Charminglochie

Episode 13

2012-02-12T16:51:00.002Z

Episode 13 of The Charminglochie Podcast

Enjoy!!

Shownotes

Links to external sites/persons mentioned on episode 13 of the podcast:

Jelliebean Yarns

RipplesCrafts Yarns

MommyNeedsYarn Podcast

SassyPants Knitter Podcast

Wexford Knits

Caledonian Macbrayne

Flybe

http://www.loganair.co.uk/

I'm sorry these aren't super comprehensive shownotes but family visit and stinking cold have conspired to keep them short. Hope you all enjoyed the episode!!

Episode 12: It's Gonna Be Messy!!

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000Z

Episode 12 of The Charminglochie Podcast

Shownotes will follow shortly.

Episode 11

2012-01-30T08:20:00.000Z

EPISODE 11

Todays Podcast includes:

What's Doing?
Knitting
Books
Fitness
You Asked - Some Info about Aviemore and the Cairngorms!

What's doing?

Talked about Burns Night so click here for the Wiki Link.

Finished Knitting

Blue Angry Bird

On The Needles

Knit Alongs

Put little1's socks into both the Wolfe Farms and Knit1Heart2 KALs'
Feb KAL for our group

Look What I've Got

Watching

Books

Currently Reading
- The Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine on Ibook store format
- The Death Maze by Ariana Franklin on audiobook format
Caught My Eye
- Films that are nominated in the Oscars that are from books you might want to check out:
- - War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (best picture)
  - The Descendents by Kaui Hart Hemmings (Best Picture, Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Director
  - The Help by Kathryn Sotckett (best picture, Best Actress (Viola Davis))
  - The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Best Picture, adapted screenplay, best director)
  - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (best picture, best actor (max von sydow))
  - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre (Adapted Screenplay, best actor (Gary oldman))
  - The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larson (best actress (rooney mara))
  - The Iron Lady by John Campbell (best actress (meryl streep))
  - My Week with Marilyn by Colin Clark (best acress (mishelle williams) best actor (kenneth brannagh))
- - World Book Day Website

You Asked! - More about Aviemore

Episode 10: Double Digits

2012-01-23T08:34:00.001Z

EPISODE 10: Double Digits
DATE: 22 January 2012

INTRODUCTION

Gift patterns I received this fortnight were:

Knitting
Finished knitting

On the needles

Baby Blanket

Knit Along

I'm going to do it

Walnut grove

Look what i've got

The Knitter - Issue 40

Watching

Books

Rave Review

Caught My Eye:

Book Review: The Lewis Man by Peter May

2012-01-18T20:17:00.000Z

The Lewis Man by Peter May
Book 2 of The Lewis Trilogy

Date Read: 24/12/122 --> 14/1/12

Review:
This is the second book in the Lewis Trilogy that Peter May is writing. It follows (now non-detective) Fin Macleod after he returns to the island and to Ness to try and rebuild his parents croft house. His childhood love's father (who now suffers from dementia) is about to come under scrutiny following the discovery of a body in the peat in the Ness district. This book follows Fin and Marsali as they try to unravel her fathers past to discover who the body is before mainland detectives come to the island and start investigating the old man who is now so crippled with the disease. The chapters alternate between the present day from Fins point of view and Tormod's (the old mans) recollections and memories of the past which all lead to the final revelation and rather incredible ending.

This is a crime novel but I wouldn't say it's up there with the likes of Patricia Cornwall or Harlan Coban quite yet. It's not particularly gruesome which is good from my point of view as I although I love horror I don't like my crime with lots of blood and guts. However, it paints a painfully bleak description of the island from sentances such as 'Fin could see the dark roof of Crobost Church dominating bothe the skyline and the people over whose lives it's shadow fell' and 'The discarded technology of distant decades, rusted tractors and broken harvesters, littered overgrown plots, the rotting symbols of a once hoped-for prosperity'.

Now I come from the island and I know how hard the living can be up there. Industry was a struggle, the weather can be harsh and religion is prevalent with a strict sabbath observance. But Peter May describes all the characters in such a weary and desolute way that the book can become quite depressing. I'm not saying that the geographical references and descriptions aren't apt and very good writing, just that not everyones as miserable as is made out in the book.

Would I recommend this book? Possibly, if you have an interest in the island and it's way of life or maybe if you really really like your crime. However, it's not my usual genre which is maybe why I am a tad critical of it and also I am particularly defensive of where I come from. I am keen to hear from others with no connection to the Island with what they thought of the book but in the meantime I would give it 3/5.

Episode 9: Normality?

2012-01-10T07:24:00.000Z

EPISODE 9: Normaility?
DATE: 8th January 2012

What's doing?
Mentioned how I visited Caledonian Crafts in Nairn last Wednesday.
Resolutions/Fitness
Using MyNetDiary for the calorie counting.
Updating DailyMile with my walks.
Using Ease Into 10K app for my running training.
I am hoping to run the Baxters River Ness 10k this year as I did the 5k last year.
Knitting
Baby blanket for next doors baby
Brother in Laws Socks
Walnut Grove Shawl
Sisters socks
Look what i've got
Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders by Judith Durant
Books
Still reading Sigma Force 2 and The Lewis Man
Rave Review
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Caught My Eye
New James Patterson and Stephen Leather out on Kindle this month so you might want to take a look at them if crime is your thing.
Contact Me:
Plurk: charminglochie
Twitter: charminglochie
Ravelry: charminglochie
Ravelry Group: The Charminglochie Podcast
Email: charminglochie@gmail.com

Episode 8: Resolutions Galore

2012-01-03T08:11:00.013Z

Episode 8 of The Charminglochie Podcast. The fireworks at the end of the episode are from the Hogmany Celebrations at Loch Insch :)

Episode 7: Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

2011-12-19T17:39:00.003Z

Episode 6: A New Look

2011-12-07T21:29:00.028Z

Episode 6 of The Charminglochie Podcast: A New Look

SHOWNOTES
Knitting
Knitalong: Xmas Balls with StudentKnits Podcast.
Finished Items:

Planned Items: Afterthought Heel Socks by Laura Linneman of Theknitgirllls Podcast

Knitting Resources: Chemknits Blog

Look What I've Got: Jelliebean Yarns

Watching:

Books

Reading: The Bones of Avalon by Phil Rickman

Rave Reviews: All Wound Up: The Yarn Harlot Knits For A Spin by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Episode 5: Monsters in the Attic

2011-12-01T10:10:00.001Z

Episode 5 of The Charminglochie Podcast. Shownotes to follow in the next 24 hours!!

