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? 

Finished!

One bunting duvet cover and matching pillows, as started on the bank holiday.

I'm now like the small child on christmas eve - waiting for nightime to come so I can get into bed (and so xmas can come all the sooner except that's where my simile stops). Clean cotton sheets are soooo lovely and a duvet cover you've made yourself makes it all the sweeter.

On the topic of sweetness I ate my first bowl of Strasberries yesterday. I came across them in Asda while looking for normal raspberries.

Taking the stalks out was a bit tedious as I didn't have a straw but it was worth it. They were quite sweet with the texture of raspberries and taste between the two. They would make a mean berry mojito. Mmmm, mojito.....

Knitwise I am still plugging away on the stripy shawl. Each row is now about 550 stitches so I'm not loving it as much now as I like to see a bit of progress. Meanwhile though I have joined the P/hop Ravelypics Team and adjusted my ravatar accordingly.

I have been looking at the list of events and can see a few I could enter.

• Frogging Trampoline: rule: only deep hibernation projects (1+yrs on needles); only projects you made; project can't cross compete in other events
• Mitten Medley: Cranfords in my case. I never did finish mine from the KAL.
• Sock Put: Not sure which pair to knit but there's always room for more. 
• WIPs Wrestling: rule: not touched since May 15 2012 to qualify; projects can't cross-compete in other events

I went to the Open Day at the London Buddhist Centre yesterday. I've been doing a Mindfulness for Depression Course on Tuesday nights and have found it really interesting and wanted to find out more. I still think the Mindfulness thing is the the bees knees (it's not Buddhist - it's a mainstream therapy technique - but it fits in well with meditation) but the rest of it is not for me. 

It's a shame as I like the idea but I simply can't believe any of it. I also got quite annoyed in the last talk I went to on Science and Religion. I should have known better from experience but those talks are a bit pointless unless you've either got one speaker who knows about both or two speakers, one for each perspective. Plus there is always the assumption that the two subjects are incompatible. 

It's such a pity there isn't a better understanding of scientific methods - never mind the details of the subjects. Scientists will rarely (never?) say something is a definitive answer as there is always the possibility further discoveries may be made that improve our knowledge of a topic. Religious fanatics insist they have definitive answers and that scientists' failure to insist that they are equally right is a sign that they are wrong. It would be so much easier if everything was black and white, but then also, I suspect, rather boring. 

Books 2012, #11-20

Liz has posted more reviews. I can't help noticing her reading is far more varied and, ahem, intellectual, than mine. I have also been thinking recently that I've never been one for reading the classics. Therefore I went to the library yesterday and marched towards the classics section. I looked carefully for books that met my requirements, e.g.

1. They were by an author I recognised
2. They were short (gently does it)

So expect a bit more variation in my next bunch of reviews. Maybe. 

#11 The Floating Admiral by Members of the Detection Club

The premise of this book is quite interesting. You take the key detective fiction writers of the time and ask them to write a chapter each of a detective novel. Each one has to take what the previous one has written and add to it. The list of names includes many immediately recognisable and others now forgotten: Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, G K Chesterton and more. So does it actually work? From my point of view the answer is...kind of. It's interesting to recognise the styles of each author (you are told who is writing each chapter) but the story suffers from a lack of planning and meanders all over the place. If you are a fan of classic detective fiction then I would recommend you give it a go but otherwise this is not something to read just for the story. 

#12, 13, 14 The Case is Closed, Lonesome Road and The Silent Pool by Patricia Wentworth

I took a couple of these to Amsterdam with me as they are pure comfort reading. I am still 100% committed to becoming a knitting detective once I am suitably old and have acquired the old fashioned furniture that is always mentioned. No arms on the chairs - useful for knitting, the reader is always reminded. Personally I don't mind arms and sometimes rest my elbows on them, although I have noticed that tends to lead to achey shoulders. So maybe Miss Silver knows what she's about. You see - that's where the benefit of age and experience comes in. Clever Miss Silver. To get back to the actual books, these all feature the usual woman in distress, a love match that has been derailed for some reason and which will be reconciled by the end of the book and an unsuitable man. Relaxing and lightly engaging. 

