one good apple

Well, I’m off!  I’m actually really nervous about the whole thing now, not helped by my travel companion who texted me this morning to tell me that she had lost her luggage on the way here, got off the train and didn’t know where she was.  I phoned in a panic to discover she was in the laundrette.  Laughing.

Hopefully my drop spindle and some roving will be here when I get back, although John’s sister has asked me to crochet another doll for baby Ella who is due on the 6th August so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to do it, I’m cutting it fine already. 

So I’ll see you in a week’s time when I can bore everyone with photos of various landmarks and drinking dens.  Auf Wiedersehen!

After years of hating HATING knitting on dpns I’ve found that I actually enjoy it!  The first sock is coming on nicely as you can see,

I’ve also invested in a drop spindle, I’m going to try making some of my own yarn!  I’ve been looking at loads of home dying techniques on the internet and am unfeasibly excited about the prospect of spinning and dyeing my own yarn for knitting!  I’ve been looking at Kool-aid and food colouring but if anyone has any hints and tips on the best ways to go about dyeing then let me know.  I have a feeling my kitchen will soon look like an explosion in Willy Wonka’s factory.  I also think that I’m going to end up with LOTS of socks in the near future.  At least everyone knows what they’re getting for Christmas!

In continuing my quest for projects I can see the results from immediately, I’ve decided to knit some socks.  I’m using a pattern from Knitty.com and some cream 4-Ply.  I really wanted proper sock yarn but I have to wait in all day for someone to come and look at my electricity meter, so I’m trapped in the house for the time being.  I was going to get some tomorrow but I figure I wouldn’t get started until I got back from hols anyway so I may as well wait until next week.  I’ve also got to go and pick up some dark grey chunky yarn from the post office tomorrow that I won on ebay last week.  I’ve got enough to keep myself busy so I can’t really justify spending any more money on yarn.

Spent last night in the local walk-in clinic after John scraped his head on the sideboard and took a big chunk out of his forehead.  I think I felt more sick than he did, although I did have to look at it and he couldn’t see it so I think I can be forgiven for that!  No stitches but he has been assured he will have a big manly scar when it all heals so he’s not too upset about the whole thing.  I think that the worst bit for him is the fact that for now he has to walk around with a huge bandage on his forehead, the big baby!

I’ll post some pictures of the socks when they’re a little more developed, there’s not much to look at at the moment.  Right now I’m going to bed down, get on with the new socks and watch some real life crime documentaries while I wait for the electricity man.  My life is just a social whir…

The weather here is miserable at the moment, rain and more rain.  I had visions of a summer in the park, drinking iced tea and reading in the sunshine.  Why do I still live in Britain??  All this indoors time has meant that I’ve been spending my time using up oddments of yarn and fabric to make quick fix things - instant gratification!

My sister sent me the flowery red fabric from Japan two years ago and now I’ve finally got round to using it.  The cushion is made using remnants and a ball of Debbie Bliss Superchunky (off of the felted bowl that was never to be…)  Sewed them all together and used some velcro for the top flap,

Donald decided he’d get in on the act though and now everything is covered in tiny white hairs.  It seems that despite the fact it is winter weather, someone’s furry body clock is telling him that fur is out out out.  But then, how can you get mad at this face?

Just been to get my euros for Berlin - only four days to go!  I made this travel wallet with a pattern from Adorn magazine.  Mine is slightly smaller than it should be but it still fits my passport, money and bank cards in comfortably.  I love the mix of different flowery patterns, very chintzy.

Last night I had a really odd dream that I was visiting my best friend and he was wearing a grey sweater with some cartoon character on the front in intarsia and it actually looked really cool.  That got me thinkning about the jumpers my mum used to make for us as kids, my personal favourite was a Rainbow Brite one that had a little pony tail in yellow wool.  Wish I still had that one…  So I’m going to spend this morning trawling through ebay to see if I can find any cute intarsia patterns - if I can’t find any for adults then my niece will learn to love them!

