Give away! All free.

Am having a clear out. Send me an email to littlelixieathotmaildotcom saying which you want. I'll give it til Monday to let people have a chance of seeing the things then if there's more than one for each I'll draw a name at random. I'll only send these to the UK or Ireland though I'm afraid.

First up...t-shirt short-sleeved size L (approx 14).

Black jeans. Size 16 bootcut long length from Next with hand embroidery. Machine washable.

Free sock pattern from Get Knitted plus gift pouch. I don't know where I got these from but I've got two copies.

Random spinning bits - some very bad handspun (probably about 50g) and some bats ready to be spun but not very well made.

I'll post properly tomorrow about St Ives and so on. Woo ha!

One small step for Byrne, one giant mess for Royal Mail

Hey look, my post from the last two weeks...

To my absolute astonishment it actually was at the delivery office when we went to collect it this morning. Then when I got back the postman handed me three more red cards for things they "couldn't deliver". Unbelievable. Actually, bearing in mind that this is royal mail, believable.

On the plus side I basically got a second birthday since I finally got cards and presents! I got some awesome stuff. The big thing was an amazing edwardian glass necklace from my Mum, which can be seen here on top of the cupcake book from my sister.

Sister Sian also got me some lovely Noro sock yarn to try out. I know I always hate noro because of the knots but I thought I'd give it another go.

As well as the birthday presents I got parcels from a few swaps I've been doing. Blue stitchmarkers. These are amazing.

Red stitchmarkers.

Also some books from Bookmooch (see left sidebar). Two japanese knit books and crochet hats.

I can't believe more people haven't joined Boookmooch. I got all these for FREE! Just posted some of my used books off to others who wanted them. Genius.

There were also a few things I got myself as birthday presents. I've been wanting this for quite a while...

Am going to take it on holiday with me next week. Pooch and I are off to St Ives for 5 nights. While away I'll be working on my cable socks for the Ravelry Interweave Group July KAL. I've dyed up this yarn especially since I thought they really needed pink.

My final self-present was 600g of Kauni. All 4 balls are the rainbow colourway. So lurvellllyyyy.

Very finally, I've found a hexagon I like so am thinking of another afghan. Here's the pattern. This is my first attempt.

I like it!

At moments like this it is important not to run round screaming with your pants on your head

My ongoing saga with royal mail goes on. I haven't had any post since a week saturday. One of the things I am waiting for is a letter from the PO Box division giving me my PO Box details. I had assumed I hadn't had any post because Royal Mail hated me or something. But I've finally spoken to the delivery office (they do this thing of keeping you in a phone queue for ages and then picking up and slamming down the phone as soon as they answer) and the truth is almost apparent.

It turns out that since I applied for my PO Box they have been keeping all my post at the office for me to collect. This is without telling me. One of the things they have been keeping for me to collect is the letter containing the details of my PO Box. Yesterday, after numerous squeaks and complaints from me to customer services, they realised this and the parcels are on the van today to be delivered. Except the building intercomm is not working and so he won;t be able to get in. The intercom hasn't been working for two weeks now. It won't be fixed til Monday.

So...happy thoughts happy thoughts. The acting manager (the real manager is almost always on sick leave poor bugger) assures me I'll be able to pick it up on Saturday if I go down to the office with multiple forms of ID.

Fortunately this is keeping me sane. It's from the Mighty Boosh Festival at the weekend. We were really lucky it didn't rain. Pooch was on good form.

There were loads of colourful characters. He actually kept those heels on for most of the day.

The comedy tent was a bit of a washout - packed, small, one-in-one-out so massive queues and Matt Berry was a let down - very dissappointing. But the music stage was the main focus and had Gary Newman and the Charlatans as well as my personal favourite - Har Mar Superstar. He started the set fully clothed. And ended up....

He was amazing. Truly. If you've seen the modern version of Starsky and Hutch he's the guy in the dance off with Ben Stiller at the disco. The headline act was the Boosh Band. It was just songs from the series but they were pretty good although no 'do you love me' from ol'greg. Julian Barrett showed how good a musician he is. His guitar kept the whole thing going.

There was also time for a little knitting.

You can see all my Boosh photos here.

On the knit front I've been making progress on my Henley. Mine's a cardigan. The back is done and I've started on the left front. The lace is pretty.

Also on the knit front, I'm now a Director of the KCG!