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Shownotes:
Finished Wasabi The Gregarious Pug and Angus the Attic Monster, designs from Dangercrafts.
Talked about The Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger. and The Knitter Magazine issue 39.

Watching:
Knitabulls Video Podcast
KnitPurlGurl
90% Knitting
Sockbunny Knit and Fit

Books:
Still reading: All Wound Up: The Yarn Harlot Knits for a Spin by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Rave Review: Divergent by Veronika Roth
Caught My Eye: The sad news of the death of Anne McCaffrey

Episode 4: Succesful Splice

2011-11-27T10:17:00.001Z

Episode 4: A Succesful Splice

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Episode 4 shownotes are finally here!! I am really sorry for the delay folks, it's been a hectic week. I still may miss stuff but if I do I will edit the post to add them in later (i'm so professional, I scare myself!!).

In What's Doing? I talked about my trip to Edinburgh including:
Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre
Loch Fyne Fish Restaurant
The film 'In Time'
Ocean Terminal
Edinburgh Castle
Vittorias Italian Restaurant
Bond No 9
Mary Kings Close

In On The Needles you saw:
'Simplicity Socks' from the book Toe-Up 2-At-A-Time-Socks
'Wasabi the Gregarious Pug' from Danger Crafts

In Knitting Resources and Knitting on the Net I talked about:
MaCaree Brothers Yarn Store

In Knitting Tools we took a look at:
Regia Sock Yarn

In Books I admitted that I still hadn't finished:
'All Wound Up: The Yarn Harlot Knits for a Spin' by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

I think that's it guys! Will add in any I have forgotten later :)
Enjoy the show!

2011-11-16T16:20:00.001Z

Episode 3 - Unprepared!!

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Episode 3 of The Charminglochie Podcast is up and I am totally unprepared in it and making a mess of everything!! Please forgive, next week I will try harder :)

In this weeks episode I talk about my completed projects Holly The Holiday Hooligan and Jerry the Musical Monkey. I also talk about my sisters socks and Wasabi the Gregarious Pug which I am currently working on.

In this weeks Knitting Resources I talk about the fabulous online store, 'Purple Linda Crafts' where I buy most of my toy knitting supplies.

I combine Knitting Tools and On the Internet to talk about the following video podcasts and how much I love them!!
Theknitgirllls
Knittinonthefly
Watchaswatchin
I'm also working on including links to my (many) other favourite podcasts on this blog so bear with me because it's a work in progress!! I will also be giving mentions to some of them in upcoming episodes.

In this weeks books section I talked about All Wound Up: The Yarn Harlot Writes for a Spin by Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee which I am currently reading. I also review Brave New World by Aldos Huxley and talk about some titles which have caught my eye, 11.22.63 by Stephen King and Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston.

Episode 2 - No Fancy Titles Yet!!`

2011-11-09T16:47:00.002Z

Episode 2 of The Charminglochie Podcast!!

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This week I talked about the wonderful fireworks at www.cairngormhotel.com.

I finished the triceratops from 'Knitted Dinosaurs' by Rebecca Danger.

I also finished Holly from her Holiday Hooligans pattern.

Next on my needles will be Jerry The Musical Monkey, also from Danger Crafts.

I talked about Rebecca Danger and The Danger Crafts Ravelry Group. You can also find her at:

www.dangercrafts.com

www.dangercrafts.etsy.com

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/rebecca-danger-designs

The Big Book of Knitted Monsters ISBN 9781604680096

I highlighted the lovely yarn I was using in knitting tools:

Yarn Information:

Colour: Rainforest

Yarn: 100gm skein of 4ply 75% Superwash Merino, 20% Nylon, 5% Stellina Sparkle sock fingering yarn (approximately 400m/437yards per 100gm skein)

Needle Size Recommendation : 2.25mm (US1) - 3.25mm (US3)

Care: handwash or machine wash cool, dry away from direct sunlight.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JelliebeanYarns

Ravelry Group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/jelliebeanyarns

In books I talked about Brave New World by Aldos Huxley, Snuff by Terry Pratchett, 22.11.63 by Stephen King and Inheritance by Christopher Paolini.

And finally I told you where you could find me :)

www.charminglochie.co.uk

Ravelry: The Charminglochie Podcast is the name of the group

Twitter: charminglochie

iTunes: The Charminglochie Podcast

Email: charminglochie@gmail.com

Charminglochie Podcast: Episode 1 - Intro!!

2011-11-03T07:42:00.013Z

Click on the title of this post to view my very first podcast!!

Well, I finally managed to record something on my iPhone!! Apologies for me jiggling about and some wierd pauses and facial expressions!! Also, I know it's a pain having to watch this through YouTube but I'm a bit loathe to pay for hosting fees until I know someone is watching :) So click on the title and enjoy in the meantime and please let me know what you think!!

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Shownotes

I talk about learning to knit from Debbie Stollers 'Stitch N Bitch' book as well as the fact that I am knitting a Triceratops from Tina Baretts' 'Knitted Dinosaur' book. Next planned item is Holly, Ivy & Steve the Holiday Monsters by the most awesome Rebecca Danger of DangerCrafts.

I also talk about my KnitPro Cubix needles which I bought from GetKnitted and I think that's about it!! Let me know if I missed anything as I'm kind of new to this :)

Audiobook Review: Thunderhead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

2010-11-04T11:01:00.000Z

Title of Book: Thunderhead

Author: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Narrator: Scott Brick

ASIN: B003Y7LYMY

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Genre/Market: Suspense

Publication Date: 03/08/2010

Book Format: Audio (Unabridged)

Book Length: 17 hours 24 mins

Price: £18.59 / 1 Audible Credit

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

An archaeological survey of a fabled city turns in to a desperate attempt for survival against supernatural evil.

This suspense thriller written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child jumped straight in with a fantastic beginning that made you realise this was going to be a rollercoaster ride of a story. It certainly didn’t leave you much time in between events to catch your breath at the begining!! Fast-paced and tense you felt you were right there with Nora and the rest of the expedition and felt the tension amongst the personalities rising as the expedition progressed. The arrogance and pettiness of some of the characters came across well and the naivety of Nora Kelly, the expedition leader, was painful to watch as you rooted for her to succeed.

