Librivox, Swap-Bot, ... and some other stuff (picture heavy)

I have finally got on with my part in a collaborative project on Librivox. It is a knitting book from 1800 and something called Exercises in Knitting by Cornelia Mee. Project Gutenberg freetext version is here for anyone to look at but it is written in old-school words and certainly isn't easy to decipher for modern knitters. Plus no pictures. So the Librivox group is updating the patterns and swatching and then recording. Deadline is 1st Oct and I am really excited about it! I've taken number 30, swiss pattern for edging mittens. Initial swatch without matched decreases...

Second, and my favourite, pairing k2tog and psso.

Lastly I tried pairing k2tog with k2 tog through back of loop.

I'm going to record on sunday. Woo ha!

Other things making me happy are the packages I've had from swap-bot. The all things red swap...

The socks are awesome - have worn them already.
Pants swap (well, we all need them right?) (mostly)

Newbie swap

I also took part in a swap on Ravelry for Tawashi. This is what my partner sent me.

So cool!!! Check out this little buddy...now lurking on the side of the bath looking menacing but cute at the same time.

I have been doing some proper knitting too though. I had a bit of an anticlimax when I finished the main knitting on Mermaid. I'm still not sure about it. I haven't sewn in ends or sorted the bottom edge or the fastening yet. I've bundled it up to think about for a while. This is it on me.

and then Pooch took a fancy to it.

Bit gappy at the back though.

I've also been to Edinburgh this week and so used the most useful google map in the world to see where I should go. Jenners is basically John Lewis when it comes to knitting. But McAree Brothers (also online as McA Direct) is another kettle of fish. That place is basically what every knitting shop should be. 3 charming staff, one male (shock), helped me out. Great selection. Good prices. Lots of specials. Lots of notions. Lots of buttons! i.e.

They also had a good selection of models knitted up and there was one I just fell in love with. It doesn't happen often to me but I immediately bought the pattern book and even the recommended yarn. Here it is.

I have cast on but not having swatched I think I need to go up a needle size so am going to frog and start again.

So yeah, phew, hadn't realised how much I'd done since I last blogged. Almost forgot - I also went to the stitch n bitch world knit in public event. Here we are in Soho Square.

It was good but as I joined later in the day it seemed a bit of an anticlimax. Didn't know anyone there but soon got chatting - you know how an enquiry about a sock pattern can bring people together!

Flower power, and the football begins

Quite striking, isn't it...

Only took about an hour. Free pattern. Is my second tawashi for the ravelry tawashi swap. It's quite a lot bigger than I though it would be. Might be worth trying one in 4-ply for more of a delicate facecloth type thing.

Also the bag came out of the machine and is looking pretty good.

I'm going to add some inside pockets as I am permanently losing things like keys and travelcard inside even the smallest of bags. It's a kind of mary poppins effect.

The first of the euro 2008 games kicked off yesterday - just in case anyone hadn't noticed. I did my bit by attending the portugal game in the portugese district of london. Before yesterday I didn't know london had a portugese district but judging from the mass celebration resulting from just winning the first game I can assure you it does. Pooch and his mates have set up a blog again (they did all this for the world cup) and here it is. You can see the photos of all the celebrations which were pretty impressive. In case you want to visit the portugese district is between vauxhall and stockwall down south lambeth road. The cafe we were in was great and somehow for about 10 people being there for 4 hours drinking beer, sangria and eating it came to £100. We gave them a lot more as we were sure they must have miscalculated but even so compare that with just one hour in a central bar and it's definitely a good deal.

So that's it for me football-wise but it does leave me with quite a bit of free time as Pooch has committed to watching all the game again (same as during the world cup). I am slowly planning a cross-stitch representing my current point in life and had thought about challenging myself to do it while the football is on. I dislike watching cycling about as much as football so the tour de france KAL is out too hence my looking for my own challenge. But I think I'll enjoy it more if I don't stress about it so I'll just carry on getting the pattern sorted and then see how far I get before it all finally finishes in a few weeks time.

Finished objects and nearly finished objects

First up the crosswalkers are finally finished.

