Just a quick one, Angel Yarns forum

Yes I know I promised to post more, but that life thing keeps getting in the way, its so annoying!
Ok, quick knitting project pic, just to keep you happy!


There see, first ever more than one colour at the same time project, my endpaper mitts! Even avoided second glove syndrome and did them both one after the other, yeay for me!

Right main reason for being here is to let people know that the lovely (not!) admin over on the Angel Yarns forum pulled the plug on the whole thing without warning or explanation, leaving all the members and mods a bit stunned, but with true british spirit, every one regrouped on Ravelry and some lovely people took on the job of recreating the old forum, under a new name and have been trying to locate all the old members, so heres me doing my bit!
New forum, Phoenix knitters (as in rising from the ashes!) is here http://www.knittingforums.org.uk/

Please come and join us and stick two fingers up and the people at Angel Yarns who thought it was ok to do this sort of thing to us!

Finishy type things

Well I did think for the new year I'd try to blog a bit more..hmm day 18 and this is my first post! Oh well! I will try tho..
Will start with my last project of 2008, suddenly found a nice pattern for some yarn I'd had knocking around in my stash since Black Sheep had a closing down sale, it was 50p a skein for Rowan R2 Braid, so its like a soft ribbon, very soft, but kinda hard to find a pattern for. Me being me, I'd bought all the black and white ones, and whilst browsing that wonderful resource that is Ravelry, I saw some one elses project that involved making a bag and I was like, aha! Thats the one for me! Just a simple bag, I finished it in a day, big drumstick needles job, its been christened the Guinness bag, for obvious reasons...

Recycle in Rowan R2 Braid

I've finally managed to finish my Japanese Feathers scarf which was nice to finally get done, seen as its been on the needles since last March! Its not as long as I probably should have done it, but I was attempting to be creative-ish, I cast on when the yarn was in a dark stripe phase and I've knitted it until its gone through the whole sequence back to dark again at the other end, it looks good, just not hugely long. Picutures are not brilliant but the light quality at the moment is just pitiful and the flash just bleeches out the lovely blues, but you'll get the idea.

Japanese Feather scarf in Kauni Effektgarn 8/2 Ez

Since Christmas I've also been trying to perfect my spinning, I'd started on this blue merino before christmas and it was looking good, and apart from a few wheel problems (I'm still getting used to adjusting it!) I've done some thing that compares to aran weight! It was entirely spun and plied on Evangeline (yes I know I said Sorsha but there is a reason for that!)


The pic below shows what I'm aiming for, its what Jamman did on my wheel before I arrived and it looks so thin and even, I can only dream! The blue is what I had left over from plying and makes a good comparrison, I can dream, but it is some thing to aim for. I'm assuming its all down to how I draft, and at the moment I predraft every thing so I only have to concentrate on one thing at once, I did have a go at drafting as I spun but I was letting the wheel take it before it was spun enough and when it broke, I couldn't get it going again, so went back to predrafting. It will all come with practise I'm sure.


And last but not least, I mentioned in a previous blog that I was going to call my wheel Sorsha, like a character in my fav book who has to spin shirts out of a stinging plant to save her 6 brothers, but it never felt quite right, I liked the idea, but it didn't fit the wheel and my ashford traddy being a dark finish, struck me more as a gothy one and I've lent more towards calling her Evangline for a while, and I think I know why, cause this is Sorsha...

A dinky double drive pre 1999 Kromski, which is very much like the current Mazurka from their range. Its so small in comparrison to my traddy but spins very nicely and I was totally smitten on first sight! Kate was lovely (as was her cat, Sabbath!) and I even got a bag of fibre to play with as well, so thats me busy for a while. Good day today! Must make time for knitting tho..

The story of Doggie

My youngest lad Callum is 5, hes a bit of a nut case (in the nicest possible way!) and is probably one of the sweetest kids going.
Before he was born, even before we knew he was going to be a boy, my step mum bought a blue dog, and since he was born, its always been with him, and was the toy he became attached to.
Doggie (as he is known) is a well travelled dog, he can tell the time, he can play burn out on the ps2 and even gained a sunday best name of Rudolph last year (I'll let you guess what time of the year that was) and even has his own collar and a bell. He does speak in a rather deep voice and I've known him and Callum to have some very indepth conversations.
I saw the cuddles the puppy crochet pattern when it was free on Ravelry and was immediatly struck on how much it looked like Doggie.
Back in september I didn't rate my crochet skills so my pattern has languished in my pattern folder until I got up the courage to do smiley cat, and realised I could do more than I realised and straight away set about attempting to make cuddles the puppy.

And here he is!
He is most certainly a cousin of Doggie, and is incredibly sweet looking! I can't wait to introduce him to both Callum and Doggie on Christmas day, Callum is going to be made up, green is his favourite colour (the boy has good taste!) and it will be interesting to hear what this dog can say and do ;-)

I've confirmed my crochet status...

And the result is...I can and I am!

