Essay

Just a quicky from work - Alice asked what essay? And of course I haven't really mentioned it.

I'm doing this MA in Medical Humanities at Swansea University, and have my 5th and final essay to get in by October 13th. "examine the significance of mortality for human life". Quite a subject! And my friend's (can I have a 'best' friend now I'm practically 40?) father died fairly suddenly earlier this year - he was my dad's childhood friend. So the essay is well-timed, in that I am thinking about this stuff anyway, and I seem to know lots fo people whose fathers have died in the last year or 2 (though this is by far the closest).

I suppose this age (did I mention???? 40 in March) is when our parents do start to die. I know I am rehearsing mentally, not that that will help when it happens (I so want to say 'if' but am not that out of touch with reality).

So I am watching 6FU (ie Six Feet Under), Harold and Maude, reading bits of Hamlet and Socrates and so on, and coming up with lots fo ideas. So far, as usual, I have about 1700 words (no, actually, way ahead of usual no at this point because I don't want to do any during my holiday) on a variety of areas, like how we think about mortality at different ages, the way the death of a parent slaps you in the face, illnessa and bringing ideas of our own mortality, plastic surgery and reluctance to age...

Shall I stop now, Alice? Too much information?

Wait till I start my dissertation...

Busy

Well, I've got my act together and posted off my tea/knit parcel. hope it pleases my spoilee! And I have heard from my spoiler, too, which weas great.

I'm still busy not quite writing my essay (well, I have 1700 words of 5000, but meant to not have to do any one my hols next week. We'll see. If I can get lots done with MIL over the weekend, while C does insane cross-Devon racing on foot, cayak and bicycle, then maybe I'll be ok.

Sorry, this'll be a dull post, no pics. Most intersting thing I've done is start sorting out what knitting I shall take away with me! Th shawl for my cousin and the sicky shawl for my niece - has to be wishy washy to go with her cream bridesmaid dress, and it certainly is. Quite repulsive. I'm adding a few beads, and she likes pink more than I do. If she isn't keen I will dye it after the wedding - it is lovely Fleece Artist sock merino. I'm doing Bloom from Knitty, which creates a swirly circular shawl that should at least keep a 4 year old warm in midwinter, and give the possibility of flinging it over her shoulders dramatically! (She is dramatic).

I'll try to get pics.

Anyway, probably nothing more after this till I come back on the 8th October. oh, and i hope I'll get some knitting in my favourite knitting place, as emailed to my swapbuddy: I have really enjoyed knitting on the beach in November, wrapped up VERY warm while my GF does kite-buggying (which I do a bit too), the wind blowing, waves splashing and crashing, birds calling, C coming close to say hello then off far away. Yep, that’s been the best!

Copy post from Teaswap

Teaswap

So here, late as late can be, is my (pitifully small, it seems) collection of teas. I drink a lot of herbal teas (and my favourite of all is not here as I always run out - Blackberry and nettle. Love anything blackberry-y) . However, I also love Lapsang Souchong - my aunt used to send my parents 2lbs every Christmas, which lasted the year as we have this with just a few leaves in a teapot.

Talking of teapots, I love these 2 - the blue I bought in a market in Vienna, and it is very Germanic in having the tealight thingy underneath (at leat, it is not at all English, and the people I know who use teapots like this are mostly German/Austrian. Oh, and Dutch. So perhaps I should say Northern European? Who knows!)

And when it comes to mugs/cups, this is my favourite of all; it is one that was handpainted by a guest at the big celebration my love and I had of our relationship in 2001 - instead of present, everyone painted different (not matching) bits of white china that was later re-fired, so we have a whole set of dishes and pots and cups and serving thingies in different patterns but the same colours.

In reality, I almost never use this cup and saucer. I like thin-ish ceramic/pottery/whatever mugs, that have wide openings and aren't curved. Not picky at all!

Cashmere pattern

Thought I'd include the chart for the hearts pattern, body of the stole.

I've been listening to Brenda at Cast-on talking about creative commons/free culture, and felt that I would share this chart. It isn't my pattern, it is from Barbara G Walker's fabulous A Second treasury of Knitting Patterns, published by Schoolhouse Press. She calls it Palm-Leaf Chevron, and it is on page 277 of my edition. (BTW, I got all 4 books together from Schoolhouse for $108US, which is £57.50, and the postage and packing wasn't much more).

What I have changed: well firstly, I've charted it, so I could see more easily how it works. I used Knit Foundry's Knit Visualizer, which I heard about from Melissa on my knitlist. It is a great software package, you can just type in the pattern and change various things, and out comes a print-out! Secondly, in order that a) it shouldn't roll, and b) to make the heart/palm-leaf shaped pop out, I've made all of it except the hearts garter stitch, whereas BGW has it all in stocking stitch.

Hope you like it, and it works! Apologies for any flaws; I've been working from it, but then I know what I mean....

NB please use this for personal use only (ie not for profit), and if you do, it would be cool to see what you do with it. I reserve my right as the author of the chart that you don't sell it on as your own, for example. Not that I think anyone would want to! It's pretty basic.

