More ripping back

No pictures, I am feeling down. The socks are too big and I am going to have to start again. I may leave them and try again in the new year. I need to knit something to cheer me up, however, I am banned from starting anything new until I have finished all my unfinished projects:

Dot Pebbles doll for Lily
Brown mohair jacket needs sewing up
Remembering Honey sweater - I have to finish it!

Then I have to do some stash busting.

Ripping back

I have just ripped back my Remembering Honey sweater, Interweave Knits Spring 2003, yet again. I have been battling with the lace panels on the front and finally decided to knit each side separately, instead of both of them at the same time. I have done the first side and had almost finished the second side, when I messed up again. It is impossible to unpick mistakes because of the amount of yarn overs and such like. I keep having to rip back to the start and begin again. Well here I go!



I have finished the first Fathers and Sons sock from Interweave Knits Winter 2006. I am please with it, it is really soft and the pattern has come out well. It looks large on me but it is for my Dad. I haven't worked out how to take pictures of socks yet, so you will have to bear with me. I managed to cast on and knit two rows of the second sock whilst waiting for Lily to finish her Nutcracker Ballet workshop at the Royal Ballet School this morning. It was very cute watching a class full of four year olds prancing around the studio. I think that I am going to need a third skein of cashmere from Colourmart. It doesn't say on the label if it is lace weight, but I presume it so. I can't find a skein of navy blue on the website, only cones. I don't need that much. I have emailed them and I hope that they reply. I now have to go and mark a stack of writing that my Year Six class have done, so until next time...

Long suede boots

I have the best trick for zipping up knee length boots. Every year I go into countless shoe shops in the hope that there will be one pair of boots that I can zip up, all the way to the top. Every year there is only one type of boot that fits, the stretchy type of boot. It is always a bit embarassing to be seen as having mamoth sized calves. Yesterday I went into a great shop in Temple Fortune, Rojo, and found a gorgeous pair of boots. However, they would not zip up. The lady in there told me to zip them up as far as I could, then push them back down around the ankle and keep zipping up. When they were done up I pulled them up to the correct height. I think you can only do this with boots that have a stetchy vent at the top, but quite a lot of styles do. She even gave me a 10% discount when I bought them. Here they are:







Here is the photo of Blackberry, as promised. She has settled in really well and Gad is looking after her brilliantly. Lily and Benjamin are taking an interest, but Gad is the one that sorts her bedding and food out everyday.



I better fill you in on my knitting progress this week. Very little! I am a little stuck with the socks I am knitting, Father and Son socks from Interweave Knits Fall 2006. I am finding the instructions a little confusing. It is not clear whether to finish the chevron pattern off when separating stitches for the heel flap, or to do another pattern repeat before going to the finishing chevron pattern. I am going to think on it for a couple of days. I am making progress with my Remebering Honey sweater. I frogged the front lace pattern and started it again, after making numerous mistakes. It is now going well and I am hoping to get in finished and make a start on the sleeves.

New member of the family

We finally found some time today to go and get the rabbit that we promised the kids. We went to Southgate and a place called London Lops. She is a half Lop and is black. We haven't named her yet, but I will post her name once we decide. I haven't taken a picture of her yet because I don't want to frighten her with the flash, as she needs time to settle in and become accustomed to her new home. She is eight weeks old and we are keeping her in the garage until she is a little older and stronger before relocating the cage and run outside. Benjamin is at a friends and doesn't know we have bought her, he will have such a surprise when he gets home.




On the knitting front I am still working on the first cashmere sock for my Dad. It is knitting up well and I hope that I will finish it soon. I have to get the next one done, there are so many projects I have to be getting on with. Ronke from the Brent Cross knitting group suggested that I make a finer version of Clapotis with the Lorna's Laces shepherd sock that Oli bought for me in Washington. I think I may do this with the skeins of Black Purl. I wonder how many I will need for it, the pattern calls for 4 skeins of Lion and Lamb. I might have to buy some more to make sure I have enough.

A North West London Fall

This is the view outside my bedroom window, anyone would think I lived in New England!
Anyway, it should be safe for me to venture outside now, as the rain has stopped chucking down. I am going to go and pick up the extra copy of my M.A. report from the Institute of Education. It was in Museum and Gallery Education and I have finished and passed, I am so pleased! This is why I have had time to finally set up my own blog, after wanting to do it for a while.

So much to finish, so little time! I have started another project, cashmere socks, yarn from Colourmart. I have already used the yarn for a pair of socks which came out brilliantly, now I am knitting a pair in navy for my Dad. I hope to finish them for his birthday, 23rd December.

I finished knitting one of the Be Sweet magic balls from Washington. I made a scarf and here is Lily being sweet:



The scarf is lovely and soft.




I am slowly putting together Pinky Painter, a Dot Pebbles knitted doll. She has just brought out a gorgeous new mermaid one, I think that one will have to be for Lily's birthday.

Gadi's Post

I am making a scarf for Benjy,it is soft,narrow and green.So far I have been working on it for a couple of months.

The yarn haul

Gadi, 10 years old, very kindly took a picture of me modelling Gloria, from Jane Ellison for Noro, as promised. This link shows another Gloria that suffers from the same problem that my does!I still think it's too big, but my kids think it is perfect, as long as I block out the curly edges! I will block and see.




Wow, I have to send Oli on another yarn shopping spree! He chose some great stuff from Stitches D.C., but I think the owner must have been delighted when he walked in. He bought me two different colours of Lorna's Laces sock yarn in Motherlode and my all time favourite, Black Purl.It was cheaper than in England, so I was really pleased. I wanted some Koigu, but the shop didn't stock it. He also bought two skeins of Magic Ball by Be Sweet, made in South Africa. The women who make it are part of a community project and proceeds from the yarn go back to them. It is baby mohair and other yarn oddments, such as ribbon. The store has an online scarf pattern which I am going to try. I was a little surprised at how expensive it is, but what a treat! Oli brought back the Lantern Moon rosewood circular needles I requested. The store owner persuaded him that I would need 66cm long and 41cm long needles in the same size. I definately don't, but never mind!



Oli also brought back a yarn order from Knitpicks. I had it delivered to a friend in Washington as they won't send anything overseas. It is a real shame as the yarn is great and the prices are even better. I ordered some gloss sock yarn, it is merino with 30% silk in it. It is really nice and soft, with a slight sheen. I have decided to use it to knit a loop stitch cardigan from Vogue Knitting, Winter 2005/6. First I have to finish everything I have on needles. I got my hands on some double pointed 2.75mm needles which seem quite hard to come by in the U.K. They also sent some Eucalan wool wash, again unavailable here. It is great in the washing machine and as handwash, as it doesn't need rinsing out. Finally I now have my hands on a copy of the Magic Loop booklet by Bev Galaskas. I am hoping to learn how to knit socks and gloves using one circular needle.