In which Disquina makes more work for herself.

Time for a monster post.

So, what's news?
Well, by now one would expect me to be posting about a lovely finished Swallowtail Shawl, because in the last post I was saying how I had finally finished the repeats on the budding lace. However. Because I had only just finished the same shawl not long ago, I didn't look at the pattern for some reason, and when I tried the first row of the lily of the valley pattern and found the stitches didn't add up, I realised that instead of doing 14 repeats of the budding lace repeat, I had done 16. Well I contemplated ripping back to the 14th repeat, but then thought "ah bugger it, the shawl is too small anyway, I'll make it larger!". So I pulled out the calculator and worked out how many repeats of this that and the other etc., and then found that someone on Ravelry had already worked it all out, which is a relief, because when I alter patterns I have anxiety attacks the whole time I'm knitting in case I've buggered it up.

So I kept knitting, but in the back of my mind a wise voice was telling me "you don't have enough yarn, idjit, what are you doing?". And of course the voices were right, as usual. So now I have to order more of the Regia, and have found that I can only get this colourway from Germany or France. So, after Christmas when money is less scarce I'll order another ball and hope that the dyelot difference isn't really obvious.

Next: Why I haven't posted lately - finished objects:

Pattern: Coronet Design doilie/doiley/doyley from The First Book of Modern Lace Knitting by Marianne Kinzel.
Yarn: Some cheap maroon cotton I bought from Spotlight many years ago. They don't seem to have it anymore. It's about a 4 ply or size 8.
Needles: 2.75mm.
I reckon: This was fun. I've never knitted flat in the round before, and it was a great learning experience. This doilie is quite large, about 40cm across.
It's a Christmas present for my beloved grandmother. I starched it (which I've never done in my life). I boiled some cornflour in water and soaked the doilie for a couple of minutes and then pinned it out. It sure is solid. I'm not sure how solid doilies are supposed to be! This one was actually just going to be a trial, and I was just going to do a couple of rows before starting a white one in mercerised cotton, but you know how it goes, I couldn't put it down, so I just finished it.

Next:

Pattern: Extermiknit
Yarn: Lincraft Cozy Wool (grey) and Cleckheaton Country 8 ply (black).
Needles: 3mm
I reckon: Very fun to knit. Weighted with a homemade sandbag in the bottom. I don't think I'll do the sandbag again, it makes it less cuddly. Xmas present for hubby's cousin.

So, what about that order from Bendigo Woollen Mills?

mmmmmmmm.......

aaaaaahhhhhhhhh........

The green 2 ply (Guava) is about to become Laminaria as soon as xmas knitting is over. As for the Cherry Red 2 ply, well I keep changing my mind. I was thinking of various lacey shawls, but I've also been contemplating a design of my own. That one is still on the backburner.

As for the Red Tweed fibre, well it'll wait around for a while, but depending on how well the spinning comes out, it'll probably be a jumper or something. There is a kilo of the stuff! So cheap! I was a bit annoyed that BWM overcharged me, although it was only by $1.50 or something. The wool is all so cheap that it really would be ridiculous to complain. They've really expanded their colour range since the last sample card I got in 2006. The colours are much more usable I think.

So there's just one more piece of xmas knitting to finish as quickly as possible before we go on our travels around beautiful Victoria (during which we'll drop in on BWM in case there's anything I missed...), Coronet #2. This one's in DMC Cébélia (size 10) on 2.25mm needles:

I was worried about using mercerised cotton, because the last time I tried to knit with it, it was so slippery it just drove me nuts, but I'm knitting this on some cheap plastic dpns, and the cotton sticks to them quite well. This one is for Hubby's grandmother whom we're having xmas with this year. I thought a doilie and a jar of homemade strawberry jam would be a nice present for a fine elderly lady I hardly know.

Hubby's present. I have no pictures yet, but I can talk about it freely because he doesn't read this. There's a guy at the Kingston Bus Depot Markets who sells these lovely skeins of several types of wool, some dyed, some natural. I bought three 300g skeins of brown perendale 8 ply which will become a Norwegian Lusekofta jumper with the patterning in natural white from the same guy. This is one project I'm really looking forward to. I've squished the skeins into a box and wrapped it up. I chucked a few heavy candles in there too so he doesn't guess what it is from the weight. He's completely mystefied, which is exactly how it should be!

