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Hurrah! The postman comes bearing woolly gifts. This wool is a steal at £1.57 (I ordered this from Nest). I think it was on offer. It also has a cute Alpaca on the label – result. It’s for my ‘Still Light’ tunic, which I haven’t started yet but I’ll see how it knits up when I do.

What is it with me and knitting projects. With everything else I am cautious and timid; unsure of my own ability to succeed. Knitting I just dive on it. So this moss stitch jacket thing I am doing….acres upon acres of moss stitch. I finished the back them git in a tetch with it given I couldn’t work out how it made up. My brothers girlfriend had a look and realised that in fact I have to double up on each side piece so only FOUR MORE PIECES TO GO arggghhhhh (cry cry). It’s like thinking you were in sight of the everest summit them realising that you haven’t even reached Asia.

Rainy Cloud

So, many moons ago my temporary flatmate (and permanent best mate) saw this in one of my Debbie Bliss magazine; MOCHIMOCHI LAND RAINYCLOUD. She was all “ooo ahhh ain’t it cute”. I mentally filed this piece of information and strove to make it for her 2012 Xmas present.

Cute little innocent little f^%ker isn’t it. “Oooo look at me all cutesy rainy droppy”. HARUMPF. There is nothing, I repeat NOTHING cute and pleasurable about knitting rainy drops on DPNs. I had to learn how to use them to make this and after 2 rainy drops decided that this project was going to have to wait till her birthday for completion. She finally got it tonight. Thankfully she liked it else there would have been death by rainy drop cord strangulation. Still, I forgive it. You can’t kick a puppy can you. I mean it meant I got to say some of the more surreal sentences of my life, my favourite being:

“I’m just sewing some eyes on a rainy drop”

Yeah. Course I was. What else does one do of an evening?

Anyway, a final close up of the bloody ‘darling’ rainy drops.

 

Top down…

In some people’s worlds, ‘top down’ would signify a nice little convertible on a sunny day. Not so for me, oh no, in the world of knit this means knitting from the top down. I’ve not done this before, but look at this beauty ;

Yeah, simple yet effective. It’s the ‘Still Light’ tunic by Veera Välimäki. So, it’s erm…with 4 ply on 3mm needles (cue slightly maniacal nervous laughter; that’s a LOT of knitting on VERY small needles). There is also mention of DPNs (shudders). Still, even if it does take eons (ready in time for Xmas 2013 probably), its a new technique and POCKETS. Who doesn’t love a pocket.

Magical Cardigan Times

It’s been a while, but finally, A REVEAL. Look how happy I am. So much so I had to fling myself against a wall in exuberant glee. This is the Debbie Bliss Ribbon Edged Cardigan from the A/W 2012 magazine, sans the Ribbon edging. I haven’t actually quite finished this as I haven’t sewn the buttons on, but I wore it anyway cos that’s just how I roll. A keerr-raazeee ‘cardigan with no button ‘ wearing knit-meister *ahem*.

As a reminder, the is Rooster DK on 4mm. There is no shaping through the body at all so I went with a small size to keep it more fitted (the ribbing/cable means it has give). I converted it to sewn on button bands with mixed success. They roll back, which isn’t the end of the world. I just decided the poppers and ribbon in the original design would make OTW (opportunities to wear) a bit limited. I give this project a 6/7 on a 1 – 10 enjoyment scale. It was OK, but lacking that odd satisfaction leaf patterns give. It’s the same pattern all over and actually pretty straight forward. I meant to take pictures when sewing in the sleeves for a mini tutorial (as that is hardest bit of making up) but totes forgot. I was in the ‘want-to-get-it-finished’ zone. I think my favourite thing about this project is the colour as it’s AWESOME.

Liberty Overload

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you like a liberty print, you can feast your eyes to your heart’s content at SHAUKAT in Kensington. We were around that neck of the woods yesterday so went in for a look and a surreptitious photo or two. The basement is immense with rows upon rows of fabric from old and new Liberty collections more reasonably priced than from Liberty. I wasn’t there to buy, I was there to savour.

This bud print is one of my favourite. I may do my own variant.

Wandering the back streets of Kensington, the smell of wealth and affluence is almost overwhelming. I saw my dream home, lo, look at it basked in light like a biblical portent; “and lo, one day this WILL be yours”

Unless I suffer some personality transplant and decide to go into finance, I suspect I may not be able to live here *sigh*. I consoled myself with the thought that the neighbours would be rubbish anyway. Can you imagine me listening to Dizzee Rascal of a Saturday morning? They’d be round in a flash asking me to ‘turn-it down’ and to stop ‘lowering the tone’. Then I might get invited to stilted drinks parties in rooms bedecked in luxury white leather. Whereupon I get pissed and spill red wine. On the white furniture. Further ostracisation. Citizens of Launceston Place, you are quite safe for now.

Seam mending – not that thrilling

 

Doing more computer work after a day at the office takes will power. A lot of things take will power. Not eating my own body weight in crisps on a daily basis is just one example. Not buying absolutely every dress with a nice print I see is another. Today I felt like that quote from the bible (I think; being a heathen atheist I am not that familiar with it)…”Give me your tired, your weary”. I was tired, I was weary but I decided to play with some prints. Here I coloured using this picture. Not quite an achievement of biblical proportions, but experimenting is important. I’d like a print for a dress. This means less small and delicate, more BOLD florals. This means more intensive artwork…..

Bee Inspired

Like what I did there eh, eh? So for you UK folks, you’ll no doubt already know about BBC2s GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE (Got to admit…no idea what a ‘Bee’ in  this context is). Oh my, the humble art of home sewing promoted to the heady heights of prime time TV! I was mainly keen to watch this as a friend of a friend, Tilly, was a contestant! (brave girl). Turns out it’s great viewing with some great characters. Of course Patrick’s pretty face helps matters as well.

Anyway, I totally fell in love with the tailored jacket Ann made last night, so much so I am almost tempted to come out of sewing temporary retirement. Linton tweed? Don’t mind if I do, check this beauty (erm picture won’t post in – will try later!):

And it’s the Vogue 7975. Nice little nod to Chanel.Nothing like taking on a difficult project to er ‘ease’ yourself back into sewing eh? How hard can it be (famous last words)…