Cashmere Progress, a Bayerische sock

Jude and Artis-Anne
wanted me to keep you all updated about the pink stole for my cousin's wedding in January - here's how it's going - here it is. It's 5 pattern repeats across, and so far 2.5 long. looks good stretched out, but like a bucket of boiled ass (copyright Rabbitch) as it is!

Bayerische sock

Eunny Jang, she of the wonderful designs, incredible technique tutorials, interesting talk etc etc has started a Bavarian/Austrian style sock. on 96 stitches. I am so excited about this pattern-in-the-making - my grandparents came to the UK from Austria in 1938, and my darling Mutti, my grandmother, would have loved these. I may have to make these for her in lilac, her colour (makes me think of Lila Pause!), and give them to my Mum. She wears lilac too.

NEC K&S - Kerrie

I wore my lovely cloud bolero to the Knitting and Stitching show at the NEC yesterday - a good decision! Kerrie and her co-worker at the Hipknits stand recognised it, and said it does seem to be the first one finished - so Kerrie said I could have any one skein from the stand for free, and her colleague (who had knitted the demo for the Yarn Forward free web pattern) took pics of me in front of the stand. This is the skein I got for free - it's a beautiful red/pink intense lipstick shade, mega sheeny. It's 180g of silk tightly plied and with an amazing yardage - 1200m per 100g!



I also went to the Getknitted stand, where I bought this skein of Handmaiden sock yarn, 100% superwash merino and soooo soft, in wishy-washy colours to make the stole for Alice for her to wear with a cream sleeveless bridesmaids dress in January. I reckon we could use ribbon to tie it into arms, if necessary, as she's only four! Not sure what pattern to use.... but I wonder about adapting Ella from Knitty , as the shape might be easy for her to keep on...
I also bought this luscious skein from the same stand - it's Handmaiden Silk Lace, 600m in 100g. It was next to the Sea Silk yarns of the same make, and that's what i thought I'd bought, but these were the colours I love, and I've got more yardage for my 100g... (The sea sillk is 70% silk, 30% sea cell, from seaweed, and also felt lovely but only 400m in 100g).

My other buys were some more 2.25mm needles from the Knit Tin, who sent me needles for free once because the size they quoted on their site became unavailable. I do like 2.25mm, and it's hard to get in Europe. these are, again, Brittany birch needles. i want bamboo, as they may be more flexible and therefore less fragile, but can't seem to get them in the UK. Never mind. No pics of the needles.

Also, some Mobair bubbles medium weight - this is hand dyed by Victoria Smedley. This is by far one of the plainest skeins she has - her dying is most beautiful, and I loved lots of the multis, but didn't feel I'd use them any time soon, whereas this - I have plans for!

Watch the video, damn it!

Hey, did none of you watch that video I posted a few days ago? It's all about the knitting, v creative, I like the music - what's missing?

just click on the screen, then click on the start (">") sign and off you go. Let me know what you think.

Cloud Bolero

So, I found the new Yarn Forward magazine website (and have subscribed) and the free pattern was Ysolda's Cloud Bolero, which she had done in Rowan Polar (some of which I had) and the magazine had done in Hipknits Aran cashmere. I wasn't feeling any of the polar colours I have, so I burrowed and found all this gorgeous (and very expensive) yarn C bought me for Christmas 2004 to make a coat - I still will, part way through, and Voddy has helped with a muslin pattern). The yarn was bought in Di Gilpin's shop in St Andrews, and is handspun on the islands (?Skye).

BUT some of the yarn was much more suited to this pattern. I had a big skein of a ply each of silk and baby alpaca in raspberryand a smaller skein of 2 plies of baby alpaca in a blackberry (and the colours in these details are pretty close to the true colours, whereas the ones of the whole garment are a bit too red/pink).

The pattern was very straightforward. I made the extra small, because I have small shoulders and upper arms, and also because I think I must knit loosely! I did do a gauge swatch, and got bang on gauge, but I didn't wash and block it (not sure how much yarn I had...) and I haven't yet blocked the garment (don't want to take it off).



I think you get a good idea of the bolero in these pics. Hope you like them!

Fruity Cashmere hearts:

I have been thinking more about the cashmere stole, too, and considering how to do the pattern. I think I shall chart it (using Knit visualiser? I'd have to buy it first!) and see how I can fiddle with it to maybe get a wavy edge and to point up the hearts more.

Cashmere

Hereis the pic of the cashmere I have bought form colourmartuk on ebay. It's a150g cone, approx 1,150 yards "4ply weight" single soft twist yarn. I believe it will come oiled and tight like it looks on the cone(oiled for industrial knitting), but should bloom and soften at first washing, as in the skein above. Can't wait for it to arrive!

The suggestion is to use 3.75-4.5mm needles with it for lace. i'll try to force myself to swatch at least with 4mm and 4.5mm to see which I like better, though if only one is easily available (read: out of other knitting) I'll probably just chuck myself into it willy-nilly. It doesn't have to fit, so obsessive guage totally unnecessary!

