Top 10 Stash Project Knitalong

Here is my list for the Top 10 Stash Projects Knitalong:

1. RPMs : Crown Mountain Farm – Beat Goes On

2. Bird Foot : OnLine – Black and Lanna Grossa Meillenweit Fun

3.  Brompton : Rowanspun DK

4. Carolina: Socks That Rock Lightweight – Little Bunny Foo Foo

5. Yarn Harlot’s One Row Homespun Scarf : Clapotis : Malabrigo – Dusty Olive Finished Dec 07

6. Spring Things Shawl : Jagger Zephyrspun – Elderberry

7. Wisp Ice Queen : Malabrigo – Olive

8. Beret : Twilley’s Freedom Spirit – Earth

9. Tank : Twilley’s Freedom Spirit – Earth finished Jan 08

10. FrankenMitts : Cascade 220 Heathers (brown and green)

Animals, contest and toys!

Lots has been happening here but I’ve been so tired that I haven’t had the energy to blog about it all. A couple of days after Rufus died we lost another hamster. We are not bad owners I promise, he was 2 and half and died very suddenly. Literally one minute we saw him running around the cage about an hour later went to go give the hamsters some veg and he was dead. It was a real shock. Our other Roboroski hamster (his brother) is very frail and loosing his hair (although seems fine in himself, is eating fine and still runs on his wheel like a maniac) and we have been keeping an eye on him as he is so frail, but the his brother appeared perfectly fine.

Friday I had to go to the sorting office to pick up a parcel I had to pay customs on (some Lanaset dyes, can’t wait to give them a go) and this means walking past the pet store – not a safe thing to do with Karl, especially on pay day! We have four new additions to our family – 2 Chinese hamsters and 2 gerbils. We have named the gerbils Sooty and Sweep. Sooty is a ginger colour (just the puppet) and Sweep is black. We have yet to name the Chinese Hamsters – this is where you dear readers come in. I’m going to set a contest – choose names for our 2 new Chinese hamsters. I will post pictures tomorrow as need Karl to hold them whilst I snap. Karl and I will choose the winner (which will be our favourite name) but I will also choose a runner up randomly – so everyone is in with a chance, regardless of mine and Karl’s name preference. So, you want to know what you can win – I will post pictures of sock yarn from my stash you can choose from tomorrow, or if you don’t fancy any of that, you can choose something from my shop (at any update, the prize won’t have a time limit) or I will dye something specially for you.

To enter all you need to do is leave your answer in a comment to over the next 7 days. I will announce the winners 12th September.

Although I’ve been tired I have been knitting, in fact I have some FOs (again will post pictures tomorrow.) I finished the Lola Bunny and This Little Piggy, and have cast on for the Pirate Panda. I have also cast on the Hoodie for Harvey. Its going to take a while but I have until xmas so no rush.

I joined the Rugby World Cup knitalong over on Raverly and my project is the Deep V Argyle Vest. I’m hoping to complete it during the tournament. It is easy enough to do whilst watching TV but complicated enough to keep my attention. I also joined the 3rd round of the Monkey Sock Swap – I love knitting this pattern and am looking forward to deciding which yarn to use etc.

I have my appointment the first of my tests in London, my 24hr blood pressure monitor will be fitted on 17th Sept at 1130. I’m strangely excited about this as I get to visit Stash Yarns. In the past my regular check-up appointments have always fallen during their summer holiday, but this time they will be open. I think I may have to do some retail therapy.

Tour de France Kal

Ogee Lace Skirt, originally uploaded by lyndsey-jane.

The Tour de France KAL started today but I was too busy watching Live Earth (how cool were the Foo’s) and trying to catch up on MS3.
I plan to start in earnest on Monday (tomorrow is knitting free zone – all will be clear when I post tomorrow evening). I am in the Green Jersey catergory which means I’m a sprinter so I plan to start and finish a project during the race. This skirt had been on my to do list since I saw it and I thought it was the perfect project.

14/07/07 eta: I’ve had to withdraw from the Tour de France Kal as I have too much on at the moment. I have Hogwarts Sock Swap socks to finish, Sockapalooza socks to finish and don’t want to fall behind with the mystery stole. I will definetely be knitting this in the neat future but with having to go into uni most days for my lab work I just don’t have the time

At last I have an FO! I loved making these socks, and Emma the recipient loved them too. It is Emma’s legs and feet in the photos. As these were a birthday present I printed a sock wrapper for them with yarn details, washing instruction etc on.

