January 5, 2009
Welcome back to work for everyone who was able to take a long break. I was working over it for the first time in quite a while so it was a bit of a shock to the system but at least it meant I didn’t have hundreds of emails that needed to be urgently answered today.
It looks like books are on everyone’s mind and a variety of reading goals are popping up on blogs everywhere. If anything I need to read less so I will avoid setting myself any reading goals. Check out the competition Justine is having though as it is a fun literery topic (so many I could have chosen). Let her know I sent you if you want to enter and have fun.
January 1, 2009
2008 was a busy year for the knitting. Socks made up the majority of the finished items as I finished eight pairs of socks (Karenina, Neighbourhood Tunnels, Mosaic, Fiori Di Zucca, Express Lane, Rock and Weave, Shur’tagel, Mathematical Equation). I’ve also finished 2 single socks (Monkey and Hopscotch) and the foot of La Digitessa as well.
On the non-sock front I made the Swallowtail Shawl for myself and finished the Herringbone Skirt I started a few years ago. For my nephew I made a Petal Bib and a Baby Poncho. I have also started spinning this year and spun and knit Amy for my winter hat and have been trying natural dying.
I have had a chance to take quite a few workshops this year. Through the East Sussex Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers Guild I took Knitting Design with Helen Neale and Ply-Split Braiding with Julie Hedges. Through Kangaroo I took Design Your Own Knits with Debbie Abrahams. Through Socktopus I took Superspin1 with Diane Mulholland and attended the Lucy Neatby Sock Retreat. In 2009 I am planning on attending the Association of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers Summer School.
For 2009 I plan to continue with the sock knitting and spinning and dying. I am in the Socktopus Sock club again although I have 1.5 pairs to finish from this year’s club kits. I am determined to finish because I want to get my club badges for the socks. I would like to do more lace knitting and would like to finish my Hap Shawl and Flutter scarf I have been working on this year as well as the Alhambra Scarf and Lamineria Shawlette that I “accidentally” cast on this month. I also have a Tulip Sweater I am making for my nephew that I would like to finish as well.
December 7, 2008
It’s taken a week to recover from the Lucy Neatby Retreat last weekend. It was an amazing weekend but exhausting. I had a great trip up on the train with Sally, Justine, and Jane. Luckily we got a group of seats together and knit all the way up to King’s Lynn with our cans of Mark’s and Spencer’s cocktails. The converted barns were lovely – especially the heated floors – and it was great to meat so many people that I have known only online.
We learned loads of techniques including the Channel Island and Tubular Cast On, different heel techniques, grafting using toe chimneys and perfect grafting, decorative stitches and a variety of cast offs – although I still need to sit down in strong light to try the tubular cast off again – I went badly wrong before and instead of casting off the sample top grafted it shut. I also worked out where I was going wrong with short row heels as I have been wrapping and turning my stitches incorrectly.
I picked up the Almost Saintly Socks and the Fiesta Feet patterns and several of us on the workshop are thinking of having a KAL for the Fiesta Feet socks.
We had a chance to see excerpts of several of Lucy’s DVDs and they were really helpful. I’d love to get some so will be giving details to our local library to see if they can get them for their collection – There are details on her website that you can pass to your library so they can order them.
December 2, 2008
I had a fantastic time at the retreat but I’m still organizing my photos so I will post on it another day – it was amazing and Lucy Neatby is an amazing teacher.
I came home to find a package by the door – my SoSeSoSwa parcel! it was full of loads of fantastic goodies. 
There was the pattern for CookieA’s Stricken Sock with Woolen Rabbit Sock Yarn in Arabian Nights – a beautiful deep purple that I am still stroking. Just the thing as I spent the weekend eying up Justine’s pair as she knitted them on the train up to the retreat.
Then another pattern for the Alhambra Scarf in Malabrigo Lace in Violetas – a very yummy purply-blue. Convenient as I have been thinking that I need a more sensible project for the train. I just need to see if I can resist casting on until I finish the Sock club sock I am on.
I’m already wearing the lip balm as my lips really need it and its lovely and minty, the bookmark is heading for my bedside reading and the nibblies are searching for a hiding place as my flatmate was eying them up. I don’t know yet who my spoiler was but thank you!
ETA – I’ve just found out that my spoiler was Jane Thank you so much!!!
