More conversations with my fiance about yarn...

DF (looking down at me as I sit cleaning my UFO shelf, look up at my yarn stash, smile and wave at it)- "You look like you have a baby."

And today:
Me: You know how you said you'd buy me something to say thankyou for the Christmas knitting? Well the Yarn Pirate is having a shop update today and there will be one-off colours! And *goes on about Yarn Pirate*.

DF: I see- it's the special crack...

Later on
Me *does special I Won The Internet dance of Chumtabulous Update Acquisition*
DF: Let me guess- you got yarn.
Me: Yes! I got two skeins- one is brown and red and gold and really pretty and the other is pink and green and yellow and...
DF: Really pretty?

So some of you may remember I mentioned the Analogue Amnesty spinning project being run by a knitting artist in the area where I teach. I took my first cassette in to be spun up last week- a tape of Mercury Music Prize songs from 1996. Back then I was wearing a lot of black T-shirts, and writing a lot of purple prose/poetry, for I was only 17 and naturally life was just one form of angst after another. No, wait, one form of angst (I didn't get a boyfriend until 2 years later). I wrote about the black t-shirts and purple writing for the Analogue Amnesty organiser, also the owner of Prick Your Finger where I dropped the tape off, the very lovely Rachael Matthews, when she asked me what colours the music made me think of, so she could include them in the resulting yarn.

She phoned me today and left a message on my answerphone. The yarn is ready. They have named it 'Ellen's Purple Poetry Phase'. But it gets better: they like it so much they are going to KEEP the design for their in-house yarn range. Including the name.

That's RIGHT people! THERE IS GOING TO BE A YARN NAMED AFTER ME!

This is quite possibly the coolest knitting thing ever to happen to me.

(And you had better believe I will be buying lots when it's ready!)

New knitting group, and Christmas

So I'm making fairly good headway on the Christmas knitting. Some of it may even be with people in time for the new year. Seriously, I think this Friday afternoon (end of term- at last!) is going to be a Finish It Friday a-la the Pointy Sticks podcast. Why couldn't I just make big chunky Jayne Hats for everyone? I've made 3. It took me slightly less than 3 evenings to do so. Fortunately I'm pretty sure the knits will be appreciated (the people who I don't think will fully appreciate the knitting just don't get the more difficult projects made for them).

Before my Finish It Friday, though, I have at least two gooooood long knitting nights ahead- first on Wednesday, when my boardgame club meets, which means gaming and knitting simultaneously (I get more done than you'd think). Then on Thursday, I'm very excited as I've joined a new knitting group- one of two at the same place.

Knitting groups are a new thing for me- I've been to the odd knitting-at-the-cinema session and the like, but this is the first time I've felt really truly part of things. First up was Kniterati, a knitting book group- whether I'll finish the next book in time for our meeting I don't know, still it's good to broaden my reading horizons a little, and the people are nice. Also, there is cake. Never underestimate the lure of cake.

Thursdays are now going to be a proper Knit Night for me, as there's a lovely group of folk at I Knit London meeting now every week. It was my first night on this Thursday just gone, and lucky for me, there were three other newbies at least. I had a blast, and got a LOT of my Father In Law's Christmas present made (which I shall be entering in the Socktopia Christmas contest in due course). I was the only person working from a pattern, it seemed- all the others were writing down what they did as they went along and trying to remember what they'd just done. My socks were admired, and in fact rescued- one of the others spotted a teeny tiny dropped stitch, which of course meant I could rescue it in time. Also, when asked what the yarn was, I gave the name (Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks- yuuuummy!), and the girl next to me picked it up and said "in Ebony!". Colour me impressed- I had to look it up on Ravelry to remember the colour name.

There's just one drawback with going to the I Knit London group regularly. It's in the I Knit London Shop! How am I supposed to stick to a yarn diet when there are so many beautiful things all around me? It doesn't help that they have maaaany gorgeous colours of Kidsilk Crack, and the Winter Knitty is now up with absolutely THE most beautiful pattern I've seen using said yarn- Ice Maiden. OMG serioulsy. I WANTS it.

Finally, a quote from my fiance- upon seeing me tidying my UFO shelf, looking up at my yarn from my position on the floor and smiling happily.

"You look like you have a baby."

Photos from the lace knitting workshop...

This is just a tiny bit of the basement at Loop. Can I just live here? Please? With the yarn?














