Visit from the yarn fairy...

Thanks to a note handed over the bar where K1S2 meets, I found out about a lady moving house and destashing on an Olympic scale. This was the small part of it that I acquired:

 part of which I have skeined, washed and wound. So far I have explored some cotton/linen mix which is going to be a voile curtain for the back of the bathroom door, some soft but sheddy animal fibre (? what kind of animal) which is probably going to be a scarf, and some very fine probably-rayon-based-on-how-it-burns which is going to be a recreation of the blanket Grandma knit for me when I was born. Working out the pattern for that has been challenging but satisfying. Casting on 389 stitches challenging (!) and so far I'm on row 3...

 The niddy-noddy has paid for itself already.

The obligatory 'baby in its first bath' photo.

She also had a ball-winder from her machine-knitting days which I was only too pleased to snap up. Thanks Irene xxx

Dolly is going sunbathing

I've discovered that there is definitely a place in my life for sunset yellow yarn. I think knitting spring colours may just cause spring to happen? So I've completed the second socks in the sock club:

The circle pattern is lovely and squishy so hopefully they'll be nice and comfortable.

Finally, for this week a new shawlet/scarf using the hand-dyed 4-ply that I got at I Knit Day 2009 and have been fiddling with for ages. It loses dye like nobody's business and the sock I started didn't go round my heel so it has had its own way and is becoming an Ishbel.

It was admired at last week's knitting group and we had two new members. Another person has commented on Ravelry that they might come along so the group is going from strength to strength.

Dilemma of the moment... do I give up knitting for Lent, in favour of crochet and spinning? Comments please.

Two weeks in a row...

This week's offerings include Coupling socks (yes, that's right) and a helmet type hat for Tom (a Norman chain mail item according to some). Had fun teaching some kids to knit at a craft event although some found it really challenging and ended up doing crochet chain with their fingers instead. Blogging with images is proving difficult but possible. Hopefully T will keep this hat on and the wind won't be quite so cold this week.

New Year, New Post!

Well it's taken me a whole year and a bit, but here I am again. I have resolved to blog more regularly, and in particular about my very own Sock Club. Having got distinctly ticked off with a commercial one I thought "I could do that" and so I am. Twelve patterns from Ravelry, twelve yarns from the stash and here I go. The idea is to do one a month, but January's were unexpectedly quick, so I've flung myself headlong into the next set.

January's offering: Spindle socks in Laines du Nord 'Giunco':

No blog since Christmas...

So I'm back, festivities nearly over and decorations due to come down. The Christmas knitting was fairly successful - three cotton Mason & Dixon bibs, lots of green lace, some secret items for a swap, a baby tank top and part of a baby cardigan. Having most of a day off devoted to knitting and stash diving certainly helped! Firestarters have also been commenced with only limited swearing about the pattern. I think the next pair will be in some Regia Kaffe Fasset yarn that I just won on ebay, with slight further mods to the gusset increases.

They give with one hand...

...and take away with the other. So Ebay gave me a £3 voucher - great, went towards a gorgeous ball of Trekking XXL. Then, while I was waiting on a really important auction they suspended my account because apparently someone made unauthorised listings. Since then there has been an exchange of emails, and so far it has taken them nearly 2 days to not send me a temporary password :( so am on an enforced Ebay sabbatical for the time being. Grr. Still, the XXL arrived today and is not as madly rainbow coloured as I feared so that is good.

In other news, it's raining. Snow would be so much nicer wouldn't it?

So I'll begin...

Well I said I was never going to get a (knitting) blog, but I said the same thing about joining a sock club... which is what has prompted the foray into blogland. So for today's first post (cue trumpets) a round up of current WIPs.

Sock of the day: Monkey, in cheap South African yarn but as lovely as any other Monkey, once you've got over the cheeky gusset.

The Green Vintage Lace proceeds about as quickly as WW2 (pattern is from a wartime knitting book) but I believe our forces are starting to have some impact.

The superfine Fyberspates sock is languishing a bit... may try to remedy this over the weekend.

The second Urban Necessity mitten just needs capping off (do I get to have a ceremony?) once I have located the next ball of yarn.

Recent purchases include some Peaches & Creme for bibs, some long KnitPicks cables, and a ball of Trekking XXL with which I intend to make Firestarters assuming I can negotiate the slightly awkward pattern instructions.

Hopefully tomorrow will include a trip to Wool in Stockport to replace the split 3.25mm Brittany Birch... will try to post some pics for these projects too.