Past Achievements

I have spent this weekend at Mater's, communing with cats and making a start on the curtains for the barn. Large check red gingham with a small check matching red gingham bottom border. Sewing projects at Mater's require the use of The Sewing Box which is one I used to use when I was but a littl'un. Behold.

The applique was my first attempt at such a thing having been reading a seventies craft book in wide eyed amazement at what could be achieved with needle and thread. The fabric, I fondly remember, was from a pair of pants that had lost their elastic. Embroidery thread was something to be had from the market for something silly like 10p a skein and I used it endlessly for both embroidery and friendship bracelets and for darning pairs of tights and jeans and anything else that needed two bits holding together. At one point a friend of my Dad's declared her embroidery days were over and I almost passed out with joy as she handed me a carrier bag full of tangled skeins she had dumped out of an old drawer. Parts of many of them still reside in the box.

Even at that fresh age (maybe 9 years old?) I was leaving UFOs in my wake. These were destined to be pin cushions but never got made.

But when it comes to UFOs I didn't just keep them small.

This doesn't really give you an idea of scale. The hoop is about 9" across. I spent hours working away on this. Sadly the chart has vanished in the 20 years or so since I picked it up so if anyone knows how to get hold of a copy please do seriously get in touch. It is labelled "WM Briggs and Co" and must have been from around 1988. I seem to remember buying it with birthday money when I was 11 but it could have been earlier. WM Briggs is part of Coats whose website is clear in saying they do not keep an archive so I am not sure where to start looking. I do still remember doing my favourite bits first. For instance the staircase.

And the footman in the dining room.

It would be nice to finish it one day but would be fairly hopeless without the chart.

On the subject of cats I finally got to meet and stroke Dudley, or Mr Dudley as my mother refers to him. He moved in next door some months ago and was very polite but had a definite look of sadness on his little face.

I was prepared to be friendly but my Dad tells me he suspects Dudley of bullying our resident Artemis (cue gratuitous Artemis picture from the archive).

 

And even of causing her bodily harm when she came in with a cut or scratch on her head. I would like to think Dudley looks sad because he has realised the error of his ways and misses the old times. But perhaps on the inside he really is a vicious brute. That's the trouble with cats. You generally can't tell until it's too late whether they are angelic buckets of purrs or demonic hatchet men.

Look at all this Beautiful Stuff!

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here.

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

More info here

Confession Time

But first the brooch I made with the un-holepunched dinks.

OK. Well.

I haven't been talking about dating much recently. No adventures with gentlemen and the like. I have actually been dating someone since about March but it was complicated and so I decided to keep quiet about it until I was more sure of things. I wouldn't actually say I am particularly sure about it still but then there's no rush.

The thing is we've known each other for a long time and so it's not like normal dating where you're getting to know each other, finding out the good and bad things, meeting each other's friends. Been there, done that, had my fingers burnt, literally had the t-shirt at one point too....

...it said "Mrs Pooch"...

Yep, it's Pooch.

And yes, we are divorced. Which has led to some funny conversations such as this one at the checkout of John Lewis Foodhall...

Woman Behind Checkout: Are you two married then?
Pooch: Kind of.
Me: No we're not. We're actually divorced.
WBC: You're winding me up. That can't be true.
Me: No it is. Ask him.
Pooch: Well that is true but we're back together now.
Me: Kind of.
WBC: No, you're making it up. You're joking with me. Why would you be back together if you got divorced?
Me: Ah well...you know...

It is about as weird as you would expect but I'm thinking of it (i.e. Pooch) as a bit like Bindweed. Or maybe Herpes. You think you've got rid of it but there's always an element of it you can't shake and so it comes back again. So I am possibly meant to be with him - at least until someone develops better drugs.

My Jubilee

It started promisingly...

Then we got to the riverbank. This was the best view we could find of the river.

Bleh. Ended up going back to the flat and watching it in the warm on the telly.

