dolly dimple knits

Driven to distraction ...

by the continued lack of washing machine (Don't ask. Long story. A frank exchange of views has been exchanged with the company who should have DELIVERED THE BLOODY THING 2 DAYS AGO !!!!) ....and taking time out from handwashing (oh, yes !) my entire family's smalls, see what I did to soothe my soul ...

I just love this. A fabulously easy pattern and a beautiful yarn = comfort knitting.

I actually really do love the Noro Transitions yarn. Look here if you want to see the colour and texture changes a bit closer up. My favourite bit is that really fluffy bit just under the green - it feels wonderful :0)

And the bestest bit of all. It's for ME. I need it 'cos next weekend we're going here. And it will be freezing. No doubt about it. At. All.

It will also be humungeous fun as we're going with our 4 closest friends in the world to celebrate Al's "significant" birthday (oh, okay, he's 40 - you got it out of me) on 1st March. As each of the 6 of us has turned 40 we've gone away a weekend to celebrate. Al is the last of the boys and all 3 of us girls will be 40 next year - as we're doing the triple in 2006 we girls reckon that calls for a weekend abroad, what do you think ?? We're worth it, ain't we ??

And do you know the icing on the cake for Crinan ? No kids ! HAH ! SUUUUUPERB !

Anyway, I'm calm again now (or at least as calm as I get) so I can show you what else I've been up to. I've put it in the extended entry bit tho' as there are a few photos and you may not all want to wait for them to download :0)

Remember the "Monthly New to Me Yarn" pledge ? Well, here's a couple of things I've been trying out with January's entry "Gioco".

A swatch for a possible scarf alternating strips of Gioco with Kidsilk Haze.

OR

The beginnings of the Ruffle scarf from Scarf Style

What do you think ? Which should I go for ?

Plus, I give you, the FEBRUARY entry.

The dead bird.

Well, okay, it actually looks like this.

And I thought it might make a rather fab trim round the top of a felted bag.

That is a bag that will be felted once I finally have a new washing machine .....

Obsessed ? Me ? NAH !

Had you asked me 2 days ago ...

....what was missing in my life, chances are I wouldn't have said a Sweater Stone.

Being honest, had you asked me 2 days ago what a Sweater Stone was I would have looked at you more blankly than the Giant Blank Monster from Planet Blank.

But boy, are they useful ! Thanks Secret Pal - perfect timing just as I completed Butterfly at the same time as reading online about how badly Kureyon pills :0)

The arrival of this little gift has meant I've had a mixed week of knitting fortunes. The Sweater Stone was the high point. The low points ? HAH ! Plenty !

Remember I ordered one skein of this in Shade 7 ? Well, I got going on my supposedly super-quick-instant-gratification-just-for-me project - motoring along, hugely pleased with myself - and I found I needed another skein. And so far I'm still WAITING FOR IT, 5 days later. Which is frustrating. To put it mildly. But a salutary lesson about not feeling pleased with myself and always ordering that extra ball / skein even if it is ridiculously expensive ....

So frustrated was I that I picked up this to keep me going.

2 balls of Rowan Biggy Print in Razzle Dazzle which are destined to become a fabulous Buttonhole Bag courtesy of the even more fabulous Kay.

But have I started it ? NO I FLAMING WELL HAVEN'T !!!

I've spent all my free time this week recovering from the shock of the sudden and tragic death of our washer / drier. And of course dealing with the obligatory spray down from the repair man sooking through his front teeth just before he tells me " it's a big job missus" (do they go on a course or something to learn that sooking action ???) and then impassively watches me hyperventilate when he hands me the quote.

In our case it is such a "big job" that we've decided to get a new one. At this point I would like to have it on record that I HATE appliance shopping. I simply don't care enough about the front-load weighting or the energy rating or spin rpm - I just want one that sodding works !

And that can preferably be delivered before I'll need to lean heavily on my zimmer frame as I bend down to load it .... Stressed ? Who ? Me ?

Still, at least in the absence of any other way to clean our clothes I can give them a good going over and make them pill free, if not "fragrance" free ....

There's good news ... and bad news ... and good news

A drum roll please ..... the good news .... I finally got my act together and finished Butterfly !

And the bad news ? I wish I'd knitted it a size smaller.

This is definitely in jacket rather than cardigan territory. I like the length of it, the sleeves are fine (I shortened them by 4 inches), I like the collar - I made it an inch narrower than the pattern said - but it just feels too big across the shoulders and kind of swamping. I guess I'm not a very good judge of size - I always assume I'll need the large because I'm quite curvy ! (That's not a complaint by the way :0))

There's a real weight in this jacket and I agree with those who have felt it needs something more substantial than a hook and eye - so until I can get into town and choose something, I guess there's a new sheriff in town .....

Get your drumsticks out again ...... the other good news .... I started the Regia India socks and knitting on 2 circulars is a skoosh ! (They're only on one needle in this picture as I had started on the heel flaps which are worked back and forth)

And the bad news ? I frogged them.

They were too big - told you I was a bad judge of size :0) I was so desperate to get going on them that when the only 2 circulars of the same size that I could find were 3.0mm, I went for it. But I forgot to adjust down for the bigger guage and when I tried them on they were flapping round my ankles. So they had to go. And I had to order another 2.5mm Addi to go with the one I already had.