I felt that some of the description of the landscape was too flowery and was unnecessary to the story line. You get that they were far from home and the rest of civilisation and you don’t need it pointed out continuously. However, although it annoyed me enough to contribute to the book losing one of it’s five starts it wasn’t enough to detract from the overall quality of the story. The narration from Scott Brick is always excellent! However, towards the end of the story I felt the actual storyline and narration started to slow down and was getting a bit monotone. If you are a Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child fan I would definitely recommend this book.

Check out Thunderhead for yourself here at Audible.co.uk

Quick Update

2010-11-02T15:46:00.003Z

Well i've been so busy knitting up cute little things for the Christmas Fayre Stall that I haven't really taken any pictures of them. I am going to try and get everything in one picture for you all to see on the day!

But now I have finished that and I am on to knitting a Jean Greenhowe Topsy-Turvy doll in the style of Disney Princess Belle for one of the lovely staff at little1's nursery. Really hoping it works out well.

I have actually been to the cinema now I am living near the sprawling metropolis of Inverness and saw 'Let Me In' on Saturday night. Really interesting film and really spooky. Good halloween flick :o)

And I've been busy on the reading front. I am listening to Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child narrated by Scott Brick on the iPod and I am reading Soul Intent by Dennis Batchelder in eBook format on the Kindle. I have decided to write up some book reviews and put them on here soon but thought I would check in with a quick update in the meantime!!

To keep you all happy in the meantime, here's a super cute picture of Stanley the Pug now 7 months old :o)

OMG!! How Long Has It Been??!!

2010-10-19T16:42:00.003+01:00

I am officially the worst blogger ever!!! How long has it been people?? Way too long and there's just been so much going on in that time. We've had a new addition to our family (Stanley the Pug), moved to Aviemore (I still seem to spend most of my time on that flaming ferry though) and started acting as an Avon Rep (Ding Dong!!).

As far as knitting goes, it's been all toys. I've been knitting up a ton of miniature Christmas stockings which I am hoping to sell at a local Christmas Fayre. Here's a piccie of them:

They were created by adapting a Jean Greenhowe pattern and I really enjoy knitting them. They are really easy to customise and I can easily knit up a couple a day.

I also knitted a larger Christmas Stocking but not sure what I am going to do with this one:

It is also from a Jean Greenhowe pattern.

Another designer whose patterns I am using are Raynor Gellatys of www.jellybum.co.uk. These patterns are cute, easy and fast to knit up and here's an example of the penguin:

On the audiobook side I have left and returned to Audible in the time I have been remiss in my blogging. I just couldn't stay away!! I have recently finished another Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child title called The Ice Limit, narrated by Scott Brick. As always a brilliant story and fantastic narration but unusually, I found the ending a tad disappointing but I can't quite articulate why.

And yet another addition to my free time is my new Kindle 3G. I received it as an early birthday/Christmas present from my parents and it is fab!!! I have the 3gs and WiFi version and it's such a great piece of equipment. Not only have I finished reading a number of titles (which I will go into in more detail at a later date) but I also have all my knitting patterns on it in pdf format and my audiobooks which is very cool.

I think that's enough of an update for now :o) More in a few days. Tata.

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-14T12:05:00.006Z

Happy Valentines Day Everyone,
I know it's been a while but I have some pretty pictures to atone (well I think they're pretty anyway!).
The first is this gorgeous sweater that my loving mother made for me and sent up. It's to get me through the FREEZING weather we are having here!

I've also discovered the joy of chunky socks and how quick they knit up (can you tell i'm cold?). These are fantastically easy to knit up and very comfy and the Sirdar Crofter Chunky is a very funky knit with the yarn being lovely and soft and the patterns is just plain cool :o)

I've also finished a couple of cotton dishcloths which are quick and easy and are incrdibly useful in the kitchen. I had no idea what the deal was with dishcloths until I knitted them up.

For Valentines day I decided to knit HWP his very own pair of socks as he's never received a pair from me. Unfortunately other things became priority so this morning he only received 1 sock. I used the excuse that I needed to check it fitted before I started the second one (clever eh?) and he seemed to like it so I will make a start on the other one this week.

And finally for me I am knitting the Ingenue sweater from Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard. I am knitting this in Sirdar Toddler Aran in a deep rich chocolate colour that my mum gave me for Christmas. I'm knitting this in a smaller size than I originally planned as my Amused sweater worked out so massive so knowing my luck this will be too small!!

But it's a really nice pattern worked in the round from the top down and I love the collar pattern. The yarn itself is also very nice to work with.

Stornoway Knit N Natter is still going strong with 8 of us showing up last week for a hilarious session at Eleven in Stornoway. We had a really good laugh as well as welcoming a new member.

I've recently had the latest editions of Knitting Magazine and Yarn Forward Magazine delivered through my door (once again my lovely mother and her gift of knitting magazine subscriptions for birthday and Christmas) and am looking forward to sitting down and having a good read in peace and quiet so I can review them at a later date.

In the meantime, have fun :o)

Mums Birthday Waistcoat

2010-01-24T17:28:00.005Z

I finished my Mums cable waistcoat just in time to post it out to her on the Tuesday before her Thursday birthday. She received it on the Thursday and seemed very pleased with it:

I left it without buttons as I wanted her to choose them herself as there is a better selection in Inverness than in Stornoway!!

So I'm now working on my 'Amusing Recovery' sweater which is huge!!! Yes, I think I sized it wrong but I'm not that bothered actually. It's gonna make a fab winter round the house sweater and if future winters are going to be anything like the one we are currently experiencing then it's just what I need in my wardrobe.

I also still have the 'Spider Socks' on my needles but the pattern is too intricate to be used as a portable project so I'm going to have them as a house project after I've finished the sweater and cast on some vanilla socks for knitting group this week.

I'm currently listening to 'Wolf Hall' by Hillary Mantel on the iPod and it's fantastic!!! Despite being difficult to get in to I am now half way through and hooked on this version of the Henry VIII / Anne Boleyn story told from the point of view of Thomas Cromwell.