I've spent most of the rest of the loooooong weekend crafting. Continuing on the Livingstone Cardigan and also darning a few beloved pairs of socks that had worn thin. One of them was these...

Socks of Kindness - here on ravelry. If you are knitting them I'd suggest stopping the pattern and going into plain stst for at least an inch above the heel flap. The lace there tore the first time I wore them - so gutting. Strictly house socks from now on. Such a shame as the yarn is lovely and unfortunately discontinued. It was YarnAddict's EasyCare Merino. It looks like their SuperMerino might be equivalent. Lovely colours.

In between cabling without a cable needle (yeeeeehaaaa!) on the Livingstone I started an embroidery and when I got bored of that I decided to take another look at a bracelet I saw on Etsy. It was part of the "Pow!" treasury I created but when I went to look had mysteriously disappeared. This is the closest I could find.

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

So from my memory of the other one I got out some shrinky dink plastic and started colouring in. 20 mins later...

...and shortly after that...

Now, Class, what did she do wrong? Yes, that's right. She forgot to punch holes before she shrinked the dinks. Doh.

On the plus side I got to see which colour combos work best. I'll be doing this again AND making holes next time. I've used the three best - pow, eek and bang - to make a brooch so they won't be wasted.

Books 2012, # 21 - 26

My plan to read more classical books by choosing short ones with authors I recognise got as far as stage 1 - go to library and take out some short books. Stage 2 - read those books - has not been so successful. Plenty of time though eh?

For those of you who like to track the books you read and perhaps see recommendations from like minded readers, I would recommend GoodReads. I've been using it since the autumn and it has come in very handy - especially since I am the human goldfish when it comes to remembering what I read last week. It's free and very easy to use. I am, naturally, littlelixie on there so 'friend' me if you also like cats-solving-crime books. I just logged in to get the URL to link to and saw a new (to me) knitting murder series one of my 'friends' is reading which I have duly added to my own 'to read' list. Will have to see if it has a cat in it too. Although to be fair this lot are a little more diverse than previously and start off with something that was a first for me and came as something of a surprise... (as usual click on the images to go straight to the amazon.co.uk page)

#21 Watchmen by Alan Moore

This is my first proper graphic novel or comic or whatever you want to call it. If you have seen the film (which is awesome) then you may think it isn't worth reading the comic but in my opinion you'd be wrong. In fact if you liked the film or at least found it vaguely interesting I would strongly encourage you to give this a go because it adds a whole new dimension to what the film did. Jonesy lent this to me and I asked his advice about how to read a graphis novel. He looked at me witheringly and told me to just get on with it. So taking his advice to heart I did. Reading a graphic novel is just like reading an illustrated children's book except the words and pictures are muddled up and people rarely have sex and cut other people's arms off in children's books. Not the ones I read anyway. I know they start everything younger now though so it's possible "Spot's First Corpse" is now a bestseller. 

The film did follow the comic pretty exactly until about the last 30 or so pages when in Jonesy's opinion it ends in a better way than the film and in my opinion the ending was worse. Let me know what you decide. But as well as the main story you get several sub-plots which they couldn't have translated to film and one of which was really pretty disturbing. Hands up - I cannot do horror and got scared when watching that classic horror film "Speed" - but it was still ok for me to read and very compelling. I would definitely recommend this.

#22 The Silent Pool by Patricia Wentworth

Yes another Miss Silver. I think her niece Enid's children must have been like that greeting card child stuffed into layers and layers of handknits with its arms out at right angles. But nonetheless she knits her way through another set of murders. It's mistaken identity time again as an ageing glamour puss is seemingly in danger from her family. Philandering husband, saucy mistress, dowdy wife, young couple who broke up over a misunderstanding and will be reunited by the end - all the usual elements. And all very well balanced in this one. 

