WIP : Ugly Blanket

Here's my current WIP, an ugly stash-busting blanket.




It is by no means pretty. The colours don't match at all, but it's very satisfying to be using up all the odd balls of yarn that I've got lying around here. To qualify for being used on the blanket the yarn must be washable, DK-ish weight, and ugly. There's Supersocke 100 in there, Sirdar denim and StylecraftL Life - plus plenty of other random bit that have been sitting around for years waiting to be used.

I've finished 6 squares so far, 2 of which have been blocked using a wet tea-towel and a hot iron. There's no real plan for this blanket, except each finished one must have 43 stitches along the edge for sewing up. And I'm also gonna do four of each design. So I've done 4 log-cabin style, and 2 pinwheel so far.

Two forgotten FO's

These two items are thing that I finished quite a while ago, but never got round to taking pictures of.

This is defintely my new favourite cardigan. Soft, snuggly and fits under my waterproof coat like a glove! I love the buttons too. These buttons have been hanging around in my stash for years, just dying to be used.



Pattern : Top-down raglan of own design.
Yarn : 6 balls of Wendy Fusion, in Aniseed and Bouquet Garni
Needles : 5.5mm
Time : Maybe 2 months all together? I didn't have enough wool to start with, and you know how hard it can be to get around to ordering some more!
Cost : £15


And aren't the buttons just beautiful? Gorgeous candy green colour, I want to eat them!!!
I ended up taking out a lot from one of the balls, since it had a huge amount of pale blue in it, which I didn't think went well with the rest of the colours.


These socks were made to fit inside my work shoes, and they're very comfy. I really love the Supersocke 100 yarn, it's so easy to work with.



Pattern : Feeties
Yarn : Half a ball of Supersocke 100
Needles : 2.5mm
Time : 2 days
Cost : £1.50

1st of September

September already? Where did August go? Oh, I remember, it disappeared under a huge raincloud that refuses to leave Rum. It's been raining non-stop here for days, weeks even. Our Scottish summer is well and truly over.

But, of course, that means autumn is here. Already, from my spot in the old conservatory, I can see the trees in Bluebell Woods turning that gorgeous orange colour - it's mostly just the beech trees that have started turning, but I'm sure the rest will catch up soon, and before long the whole village will be swamped in gold leaves and naked trees.

I must write a to-do list, there are so many projects in my mind...
1 - Cardigan for Leslie. Maybe James C.Brett?
2 - Find a use for the four balls of Twilley's Spirit that have been hanging around my stash for nearly two years.
3 - A throw or blanket, or cushion covers for Mike and Georgie's new place. They'll be moving in soon, so need some nice bits to brighten the house up.
4 - Keep knitting away my DK stash, I've got two and a bit mitered squares so far. It will all become a cosy blanket soon.
5 - Potato scones! I love them - must make some more!

New Laptop! And a Pair of FO's.

Aha! I fianlly have a new laptop. And it's blinkin' gorgeous. It's an Alienware Auora M9700, second-hand off eBay. Fantastic.
I'm only just starting to get to grips with it, but it's a very good looking machine. So shiny and green!

Anyway, less about the laptop, more about the knitting! I've done quite a bit of kntting since arriving on Rum, and I haven't updated the blog or Ravelry once, so I better start!

These are the second pair of socks that I've knitted for Sarge, He was quite specific about waht he wanted - nice long legs and a tight fit.



Pattern : 7 Stitches Per Inch from Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks
Yarn : 1 x Supersocke 100 by Online, plus some black cotton yarn from my stash to make the stripes.
Needles : 2mm
Time : 3 weeks - I know, I'm a slow knitter, but the legs on these are very long, and Sarge has got huge wide feet too.
Cost : I bought 10 balls of Supersocke 100 from eBay for about £35, so £3.50 I guess. Bargain!

Wow, it's been a while!

Yup, almost 10 months since I last posted here. A lot happened in those ten months. I ended a 5-year relationship, started another one, moved to a remote Scottish island, lived in a tipi, moved again to another Scottish island, and then moved back to my mum's house again. What a year. It has flown by so fast, and I have achieved so much.

I'll be heading back to the Isle of Rum on Wednesday 18th March. I am so excited, I can't even express it! I hope to keep blogging here and keep knitting too. Look me up on Ravelry (sareth) if you wanna chat, or look at my knitting projects.

On a arty note, last year, I agreed to take part in Sheena's 198 Countries Peace Project. I ended up making the Japanese and the American flags.





