Mine, all mine!

Ok, here as promised is the booty! Luverly Lush, Amazing Amazon, Exciting Ebay and the Almighty Alpaca Spinner.

Well, starting with the best...














This is Joe Brown... isn't he just adorable! I have 800 metres (plus a little extra bit- a lovely gift from Linzi) to make something... now however do I find a pattern for this DK weight alpaca which is worthy?!!! It has to be something special and cherished. I'll have to wait and see... no rushing into a project with this one!

And the next parcel...















Here I have 8 balls of Rowan Cotton Braid in 'matisse'. It's definately my kinda colour and I loved the 'Cannes' top I made with Cotton Braid from the 'Beach Cool' book.... I may make another, however I love the look of some of the patterns from it's original book 'Cotton Braid Collection'.

Moving swiftly on, this is the 1st of non-knitting items: Lush! Maybe an extravagance but definately what is needed for de-stressing. I reccomend this stuff to everyone- particularly the sensitive and lovers of luxury!














There are a couple of things in the fridge, so I just photographed the easier stuff. I'll let you browse the site rather than describe... I'd be here forever!
In the fridge I have:
'Cosmetic Warrior' and 'Bada Bing Bada Boom'.

In the picture I have:

• 'Playdoze' and 'Hot Milk' bubble bar slices,
• 'Floating Island' and 'Ceridwen's Cauldron' luxury bath melt,
• 'Heavenly Bodies' buttercream,
• 'Sandstone' soap,
• 'Sakura' Bath Ballistic,
• 'Flying Fox' Temple Balm and
• 'Handy Box' (which was free!!!)
• I apologise for not linking the items... couldn't get the links to work :(

Lastly are the books I ordered from Amazon.














A friend at work reccomended the Phillip Pullman trilogy "His Dark Materials" which is comprised of 'Northern Lights', 'The Amber Spyglass' and 'The Subtle Knife'. I'm roughly 1/2 way through 'Northern Lights' so I'll let you know... but so far so good!

Also I bought Tom Holt's 'Earth,Air,Fire and Custard'- the 3rd of a sorta trilogy which I've already read the 1st two books. I'm running out of Tom Holt books to read as I've read a vast majority and have to wait for new releases!

At least if these can keep me busy til the 19th July I won't get too anxious waiting for Harry Potter! And yes it's pre-ordered! I never knew what the fuss was all about until last year... oh my had I missed out!

Well the reading will cut into knitting time but I don't mind as long as I prevent starting anything else- I've got a horrendous amount of WIPs again after last months stashing but never the less I'll get around to finishing them....eventually....maybe this month or the next... or event the next!

Oh and here's a bonus piccy of Pussycat... thinking she'd help me type so It's taken an age to get all this down with her so-called 'help'!
x












"Why can't I type mum?"

Oh I'm tired!

Well after a hard days work I motivated myself to go to the gym with a couple of mates from work. I'm not particularly fit and after the doctor told me I'm fat I have been meaning to go. So I did! GOOD: They didn't laugh at me. BAD:I feel ok now but I dread tomorrow morning and aching thighs!

I haven't done a great deal of knitting this week with tying up odds and ends but I have had lots and lots of parcels! I shall photograph them tomorrow as I am ready for bed and it's only 9:40pm!

I promise to show the goodies tomorrow! Honest.
x

Old MacDonald had a.....

Today I went to the farmyard!

Alex, my beautiful 1yr old niece and godchild, was having a trip to the farm today along with her parents Julia and Pete and my Mum and Dad and great aunt Josie. So after sunday lunch at mum's I tagged along too and probably had more fun than Alex did! After all... she's still quite young.
There were goats, pigs, shetland ponies, donkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas and... a llama! I fell in love with the llama even though the poor lovie only had one eye :o( There were sheep too but they were shy and stayed in the farest side of the field. Hmmph....but I have loads of pics for you today!

That's Alex on the swing, the baby goats and the calves.

Lotta Llama, Alex's dad (AKA Pete the B.I.L.) and Stallion- a very lusty shetland pony!

Oh and thats my mum feeding the calves!

All these were taken on my mobile- not bad huh!