More Pics As Promised

2010-01-16T08:40:00.001Z

My stash in all it's glory:

Can you see why I'm going cold-sheep?

My lovely new KnitPro Spectra Trendz interchangeable needle set:

These are their new acrylic set and they are very nice but I haven't knit a whole project with them yet so will give a proper review then.

And finally, my beautiful Christmas present from the talented Cloudpurple:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy New Year

2010-01-16T08:32:00.000Z

A belated Happy New Year to all my readers!! I've been very busy working on a cable Cardigan for my mums birthday and I'll post pictures as soon as I'm finished.

I'm also 'cold-sheeping' this year which means no yarn buying for me. Given the size of my stash that's not a bad thing!!

As soon as I get a chance to fire up the laptop I'll post a huge amount of pictures for you :-) but here's some items I knitted for Xmas and over the holiday in the meantime.
Baby legwarmers

Chunky mittens for the snow in Aviemore.

First hot pink spider sock.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas is coming....

2009-12-19T15:37:00.004Z

.... and I'm off!! Well hopefully, if the ferry sails on Tuesday and the Ullapool - Aviemore road is passable! So I thought I would give you one last post of 2009. Unfortunately I can't post any pictures of finished projects as I am worried that people may actually read this blog and spot their Christmas presents so instead I will give you some yummy yarn that is in my stash:

All this wool came from the fabulous Kemps Wool Shop. This is an online store I use (although it does have a bricks and mortar shop) which has fantastic prices and excellent shipping times. Can't reccommend it enough. The first yarn on the left is 10 50g balls of Patons Washed Haze Aran in Gray that I will be using for a tank top for he who pays. The middle yarn is another 10 50g balls of Patons Washed Haze Aran but in Teal this time and I will be using that for a sweater for Eldest Child. And the third yarn is 5 50g balls of Patons Diploma Gold DK in a denim blue colour that I will be using for a sweater for little1. This entire order including postage came to under £23 which is excellent in my opinion. Seriously, check out this store.

And this is the year of the COLD SHEEP people. Nope, I haven't decided to shear sheep in December but 2010 is the year I knit only from stash!! I know, shock horror but it's happening. I have a lot of really quality yarns in my stash but I also have a fair amount of cheap acrylic that squeaks when it's knitted that I bought for knitting toys from. So I've decided that this year I will knit those toys and stamp down my stash to make room for some beautiful hand dyed yarns from independent sellers in 2011.

And finally, it's perfect weather for knitters.

Yes, it's cold here on the rock in the Atlantic and so I intend to hunker on down for the weekend with some tea, mince pies and knitting. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Finally!!!

2009-12-11T12:12:00.005Z

Yes I am finally back. After at least 2 weeks of flu and stomach bugs in the Charminglochie household we appear to be clear. Touch wood. And paracetamol! But unfortunately I have no knitting to show you as I am still working on youngest brother in laws Christmas socks. That boy has huge feet by the way!!!

And the audiobook front hasn't been much better. I have been catching up on all the back episodes of 'Electric Sheep' (see earlier review) so I haven't been listening to any books. I decided to try and start 'Flashforward' by Robert Sawyer last night as I was enjoying the series so much but couldn't get in to it. So I am starting Terry Pratchett's 'Thief of Time' (Discworld Book 26) today as I have downloaded it. I am a huge Discworld fan and have all the hard copy books but have decided to start collecting the unabridged audio versions as well. Although it makes logical sense to start with book 1 I decided to go with Thief of Time as it's my favourite to date and I need something to get me through the Christmas knitting!!

I was going to do a review of the latest 'Yarn Forward' issue that arrived in the post yesterday but I wasn't very taken with it so I don't want to write anything negative so i'll leave it.

Well, that's me for now but will update with brother in laws socks as they progress in next few days!

My Favourite Space & A Completed Hedgehog!

2009-11-26T18:36:00.007Z

After listening to the most recent KnitPicks podcast with Kelley Petkun about comfort while knitting, I took a look at my knitting space. I recently received a gorgeous brown leather tub chair which is the most comfortable chair in the world. It is so popular in our house that He Who Pays has maybe sat in it twice since last Friday. That may also say a lot about the pecking order!!

Anyway I have totally claimed this chair as MY chair and it sits between my lovely warm fire and my stereo and has the perfect space next to it for my knitting box (which my lovely boys gave me for my birthday) with my current work in progress in and my handbag with my iPod and phone.

Now I just need to knit a lovely fluffy cushion for it. Any ideas on patterns?

And the hedgehog is complete:

Another fantastic pattern from the lovely designer Alan Dart but quite fiddly to sew up. My dad loves hedgehogs so I think this will be a welcome 70th birthday present.

He also requested a pair of fingerless mittens so I am going to knit up a pair of Dashings for him from Knitty with some black watch Aran yarn to match the hat and scarf I made him last year.

My to do list keeps growing and growing!!

Amusing Recovery Makes Progress

2009-11-22T17:07:00.005Z

It's been a while hasn't it? But at least I have something to show for it:

This is my 'Amused' sweater designed by Jordana Paige and featured in the Winter 2008 edition of the online knitting magazine, Knitty.com.

It's a top down sweater knitted in the round so that means no seaming!! Yay, I hate seaming. I am knitting it in a Wendy Aran with Wool yarn in a purple/lilac colour. But you may notice the mistake. Yes, my cables are upside down. I messed up. But I decided that seeing as they are all still pointing the same way I was just gonna go with it and call it a pattern. If the sweater had been for anyone else I would have probably ripped it back but it's only for me :o)

Other items on the needle are eldest childs sock for Christmas from the Harry Potter Opal yarn. I am at the foot part of the second sock so they should be finished by the end of the week. And I also have the Hedgehog 'Hibernating Harry' designed by Alan Dart that I have knitted for my Dad's 70th birthday present. All knitted up but still have the seaming to do and I keep putting it off. I will hopefully have that finished by the end of the week as well.

Will this be a week when stuff actually comes off my needles?? Watch this space!

New Items For Sale

2009-11-08T18:10:00.004Z

Here are some pictures of some pretty new things up for sale on my Folksy shop. Take a look at them and some some more stitch markers and row counters at http://www.folksy.com/shops/charminglochie.

