Big Cable Stole

I think it's the snow outside, or else it's because Sam has started knitting. All I know is that I am inspired to keep knitting! Here is my knitting inspiration... behold the blanket that Ray knitted me! A wonder! I LOVE it. Well I'd love it more if either it was bigger or I was smaller.



About a year a go I bought some lovely Blue Sky Bulky Natural wool from Loop. It's pretty pricey which is probably why I put it away until the shock wore off. I never bought quite enough, thinking that I would go back the following month and buy the remainder... Well a year later I happened to be passing. I happened to be into cabling... and voila! I just went in and bought the rest!

The pattern I am just starting isn't the same as Ray's but it was the inspiration behind it. We saw in the shop and the idea was born. You can find it here or on Revelry if you're a member. I'm not really planning to wear it, I just want to make it into another blanket.



I bought some wool in the great Cucumberpatch sale which was £2.50 a ball! What a bargain! I might have to make it twice! I mean you can never have too many blankets in this constantly cold weather now can you?



I also splashed out and invested in some nicer wooden needles as mine our plastic. Although these are heavier, they're just nicer to play with and they make a much softer sound as they clash together. I am all set now never to go out again. I am just going to be a kitting machine! I have had to copy the pattern out though as I can't get with this 'row 5, repeat rows 8-11' stuff. I just need to know what one row is after another so I don't have to think too much. I'm going to Manchester next weekend and I plan to knit all the way there and ALL the way back!

Knitted Cowl

So I finally finished my neck cowl last night. I made loads of mistakes on it but by the end I felt like I could start again and I would do it right. I agree with the other people I know who have made it though that it's easier to wear the other way up from the pattern. I might make a proper chunky one like the original when I next find myself in front of some Rowan Big Wool, but it would cost 20 odd quid to make with that whereas as my thinner Robin chunky cost a fiver to make.

Knitting Again

This is the first weekend this year where I have literally had nothing to do. I was so excited about it. No plans. No one to see. No need to go outside. No need to get dressed. It's been as great as I anticipated. Three exciting events have taken place:


1. The Christmas tree has finally come down. It feels very blank without it. It was the first time in my life I have ever had a fake tree and I think it was perfect. It was that choice between not having one at all because we simply weren't going to be here and having something makeshift. Now we'll always have it just in case. The bottom of it is the only annoying thing. But it's all packed in the loft now should the need arise again.


2. It was chutney production time. ALL the chutneys everyone had ever given us had been consumed. I went through the cupboard and found loads of out of date unchutney products, but there was nothing else. Shop bought chutney was experimented with and found sadly lacking so chutney production began in earnest.


3. It seemed high time to get back into some knitting. It has been such a long time that I seemed to be rubbish all over again! It didn't take long to get back into the swing of things though. I think my needles are just a little too big to hold comfortably. I spent last year re-learning to hold my needles in a better way. I know that it helps with your speed eventually and I wanted to not fall into bad habits.

I have found that utube really helps. There are loads of knitting videos on there. I found this great one from Elsteffo which I am going to try and stick to. I also have problems with how I wind the wool round my hand which inevitably affects the tension and evenness of the stitches. And I think I knit a bit too tightly because I always have to stop and push the knitting along. I will be converted to the path of knitting righteousness!


So I am making this free Rowan Cable Neck pattern. Two people I know have made it. One looks just like the picture, but the other person made it out of thinner wool and it's kind of saggy which I really like. I guess it makes less of a statement but I am fine with that. She also made it with much cheaper wool! Robin chunky here I come!

Not having followed many patterns, I am finding it quite hard going. I have knitted the first two bits, albeit quite badly, but I am not quite sure exactly how to do the next bit. I shall spend today trying though.

2010

So here we are in a bright, shiny, new year. In celebration of this, I have harangued the Pony into updating my blog layout a bit. For some time now I haven't been able to take advantage of Blogger's newer features as I had never updated to the latest version as it meant loosing my custom design. But it seems like the year for change, so here is the wider layout with bigger pictures.

I suppose this is also the moment where I take stock of what I said I would do this year and come clean as to whether I've actually achieved any of it.

I made a list last year of outstanding projects. Here it is with an update.

Unfinished Project 1: The Neverending Broken Dishes Quilt
2010 Status: Finished!

Unfinished Project 2: The Country Quilt
2010 Status: Ongoing. I did a huge chunk of it which including coming to grips with applique so I'm really pleased with myself. Now I just need to baste it together and hand quilt it all.

Unfinished Project 3: The Sawtooth Star Quilt
2010 Status: Well I haven't got much further with that. It's such a big project I am trying to clear the way for it.

1 out of 3 isn't awful when you consider what I have made this past year:

A yellow monster
A stripey monster
A baby quilt for Nell
A baby quilt for Isla
An incubator quilt
A speaker quilt
A Pencil roll
A knitted vest
A cowl

Of course I now have a few more unfinished projects
A big, crazy quilt which I have lots to do on
A baby quilt for Mabel which is nearly done!
A new kit to make
Plus I need to make the partner to the original speaker quilt.
Plus there is another baby on the way. People really need to slow down. Three last year was more than enough to keep me busy.

Resolutions for this year
I'd like to do another course this year as the course I went on last year was very inspiring.

I'd also like to get more done, but time is always a big factor.

So in summary I think it's been a good year productivity-wise.

Xmas Wrapping

This year's wrapping was inspired by a blog I saw that I can't remember right now. I'll put up a link when I find it again. I made bags from interfacing using red zigzag stick on the sewing machine, then tied them with butchers/bakers twine. I got some really thick stuff off the internet which is great! I bought some really thick red felt from Paperchase and cut out letter name tags then tied German cake decorations to the knots.

Christmas Cards

Today I was in Paperchase and was suddenly seized with the idea to do some glittery Christmas cards. A pack of red glitter, a glue pen and some red card and I was ready for action. They are now drying and spreading glitter over every nook and cranny of the house.

Do not think that there was no suffering involved though. Today turned out to be London's busiest Christmas shopping day so in honour of this they'd closed Oxford street and changed every bus route. yeah, that's really helpful.

To help us shoppers along they had the constant noise of a helicopter circling above us, big PA systems and weird promotional stands in the streets desperately trying to get people to spend money. It was like being in a warzone, except for the bombs and the general death and horror thing.

Anyway, tomorrow it's back to quilting...

Current Quilting Project

So I've been cutting templates, cutting material and sewing curves. All for my little latest project. It's a small one so it's a nice change after all the more longterm projects I have been working on. It uses small panels of really bright colours amidst large expanses of white. I think it will look really good. More as it comes.

It's the Autumn Quilt Festival at Chilford Hall on November 6-8th. I am so excited. I am going to restrain myself though as I went rather mad at Birmingham. All I need is some white material to finish this project off and a backing material perhaps. But what can I say? sometimes you just can't help yourself! Clairey will restrain me right? right?