Well I've paid for my Alpaca now and Linzi from the Alpaca Spinner said she would post it tomorrow for me plus I've had confirmation of dispatch for the latest Amazon order I've placed... All those parcels...I'm so excited!!!

I've got just a couple more photos of latest inspirations... I was fiddling about with a stitch glossary and such and came across something called 'Trellis Stitch'. I made a teeny swatch from odds and ends... and voila an idea formed! Originally the idea is for me to make a bag with this new revamp of an old stitch... but who knows I may adapt it for a cardi!

test swatch

Bag swatch with Rowan Cotton Tape in 'swish' and Linen Print in 'peachy'

I have also bought some more yarn.. yes more!....from Fiona from beatties knit chat. It's lace-weight merino and she has some fabulous colours.. I put up the links on a previous post. Well here is the yarn, I plan to make a scarf for Julia's 40th (big sis) with the lime and blue yarn and maybe something for myself in the teal- I adore teal-y colours (as you may have noticed!)

What a fab Sunday! Shame I have another 5 days before the weekend!

x

Silken Stitches

Well then.... my silk from Hip Knits arrived on Wednesday. It's so lovely, though I had a bit of a shock when I opened the parcel. Instead of being 500g of silk in 'Reef' colourway, I had roughly 437g of 'reef' and 217g of 'sari silk'.

Apparently there was less than they thought and I had paid for it already so they topped it up with the sar silk as an apology.... lovely thought so I forgive them totally as I should have enough to do as I wanted (hopefully!!).
I'm hoping to make a vest top... I couldn't find a pattern for exactly what I wanted, so I've devised a pattern with a software demo which is great!

It's available in full package but I'm saving up to buy all the different little versions! It's called Knitware and is really neat!
Also, I have started the clapotis, but at the moment it really doesn't look like anything but I hope it will grow into a nice fully grown clapotis one day; it is only a practice run but nothing should go to waste!

Unfortunately i ended up wasting a whole skein of some other sari silk I bought from ebay :o( I was swatching up for different projects and unfortunately sari silk hates being ripped out.... ah well next time I'll have to be sure before unwinding the remaining 3 skeins.

Seeing as it's late now i suppose I'll go to bed.... lets hope tomorrow sees the sunshine again, the rain today was refreching, but lets hope it moves on!

I'll try and update my blog a little faster now, but I'm still puzzled about the intricacies of blog design!!! Still, maybe I'll be able to cadge a coupla lessons of my DF (darling fiance). Plus I'll get back to you on how well my stitch markers are doing!

Have a good weekend!

Yawn...

I really ought to be getting some shut eye fow work tomorrow but I fancied a bit of blogging. I'm afraid I don't have any exciting pictures, but I promise to take some soon.

I'm still reeling from the going to the doctors yesterday... damn cheek of him if you ask me. He wouldn't see me Friday so I had to take more time from work so I'd gone about my headaches (again) and he gave me 'Propanolol' which is to treat high BP and angina... I'm 21 and have neither.... also he took me off my anti-inflammatories and gave me Ibruprofen (known to cause stomach ulcer in high dose) and told me I ought to lose weight because it would help. I'm slightly podgy but I wouldn't say unhealthily so. Apparently I'm to take these until I get to see the neurologist at the hospital which could take months! Bloody marverlous. So tomorrow I'd dragging my ass to the gym after work... I don't like it but I suppose I have to be making the effort. If only so I can say that I have!

On the other hand I have started a clapotis. It's in 4-ply Soft('military') that I wanted rid of, but it'll be a practise run for a making one out of some lovely yarn which I bought from Fiona- a lady from our knitting circle. It gets weird with 2 Fiona's but we're getting used to it! I bought two balls of yarn from Yarnwise-her ebay store and they're a bargain! One is "blue laburnum" and the other "teal" (my favourite colour!).

I'm hoping that my silk from Hip Knits will arrive tomorrow... they did say they would despatch it on monday so I guess any time soon..? I can't wait to touch it!

Best go to bed while it's still tuesday!
x

Minty Fresh

Well hello there!