Knitting Podcast Review: Electric Sheep

2009-11-04T09:53:00.010Z

Electric Sheep: The Knitting Podcast from Hoxton Handmade

As many of you are aware I am a total audio geek. I love music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. I am not saying I have great taste but that's not the point :o)

So when I read on Ravelry that there is a new British knitting podcast called 'Electric Sheep' well I just had to have a listen. What Islander wouldn't when it's got a name like that??!

I will start off by copying her bio from her website 'www.hoxtonhandmade.com' for you:

Hoxton Handmade is a Knitter, Blogger, Electric Sheep Podcaster, & General Rambler who roams the urban jungle of London Town. When provoked, she has also been known to play the ukulele.

I seem to have come to this podcast late and it is already on episode 27 on iTunes so I decided to go back to the beginning and listen from episode 1. And it's been good fun too. I am now on episode 6 and I am thoroughly enjoying listening while getting the housework done or knitting. So I thought I would share my thoughts of this gem of a podcast with you all.

Firstly, it's great to have another British knitting podcast finally out there, and although I love all the Americans that podcast it is nice to hear a (seriously) English accent on a podcast. Her speech is clear and soothing and her use of the language is appropriate. The essay part at the beginning of the podcast is really good and it feels like you are listening to one of the knitting humour audio books out there as it tends to be pretty funny as well.

Hoxton Handmade also likes to explore the online aspects and community of knitting which for those of us living remotely is great. We don't all have access to iKnit London or Loop in London so it's great to hear that we're not the only ones not shopping at our Local Yarn Store.

And when she talks about things to see and do in London it's actually really good even when you are living at the other end of the country. Her enthusiasm for visits to places like the Victoria and Albert Museum is totally infectious but it's also great for me as I am hoping to visit London next year and now I know all the arty crafty things to do while there :o)

The sound quality of the podcast is excellent as is the jingle/intro music and the fact that new podcasts seem to be uploaded on a regular basis is a nice change from some which disappear for months on end!

All in all I totally recommend this podcast (so you have to listen!!) and you can subscribe through iTunes as well as on the website at http://www.hoxtonhandmade.com/. I will also link to the website under my podcast list on the right hand side of this page.

Happy Listening :o)

More Amigurumis

2009-11-03T09:07:00.010Z

As well as knitting socks during October I also had two amigurumis on my list. The first was for my nephews birthday and was a lion to go with a book I was giving him. Apparantly it was well received and I was really pleased with how he turned out. He was made with cheap acrylic dk from my stash and was super quick to crochet up. The mane was a totally new technique for me and I was really pleased with how it turned out.

The second was a monkey for little1. He saw me crocheting the lion and took it upon himself to have a quick flick through the book and choose something for himself which was the monkey. Again, he was made up with cheap acrylic dk from the stash but took a little longer as he was a little bigger.

The book mentioned is Amigurumi World from Ana Paula Rimoli. She also has Amigurumi Two out now as well as having patterns available to purchase from her etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/anapaulaoli .

I absoloutly love her patterns and really hope Santa is bringing me Amigurumi Two for my Christmas. I may cry if he doesn't!!! I've put the amazon.com links on here as they have good reviews but both the books are available to purchase from http://www.amazon.co.uk/.

These cute creatures are the reason I persisted in learning crochet and they really are rewarding to make. Try it, you might like it :o)

Socktober Is Over

2009-11-01T20:02:00.007Z

Although I didn't take part as I was running the competition I still knitted some socks just to show solidarity. That and the fact I had a ton of socks to knit up for gifts and actually still have at least 3 more pairs to complete before Christmas!! Anyway, Socktober is now officially over and the winner of the Stornoway Knit N Natter competition was Cheesybabe. There will be more on that after the prize presentation at this coming Wednesdays knitting group (including photos). So for now you will have to put with some pictures of my completed articles :o) These are all my basic plain vanilla socks. Which means it's a 2x2 rib for the cuff followed by straight stocking stitch leg and foot. I love having these socks in my handbag for portable knitting as they are so easy to do while in the car, waiting for appointments or at knitting group where I am talking (ummm, lots usually!) and so can't concentrate on a complicated pattern. I currently have two more pairs of socks on my needles.

One is the hot pink spider socks which are too complicated for my brain to work on while out and about and the other is a vanilla sock in the lovely Opal Harry Potter yarn that I bought from a fab shop called 'The Wool Shop' in Alnick in Northumberland while I was away. I absoloutly loved that shop as there was so much choice and the lady in there was lovely. The yarn is in the Harry and Ron colourway and they are going to be slouching socks for eldest child.

Hopefully I'll manage a few more blog posts this month and will definately post some pictures of our prizewinner and her prizes this week :o)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

2009-10-31T19:36:00.002Z

Pumpkin Trick or Treat Bag :o)

Audiobook Review: The Secret Language of Knitters by Mary Beth Temple

2009-10-05T15:20:00.013+01:00

The Secret Language of Knitters: The Hilarious Guide to the Language of Knitters

Author: Mary Beth Temple

Narrator: Read by the Author

Publisher: Knitting Out Loud Publishing

Unabridged – 2hrs 28mins Genre: Knitting Humour

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Secret Language of Knitters by Mary Beth Temple from Knitting Out Loud Publishing is another excellent example of the new genre of knitting audio books. This genre doesn’t make much sense to non-knitters and frankly I’m not certain I would recommend any to a non-knitter. But to someone with insider knowledge of this craft, this book will make you laugh out and loud and you will ‘get it’!

This particular title is what I would class as Knitting Humour within the Knitting Genre. Using a classic dictionary format it takes you through the common acronyms, phrases etc from the universal language of knitters giving the word, word class and then description. Referencing words within itself (which doesn’t work so well in audio) the book humorously explains those common words and slang phrases so often heard in Yarn Stores and Knitting Groups around the world that would leave a non-knitter wondering why knitters talk about SEX (Stash Expansion eXpedition) so much!

As a knitter there was a lot in the book that resonated with me, especially the section on how stress knitting can soothe and help you get through those tough times. And who knew that Tink came from Knit spelt backwards?!? However, this is not a technical manual and those looking for such shouldn’t expect any instructions on knitting techniques from this book.