See? SEE HOW MUCH YARN?

There's tea and biscuits. I could totally live down there.












Why, yes, I AM a giant knitting geek. But I got to meet Amy Singer, and she was lovely!

Analogue Amnesty

I am excited to the point of dorkishness about Analogue Amnesty, which is running in Brick Lane, East London from the 7th November to the 17th January (last day for bringing stuff in is the 13th January) organised by a local knitter-artist lady, Rachael Matthews, who also wrote the Knitorama and Hookorama books. The idea is this: you bring them your old VHS and audio cassette tapes, that you don't watch/listen to any more and...THEY SPIN THE TAPE INTO YARN! This is so very very what I'm asking my Nan for money towards for Christmas. I had a rummage through my bedroom when I was last at my parents' place, and came up with some definite spinning candidates (can we say The Hamster Dance? Also PJ and Duncan? I think we can...). But seriously folks, this thing looks like it'll be extremely cool. It's so logical! I mean, the motivation for decluttering was always to make space for more yarn. This is even better- the clutter magically TURNS INTO the yarn! Also, because magnetic tape takes such a long time to rot if it's in landfill (1,000 years), this is a totally eco-friendly way to get new yarn and clear out some junk. Just in case, y'know, you want to justify the acquisition of yet more yarn to someone...

Of knitting and sleepiness...

I think I must really really love knitting. Even when I have verrrry little energy, I still find just enough to knit.

I'm now about to crest the half-way-through point on my Tuscany shawl precisely- as in, I'm already on the mid-way repeat, but I'm about to be mid-way through it. I'm amazed at how fast this thing is working up. But not at its utter gorgeousness- I love showing people what I'm making at the moment because there are so many oooohs and aaaaaahs. I think I may actually be getting the real real hang of lace knitting, which is awesome (especially as after this one, I have three more shawls/wraps to make for my bridesmaids).

To stitch or not to stitch...

Also known as 'I don't know whether to go to the UK Stitch & Bitch day or not'.

See, I want to go. I mean, seriously, I'm OMGDEBBIESTOLLER out the wazoo. The issue is my Mum needs me to go down to my hometown to do flowers-and-cakes-and-weddings-oh-my! for a weekend. And the weekend suggested was that weekend. I *could* go on a Friday afternoon, and come back on Saturday morning, but I don't want to do myself out of spending time with Mum and Dad.

What to do, WHAT TO DO?

Amy Singer saved my knitting!

(And oh, how I wish I had that on a badge). I was lucky enough to attend a lace-knitting class run by Amy on Saturday at Loop, Islington, and what a (n early) Christmas present it was! I had a blast, and finally feel like I can actually read knitting charts. As a sinister knitter, they've always foxed me, but it clicked on Saturday- partly through Amy's use of the Japanese code system for her lace charts, partly through just working with her. The main thing is to remember which direction you're knitting along the row, and read the chart that way.

I'm already on my fourth lace repeat of the Tuscany shawl (which is gorgeous, and in the Blackberry Handmaiden SeaSilk, even MORE glorious) and nearly to the fifth! Pictures will be forthcoming soon.

Also Amy totally saved my knitting by showing me the clever crochet-hook technique for picking up a dropped stitch. Again, once she showed me, I got it.

The best thing, though, was that when she found out I knit backwards (I do the work that most knitters do with the right hand with my left, so my work works the other way across the needles), she wasn't weirded out, and didn't tell me I was doing it wrong (which is sometimes how I feel), she was excited and wanted to see how I did it!

Amy, if you're reading this, a huge geeky thankyou for a great afternoon.

I've now joined the Stashalong...

So some progress posts will go here.

Conversations with my fiance....

(In the middle of a discussion about all the yarn shopping I'm going to do in the US...)

Paul: I'm going to show you your yarn cupboard when you get home, so you can see how full it is.
Me: I have four words for you!
Paul: (to himself, counting on his fingers) I..am..on..crack?
Me: No.
Paul: Yarn..is..an..addiction?
Me: No.
Paul: Sheep..make..me..happy?
Me: No!
Paul: I'm..crazy..about..wool?
Me: That's five words. Anyway (holding up fingers and counting)- Wedding Knitting, Christmas Knitting.
Paul: See, that's just a couple of fragments, all of MINE were real sentences...

