Overdue

Anyone reading my blog would be mistaken for thinking I have given up on knitting. I haven't. It's pretty much consumed me if I'm honest. 

It all started with Spring Leaves. Man beast's not-so-evil step-mother is turning 60 this month and she's always been lovely, supportive and so enthusiastic about my knitting. It seemed only right to knit her something and a lace scarf or stole in pretty purple was decided upon. Yes, there was only 6 weeks or so but I could put my other knitting aside and focus on some 'quick lace' surely?

We went to Loop and while I was cruising for something silky, Man Beast picks up Wollmeise and says 'This one'. I love his taste. It started off life as another project that shall remain nameless. I am planning on tackling it again with a longer time frame for another milestone birthday at the end of the year. I won't mention it here then, in case it hears I'm displeased and punishes me later. 

Anyway. Spring Leaves is a nice repetitive pattern. You knit in two halves which involves a provisional cast on.... and picking it up. I was so worried about messing up my knitting at the half way point that I didn't anticpate the bind off problem I had. I tried the EZ sewn bind off. It seemed so simple. It reminded me of kitchener stitch. And that's where it all went wrong. I pulled it tight, as if I was grafting a toe. I wasn't. I was binding off lace. 

Yesterday I performed major knitting surgery. It was epic. I'd removed the lifelines, thinking I was done and so I had to pull out the bind off and stitches were dropping everywhere. You could have heard a pin drop in the flat but for the tinkle of a needle being dropped in favour of a crochet hook or vice versa. I saved it. AND I have the provisional cast on all sorted. See? That's me moving onto the second half. Phew. 

To avoid complete lace overload I've been popping back to the Cedar Leaf Shawlette every now and then. It's at the leaves point and I'm glad to have something to break all those leaves up too. The yarn is Sanguine Gryphon Codex, a delicious blend of merino and silk. This plump worsted is probably one of my favourites. Compared to the slightly tough quality of the Wollmeise, it's a dream to run through my fingers. 

And then there's baby gift knitting. Everyone's pregnant. No really. In the interest of keeping up, I have a baby knit on the go all the time now. It would start rumours if it weren't for the fact I'm so clearly too scatty to have a child.....

Slam dunk the funk

I did it. Yes. Yes I did.

I beat the funk


Don't believe me? How's this for proof?I did that. I made a Haruni all by myself. Ok, that's technically a lie as I needed someone to save me when I ran out of Wollmeise in Spice Market, someone to cheer me on when I was crying because I couldn't fix the broken row (thanks to the many shoulders I cried on that week) and a lovely knit buddy to help me block it when I was frightened I would die from a pin overdose death.


I love it, so, so, much.

Update on the knitting funk

I've had the strangest few weeks with knitting. First, there was the knitting funk- I just couldn't get anything done. I was working on a gift that I wasn't enjoying- a recycled linen basket liner. The giftee was so sweet, very eco warrior so I enjoyed sourcing just the right materials for her practical home gift. I can honestly say, I cannot work with linen. I am a tight knitter and it nearly broke my wrists, I just didn't enjoy knitting for the first time ever.

So I went out and played, moved, socialised and generally left knitting to one side. Then I noticed I was craving makes: listening to podcasts, buying yarn (oops) and daydreaming about Autumn snuggles. Slowly but surely, knitting has crept back in and now all I want to do is knit. I've been sick too so I can't bring myself to even think about leaving the house when I could stay in and knit on the balcony.

Despite this renewed passion, I'm making limited progress. I seem to have forgotten how to knit! My sock, the lovely Kimono Sock, (Knitscene, Fall 2008) has been an interesting project. It should be simple and yet I've ripped out twice and then at the weekend realised I had started knitting the gusset inside out?!? It was something I did when I very first learned to knit- knit from the back needles rather than the front. So there's a lot of tinking going on there. Luckily though I'm making it in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash which is sport so it's knitting up a lot faster in my stupidly tight gauge.

Then there's the gorgeous Haruni in the magical Wollmeise sockenwolle 80/20 in Spice Market. It is simply stunning. I was not at all convinced by the hype around WM when I first cast on; it felt like cotton. I mean, with all that hype I was expecting little cherubs to run round and dance as I knit with it. Yet as I worked the fabric further, I understood. The stitch definition is as incredible as the colours and the fabric just softens and softens the more you work with it. I've gone for a solid body and lace edge for this Haruni as I'm not really a lacy lace girl. Ofcourse, due to the funk and being feverish from flu I've basically knit the same 4 rows 6 times over. I am sure glad for life lines!

More news on casting off and on soon hopefully!