I do love these but my god they took a long time. I found them amazingly boring to make. Very simple pattern though so good for a beginner looking for something a little different to the usual.

Next up we have the shrug I decided I couldn't live without. One sleeve is done and pinned in place now. One more and sewing up to go. Modified the pattern a bit since way edging was done sounded bit like hard work. Is a Debbie Bliss pattern but came free from Prima. And on ravelry.

In the washing machine is my third felted bag. I made the pattern up as I went along but my idea was to make it look vaguely wave like with a chevron stitch. Don't think it has quite worked as intended but I like the effect. Is a blue and green variegated roving from Wingham. This is it unfelted.

I love looking at the stitches close up to see how the colours come together and change as the pattern moves round.

Lastly I've started another sock - look how far its come in a few days compared to those crosswalkers!

It's loosely based on the spiral method Heather was blogging about a while back. When I saw there was a KAL for spiral socks on the yarn yard group on ravelry I thought it must be fate and jumped to it. I've used some silkwood sock yarn that was a very bright pink and some lovely purple that I made my jaywalker socks out of. I really love how it is looking so far.

Now I've blogged I have to go onto the Royal mail site and make yet another complaint. It is just one thing after another with them nowadays. I put in an official complaint 2 weeks ago after 3 parcels were lost between the postman leaving the card here and the delivery office. Now I've gone down there for the third time to get a parcel I have a card for and they still can't find it. Another card was left on thursday telling me to go and collect the parcel 'tomorrow' as in yesterday and they can't find that one either. It's really tedious. And you just hear nothing from customer services. Everytime I go down to the delivery office it is different person. I guess the staff turnover must be pretty high but then that's not really suprising. The only thing I can think of is to pay (£50!) for 6 months for a PO Box. This still means I have to go to the delivery office to pick things up but on the other hand the postman will never take it away to try and deliver it which seems to be where the problems are occuring. £50 though to get my post delivered because they are so incompetant they keep losing it. I'm pretty pissed off. And are they just incompetant and losing my stuff or is someone there actually stealing it? It doesn't exactly encourage trust but then there's no alternative so I basically need to get used to being screwed.

Flu

Have had real pukka flu! I think. Anyway, was too feeble to knit or even crochet for three whole days which I think counts as some sort of major personal health disaster. The post yesterday was due to be followed by a proper one but ran out of puff. Much more human today and no good reason for not going to work tomorrow so back I go.

DB shrug almost finished - did ribbed edging today sat in front of 'Clash of the Titans' on TV. Narrowly escaped having to watch 'Sleepless in Seattle' which Pooch claimed to genuinely like because it 'makes him feel nice'. Not sure if that means warm/fuzzy nice or Meg Ryan nice. Either way is disturbing. Also started another felted bag. Pics to follow.

Tawashi Pattern - Furry Mitt

I tend to crochet in the round by spiralling rather than joining seperate rings before starting a new one. It means things tend to lean to one side in a diagonal type way but that doesn't really matter in this kind of thing. Spiralling means that when you get to the start point of the row you just crochet straight on into the next stitch and keep going round and round.

I used Peaches and Creme Worsted and a 3.5mm hook to give me quite a firm fabric. My mitt is roughly 10cm wide. Make bigger or smaller by chaining more or less stitches.

Uses: approx 30g worsted cotton, 3.5mm hook.
Finished size: 10cm wide by 14cm tall
sc = single crochet

INSTRUCTIONS

Chain 30 and join in the round. ##Keep the inside facing you while crocheting## This is very important because the loops for the loop stitches always form on the back of the fabric.
1st round: Work one round in single crochet.
The first 15 stitches are now 'the front' and are the stitches you are going to work the pattern stitch across.
LOOP/FUR STITCH:

1. Insert hook into next sticth as usual. Using finger of free hand pull up the yarn to form a loop of the required size (I used about 1.5 inches but is up to you). Using the hook pick up both strands of the loop and draw them trhough the stitch.
2. Wrap the yarn over the hook and draw through all 3 loops.

