Still here!

I'm still here, am writing a big picture update but thought I'd pop by to say "Hi".  Lots has happened since March and am once again on the verge of discharge from a short stay in hospital

I'm finding it hard to use Blogger from my phone so will keep this brief and post more at the weekend. I brought my knitting in with me and have finished a sock and some Colorimetry swatches.

Project Queue

So the WIP list is now on the too few side of acceptable following a determined effort to concentrate enough to get things finished. This is also a time to consider the continuity that WIP's give to me when everything around me feels disjointed and simple little things turn into complicated nightmares. i realise i need WIP's in different stages of progress so it never feels like everything has only just begun or is all coming to an end at once. In focusing on getting things finished i've neglected to begin new things.

WIP's (nearly finished): Fred's Quilt, Dolphin Wallhanging, mend the seam in my leotard

(in the middle): Handspun circular jacket with sleeves

(just started) : Stained glass wallhanging II

Project Queue (in no particular order):

1. The Peacock's Best Vest by SWTC Design Team (knitting)

2. Entrelac Sheep from Norwegian Handknits (knitting)

3. Tartan Plaid by Alice Starmore (not featured on Ravelry so no link) (knitting)

4. Design a colorwork hoodie with a hood steek (haven't seen this done before) (knitting)

5. Babette Blanket by Kathy Merrick (crochet)

6. Seaside Espadrilles by Jennifer L Appleby (crochet)

7. Spin and knit Pennie's swoopy skirt by Kathryn Alexander

8. Thistle Quilt (my own design)

9. Beautiful Belle bag by Amy Butler for my sister (sewing)

i recently found a small book called Knit One, Haiku too that i'd forgotten about. Its by Maria Fire, published 2006, and i wanted to share the following Haiku's from that book, that capture where i'm at now.

"How to trust the dark

The mind seeks and falls apart

Little thread that winds"

"Breathe in and exhale

Go with - let go-stitch again

Rhythm in chaos"

Having a bit of a rough time just now, but am trying to manage it differently to see if it has a better (in the long run) outcome ... will keep you posted.

Colorimetry Shetland Jumper Woven Scarf

The Colorimetry Woven Scarf in Shetland jumper is done. Its woven on my Kromski Harp Loom with a 10 dent heddle, it uses 36 different semi-solid colours as a colour study i semi-solid yarn. It was a quick and easy project and worked well with my current lack of concentration.

Trekking socks finally finished

After much ripping out and procrastination i finally got them done. The multicoloured yarn is Trekking XXL sock yarn and the grey is the now sadly discontinued Sirdar Town and Country sock yarn. They're knitted toe up on 2mm needles using 12 stitch seamless cast on and increasing to 90 stitches. The heel is worked over 50 stitches as recommended by Lucy Neatby. The fairisle pattern is semi-randomly generated by asking whoever was around at the time to choose 3 numbers which determined the number of stitches in each colour and the pattern.

Picture update

Kittens 4 weeks old and cute as ever ...

Weaving - scarf in progress. The warp and weft are Colorimetry Shetland jumper yarn that were the colour quality control skeins for 3 batches of dyeing. They are semi-solid colours and this is a modified version of the age old colour experiment this time using semi-solid colours to study colour interaction. There are 36 different colours in total. I have enough of these colours left for a fair-isle colourwork jumper probably ala Alice Starmore ... but need to get those fair-isle socks in trekking yarn finished first.

Here's the stained glass wallhanging nearly done. The top is complete and i just need to assemble the wadding and backing and hanging sleeve. The black fabric is a plain (fairly good quality) craft cotton and the colours are mostly hand dyed Colorimetry fabric. I have a second one set up ready for cutting out with a different picture ... watch this space.

Colorimetry Ravelry group

There's a group for all things Colorimetry on Ravelry called Colorimetry Fans with a chance to win a cup of yarn ... check it out!

Laurel Burch Fabric and stained glass update

Here's the stained glass wallhanging progress ... yes it dolphins

Here's a cozy for my ipod classic (i know ... but its the best mp3 player out there for podcasts and audiobooks even though itunes kind of sucks at times). Its made from Laurel Burch jungle songs fabric lined with fleece and interfaced with plastic canvas wrapped in cotton batting to make it sturdy. The button is made from fantastic felines fabric and is a Hemline metal self cover button (29mm size). The elastic closure is a snag-free hair bobble that i whip-stitched (using 2ply wool) in the middle so it fits the button snugly. The ipod sits tight in the pocket so i can listen to all my favourite sheepy podcasts on the go, if its held upside down the ipod doesn't slide out.

i braved cutting some Laurel Burch fabrics to make this shoulder bag. The flap is a fantastic felines panel.
i used some Jungle Songs for the back and back pocket.
This is the front pocket that the flap sticks to via the velcro tabs.
Here's the inside lining and zipped inside back pocket.

There's a wee side pocket for my mobile.

Here's the pattern i based the bag on. McCalls M5824. The pattern was easier to follow but i made a few modifications. i used plastic canvas to reinforce the gusset, front and back pocket sections, flap and the strap, this helps prevent the bag from being floppy. i used a single layer of cotton batting to wrap the plastic canvas in and used this in place of the fusible fleece mentioned in the pattern. i used heavy Vilene fusible interfacing on all main bag sections. The bag stands up on its own and holds its shape perfectly. i'm really happy with the shape and size. i was nervous about using my Laurel Burch stash but this project was worth it.

Kittens

Cocoa had three beautiful kittens yesterday. One is pure black and the other two have white socks. They're so cute and squeaky. It makes me think about how vulnerable baby animals are. i think one or maybe two of them may become permanent residents as this is Cocoa's last litter. It took a while to get a picture of them.

This is the best i could manage ... given a very protective mother.

Mostly they were hiding and got many pictures of various bits of Cocoa and her nipples (apologies to Cocoa for the picture)