November 28, 2008
I think I’ve managed to pack everything I need for the retreat this weekend. I’m off to the wilds of Norfolk for the Socktopus Knitting retreat with Lucy Neatby – should be a great weekend. I’ve decided to be ensible though and am leaving my spindles here as well as the Hap Shawl. I’m on the border of the shawl and although it is still my commuting project (well I never said I was sensible) it is just too big to be lugging around for the weekend and besides it’s supposed to be a Sock retreat. I’ll take my last Sock club kit and try to make some progress… I definately won’t have them done by the next shipment since I frogged back to the toe on the first one yesterday to try 2.25mm needles this time. 2mm was just too tight.
Anyway, here’s the progress on the shawl, since I picked it back up a few weeks ago it’s going really well.
And Amy – made from my fist proper handspun.
November 16, 2008
Better late than never, I’m having fun getting my partner’s secret Santa sock kit together for them and only have a few more bits before I pop it in the post.
What’s your favourite sock you have knitted? Not really sure, I’ve really enjoyed ny sock club socks this year but I’m not sure I have a favourite
Fav sock designer/pattern? I really love the Yarnissima designs although I’m still on my first one.
Toe up or cuff down? At the moment toe up because I don’t want to run out of yarn
Dpns? Magic loop? Two circs? A bit of all of them but most of mine so far have been on dpns
First sock? My first sock was Hedera and this was before I worked out that I usually need to go down a needle size so they are a bit big and slouchy.
Most difficult sock? I found Hedera a real struggle, even with the lact that I usually enjoy the foot portion really dragged on for me. I couldn’t really work out what the fuss was over socks. I seem to have recovered from that though.
I don’t think I’ll finish the most recent sock club kit before the next one. I’ve picked up my Hap Shawl and am on the last 5 rows before the edging so I’m trying to get as much progress done on this as I can before the row length does me in.
November 11, 2008
In Memory of my great great grandfather Private James Nicholson from Dumfrieshire of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers (2nd Battalion) who died on 30/04/1915 at the age of 33. As he died in Flanders and given the dates I believe he died in the Second Battle of Ypres (22 April – 25 May 1915) which included the first use of Gas in the war. His widow remarried a Canadian Soldier at the end of the war and emigrated to Canada with their children.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is a wonderful resource if you are wanting to investigate your family tree and to locate family members who lost their lives in service. I would highly recommend it. I find it interesting that the records have information on his parents who were still in Scotland and show my Great Great Grandmother in Canada. As she did not emigrate until 1919 this suggests records were updated not from his service records but from some contact with the family.
As a Canadian I can’t really get the hang of Remembrance Sunday – I instead take the time to reflect on Rememberance Day itself.
October 30, 2008
Here’s some of the fun things we got up to in San Francisco
- Visiting Alcatraz then watching Escape from Alcatraz
- Taking the cable cars after walking the first day – the hills are very steep
- Visiting the Cable car museum and watching the cables in action
- Shopping
- Going to Fisherman’s wharf most days
- Watching the Sea Lions
- The “Ripley’s Believe it or not” museum – we went to the one in Niagra Falls when we were there
- Going to the Exploratorium and playing with all the exhibits – we liked the bubbles best
- Going to both Art Fibers and ImigiKnit
- Walking over the Golden Gate Bridge while watching the Blue Eagles practicing for Fleet Week (which we left as it started – oops)
October 30, 2008
Well, the hopes of putting together an interesting post about the trip in some sort of a timely fashion have not come to pass so enjoy the photos and here is some of the fun stuff we did on the Big Island in Hawaii:
- Getting to see the family again and playing with my nephew
- Going on the submarine in Kona to see the reef and all the fish – no Sea Turtles or sharks there though
- Going up to Kileauea to see the caldera from the volcano and watching the smoke from the current active bit
- Walking through Lava Tubes then continuing on with the flashlights until we had no idea how far we’d gone
- Going back as the sun sets to watch the glow from the open vent and discovering that my camera lens fits in the eyepiece of the spotting scope
- Watching the sunset on the beach
- Swimming in the Pacific – so much warmer than March off Vancouver Island or anytime of Wales or Devon. Nice to not need a wetsuit
- The Wedding – a beautiful ceremony and a welcome addition of a new sister-in-law
- Going to a Luau – open bar, great show, and fantastic food. Good choice for the reception
- Going to the Mauna Kea visitor’s centre – didn’t see any of the Invisible Cows they warned about and there was no way the car would have made it up the road any higher towards the obervatory
- Trying to see the lava flowing into the sea only to find out it stopped flowing the day before – the lava field was great to see though
- Finding the steam vents and finding out the guide book wasn’t wrong saying they were “clothing optional”
It was a great vacation and I’m glad we went