#23 Full Moon by PG Wodehouse

I picked this up from the second hand bookshop next to the Buddhist place in Bethnal Green as I had an hour to kill and had forgotten to bring a book. As a youth I was greatly influenced by Jeeves and Wooster and I think those along with the Margery Allingham "Campion" books explain a lot of my vocabulary. This is a real corker, as one might say. Twice winner of the 'fattest pig' medal, the Empress of Blandings, plays a key role in bringing two young people together. Fiendishly simple plans go wrong in the most complicated ways with the intended fiance managing to tip the duchess, mother of his intended popsy, with a half crown on mistaking her for a cook while asking her to smuggle a love letter into the house. Dog biscuits play a key role. It's just great. All libraries everywhere carry a few Wodehouse books. You've got no excuse not to give one a go. 

#24 Cat's Eyewitness by Rita Mae Brown

Some rotter on amazon has given this one star. They must be a dog person. My favourite cat-solves-crime genre and my favourite writer within it. This one goes a bit religious when a statue at the local monastery (which has never been mentioned in the elenty billion previous books in this series but has apparently been there all the time with one of the main character's uncles living in it) starts crying tears of blood. That doesn't sound so bad but then someone is found kneeling in front of it in a snow storm and dead. If you're thinking "well they could have just died of exposure" then my friend you are not of my ilk. Obviously it will seem natural and then turn out not to be. Overall this one took a while to get going but was then one of the best in this series. 

#25 Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn

I found the cover of this book quite annoying. The author makes a point of describing Daisy (our amateur sleuth) as well rounded and a lover of cakes. Plus she has had twins which is not known for its slimming properties. So then the publisher goes and puts that vapid sylph on the cover. Well, whatever. That's not really the point. In the previous books Daisy has got mixed up with her now husband's cases as he is a Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. In this one he's off solving one crime while she ends up caught up in another. It worked quite well as a concept but the swapping between the two made it difficult to fully engage with either. That's not to say it wasn't a good read though but I wouldn't start with this one if you are going to give this series a go. 

#26 Sh!t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

As you can probably tell from the title this is not one for people who dislike swearing. What started as a twitter feed (and which I absolutely adored from day one) grew into a book and then a TV series with William Shatner as the Dad. This is essentially a biographical series of episodes in the author's life and how his Dad reacted, advised and got involved in them. This is very much a bathroom book. Put it next to the toilet and read it as and when. You'll laugh, everyone else who picks it up will laugh and then one day you'll give it to a charity shop or jumble sale and the cycle will begin again. And now for a few of my favourite tweets...

• "The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and he just ain't spitting it out."
• “You seen my cell phone?...What’s it look like? Like two horses fucking. It’s a phone, son. It looks like a phone."
• "Don't ask for my opinion then. I said congrats on the car, just saying nobody's panties are getting wet from a fucking Honda Accord."
• "War hero? No. I was a doc in Vietnam. My job was to say "This is what happens when you screw a hooker, kid. Put this cream on your pecker."

In the UK we have a 4-day weekend to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. I am very keen on such things so will be out and about tomorrow for the Thames regatta thing. On my way home last night I saw about 40 canal barges docked and waiting to take part in the Canary Wharf docks. The forecast says rain (after the sun and heat of the past week - such a shame) but I have my fingers crossed it will hold off. 

On a Productive Streak

In a recent email exchange a friend mentioned "You seem to be on a productive streak." My first thought was 'not really' when I suddenly thought that in the last couple of weeks I've made umpteen pincushions, knitted a whole pair of socks, made a load of jewellery and kits for my etsy shop, produced a comparison list of knitting software, made a skirt, adjusted two others (one not so good, the other perfect and has been worn), baked, made bunting and generally continued with a cross-stitch design I've got brewing. I think like a lot of us I take crafting in my stride and don't really notice when I've done a lot. 

The skirt is from one of the tablecloths I picked up last weekend. Naturally it is red polka dot. 

I didn't have a zip handy so I went for button closure. While playing around I considered that I am not short of buttons (don't ask me to guess how many thousand my collection now contains) and so chose a whole series of mismatched vintage ones to go the full length of the skirt. 