Pattern : My own!
Yarn : Cheap-o acrylic from stash
Needles : 4.5mm
Hook : 5mm
Time : 7 days
Cost : Free!

Yeah, so I didn't actually knit the stars on the American flag, they're just little silver sequins. Sue me!





Can you guess where mine is?? I'm famous!! Sheena is an amazing artist, and I am so glad that I could take part in such a thought-provoking show.

Nothing

I feel so bad - I was looking forward to taking part in a whole bunch of swaps. But I've recently decided to clear the clutter from my life and go travelling. So I really have no time to swap at all. Never mind the cost!

I have done a few small projects, like taking in trousers and adjusting t-shirts. I adjusted a prom dress for a friend last week - I'm not sure what I did with the pictures though.

And then, my faithful camera broke. I took it to the shop for a repair, but as it turns out, the camera is so old (3 years), that they don't make the parts needed for it anymore, and for the cost of repair I may as well buy a new one. So I did! A Nikon Coolpix. And I love it! I'm off to play with it now...

Two green finished objects

I love getting parcels in the post. Especially ones that contain gorgeous sweeties and the softest headband ever! (I'm not sure if it's the softest one EVER, but it's pretty damn close. I want to sleep with this on.)



The package came from laptitelili, all the way from France. The malabrigo calorimetry is beautifully knit. The green sweets are the oddest thing I've ever tasted. A strange mix of marzipan and chocolate. Very French! I've already knit up my hat, with the yarn and pattern included.



Pattern : Pi Topper Chemo Hat
Yarn : Bergere de France Sport
Needles : 4.5mm
Time : 3 days
Cost : Free, a lovely swap gift!

Here's the hat I knit for my swap partner, Gea, in the Netherlands.


Pattern : Cloche by Diane Mulholland (Yarn Forward issue 4)
Yarn : Recycled cardigan.
Needles : 4.5mm
Time : 3 days
Cost : Free, yarn given to me by my mummy.

I do have more to share, but I'm tired of writing and want to get back to watching Grand Designs and knitting my hoodie.

Meme - 7 things about me

I was tagged by Cal

The rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


1. I love being part of a large family. I have 4 sisters and 5 brothers. I feel blessed to have them, and I can't imagine what being a only child would be like. There's always someone to talk to.

2. I crack my knuckles constantly. I'm trying to stop. Honestly....

3. I have an intense dislike for many textures. You know how most people get that weird cringe from touching cotton wool? Well I'm like that with velvet, soft towels, paint, pebbles, nylon, some makes of tights, ceramic, pottery of most sorts, and the list goes on...

4. I play bass. And I love it. But I hate slap bass. I just can't get the hang of it.

5. I have fused knuckles in my 3 little toes, on both feet. Since they don't bend when I stub my toe, this means they break easily! Only 5% of the world has this problem.

6. My favourite thing ever? Ice cold milk with raisins in it!

7. I have a stupid obsession with buttons. I recently bought a new chest for my collection, but they don't fit :(

I'm tagging...
1. Anne
2. Shunklies
3. Joanna
4. Rebecca
5. Vikki
6. Emerald
7. Danielle

I have no blogging friends :( So all these are picked off the UK Swap Blog.

F.O. - Socks!

Aha! I have mastered the art of socks...ok, so I've knitted one before (the one that Sean keeps bugging me to knit its mate), but this is the first time I've completed a pair for myself.



Aren't they pretty? I really enjoyed making these.
Pattern : 6st per inch sock/Ann Budd
Yarn : Shunklies sock weight in 'Orchid'.
Needles : 3.5mm
Time : A week
Cost : Free, since I won a gift certificate from the UK Swap Blog!




I do have tiny feet. I got perfect gauge for the pattern, so I cast on 44sts for the child large, but they're a smidgen too big. I should have gone for the child's medium. I'm a freak of nature with my tiny child feet.




The yarn was a real pleasure to work with - so much orange! I really like Shunklies yarn, and I'll definitely be buying more. I really love how the two socks are different, so I'll always know which one is the right/left one!

UK Secret Swap - recieved!

There are few things that can make me feel better during a hard weekend. This certainly did the trick....



WOW!
Two handspun skeins, 4 balls of gorgeous just-my-colour 100% wool with a pattern, buttons (never fails), a stitch holder, two types of tea, some pretty art to spruce up my craft room and candles.


And a close up of the most beautiful buttons, and handspun!

All I can say is thank you! I do like being spoiled (being one of 10 children, there's no such thing as spoiling in our house). Thank you, and I hope the package you recieve is just as lovely.