After Noah

Hello everyone,

Thanks so much for your good wishes on my (old) new job.  I'm excited and nervous and still very bemused at this turn of events and am trying to make the most of my last few days before starting work on Monday.  Mr. P. is away at the moment so I am quietly getting ready and doing a bit of writing and trying to reassure myself that my brain won't have turned to mush during my time off.  And I have had a project to work on and now something to show you.

I have been knitting.  You may remember earlier in the year I knit a sweet little cardigan from Debbie Bliss's Knitter's Year.  This was it.

Well, when we discovered a few months back that a little girl had come into the family, I knew just the thing I wanted to make. The pink cardigan was made of cotton yarn, but that felt wrong for this time of year.  But then the shop I went to for inspiration had the exact cardigan knit in baby cashmerino, and I knew that would be perfect.

I was on a deadline because I wanted Mr. P. to take it with him when he went away, so I've been knitting like a demon over the last few weeks.  I had given up all hope of finishing it, but then a stinking cold kept me inside last week, so I managed it with, oh, hours to spare!  (It wasn't helped by having cold induced knitting dyslexia which meant that I cast off the front and back the wrong way around so that the left front piece hung on one side of the back piece but the right side faced the other way - even now I can't explain it properly...).

And I have discovered in the process that I like to do things in twos.  I made a bag.  And then another.  A cushion cover.  And then another.  And I have plans for another wavery ripple scarf.  Oh, and another lampshade.  Okay, so it's hardly mass production.  But there's something satisfying about figuring something out and doing all the swearing and ripping etc. the first time around, and then tackling it the second time knowing roughly what you're doing.

As long as you don't have a cold.

So, here it is.  My Noah cardigan.  

Can't wait to see baby J in it.

C.x

PS Thank you for all your lovely comments and helpful suggestions as to what to do with the granny square blanket.  I suspect that it will remain as it is, at least until after the other second time around projects I have planned.

Defiance

So, I had a very definite idea as to the way I wanted the ripple scarf to look.  And I thought Karin Bole's pattern would be just the ticket.  The pattern called for US6 (4mm) needles.  But I only had US8 (5mm) ones.  And not just any old US 8 needles.  THESE knitting needles:

Bought from a nice Australian shop called Coffee and a Yarn.  I mean, who wouldn't want to knit on these, right?  And what's a millimetre between friends?  So I cast on and did a few rows.  

And it was all ripply and everything.  But somehow, well, it wasn't quite right.

The thing is, I really didn't want a ridge between the changes of colour and the pattern called for a knit row after the ripple row.  But because I am so clever (sic), I knew that all I needed to do was purl that row instead.  

So, I ripped it all and started again.

And then I decided that I wasn't happy with just a couple of ripples per row.  So, I figured out that by adding 18 stitches and repeating the ripple row repeat three times instead of two, I would achieve what I wanted.  Are you with me?  So, I ripped it and started again.

And then I figured out the reason the pattern called for US 6 rather than US8 needles - the larger size left larger holes in the ripple.  And I didn't like it.  So, I ripped it and started again.  This time with the right needles. (Sensible ones without the toadstool tops.  Sniff.)

And that's when the fun started.  I have already mentioned here that I am a Serious Person with a Serious Job.  I went to school for a long time and everything.  So, somewhere along the way you would think I might have acquired the capacity to count to six.  That's basically what the pattern requires.  But no.  I have lost track of how many times I have lost track of where I am in the ripple row.  It's not difficult.  You just need to concentrate every third row in four.  And even then, and allowing for the extra 18 stitches, they are not long rows.  56 stitches.  C'mon.

Okay, so there's a definite ripple.  And that's a good thing.  And there are no ridges between the rows, so my cunning plan worked.  But the middle ripple sort of wavers there in the first few rows until I got a grip and settled into it.  And by then I'd ripped it so many times that I hadn't the heart to start yet again.

So, here it is.  The beginnings of a wavery ripple.

And no-one could ever accuse it of being shop bought...

I have to say that, despite looking a bit more hairy than I expected, the wool is lovely to knit with and it feels soooo soft.  I think when I finish it, somewhere around 2045, I'm going to love it. That's if I don't rip it and start again.