2nd, 3rd and 4th round: Loop stitch 15, single crochet 15
5th round: Work whole round in single crochet.
Repeat rounds 2-5 three times more. Your mitt should now resemble a tube about 11cm tall.
You're now going to decrease 4 sc per round to form the top of your mitt.
Next round: (1sc, sk1, 11sc, sk1, 1sc) repeat once more to reach end of round.
Next round: (1sc, sk1, 9sc, sk1, 1sc) repeat once more to reach end of round.
Next round: (1sc, sk1, 7sc, sk1, 1sc) repeat once more to reach end of round.

Next round: (1sc, sk1, 5sc, sk1, 1sc) repeat once more to reach end of round.
Turn mitt inside out and close top either using whip stitch or by using a line of single crochet to join the remaining stitched. Fasten off and sew in end.
Done!

Tagged...

I've been tagged by Nickerjac...

The Rules

Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago

I was 19, ending my first year of Uni doing my BSc Physics at Kings College London. Madness was pretty bad and was a bit dippy. I'd have just finshed my end of year exams and decided that a joint Maths and Physics degree wasn't for me. Would swap to 'just' physics in a month or two's time.

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order)

Cough, sniff, try not to be sick, bath, bed. I'm really living.

3. Snacks I enjoy

Chocolate! Blue bounty bars especially at the moment. And kit kats.

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire

Buy a house with a craft room, do a graphic design qualification. No hang on, wouldn't need to do that because I wouldn't have to work. Go on a world tour fo all the knitting shops...

5. Places I have lived

Born in Margate, lived in Herne Bay all of childhood. In London have lived in Finchley Road, Camberwell, Leytonstone, Leyton, Stratford, Tottenham Hale, Dollis Hill, Willesden Green, Willesden Junction & Canada Water.

I tag... RoxyKnits, PurlPower, Knitting on the Green, and Jane.

Steptoe and Son live again

This actually happened outside my flat on saturday. I don't want to come across as a curtain twitcher but it was too funny not to stop and watch.

When I first came across them I walked past on ym way back to the flat. They had obviously just lost stuff off the trolley and were putting it back on again. They were almost done and just setting off again. Then disaster strikes....For reasons Pooch and I were unable to fathom they kep trying to go over the bumps.

Each time they went near the bumps the whole lot keeled over and they'd start again. For the first couple of times the younger bearded guy just stood and watched. Not moving, not saying anything. Meanwhile the drunk older guy ranted and raved at the injustice of the universe. As they finally headed off Pooch and I were both singing the Steptoe theme tune...

Anyway...have rejoined SwapBot after about a year away. Looks to have got a lot more cliquey since I was last there but am being more selective about which swaps I've joined. I did fall for a stitchmarker swap though and have done pretty nicely out of it. Looks at these babies!

Yum! I also treated myself to a new 4mm denise single. Mostly because I keep running out of cables. I do love my Denises. Definitely my favourite of all the interchangable sets I've had. Woolly Workshop of course - where else?! Still my fave online shop.

I was surfing etsy the other day and came across some circular needle holders. I rather fancied one but didn't fancy the $48 price tag. Ta da!

I made little shrinkydink buttons for each pocket so I could see what was in it. I literally only have these 7 needles since I always use my Denises but they come in handy for the smaller things sometimes and magic loop.

Finally, another treat in the post. Two tawashi books!

Joined the Tawashi group swap on Ravelry. Thought would splash out so my swap partner gets some nice ones. OK then, and for me too!

Progress at last

I've finally finished the body of my mermaid.

Let me assure you this was no mean feat. Almost 800 rows, all garter stitch. 3 colours, short rows, increasing, decreasing. All crazy. On and off for literally months. But it is looking quite good. Only thing is there are still the two sleeves to go. Ah well...the end is in sight.

Pooch and I have had a rather difficult weekend. It was my first proper PMT since coming off the meds and he had Man U winning some cup or league or something so emotions were running high on both sides. Thankfully though we have good friends so Joe helped scoop Pooch off the pavement and Lou has sent through this amazingly appropriate mug. The red is absolutely perfect too. I had thought about getting the full size poster and putting it up in the place of the Man U painting in the front room but the mug is a good sub plus Pooch gets to keep his picture.