It's my birthday!

Religious Interlude

I am not a religious person. I don't believe in God. I don't think there's something watching over us. I believe that this is it and when you die it stops. However I do recognise that many people do believe other things and while I don't share their beliefs I am interested in them and respect their right to believe.

Once in a while though, something happens that makes me want to spit. This happened this morning on radio 4. There is a big hoo ha from male churchmen in the CofE that women shouldn't be made Bishops. They want some amendment passed that they will be overseen by men and not by women.

I can distinctly remember when the decision was passed for women to become vicars. My step dad's brother's wife was a deacon and was very keen to be ...whatever it is they do to you to become a vicar. I actually had no idea that all that was being allowed at the time was that one step. I assumed that the decision was that the glass ceiling was being removed and women could now join men in the ranks. So when I heard about this latest idiocy I was genuinely suprised.

I hear arguments like "all the disciples were men so god only wants men to be in charge". Now as far as I know none of the disciples were kiddy fiddlers but the church seems to have managed to live with that one without spontaneously combusting. If God was this all caring all giving kind of person, would he really banish 50% of his herd from serving or communicating with him? Would he care at what distance they communicated with him from? Are prayers from women not heard by god, only prayers by men? Can women not hear what he says, only men?

Is God really a sexist? Are you seriously telling me that he might feel threatened by the presence of a woman? Or is this actually a bunch of weeds who currently have all the power not wanting to share? Numbers attending church are at rock bottom. Churches are shutting. They can't recruit enough vicars for the few churches they have. The church's reputation is bad enough without alienating the women and the enlightened men who can accept women in their lives without fearing castration.

There are many reasons why I don't believe in God. The kiddy fiddling is one of them. The idea that God would allow his believers to die in horrible ways in his name is another. His apparent intolerence of women, were another reason needed, would surely be the last nail in the coffin. If he did exist wouldn't he have had a word with the objectors and told them to get real? Terry Pratchett's book "Small Gods" talked about how God's thrived on belief and without belief they became weak and wispy. Maybe it's just that the Church has lost so many people now that he is saying that, it's just no one can hear him.

Here endeth the lesson.

I just want to add that I am not a feminist. I think everyone's equal. It's just a coincidence that in my experience women are generally better at everything.

All those little buggers

I have a mixture of PMT and justifiable homicide type irritation. First there's royal mail. Don't get me started on royal mail. Then there's the builders. Actually no, not the builders. They're nice. Practically naked in my kitchen, but nice. It's the company they work for. Then there's the air conditioning at work. Then , last not not least, there are the gang of little thugs who inhabit the estate opposite. I say little because they're all about 4 feet tall. They have in the past run up behind me and pinched my bum, wolf whistled me (seriously - I am not twice, not thrice, for four times their age) and now they have been throwing water bombs. After the second, which actually splashed me, I turned and walked after them. They ran away but at what age are they not going to run away?

Anyway, asbo's aside. I made an ipod cosy. Rock on.

Wedding and baby

Look at Laura's face!

I love this photo...kind of sums up both of them and how fun they are. She looked amazing and Gav scrubs up pretty well too. We spent the weekend in Burnford, or somewhere like that - you know me and geography. It was lovely to be there for the wedding but also good to see people again. I haven't seen some for 6 months, very well illustrated by the growth of the baby who rivals Pete for title of 'cutest'. Her name is Maya.

Pooch had offered to get her Mum some breakfast when she said "Actually, if you could just hold her for a minute." There followed a minute or two's pure comedy with the mum saying "ahh, well, maybe someone else..." before Pooch finally managed to get hold of the baby, the right way up and everything. Here he is looking really comfortable and natural (that's sarcasm that is). Maya was not very impressed with the whole manouvre but behaved with an elegant aloofness that will hold her in good stead should she ever date a computer programmer.

Meanwhile the librivox socks are continuing nicely and I have joined the Interweave KAL on ravelry. The group chooses a shortlist of 3 and you choose your favourite. I am going with the Winding Cable Knee Socks which is also a free pattern available online. I feel like I should be doing them in pink cotton but that wouldn't be comfy so am going to look for something else suitably delicate and girly instead.

Lastly, Sian's blanket, which was a saggy starghan, has been reborn as a crochet granny. Same yarn, very different design. Only 4 squares so far. Might be ready in time for christmas....2012.