Did you know it's quite hard to photograph red buttons on a red background? 

The socks came off the needles pretty quickly and I am reasonably happy with them. 

I have noticed the right leaning spiral is a lot more pronounced than the left. A difference in tension with my decreasing I guess. These were done entirely without a cable needle though which has given me the confidence to try an actual cabled garment with the aim being to complete it without one as well. I've chosen the Livingstone Cardigan from the Winter 2011 Interweave. I did a swatch but still decided to start with an arm - plain stocking stitch mostly - just to check as comments on Ravelry (beloved Ravelry) suggest it comes out large. I'm doing the smallest size which is always nice but had to frog my first attempt as I'd been automatically reading the instructions for the second size. Cue uninteresting progress shot. 

Told you so. 

Scorchio

Britain is having a little heatwave. I am enjoying every minute of it - even on the Underground - since I suspect it may be all we get in the way of summer this year. This was Saturday in Greenwich Park.

I had a picnic in the Park and spent some time lolling on the grass looking up at the amazingly blue sky through the branches of a very green tree. I also spent some time noticing that my iPhone camera is a lot better than my actual camera. Such is technology.

On Sunday I set off for Battersea Boot Sale which I discovered after years of bemoaning London for not having that kind of thing. I do like a good boot fair.

It was pretty big and had just about everything you would expect from such a place. I was particularly after skirts since every thing in the shops is either mini or mid calf. Neither of which suit the Byrne physique. Result? Two skirts prime for altering and two tablecloths prime for making into skirts. Hubba!

On the way back I was very excited to see this:

It was assembling a crane at Vauxhall bus station but isn't it awesome? It's wheels are off the ground and it has a cab at both ends and it positively screams THUNDERBIRDS! As a lifelong fan I couldn't help but admire it.

Over the weekend I also added to my Etsy shop. Mainly necklaces this time...

...but also a few stitchmarkers.

The shop is a bit diverse at the moment but I figure I'll narrow down what to sell over time. I'll have some new kits to add soon too. I like the kits idea - try something new without having to buy lots of stuff to experiment with. Certainly would have saved me a lot of money and storage space over the years. 

Knitting Software Comparisons

Since I'm compiling this for my own use I thought I'd share it. No one sponsored me *sob* and it's all my own opinion. In roughly alphabetical order...

DesignaKnit 7

Not compatible with Windows 7. They have a new version coming out in September which I've emailed to find out about. Looks like it does chart and garment design for hand and machine knitters.

Price - Oh look $199 (£127) for handknit only version.

EnvisioKnit

Very slick chart software. If you are trying to create a pattern where you already know the pattern for the item you're going to apply the chart to - say a mitten or sock or even a whole fairisle jumper - then this allows you to create multiple charts using colours and stitches. I especially liked the colour picker which showed you the complimentary/triad/any other type of colour thing matches for the one you had chosen. Fully Windows 7 and Mac compatible, it exports in every format you can think of including pdt, pdf and docx. Nice demo version too.

Downside - cost
Upside - very nice interface. This is the one you would put on your xmas list or save up for.
Price - $99 (approx £63)

Intwined

Attractive chart making software. Useful tools to help create repeating charts, mirrored effects, add colour etc. Extensive stitch library (200 including cables) which you can also modify or add to. Can export to PDF or as an image file and can copy and paste the text. Updates the text as you alter the chart and vice versa. Good demo video on their site and extensive userguide. Available for Macs and Windows.

Downside - no demo you can download to try out (although demo video very good)
Upside - Looks like you get software updates for free.
Price - $44 (approx £28)

KnitBird

More chart making but definitely aimed at the hobby crafter and quite a cutesy interface that will probably distract you from the lack of features - although it is still good for the price. With this you purely get a chart without the written instructions. One thing I haven't seen elsewhere is the ability to add text (in arial or times) and import images into your charts. The image importer is nice as it allows you to adjust the level of pixelation/detail and hence the size of the chart.