And the good news ? It arrived today !! Along with a skein of this in Shade 7 ......

And the bad news ? There's no bad news :0)

The gen for my Secret Pal !

Work has been a nightmare this week so I'm only now catching up with all of this - I'm just a late developer :0)

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- a nd/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

Not in the classical sense. Colour, texture, drape, suitability for project and so on are the most important to me so I wouldn't dismiss cheaper brands simply because of the label - they could still be right for what I need at that time. Having said that, I do mainly choose yarn from the high end and I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for."

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I can crochet tho' I don't do it often. I reckon if I brought spinning stuff into the house Alan would be straight down to see the nearest divorce lawyer - he already thinks I'm slightly unhinged on the yarn front !

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

I have asthma so I'm not good with smoke but so far I haven't found any other real triggers

4. How long have you been knitting?

Let me think .... I learned when I was about 7 years old but I was 15 when I completed my first garment (an electric blue, puffed sleeve, cardigan in something fluffy made by Pingouin. I thought I was the bee's knees ... but then it was 1981) For those of you not good with maths that makes it 31 years or 23 years depending when you consider the obsession really got going ....

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yep. Amazon.co.uk - but I need to update it.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I love spicy, hot scents (cinnamon, cranberry etc) but also vanilla. Patchouli gives me an instant headache and the scent of hyacinths makes me feel sick.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Not particularly. I enjoy sweets and chocolates occasionally but I'm really a savoury crisps, chips and nibbles girl.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

At the moment I'm pretty focused on knitting as I don't have a huge amount of free time between work, husband, 3 children, elderly father and father-in-law. I used to do serious dressmaking - mainly wedding dresses for myself (only one so far !), friends and family. But after the last one, when I spent 9 hours sitting on the floor hemming the 5 metre train and I was 38 weeks pregnant, I vowed never again !

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

MP whats ? Alan says "Yes". I wouldn't know. I mainly listen to CD's in the kitchen when I'm cooking. I like loads of different kinds of music - lots of stuff from when I was younger - Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Marc Bolan, The Go-Betweens, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, The Undertones, The Clash, Teenage Fan Club but I also like The Stereophonics, Bare Naked Ladies, Scissor Sisters, TLC and lots more recent things too.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?

I like most shades of pink, red, purple as long as they're not too sweet. I love greens and blues. I prefer silver, copper and bronze over gold. I love irridesence. I don't do yellow. I only do brown if it's a dark bitter chocolate brown.

Having said that, I wear a lot of black :0)

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Married with 3 daughters (9,6 and 2). 2 cats - ex-farm moggies, so not so much lap cats as fantastic mousers who know how much I appreciate the gift of a warm, wet, half-eaten mouse at my feet first thing in the morning.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

We'd really like to live in Spain at some point in our lives. It's just one of my favourite countries in the world. Alan could re-train as "bogoda" he assures me - I think he just likes the way it sounds.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Rowan Wool Cotton, Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK, pretty much anything soft and sensuous. I've done a lot of Noro Kureyon recently but with that yarn I enjoy the colour much more than the texture.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Braids and tape type yarns. And I'm not too keen on those cheap novelty yarns - the kind of eyelash, fluffy sparkly scarves that you see about a lot. Nope, sorry, not for me.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

At the moment I've just started on my second ever pair of socks (yeah, I know - in 31 years of knitting that's just odd isn't it ?) and I'm kind of getting into it. Largely tho' because I'm trying out new techniques. I have a short attention span so I have to keep trying new things to keep me interested.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I don't have a favourite. Whatever I'm working on currently is my favourite.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Socks actively. And about 7 other WIPS which are taking it in turn between socks to be worked on.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

Unprintable. You wouldn't expect me to behave like I was 8 years old again so why ask me to dress like it ?

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Depends on the project. I'm doing my socks on 2 circulars and loving it.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Bamboo, rosewood or I really like my new Addi circulars.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

I think I've covered this.

22. How did you learn to knit?

My mother taught me. Which was no mean feat as she was totally blind. But then she'd been taught at the Royal Blind School by a teacher who was both deaf and blind so touch and texture are obviously the most important things in knitting. I have been known to knit with my eyes shut - usually shortly before I drop off ....

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

Until recently it would have been about 20 years old but I finally accepted I was never going to finish that lacy, beaded, cream top that was all the rage in 1984 and ditched it. Now it's a Jean Moss Hausa Jacket which I started about 10 years ago. I've done the back and most of one front but then I went on an intarsia course and now every time I look at it all I can see are the bits I did badly. But somehow I can't quite bear to frog it and start again.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

Dangermouse. I'm very fond of Red Panda's, Sea Otters and Tasmanian Devils.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Boxing Day. I love Christmas but the run up and the actual day is such hard work - especially for working mothers. On Boxing day I sit on the couch, eat junk, watch wall-to-wall TV and knit. I refuse to go anywhere or do anything. It's great :0)

26. Is there anything that you collect?

I'm presuming that wool, needles, knitting books and so on don't count ? No, then. That assumes a level of organisation far beyond my capabilities :0)