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A (like I have tell you)

Yarn: Lisa Souza Sock! Merino in Miss Violet’s Pink Ribbon

Needles: Clover Takuni Bamboo 2.5mm dpn

Mods: None

 

I have joined a couple of KALs recently both on Ravelry and in the blogosphere in general.

Tour de France – this is a fantastic idea! I have decided to ‘wear’ a green jersey and am challenging myself to complete a project within the duration of the race. The project I have chosen in the Ogee Lace Skirt from IK Summer 07 (scroll down). I am a huge fan of skirts over jeans, and as soon as I saw this I knew I had to make it.

 

Mystery Stole 3 – my first! I had vaguely heard about these but never played along. I have made a lace shawl and enjoy lace but I do find charts difficult – its mainly trying to remember how many of the repeated bit i need to knit. This shawl will be charted but there will be no pattern repeats so I am hoping this will help me gain confidence with my chart reading. I have swatched and decided on my yarn. Zephyr Wool-Silk in Elderberry using 3.5mm needles and matt purple seed beads. The swatch is blocking as I type.

 

Isabella KAL – I really really like this pattern and have some yarn in my stash, a gorgeous pink/red that I need to swatch but fingers crossed I will be able to cast on soon.

 

Finally, Summer of Sock 07. Sign ups are closed now but I managed to sign up in time. I am really excited about using some of my sock yarn stash.

 

I’m a joiner…

Lolly has the sign-ups open for Project Spectrum 2. I joined half way though last year so look forward participating in the whole thing this year.

Sign-ups for Sockapalooza 4 should be open at the end of Jan. Keep your eyes posted to Alison’s blog I missed this last year so hope to join this year.

I also joined the TBR challenge 2007. The idea being to read 12 books that have been on your ‘to be read’ list during 2007.

Here is my list:

1. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
2. A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly
3. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
4. The Virgin’s Lover by Phillipa Gregory
5. The Abortionist’s Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde
6. Small Island by Amanda Levy
7. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
8. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
9. Starter for Ten by David Nicholls
10. The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
11. The American Boy by Andrew Taylor
12. Morvern Callar by Alan Warner

Extra Credit

1. Perfume by Patrick Suskinds
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguto
4. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
5. Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs
6. Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs
7. Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs
8. Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs
9. Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
10. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
11. Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs

I have been busy joining as I also joined the Lime & Violet Sock Marathon. This is a Flickr group and the idea is to see how far you can knit your sock yarn. I have 5.4miles of sock yarn but that doesn’t count my recently purchased Lime & Violet and Violet’s Pink Ribbon from Lisa Souza, which I am waiting to be delivered. It will be cool to see how far I get in three months.

On a sock theme I also joined Socktopia, each month three themes are given and you chose one knit a pair pf socks around it.

The Wicked sweater is going really well, I am just starting the waist decreases. I will get a progress shot over the weekend. I should get some done tomorrow as I am meeting up with a uni friend to teach her to knit. Wish me luck!

I was tagged by Stephanie so here goes:

The Page 123 Meme
1. Grab the book closest to you.
2. Open to page 123, look down to the 5th sentence.
3. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog.
4. Include the title and the author’s name.
5. Tag 3 People.

“Antiretroviral therapy may be initiated for maternal indications depending on clinical, immunological and virological assessment. Although Zidovudine is the only drug licensed for use in pregnancy, current US guidelines suggest combination therapy should be used.”

Clinical Medicine by Kumar & Clark – Ch.1 infectious Disease, Tropical Medicine & STD’s/

I use my desk for my studying so all the books around me are science/medical.

Stranded

So I joined the Stranded and have been searching for the perfect project, something that I can get to start over the holiday peroid (i.e. something from the UK and not something that has to travel overseas at the busiest time of year). Someone must have heard my desparate pleas as I have found the perfect project in the new Knitty – corazon, pink and white stranded mittens with a heart inspired fair isle pattern. I immediately phoned my mum and she is getting the yarn and needles for my for xmas – gotta love the mum! I am not going to be using the stated yarn for two reasons, one i wanted a really soft yarn and having used this before its not that soft and secondly,I couldn’t find the colours, so I am trying a new yarn. It is by Sublime, a reasonably new company whose yarn I’ve yet to use, and is the Baby Cashhmere Merino Silk DK in Vanilla and Piglot. I have looked at these yarns before but they colours are very muted and subdued which isn’t something I’ve been looking for in previous projects but for this it looks perfect.

