My stash & some funny memories

I woke up this morning with the inspiration to dig out all the yarn I have stashed throughout the house and sort through, with the aim to getting
rid of most if not all of the acrylic yarns I have from my early days of knitting. The result is a huge bag full of acrylic yarn to ditch, and a lounge floor covered in beautiful yarns!

This exercise made me realise just how much yarn I have and also how much I had forgotten about totally!

I also came across some of the first things I knit, without patterns I might add, but based on general construction of the glove. Here we have the evolution of the glove, with attempt number 1:

As you can see the thumb went a bit wrong being about half the length it

should be! But this was my first attempt at the age of 9.

Attempt number 2 was the result of half using a pattern and half having no clue how to construct a glove:

Needless to say I didn't bother making a second glove and abandoned this project.

Enter 3rd attempt:

Despite being knit in yarn of the wrong weight, I think they give a reasonable impression of fingerless gloves:)

Squares, squares and more squares - ooh new yarn!!

Today was the Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally, and for the first time in 3 years I managed to get there 30min before it started and was the first one through the door! I went straight to my favourite stall The Black Sheep, and set to rummaging through the multitude of packs of yarn, ended up buying 3 packs all at least half price to RRP:) Then I wandered around a bit and bought a few more skeins of beautiful sock yarn from Colinette, Yarns of Distinction and Araucania. Buy this point it was only 10:30am and I was already through my entire yarn budget. The place had started to really fill up by then so I headed for home with my bag of loot:)

The only problem with going to knitting shows is the overwhelming urge to buy yarn that you don't really need for a start, and second the overwhelming urge to abandon all current projects in favour of starting a much more exciting brand new project with the new yarn you've just bought! As you know I am in the midst of creating the Luna Blanket, constructed from 99 individually knit squares and have only recently passed the halfway point after more than 3 month's concentrated knitting almost solely on this project. I say almost because I got distracted by the socks I was making for Lewis (which I am currently wearing, with his permission of course!), but am now back in full swing with the blanket. I have just finished weaving in all the ends of the completed squares, which I had neglectfully forgotten about until I realised how many messy squares I had compared to the nice neat ones ready for blocking.

The plan tomorrow is to start blocking the squares methodically so I can make sure they are all blocked to the same dimensions, making for easier blanket construction later on. I also think that as I have made more than half the squares, it would probably motivate my to finishing if I actually started putting some of the squares together. Currently it feels like I've made a thousand of those pesky squares and that this project will never end. I never realised how much a boring project can ruin your enthusiasm for knitting, hence the involvement in between of other much more interesting projects. One of these interesting projects is the red cardigan/ jacket thing I'm making for my mum, but I have discovered something even more soul destroying than knitting all those squares: knitting a belt to go with the jacket. It is only 12 stitches wide and 72" long (or is supposed to end up that long), but do you know how long that is?? It's as long as I am tall! So I have taken to conducting this mindless knitting while watching the rugby in an attempt to just get it over and done with.

The desire to start a new project with my new yarn is pretty strong, but then I feel a bit guilty over the other unfinished projects I started at least 3 years ago, namely a pink camisole top in Australian Pear Tree yarn, a pair of stockings made from Lorna's Laces, 3 skeins of which I had to buy from a lady in USA just to get more of the same dye lot to finish the project, and a lace weight scarf using some expensive silk/ merino Sundara yarn I won in a competition (which was abandoned due to the similar tedium of trying to complete such a mundane thing as a scarf).

I know it will all be worth it in the end once I finish each of these, I just need the motivation to finish those projects (and also to not buy any more yarn for a while, that might help!).

Wish me luck!!

50 squares complete!

27 chart A
23 chart B

I haven't been keeping up with weaving in the ends so about half are still unwoven but am very happy to be at the halfway point:):):)

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Record Best: 1 sock 1 week

Ok, so I've become a little distracted while aiming to complete the Luna Blanket by the time I finish at Double Helix, as I started a 2nd pair of Monkey socks for Lewis, a while back, and have recently picked them up again. The reason I gave up on them for a bit is because this is the first pair of socks I'm making using invisible nylon thread alongside the yarn at the heels and toes. This is because every pair of socks I've made (this is pair #5) has developed holes in those places and I basically have no motivation left to mend things I've knitted. The only problem is, as it comes off a tiny spool it helps twist up the yarn at super speed making knitting in the round somewhat laborious, forever having to hold up your sock and let it unwind. This is particularly inconvenient for me as I knit on the train, and it looks like your holding up your work to present to people.

So, this post is in honour of the fastest I've ever completed a single sock - 1 week! At full speed it was normally taking me 2 weeks to finish a sock, but as this is the 2nd pair of the same pattern, it all went pretty fast, even with having to use the stupid nylon thread.

Now the socks are finished (bar Kitchener stitching the toe together) I will resume work at full speed on the Luna Blanket. With less than 3 weeks left at Double Helix, it looks like my target will not be reached, but I'm halfway through so that's pretty good in my books:)

x

Square no.40!

I just completed my 40th square in the park this morning! Woop woop! That's 20 of pattern A and 20 of pattern B:)

Got 2 whole squares done on the drive u and back (don't worry I wasn't the one driving!) from Witney to see my cousin and his beautiful new wife get married-a lovely wedding and great to be a part of.

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

On a roll with pattern B!

Pattern A: 17 squares
Pattern B: 18 squares
Total: 35 squares complete, 64 to go!

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Update

11 pattern B squares

16 pattern A squares

Total: 27 squares complete, 72 squares to go!

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

New deadline!

Ok, so it's been clear to me for a while that my previously over ambitious challenge of knitting one square per day of the Luna Blanket is never going to work, seeing as even with practice I have got the squares down to about 1 hour 15 minutes each, and I definitely don't have that much spare time in a normal working day!