I've decided to take a break (again!) from the basketweave tunic to build up enough courage to pick up the stitches for the sleeves (another pet hate). So... I've picked up another WIP which is from the "Stitch and Bitch" book called 'Peppermint Twist'. Although the pattern is the same, I have chosen different colours and have named it 'Minty Fresh' instead!

All minty and stripy.... could be a toothpaste!

The yarn is Rowan 'cotton glace' (as in pattern) and I've used Rowan 'lurex shimmer' as a substitute for the Phildar lurex yarn.


Back of jumper

Another surprise I have for you is the beaded stitch markers I made. They're a prototype at the moment and I'll be goving them to my knitting friends to test em out and give me some feedback on the design etc. I'm hoping to make them as a sideline like the wraps but nothing big scale (want to keep them one-off if possible.) So whoever didn't get a test on Saturday at Beatties knit chat still have a present from me to come!

Sorry about the picture quality... must get a proper digicam!

So... thats it! I'll try and make some better piccys of the stitch markers and a picture of another little project I have on the go... but that's for next time! Keep em wanting more!! ;oP

Cravings!

Oh the Cravings!
I just had to give in! Especially since they put it in the sale! It was calling... begging me to buy it... and so I did!!
I'm on about the silk yarn from Hip Knits. I have hopefully just bought 500g of their 'surf' colourway.

Isn't she just adorable....mmmmmmm
I'm not sure what I plan to do... but a nice evening camisole would be nice...now just to find a pattern! Or maybe something else, who knows?

Well I've finished the front of the basketweave tunic now. All there is left to do is to graft shoulders and pick up stitches across the shoulder to start sleeves... a pattern where no sleeve inserting is needed in the sewing up! Heaven! I absolutely loathe sewing sleeves in!

Hmm... not much else to report on the knitting front. I took the afternoon from work to go and see my doc about my dastardly headaches only to be told he's only seeing his morning patients can you come back Monday... work are so going to hate me!

Seeing as it's late (ish) I think I'll read some more of my Tom Holt book "In Your Dreams" (sequel to "The Portable Door")... Hilariously funny fantasy without all the picky detail of Terry Pratchett. (links here are for Amazon)

Finally!

A finished item for the week!

I finished "Branching Out" tonight while watching Ice Age (great film!!!). I only used one ball of Rowan Cashcotton 4-ply but the scarf was just a perfect length!

Hmmm... who shall I give this to?....


Or does it just look ok on me?!

Well today has been a horrendous day at work! I can't believe that now uni is over again until October that I'll have to work a full week... and I've lost the will to live after 3 days! Ah well. Sarah from work bought my wrap and she was thrilled! I even got to test if it were washable after the cat thought it was her new blanket and got loads of hair all over it!

I guess I ought to get on with the basketweave tunic... oh the dilemmas on what project to start/finish/plan... I can't wait until pay day so I can pay for my alpaca!

Mid project boredom

Hi guys

I'm gettting along nicely with 'Branching Out'... hopefully not too much further now. However, I've completely lost interest in the 'basketweave' design I have done the back of. I don't know why... the colour of the Giotto I'm using is lovely, but i just can't be bothered to carry on with it at the moment.

I think it's because I'd love to get onto doing either a Jean Moss Bolero pattern from this month's "Knitting" magazine... or a cardigan from Teva Durham's "Loop-d-Loop" book... or find a pattern for my JoeBrown Alpaca I'll be getting at the end of the month!

Does anyone else get this restlessness mid project? I suppose it's because I can't buy some of the things I need at the moment (or would very much like!).

Oh well, the only pictures I have to put up at the moment are of the wrap i'm selling tomorrow.

This is just simple purse stitch (k1*yo p2tog*k1 over an even number of stitches on every row)

Can be worn like a poncho when pinned....

...like a shrug over the arms...

...or like a shawl over the shoulders.
It is just a rectangle composed of Colinette SilkyChic in 'Monet' and Rowan River Tape (discontinued).
Other than that I have nothing else... so I'd better get knitting! But then... CSI is on tonight so I don't suppose much will get done at all!

All is quiet

Hi guys,

It's been fairly non-eventful since my last post. I haven't managed to finish anything else as yet, but I'm about half-way with my "branching out" scarf. I haven't really made much more progress with the basketweave though! At our knit meet on Saturday the few of us that were there talked more than knit!!