As for the niece - think I'll go more open mesh with sparkles for her! (Quick and easy).

Camille - Ta Douleur

Very cool - 'Ta Douleur' yarn and knitting fear.....

Go on, people, watch it, it's funny and great music! And all about knitting!

Click on the screen, then click again to play.

Swatching for wedding stole

So, my cousin is getting married in January (she last did this when she was 18, all round disaster, hopefully better now in her 30s! I haven't met the guy, but her Ps like him as do mine, so the signs are all good!) She seems to have got summer frocks for herself and her 3 'flowergirls' (when did it stop being bridesmaids?) My niece is to be one of them, in a sleeveless nylon (it looks on the email) cream frock; I think she'll be cold so have offered to make a shawl for her, and also one for the cousin.

Should have been writing an essay on mortality yesterday, and did do some reading, but then a bit of swatching. Oh, and buying cashmere on-line for it... hope the colour will be ok, cousin's dress apparently pink, unable to send me a sample, though. Anyway, I had a shuftie through some of the lace in Barbara Walker's pattern books, thought hearts would be approopriate. I haven't pictured my first swatch of just the main pattern done as written, in stocking stitch; I don't want there to be a right/wrong side to this stole, so I've changed it to garter sticth. might have to do the same to the edging - which, by the way, I think I'll just add to the ends - and either try to rewrite the body pattern with a wavey edge, another nice but straight edge, or add a simple narrow knitted on edging. I think this one is too big for all the way round.

What do you think? This last picture is the photochopped version of the edging on an end.

Crafting Cupcakes - Part Two

Pics of the 'hat' in progress and on my head . . . . now all I need to do is learn how to be a burlesque star!

p.s I never said the pics were flattering - rest assured as 'Cupcake' there are more eyelashes and some cracking lippie!

Crafting Cupcakes

So, the pile of fabric under my desk is still there despite my promises to re-fashion and my lovely wool tops have still not manifested themselves into felt bead jewellery. However, I like to think this is because I've had better things to do.

Not necessarily better, but a lot of fun is my new hobby. After years of wanting to be Gypsy Rose Lee I have finally got some guts, and a corset and am learning burlesque. Yup it's true - should all things go well and I don't end up falling over my stilletos as I attempt to artfully remove a glove in practice I may sometime in the not tooooo distant future take to the stage and become my burlesque alter ego 'Cupcake'. When I'm not practising to twirl my tassles I've been obsessing about 'Cupcakes' costumes and decided that the best way to get a head is get a hat - et voila, here is my little cupcake hat!

I started off taking some cotton and stiffening it with some iron on vilene and then pleating it and ironing it endlessly till it decided to hold itself in place. With a foam base and some wool tops as stuffing (they are coming to some use at least) I then popped another piece of foam on the top to make it look like a rather engorged cupcake. The 'icing' is some pink lining fabric I had lying about and the 'raspberry' is a slightly bodged stitching of lots of little pink beads. I wanted to pop a cherry on top but realised I didn't have the appropriate kind of beads. To finish it off I popped some lace around the bottom and seeing as it IS burlesque a few sequins. It fastens on my head with the help of a stiched in hair comb and some ribbon which I can tie round my head - more pics to follow

Lovely hipknits is also a bit of a bleeder; and a progress shot.

What more can I say? This is my Angelica on the first wash. Love it though.

And here is a progress shot of the cardigan i am making (from Opal sock yarn, the green is 80%wool and 20% nylon, and the multi is a wool/cotton/nylon mix). Baby is due in 2 weeks, so I am now trying to get on with it after faffing for a while! (And I now believe in the 2 weeks after seeing H this weekend - bump is huge!) Hope She and J like the colours - which I think are pretty gener neutral. And it is machine washable (and dryable if they have a drier). I've actually completed both fronts already.

And just for completeness - second charcoal Eleonora sock now past the heel (in fact it is further on than this too, but I am too idle to repeat the shot).

Angelica pics

So, you know I finished Angelica, as I'm pretty sure I showed a picture of my sorry self 'morning after' in the rain at Arumdo (fab burlesquey festival; here are some crappy detail shots - once more a bit knackered after a great party last night in Newcastle at my cousins. The one on the left shows the shape. i modified it by lengthening it - when I had completed the pattern itcame to about the top of my jeans - not a good look for my relatively apple-shaped self; so, I had a shufty through Barbara Walker's pattern books (bought a month or so ago enmasse from Schoolhouse press for about £70 but NO charge by customs - maybe because they wrote 'educational books' on the manifest - true, too!) and added a lace pattern that was easily bodged into the stitch count.

I knitted the sleeves in the round as I don't much like seaming, and repeated the lace pattern but narrower and shorter around the sleeves. Love it! It does grow rather,a nd ends up off the shoulder - even since I added 6 rows alternating reverse and straight stocking stich with a tightish cast-off all around the neck.

Lots of colour came out when I washed this after the festival!