Fyberspates

Alexandra Palace knitting and stitching show Part 1!

Thanks to everyone that came and said hello to me! It was so much fun meeting people that actually read my blog! And it was so fabulous to meet Tracy, she looks even more fabulous than in her pictures.

I had the most amazing time, it was absolutely mad and so busy, but I did get to to make some woolly purchases which I'll blog about it part two.

One of my favorite things about the show is the exhibitions, there were the most amazing knitted things. My favorite was a huge saucy machine knitted magazine cover it was hilarious. Have a read!

My second favorite was the knitted furniture, I especially like knitted armchair, I'm sure I would make one of those, now if only I could find a pattern......

Table close up:

Chair:

Holiday Knitting.

So here is what I knit whilst lounging by the pool:

I don't normally knit to patterns, but I really wanted to get my head around some more lace and how to properly inset beads into knitting. Surprisingly it's not too hard, however it does take allot of concentration, especially with an 18 month old trying to distract you! I really don't know how mothers get any knitting done!

This is a pattern from a rowan book called Classic Holiday, book three. The pattern is called 'Sundae'. This is the back piece nearly finished:

It's kitted in Cashsoft four ply, which is so soft and very nice to knit with, however it does tend to pile especially after a number of froggings!

The second thing is my one skein wonder in my hand spun featured about two posts ago, because it is a singles yarn it does tend to have a  mind of it's own, one sleeve is slightly smaller than the other so I need to crochet a small bit in to make it bigger, I am very pleased with it, one it has been washed and blocked it should be wonderful to wear on a summer evening.

Can you see the slight changes in colours all the way through?

Finally  here is a four skein wonder in Noro, I took the original design and am going to add sleeves and have made the back longer, you can't really tell from the picture though, but I'll post another picture when it is finished. I do not like the colour of this yarn, it looked totally different in the ball.

I'll add some pictures of Grenada when later.

AHHHHHH!

I might add that the AHHHH! is an excitement AHHHH! as opposed to a stressed AHHHH!

I am so in rhythm with the universe today it's unbelievable (Just call me Leo, (that's a matrix reference by the way!!)), I have had the most exciting day, that's because majorly exciting things are happening in fyberspates land which I could never even begin to imagine. So it's all a secret for a bit longer but hopefully soon...... all will be revealed.

I have some dyeing to do tonight, so I'm hoping there will be some fabulous pictures either tomorrow or in the next couple of days.

So the moto of the day is: Life is a box of chocolates, and if you have the courage believe you deserve the one with the gold wrapper, it makes life a damned-site more exciting.

happy knitting people.

Look who won!

Congratulations to Vera on winning the yarn, sorry to others that entered, I would have loved to have sent some to you all, but you will have another chance soon, i'll do another one! it's really good fun.

On the knitting front, I finished the pink summer tweed jumper and although a little on the large side, it will make a lovely cool summer sweater. Spin off arrived yesterday, and its fab, its definately my favourite craft magazine. I have a secret project on the go which is very exciting, but more of that later!

Happy knitting and spinning.

Shrugs

I finished the commision! The most amazing piece of knitting I have ever done. Dad has taken photo's on his digital camera and will send them to me V soon, and I'll post them.

I managed to handknit it in a few days because it was quite a small piece, but it wasn't plain sailing, we had the fitting on Friday; the arms were much too wide and an inch too long!

Once we had established this I was feeling a little sick, and of course I said yes when she said 'could I change it?'. I left it in horror for while, had some wine, summoned up some Dutch courage, and got out my over locker and 'shaved' the arms into the correct shape, I was shaking as I was doing it, but it was amazing! The cuff flared outwards because of the overlocking, but I sewed the lace on and it looked absolutely beautiful, like it was meant to be!

Adrienne thought it was amazing (thankgoodness).