After three attempts I have given up on the Swallowtail Shawl for now, until at least I go to my Mums and photocopy and enlarge the charts. However, having seen Piglottie’s Forest Canopy Shawl in a Rowan Tweed 4ply (a similar yarn to the Rowanspun 4ply i was going to use for the Swallowtail) I think I will use the Rowanspun to make myself a Forest Canopy Shawl. I have 5 x 25g so will make it slightly larger like Piglottie’s.

Hope everyone is having a good run up to the festivities. If I can persuade Karl we may well get the decorations out this weekend!

Unfortunately Mrs Bobs babies didn’t survive – we …

Unfortunately Mrs Bobs babies didn’t survive – we are not sure why but in her infinite wisdom she ate them. I know it gross but is actually quite common. We believe it is probably because she was such a young mother that she couldn’t look after them. Although we didn’t intially plan on breeding her and Mr Bob we have decided that in the new year we will probably try again. We did however complain to the pet store that i bough them from saying how we bought them as two males and they gave us a FREE cage, and not just any old cage any cage we wanted – after some deliberation we went for the Rotastak Creepy Castle. We already have one of these with two of our roborovski’s in, but as we already had all the other rotastaks they had Karl chose the Creepy Castle (probably because parts of it glow in the dark)

I have been busy knitting my Xmas gifts. I completed the second of my stepdads bed socks and also managed to finish my mums hat. I also completed another two washcloths. FO pictures soon.

So whats left:

• gloves for mum (to match hat and scarf)
• Sock for stepdad (father and son socks form IK Fall 06)
• Second bed sock for mum
• Washcloths
• Lavender bathbombs

I can’t see it being a problem as I can knit up until xmas eve, what is worrying me however is that the yarn for my Shetland Shawl will arrive very soon and it is going to take alot of willpower to not cast on and knit that instead.

I received an e-mail today saying that the Sock Hop yarn I ordered has been despatched. I can’t wait for it to arrive. I plan on using two of the skeins to make a pair of RPMs.

Whilst reading socks-for-mum I learnt about Stranded – the colorwork challenge. I had been thinking about learning colorwork as one of my new years resolutions and this is just the help I need. I joined up right away. I am looking for a simple beginners pattern, something small like socks, mittens or a hat. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. I have my eye on the Fiesta Mittens and I love all of these Red Bird Knits socks. I found the Red Bird Knits website today, they have the most wonderful sock patterns. Talking of colourwork there is lovely free pattern for a hat over on brooklyntweed. This is definetely on my to-do list.

The rain appears to have quitened down now so I shall try to get some sleep before Uni tomorrow and 3hrs of genetics. I feel a LARGE eggnog latte with extra shot being needed.

Socktoberfest

So Socktoberfest officially begins today. I have joined a KAL set up by OzKnitter and Socks for Mum called My First Toe-Ups. I am really looking forward to venturing into this area of sock knitting that I have so far avoided like the plague, for no other reason than it is something new. I have decided on my first two toe-up patterns Baudelaire and Love Me Knot. I have yet to decide on yarn but will prob do that later today.

I have goals for Socktoberfest which are:

• complete said two toe-up patterns
• start (and maybe complete) KOTR kal oct/nov sock – Travellers Stocking
• knit sock with cascade fixation from stash

I am aware that I owe you two FO’s, I had planned to take some nice photos today but the weather is so so bad that the lighting just won’t do them justice. I promise they are worth the wait.

I also have some new arrivals to introduce (we have 3 new hamsters, 2 russian dwarves and 1 syrian) they should be settled in well enough to take photos at the beginning of next week. They are so sweet and are already showing there little personalities.

I am off to finish the Denmark socks (from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush) otn so I can start on Socktoberfest.

Yarn, FO & sheep.

My Booga bag has finished blocking and I am debating whether to line it or not (or should I say, I’m debating on asking Mum to line it, my sewing is horrific!). It is looking really good and I will definitely be making more in the future.

I received the Rowan plaid that I ordered at bargain price after some discussion with the company as they didn’t have my first choice, so now I have 10 balls of Sea Mist (to make myself a jumper, undecided which at the mo’, from Rowan Plaid Collection and 6 balls of Creeper (for some reason only 5 made it into the photo) to make myself a hat and scarf from the same book. I can see a very cablely autumn and winter ahead, that is why I have joined Conquering Cables.

 

Yarn was purchased yesterday and I have a project in mind for it but as I am trying to clear my ufo’s I won’t cast on anything new until September.