One last thing. Lately I've been hearing a lot of bad-mouthing about blogs. I don't know why anyone even bothers to complain about them. If you don't like it, don't read it! I know that the idea of reading what some stranger thinks or does seems boring to the average smarty pants, but the amount of knowledge I have picked up from blogs is phenomenal. We learn from eachother, we interact with eachother and we learn even more. Perhaps 50-90% of what I write here is boring, but somebody somewhere may learn something new and expand their world, and that is the most important thing I can think of.

Bits and Bobs

So, what have I been up to?
Well, I finished the last repeat of the budding lace repeat on Swallowtail #2 at the Tilley's Stitch and Bitch last night. I'm glad to be done with that, it was getting quite tiresome:

I'm still not sure that I like the yarn choice, except of course it always looks much better after blocking.

I've been to the 2 northside S&B's and they were great. It turns out that other people are not as scary as they're cracked up to be! It was lovely to be sharing knitting with other people. In a way, there doesn't seem to be much point if there's no one to share it with. I've been going to see my grandmother in the hospital to show her what I'm working on, and she looks approvingly at my work, but can't speak. She was looking closely at Swallowtail #1 and having a good feel of it, so at least we can still share knitting in one direction...

I've been planning future projects. I'm keen to try the Spring Shawl from Heirloom Knitting. It'll be a challenge, but if I just take my time and take it easy, I'll get there eventually. So I've been trying to find an economical way to do the shawl, and trying to use what I have instead of buying more and more yarn, so I was thinking of dyeing that 31 wpi merino I showed off last post, and in an effort to be really cheap, I was thinking of dyeing it with food colouring, because I've had some success with it in the past. So here is a sample of "Pillar Box Red", and I think it's pretty much the colour I want.

Of course the problem with cutting too many corners expense-wise is that you're at risk of spending many months of your life making a pile of crap. I should probably do this properly and just spend the money. But what the hell am I going to do with that lovely merino? I keep changing my mind.

Another piece in the works is an asymmetrical cardigan in Cleckheaton Vintage Hues. Spotlight was having a sale, and there they were, bags and bags of the stuff for $3 a ball. I just couldn't bear to walk away. I almost did, and 10 metres later I turned back again and jumped in. I got 20 balls, which should be more than enough for a nice cardy. I'm getting a bit sick of my tatty old handspun altered Central Park Hoodie which I've been wearing for 2 Winters now. So here's a sample of Vintage Hues in moss stitch:

The transition looks lovely and soft in moss stitch, but I know that on the cardie they're going to be quite narrow stripes, and I'm not sure how flattering that will be for my, um, voluptuous proportions... Nonetheless, I've measured it up after washing, and it's 15 st/inch, and of course moss stitch is so incredibly flexible anyway. So next I just need to sit down with the calculator and work out how many stitches I need etc. and where to do the waist shaping. I got this idea after seeing Buttony. Looking forward to the finished product.

Ooh, ooh, I'm sitting out on the front porch writing this, and the postie just arrived with my sample card from Bendigo Woollen Mills! I'm so excited I have to look at them right now!
Mmmmmm, drool.... (excuse me while I wipe the keyboard). It's all too much! So many beautiful colours!! Aaaaaarrrgghhhh!!! I get paid on Thursday, and now all of it is already spoken for! I guess it's porridge and rice again for the next fortnight. I am definitely getting the 2 ply in Guava for Laminaria! It's heavenly.....

Anyway, where was I? Ah yes. Here are some close-ups of the nupps on Swallowtail #1 for Bells:

They weren't really very hard, just a bit cumbersome at first until you get the tension right. Think of it this way, if you think they're pretty loose, make them looser. It can be really hard to get the needle through them all on the purl row if they're not really loose. After a couple of rows of them, they fly by, and they really do look quite nice really.

