tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28403971928102331622024-03-14T03:14:02.636+00:00Auld FashionedKnitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-26269977701427479452011-07-11T10:05:00.000+01:002011-07-11T10:05:19.537+01:00Moving...I'm moving, so come on over to www.auldfashioned.blogspot.com Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-31716422019981428332011-06-10T11:21:00.000+01:002011-06-10T11:21:38.140+01:00Smitten ShmittenWell now. The sun may be shining, but there are clouds overhead, and poor old Drew has gone back to the drawing (drew-ing?) board.
So, having knit furiously up to the armholes and completed the back and started on one of the fronts, I took stock. Hmmm. Less than three balls of yarn used for a project that is supposed to take 9 balls. Hmm. And, only 21cm below the armhole for something Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-18120690499995904102011-05-30T14:33:00.000+01:002011-05-30T14:33:21.207+01:00SmittenThe boys went out on Saturday to watch the rugby sevens at Murrayfield. While they were out I grabbed a little pile of Rowan Denim which has been marinading in the stash for a while. I swatched for Drew - something new to knit for the bean. I got gauge and cast on, and I'm smitten. I can't put it down, even though there are a million other things to do like finish Grace, plant out the runner Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-89056678279846187422011-05-24T21:39:00.000+01:002011-05-24T21:39:20.839+01:00Sew...A few FOs to record and celebrate (it's been a long, long time coming). I foresee more in the next days...
upcycled baby wipes and an upcycled dribble bib (tutorial here)
my first home sewn nappy
oh, and this one isnt finished, but she's perfect in every way...Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-38677411966043471482011-05-17T12:25:00.000+01:002011-05-17T12:25:26.997+01:00WIPsThe WIPs are getting a bit out of hand.
1. Grace is still OTN, but progress has been made. I've redone the button bands - with the correct number of buttonholes this time - and I've knitted the collar again but have a little modification in mind to make it look even better. Then there's the small matter of sewing it up...
2. The Java socks are not done. I'm just about ready to do the toe Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-65220692247142059972011-04-19T14:58:00.000+01:002011-04-19T14:58:39.021+01:00happiness is...... clean washing on the washing line, blowing in the spring sunshine
... making easter decorations with my children
... collecting the mugs we painted for daddy's birthday surprise
... getting into a pilates class with my favourite teacher
... working at home on a sunny day, reading and marking dissertations in the garden
... a quiet house, waiting for the small ones to Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-88945577292663856182011-04-14T20:06:00.000+01:002011-04-14T20:06:24.098+01:00third time lucky?With only a few days to go until DH's birthday, the end of the purple socks (currently on my feet) gave me chance to cast on for some quick and secret birthday socks. Since Grace is having a short break in the not-quite-finished basket, I thought that 10 days or so would be plenty of time for some secret sock knitting.
Well, I might have been right, except I made a rather Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-34199972198971183052011-04-12T21:47:00.001+01:002011-04-12T21:49:55.872+01:00This week I have...... finally managed a FO! The purple socks are done, and very fine they are too. They took 56g of Jenny Cook's lovely yarn (leaving another 50g for another pair), and they took an absolute age (I cast on at Christmas!) because I have been doing. Other. Things.
... still not finished poor old Grace. I ripped the collar and button bands, and will have to do them again - perhaps things will work Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-38649982536292191622011-04-05T10:19:00.000+01:002011-04-05T10:19:42.416+01:00A pip and a squeak
Grace is almost there. And I still have yarn. Hallelujah. There was 44g left when I had cast off the back, and now I'm on the collar, so I'm (almost) confident that I'll be able to finish it now without having to buy or find a suitable substitute. The button bands and collar aren't quite working out as written - I had less than the suggested no. of stitches for the button bands, and way more Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-17677496576542470982011-03-29T15:30:00.000+01:002011-03-29T15:30:10.249+01:00Baby LostJust heard that a new mama I know, has lost her baby son after only 15 days. Rest in peace little one.Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-31095759570245355592011-03-29T14:13:00.000+01:002011-03-29T14:13:20.119+01:00Slooooow progressGrace is still on the needles. The back is almost done, but so is the yarn and my optimism about having enough to fnish it now seems misplaced. Heaven only know what I'll do to complete the collar and button bands... oh well. On the plus side, it seems pretty big as age 3-4, so it should fit the intended recipient for a while yet!
In other news, we helped a young friend of ours celebrate Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-79044283444025097512011-03-09T20:37:00.000+00:002011-03-09T20:37:04.326+00:00Oh frabjous day....Today I finally managed to finish Grace's two fronts. I weighed them. They weigh 167grammes. I weighed the yarn that remains: 208 grammes. Phew. Looks like I should be able to make it after all. I am pleased. I wouldn't have minded some yarn shopping you understand, but it's just so satisfying to use things up. I like finishing things: bottles of bubble bath, bars of soap, the Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-49132453079100455852011-03-05T13:55:00.000+00:002011-03-05T13:55:18.629+00:00Home Alone...It's Saturday and the sun is shining weakly outside. My husband and children are elsewhere and I am all alone. I should be in the garden, trying to unwreak the havoc therein, and getting ready to plant seeds and bulbs and things to eat in the coming months. But inside, looking at a computer screen, trying to catch up with work or get ahead or somehow effect some change in my never-ending Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-74314331849291763522011-02-22T10:24:00.000+00:002011-02-22T10:24:23.082+00:00Birthday Parties # 2We were at another children's party this weekend (they always seem to come along in pairs dont they?) to celebrate the birthday of one of the bean's nursery friends, Macey. There were balloons and dancing and face painting, and we came home with one of these boy tigers.