Here we have 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Merino Aran (shade 004) for Fetching, 2 balls each of Debbie Bliss Merino DK (shades 004 & 002) to make Rosalind. I am really excited about this project as it encompasses my two loves; knitting and science. I have been yearning after a brown scarf for a while now and when I saw this lovely dark rich chocolate brown I knew I just had to get it. It took me a while to match it up with the green but I think they look great together. There is also a pair of 8mm bamboo knitting needles for use with the Rowan Plaid.

Speaking of scarves I joined the International Scarf Exchange 3 earlier this week. I am having an obsession with scarves for the moment so thought it was a perfect swap to join. I also joined Sock-a-month 2, as with the amount of socks I knit this should encourage me to get them finished. I have decided on my pattern for the Mystery Sock KAL, it is called ‘Wonky Lace Socks’ and uses Cascade Fixation – a yarn I have been wanting to try for a while.

I will be wrapping up all the presents for my Fave Colour Swap pal tomorrow and they will be posted out shortly. I just have to felt and block the Special Companions giftbag for her and then all will be done.

Whilst reading this blog I saw a link to this – a sheep challenge. What a great idea! I decided to take part and no sooner had I done so than I saw this bag in my kitchen

and when boyf asked why I was taking a picture of a carrier bag I told him about the sheep challenge, he then proceeded to and take this picture (apparently the white/grey blob is a sheep in his PC game).

I think will try and get Unst finished tonight as only have a small amount of the foot and then the toe to finish. Then that gives me two weeks to finish two socks (and a bag, but I’m not too fussed about finishing that) until I’m UFO free.

socks, socks and fave colours.

I have completed one of the socks for the KOTR kal. I absolutely loved knitting this sock, and will defintely be making more in the future. The lace is really stretchy which is great as I have wide feet and chunky ankles. I made a slight mishap when transferring from the leg to the foot and the lace doesn’t match up but I know where I have gone wrong and all future socks will be fine. I could have frogged it and all you purists probably think I should have but I see the mistake as evidence of my knitting journey. I will always look at this sock and remember when I couldn’t read lace charts.

I have also joined UFO August in an attempt to get the UFO’s I have done and dusted in time for September. I have decided that I WILL NOT cast on another project until these are finished. It is such a great feeling when I have to change the % bar on an item, and even better when it is moved to the FO’s section.

I have joined two cool sock kals since last blogging, Sock Wars (sign-ups until 8th Sept) and Mystery Sock Kal (sign-ups til Aug 14th). Sock Wars looks great fun as it involves knitting a pre-determined sock pattern as quick as you can and then posting it to your ‘target’ to ‘kill’ them before you receive a pair socks killing you. Your target then sends you their unfinished socks and their target becomes your new target. Confused? It’s easier than it sounds…go check it out! The great thing is it doesn’t start til Sept 22nd so won’t interfere with my UFO August.
Mystery Sock kal, involves finding a sock pattern on the net which doesn’t have a picture with it and then knitting it. It will be great to see what socks turn up. I have a few prospective patterns.

I have been busy crafting and shopping for my Fave Colour Swap secret pal, and just have a few finishing touches to the parcel before posting. I am trying to work out how best (and with minimum disruption to my wrapping)to send abroad. I will probably put it all in a nice pretty box, wrapped up etc., then put that into a cardboard box wrapped in brown paper, that way there is quite a bit to get through before the parcel itself it ruined. I don’t want it to arrive looking all tatty. This is the first swap I have been involved with so am quite apprehensive about it. It has been great fun and I can’t wait until they receive the parcel to see if they like it.

I am off to London on Wedneday for my annual check-up at the Royal Brompton Hospital. I was really looking forward to visiting Stash Yarns but they are closed that week – just my luck! I do however get to spend the day with Mum, shopping on the King’s Road, having a nice lunch and no doubt buying some yarn in Peter Jones. The Bluebird Epicerie sellMighty Leaf Tea, so I may get some of that, as I am hoping to join the next round of Knitters Tea Swap, so fancy seeing if it is worth the money. If it is nice I can get some more for me and my swap pal mail-order at a later date. I may also have to pop in Lush and get my secret pal something as there are no smellies in their parcel.

I have made quite a bit of progress on the Booga bag and just have the i-cord handle to do now. I think I put on a DVD and attempt to get it done. I wonder how soon knitting 6′ of i-cord becomes boring? I’ll tell you next time, the prospect of 6′ is so daunting, i’m only 5’2″, so its almost 1′ more than my height. Oh well no use putting it off.