Knitting and Cats

ats, yes...




Not only do they wreak havoc (scroll down for my story), but also, they get into one's knitting - see Sam below!

Of Socks and Rants and the Kindness of Strangers

or my birthday, Helen, who knew that I've got second sock syndrome, gave me a pattern book and some wool. Yay!

Here's the photo from the Patons pattern book:

This marks one of the few times I've actually used the wool specified in a pattern, but I'm especially excited by the fact that I get to make both socks at once.

Last weekend, however, when I was planning to finish the socks, I ran into two lines of the pattern that seemed to make no sense. No problem, I thought, I'm having brunch with a friend and there's a local yarn store in that neighbourhood that I've bought wool from before (the blue wool from Mexico) - I'll just ask them. Well.

I walked in and there was the store owner, seated in an armchair by the counter with the cash register, pontificating to another client about how much stock he had and how much money the store pulled in, and how other yarn stores were copying them... He didn't say hello to me. I waited by the cash and a woman came around from the back. I pulled out my project and the pattern book and asked her for help. Her reply? "I can't help you if you didn't buy the wool at our store." I told her the wool had been a gift. And she did have the same Patons book, on the rack directly behind me. But no, she repeated, "sorry, there's nothing I can do."

Why did they open a wool store in the first place, I wonder?

Later that week, I emailed Patons, as well as Lisa, the owner of Yarn and Thread by Lisa, whose name came up in a Google search for the Patons book. She wrote back within the hour! And wrote me back again when I replied to say that I was still feeling dense and hadn't understood the first time. Isn't that sweet? I've almost completed the socks, and I'll try to post the photo soon, dedicating them to her!

Thanks Lisa!

Meanwhile, here are two music videos featuring knitters: Runrig's Tillidh Mi, from Scotland, and the Dolapdere Big Gang from Turkey, covering The Animals' Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.

emember this project?

elen and I started knitting the diamond lace pattern back in April, and in October I reported that we had completed the set (mistakenly remembering the start date as May - that's how long it took!).

ast night we delivered the finished product to Chloe and Gaspard and took these lovely photos:

No Sewing!

tephanie, a knitter after my own heart - who enjoys sewing up knitted pieces as little as I do - has posted a no-sew vest pattern! Here's her post, complete with photo, and here's the pattern (scroll down to Raveneli). Big needles too!

I can't wait to get
tarted...


Thanks to kcdyer for the dropcap link!

Narnia, Wool and LOLCats

A combination of three things I love, in honour of the (approximate) twenty year anniversary of my reading of The Chronicles of Narnia:

New Items!

Here is a random assortment of items that I completed over the past couple of months. The cable hat, the hooded blanket (as modelled by my goddaughter in the post below!), the booties and the hat with the tassle are all variations on patterns I've used before. I especially love that cable knit.

The sweater (a free Bernat pattern) is my new go-to sweater for baby gifting; it's knit all of a piece, so there's (can't decide which is the best feature) less sewing and no armhole decreasing!

The orange afghan is a new pattern (free from the skein of Phentex wool) that, once you memorise it, is a treat to knit - four rows that repeat. Delightful!

Hooded Blanket, With Model

Here's the hooded blanket featured in August, as modelled by my goddaughter!

Socks, Again

Stephanie's got some gorgeous photos of socks she recently knitted!
As for my socks...
I agree with her that sock projects are just the right size for carting around and knitting at odd times but there's another major reason some of us - cough cough - don't like knitting socks: you have to make another one exactly the same directly after you've finished! I knit my first sock last month and now I'm suffering from second sock syndrome; can't seem to get started on the pair! It might also have something to do with the size of needles - I used tiny 2.5mm ones; perhaps I'd enjoy the process more if they were bigger and the wool thicker... Or if I could knit both at once! My next pattern will definitely be a two-socks-at-once pattern.

The Finish Line Has Been Crossed!

Way, way back in May, I reported on the Diamond Lace pattern that Helen and I were knitting for a pregnant friend.

We are happy to announce that our work is complete! Two sweaters, two hats, two bootee sets, all with buttons and ribbons, washed and wrapped, are ready to be delivered to the new mother and her (already!) three-month-old twins!

Here are the finished articles:

Helen's set in blue:



My set in yellow:



Diamond closeups:





A big round of applause, please!

What mega project shall we tackle next?

Here's Another Ruffle Hat!

Another pregnant friend means another one of my favourite baby hats to knit: the Bernat Ruffle Hat!