Miles and miles of bloody i-cord

I think I have gone insane. I've just dreamed up several projects requiring a hell of a lot of i-cord. The first requires 70 feet, the second, gourd only knows. I'm thinking after that, I might just get tired of knitting i-cord and move onto something else.

However, it would be nice to produce a collection of patterns, working on a similar theme. I'm wondering whether to get a knitting mill before I go any further; that seems like cheating though and the knitting isn't that bad. I-cord is absolutely mindless stuff to knit, requiring little or no effort from my brain, which is good, because the brain is currently addled from lack of sleep, soon to get added assistance from some nice red wine.

Even if I don't get round to all of them atm. I have decided to write them down. I've now got an A4 size bound notepad that will make a very nice design notebook. I avoid swatching whenever possible, and don't tend to keep the swatches i make, so I don't need a folder full of page protectors. However, I do loose anything that isn't tied down, so a book that pages won't fall out of is the best move.

However, what I'm making is a secret for now because I think I might have an idea that is original and interesting enough to get published. However, I have a few more practice patterns to write out first. I should be able to write out a child's bag pattern later today.

and all is right with the world......

There is, in my opinion, absolutely nothing that makes a home feel more like a home than the presence of a contented cat. However, cats can on occasion be quite hard to keep content. hence my decision to knit my dear feline friends a cat bed.

The pattern I started with is kitty pi from wendyknits. I decided to use some of the feltable wool I got in a swap from a lovely knitty poster. So I swatched, felted that and began to knit.

Black on it's own can get a little tedious, so to the edge, I added some purple diamonds using a fair isle technique, this first bed was going to be for she-cat. However, I think I got my stranding a little too tight, either that, or there is something about felting colour stranded knitting that no one has told me yet.

So my kitty pi turned out to look a little bit more like a kitty splodge on the floor. I left it on the floor under my desk and it has been taken over by he-cat as a regular day bed. He's in there now, curled up.

So the cat is sleeping contentedly and all is right with the world.

pattern: Zig Zag

Zig zag is a simple, thin decorative scarf, needing only beginner level knitting skills. However, it is a nice introduction to the idea of multi directional knitting. It's not intended to be a neck warmer, more like something you throw on over a fleece jacket to break up the monotony. I've knit it in a new British produced yarn, but I think it would work well in any yarn which self stripes.

yarn: Twileys freedom spirit, 1 ball

100% wool
50g, 120m per ball
handwash

cost: £3

time: 3 hours to knit, 15 mins to finish

knitability level: beginner

needles: 1 pair 4.5mm (US 7)

gauge: 22 stitches, 24 rows per 4 inches in garter stitch

Cast on 12 stitches. Work 21 rows in garter stitch, this will give you 11 garter ridges. Cast off 11 stitches.



*Turn work 90 degrees clockwise, with the single stitch remaining on the needle. Pick up 11 more stitches, one from each garter stitch ridge, to give 12 stitches. Knit 20 rows. cast off 11 stitches.



Repeat from * until you have used up almost all the wool (I got 23 squares). Cast off final stitch.

Sew in ends. You can, if you wish add a few beads or buttons to the ends to add a little decoration.

Dammit, Dammit, Dammit

This isn't the first time I've had this happen, but it's the first time it's happened with a print magazine.

I was rather happy to see Interweave in a bookstore here, so happy I bought it (they had spin off as well). I was rather enjoying flicking through when I came across a rather nice pattern that looked quite familiar. Dammit, the reason it looks quite familiar is that it is almost identical to something I knit myself several months ago, that I was planning on writing out on this new and improved blog.

Now before anyone says anything, I am in no way accusing the author of the Interweave pattern of copying mine. I'ts a simple case of 2 knitters having a similar idea at a similar time, but it does rather annoy me. I've been holding off on writing out my ideas because of lack of confidence in my ability. I am not annoyed at her or at the magazine.

I am annoyed at me.

This isn't the first time I've had an idea, knitted it, been happy with it and wondered for several months about submitting it to one of the online mags, only to see something nearly identical show up before I could make up my mind. I need to get off my fat, lazy backside and write up my ideas, either to show them here, or to submit to someone.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

I think I did it

I should now have a shiney new tool to keep track of visitors. The script is there, I now just have to say enough interesting stuff to get people to bother to come here. I've also managed to edit my links in the sidebar without causing great damage.

I think I'm on a roll now. I'll be digging through lists of modifications to do all sorts of things to this. I think altering code and having it actually work must be addictive.

Miss Minty Eggnog Breath

What a wonderfull supprise to arrrive through my door this morning. A scarf made out of what i think is the world's softest yarn, a hank of that yarn and a nice card. Just the thing to cheer me up and start to kill those post holiday blues.

The yarn is Plymouth baby alpacca and it is truly scrummy. While I've heard nice things about the softness of baby alpacca, I really wasn't prepared for quite how scrummy this stuff is. It feels like swimming through clouds, or floating in the sea off a tropical beach, or a baby's skin. As you can gather, I'm quite impressed with this stuff. I only hope it's as nice to knit with as it is to fondle. However, I definately have to work it out so it goes well with the scarf she made for me.

Right now, I'm thinking of an earflap hat, something like the nelly hats from the Rowan Little Book of Big Accessories. It's got to be really scrummy and warm and I know it will feel great against my skin.

So now I have to thank my mystery benefactor. A search on the Knittyboard reveals it to be the scrummy and truly lovelly Polarg. I can't say that I'm particularly supprised. She was my upstream in SP6 and the stuff she sent me was so lovelly and thoughtful.

So thankyou very, very much to Polarg.

Lets get on with it then

I intend to talk about what I'm knitting, a bit of chat, but I also intend to include information about yarn, patterns and techniques that I've tried, or that I'm considering trying. I'm also intending to start writing out the patterns I make up and hopefully get some feedback on them so I can eventually feel confident enough to have a few published. I've got so many ideas, mainly for fairly basic level stuff at the moment, but I think some of them have enough merit that they have interest to more than just me.

I'm also going to add a lot more photos than in my previous attempts at blogging. That means that I'll also need to improve my photographic skills and my ability to see the difference between a good photo and something that is utter rubbish.

Time to start again

I abandoned my last attempt at a blog sometime last year, and it is now time for me to start again, with some new ideas and hopefully some new enthusiasm. I've also learnt a lot more about how to make these things work.

So, welcome to the new and improved story.