I personally loved the way the author narrated this book. The good thing about an author narrating their own audio book is the way the inflections and flow of the narration are so natural as the author already knows how they expected a certain sentence to sound given they wrote it. I found this narration soothing for the most part with the right injection of humorous inflection at appropriate times however, it did sound like they were trying too hard at times. The quality of the recording was superb as always from Knitting Out Loud Publishing and I would definitely recommend this book to any knitters looking for something funny to listen to while they are working on that complicated project.

Socktober is Here!!

2009-10-01T10:59:00.006+01:00

Woohoo!!! I am that pleased about it. I am going to work soley (get it??!) on socks this month. I already have two pairs on the needles I want to finish (pink & purple and spider) plus I have an idea of a pair I want to make He Who Pays for Christmas. I know I still have brother in law from the city's wrist warmer to finish but that won't take long and I am going to leave my 'Amused' sweater on the needles until next month.

I will hopefully have a lot of knitting time as I am going to be travelling quite a bit for a couple of days in October and I won't be doing the driving so that is perfect sock knitting time.

I have also finished a Wine Bottle Sweater I was knitting as a test piece to help one of the Stornoway Knit N Natter group and I am really pleased with it:
Now, this sweater doesn't cover the whole bottle as I stopped short as it was only a test piece. However, this is an incredibly easy and quick knit from the most recent edition of Knitsimple magazine and I can see me making a few of these as gifts for the red wine drinkers I know.

In other news, I still have to write the audiobook review for the fantastic 'The Secret Language of Knitters' audiobook from Knitting Out Loud publishing but I will get round to that soon. I wasn't well for a while so haven't had a chance. In the meantime I have started listening to their other recent addition 'Mason-Dixon Knitting' from the printed book on my mobile phone so that will take me longer to get through as I will probably only be listening in the car or maybe when walking but still shaping up to be a good listen.

I also have every intention of doing two specific blog posts about knitting podcasts and magazines I like but can't promise that before the end of October.

Happy knitting everyone :o)

Busy Busy Busy

2009-09-24T20:52:00.008+01:00

I think I might have had a case of startitis!! But first off are my actual completed projects for the Single Skein September competition:

The first is the Boyfriend Hat from Ravelry free pattern which has been done in beautiful Rowan Cashsoft Aran for my brother in law in the city. The next is a lovely furry pink funfur neck warmer knit in the same stuff I use for the gnome beards but can't remember the name of and the final picture is a neck warmer in purple Wendy Shimmer for my nieces Christmas present which I am going to buy a Disney princess brooch for.

This is a picture of the first of a pair of Dashings that I am making to match the Boyfriend Hat for brother in law in the city's Christmas as a matching set. Hopefully they will be finished before the end of Single Skein September although I can't enter anyway!

We're going to run a 'Socktober' competition at Stornoway Knit N Natter next month so I put two pairs of socks I was working on on hold so I can work on them during October. The first is a pair of pink and purple striped socks in a womens medium using Patons Dreamtime Fairytale 4ply:

I have to admit that I love working with this yarn. And once it's all knit up it washes and wears so well.

The second is a pair of Spider Socks from a Ravelry pattern in the Calana Crafts Grevilla yarn:

And finally on the needles is the pattern Amused in a purple Wendy Aran yarn. I think this one is going to be a while because I have so much to do before Christmas. I knew I should have started earlier!

Maybe I should actually get round to some knitting rather than just casting on!

Last Nights Knit N Natter

2009-09-17T21:35:00.002+01:00

Well Knit N Natter was certainly busy. We had 7 of us there in total including a new person which given the gorgeous weather was really good. Cheesybabe is working up a storm on her single skein projects but KnitIsle is giving her a real run for her money with her dickension mice from the Alan Dart patterns. I forgot my camera last night so I am going to ask them to bring in their projects next week so I can get some pictures for the blog and for the groups new facebook page. I haven't figured out how to link to that yet but will do soon.

For my own knitting I have put my pink & purple and my spider socks on hold until 'Socktober' next month. I know you all can't wait for that :o) In the meantime I am working on fuzzy cowl for my sisters birthday, a nice ribbed beanie for brother in law in the city's christmas and i've managed to finish a purple ribbon fun fur scarf for my nieces christmas.

I know the blog is a bit boring without pictures but will hopefully have some up for you by the end of the weekend.

Single Skein September Starts!!!

2009-09-10T16:38:00.003+01:00

Well actually it is running from 1st September to 30th September but due to illness I haven't been able to blog about it. There are posters up in Stornoway at Top Drawer, Library and An Lanntair as well as piece in the Stornoway Gazette. I haven't got any photos etc to post just now but here's a picture of what we're going to use for the Stornoway Knit N Natter logo cos blogs are boring with nothing in !

Green & Purple Socks Finished

2009-08-27T12:28:00.004+01:00

And here's the evidence:

Now, I know these are different shades of green. This is due to the fiasco involving little1 and the lovely free mint green merino from Yarn Forward. We don't talk about it so you will have to read the old blogpost for that. It just has far too many bad memories.

Anyway, I quite like the bright green and purple and the yarn used was Patons Fairytale Dreamtime 4ply for both the green and the purple. This is 100% wool and can be washed on a 30 degree delicate wash although i've found that this particular yarn doesn't wash well and felts really easily. But it is just so flaming soft and wasy to work with that I have to use it again and again.

Next on to my hot pink spider socks. I will have enough socks for winter this year!!!

Lucha Libra is Completed

2009-08-26T12:52:00.002+01:00

And being modelled rather gorgeously by He Who Pays :o) This is a birthday present for my brother in law who works on the rig supply ships in the North Sea so thought it might come in handy in winter. I'll let you know whether he likes it or not.

The green and purple socks are nearly finished, hopefully I'll get the chance to crack on with them at Knit N Natter tonight. And I'm hoping to cast on a pair of Spider Socks in hot pink in the next couple of days.

Now all I have to do is decide whether to go to a talk Alice Starmore is giving in An Lanntair on Friday about her new book Road Movies. Hmmmm, think it would be good?

Hello Again!

2009-08-21T21:38:00.007+01:00

It's been a busy time since the puppy came to live with us and I haven't had much time for blogging or knitting. But i've made some progress on the sock and the mexican wrestling balaclava so thought I would upload the pictures.

The balaclava has to be finished by next Wednesday but i've no idea if I will have it finished or if it will fit but here's hoping! The sock is fab. I love the colours and don't care that one will be mint green and the other bright green, it's still cool.

