Sunday 27 October 2013

Winner Announced!

I hope you've all had a great week. I didn't post any FO's on Friday as I have none. I have been knitting and spinning this week though. 

As I said last week I started my Vertex Cardigan. It's going much better than my first attempt and I'm pleased with how it's coming out. I have also knitted a bigger size than previously as I think I was being a touch optimistic before and don't want lots of negative ease. The first part of the back is finished and today I will pick up stitches for the right front. The yarn, King Cole Merino Blend 4 ply isn't as soft as I'd like but it does soften up after a wash so I'm sure it will be fine to wear. 




My Fishknits yarn has been calling to me since I finished my stripy socks. The yarn is really lovely to knit with and the colours are fabulous. There are no photos as I've only just completed the toe, so will wait until I've got a bit more of the foot done before I show you. The shop is definitely worth checking out and there is a lovely Ravelry group to join too, with a KAL running at the moment. 

My nunoco batt is still being spun on and I am keen to finish it. It seems to be taking me a really long time though. The colour is lovely and I've only got a few grams left to spin of the first batt. Perhaps you'll see some plied yarn next week if I can get my act together!  



As I said a few weeks ago, I have a copy of Ply magazine to give away. Alison Manning you are the winner so please get in touch with me using the feedback button on the left hand side of the page. Don't forget to leave me a way to get in touch with you! 

That's about it for this week. I hope to have more progress to show you all next week! I'd love for you to leave a comment and tell me what you have been working on this week. 

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Saturday 19 October 2013

The Socks of Happiness

I finished my Fish Lips Kiss Heel socks tonight and I am thrilled  with them! They are just so much fun that I actually squealed with delight when I put them on and saw how they looked as a complete pair. The heel looks so neat and was very easy to knit. I highly recommend the pattern to anyone wanting to try a new heel. 



I used the magic knot technique to join my yarn to create the stripes and although it has worked out fine I probably wouldn't choose to do this again as it really was a hassle. I will also think about knitting a longer cuff for my following socks, so far they seem to stay up fine though. I used twisted 1x1 rib and really like the way it looks on the colour change. 

Self striping socks are definitely next on my list to knit but do I go plain vanilla or patterned? If patterned, what patterns work well with self striping? I would love to hear your suggestions. 



In other news I have cast on another attempt at the Vertex Cardigan by Carol Feller as I received a 500g cone of yarn earlier this week. My swatch came out at the exact stitch gauge so fingers crossed it will work up OK! I am knitting it out of King Cole Merino Blend 4 Ply in the kingfisher colourway. The colour is beautiful and I've been wanting to add more colour to my wardrobe for a while. Wish my luck! It will be my first adult sized garment. 

As I said last week I cheated on my socks with a lacy shawl. I've not knit much more than 2 repeats of the first chart though. There are only 8 rows in each repeat and I have less than 60 stitches on my needle so very little progress has been made on it!! It's the pattern Sacha by Vanessa Smith which I've knit before. The lace is quite a challenge in that there isn't really an obvious pattern so you need to concentrate on it and that doesn't happen for me during the school week. I'm using Fyberspates Rural Charm in the plum colourway. This will eventually be a gift for a very good friend. As I've mentioned on the blog before, the yarn is amazing to knit with and definitely worth checking out.  

That's it for this week. Remember to check out the giveaway if you haven't already! 

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Friday 18 October 2013

FO Friday #1

I thought I would give FO Friday a try for a little while to see how it goes.  

I'm going to start with my Barley hat that I knit a couple of weeks ago and have only just got round to photographing. 

As I said in a previous post it was a great knit, easy to follow and it looks great! I did fudge the decreases a bit in the seed stitch section but was too lazy to go back and fix them as no one will notice! 



I'll be back over the weekend with more knitting and spinning to show you!

P.S Don't forget to enter the giveaway! 

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Sunday 13 October 2013

A Little Lace Relief

Dear stripy pink and yellow socks,

Your fabulous colours make me so happy and I am so looking forward to wearing you when the weather is cooler. I am tickled by your colour changes and you fit so wonderfully. 

For now though, I'm sorry to say but I'm bored of you. I need a change. It's not you, it's me. I thought that endless miles of stockinette that alternated pink and yellow could keep me amused for hours and hours. I was wrong. I'm cheating on you with a flirty lace shawl. This isn't the end, I will be back. But for now, I need a little lace relief. 

Yours,
Knitiot

P.S Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

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Saturday 12 October 2013

A Giveaway!

So this week I ended up with a copy of Ply magazine that was meant to get to me when the summer issue was sent out and never did. A replacement was sent so now I have a spare copy of issue one of Ply magazine that I am giving away on here! 




It's a fantastic magazine with a wealth of information on spinning. The first issue takes the theme of 'firsts' and runs with it, focusing on advice for first time spinners, tips on buying your first wheel and fleece and much more! 

