have the budget to knit Rowan if I don't love it, so tomorrow I will cast on Lidiya.

The Socks Continue

Now I've got no excuse not to crack on with the plain...yawn...stockinette...yawn....sockszzzzzzzz.

Huh?!  Oh yeah, where was I?  I think this next stitch is a ...knit?  And then.. oh yeah, about a thousand more knit stitches.  Each and every one filled with boredom and despair love.

Hope you like them YY.

Fairisle Bolero

My first fairisle project is complete!

Last night I read up on making twisted cords and pom poms.  I know that might seem a bit basic, but I've spent a lot of time on Maya, some might say I've spent too much time on it, and I don't want it spoiled by a sloppy finish.  Plus, this is Rowan yarn people.  Rowan yarn.

(Perhaps I should admit that despite swotting up on what are very basic techniques I still managed to cut two bunches of yarn for cords that turned out to be about 5cm too short. Let's skim over that.)

I also want to reiterate that I love the pom poms.  Making them took me back to being a Brownie - which reminded me that I had a HUGE pom pom on the top of my uniform woolly hat.  (I had the old uniform - before Jeff Banks decided that all girls really like wearing mustard/custard yellow sweaters and what can only be described as diarrhoea-brown culottes.  Which brings another, rather more undesirable meaning to the term 'Brownie'.)

In other news, the cute baby moose video that's been doing the rounds has made me want to move to Canada even more.  Inspired by this, we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast!  If you haven't seen the video, here it is.