C.x

Rain

Hello everybody,

It's sweltering here.  It's 6.15am and already its 24C, and will go up to a high of 34C today, and 38C tomorrow.  We have the odd thunder storm, but all it does is make things more humid.  I'm not complaining.  My Mum tells me that the UK has forgotten all about summer this year, so I get that this might not be what you want to be hearing right now.

So, I thought I'd tell you instead about Rain.  Rain Africa is a shop in the Rockefeller Center that sells exquisite handcrafts and beauty products made by small rural factories in Africa.  Ethically traded, organic and environmentally friendly, it's a refreshing change from some of the tourist tat of nearby Times Square.  It's also stupidly expensive (sigh).  They had the most amazing crochet granny square blanket the last time I went in, and I thought to myself "I can make that." (If only I'd just get on and do it. ...)

But I couldn't leave behind the wool box, which seemed to be calling my name.  I have my (very small) stash neatly arranged inside.

(Yes, as you can see, I've only progressed a little with my own granny square business.)

And I have that lovely Alpaca red and grey wool that I blogged about here, to try to make this scarf if and when I learn chevron.

At the moment the box of sheep is shoved on top of a wardrobe so that I'm not reminded on a daily basis how slack I'm being in the craft department.  Somehow the thought of making a wooly scarf in 30C heat isn't doing it for me.  And my head is FULL of house and building work and decorating and travel plans and stories that I want to write.

I guess this is all a long winded way of saying that I'm feeling a bit of a fraud at the moment even having a crafty blog when I'm not doing any crafting.  I haven't written as much here lately as a result.  And that's a bit crap.

Sorry.

C.x

More blue than blue...

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments on my bag.  I still haven't quite got over the fact that I made it, and have it hanging by my bed so that I can see it when I wake up in the mornings.  (I used to do that with shiny new shoes when I was a kid...)  And welcome welcome to those who have visited noknittedknickers for the first time in recent days.  Lovely to have you here.

So, after the excitement of the bag creation, I thought I'd update you on progress with my granny squares.  (Spurred on by my fab new hook roll, I had a go at ripple at the weekend, but made the foundation stitch too short to be much of anything, so will not be blogging/bragging about that just now...)

I couldn't figure out why I wasn't as enthusiastic about the granny square business as I might be.  I thought it was because the inner circle is still a bit of a struggle, and I've had to rip each centre out and start again several times before it feels right.  (I really need to sit down and watch the videos again.)  But then I worked 6 centres one after another a couple of weekends ago until I got the hang of it, so I knew that wasn't really it.  In truth, I was having doubts about my colour choice.  Somehow, it looked a bit, well, lacklustre to me.  I was wondering about adding the odd splash of red or pink to liven it up - sooner or later red or pink creeps into pretty much every colour scheme in my house.... But then on Saturday, I spied this bright light blue yarn  (centre right)...

... among the more sedate blues and greys in the yarn shop and I knew I'd found the solution.  All that was needed was a pop of colour to set off the more reserved palate.  Before I knew it I'd finished off the 6 centres and finished my first ever ball of white (see it looking a bit lost and forlorn in the top left of the picture?

So, now I'm back to feeling enthusiastic about it all.  Doesn't it look suspiciously like the beginnings of a blanket?  And isn't that bright light blue just the thing that was needed?  I think so.

I have 17 squares now.  Not brag-worthy, but maybe the beginning of something big.

And no need to remind me of my bragging about sewing in the ends.  I've promised myself I'll do that when I finish my first white ball of yarn... (no, really...)

For now, I'm quite happy to make a pancake stack of the squares and marvel.

My new favourite...

The bright blue is Cascade 220 in Anis (colour code 8908).  And it's delicious.

C.x

Busy bee

My weekends are normally sloth-filled affairs.  Speaking frankly, Mr. P and I are idle creatures.  But this weekend has been a shining exception.

On Friday, we went to a cocktail party on HMS Gloucester, docked in Manhattan for a few days and due to be decommissioned shortly.  This sounds more salubrious that it was, and involved me trapping myself in the ship at one point when I went to the loo instead of sipping cocktails on deck.

On Saturday, I went to my first sewing class at Purl Soho.  I can't tell you enough good things about this shop.  Like being dropped into a rainbow.

There's so much inspiration wherever you turn, whether it's baby bibs...

...or felted figurines...

... or cashmere scarves...

... or these exquisite Liberty Tana Lawn samplers...