I'm back to work in the morning (groan!) but i get time to knit in my lunch hour :) Also I managed to sell one of my wraps a few weeks ago to a lady at work... i'm hoping she'll want it this week, so if I think about it I'll post a pic up when I next put up a post. I'm quite proud someone else wants to wear something I've knit rather than just myself (however simple it may be).

Well I'm going to attempt an early-ish night after all the late ones this week and hopefully I can get on and put some more colourful and cheery posts this week.

Happy Knitting
x

What a day!

Today i have finished the LBT from "Stitch 'n' Bitch" (except mine's a modified blue-grey one!). I has only take a few weeks with other projects on the go as well so I'm quite happy with it. i left it plain without the garter stitch centrepiece (after replacing that with a lace panel and ripping it all out... *sighs*) but I still think it will look great with jeans or trousers.... and not to mention it's made from Rowan Wool Cotton- so soft!!

front and back... the back is fastened with a cute little kitty button (shoame you can't see)

I've been naughty and started another little project but i couldn't help it with so many people doing it as well... you know the one... Knitty's Branching Out! I'm just using some Rowan 4-ply Cashcotton in 'seafoam' (the rest is being taken back to the shop!!)

just 3 repeats joung atm

Well this is just a short and sweet post as it being quite late... but still need a cuppa and a biscuit before bedtime!!

happy knitting!

Just couldn't help myself!

Hi again!

Now I've not just become an addict of knitting, e-shopping for yarn and blog-reading... I now have the compulsion to post as well... and quite frankly i'm astounded i managed to wait this long! Thanks all who have posted their kind comments!

I have taken a few more pics of my current project (sorry about the quality as I only have my webcam atm).

this giotto became.....
I surmise that it is one of the easier patterns from Loop-d-Loop but as I have only a small range of circular needles I found a pattern i could do without. A majority of her designs are either knitted in the round or need the length and flexibility of a circular needle. I may purchase a set of Denise Interchangeables..... far less expensive than the range needed for the patterns!


basket weave tunic

I have many other projects on the go... I always have the compulsion to start something new and ultimately it takes longer to finish something because of doing bits on each one! Today i stayed indoors and spent a lot of time on the PC (as some may know!) and worked on the basket weave tunic. The cat decided that she too should stay indoors with me today... and she doesn't have sunburn! poor thing gets bored though after a while!

you wouldn't believe she could terrorise anyone would you?!

Pussycat loves my big cardi!You may be able to see a little bit int he background- its a Rowan Biggy Print pattern that i did in the wintertime... I think it's called Murmur and it' s from "The Next Big Thing". It's lovely and cosy but I definately didn't need it today! Still the heat doesn't seem to stop her using it as a furry pillow when I'm not looking!!

Anyhow thats enough for today- desperate for a cuppa and a biscuit!

My First Post

Well I finally succumbed and decided to make my own blog... any tips would be helpful as I really have never done this before!!

Today i received my sample of alpaca yarn from The Alpaca Spinner. As a special request I may be ordering some dk-sport weight yarn specially spun by Linzi- the lady at The Alpaca Spinner. Since there is only 800 yards of it I shall have to choose my project wisely!

joe brown
Having taken the week off workI think this week has flown by. I can't believe it is Thursday already... if only the week would go so fast while I'm at work! Yesterday I started playing around with a few things from Loop-d-Loop; a book I'm sure you're all familiar with as the fantastic works of Teva Durham. I first saw Teva's website and knew I had to have her book! It's greatly inspiring and I'm toying with the idea of a basketweave pattern in Colinette Giotto- something i have a bit of a thing for! The colourway is one of her mis-dyes from the mill but all of her hand produced colourways are divine.

I used Collinette Skye in 'jay'(but i think 'turqouise' is probably the closest to it on the site) to make a felted bag. It took me a while as i kinda got bored of going round and round but the result was great.

felted bag
Last week i finished a t-shirt from Knitty in Rowan DK Handknit Cotton... I liked the effect though i'm still stretching it a bit :o)

those were my 'revision' pigtails
Well I'm sure i've gone on a bit so i'll leave a few things for my next post. Now... which project shall I work on today?....