Where are they now? (2KCBWDAY4)

yaaaaaaaaaaaaawnnnn and streeeeeeeeeetch. 

Morning all. I am a sleepy puss this morning. I'm on my second coffee and pootling around. Dean Martin is asking how I like my eggs in the morning (with a kiss, I'm with you babe) and I fear this might be one of my rambly blog posts. Feel free to fast forward to the more structured content at the bottom if you're here for my Blog Week post but I might need to ease myself in this morning. These things happen.

It's been a thrilling few days. Firstly, to all the commenters from the last few days- hi, so nice to have you here! Please, stick around, pull up a chair and get some coffee. Although not that coffee (points), that's mine. I've loved reading your comments and following you back to your blogs. Aren't you all awesome?!?! You clever things. And to answer one direct question: I'm hitting the US in September. I am seeing some much missed best friends and I can't wait. Distance may make the heart grow fonder but it can sure ache too. 

I slept heavy last night because I may have, at long last, found a job. Yup. I went to take a look around a place that is so playful and warm and before I knew it I was being interviewed, chatting to everyone and being asked to give a 'performance'. The playful delight was mutual and so this, and the comments is why I'm humming along (Frank Sinatra has me under his skin now FYI) to favourite music and feeling rambly and content. Oooooo Nina Simone now. Bliss. 

SO on to blog week topics.

I decided to talk about a project I made before the blog. I found knitting purely by accident about 2 years ago. I never meant to be a knitter. I meant to learn to crochet little flower corsages like my work colleague but I cannot work out crochet. Chains and knots yes, but something else? No. 

I actually come from a long line of knitters. My paternal grandmother was a beautiful knitter. I can dimly remember her trying to catch me long enough to knit little squares that would one day become a blanket. My mum encouraged, remembering that she too used to knit. I was.... a hyper kid shall we say? I was too busy hunting for dragons and driving my mother up the wall unfortunately so my grandmother has had to wait another 20 years for me to come round to the idea that knitting. is. life.

Sadly, my darling grandmother can no longer knit. A horrible tumble led to a plate being placed in her wrist, causing so much pain and she's progressively lost her sight so that she is rendered to dreaming of knits only. So when I learned to knit, it was from the internet and Ravelry and when I proudly showed my mum and grandmother my crooked scarf, they applauded and encouraged. My mum has begun knitting again with more relish too, and pretty soon I was moving away from scarves and wanting a challenge. 

I made this. Let's just look at it for a while. 

The pattern is Springtime Bandit and the yarn is Madelinetosh Merino Light in the colourway Warm Maize. It was my first adventure into luxury yarn and lace. There was purring whenever I fondled the yarn and tears and tantrums as I fought my way through my first lace. I was so proud of it. I loved it. To date, it's my most popular Ravelry FO and I knew just who should have it. 

My Grandmother unwrapped the shawl delicately and smiled down, letting her fingers feel the fine details her eyesight won't let her see clearly anymore. She scrunched her fingers into the yarn and sighed of yarns she missed. It was my best decision. She's worn it every night around her shoulders to avoid a chill and when she was sick recently she said it was her biggest comfort.

While I was sad to lose my first lace project, I was glad to finally give my Grandmother something back for all the many jumpers and cardigans she made me as a child. I couldn't think of a better place for it to find a home.

For more blog week posts, please click here

Tidy mind, tidy stitches (2KCBWDAY3)

So..... organisation eh?

hmmmmm

I am an ex teacher, possibly soon to be, a teacher (long story, don't ask). I am organised. VERY. I think in colour and folders so when it comes to photographing and blogging about my world, no problem. I have file names, temporary places for wanna be posts and Ravelry projects.

My stash however is not so organised. it began with high hopes, hopes that have rapdily become buried under jewel tones and dark and gothling. It started off in two boxes, from Ikea; a bit like a double shoe box if you like. I had needles in one, patterns etc. Stash in other. Then I bought more yarn... and needles. I moved out of boxes and got a third box. This became 4..... things were getting hectic under the bed.

Then I broke up with my ex and realised I was going to have to move said stash. Not good. I started a stashdown and to redistributed things: yarns were organised by weights, things were destashed and I kept out yarns I'd be knitting with. Order was restored and I was feeling good- yes after a break up, it was THAT kind of break up. I hit a knitting funk and realised that this was an ambitious box of yarn I'd kept out of storage (yes, the others went to storage, it was hideous, let's try not to dwell on it).

With great joy I found digs in London and moved the stash out into plain view, all laid on top of the massive wardrobe, still in boxes but there to remind me not to go to wild again. It felt manageable and bar a fear of moths, I felt comfortable. Comfortable enough to have a yarn slip and buy more. Ahem. It was ok though, I knit my Christmas gifts from my stash, I was virtually a saint.

My stash now? Well. I moved again. At first it all seems rather perfect. See this? It's my space. I share it with the man beast but as you can see I have yarn, books, laptop and such all in one place. I can tuck myself in here and pretend I'm my very own knitwear designer. I even have pretty needles on display.

Closer inspection reveals it's not ALL THERE. See that under the desk? That wee cabinet? More yarn. Mooch into the bedroom to get a tshirt and tucked into my wardrobe? More yarn.

