YUMMY....

Spiced hot chocolate....I made it myself!

When good knitters do naughty things

I was bad today!

No, I didn't spend too much in Tapestry Craft, in fact I didn't even hit the $70 mark! They didn't have the Ball Winders in yet and I was soooooo good and put back the Noro Silk Garden that I was pawing with the Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole in mind. Even though I've ordered the yarn for the Clapotis, I've become obsessed with the idea of Entrelac, so much so I sat down last night with a tutorial to teach myself how to do it, but then Hubby came home a bit bleary-eyed and wanted to watch the Henry Rollins Show.

So where does the badness come in?

Um, I was in Borders today and copied the Chevron Scarf pattern out of the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I love the look of this Chevron because of the waves it creates, rather that zigzags....but I REALLY didn't want to fork out the $53 the thieving bastards wanted for it! I do intend to buy the book one day, I do, I really do, there's a very cute lil elephant pattern and some super cute lil people beanies.

Silly thing is I didn't really need to look at the pattern, because I'd worked out how to do it a couple of nights ago when I was trying to get my head around how it might be done....feather and fan without the yarn overs....just KFB's, although, I might try make 1's with a twisted stitch to avoid the ridge that the KFB's form.

The yarn pictured is what I want to use for the Chevron Scarf, another skien of sock yarn that won't be made into socks :p

Anyways....it's back to the Entrelac, me thinks....till I get bored with concentrating and cast on the Chevron.

*Sigh* I’m in love

There are 2 new loves in my life….my set of Knitpicks and Ravelry.

Both have been around for a few weeks now, there are already a couple of new projects on the knitpicks and I’ve only just had the chance to really sit down and play with on the ravelry site.

My new needles are a dream to knit with, all shiny and smooth, but not too slippy and that memory-less cord, pure ecstasy. They are making the knitting of the eyelet swirls scarf so easy! I finished my nephew's hoodie with them (they could not have been MORE perfect for picking up stitches!) and I’m now attempting the Blue Sky Alpaca Cropped Cardi....never fear fragile readers, I am making it longer because I look like a stumpy box in anything cropped.

Looking at all the profiles over on Ravelry, I’m feeling all inspired to now pull my entire stash to pieces and start photographing every last ball/ hank/ skein and every near done, half done and newly cast on project I can lay my hands on. I’ve been trawling through all the pictures of cardigans people are knitting, falling in love with the look of patterns that I’ve previous skimmed over, it’s funny how much more appealing things can look in a different colour.

There are scores of knitters out there creating things from Fitted Knits, a book I’ve owned since its release, looked through a few times, but always put aside in favour of other projects. Had to re-evaluate that somewhat, now I’ve seen what other people have done with the patterns. And there’s something about Interweave’s Nantucket Jacket that I’m really starting to like.

Just what I need, more things to add to the “Some Day” pile!! *Sigh*

Back to the knitting

Finally got through the final pages of Harry Potter on Sunday, so the knitting has started again in earnest!

Nearly done with Mum’s silk garden scarf, I’ve been working on it at lunchtime and all the girls at work think it’s just gorgeous, so BIG YAY!!! My version in the Aurora has come to a grinding halt, it’s such yucky yarn to knit with I’m kind of avoiding picking it up again.

The lil hoody is finished, sort of almost, just got some seaming to finish, but I’m using crap light as an excuse again and I’m only working on it on weekends, when I can sit on the balcony with all the lovely natural light making my job much easier.

I’m onto something else already of course, a scarf in Filatura di Crosa’s Zara (see the pic for the pattern I’m using, from the first Vogue Stitchionary – I am hoping to get the WHOLE book for my birthday, fingers crossed). This yarn is so stunningly easy to knit with, it’s light and lofty and a complete and utter dream. The scarf is already about 2 balls long and in a lovely pale bluey mauve colour (think it's called periwinkle)….YUM YUM YUM, love it to bits.

Almost forgot! I really liked the final Harry, some of the loses were heartbreaking when they happened but it was such a great end to a much loved adventure, wrapped up in a way that seemed just right. I’m thinking sometime in the not too distant future I’ll be starting the whole thing again, when Harry was still living under the stairs in Privet Drive.

Strange things are afoot!

It belongs to my new toy (see below)....I just don't know what it actually does yet!!

It's the new arrival....

An early birthday present (seeing as I had to go and pick it up myself, thanks hubby o' mine!)

Haven't dared switched the thing on yet, the "before you start" part of the manual is as thick as a kid eating perkins paste and I have to save my reading eyes for Harry and Harry alone!!

Spoke to Sis the Youngest today and she's already finished and so desperately wanted to discuss all things Harry (as we always do after each volume) but couldn't in case she revealed something she shouldn't! I'm on Chapter 22, I'm getting there....I swear I am!!!

Oh and if you're really that interested in the new sewing machine it's a Brother NX-400.

Plush-o-Rama arrived today too (woo for Amazon, how i adore thee and the AU dollar is a bit spiffy at the moment to boot!) so I think the first thing I'll make is something plushy-toy like!

And the knitting stops

Just while I read Harry Potter of course....

Chapter 9 and I'm already emotionally exhausted....I'll be a wreck before I get half way!!