While we were there I met Kerry Kimber, who runs Kids Knit. She was telling us about the tights (yes, tights!) Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-37728346025923423362011-02-15T13:05:00.000+00:002011-02-15T13:05:03.727+00:00Children's partiesAlthough his birthday was at the end of January, last weekend we celebrated the bean's 4th birthday with a proper birthday party. There were grandparents, there were friends, there were balloons, there were candles and cake and presents. And, we all had a lovely time (phew).
Much as I aspire to lead the sort of crafterly life that leads to serene parties in which calm children play party games,Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-71652438493960795882011-02-08T20:22:00.001+00:002011-02-15T13:34:39.521+00:00In which the knitting gods make their views knownSo, despite casting on and knitting the first couple of inches of Doris in a crazed funk (mmm, more more, my precious), I soon realised that something was not quite right. I'm a bit lazy when it comes to swatching - mostly because when I do bother I tend to find that my tension is exactly that required, and then I feel I've wasted valuable knitting time and should just have started all alongKnitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-38603968722636030112011-02-01T12:51:00.001+00:002011-02-15T13:35:08.979+00:00Giving UpJanuary has been a bit of a disaster knitting wise. The purple Christmas socks are still on the needles, stalled somewhere before the heel flap of the second sock, and the Ava that I cast on. Ha. It is no more. It has been cast aside. Frogged. Done away with and sent very firmly to Coventry.
It's a lovely pattern (probably). But we didn't get on. I kept mixing up the wrong and right sides so Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-54754841084789346082011-01-25T14:07:00.000+00:002011-01-25T14:07:24.975+00:00To a haggis...Today is Burn's night, and we're having haggis for supper, as one should when one lives in Scotland. It's noteworthy because it'll be the first time I've had haggis on Burn's night, after only recently discovering that I like it! Who knew it was so tasty? We (probably) won't be doing the more elaborate bits of Burn's night ritual, e.g. piping it into the dining room or stabbing it with a Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-31428284993017010652011-01-18T16:18:00.000+00:002011-01-18T16:18:32.922+00:00New Year New Knitting New BabiesHappy New Year!
It's been a whirlwind start to the year. I'm teaching again so there is lots of thinking and reading and preparing and photocopying and tinkering with the university VLE going on. And, there has been plague in this house. I am the only one not to have succumbed and the only one not to have antibiotics. DH is still laid low and although ordered to rest by the GP, as a Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-90140097547989793272010-12-21T12:29:00.001+00:002010-12-21T12:38:18.197+00:00Concentrating (#2)A few weeks ago I attended a conference. One of the plenary speakers was Danny Dorling, a geographer from Sheffield University. He was talking about his new book 'Injustice: why social inequality persists' and argued clearly and powerfully about the relationship between inequalities in income and inequalities in health. His main thrust is this - if there was less discrepancy between the rich and Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-59528243416503207242010-12-14T21:36:00.001+00:002010-12-14T21:41:43.191+00:00Concentrating...
As the time left before Christmas is getting short (only 10 days left - how did that happen? eek!) I'm trying to concentrate on things/gifts which I really have a chance of finishing quickly. The recent snow kept us indoors rather more than is usual, so I grabbed small gobbets of time here and there to get a few things finished off.
There have been some more socks. Two pairs of crazy Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-14573019108349279732010-12-09T10:22:00.000+00:002010-12-09T10:22:39.048+00:00Snow on snow on snow...After what seemed to be a very brief autumn, winter arrived with a vengeance. It is now almost 2 weeks since the first snows fell - and although the temperatures are now just above freezing again, there is still a thick layer of snow covering the city. Edinburgh is a dry city, close to the sea and snow of this magnitude is really unheard of. We have at least 18 inches of accumulated Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-90244821518170802942010-11-09T11:14:00.002+00:002010-11-09T11:28:23.493+00:00The sun shone...
Autumn has arrived in fine style. Sunday was glorious, and like Kate we took ourselves up a hill to enjoy the glorious sunshine and clear views of Edinburgh and beyond. We didn't encounter any snow on our walk, but there were plenty of dogs and their grownups (as the bean likes to say) enjoying themselves all the same. We enjoyed ourselves too - what's not to like about climbing up a hill on a Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-28516838805585547582010-10-26T13:48:00.002+01:002010-10-26T14:52:00.272+01:00FREE Pattern: Baby BeanieWhile the chicken stock is bubbling on the hob, and a new sock has sprung onto my needles (the twisted sock wasnt working, so has been ripped in favour of a plain sock knitted with the rest of my crazy zauberball sock yarn...), I thought I would share this with you.
It seems too grand to describe this as a pattern, but rather it's one of those unvented and unoriginal set of instructions Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2840397192810233162.post-66961976575107823482010-10-20T20:10:00.002+01:002010-10-20T20:10:00.240+01:00Paring back...For all sorts of reasons and in all sorts of ways, I in the midst of a process of paring back.
Firstly, I am trying to pare back the wheat and gluten in my diet. I have been gluten free a couple of times before and on both occasions I felt very well. This time the motivation is different and purely driven by me; the other times it was to do with the country I was in and breastfeeding a fussy Knitlasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10694849211711608460noreply@blogger.com0