New acquisitions and some forgotten talk

Look! I found the pattern (it's the red one on the left) and I bought the next season! So now I can finish that darned jumper, and if I hurry, I can catch up and watch the next season as it airs!

Sorry about the dodgy light...





Also, Look!




I got my package (I am now officially addicted to mail order) Snarky comments from my mother aside, about having too much money (no such thing,especially when it comes to yarn. or books.) I can't wait to get started on the wool, which, BTW, is gorgeous. And in huge 200gm balls.
















Very exciting. I spent most of the evening reorganising. Turns out I do have a stash. Look!




OK, so one laundry basket full isn't much to some of the veterans, but I certainly didn't think I had that much! Most of it's acrylic, I used to make toys from Jean Greenhowe's books when I was a kid, and I guess stuff just accumulated. But there's about 10 balls of really nice DK wool, and some other stuff I forgot I had. it's been living in here for the last 10 years or so:




Notice the knitting needles hanging out of a coles green bag on the left of the pic. Definately gotta do something about that.


Also, I forgot yesterday to talk about the alpaca lady at the market. Not that she looks like an alpaca, or anything. So, there's a market here in Lobethal every weekend called Heart of the Hills. It's pretty good, if you're around, you should check it out. I mean, it's hardly a day's outing, but it's good to potter around, there's some interesting stuff. Also, there are two stalls I am interested in, particularly. One is for a knitting/spinning group who sell their products there. There's a couple of older ladies who are always there, spinning and knitting as they man (person?) the stall. It's great to watch. the other a stall devoted to alpaca stuff, products made locally, imported and also... yarn!

A bunch of alpaca farms have popped up lately, it's like alpacas are the new grapes. People are metaphorically ripping up their sheep farms to put in alpacas. Pretty soon, there'll be a glut on the market. Or something. Anyway, I bought a pair of insoles from this place a while back, and they are sooooo comfortable. The only downside is that now they're worn in they shed on my socks, but I'll take that.

The reason this is pertinent is that I was looking at patterns and there was one which called for alpaca wool, and I thought of this stall. They have a bunch of great stuff, in all different weights, and its just lovely. I didn't buy any because, well, look above, I've done enough of that for one week. But I'll definately be back. I was talking to the lady running the stall about it all, and it sounds exciting. I'm jealous of her. Also, I'd get a nice rush from buying locally made stuff rather than overseas or even interstate.

The locally done stuff is all natural colours, not dyed. (I'm wondering now how hard it is to hand dye alpaca...) They have some imported stuff from peru, though, wool and products, and it's the softest, most yummy thing ever. Like mohair, but not itchy at all. I have a peruvian alpaca-wool hat I got at an Oxfam CAA store, and it's like chalk and cheese. My hat is the sort of thing you sell to people who are looking for Quaint Handicrafts, the ponchos wraps and scarves they had at the stall were like silk and cashmere. I'm in lust. So, I'm definately planning a project.

I'm thinking of knitting a skirt. Yes, you heard me, knitting a skirt. I know, I know. I was just saying to my sister how, you know, some things you don't need to knit. Belts, for instance. Or, i don't know, a wedding dress... unless, of course, that's the point. But I was looking at blue sky alpacas for some alpaca patterns, and I saw this:



How can you not want to look like that? I know I do. I won't, but I'd like to. Also, I saw this version on knit and tonic and I was sold. What the hey, I already walk around town with a huge pair of ridiculous headphones on, I don't think I can really worry about what people are thinking.

And then I thought, sure, I want to look good. I mean, I don't want to walk around with my knickers hanging out or anything. But, in order to look good as most people see it, I have to be boring. And I'm really, really sick of being boring. So, I'm going to knit that skirt. (although not in white. I am not the sort of person who should be wearing white) And I'm going to wear it, and I don't care what my sister says or how many strange looks I get. What's the point of making nice stuff if you can't wear it? Or if you get too scared of making something cool you like because you think you wont? I think that's why I mostly make presents, so I don't have to worry about that. Well, no more!

Anyway, I had a bunch of stuff more I wanted to talk about, musings and that, but I have an essay due tommorrow, and I'm only halfway through, so I'll just leave it at that.

A forgotten project

So, in rummaging through my stash of UFO's I found this jumper I have had for about 3 years. I bought all the wool ages ago, and sort of started knitting it, but it's too small for me, so I had to adjust the pattern, which I am not good at. Several phone calls to mum later, I started it. Then, when I got halfway through the first side, I couldn't really remember what I had done, alterations-wise, so I just put it away rather than figure it out.