Amigurumi Cat and Cuddles the Puppy

When did that happen? I'm even making stuff that actually looks like the original patterns! I'm in shock! I've finally put faith in my ability to follow a pattern accurately and have spent the last two days making these two and its turned out well! I've managed to do things I never tried before, like decreasing, constructed the puppy in amigurumi style spirals, and I've been enjoying it! Don't know how far I'm going to take this new obsession, but I've always like these sorts of patterns but never been able to make them, but now I can! Even if I just limit my self to making this toys, I'll be a happy person :-)

I'm wearing odd socks

But I don't care!
Finally finished my first Disco king socks and its oh so snug and nice!


Its pictured with my other fav socks on lol
I love this yarn tho, the pooling (or flashing, what ever you want to say it is!) has turned it out looking very funky, and very reminiscent of disco lights (if you are old enough to remember that sort of thing!)
My tallest knitted socks to date at a huge 8inchs long, I was worried about not having enough yarn, thinking I'd over done it, but a quick weight check shows I';m just going to manage it phew! I just wanted some socks that ended further up my leg as I do tend to wear knee high socks, but we are building up slowly to that!
These socks might just beat the second sock syndrome us knitters seem to suffer from, despite not being bothered about odd socks, I'm looking forward to wearing these with my black boots (£4.50 ebay bargain! can't complain!) and keeping my feet warm in these chilly times we are having :-)
Off to cast on number two..

At what point do you say I can crochet?

Might seem a bit of a weird statement, but I'm genuinely pondering this one! I've been able to wield a crochet hook in some form or other since before I could knit, in fact I've got a misshapen blanket under my bed as we speak that I started 8 years ago, intended for Ewan when he was born, but it never got finished, and knowing what I know now, its hardly surprising seen as its all done in slip stitch, no I'm not kidding, and its fairly big! I will dig it out one day I guess..might make a good cat blanket! In a way, it was doing this blanket that started my yarn addiction as I used to root through bargain bins on market stalls and charity shops for odd balls of yarn, I knew nothing about gauge or yarn weight back then, if it was pretty, I bought it! I've still got these odd balls too, but no I'm not going to list them on Ravelry!
I stopped doing the blanket eventually and 6 years later I picked up knitting needles and never looked back, I didn't give crochet much thought, until I needed it to finish Nealas Rainbow child jacket back in Feb, I'd had a brief lesson from Kirsty the summer before, and used my crude skills to do the finishing touches on her jacket and if I do say my self, it wasn't bad at all!
After that I had a go at an afghan star, with so so results, looks cute but itsn't quite right and I've not done much since..until..

Super simple tawshi flower

Bookworms!

I've been attempting several small projects, with really nice results, I'm really happy that I've been able to achieve what I have, been pretty much self taught, either watching vids, and reading instructions. But they are exactly that, just some thing simple, I'm sure even the most novice of crocheter could achieve them, but in doing so, have I become a crocheter? Do they count? Or is it when I can do bigger projects with more stitches in them?
What ever stage I am at, I guess these are my first real crochet projects, I have designs on making a scarf in a pattern that looks doable in the not too distant future so I guess its a case of watch this space!

UK Swap round three questionaire!

Its that time again! I missed out on round two thanks to bt, but I'm in on this one yippee!
I'm taking part in the kit swap as I don't want to burden myself with yet more time limit knitting, doing enough of that at the moment as it is!
So without further ado!

Kit Swap Questions

What kind of kit are you interested in receiving?

Well I'd be happy with any thing! But, main things I'm interested in is lace knitting and sock knitting, so any thing based around those two things I'd be over the moon with

Are you interested in any particular techniques?

Not as such, I want to get in to colour work, but I don't understand how it supposed to happen, with carrying yarns, twisting them together etc, I'd like to get in to it, but not sure how!

Do you knit, crochet, or both?

I mainly knit, but I'm just getting in to crochet at the moment, but its only very basic things

What is your favourite colour?

My most favourite colour is green, closely followed by purple.

What is your least favourite colour?

I'm not a huge fan of pink, tho its tolerated when mixed with other colours, and yellow isn't high up on my list either..

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamourous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.)

I dress like a goth, but wear loud and bright socks and gloves etc, is that a style?

Do you have a favourite type of fiber or brand of yarn?

Not fussed as long as its nice!

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn?

See above!

Do you do any other crafts?

I'm a learner spinner and dyer but thats it. Unless you can call my sims 2 addiction a craft..

Are there any knitting accessories you are interested in receiving?

This is going to sound daft, but I'm interested in mini things at the moment, I've got a tobacco sized tin with some kit in that I can throw in my bag when I go out, always stocked, at the moment I've got a tape measure, mini scissors, a skein of emergancy yarn (which is uber cute and I doubt I'd use unless it is a dire emergancy!), a cable needle, and some stitch markers. I'm after a mini crochet hook for catching dropped stitches when on the move and a mini needle gauge, and any thing else you might think I'd need away from home!
Apart from that, I'm easy, surprise me!

What do you like to eat?

Food? lol! Erm I eat alsorts and will try any thing once! Naturally I'm a chocolate lover hehe

Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)?

Well I doubt some one is going to send me fresh tomoatoes so that covers the allergies part, and treat wise, I don't like white chocolate, but apart from that, I'm good!

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know?

I'm easy going, and will be happy to receive any thing, honestly, I'm just chuffed some one took the time and effort for me.

Ok and thats it! Don't think I've missed any thing and if my swap partner is reading, feel free to bug me about any thing :-)