Downside - basic software but fine if that's all you need.
Upside - intuitive and attractive with text and photo import options
Price - $30 (approx £19)

Knit Visualizer

Looks like a chart generator. Price put me off looking for more details.

Price: $185 (approx £118)

KnitWare Basics/Sweaters/Skirts&Shawls

Tell it your gauge, type of item you want to knit, machine knit or crochet and adjust to your measurements. It produces a pattern for in the round or flat assembly. Don't like the neckline? Change to another. Want raglan instead of saddle shoulders? Click and it's done. Have a repeating stitch motif? Tell it the repeat length and it adjusts the pattern so the repeat is centred on flat bits or fits onto an in-the-round garment. This was my first choice system UNTIL I came to check the compatibility with my laptop. I had tried the demo on a borrowed one and really liked the interface and the option of different systems for basics, jumpers and shawls. Plus they were only about £20 each so for less money I got more variety of garments. And then disaster struck. If you have Windows 7 64-bit then you have to blah blah.... So gutted.

Downside - doesn't work on my machine without a load of fannying about which I can't be bothered with.
Upside - All sorts of patterns can be created and adjusted as needed.
Price - £20 per program (approx $32)

Here is a cat picture to break up the text.

Sweater Designer 1.5

Doesn't work on my machine. Is Windows 7 really so outrageously advanced that compatibility is impossible to achieve? 80+ motifs to use on 6 sweater styles. $1 plus postage for updates.

Price - $49 (£31)

Sweater Wizard 3.0

Want to knit a jumper or cardigan flat or in the round? Kapow. Very like KnitWare but will actually work on my machine (always a bonus). Allows you to use various techniques like steeks or three needle bind offs. As well as collar shapes it also has 'collar trims' which means cowls, hoods and turtle necks. Overall this one is pretty sweet and the support looks to be pretty good with both a Ravelry and a Yahoo Group.

Downside - you have to pay for upgrades. $28 too which isn't pin money.
Upside - Basically does what you want.
Price - Official website quotes $90 (approx £57) but available for $68 (£43) elsewhere. Or $58 (£37).

StitchMastery Knitting Chart Editor

Very similar to Intwined but with a more sophisticated menu system which could make it quicker to use in the long run. It also comes in a Linux version as well as Mac and PC which might set the hearts of geekier knitters racing (the Linux version is even 10% cheaper than the others). Unlike Intwined this does have a demo version you can download which might make you more confident in buying, especially considering the price.

Downside - purely the financial. That much money for something that only does charts?
Upside - Software updates included and lovely menus.
Price - £60 (approx $95)

If I missed the software you like let me know in the Comments below. 

Do Knitting Patterns Always Get More Expensive in a Recession?

Is it my imagination? Or have knitting patterns been getting more expensive recently?

Back in the day, when Ravelry was all new and shiny and some of us were still mourning the weird turns the yahoo UKHandknitters group had taken, it was fairly unusual to buy an individual pattern online. Single patterns were available in shops but they were printed and rare.

Then came Autumn 2008 and Twist Collective launched. And I remember thinking two things...

1. Wow, some of these designs are gorgeous.
2. I'll just click on this to see how much it.....HOW MUCH?!

Back then it was rare for me to buy a pattern that wasn't in a magazine or book and the only online ones I tended to use were on Knitty. How things have changed.

If you take a look back at my post on The Most Popular Patterns (aka The Top Eights) you'll notice that none of those patterns are from printed magazines and I can't see any from books either. They are all single patterns you either pay to download or get for free.

I have been spending a seemingly endless amount of time on Ravelry in the last few weeks looking for patterns for swaps, gifts, friends, ideas - you name it. And it has come to my attention that more and more of these patterns are for sale and that therefore (dur) fewer are free. Not only that, but a number of patterns that I would have expected to be around the $5-7 mark are now up around $9. Once again I find myself seeing a lovely pattern on Ravelry's only to find when I click on it that I'm once again saying to myself "HOW MUCH?!".