(such a simple idea, but such a lovely display just inside the front door).

They have a blog (Purl Bee) with regular project ideas (the quilts next to the cashmere scarves in the photo are some recent examples).  And the staff are friendly and helpful (but I think I've mentioned that before).

And best of all, there's a woman who's going to teach me how to sew.  Those of you who have read this blog before will know that my New Year's Resolution includes the Merry Christmas project  (to sew letters and stuff them).  But I actually want to get a bit beyond that.  So I signed up for sewing classes.  I haven't quite decided yet if I want to make clothes, but I definitely want to learn how to use a sewing machine, and maybe make cushion covers or simple curtains.  After that we'll see.  Mostly, I just want to conquer my fear of sewing machines.  Yes indeed.  Now, I am afraid of spiders and dark alleys and the usual list of panic-inducing bogie- men, but I must also confess to a fear of sewing machines.  Now, admittedly, I haven't used one since I was thirteen, and it's not like I lost a digit, or sewed my hair to the apron I was trying to make.  I have no traumatic memories to justify this fear.  But I think  it's to do with the noise and the feeling that it and not I am in control of the process.  As though it will literally run away with itself if I don't sit rigidly paying attention to what's happening.

I haven't told this to my teacher yet.  And I was relieved to see that yesterday, she took her time and explained everything six times, and gave lots of snippets of interesting information.  And although she took a sewing machine out towards the end of the lesson, she didn't actually let us loose on them.  Instead, she talked soothingly of feet and soles and ankles and arms as though the machine was a friend of hers who could be our friend too.

We are going to make bags.  I knew this before the class, and I had a vision of a simple rectangle of fabric sewn on three sides with the extravagance of a handle to finish.  A bit like a pillow case with a string attached.  I wasn't terribly enthusiastic about this as a project, but had put it down to wanting to run marathons before I could crawl.  But the bag we are to make is a bit more presentable than that.  I will let you know how I get on, but in theory it will be reversible, and have pockets inside and out with a magnetic clasp.  This is the fabric I've chosen:

As you can see, I have even acquired the tools of the trade.  Of course, I have no clue what to do with them...  Anyway, we spent most of the class cutting our cloth.  This involved a self-healing mat (I LOVE this concept and want to apply it to all sorts of things...).  And a rotary cutter.  Hmmm.  Not at all sure about this contraption.  I'm sure I will come to love it, but for now, I can't seem to be able to cut through four layers of fabric at a time.  And I am left-handed so I kept having to flip everything around.  I am used to this.  But my right hand is weak and kept allowing the rule against which I was cutting to slip around.  Not great if you're trying to cut a straight line.  But I am determined to master it all and will be back for more next week.  Stay tuned.

Having been out and about so much yesterday, I wanted to hunker down today.  Mr. P demanded scones.  So I obliged.  (They are fast becoming a staple in the house of no knitted knickers.)

I have mislaid the scone cutter that's the right size, but have discovered that a wine glass is just as good.  My ulterior motive for making these is this beauty...

... purchased on holiday and carted back across the world by hand in the manner of ancient traders.  So, I decided to do it right and have afternoon tea.

And then, because I was on a roll, I made stewed rhubarb.  I LOVE rhubarb.  I think it might be one of my desert island foods.  But I digress....

I use a thumb of finely-grated fresh ginger and the juice of half an orange as well as the sugar.  It gives it depth (and besides, I love ginger, so any excuse...)

And to cap it all, while rooting around in the freezer for some worthy fish, Mr. P unearthed some bangers that he'd TOTALLY forgotten about....  So, we had bangers and mash for dinner.  Which was really just a base for Nigel Slater's onion gravy with marsala.  Heaven on a plate.

Oh, and I made two more granny squares.

(And if you hadn't already guessed it, the abundance of foodie photos in this post is down to the fact that I am learning to use my tripod.  The one I've had for 10 years and never learned how to use.  It's amazing what blogging drives you to...)

So, you see really, I am glad the weekend is over and I can return to work for a rest.

Have a good week.

C.x

Fleeced

I know that the etiquette of blogland dictates that I should not swear on my blog so i will restrain myself. But you should know that I am swearing to myself as I write this. I'm so cross I could spit.