#15 I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

This book came out in 2010 and usually I would leap upon a Pratchett and devour it on the day of publication. The Tiffany Aching series though have not captured me in the same way as Discworld in the past although this one pretty much changed my mind on that score. Although aimed at younger readers this one covered some mature issues and did it very well. At the same time the Pratchett humour was there and old and new characters combined effortlessly. The ending did feel a little rushed but I still hugely enjoyed this book and will reread it in the future. 

# 15, 17 Bury Her Deep and The Winter Ground by Catriona McPherson

Parts of the Dandy Gilver series - I have quickly grown to love these! Set in the wilds of Scotland, wife and mother Dandy (short for dandelion) seems to have fallen into detection and is trying to hide it from her husband who is a local nobleman trying to keep his family estate afloat. I am reading them out of order so have missed some of the back story but by The Winter Ground Hugh has twigged what is going on and doesn't approve while grudgingly accepting that the extra income helps maintain the grounds. The Winter Ground features mismatched married neighbours and an entire circus wintering in their grounds. A member of the circus dies in an accident - or is she killed? Dandy investigates. Not knowing much of scottish nobility, circus life or even which period the books are set in I cannot say whether these things are covered correctly but they are blended well and the books work. If you like a traditional whodunnit I would recommend giving these a go. 

#18 Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders by Gyles Brandreth

Yes - *that* Gyles Brandreth. But don't judge - these are really rather charming. You do need to suspend reality though. There is historical evidence he and Arthur Conan Doyle met but not that they had the kind of friendship that pops up here. Nonetheless if you can get over that, this series is entertaining. Unfortunately this particular book is one of the weakest of the series I have read so far. I can suspend reality with the best of them - I just watched the Avengers film for a second time - but this pushes it. I admire the way Gyles weaves together the different threads but I think the cleverness gets in the way of the story and Oscar's creative deductions (the implication is that he is the real Sherlock Holmes and directly inspires the character of Mycroft) can come out of the blue in exactly the same way as Holmes' do in some of those stories. Not fair to the reader who is trying to work out the culprit for themselves. I would recommend this series but maybe A Game Called Murder or Ring of Death as a starter. 

#19 Around the World in Knitted Socks by Stephanie Van Der Linden

This book was a present and an *extremely* welcome one. There are some brilliant socks in here. It also illustrates a phrase I like but always feel slightly guilty about using in public in case it is rude - "Different strokes for different folks". The one pair I really don't like have beaded peacocks on them. Read the reviews on Amazon and you'll see that was the go to pattern for one reviewer. There are socks for everyone - simple and fiendish, colourwork, cables, travelling stitches, textures, lace...yup - this has got it all. All the yarns used are Regia so easily available and easily substitutable. I'm very glad to have this in my knitting collection. 

#20 Pawing Through the Past by Rita Mae Brown

Oh you didn't seriously think I could go for a month without reading a book where the cat solves the murder did you? Yay for Mrs Murphy, Pewter and even for the dog Tucker. I think of him as a cat. Just to help me get over the whole dog aspect. Now for something you didn't see coming - this one was really pretty bad. A very serious crime is treated very lightly and without much sympathy. The characters are acting out of character and the story was all over the place. I adore this series. It pains me to say this was a rotten one but it was. Really wouldn't recommend it at all. On the plus side here is a cat. 

Onward.

I Wasn't Going to Start Anything New

I particularly wasn't going to buy stuff so I could start something new. Then I went to Canary Wharf (and fell off a Boris Bike in the process) and bought a duvet cover. It came with pillows. They were plain blue. They're not now.

I've started doing the same thing to the duvet cover. It's actually really time consuming.

Going to take much longer than I thought.

Then when I'd decided to stop that for the day I pulled out the small towel and facecloth I wasn't going to do anything with because I wasn't starting anything new.

The edges are curly at the moment because I zig zagged them and the blue lines around the edges are a water soluble marker but both with sort themselves out once it has a first wash.

I'm very happy with how both have turned out but also kind of angry with myself for making them when I could have been working on existing WIPs. Speaking of which - this is the shawl I blogged about last time.

I have decided to keep going and finish it but I'm still not sure about the colours. The person it is for has the same colouring as me and I think it looks ok colourwise.