So, with my new job on the horizon at Praxis (woo so excited!!) I have decided to set the Luna Blanket as my summer project, to complete before my first day at Praxis on 31st October. I think this is much more realistic, seeing as I have completed 21 squares (at last count) so far, with 78 to go.

The only thing holding me back at the moment is the rain preventing me from sitting in the park around the corner from work in the morning (as I get into London much earlier than I need to) but I have perfected the art of knitting standing up on the train home, and also avoiding curious stares from nearby commuters.

Will keep you updated on progress!

Knitting on the train

I just got half a square done on the train into London! What a brilliant use of time:)

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Day 28: 16 squares

So I managed to squeeze in another square tonight-so I'm keeping it going despite being so far behind my unattainable target! But what a day!! I have a report due first thing Monday and still have quite a lot to do, but I also had my 3rd interview this afternoon (3rd different company) and it was fantastic! So that's 3 great interviews, each job with it's own appealing features and I'm totally confused as to which one I want more now! Currently am very excited about today's one as they work pretty much entirely from home and have all the same ideals as I do-think of the time and money saved on all that commuting!

So, now I'm ready for bed and still totally wired thinking about this job:)

Going to the hen do of my future cousin in law tomorrow, should be great!

Night night x

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Exciting distraction from knitting

Ok, so I know I'm totally behind on my one square per day target but I have very exciting news - I went on two interviews today and they both went really well! I have a 3rd one set up for Friday afternoon and am very excited about that one too. So that's my perfectly valid excuse for not getting on with knitting all those squares today:)

Am still really enjoying the squares patterns and very much looking forward to seeing the finished object.

Anyway, night night!

x

Day 23: 14 squares

Yer...no comment:)

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Day 20: 13 squares

I have started making use of my time on the commute to get some square knitting done by using a tiny circular needle, and do you know what? My stitches seem to be so much more even with this needle!

So, I'm currently 7 squares behind schedule, but I'm getting faster-I've got it down to about 1 hour per square:)

Fingers crossed I get back on target or else this will be the shortest lived challenge in the history of knitting challenges!

x

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Weaving and blocking

Day 17: 12 squares complete

So as you can see I'm still behind by 5 squares but I can assure you all I spent Sunday morning sitting in the sunny garden weaving in the ends (all 44 of them!) and blocking and pinning them out. It made me realise that unless I want to go insane at the end of this project, I should weave in and block as I go:) so that's my plan!

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Rome stole my knitting

Ok, so I have an excuse for not really being on track with the knit one square per day thing - I have had a fairly stressful day flying back from Rome today, and in the process lost my luggage. Well I say 'lost' when really I know it is somewhere between Rome and London and on its way to me in the next 24 hours. The sad thing is, the only thing I am without is my knitting! I have duplicates of all my other toiletries and things, but in the interest of keeping my size 5mm needles unbroken I took my whole set of bamboo needles in the Cath Kidson case that Lewis bought me for Christmas a few years back - and they're all in transit! So my attempts at knitting one square per day have been foiled by the lovely people at BA.

So, in the absence, I have figured out the pattern from memory and looking at pictures of my squares for Pattern A and have notes this down in a chart, like for cross-stitch. I also found a sice 5mm circular needle and the extra yarn for the rest of the blanket, so I'm all ready to go...maybe tomorrow morning now seeing as, right now as I'm typing this on my lap top in the lounge, Lewis (my new husband!) has fallen asleep on the floor of the lounge and I feel quite guilty as he is 'staying up' for me until we go to sleep.

So this is me signing off for tonight, fingers crossed my luggage turns up tomorrow morning!

xvx

Day 12: 9 squares

Ok, so I'm a little behind, well 3 squares behind infact but I have good intentions to try and catch up and keep on track with completing one square per day. I have a feeling I could get a bit obsessive over this! But hey, it's all good fun and will hopefully result in a nice cozy blanket for our lounge:)

Good night from Rome!
xx

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

99 squares in 99 days

I have decided to set myself the challenge of knitting 99 squares in 99 days so that I can complete my first blanket (Luna Blanket by Martin Storey) in just over 3 months. I started last Saturday18th June and have currently completed 8 squares (so I need to make 1 more today to keep on track!). Here are some squares I have already made so far:

I've been wanting to make this blanket since I first saw it published in The Knitter magazine over a year ago. I nearly went for the same yarn they used (Rowan Alpaca Cotton) but this would make it cost nearly £140 to make!! Eeek! So I decided to go for the more budget option, that I won't be too heartbroken over if it gets snagged by certain mischievous small felines that live with us. Which means, I only spent £32 on the yarn for the whole project - go me!

I decided to go with cream and brown (rather than black) as our decor is more softer browns than monochrome.

This is a challenge I really do want to stick to, so despite all my upcoming travelling for work (Rome, Milan, Madrid, Berlin) I will be using my time in my hotel room to knit rather than feel lonely and miss my husband - so it's a good plan all round!

I'll be sure to keep you updated on this project - I need to find a way to keep myself motivated and not get bored of knitting 50 squares of pattern A and 49 squares of pattern B!

Wish me luck!

Knitting in the park

I have recently taken to visiting the park near work in the morning and at lunchtimes to knit and it's lovely! I normally get to work about half an hour before I actually need to start, so as I'm not very busy at the moment, I've decided to use my extra time to get some much missed knitting done. The result: I am already turning the heel on a sock I started 5 days ago - woohoo!

After the commute into London, followed by the joys of the tube, just sitting peacefully in the park listening to the birds (with a faint background accompaniment of car engines and beeping horns) is such a nice contrast and seems to be making each day much more enjoyable:)