When Adrienne asked me how much it was worth I didn't have an answer. In financial terms materials cost £20, in terms of time about £150 (and thats only about £6 an hour, although quite alot that was due to it being the first pattern I have developed, so it involved alot of reading and preparation)

In terms of learning about myself and how chuffed I feel, and  the skills I've learnt, the damn thing is priceless!

Monday oh Monday.

I AM KNACKERED! I had the madest weekend ever, and now I am glad that life is back to normal. Nothing Major just house guests, children and so on.

There was however a particularly exciting moment in my weekend which was when my Friend commissioned me to design her a shrug to go with a beautiful dress that she is wearing to an awards ceremony. Being the person that I am, I couldn't resist the challenge. what makes it even more exciting is that it needs to be made by march the 21st. Note here, I've never actually designed anything for anyone before, the majority of my jumpers are pieces of guess work. Added to this I need to make it on my knitting machine because the yarn is so fine it is impossible to knit by hand. Lets add just a little more pressure, I've never actually made a jumper successfully on my knitting machine yet. I believe her words were "I feel that you need pushing".

Luckily last week I was reading a book about designing jumpers so my fear of sizing has gone out the window, and Saturday afternoon I finally overcame my fear of my pattern thing on my knitting machine, and after a long excruciating afternoon I sussed it. However I still need to make the pattern, dye the mohair, and the fur trims and lace to match. And knit the thing with no mistakes, holes, dropped stitches.  So I believe that my updates will chart my progress of what feels like the hardest thing I've ever had to make.

How exciting!!!!

I love friday afternoons!

I just love fridays, we have so much fun in our office, we do do our work, but we have fun too.

Guess what? the jumper is finished!! I have to be honest, I am rather suprised at how well it has turned out. It fits lovely and is so warm. Everyone who has seen it thinks it's fab!

Here it is on:

And look what came through the post wednesday, my chinese suprise from my lovely freind Vicky who has just left wales to spend a year teaching English in Hong Kong. She knows how much I love wool so sent me a treat!! It's screaming long soft scarf to me.

I've got photo's!!!!!

I actually took photo's yesterday! I spent saturday spinning up my silk and mohair, and am extremely pleased with it. There is plenty of it to make a top from.

Here is a couple of pictures of it:

There is this:

And also two of these:

Remember the christmas spinning I mentioned, which I still haven't posted about?

well here is  some more self striping balls of silk wool mix.

And finally here is my bargain I purchased from the COOP on saturday, I can't wait to get dyeing!!

I am alive honest.

well! Had a fabulous week, absolutely exhausted but, have worked so hard and working on experiments for internet studies. Going to have to learn flash, java, and perl! Not too much then huh?

Anyway I have managed to find time to knit and here is the resulting product, not too far to go now, still on sleeve island, which to be honest is driving me a little insane. I am really looking forward to adding a ribbed collar to it.

Tomorrow is a totally uninterupted day for me, which is very rare, so I am going to do some carding and get spinning some silk and mohair, into enough for my next adventure! This using your stash lark is proving to be very exciting. Nearly brought some cashmere to spin, but restrained myself, I think I will ask for some for my birthday.

By the way, thankyou Judith for your fantastic contribution to the experiment. It's gonna take alot of planning but you've given me some brilliant ideas! I'll be emailing the rest of your who left comments with instructions soon!

Shamai!

So the stash using up thing is rather fun actually! I have decided to make a lovely little ribbed v-necked jumper with the handspun jacobs wool my freind brought me a little while back. I'm knitting the body in the round, because it's more fun, and the ribbing works a treat. Here is my progress from sat afternoon and a bit yesterday:

The picture is not too good, but it looks great in real life, very natural. I never expected it to stripe either!

At christmas I dyed and carded together silk and kid mohair into lots of little balls of lovelyness, which I have to keep the cat away from because he goes mad on it.

Anyway I spun the first bit of it on saturday morning, and was very pleased with the result: Here it is:

Its so smooth! I am planning on spinning the rest up and then making a little top from it, probably something for summer, because its very light.