One final thing:

I bought this cute little guy at the Gormon House Markets in the early months of the year. He has a zip on top and is lined with fabric and is just perfect for my camera to stay safe in. He's so gorgeous I just wanted to share him.

By the way, I've finished my annual report, so I'm not being naughty!

Treasures, Arrrr

Well this isn't so much of a treasure (arrr). This is the Regia I'm doing Swallowtail #2 in. It really is a sock yarn, it just doesn't feel quite right for a lacy shawl, but I've had it hanging around for years, and I may as well just do something with it. By the way, it seems that Blogger only does pictures in giganto mode. I'm working on a solution!


This is a treasure, have a look at this baby!

It's probably not obvious, but this is about 4km of 31 wpi merino which I bought from the Salvo's for......$3!!!!!! Holy Moses that was a good find. I don't expect anything like that to happen ever again. Sigh. My only problem is that I covet it so much that I can't bear to use it. I look up patterns, or attempt to design patterns, and none of them seem worthy! I would really have to dye it if I were to wear it, because I just don't do white, but how can I possibly dye it when the next day I might change my mind? I know I know, I could always buy something similar. I was considering possibly using it to make Margaret Stove's Flowering Eucalyptus Shawl and dyeing it a eucalypt or olive green, so I tried to find one on Ravelry knitted by someone else, but no one seems to have done it on there, and it would be good to see how it turns out, because I can't get much of an impression from the photo's in the book (Creating Original Hand-Knitted Lace). I guess the only thing to do is knit some samples and see if I like how it looks...but still, that wool is so gorgeous.... Another option I've though of is to knit some gorgeous amazing baby shawl of my own design for the baby (-ies) I will one day have, but I don't know if I can capture the zeitgeist required for such a sentimental undertaking. Maybe that sort of thing ought to be done when the baby is known to be coming to harness then necessary emotions to create something amazing.

Well I think I'm going to Stitch and Bitch tonight. I'm pretty nervous, going all alone, but the automatically generated reminder email was encouraging to newbies!

Woopidoo

Well I'm back at last, and I've finished the Swallowtail Shawl. Here it is just after casting off, before blocking:

Being blocked (on a blanket wrapped around a huge piece of cardboard from a recent Ikea acquisition - unfortunately the main blanket is grey, the same grey as the wool):

And some close-ups of course:

And me wearing it, front:

Back:

Whew. Talk about procrastination of a lifetime. I've been frantically knitting this in order to avoid writing my Annual Report and Thesis Proposal Review. I'm trying to be half good, so I haven't allowed myself to blog, hence why I haven't posted recently.

What I think about working this pattern:
Nupps - At first I was wondering "why the hell make nupps? They're a pain in the arse and look like a mess", but now I see why. They were a bit painful at first, but if you just allow heaps of slack, it's not too much of a drama.

Cast-off - I love the cast-off used in this pattern, I've never seen it before - k1, *k1, k2tog*, repeat to end. It's a lovely springy edge, not tight and ugly as they often are.

Size - it's a bit small, but I knew it was going to be.

Wool - not the best colour, a bit scratchy, and fibres seem to come off, float around and make me sneeze, but I guess you can't expect too much for a $5 handspun bargain. I weighed the shawl when it was done - 152g - I weighed the remains of the ball - 153g - a bit creepy.
The pattern - once I used my brain, it was really easy and clear to follow.

So I was thinking that next I would finish that Versatility adaptation I mentioned in the last post, but it keeps buggering up! Very irritating. So, for the moment, I'm going to do something I didn't plan to do, I'm going to knit the shawl again! I have this variegated sock yarn in blues and greens made by Regia (the photo of which I have temporarily misplaced). It's just to fill in the gap until I can afford some yarn for something more substantial. I'm in the mood for lace at the moment, and I just don't feel like working on the other projects waiting in line...

Speaking of lace, I've joined in on A Long Lacy Summer on Bells's blog to keep me motivated, although it's all casual, so I won't get too worked up. I'm considering making a doilie or a lace tablecloth from Marianne Kinzel's First Book of Modern Lace Knitting which is funny, because Bells is too. I need to get some cotton though, so next payday will be the decider.