Having thought about this a bit I have concluded the higher incidence of paid for patterns must be down to one of three reasons.

1. When your everyday knitter started publishing their patterns a few years ago they were a bit timid about not being a "name" and so didn't feel confident asking for money. Now that pattern publishing is the norm - hey, even I've done it - these people do feel confident in putting a price tag on.
2. Everyday knitters are no longer publishing out of pride or love for their fellow knitter. They are now more market focussed and are publishing specifically to earn some money.
3. Everyday knitters do still love their feelow knitter but are also more aware of fair exchange - a fair price in exchange for their effort. 

But this still leaves us with the price increase. Inflation has been at about 4% in the UK for the last three years so that would lead a $7 pattern in 2009 (which I still think is pretty steep) to be a $7.87 pattern in 2012. Is the extra dollar a sign that more people are looking to knitting to bring in income they may have lost as a result of the recession? (My take home pay has shrunk in value by nearly 10% over the same period as a result of pay rises - when I got one - not keeping pace with inflation.) Or is it designers feeling they are heading more towards what they deserve to be paid, rather than what the market will accept?

Part of the reason I've been thinking about this is because I have once again been thinking about putting some more patterns into a suitable format and passing them on to an unsuspecting knitting community. I've been exploring software to help with this and am currently tending towards KnitWare from Jigsaw. I looked at SweaterWizard and Intwined and while they both look interesting they didn't quite have what I was looking for plus the Jigsaw one is cheaper. And in a recession one has to take these things into account.

Pincushion Frenzy

I have been making pincushions over the weekend. Led me to create my first ever Treasury on Etsy.

You can find it here. Wonder if you'll be able to spot which two in it are mine....? Let me give you a clue.

I adore these ones. Wouldn't they look cute as place-card holders/favours at a wedding?

Been knitting away on some new socks.

They are Down the Rabbit Hole - a free pattern on Ravelry. Until now I've never got the hang of travelling stitches or of cabling without a needle. Now? Ha! I am so doing it like it's 1999. Neeeeoooow my cables are progressing at such high speed my fingers are a blue. Kinda. I'm turning the heel on the first one anyway.

Now I'm off to make some Challah. My previous batch vanished with indecent haste and was extremely yummy so the time has come to make some more.

Drug Underdose

I think one of the mistakes some people make with anti depressants is to think you can just take them when you're not feeling right - like asprin. In fact they take a long time - usually at least three weeks - to build up and really make their positive presence felt. And they also have a short half-life so if you forget to take a dose you can get withdrawal symptoms. Hence why you should never stop taking them suddenly unless your Doctor is very insistent on the point.

When I moved from my old to my new ones the Doctor did mention that I should take them every day as otherwise "you will really notice it". I didn't pay much attention because they always say things like that and why would I miss a dose anyway. And then I forgot to take them. Simply forgot - thought about it, forgot to take them, remembered later, thought that my previously thinking about it must have meant I'd acted on it, took no further action. It was only after a rather uncomfortable night and a look in the mirror the following morning that I realised what must have happened. This is always a dead give away.

The ol'saucer eyes. Looks kind of spooky huh? It doesn't hurt - although of course I'm more sensitive to bright light - but it does make it harder to focus and so makes you feel a bit spacey. It wears off after a while as well. Just one of those things - but I thought I'd capture it on camera this time.

Back in the real world I have finished the Whippoorwill Shawl.

I stand by my previous comments about this yarn being no good for the biggest size. It does become too much like stripes rather than a gradual change. But having said that I still like it and I think the recipient will too.

This leaves me with a decision about what to knit next. I'm rather enjoying knitting things for others so perhaps I'll continue in that vein. I have in mind some socks for the lovely person who gave me the "Around the World in Knitted Socks" book I reviewed in my last list of reviews. And then there is always Christmas to think about because after all it is May and to a knitter that is practically 1st December.

Don't tell me you've not started knitting for it yet?