Lost

My laptop has crashed and I think that I have lost a lot of stuff that hasn't been backed up. I had finally found time to organise my knitting patterns into folders and now they have gone. I am going to have to start again. I am using an old laptop that is much slower and cumbersome until I work out whether the current laptop is redeemable. I hope that it is and I don't have to buy a new one. I am working on the garter yoke baby cardigan. It is such a great pattern, knitted in one piece, with only a little sewing up under the arms. I can't decide what to do next, after this. It takes me so long now to decide what to knit each time, maybe I have knitted myself too many cardigans!

Yarnfest: Update on the annual post

Update on the annual post

It's that time of the year again! I only seem to be able to post once a year now. I have to show off my latest creations, all completed in the last year or so, including the Rime Frost Bohus sweater that I didn't have photos for, until now. I also completed my Fireside sweater after finding some great yarn at Alexander Palace Knitting and Stitching show in October last year.

I have made various other things, such as scarves and baby gifts, as well as a couple of berets. I love this pattern for a quick knit one day beret. It works well, I am now contemplating making a third.

Not much else on the knitting front at the moment, although I had a great time here, whilst I was visiting San Francisco during half term in February. It was a really interesting place that dyes its own yarn. There is a large selection of gorgeous yarns and I couldn't resist buying some burnt orange merino with a touch of cashmere in to make a scarf. I will post a picture when it is finished, hopefully before next March!

I haven't downloaded our pictures yet, but I hope to post some of Alcatraz, which was very interesting. San Francisco is a great place to visit.

The latest pictures of baby sweaters

These were made last month for my cousin's identical twin daughters. Aren't they cute? They are of course the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise pattern which always turns out really well.

I have got an answer about the yoke on the Rime Frost and have already made my changes, which seem to be working out so far. I hope that the whole yoke works, because I am really close to finishing. It looks good so far, but I will post a picture when I'm done.

I found a picture of the kids in the garden in January when the snow fell again here in London. It is such an unusual image for here, we never get this much snow. They had another snow day and really enjoyed making snowmen.

Catch up

I can't believe that I haven't posted for a year. I have knitted lots, but not bothered to blog about it. I have made numerous baby sweaters, finished my Autumn Rose sweater, which came out successfully and am now battling with a bohus pattern, Rime Frost. It is great, but the yoke is defeating me and I have to work out how to sort it out.

We had Gad's barmitzvah in August which was great and then we went to Italy for ten days. The time has flown and we are having February half term.

I have to download some pictures from the camera as I do have images of some knitting that has been completed. I have been really good and not added to my stash, but I have lost two hand knitted scarves this winter and need to buy more yarn to make their replacements. Oh, I tell a lie, I did buy some posh yarn cashmere sock yarn a couple of weeks ago. I think I have enough for a hat and scarf, which I hope to get started on once I have finished the Bohus sweater.

The amazing February Baby Sweater

I finally got a chance to make this great cardigan. My friend had a baby girl last week and I decided to go for it. I used Lucia sock yarn from Posh Yarn that I had in my stash. It is gorgeous yarn in a lovely colourway, which of course you can't really appreciate from my crap photos! 

Anyway, the knitting was great, I used size 3.5mm needles and it has produced a cardigan for a 0-3 month old. The instructions were a little puzzling, but that is EZ for you! Once I had pondered a while, it all became clear, and the end result is lovely. 

More Autumn Rose

I am really enjoying knitting my autumn rose sweater, but I am getting increasingly worried about the size. After reading many posts from people who had knit it, I concluded that I needed to knit the small as it comes out large. I am a 34 inch around my bust, therefore the small should be ok. I got gauge! However, when I measure the widest part it seems to come out at 30 inches wide, not a good sign. Either I lose a stone in weight or I find a very slim person to give it to. Not sure which one to go for yet. I will decide when the sweater is finished. Therefore I am not posting any pictures at present, might blight the outcome! 

Not much else going in the North West London fishbowl that I live in. Kids finish school for the holidays tomorrow and that means every day next week is a pyjama day. I did manage to book tickets for Lily and myself to see the Nutcracker the following week. The Evening Standard did an offer of a free child's ticket with one adult ticket. I bought the most expensive one. It should be good. 

Hopefully next time I blog I will feel more positive about the outcome of autumn rose and actually take some pictures. Meanwhile, just browse Ravelry to see some great examples so far. 

Autumn Rose

I have finally started my autumn rose sweater, experimenting by starting with a sleeve. I am really enjoying the challenge, but finding it tricky to decide whether I should be cutting the yarn at the end of each colour section, or carrying them up. It is difficult to carry when knitting in the round as it all gets really tangled. If I cut the yarn and then rejoin the colours each time they are needed in a new section, I seem to get a small gap next to the join, even if I twist the yarns in. Then there is the problem of weaving in all the ends!