Something else new for me is that I may, possibly, go to Stitch and Bitch tomorrow night in Civic. I'm scared. I tried to get someone to come with me, but to no avail. The message says newbies are welcome and all that, but I'm not accustomed to new people and all that. I'm such a coward. I really will try to go, although it is on Uni Pub kebab night, which is breaking my heart.

I've also joined Ravelry, and am terrified of the potential it has to suck entire weeks out of my life. There is just so much candy to taste that I'm at risk of becoming morbidly obese with knitty treasures. Lordy me.

One last thing, because I really have to get back to writing that report. The shawl I wore for my wedding. It was knitted by my grandmother for my mum to wear at my parents' wedding, which was in about 1973 I believe. I was married back in April this year. The pictures don't show the shawl all that well:

Hubby looks pretty freaked out in the last one. Well he was freaked out. He wouldn't look at me for the first half of the ceremony because he thought he might cry! In a good way though!

The shawl is a lovely length, made from handspun silk. It feels like heaven and is nice and warm for a mid-Autumn afternoon. I gave it back to Mum, and don't have any decent photo's of it. I'll see if I can get some. In case you were wondering, the dress was made by my favourite clothes designer in the universe, High Tea with Mrs. Woo, a Newcastle (Australia) designer.

Blogger is an effing pain in the arse to use.

Back to work!

Gee Whiz

Holy Smokes! I just discovered that there are a bunch of Canberra knitting bloggers. I'm exhilarated and terrified. Dare I enter the world of Other People? Anonymity is so warm and cozy...

Catching Up

Okay, my latest projects, in rough chronological order. I did once have a rule that I am only allowed to do one knitting project at a time, but I decided that was boring. Why have one mess lying around when you can have dozens?

#1 Hmm, started this some time early 2007 I think. My version of a fisherman's guernsey. Here it is up to the armpits, in the round Zimmerman style:

And a close-up of that decorated panel:

This jumper/sweater/whatever is designed to fit around my rather large bust without being a sack. The moss stitch and cables panel begins below my boobs and up to the shoulders, and below the boob region it's just plain knit. Unlike traditional guernseys, the pattern doesn't go around the back. The idea is that because the moss stitch is stretchy it will stretch over the lumpy region while the plain parts stay where they are. You'll get what I mean when I finish it....one day. I've started the first sleeve, but I put it down a long time ago and haven't picked it up again. I have to remember all the numbers and wotnot and just haven't got my arse into gear yet. The wool is from a lambswool op-shop jumper I ripped.

#2 Started October 2007. Norwegian patterned socks.

These were supposed to be hubby's birthday present last year. He has two gorgeous Norwegian cardigans, one hand-knitted by his great-aunt for his father. I've been promising for quite a while that I would knit him a jumper version (steeks and all) of the handknit cardie so he could wear it around without fear of damaging the heirloom. Well it's an expensive exercise for us struggling artist/academics, so I started a pair of socks to whet our appetites using the patterns on the cardie, but I guess I just got sick of knitting more bloody socks, so I put them down, one day to be finished, maybe. I don't really like them all that much. I actually hate this shade of grey. It looks so artificial. When I eventually get around to the jumper, I'll use Rainbow Wools. Their colours are just lovely, and last time I checked they had a nice realistic grey!

#3 November 2008: Ugly Knee Rug

I knitted quite a nice scarf in this pattern a while back. A few weeks ago I decided to knit something, anything. We had just moved and I was organising my (surprisingly small) stash, and I decided to use up all of the tail ends of the 8-ply wools. I just started this because I knew it would be brainless. I'm not sure that I like it much either, but I'll keep plugging on.

#4 November 2008: My own version of Amanda Williams' Versatility in the recent issue of Knitty.