So my mission for 2011 has been to stash down. It's not hideous. I am aware there's a lot more terrifying stashes out there but I love my yarn and I want to knit it. Unknit yarn is pretty but it's unfulfilled. I will do my best and review the year in December. If only I wasn't doing that US trip in September... I feel my will power is only so strong!

lest we forget

To see others posts and enjoy the joy that is blog week type 2kcbwday3 into google for today's posts. You won't regret it- I've loved reading everyone's posts (and comments, oh yes, the comments are wonderful!)

Skill + 1UP (2KCBWDAY2)

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

Where to start here? This is not going to be some smug declaration of my fabulous level of skills. Instead, I'm thinking about how far I've come as the direct result of the knitting and crocheting community. I only learned to knit a couple of years ago, I actually meant to learn to crochet but I couldn't figure it out, worked out knitting and have since been convinced that crochet is witchcraft. (Ask my crochetting friend, I get very distressed when she shows me lace that took her 2 weeks in return for my 2 months of swearing and weeping).

I discovered Ravelry and with that, knit sibs. Within a few short weeks I went from laboured scarves and headbands to shawls, socks and more. Safe in the knowledge there was always someone there to help, I got adventurous. Discovering I could make a sweater was thrilling, discovering it fit, even more so. 

This week I've learned two at a time socks. I'm in love. No really. It started slowly, teeth were involved in wrangling the cord and unknotting the yarn but I am now the proud owner of two identical socks. I learned magic loop and socks pretty early on but was terrified of the thought of two at a time. It just seemed...... octopus level knitting?!? But I got there, and would recommend Silver's sock classes to anyone wanting to learn basic socks, two up, two at a time and so on. This is the joy that is our knit sibs- sharing information and techniques and then logging on to Ravelry to show off, congratulate and commiserate.

I'm aiming for knee highs. This may take a while.....

A Tale of Two Yarns ( 2KCBWDAY1)

Does anyone else have 'that' skein? Something so precious that you think you might never knit it? I'm NOT a hoarder. I loathe the idea of yarn sitting, unknit in people's stash, hunted via scary updates just to be sat, unused. I rejoice in yarn and intensely plan projects. But I have about 3-4 skeins that I cannot plan a thing for. Nothing seems right. They are treasured and I will be leaving them till quite late in the stashdown, awaiting some kind of life altering inspiration I'm sure.

My first skein is one of these yarns. I received this beautiful skein of Julie Spins Merino 370, a fingering weight from a friend who actually, has a habit of sending such stunning skeins that I then precede to have a meltdown over when trying to match them to projects. That sounded ungrateful; I AM NOT. I just look at at the skein, photograph it, pet it and whisper 'what will you be?' to it. I'm met with what I feel is a quite judgemental silence. These reverred skeins can be quite aloof eh?

Let us pause and just look at this skein.

Isn't it beautiful? The colourway is Banff and what I can't work out is: is this going to come out decadently variegated or become some multi tonal blue that makes me weak at the knees? I know, I could check Ravelry, but alas, no FO pics. I could swatch. But then I'd have COMMITED to the skein and as I mentioned, it's quite judgemetnal of me already.

So now onto the tale of the second yarn. It would be cruel to make a comparison. It'd be like comparing a new F1 team with Maclaren (the season just started, expect lots of F1 references). Instead, I will tell you a story that proves why I should not live in fear of 'too precious skeins'. 

I am a relatively new knitter, only two years really. I went on a yarn crawl with my newly found knit group a few short months into knitting. I was bullied by an overzealous sales assistant at a fibre event which led to me falling in love with a grey and white skein of fingering, Aspen Moon superwash to be exact. I thought it was exciting, a far cry from the discount balls of Sirdar I'd been practising on. 

I was nowhere near making socks and I didn't have a clue yet about shawls so it sat, awaiting a project for over a year. I eventually found it a partner and gleefully decided on a Daybreak by the yummy Stephen West. I got the ball winder out and swift and prepared to be dazzled by it's colour as I wound it. 24 hours later, I had a killer hangover and a half wound tangle..... I'm not saying it drove me to drink but it didn't help me stay sober. Two friends had helped unwind this mess and it still sat on the swift, taunting me. Admittedly, they'd shared in the drunkeness too but I was convinced the skein knew what it was doing. It had MADE us get that drunk. 

The DayBreak did come out beautifully but the yarn was nothing short of disappointing. It was soft but probably too soft. Socks would have laid down in submission and died to be honest. This doesn't mean I'm ready to say I've learned my lesson and wind the Juliespins, however. I mean, not before I've emptied my house of alcohol anyway....

And the winner is.....

Fridica!


You are the proud owner of a Lollipop stop original knit tote. The random number generator has spoken and chosen YOU. Please get in contact at aplayfulday@gmail.com to claim your prize within the next fortnight.

For all those of you who entered, fear not I have another giveaway lined up of knitterly goodness (sorry crocheters, you'll get a turn) in a few weeks. It's been great fun getting to know you all doing this so please keep coming back as your comments warmed my heart this week.

And another quick note to say a warm and heartfelt thank you for all those of you who took the time to respond to my birthday post. It made me feel so much stronger to cut myself some slack and say '30, yup.... it's a number'. xxx