If you want to win a copy of this magazine all you have to do is be a follower of my blog (great if you are already!). Make sure that if you follow me on bloglovin that you are a visible follower so that I can see you, if not you won't be entered to win. I will generate a random winner on the 27th October. Be sure to check back then to see if you have won! The competition is open to everyone! 


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Monday 7 October 2013

Finished Object!

I finished my Belgian Waffle Boomerang earlier this week and got around to photographing it earlier this week. The pattern was very clear and easy to knit but it did get a little repetitive after a while. I like the finished object and as it's knit from Fyberspates Faery Wings it will be very cozy to wear. 


In other crafting news I have completed the heel of my socks and thought the Fish Lips Kiss Heel pattern was excellent. The heels fit perfectly, look so neat and were very easy to knit. I highly recommend buying the pattern if you haven't got it already. Don't these socks make you so happy?!





Wanting some (almost) instant gratification I cast on the Barley hat by Tin Can Knits. I knit twisted rib instead of regular though and moss stitch instead of garter. It was quick and I finished it in a few days, photos to come when it stops raining! I really like the way it fits and the pattern is very simple. It's great for some mindless knitting or if you are a beginner knitter! 

I received an incredibly generous gift from a friend. It's approximately 1kg of gorgeous, soft 60%/40% alpaca/wool blend lace weight yarn. I have no idea what the yardage is but I expect it's a lot! Half is an oaty colour and the other half is a soft grey colour. I am going to swatch for Bonny but with the yarn held doubled. Perhaps I'll experiment again (with my swatch first) with dyeing when I have finished the knitting! What are your favourite lace weight patterns? 

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Friday 4 October 2013

A Book Review

Had you told me 5 years ago (before I learned to spin or knit) that one day I'd read a book about fleece and enjoy it I probably would have laughed in your face. Oh how that has changed! I don't own many knitting or spinning books as space is at a premium but I can see that there are some books that will change this.


The Field Guide to Fleece by Deborah Robson is one of those books. From the moment I picked up the book I was so intrigued to learn more about the 100 sheep breeds that are covered in the book. Although I won't have the opportunity to make it to any fiber festivals in the near future I still think this book will be useful as I explore different breeds through spinning.

The book begins by talking about why we love wool. It's really interesting and talks about the different types of fleece that sheep produce, how fleece can change dependent on the environment and what to do if you think you might be allergic to wool. It also talks about what you can learn from the fiber itself and goes into crimp, fiber length, micron count etc. 

Each breed that is talked about in the book is accompanied by pictures of the sheep and a picture of the locks. The pictures are very clear, and the locks photographed show the crimp, colour and length of that particular fleece. The information provided in each chapter is easy to read, concise and useful. Some breeds contain tips on how to spin the fiber too. I particularly like that it gives suggestions on how to use the different breeds in your knitting as well as how it takes dyes. 

A table is included for each breed giving you quickly accessible information about the origin of the breed, fleece weights, staple length, fiber diameters and natural colours. On each page is a space for you to make your own notes if you should take this to a festival or auction.

Overall the book is beautifully set out, a great size and I'm sure it will be incredibly useful to those spinners that are interested in learning more about the different breeds out there or who are thinking about buying a fleece and would like a bit of help choosing the right breed. 

I hope you've found this review useful, please let me know in the comments or by sending me some feedback by clicking on the feedback button on the left hand side of the page. 

Thanks for reading!

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Wednesday 2 October 2013

Liebster Award



As you may have guessed I have been given the Liebster award from the lovely Kathleen at Gothy and her Crafty Stuff. The Liebster Award was designed for bloggers to give to other bloggers to help promote their blogs, find out about the people behind them and gain more readers. Sopphey has written about it in much more detail here.

So my questions set by Kathleen are these:

  • How long have you been blogging?
Since August of this year. 
  • What made you decide to join the blogging community? 
I have become more and more obsessed with knitting and spinning. I don't know many knitters or spinners where I live so thought this would be a good way for me to say all the things I have to say about it. 
  • Who is your inspiration?
I really admire all those who've managed to turn their love of fiber and yarn into a career. I would love to be able to do that but it's not on the cards for the foreseeable future. 
  • What craft tool could you never live without?
My knitting needles or spindles! 
  • What's the next skill you want to learn?
I've been tempted to learn how to weave but there isn't room for a loom. I like the idea of learning how to use a potters wheel too although again space is an issue there too. I like to learn skills where I can use my hands in a way that doesn't involve drawing, as I can't draw for toffee, so who knows where that will take me?!
  • What's your favourite item you have made to date?
I love the Girasole I knitted for my youngest niece when she was born. Unfortunately I have no decent pictures of it finished. It's also the most complex piece I've knit so I was very proud of it. I did modify the edging though as time was pretty short. 

I'm giving the Liebster Award to: 


and these are my questions for you lovely bloggers:

When and why did you start blogging?
How did you learn to knit?
What is your favourite yarn?
What is your best (or worst) FO?
Where is the strangest place you've ever knit? 
What skill will you learn next?

Have a great day! 


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