Long story. I fell in love with this pattern, mostly for the concept. So clever. My only problem is getting wool which is 114g/113m. That is huge. I found some very close, but in hideous colours and variegations. I'm not too keen on buying yarn unseen over the internet unless it is very cheap, so instead I bought a colour I could live with (Patons Inca, can't remember the colour) in a fairly heavy weight and designed my own more lacy version, a hybrid of Versatility and Susan Pierce Lawrence's Branching Out. However I keep making booboos with numbers, so I have to rip out the latest attempt, re-chart and start again. In the meantime we have...

#5 November 2008: Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail Shawl.

And a close-up:

It has actually progressed a fair bit since this photo was taken. I've finished the budding lace repeats and am up to the beginning of the end. I saw this on Franklin's* blog and decided I would just jump to it. I'm using some handspun I bought at a garage sale. I couldn't believe it when I found this stuff, about a kilo of handspun, 18 wpi, for $5! I'm sure the woman selling it couldn't have been the spinner. The other stuff she had was all odds and ends of acrylic.


I'm not sure exactly what the fibre is. My aunt thinks perhaps mohair or something goaty, because it has lots of longer black hairs, and it is quite fluffy, although not too much so. It's not terribly silky, a bit rough in fact. Anyway, this should be finished within the next couple of days.

Well now we're all up to speed, the blogging process can begin. Next time we will look at what is on my to-do list.
I have been very naughty, because I've been working on this entry for over an hour, and I really should have been writing my Annual Report. Sigh. By the way, I apologise for the terrible quality of the images. I shall endeavour to do something about it. I'm also having trouble with the consistency of blogger's layout. I'll see what I can do, because I loathe bad formatting!

*Isn't it funny how if you read someone's blog for long enough, you feel entitled to refer to him by the first name, even when the person in question doesn't know you from a stalker? I'm not a stalker by the way.

Holy Mackeral and a History

I simply can not believe that this blog is still here! I'm going to start 'er up again. I also can't believe that I made this blog pink! Must fix that. I've been knitting lately, and have been feeling the urge to share it. Maybe one day someone will actually read this.
It's been a long time, and so much has happened since I last updated. I'm going to just get it all out right now, and maybe it won't come up again, or maybe it will.
Well....
Soon after my last entry, I knitted a guernsey for my beloved brother Alex, who a few days after I had started this blog was diagnosed with a brain tumour. I had taken time out of my studies to help my mother care for him, getting him to his treatments etc. His tumour shrank and we got back to life as usual. I knitted that guernsey in 4 or 5 weeks in order to get it to him for his 30th birthday. I learned to knit while walking (ball under the arm) and knitted my brains out. I got it done and got it to him, and he loved it and wore it happily. Four months later, a new tumour had grown, and within a few weeks, Alex died, on the 20th of September 2007 at 4.10am. There is absolutely no point at all in me trying to express anything about the whole issue. There is nothing that humans can say which means anything in the face of death. All I will say is that it has been hard, life is completely different, and I will never ever get over it. A few weeks later my cat Pussal died at 15 years old of a snake bite.
On the 3rd of March 2008 I started a PhD on metal vessel manufacturing technology of the Bronze Age Aegean (don't ask, please!). On the 26th of April I got married to Bubbadoo (not his real name). About a month ago my 90 year old grandmother had a stroke. Last weekend my new cat Kujo died three weeks after I acquired him! Soooo.... the universe has twisted my life into something entirely unrecogniseable. However, I have recently started knitting again because I have spent long hours sitting with my grandmother in hospital. She can't talk, is half paralysed and sleeps most of the time, but it's comforting to be with her, and I hope she gets something out of it too! The doctors say her higher functions are gone, but that's bollocks. I have a few projects on the go, and I need to share them, so there will be piccies to follow.
Another thing. I am an extremely shy person, terribly introverted and embarassed over the most ridiculously minuscule issues. I love writing, but am always horrified by anything I write as soon as I write it, especially once it is in the public sphere. This blog will hopefully force me to just write and let it be, and maybe that will bring me out of my shell. I will not edit anything after I've written it, and hopefully one day I will use my real name. You may think I'm being ridiculous. Part of me knows that I am, another part wants to scrunch into the foetal position rocking back and forth just at the thought of thinking about writing for other people! Please be kind!