Librivox Socks

I talked in a previous post about how I was doing this Librivox collaboration. My original swatch wasn't quite right but I rather liked it anyway.

So these are my librivox socks! The stitch pattern is a 14 stitch repeat...

row 1 = [p1 k2tog k3 (yo k1) twice k3 psso p1] repeat to end
row 2 = knit (if doing in the round, or purl if on 2-needles)

On 3mm needles using your average sock yarn one repeat lightly stretched = 6cm
My ankle = 24cm. Therefore....4 repeats!

So for the shortest and possibly laziest pattern ever....

Cast on 56 stitches.
2x2 rib cuff for about an inch.
Use the stitch pattern above for the leg by repeating the 2 pattern rows a few dozen times.
Heel.
Continue stitch pattern over top half of foot and plain stocking stitch over bottom.
Toe

Knit another one.

To make bigger/smaller - vary the number of purl stitches.

I've been doing mine on 2-needles. I'll post a pic here when they're finished.

A tender moment between husband and wife

Today saw a trip to Taste of London in Regents Park. It was disappointing -the stalls and people behind them were good but it was disorganised and too crowded. The organisers were hostile and despite an entry fee of £35 a head we got thrown out at 4pm so the next load of punters could be jammed in. The food I had was great but the crowds put me off going to quite a few stands. We spent quite a lot of time drinking cocktails at some vodka tent. I won't go again. This was one highlight though...

Don't they look amazing? We bought a pouch of them and Pooch is going to make risotto. I love mushroom risotto. As well as mushrooms the dream team was also present, a la Meado and Denning.

Ladies, they're available and 50% of them are actively looking for love. The other is kind of passively open to opportunities as long as I don't set them up. He hasn't done too well at the end of my cupidesque activites in the past.

Getting out of SE london was a bit epic today as the jubilee line was down. Getting back thought was worthy of a 3-page saga with supporting chorus. Had to wait 45 mins to get on the third boat that arrived because of the crowds. Only thing that kept me from garotting someone with my circular was having gone to the Liberty sale beforehand. Rowan Silk Cotton £25 for a full pack.

Am trying not to instantly cast on this since I just spotted it on Ravelry. Think it will be perfect. Also a full pack of Rowan Summer Tweed also £25.

They also had tonnes of kid silk crack for half price too. Never really liked it though myself so left it alone. Lots of other cotton though and a fair few other bits as well as masses of japanese tourists taking photos. Definitely worth a visit if you are nearby.

Today made me wonder, how many photos are we each in the background of that we don't know about? Or even in the foreground. Look at this guy for instance.

I was a bit squiffy by this point and so taking quite a lot of photos but there he was sitting in the middle of a space on a bar stool looking pretty suave and so on yet undoubtedly alone. The stool was in no man's land between the proper tables and the bar. Definitely not at the bar. Just standing there all by itself. Intrigued me. I once had my photo taken in Camden for a japanese fashion magazine (streetwear type thing they have nowadays in one of those free london evening papers - the yellow one, not the purple one.) I was with my sister Sian and I like to think she was impressed at my stylishness but I think maybe she saw it as further evidence of how fricking weird I looked. I never saw the magazine (in retrospect, was it a fashion mag or did I have my skirt tucked into my pants or did I look hairy or something more specialist?) just as I'm guessing that guy isn't into knitting blogs so will never see himself in public view. Er yeah, no conclusion to come to on that one.

Answers to questions in recent comments:
1. Yes, they are real.

2. Where is the baby cardi pattern from in the last post? It is from "Impact Moda Issue 7" available from McA Direct or their shop in Edinburgh. It is something insane like £7 (for one book!) but does have some lovely basic pattern in it for babies and toddlers. Are at least 3 other things I want to make and am teaching a beginner class (at work!) next week so will be perfect for that. Pattern is on Ravelry here.

3. Tawashi patterns. The octopus isn't by me - I got it in a swap but there is a list of Tawasi pattern on Ravelry in the Tawashi Town group forum. It may be one of those? The ones I made are the furry mitt (my own pattern) and the flower.

4. Whether or not it is summer in the UK at the moment is the start of a discussion likely not to end til the rain stops. And that could be some time. Actually it hasn't been that bad but apart from some lovely sunshine at the beginning of May we haven't been doing so well so far. Today being the first day of summer of course means that it is all downhill from here so expect a return to thermals any minute.

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!