The sleeve is almost finished, but I am debating whether to make it full length instead of the three quarter length the pattern has. 

I have some other knitting on the go, but just the boring scarf stuff and not much else. I will have to take some pictures for the next post. 

Another pictureless post

The camera is still dead, but a new one is winging its way across the Atlantic. Oli is in Boston and has been on a spending spree. I sent him with a long shopping list, alas there were no yarn listings! I have such a large backlog waiting to be knitted in my stash that I have been very restrained.

The cardigan that I was knitting for Oli is not quite large enough and I am a little hacked off. I have decided to keep it as a sweater and not steek it. Gadi has his eye on it and it fits him quite well, a little on the large side, but he will grow into it.

I have started a cardigan for me, but I will post details later.

I can't wait to use the new camera and then post some pictures at last!!

Too many excuses

I can't believe that it is mid March already and this is my first post of 2008. I have been knitting, but not able to take any photos as the digital camera has broken. We need to buy a new one which I hope Oli will do when he travels to Boston at the beginning of April. Until then I will have to blog without pictures.
I have started a cardigan for Oli, using Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage system and knitting it in the round. I am trying to practice steeking so that when I start knitting Autumn Rose I will be an old hand at it! I bought all the yarn for Autumn Rose so I am really excited about starting it, but need to find a long stretch of quiet time so that I can concentrate. That might not happen for a while.
I have also been knitting baby gifts, but I am not sure whether to continue. I made a really cute hat for a new baby, which was an ok size. If the newborn has a small head it would keep for six months. I didn't get much of a thank you, just that it was too big! I love making gifts, but they are time consuming and if they aren't appreciated then I don't think that I will bother. I was surprised as I thought that this friend would like that fact that it was hand made. Anyway, I feel better now that I have that off my chest!
I have also made 7 squares for the Lizard Ridge afghan. I am really pleased with how they have turned out and now have to continue to collect more colours of Kureyon to complete the blanket.

Last blog of the year

Look! I have finally taken pictures of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan that was finished at beginning of December. I love it. It is very soft and easy to wear. I added a little on the length, which in retrospect I didn't need to do. The yarn is lighter than the felted tweed used for the original, therefore mine has some 'holes' where the cable pattern twists. It actually looks fine in real life and I am hoping with washing and the yarn softening up they will close over time. I have had some compliments when wearing it, so I am happy.

I have been so busy doing I don't know what! The kids are off school and we have spent a load in the sales, having put off buying anything for the house for over three years. It has finally caught up with us and we have been spending like mad.

I even bought some Noro Cash Iroha in black in the John Lewis sales, it was half price and I couldn't resist. I am still not sure whether to take it back or keep it in my stash, which I am trying to reduce!

I am working my way through the cardigan for Oli, using some Knit Picks yarn. It is based on an Elizabeth Zimmerman saddle shouldered sweater and I am knitting it in the round. I am going to steek it which is quite a scary thought. I will keep you posted. I have also started making squares for the Lizard Ridge blanket from knitty.com. I love the Kureyon and need to keep adding more skeins as I go along.

Tangled Yoke Cardigan

Wow! Haven't posted for over a month, but I have managed to complete both sleeves and the yoke on the cardigan and am now in the home straight. I have to finish the collar ribbing and am awaiting the arrival of a size 0 needle to pick up the stitches for the three needle bind off. I have even sewn up the tank top that I made for Gad using some Noro Blossom I had in my stash. I really want to use up my stash, but I have sock yarn I don't know what to do with as I think that it is too nice to use for socks! I can't take any picture at the moment because I need to replace the batteries in the camera.

I took a last minute trip to Boston last month and did buy a little to add to the stash, obviously more sock yarn that is too nice to make into socks! It is Mountain Colors Barefoot and is gorgeous. Any suggestions of what to make will be gratefully received. Not much else on the needles, although I need to start the cardigan that I promised Oli as I was able to pick up the yarn I ordered for it when I visited Boston. I bought it from Knitpicks and it was so reasonable. I also got my Harmony interchangeable needles which are great, but one of the needle connections on a number 4 needle is faulty. I am hoping that they will be able to send me a replacement.

Oli is off to New York next week and I am wondering if he will have time to stop by String and buy me a skein or two of something interesting. It is Chanukah this week after all and I only need a little skein of something to make me smile!

Frustration

I am still trying to get the sleeve right on my Tangled Yoke Cardigan. I have reknit it using 3.5mm needles but have now found that I have what look like seam lines between each set of stitches on the double pins. I have ordered a 16 inch 3.5mm circular needle in the hope that if I frog again and knit using this I won't get the lines. They are hard to see on the picture, but I tried!
I have had a fairly eventful past week, having seen a gynaecologist on Tuesday and then finding myself having a laparoscopy the next day. I had a cyst on my left ovary which was large enough to need removing. It wasn't until during the procedure that the surgeon discovered that it looked a little suspicious and that there was no living ovarian tissue left. He went on to remove the ovary, cyst and fallopian tube. I am going to get the lab results tomorrow and hopefully all will be well. It has been a little worrying, but he thinks that it is benign. I have found it hard to concentrate on my knitting and subsequently the sleeve started to get on my nerves. I have put it to one side whilst I await the arrival of the circular needles.

