I am spoiled...

When Honeygirl announced she had brought me a yarny present I was far from imagining that she meant not 1, not 2, but 8 balls of the most gorgeous lace-weight alpaca, in undyed cream colour, begging to be knitted up into a gigantic shawl. I can't stop looking at it, and the nerves are beginning to show as I am not sure I will EVER find a project to do it justice...

Or maybe I have to find out if there is a place that would allow to legally wed my yarn...I have always wanted to elope!

Bring a snail into your life!

Meet Brian, the first knitted amigurumi I have made from Hansi's book. Brian loves grass, strawberries*, reading the paper when traveling by train, and eating bratwurst. But he does not like crowds...so when I went to see the burning of the Boogg, he shyed away in the backpack, insisting we should go home at once. He is now guarding the sofa, as there has been far to much sun recently for a respectable snail to go out.

Brian was a lovely knit, and the only mod I made was to not stripe the shell, but used a mixed-colour yarn instead.

Want a snail in your life too? Well check this out: the pattern is available for free here. It is fast and uses up scraps of yarn...go on, make your own, you know you want to!




* No strawberries were harmed in the making of this post. Much to Brian's disappointment, they are not yet in season!

Quilted lattice stitch, a short tutorial...

So the Leyburn socks have proven popular all over Ravelry, but the same stitch is used in the Faberge cowl.

I decided to have a go myself at figuring it all out (having looked up the stitch on the web) and because it did baffle me for a short while I thought I'd illustrate the instructions briefly. My Mock Faberge neck-warmer is too dark, so i did cast-on especially for the photographic purpose.

Quilted lattice stitch
Multiple of 6 + 3
Row 1 and all odd rows (WS): p
Row 2: k2, *sl5 with yarn in front (wyif), k1; rep from *, end k1
Row 4: k4, *insert right needle under strand from Row 2 and k next st bringing st under strand and out toward you, k5; rep from * ending last rep k4
Row 6: k1, sl3 wyif; rep from *, end k1, sl3 wyif, k1
Row 8: k1, *insert right needle under strand from Row 6 and k next st bringing st under strand and out toward you, k5; rep from * ending last rep k1




My bad attempts at including captions read (from top left):

1. Work border and knit one st. Bring yarn to front.
2. Slip next 5 stitches with yarn in front. This creates a 'float'.
3. Bring yarn to back and knit next 2 stitches. Ensure float is not too tight.
4. Repeat to end, ending with border.
5. Work border, purl to last st before border, work border.
6. Work border, then knit 3 st. Insert right needle under the float and then knit-wise into next stitch.
7. Knit stitch and next 5. Don't forget to slip the float over the (1st) knit stitch! Repeat to end. Work border.
8. Purl to end, working border at beginning and end of row.
9. If beads are used, insert on the stitch that sits under the one that 'catches' the float (3rd slipped st) [bead placement shown in orange below]
   

For the alternate lattice row, the principle is the same, but you knit 1 and slip 3 at beginning of row (instead of k2, sl5) then slip 5 each until pretty much the end BUT the last one will be sl3.
On the next right side row you then lift under float and knit the first slipped stitch rather than the 3rd for the first lot but resume lifting 3rd. Try it, it will make sense!




Now I hope that makes sense.



Let's get back to doing some knitting...

So that's what 35 feels like...

Not great, not fab, not even new, only the pinch in the stomach when one remembers that as a child one was convinced that by that age then one would have been long married to a lovely man and be proud parent to at least one child over 10, and would be enjoying a fulfilling career. My what a hopeful but deluded child I was.

Instead the only novelty is the odd white hair and accumulating wrinkles around my eyes...

I guess I should stick to knitting. Much more predictable, more fulfilling, and the deceptions it may cause are never THAT bad.

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

I am pretty sure I have been a good girl this year, although I caused several death in the bug kingdom (carpet beetles and moths). So if it is not too much trouble I would really appreciate a new job for Christmas. Any little job will do as long as I can pay my half of the rent and the food and the bills.

I want that more than a working spinning wheel (and that's quite something).

Many thanks, and Merry Christmas,

A. xx

Next step...World domination!

Not one but 2 of my designs on this year's banner...I shall go back to basking in my own little smug-ness!

In case you are wondering that would be the Tropical island and the viking hat... Now what to make next year...???

He took an axe to it then the crowd started to fight over its insides

It all happened on Sunday. In a snowy village where the fog could not quite clear the time for the massacre was coming closer. Tens had gathered to watch, children were eagerly waiting for the large beasts to be slayed.

The man started with a knife, but it quickly appeared that was no match for the thick skin of even the smallest one. Almost 700 lbs , and the largest over 1200!

Finally he pierced the skin and flesh to reveal the insides, and the crowd rushed, scooping flesh and juice with their bare hands, children begging for spares.

Not quite the gore Halloween story you may be picturing by now, but the final day of the Pumpkin fayre.

We ate pumpkin bratwurst washed down with gluehwein and apple punch, we admired the pumpkin and squash sculptures and the very many varieties. We even managed to score some seeds so that we too can grow enormous vegetables next year.

It was cold, but it was fun. Can't wait for next year!