You can see what I mean though about the colour transitions looking better over the small number of stitches (the bit closest to my fizzog). Ah well, we live and learn.

Everything Seemed Normal at the Doctor's Surgery

She waved at the Doctor looking out of the top window as she walked past.

But then she realised....

....that was no Doctor.

Aaaarrrrgghhhhhhhhh!

Spots or Stripes

Anyone remember how Cadburys launched this big spots vs stripes concept a year or so ago? Apparently the campaign has ended. I can't say it had a great effect on me except that i have tended to buy my Wispas in the spotty wrappers just because polka dots are my first love. However, when spots are not available, stripes are my next choice.


In Amsterdam I bought a couple of Zauberballs in the same colourway intending to make a striped shawl along the lines of one of the Stephen West ones. I have used Zauberball to make socks before but thought the yarn was a bit too woolly to really do the job.

When I got back I started swatching in various patterns. By swatching I mean I cast on since this was going to be a fairly plain V shawl so it made sense to do the swatches like that. I did this four times. Ripple in 4x4 stripe with garter row, ripple in 2x2 stripe, 2x2 plain stripe, 4x4 plain stripe. It wasn't working. So I switched tactic and looked for shawls previously knit in Zauberball that looked good. I settled on Whippoorwill. Thing is though - in the large size you've got 500+ stitches on the needles. Zauberball is meant to make nice socks at 60-70 st per row. At that row length the colours gradually fade between one and the next. At 500 st you basically get stripes. The samples I'd looked at that looked nice were the small sizes and I was knitting the largest one. There's a life lesson there. Meh. Photos to come.

Something I have done rather better on is my Sister's wedding quilt. I'm not putting the photo here as she might peek but if you click here you'll see it.

Aimless Patchwork

I have always liked the look of crazy patchwork and after pinning various examples decided that crazy log cabin was what I'd really like to try. I've accumulated a lot of scraps from various projects over many years and today I started combining them. Ta da!

I know with freeform crochet this is called scumbling. So I'm thinking of these as scumbles. I imagine I'll sew them together into some sort of quilt top at some point but really this is just an excuse to do a bit of easy patchwork. And it really is very easy. There are lots of tutorials around (check my Patchwork Board on Pinterest for a few) but here's my approach. I'll use this as an example:

This is the centre of the middle bottom piece from the first photo.

• Take a scrap of fabric and cut it to a square or pentagon - I wouldn't go any higher than 5 sides. Mine was roughly 2" across. Don't worry too much about measurements - just make sure all the sides are straightish lines.  So for me this is the bumblebee piece. 
• Your next scrap needs to be long enough to cover any one side of the centre. For me this is the dark red ripple pattern piece. Sew along one side (you can hand sew but machine is much quicker). Press the seam with your fingers and lay the piece flat. Trim the left end of the new piece to be even with the next side of the centre, moving in an anti-clockwise direction around the centre. 
• Your next scrap needs to be long enough to cover the end of the second piece and the next side of the centre. For me this is the beige with little trees and flowers on. Repeat previous step (i.e. sew, finger press and trim)
• Your next scrap needs to be long enough to cover the end of the third piece and the next side of the centre. For me this is the red flower piece. 
• Continue until you have just one more side of the centre to cover. At this point you'll need to trim the end of the last piece you added, the last side of the centre AND the right-hand end of the first piece you added to the centre into a straight line. This line does not have to be parallel to any other seam so don't worry about making it a square/pentagon if your scraps aren't the right size. The key thing is that this line is straight. 
• Your next scrap needs to be long enough to cover the end of the last one you added, the last side of the centre and the right-hand end of the first added piece (this is the lilac polka dot for me). Sew and continue anti-clockwise.
• Once it is big enough simply stop adding more pieces and trim the sides to your required size. If you have a lot of long, straight scraps you could even end up with an entire quilt top just from a single centre. I would love to see it if you do make one like that. 

There are a few other types of patchwork I'd like to try and I quite like not having any finished object in mind. Charities will always take quilts and blankets so if nothing else I can join them all together for one of those. And at the same time I'm expanding my knowledge of techniques. Rather satisfying.