Yay for mates!

Naughty words

Don't watch the video if you're easily offended. Some very naughty words.

That is a video of Matt Berry looking quite amazingly sexy. He and Rich Fulcher did a very good job ona weird night in Soho on Monday. I thought it was just going to be them two but in fact they were just comperes. Here is the best of my photos:

Rubbish, huh!



So, um, not a lot else to say really. Work has been manic so not much else to say. Pooch is gearing up for the euro football next month. What shall I do to occupy all my free time while he is away? Was wondering about a knitalong or a challenge. Anyone got any ideas?

Skirts and Chickens

I made a skirt!

It's a pretty simple wrap one which took about 2 hours from measuring to finished. It's from this book, which I bought a few months ago and have been meaning to do something with ever since. I found the fabric in a shop in kingston when I was there giving a talk last week. Here it is closer to:

Elephants and zebras doing sums....what could be better?

Pooch and I have had a rather lovely bank holiday weekend doing not much in particular. Tonight brings a comedy night with Rich Fulcher, aka Bob Fossil, and Matt Berry, aka Dixon Bainbridge or Douglas in the IT Crowd. He's dreamy. I just read his wiki page for the first time. I had no idea he'd done all that. Hmmmm, clever too....an added bonus.

Back to Pooch...he has bought me a new chicken to add to my blossoming collection of....2. Here is the new one.

Here's the gang.

Now I've got the following scenario in my head. Let's say Matt Berry is surfing before the gig tonight and comes across this reference to him. Then he reads the thing about the chickens. He puts me down as a crazy chicken lady. Then our eyes meet tonight across a crowded venue and then realises I am the aforementioned crazy chicken lady. Turns away. Snogs someone else instead. Poo.

Hiding out, offline style

It's amazing how nowadays if you avoid a few keys sites, such as hotmail, blogger and for the youth of today, facebook, you can basically vanish. I have been feeling particularly antisocial recently though which has also led to my hiding out away from social gatherings of knitters as well as their online presence. My small altercation with the Pooch made me miss the pink project afternoon at Stash and since then I've barely been anywhere. However, even on my tod the knit continues.

So where did I leave off? Well the buttons socks are finished.

I think they're rather nice and they have been worn with pride. I might even wear them with my new shoes which I just couldn't resist. You know the pattern for saartje's booties (look under 'free patterns')? These are my adult version, curtesy of Clarkes.

There has been some stash enhancement too - Peaches and creme cotton from the craft cottage. It really is nice looking stuff and I do like the colours. This one is called sunshine or something like that and is my favourite.

Jane had a new book at the one NWKTog I managed to get to. 50 sensational crochet afghans and throws and I immediately fell for at least three of them. I have started one in baby blanket size. I can't say the colours are quite as I'd wish but it just goes to show - don't do a striped blanket in variegated yarn (james c brett marble DK) and expect it to look like the picture.

I do like it though.

I have also now three times cast on the adult surprise cardigan and each cocked it up (technical term). This is one of those attempts. Note the teeny tiny armhole.

I do like the colours though. James C Brett Marble chunky this time. I like my james c brett. I also made some shrinky dink stitch markers to help me remember the decreases. Not that that has actually helped me, obviously.

I've never shrunk a dink before and really rather like these. So I'm making some more. The ones on the left are going to be buttons. You can see how much they shrink.

My main progress has been on the Mermaid cardi where I have almost done the back. Just the right front and sleeves to go. I've completely changed my mind about the colours too. I really like them now.

To finish up I went to a conference in bristol zoo last week. It was tres cool with pygmie hippos, penguins and more. But the best thing were the bats. They were Johnson bats or something like that. Not those little fruitbat things you normally get. There was a net over the top of a fairly large enclosure so they were actually flying around over my head. And then they'd use hooks (?) on the end of what I am going to call hands and feet until someone educates me otherwise. So they'd land on the net like this:

...and then basically crawl across it to get to wherever they wanted to be. Was very cool. One was hanging above me for ages just looking around. It was hugging itself. So cute. There was another lying on a radiator in the enclosed bit. A mum told her child it was dead (the kid seemed fairly ok about it - they breed them tough in the south west) then it got up and flew about. She told him it must have got better. That's one kid who's going to be confused when he loses his first gerbil. Here's the thoughtful one just hanging around looking cool.