 I’m in the middle of knitting a t-shirt to use up the dark red DK I have left over from my jacket.  It’s from Knitty.com, knit in the round from the top and has some great detail on the sleeve increases.  Will post a picture when it’s finished.

 I’ve also posted some photos of old projects, I particuarly like the monkey buttons that I found for the mustard cardigan.  I made this using a  cotton blend DK that I got on ebay and some scraps of bright pink for the contrast. 

The sweater is a pattern from the same book - Modern Classics - and is just plain old bargin basement DK.  Looks great with my dark jeans and converses.

I made it all by myself!  It still needs blocking but I’m very pleased with the results.  For a first attempt at knitting in the round AND designing my own pattern I’m pretty happy with myself this morning!

My aim for today is to use up some chunky wool I bought months ago to make some felted bowls with then decided against.  I’ve had a cushion sitting on the top of my wardrobe since I moved in last November that needs a cover so I think I’ll get on with that.  Went to get the money for my euros today - only six days to go!  I got a rough guide to Berlin in town at the weekend and I’ve very geekily marked all the places I want to go.  I figure it’ll probably take 24 hours before the guide book goes out the window in a haze of beer and bratwurst.

I’ve been looking for a pattern for ages to use up some dark red DK yarn my mum bought me a few months ago.  I knew exactly what I wanted.  I looked everywhere.  Everywhere.  I found nothing.  So i decided to do it myself.  This (should!) turn out to be a swingy little short sleeve jacket.  This is also my first time knitting in the round too so I’m quite nervous about how it’s going to look.  So far so good though, I’ll keep you posted.

I am exhausted!  This week has been a hectic one at school, getting ready for the end of term.  There’s nothing worse than someone saying to you, ‘Oh you must be winding down now are you?’ whan you have a stack of rubbish in your stock room that you know you have to sort.  End of term also means people leaving.  One of the girls leaving shares my love of knitting so I made her this leaving card,

I just charted a really simple pattern and used oddments of 4-ply on 2.75mm knitting needles.  Then I sewed the finished piece onto a card, glued an insert in to cover the yarn on the back and voila!  I’ll post the chart when I’ve had a chance to write it up on the computer.

My granny squares are going well - they’re actually quite addictive once you get going aren’t they?  It’s really nice to be able to work with cotton yarn too as I don’t do this very often…

Still got a long way to go until it’s big enough though….

We’ve had Activity Week at school this week so I’ve done everything from visit the zoo to beadwork.  The best bit was spending two days with the kids making children’s pop up books and reading them to nursery school kids.  Managed to sneakily make one of my own called The Dastardly Deeds of Donald O’Dowd about all the trouble my house rabbit gets up to

Unfortunately, I think the book might have given him some ideas as the little rat angel decided to redecorate the bedroom this morning.  Wallpaper all over the floor, my landlord will be pleased!

I’ve also picked up crochet hooks for the first time this week.  Made this doll from a pattern at http://stitch.hellooperator.net/free-patterns/amigurumi-doll/ and was very happy about how easy it was to make //(’;')\\  The hardest part was the hair, that I was still threading in at 2am on Thursday night.  Not very rock and roll!

I also got my new camera this week (hence the lovely photos…!) and made a cute little carry case to go with it.  Not the best fit in the world as I cobbled the pattern together myself but I’m hoping that the fact it looks so sweet means I’ll be nice and gentle with it!

In other news, I’m off to Berlin in two weeks time!  Got a warning phonecall from my sister yesterday which began, ‘You’re not staying in a hostel are you?’  to which I replied in the affirmative.  ‘Have you not seen Hostel?’ she asked in a slightly panicked voice.  Spent some time explaining it was a made up film rather than a documentary which seemed to reassure her although now I’m worrying…!

My local wool shop has got a sale on at the moment where I got some gorgeous Debbie Bliss Cotton DK for half price.  This is the only time I can afford it and I am unfeasibly happy about yarn right now!  I’ve started making some granny squares that I’ll turn into an afghan for when we go camping in Cornwall at the end of August.  With the weather the way it is at the moment, we’re going to need it…