Caerphilly Hat

So here it is! The first pattern to appear on this blog. This is a snuggly warm hat with just the right amount of cling (as far as I'm concerned), plus some lace to make the knitting interesting. Also I wanted to see how a pretty lace stitch would look in chunky yarn. The name is a bit of a joke, partly because it was designed and made for someone in Wales, but also because when you're knitting lace, you have to work...caerphilly! (Read out the sentence if you don't get it)

Anyway, here's the pattern:
Caerphilly Hat

Materials:
Frog Tree Alpaca Chunky (100% alpaca, 50 grams-54 yards) in color 25 (red)- 2 balls (you'll use about 1 and a half)

1 set US8/5mm circular needles (length not totally critical, just make sure their short enough not to distort the hat as you knit).

1 set US8/5mm dpns.

1 stitch marker.

Gauge:
16sts & 20 rows= 4 inches in stockinette.

Hat is one size- the ribbing means it should fit most heads.

Pattern notes:

Scallop lace:
(From Simply Knitting Magazine's stitch library, February 2007 issue)

CO a multiple of 13sts + 2.
Row 1: K1 *sl1, k1, psso, K9, k2tog, rep from * to last st, K1.
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: K1 *sl1, k1, psso, K7, k2tog, rep from * to last st, K1.
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K1, *sl1, k1, psso, yo (K1, yo) 5 times, k2tog, rep from * to last st, K1.
Row 6: Knit

Remember, you'll be knitting this in the round, so the purl rows need to be knit, and the knit row (row 6) purled.

Repeat these 6 rows to form pattern.

3x3 rib:

Row 1: K3, P3, rep to end.
Row 2: P3, K3, rep to end.

Repeat these 2 rows to form ribbing.

Instructions-
CO 90 sts, place marker, join for knitting in the round.
Work panels as follows:
15 sts in 3x3 rib (K3,p3,K3,p3, K3) , followed by 15 sts scallop lace (1st row)- repeat around the hat. You will have 3 panels of ribbing, 3 of scallop lace.
Continue in patt as set for 5 repeats of the lace pattern.

Reduction rows:
Continue in rib as set, working lace reduction rows as follows:
Row 1: K1, sl1, k1, psso, K9, k2tog, K1.
Row 2 and all even numbered rows: knit.
Row 3: K1, sl1, k1, psso, K7, k2tog, K1.
Row 5: K1, sl1, k1, psso, K5, k2tog, K1.
Row 7: K1, sl1, K1, psso, K3, K2tog, K1.
Row 9: K1, sl1, K1, psso, K1, K2tog, K1.
Row 11: K1, sl1, K2tog, psso, K1.

Continuing to knit the 3 sts at the top of the lace reduction row, work rib reductions as follows over each set of 15 rib stitches:
Row 1: K3, p1, p2tog, K3, p1, p2tog, K3.
Row 2: K1, K2tog, p2, K1, K2tog, p2, K1, K2tog.
Row 3: Knit

At this point, transfer work to DPNs, be sure to keep the marker in place.

Row 4: K2, p2tog, K2, p2tog, K2.
Row 5: K2tog, p1, K2tog, p1, K2tog.
Row 6: Knit.
Row 7: K1, K2tog, K2tog.
Row 8: Knit.

You should now have 18 sts left on the needle.
Work final reduction rows as follows:
Row 1: K4, K2tog.
Row 2: K3, K2tog.
Row 3: K2, K2tog.
Row 4: K1, K2tog.
Row 5: K2tog around.

Break yarn leaving a tail. Thread tail onto needle. Thread needle through remaining stitches, take stitches off needles, pull tight to close hole and secure.

Weave in ends.

Note- the photo appears quite small on this blog- a larger copy (with the lace more clearly visible) can be seen here.

A new direction...

Where this started out as me detailing competition entries I've made, I decided to change its purpose. I'm just starting out as a designer, and want people to have access to my patterns where appropriate (as in where I'm not submitting them to Knitty or Crochet-Me).

So as of very soon, I'll start posting up patterns here for people to, in the words of Douglas Adams' immortal drinks machine, share and enjoy. Watch this space!

Update on the quest for glory:

I've got a pattern being published for free download by Purlescence, as part of their Storytellers competition.

I'm working up some more designs at the moment, and should shortly be opening an Etsy store to sell some saucy handknits. Watch this space!