I went to see Morris & Sons today. Neither he nor his sons were there. Instead I spoke to a succession of women, each of whom told me the same thing. They don't accept the return of books. Period. Something about past experiences with customers photocopying the books and returning them. And they could only accept the yarn cutter (the cheapest item) for a store credit. I countered that I am here on holiday and if I wanted to cart paper around with me, I would have kept the book, and that I could make no use of the store credit because I live on the other side of the world. "Oh but we can ship to anywhere" I was told. Doubtless at great expense. At that point I was feeling so peevish I said that I wanted to return the wool. No problem. They could give me a store credit. We went round like that a few times until I accepted the futility of arguing with the inflexible gatekeepers of this inflexible policy. So I left in a huff.

Now I am cross beyond imagining. It's useless to tell me that the return policy was on the receipt. And that I shouldn't have been so profligate to begin with. I know all that. And yes, I am cross with myself as well as Morris & Co. And tomorrow I will get on with it and open the book and chunter a bit while I figure out how to do ripple. But just for now allow me to wander around muttering to myself about the injustice of it all.

A pox on Mr. Morris. And his sons. Bah. Humbug.

C.

A rush of blood to the head

Two Christmases ago, my sister bought me a scarf from Brora.


I now carry it around with me like a child with a blanket. I'm in Australia. It's hot here. But here it is with me.


It actually turned out to be pretty useful on the plane. The combination of tiredness and over-zealous air con meant that the extra warmth and comfort was just what was needed (I know - I sound like a granny...).

Anyway, inspired by this cashmere loveliness, and having mastered (sic) granny squares, I have decided to try my hand at ripple.


So, the other day, I went in search of a yarn shop and found Morris & Sons where I had a great chat with a very nice woman about my ripple scarf. There was some delicious cashmere yarn, but it was eye wateringly expensive, so I settled instead on some baby Alpaca:





So far, so good. But it didn't stop there. No.

Realising I didn't have a clue how to do ripple stitch, I had a look through the crochet books and found this:


...an excellent book with all sorts of useful instruction and pictorial tutorials, including some great ideas on ripple. And while I was at it, I also picked out a yarn cutter...


...because yanking the lovely wool apart with my fists didn't seem quite the thing. In short, I got a bit dizzy with it all. So, when I came to pay and the very nice woman asked for an amount equivalent to the GDP of a small country, I handed over my card like the shorn sheep the yarn around me came from.

It was only after I got home and that lingering sense of over-indulgence wouldn't go away that I hit on the idea of having a look at how much these things would have cost online. Oh my goodness! How does anyone do any crafting here? Without getting into the sordid detail, for two minutes on Amazon and Clover, I averted the need to call in the IMF just yet. So, Iwill be paying Mr. Morris and his sons a visit tomorrow to return my spoils.

But I am pleased to report that the yarn was pretty much the same price here as online, so I get to keep the baby Alpaca. Good.

Am I the only one losing my head when all about me are keeping theirs?

C.x

Snow on snow

It has snowed.  And snowed.  And snowed some more.
 

   

And the ice has come down on the river from Canada.  The first year we lived here I thought the river had frozen over, but apparently not.

I am taking a couple of days off work.  I should be doing all sorts of admin (we're trying to sell a flat and buy a house at the moment), but instead I have made berry crumble.  Perfect for a day like today.

 And you've got to love a diet that allows for treats like this, even if it is on the knitted knickers side of worthy puddings (think oat flakes, sugar substitute and wholemeal flour), but it tastes delicious.

And I've been learning chain stitch from Granny Squares 101 here .  I bought the loveliest wool in Purl Soho last weekend.  And the woman there actually pretended to believe me when I told her with a straight face that I was going to make granny squares.  She was kind enough not to point out my ignorance when I asked for a crochet hook and she had to guide me through the sizings.

So, now I am the proud owner of five skeins (if that the right word) of Cascade Yarns 220 100% Peruvian Highland wool and a size H hook with a rather fetching brown and cream handle.  I would tell you what weight the wool is (4 ply? 8 ply?) but I'm not sure and don't know how to read the label.  You begin to see the level I'm at...

BUT, I am learning.  And today, I have learned how to make a slip knot, and practiced my chain stitch a gazillion times.  It's a start. (Where I got the pink wool from is a story for another day.)

And I've loved winding the wool.  It's quite trance-inducing.  And I found the perfect skein-holder for it.

And at the end of it, you end up with this.  

A snowball!

Claire