dolly dimple knits

Rabbit Balls Sure Are Sticky .....

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself. That phrase has been ringing round my head since last night when I started winding this

Red Sky Fiber Handspun, 50% Angora 50% Kid Mohair. I went a bit mad over Stacey's stash sale last month and boy did I score :0) I'm not going to tell you what else I bought from her but I was HUGELY pleased with all of it when it arrived a couple of weeks ago.

The bunny yarn (or is it goat ? I'm not that good on the yarn fibre details !) is going to be ...........

the crop cardigan with leaf ties from Fitted Knits - my favourite design from this book.

You'll notice I'm pinching images from all over the place tonight because having found the camera (which was lost at the same time as Venezia) I now can't find any sodding batteries and it's flat ! But I'm being a good girl and saving them to my own space :0)

Anyway, back to the sticky balls. I'm assuming it's because of the angora but this stuff just loves to hang onto itself so each strand had to be pried from the others as I wound it. A slow process .... like an hour just to wind one ball ! Just as well I like this pattern really ....

So why another project ? Well, it's because I FOUND VENEZIA ! YAY ! (and yes Erica, she was in a very obvious place where I had clearly put her for safekeeping). Not only that, I've made progress. Yes people. We have steeking on the go ........... but I can't show you because of the battery problem and funnily enough no-one else seems to have pictures of my WIP's that I can steal from them ;0)

The steeking is the cause of the new project, sort of. I still love Venezia - she will be finished. BUT I really need to be

1.not tired
2.not drunk
3.not distracted

all at the same time to work on her. She's kind of absorbing. And the trouble is on the days that I work, when I get in I'm

1.knackered
2.desperate for a glass of wine
3.beseiged by children who haven't seen me all day

so she's a complete non-starter. Definitely a weekend project.

The mitred square blanket was doing it for me for a few nights but it's heavy going knitting on an aran weight blanket in late June. So, crop cardi it is !

When I get some new batteries you may even get to see progress on it ........ In the meantime though, like Kathleen, I shall taunt you with the notion that some time soon I may have some actual news (as opposed to this drivel) to share .....;0)

Ask me ....

how I know it's time to tidy my stash ? Well ........ I went to do a few rounds on Venezia (you didn't think I'd forgotten about her did you ? !) last night and I CAN'T FIND HER. I feel sick.

The only thing helping is the memory that I once lost Elfin and found her again (yes, I know Lis. She's still not finished. Give me time !). I took refuge instead in the deep, deep peace that is the mitred square blanket. Soothing knitting ........

Good things come in BIG packages :0)

Go on. Marvel at the glory that is my mail from my Secret Pal from SP10. Jealous ? Thought so. ;0)

Getting mail (of the non-bill / tax demand variety) is always lovely but getting mail like this is even better. Beautiful books, gorgeous yarn, hand balm AND yummy chocolate and tea. Died. And. Gone. to. HEAVEN. Thank you so much SP !

Not much time for knitting / sewing this week. Although I work in education, I work all year round but because some of the nurseries I work with shut over the summer, June is always a mad gallop to get things finished before people disappear for 6 weeks.

Add to that the joy that is having Stewart the plumber, Billy the joiner and Chris the electrician practically living in my house (or at least my bathroom) and you can see things are a bit busy. I mean seriously, I know it's a cliche but we have used an ENTIRE bag of sugar and 2 jars of coffee in the time they've been here. Mind you they might not have been so keen on the sugar had they known it's been in the cupboard for 2+ years - I only really use it for baking which is an infrequent occurence in this house ! - so I had to attack it with a knife as it had melded into a solid lump at the bottom :0)

There's been a little teeny bit of knitting tho '. Remember when (scroll down to Feb 10th) with great enthusiasm I embarked on my first pair of socks on 2 circulars ? Well, a mere 2 years and 4 months later .... TA DAH !

To be honest they were very nearly finished (like I was halfway through the toe decreases !) last year sometime but I just lost interest. Easily bored. Sorry.

Anyway, I'm glad I did it 'cos now I feel I completely understand the whys and wherefores of knitting 2 socks at the same time on 2 circulars. Would I do it again ? Possibly not.

I didn't find it a very relaxing way to knit as I had to make sure I picked up the right needle all the time. I also had some sizing issues and the socks came out a little less snug than I like so ....... heretic that I am ..... I machine washed and tumble-dried them ! And now they're perfect :0) Softer and a teeny bit felty but a much better fit !

Last night I finished my Rowanette Exchange gift but I'm keeping that one secret. The other Rowanettes that read here will see the finished article in the Exchange photo album eventually (and some of you non-Rowanettes saw it in progress last Sunday !) :0)

I feel like I've been knitting for other folk for ages. I have a birthday present to finish for the 26th and my sister's jumper is staring at me from the corner but I really want to do something for myself ! Question is quilting or knitting ........ you'll just have to wait and see ;0)

Slow to Boil

As quilting seems to be in the air I thought I'd share my newest - and at the same time somewhat ancient - venture with you.

Like Kathleen's instructions on how not to make a quilt, here's my recipe for how to make a quilt ..... eventually.

1. Decide that you don't have enough hobbies and nag your other half into buying you a self-healing mat and rotary cutter for your birthday.

2. Start picking up bits and pieces of fabric that appeal to you.

3. Make sure you are doing this with NO CLEAR PLAN in your mind about what to do with any of these things.

4. Spend an enormous amount of filthy lucre on at least 4 books on quilting.

5. Read these cover to cover several times - then decide that actually it all sounds a bit complicated and even tho' you're reasonably confident with a sewing machine you're not quite sure that you can get the hang of this.

6. Put all of the quilting equipment, fabric and books at the back of a cupboard.

7. Leave it there to cook for around TEN years.

8. Whilst it's cooking, move house and have another 2 babies.
(These steps are optional but I found them helpful in encouraging me to let it cook for long enough.)

9. Once the babies have almost reached school age, find a tiny bit of time to youself and start blog-surfing.

10. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP - come across this blog and start to hyperventilate when you see her Villandry Quilt and Allotment Quilt.

11. Immediately purchase this book and again read avidly.

12. This time, instead of thinking this looks too hard, decide you can't live without your very own quilt, IMMEDIATELY.

13. Dig out all your old fabric and note it needs supplementing.
(WARNING : whilst supplementing your fabric selection you may inadvertently buy some yarn too. Whoops !)

14. Spend an evening cutting and an evening sewing.

15. Display the first strip of your quilt as proudly as a first-time mother.

16. Feel smug and happy.

17. Repeat steps 14 to 16 until quilt is completed :0)

Just had to tell you ...

Kirsty has re-opened with wonderful new yarns and colours ! Go and clean her out of stock - you know you want to :0) (I've already ordered mine so I know I'm safe. Whew !)

And in a totally seamless link (HA ! HA!), the joy of old houses revealed itself today when the plumber started to strip the hideous '70's PLASTIC sheet tiling off the bathroom walls - hideous stuff we have lived with since buying this place - to discover ....... wait for it ......... can you guess ....... YES ! ONLY the original Edwardian tongue & groove wood panelling intact and running all the way round the walls !!!! I'm so excited I can't speak. Good things never happen to us when we're doing up our house. Until now :0)))))