Here is a picture of the project I started to keep my fingers busy whilst I wait. I wanted something simple and fairly mindless, as well as something that might use up my stash. Well here it is. It is a pinwheel baby blanket using some yarn that I have had knocking around for a while. I used some a few weeks ago for a baby sweater and now I am using the rest for a blanket. I have a couple of friends expecting babies so I am trying to get ahead of myself and knit something for them.

There isn't much else on the needle at present as I am waiting for Oli to go to Boston to pick up my Knitpicks package.

Tangled Yoke Cardigan - frogging

I ripped out the sleeve on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, I thought that it looked at bit baggy as I was trying it on. I have now cast on using 3.5mm needles instead of 3.75mm. I hope that it works. I think that as it gets near to the top of the sleeve I will use one of each size so that when I knit across the yoke using 3.75mm needles the gauge change is not too noticeable. It sounds a bit mad, but I want to try it to see. I love the yarn that I am using so I really want to be happy with the finished article. I may have enough for a sweater for Lily left over as I think I bought too much. It was a really good value buy and I hope to go back to Florence and buy some more.

Latest projects

I have been using my stash! I am so proud of myself for finding a use for some Noro Blossom that has been sitting in a box for about 2 years. I am making a tank top for Gad.
I am so proud of myself that I am making this for myself as a reward.
It is the Tangled Yoke cardigan from Interweave Knits Fall 2007. I am using the cashmere that I bought in Florence in the summer. It is really soft and a lovely shade of pale blue. I have made good progress, having completed the body as far as the underarms and having knitted about half of the first sleeve. It is quick knitting and so far so good.


The garter stitch ribbing on the cuffs and bottom is really nice and I hope that the cardigan looks good when it is finished.
Knitting it in one piece has really inspired me to read Elizabeth Zimmerman and I bought 'The Opinionated Knitter' from the Socktopus stall when I went to Ally Pally last week to look around the knitting and stitching show. Socktopus is a new online store selling some great yarn, but they had an even greater selection of Elizabeth Zimmerman books at reasonable prices. I was really pleased to be able to look through them and choose which one I wanted to buy, rather than relying on reviews online. This one is a collection of her newletters which have some really great patterns in them. They are very inspiring and there are colour pictures of many of the designs that have been knitted up. I particularly liked the examples of stitch patterns that she included in some of her designs, charting them out for the reader to use.
I have now ordered some yarn from Knitpicks. I want to knit a saddle shoulder cardigan for Oli from my new book. They only ship to American and Canadian destinations, so as Oli is going to Boston I have had the parcel sent to some friends there and he will pick it up. I also purchased a little something for myself. I have long wanted some wooden interchangeable circular needles and now they stock them at Knitpicks. I can't wait!

Blackberry

Yesterday was a very sad day for us. We discovered that Blackberry had escaped from his hutch and run in the early hours of the morning and had been killed by a fox. Gad and Benjamin went out to feed him when they got up and couldn't find him. After searching the garden they found him. Gad was inconsolable all day and didn't feel calm until Oli returned from work and helped bury him. He was a great rabbit with a lovely personality and all the kids miss him.

Back to school

We succeeded in getting back to school in one piece. Gad loves his new high school and has enjoyed meeting new friends, teachers and tackling new subjects. Lily and Benjamin are back to their friendly and familiar school, happy to catch up with everyone after the summer.



This is my finished Loop Stitch cardigan in Knitpicks Gloss, a really soft sock weight merino and silk mix. I have four skeins left and am not sure what to do with them. The pattern came from an Vogue Knitting winter 2005/6. I have not tried it on, so I hope that it fits!


I have finally had time to finish projects that have been on the go over the summer. I made four baby jackets, but forgot to photograph them before giving them to the recipients, my gorgeous twin nieces, Offira and Tamara. Here is the fifth baby jacket made for a friends new baby girl. I decided to try the Baby kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting. It came out very small and so I added more stitches and made a larger version. I was particularly proud of myself because I used some yarn from my stash. I have had it a while and have no idea what it is!



I now have loads of projects lined up. I have promised Oli a cardigan and have now received a copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Saddle Shouldered Aran Cardigan. It is quite complex as you have to decide on your own cable stitch patterns and follow her formula for calculating gauge and sizing. It was this that got me started on the idea. Now I have to swatch all the cable patterns I want to use in the round and then start calculating and writing out my pattern. Daunting!
I also want to knit a cardigan with the cashmere I bought in Florence, use some Noro Blossom to knit a tank top for Gad, make a throw and knit a lacey wrap. I really am going to have to prioritise.

