Pretty yarn

Just had to share a picture of this little beauty. A lovely hand-dyed skein of BFL sock yarn from the wonderful Abstract Cat.

I came across a mention of this indie dyer on a new UK podcast called A Playful Day and of course, like the true yarn addict that I am I had to pop pver to take a look. Somehow a skein hopped into my online basket -willpower and I are total strangers when it comes to all matters yarnie.

I have been admiring the skein for several days now. I keep it on the upstairs window ledge on the landing and pet it every time I go up and down stairs. I wound it into a ball last night, fully prepared to cast on for my H socks at the weekend - Hermione's Everyday socks, and now I have a dilemma. This yarn is far too pretty to be hidden in my shoes. I want to make a beautiful shawl/shawlette/scarf but seriously, how many shawlettes can a girl have? I could gift it to someone else but it's mine (all mine).

This is why I end up with so many skeins of beautifully dyed sock yarn in my stash - I just don't want to 'waste it' on socks.

G is for Glynis

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Originally uploaded by l.tilbrook

Yet another Cookie A pattern for my A-Z challenge. I can't quite believe that I am keeping up the the 'pair of socks per fortnight' rate but I am, and with days to spare. I have to say that I did struggle with this pattern though. The lace repeat is very short and I found it very difficult to 'read'.

I would have finished it several days ago if it weren't for the endless tinking back. I must have knit at least an extra half of a socks-worth.

Interruptions

Well, I didn't do too well on my challenge did I? Three days consecutive blogging and then nothing...zilch. Life just got in the way, nothing major just your run of the mill stuff which somehow conspired to mean I had no free time, and when I did another small person was more than happy to fill it for me.

Whilst I enjoyed taking part in the blogging event it did make me realise that I'm not very good at blogging 'to  order' or at sticking to a schedule. It was interesting to think about topics that I wouldn't normally blog about but to me it did feel a little artifical and not really 'me'. I did enjoy reading the posts of others and I found several new blogs that I'll certainly re-visit.

So I'll revert to my usual semi-random and haphazard postings for now and hopefully you'll stick with me.

Tidy Minds, Tidy Stitches 2SKCBWDAY3

This will be a short post for me I fear. I would love to be as superorganised as I am in my professional and home life but sadly my knitting stash does not benefit from the same principles.

I do my best to stuff it all into boxes to protect from dust and the dreaded winged beasties but apart from that - it's every skein for himself.

The only exception is my beloved stash of laceweight yarn - none of which I have used yet. I keep it in a pretty box and take it out to stroke it sometimes.

I use Ravelry to keep a track of my projects (both real and imaginary) but that is about as organised as I get. I'm looking forward to reading about others organisational tips though - and plan to even implement a few of them.

Day Two: Skill plus 1UP 2SKCBWDAY2

My new skill for this year would have to be crochet. I am by no means an expert now, but compared to where I was a year ago I am so much more proficient and confident. My previous crochet attempts had been limited to some very wobbly granny squares and practice squares which always seemed to end up triangular, as I managed to lose stitches with each turn.

The credit to my new found skills must go to the amazing Lucy (of Attic24 fame) whose well-written and clear step by step tutorials were just the thing to get me hooked - sorry couldn't resist the pun.

The Neat Ripple blanket pattern was my first project and by jove, it worked. I was rippling away with the best of them. The project isn't quite finished yet - it started as a stash buster and then I realised how much extra yarn I would need to make more than a dishcloth-sized blanket. But it is growing slowly and I'm very happy with it.


My first official crochet FO is a little circular placemat I made, again following one of Lucy's tutorials. Just a little hooky something to brighten up a dull little windowsill. The circle is a bit wobbly in places but I am very happy with it.

I'm not sure that crochet will replace knitting as my 'go-to' hobby for relaxation and therapy but I found it very enjoyable nevertheless and one day...I will finish that blanket.

Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.

The challenge for today is to review two yarns, one which is a favourite and one which is the opposite:

When it comes to yarn I am a fickle creature I'm afraid and my current yarn is often 'my most favourite ever'. I am currently using some Shilasdair Luxury dk yarn for a scarf and it is wonderfully soft with an amazing drape and feel. I don't have enough experience of it though to declare it a true favourite...yet.

Trying to come up with my favourite yarn sent my poor head into a bit of a spin - which to choose? My favourite luxury yarn, favourite work-horse yarn, favourite sock yarn? Decisions, decisions.

In the end though, I settled for my beloved Rowan Felted Tweed. What is not to love about this yarn? The colour palette is deliciously muted and I am a complete sucker for anything tweedy. Although, unlike some rivals, the tweedy flecks in this yarn are subtle and work well with this base yarn rather than jumping out at you in a rather alarming manner. Admittedly it isn't the cheapest of yarn, but I have made the Gathered Pullover using just four balls of yarn - complete bargain. Another slight drawback is it's response to vigorous washing - as the name suggests - any mishandling or maltreatment of the beloved item and it will start to felt (ask me how I know!). But as long as you are nice to it, treat it well and wash with care it will reward you by looking good long into the future. My Gathered Pullover has just finished it's second winter, with frequent use, and it still looks good.



Now for the worst yarn.

In some ways this is more difficult. It would be easy to pick on some defenceless, nasty acrylic that I bought on an ebay impulse and then regretted ever since. Fun fur, really cheap, harsh acrylic, pom-pom yarn - all have entered my stash at some point. Mostly it was destined for the local charity shop once I came to my senses.

Instead I have gone for a yarn that I had really high hopes of and which disappointed me on many levels. It is another Rowan yarn, and as the many project pages on Ravelry atest, it is very popular, but it is not for me. I'm talking about Rowan Calmer.

Some time ago I fell in love with a Nora Gaughan sweater, knitted in the said Rowan Calmer. Being slightly skint at the time I tracked down a bargain pack of 10 balls of the stuff in a lovely soft pink shade, from the ever reliable BlackSheep wools website. The yarn duly arrived and in a fit of enthusiasm I cast on (to hell with a gauge swatch). A few rows in I started to notice how the yarn felt in my hands - and not in a good way. I have no idea why,but something about the way the yarn passed through my fingers was setting my teeth on edge, in the same way that fingernails down a blackboard used to wind my younger sister up. I ignored it and ploughed on, past the several knots that I found, until I had finished the first ball of yarn and approximately 5" of sweater front. At this point I looked at the piece of fabric and realised that it was wide enough to fit an average hippo - it had definately grown on the needles and I would need to go down several sizes to stand a hope in hell of getting a wearable garment.
I duly frogged the piece but then couldn't bear to pick it up again. Having read a little about the yarn I now know that a gauge swatch is essential to see how the yarn behaves (before and after washing) and I know that that bit was my own fault, but the feel of the yarn was something that I couldn't get past and in the end I sold the yarn on ebay - hence no photo of the offending item.

2KCWBDAY1

A little challenge to me...

A little challenge to myself next week.

My cunning plan is to use this event to try and improve my blogging skills somewhat and to perhaps focus on some aspects of my knitting life that I wouldn't ordinarily touch on.

We will see how it goes anyway.
Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.


More details can be found here