The wool. And also, my knee, whoops!
Lovely and chunky, is it not. I mean
the wool, thankyou!

Then, when I was in China last year I had this sudden, uncontrollable urge to knit. My mum had sent me a bunch of cross-stitch (I fully intend to have some pics of that sort of stuff soon, since I have stacks) but I wanted something to knit. So she sent me the wool, needles and patterns, and I finished the front. Then I put it away again, and brought it back home with me.

About 6 months ago or more, on my last major knitting kick, I pulled it out again and thought 'to hell with the adjustments. I'm just going to knit the pattern, and maybe it will fit someone I know.' It's got a garter-stitch slashed neckline, which i don't think would be that flattering on me anyhow. So I knitted it, front and back, while working my way through my West Wing DVDs.

The front and the back

Unfortunately, I only have up until season 4, and I was halfway through the first sleeve when I ran out, and I just couldn't seem to keep going. I'd be tempted to pick it up again - it's so close to being finished, and the the thick wool and chunky needles would make a nice texture-change from this dratted 8-ply-4mm-needles sock. However, in trying to organise a pic of the pattern for you, I realised... the book is completely AWOL. and now, of course, because I can't, I'm dying to finish it! Aaargh!



The old front, to be unpicked. Oh, and my
knee again.

Well, on the bright side, at least this blog is living up to its name!

Warning! Sock alert!

This is a sock I am knitting. Again. It's a Jo Sharpe, from Knit, Issue One, and it's driving me nuts!!! The first time I knit it, a couple of months back, I turned the heel perfectly, got to the toes, and ended up with what looked like a tumour growing out the end. So I unpicked all the way back to before the heel before I could find a spot to restart where I knew where I was. Now I can't do the heel right. I don't know if the instructions are just plain wrong (they are a little vague) or I have simply slipped into the parallel universe known as SOCK HELL.

I will make another running jump at them, and let you know if my sanity's gone walkabout or not. In the meantime, here's what the damned thigns are supposed to look like.

I dream of quilting...

I don't know if this counts as a project, yet. It's still in the planning stages. My mother gets quilting magazines and fairly regularly she buys doubles by accident or there's a 'bonus' package which she alreay has (don't you hate that?) so I end up with the extras. I've never tried quilting before, although technically I can sew. And I also made a quilt cover for my sis about 5 years ago now, using semi-quilting techniques. Semi-using quilting techniques. Whatever.

Anyway, I saw this, and I just had to have it. I'm sure you all know the feeling. It's flannel, and I know this isn't the season (at least in this hemisphere) but maybe if I start it now, it'll be ready for winter (Yeah, right. Winter what year?)

A friend of my mother's has said she'll help me/us work out how to go about it, so this could launch me into the world of quilting, although it's not as comforting as knitting. I can't wait to get my hands on the finished product, it's going to be so snuggly and wonderful.




Here's the fabric I've bought for it so far. The only flannel I could find in the all-purpose craft-sew-whatever stored in town was the red check at the back. The fabrics on the right aren't even flannel - just boring old cotton. The left is flannel, a jackpot was found at a local quilting store, but I ran out of dough, so I will be revisiting the Patchwork Apple when next I get payed. *excitement!*

One scarf to despair over

Here is a variation on the purple scarf from the last post. It's DK Tweed, of course, in Beach and Brindle. Looks cool, huh? It was also supposed to be ready for my sister's August birthday, but it's so darned fiddly. It's the allowed colours for her school, so I thought I'd be all clever and tricky.

Since the scarf is 9 'blocks' of knit/purl alternation, (5 stitches wide, 12 rows high) I decided to do it in four seperate strips and whip it together when it was done.

Whenever I get to the 12th row, I have to go through a bizarre ritual of passing the other colour along the block as I knit so I can use it to start the next row. That's not very clear, but it's hard to explain. Anyway.

As you can see from the photo, I knitted the first two sections fairly quickly - they're only four accross, so it wasn't too tricky. However....



Here we see the trickiness that ensued when I had to add another ball of wool. Everytime I change the verticak block they get ridiculourly tangled, and it's driving me nuts! I pick it up every now and then, knit two blocjks, grit my teeth and knit another two, and then, very carefully not hurling it against the wall, put it away again.

If I ever get it done, I bought enough 'Beach' (the lighter colour) that I could do another one, just in that colour. Which would be nice. And easy.


If she's very, very lucky, my sister will get this for christmas, but it's not looking good.