I haven't podcasted for ages and I haven't announced the winners of the last competition either which is pretty crap. I'm not going to commit but I am almost inspired to do another one this bank holiday weekend. You never know!

Keep Calm and Carry On

My friend Bernie introduced me to this phrase a few months ago and since then I have seen a revival of the old WW2 posters.

Having been so god damn angry yesterday I have now calmed down to a mere simmer and things are more or less back to normal in the shaky ceasefire Pooch and I think of as our loving marriage! Pooch has been suitably apologetic and seems to have scared himself almost as much as me. He's promised to make it up to me today with a big roast lunch and so on. I've pointed out some sort of thoughtful and unprovoked present would also be suitable but he's fighting me on that one. I'm also going to sort out the contents insurance myself while he's out at the supermarket.

So yes, thanks for all your lovely comments. Normal service will shortly be resumed. And by the way, welcome to all the readers of 'Let's Knit' magazine who have come over here to read about knitting and listen to my 'weekly podcast'. Weekly, hmmmm.

Friends don't let friends knit drunk (ADULT CONTENT)

It is not often nowadays that I blog about personal stuff because I kind of did it to death a year or two ago but sometimes something happend that fucks me right off. So maybe while friends don't let friends knit drunk one should always bear in mind a few other little mantras. Let us consider some.

• Don't blog angry
• Regularly test your smoke alarm
• Always make sure you have contents insurance because you don't know what the stupid fucker you live with is going to do next
• Men don't change unless they are under 5 years old
• That which does not kill us may well make us stronger but is also going to piss me right off

The stupid twat came home paralytic last night. What kind of person reaches the age of 31 and still totally fails to recognise their own limits? He bursts in and immediately falls against the bedroom wall waking me and making the wardrobe shake. I fall back to sleep. I am guessing this is about 1.30am. I can't be sure but I think it is a good estimate. Because it was 1.50am when the smoke alarm went off. How long would you say it takes a fuckwit to stagger into the kitchen, find a pack of pikey super noodles, spill them open and into a saucepan, turn the hob on full blast, pass out on the sofa and for them to boil dry and burn to the point where they fill the flat with smoke and set the fire alarm off. I'm estimating 20 minutes.

I got up when the smoke alarm went off, as you do, and turned it off, turned off the hob, poured cold water into the smoking noodles and walked into the living room where the computer genius was. It took 20 seconds of rough shaking to rouse him. I actually kind of enjoyed that bit. You might think of that as a highlight. In hindsight I should have made more of that. I opened the window and went back into the kitchen to turn on the extractor fan and by the time I got back to the living room he'd got up, closed the window, and passed out again on the sofa. What a fucking retard.

This morning I got up and on my way to the bathroom heard my name being shouted from the spare room. "What's the matter" he says. "It wasn't so bad" he says. Wasn't so bad. I've had the windows open most of the morning and the place still stinks of burnt noodles. He had passed out and hadn't even stirred when the smoke alarm had gone off. We don't have any contents insurance because he said he'd sort it out 3 years ago and then did fuck all. He won't even sign his fucking 'death in service' insurance over to me even though we're fucking married. If he had managed to set fire to the kitchen, himself, the flat and most importantly my uninsured stash and even me in the bedroom I'd have been left with nothing except some memories of how fucking typical the whole thing was. It's also left me feeling slightly narked. Can you tell?

Now when he reads this he's going to be pissed off and use that to try and gain the upper hand in the grumpy stakes. But do you know what? I don't fucking care. I am so pissed off with him. I just booked a 5 star cruise down the nile for october. I should be happy. I should be floaty light. I should possibly stop using the word' should' so much since i regularly lecture others on how that kind of phrasing leads to depression and despair. Perhaps actually I 'should' just stop blogging and go and do something fun.