We're back from Italy and I am slowly beginning to feel calmer about the whole experience. It was an interesting trip in many ways and the kids really had a great time. Arriving there was good as the weather was perfect, bordering on the too hot, but very bearable. We swam, read, played and generally had a relaxing time. I am not sure where it all went wrong for me. Perhaps staying with my in-laws was not a good idea, but I could hardly pitch up in Tuscany and stay down the road when they have tons of room. Anyway I had organised to meet up with a friend in Florence for a couple of days in the middle, anticipating that things might get a little tense between us. However, this also came at a cost because I had asked them to look after the children whilst I was gone. I think that they might have felt that this was a bit of a liberty.

Florence was lovely. I met my friend Mel and we wandered through piazzas and streets taking in the architecture and shops. Need I say more! On the knitting front we did well. Went to Campolmi Roberto Filati and Mel found some great yarn that is very similar to Colinettte Point Five. She bought 300 grams for 9.60 Euros. We felt that this was a real bargain. I indulged and purchased some gorgeous pale blue sportweight cashmere. I really splurged and bought enough for a sweater. It cost me around the same as buying enough Debbie Bliss or Rowan yarn for a sweater. I now have to decide what I am going to make with it. I love this yarn store because it has a wide choice, its very reasonably priced and you can buy yarn off the cone. We also went to Beatrice Galli but found that the woman in the shop was very unfriendly. She asked us not to touch the yarn. How can you buy yarn without fondling it first? The food was great, we found a fantastic restaurant in the Piazza Santo Spirit, You have to book a table in the evening if you want to sit outside. It is not too expensive and the food is good.

Mel left after two days and I met Oli who arrived for the weekend. He had to take a teleconference call before we boarded the bus up to Radda, so we spent the afternoon wandering in the Boboli Gardens. It really is a beautiful place and I visited the costume gallery whilst Oli was working. A great place to while away some time.

Postscript

Oh, I forgot to tell you about my stay in Pisa, overnight, before catching the flight to Barcelona.

After I had met up with my in-laws and deposited the children with them, I hopped in taxi to the hotel near to the airport. Everything was fine, ate dinner, showered, knitted and slept.

Next morning I woke up and had breakfast and then realising I had an hour or so to kill before leaving for the airport again I decided to look out on my balcony and decide whether to use the pool or not. I stepped out, the door closed behind me and clicked ominously. It had locked me out of my room! Thankfully I was fully clothed. I climbed over the railing to the next room, no-one in.

Looking down I saw a group of about 30 people congregating in the courtyard for a photo. I shouted down. After several attempts, they were German, I made myself understood. After being locked out for only about 20 minutes someone let me back in. I was so relieved.

Where do I begin?

It has been a really strange month since I last wrote an entry. As I mentioned we are staying put, here in London. It was a difficult decision to make but on close inspection life in New Jersey is pretty similar to here, except we would leave behind friends and family if we went. The schools didn't impress us particularly and as that is a major sticking point, because of the offspring, we opted for good old English education. Anyway, I have spent the time undoing a lot of plans that we had made as we were very close to the actual move!

I also took the kids to Italy to spend a week with their grandparents, as we were of course leaving to live in America! I did a crazy thing and ended up dropping them in Pisa, catching a flight to Barcelona to meet Oli, who had a conference there, spending the weekend with him and then catching a flight to Florence to meet up with the in-laws and kids. Whilst in Barcelona I found this great little yarn store. It had some local yarn and some malabrigo, including the new lace weight that is appearing everywhere. It wasn't in such a great colour so I decided to leave it. I did buy this, however.

It is made from cellulose and looks and feels like silk. I am going to try dyeing it and seeing what happens.

This little lot is the smallish haul from the John Lewis sale. I was very good and didn't go mad, although there was a lot of great Debbie Bliss yarn. I just bought some cotton cashmere to make some baby jackets for the impending arrivals and more of the same for a cardigan for me.


These are two jackets I made for the expected twins (Did I say that my sister-in-law is expecting twins?). I used some Laines Du Nord Baby Star that I picked up in The Skein Attraction in Teaneck, New Jersey, whilst we were there on our relocation trip - the one that came to nothing!


Both jackets are the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. It is a great pattern to try and very quick to get finished. Check out the Yarn Harlot's version here.


This is what I am currently knitting for myself:



It is the Loop stitch cardigan from Vogue Knitting, Winter 2005/6. I loved the texture of it and decided to knit it in Knitpicks Gloss. I had the order sent to a very kind friend in Washington as they won't ship to Europe. I will keep you updated on the progress made.