I have a feeling that the family member (He who pays) modelling the progress so far was actually quite taken with it :o)

I'm also still listening to 'The Secret Language of Knitting' audiobook. It's not long but i've been really busy which is why it's taking me a while. Highly enjoyable but i'll do a full review at a later date.

I shall make a big commitment to have finished Lucha Libre by the next time I post and have nice pictures of it :o)

New Additions to the Family

2009-08-13T20:40:00.005+01:00

Here's some pictures of our newest addition to the family:

This is Jasper our new dalmatian puppy. He's 8 weeks old and gorgeous. Little1 was a little bit put out for the first night but seems to have taken to him now. He's being trained in the garden at the moment but frankly having just toilet trained little1 this is a bit of a doddle!

And more additions to the yarn family:

This lovely Regia sock yarn was my present from my family from their holiday in Cornwall. Can't wait to start knitting it up. I'm thinking lots and lots of socks :o)

And this is the free yarn with Let's Knit Magazine this month. I actually really love the colours.

Any suggestions on what to make?

Better go and spend more time with my gorgeous puppy. Oh, and the rest of them!

I'm Officially Monogamous....

2009-08-06T06:52:00.005+01:00

.... remember we're talking about knitting here!! Obviously I am in all other areas too but that goes without saying :o) See, I try to have a portable project that I can knit in the car and at knitting group which usually tends to be a sock and then a larger or more complicated project for at home. But if I have more than one project on the needle I seem to just get overwhelmed and do nothing!!

But I have to have 2 projects or else I would just mess up stuff like Lucha Libre at knitting group which wouldn't be good. So here's a picture of the purple & green sock I am working on:

This sock is to match the loan purple & green sock I made previously. It wasn't a case of second sock syndrome remember? It was a case of little1 got in the knitting and made me cry but we're not going to talk about it again as the pain is still too great. Now I couldn't get exactly the same colour so this green is much more grass green than mint green like the previous yarn but I am not bothered as they are for me.

Which leads me to believe that as well as being monogamous I am also a process rather than product knitter. Ah, the labels for my personality just keep on coming eh??

Plain Blue Socks Finally Finished

2009-08-04T13:35:00.003+01:00

And are now on my feet. Bit disasterous in a way. I ran out of yarn just as I reached the toe decreases on the second sock so had to change to a contrasting pale blue yarn. And then when I was finished I realised that the second sock is actually quite a bit larger than the first! But as these socks are for me it's not a huge deal and they are super super comfy so I am happy :o)

I now have to get cracking on the Lucha Libre balaclave for brother in law from the sea and I have bought and downloaded the pattern for the Yogini Bolero from Knit N Tonic. I can't wait to get started on the bolero but i've decided I want to do the long sleeve version in a really luxurious yarn so I have to sell a bit more on ebay before I can afford to start that!!

I got loads of knitting done while I was at a crafty afternoon with Cloudpurple, L and L from knitting group yesterday and it was such a good laugh. The world doesn't realise how super funny knitters are do they ?? :o)

So excited..... can hardly blog...

2009-08-01T11:24:00.003+01:00

.... I received two yes TWO knitting audiobooks in the post today from the lovely Kathy Goldner at www.knittingoutloud.com. They publish knitting audiobooks and I will be reviewing these two books. And I am going to go back and relisten to their other titles so I can review them also. I will be doing both written and audio reviews here on the blog. I received Mason-Dixon Knitting outside the Lines by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne and The Secret Language of Knitters by Mary Beth Temple. So I excited I don't know which to listen to first. Think I better go and have a lie down!

Oooops, It's Been A While!

2009-08-01T05:39:00.012+01:00

Life has been busy busy busy over the Scottish school summer holidays. Despite Eldest Child disappearing to the mainland with his cousins to go on holiday in Cornwall with their Grandparents I have been really busy with ebay sales, general housy stuff and Little Ones general demands.

But disturbed sleep causing me to get up at 5am means that I am finally able to blog :o) In my knitting life I haven't got much done in the way of actual knitting but I have been cataloguing my stash, buying new sock yarn (see pics below) and creating a library list of my knitting books. I know this is all very sad but it makes me feel better!

I sorted through the sock yarn in my stash and discovered I had lots of left over yarn that would be enough for one sock but not two. So I took my leftover yarn to the Top Drawer (my local yarn store) and bought either another ball or a complementing ball of sock yarn to enable me to get a pair from each colourway. And the result is:

Add this to the fact that my sister has bought some sock yarn for me to knit her some socks with & my mother has bought me some sock yarn for me to knit my own socks with and all the other sock yarn, I now have 8 pairs of socks ready to cast on. And knowing me they will all be plain stocking stitch. Actually I think I will definately have to try some patterened socks. Any suggestions??

On the non-sock front I have the Lucha Libre Mask from Son of Stitch 'N Bitch on the needles. This is going to be a birthday present for brother in law from the sea who spends 4 weeks at a time on a boat in the North Sea. The chances of him actually reading this blog are slim to none so I feel safe talking about it :o) This is meant to be a more humerous gift as frankly the guy needs nothing so what else to do but knit him a balaclava.

The yarn I am using for that is the King Cole Anti Tickly Merino Blend Aran in a red and blue colour:

On the listening front I have actually been mainly listening to podcasts and music (I know actual music shock horror!) so haven't really been getting through 'Blasphemy' audiobook. But I have discovered a few new podcasts which I really like namely Family Knits, Knitpod and The Sassy Sheep. Check them out.

Think that's it for now so I will hopefully update soon with at least one finished pair of socks!

Audiobooks, knitting & some fame!

2009-07-19T22:52:00.006+01:00

Well it's been a momentous week all round here!! I've lost weight, cast on a tank top for little 1 and our ferry to and from the Island has started sailing on a Sunday. This has slightly overshadowed the first gay marriage to take place on the Island which is happening tomorrow but aren't we all progressive?? Yes, the Isle of Lewis has been dragged kicking and screaming in to the 21st century and despite the media trying to make out we're a bunch of backwards god fearing tribesmen a lot of us are actually pretty happy with what's going on. That's the most political content I can put in a blog that is primarily about my knitting and what I listen to while I am doing it. But here's a picture of the ferry just in case you wanted to see it :o):

As for fame it is actually the Stornoway Knit N Natter who are famous. We are the Club of the Month in Knit Today Magazines' August issue which I received on Friday as I subscribe. I have to admit I may have squealed a little bit when I saw it and I texted everyone in my phone book to tell them. Brother in Law from the sea was a bit confused by this but everyone else seemed to get what was going on. It's a great feature and I am really pleased that we have been portrayed so well but I am also very glad that it's Cloudpurple and Cheesybabes pictures who appear twice in the magazine and not mine!!!

I did say that I would review Eifelheim by Michael Flynn, the last audiobook I finished, but I am not going to. This is because I actually recorded a book review for this audiobook for a new podcast on audiobooks that will be coming out soon and I don't want to take anything away from that. As soon as it's up and running and released I will let you all know on here. In the meantime I am going to try and catch up on some listening while he who pays is galivanting off on business on the mainland. I have quite a bit of driving to do over the next two days so myself and little1 are going to be enjoying Blasphemy by Douglas Preston and a couple of new knitting podcasts that I want to listen to.

On the knitting front, I am loving loving loving the stripy tank top. I have no idea how it's going to turn out as my finishing on the shoulders of the back was awful and I reckon it's going to be tight getting it on over his head but I am plodding on regardless. The colours are really nice but I was very nearly tempted by the new regia colours that have come into the local yarn store. They were just soooooo yummy. But I must resist for the sake of the stash box which is overflowing so much it's lid has broken!

Finally a Knitting Update!!!

2009-07-16T16:58:00.006+01:00

Been totally unorganised with being away but finally getting round to posting an update on my projects. Well the February Lady Sweater is finally finished. And here is a picture of it:

This is such a cosy cardigan. I absoloutly love it and I will be making another one in a deep pink or purple when I get a chance. I am hoping to start it in August so I'll have another one for the winter but there are a couple of other projects I might start first!!

And the Teresa blanket is also finished:
This is a small rectangle which would be perfect as a car seat blanket. I know one person who is expecting a baby in a couple of months so if she has a girl this will make a perfect baby gift.

I currently have the plain blue sock as my in my handbag project and the first sock is finished and I am about half way through the leg of the second one. I want to make a few pairs of socks before winter for myself as I've recently discovered that most of my socks have holes in them. And not that I'm a knitter who can actually knit socks I'll be damned if I'm going to buy my socks!!

I am also working on the Stripy Tank Top from the Lucinda Guy book 'And So to Bed'. This is a lovely pattern and I am making it in size 3-4 years for Little 1 in various shades of blue and grey. Knowing my child there is a good chance he will refuse to wear it but I am going to try!!

I am actually quite excited about this tank top (yes, I know I need a life!) because I went shopping in my stash for the yarn for it and was really pleased to find nice colours to use. I couldn't get a decent photo of the colours so will try again once it's finished! In the meantime, here's a picture of it in my bag:

And I think that's all for the knitting. Knit N Natter was cancelled this week as it is the Annual Hebridean Celtic Festival here on the Isle of Lewis. This internationally acclaimed music event means that our little town is heaving with people and so we decided not to do battle with the crowds for our usual table at An Lanntair. It will be good to see them all next week.

Next up is an audiobook post but that will probably take a couple of days to get together!! Until then, keep knitting :o)

Holiday Panic

2009-06-30T17:49:00.001+01:00

Trying to get ready to go to the mainland on Thursday which is why no blog posts! Will blog before I go but until then keep knitting :o)

Lifelines

2009-06-24T20:48:00.005+01:00

It has been a beautiful day here on the Isle of Lewis and here are the pictures to prove it.

That there is my view people!! That is why I live on this gorgeous rock. I had to just share the sun with you all :o)

With regards to knitting I haven't got as much done as I would like. Little 1 is no longer napping in the afternoons so the knitting has slowed considerably. However, I did get a few lace repeats done on the February Lady Sweater after initial frogging but this time I used lifelines and here's the proof:
Don't know if you can see them very well but there are two red cotton lifelines in there. The great thing about the KnitPicks /Pro needles are that you can thread the cotton (dk in this case) through the hole you use to screw the needle tips on tight and just work to the end of the row. It is really handy.

Although I took the blanket being worked in the Teresa Aran to Knit N Natter tonight I didn't get much knitting done as I was perusing a few books. I did take the February Lady Sweater along to show everyone and they all oohed and aahed at the right places. And Knitisle pulled out her medieval mice that she knitted from an Alan Dart pattern. They are sooooooo cute!!! I wish I had got pictures to show but I didn't have my camera :o( She is on ravelry.com so have a look.

Eifelheim is turing out to be a fantastic audiobook. I am really enjoying it so it would appear medieval sci fi is my thing :o)

Paid a visit to the frog pond.

2009-06-22T13:08:00.003+01:00

Thanks everyone for your comments. You all just confimed what I already knew and I set to frogging the February Lady Sweater. Now I was quite prepared to frog the whole sweater but when I got to the beginning of where I started lace I managed to get it back on needles no bother so just took it back to there.

As modelled by little1.

So I am going to start again but as I enjoy this knit it's not too bad. However, I will be using lifelines this time!!

Congratulations to 'shortly24' who won a set of 5 'hand made' stitch markers by being the first commenter. Email me your address at kelly@charminglochie.co.uk and I'll get them sent out to you :o).

February Lady Sweater Update

2009-06-21T20:12:00.008+01:00

I am about 6" off finishing the body of the February Lady Sweater so I thought it was time for an update.

Now the front of the sweater has a slight hole on one side but I figured that I can fix that without any problem:

Or maybe wear something over it! But hey, I just carried on. And then I realised that there was a flaw in the lacework:

It would appear that somewhere along the way my lacework went squiffy. Now I have a dilemma. He who pays assures me that it is unnoticeable to a non-knitter.

But I can see it clearly in these photos and know that all other knitters will as well. But the sweater is just for me and I planned to make another one as I am enjoying it so much so maybe I should just carry on and not stress about it? Any ideas? Suggestions? Encouragement??

Free 'Hand Made' Stitch markers to the first commenter :o)

Mohair is FLUFFY!!

2009-06-19T21:13:00.003+01:00

Cheesybabe bought round some mohair that she needed winded into center pull balls yesterday. I think I will be tasting mohair for a while! But the yarn was beautiful and I love any excuse to play with yarn. She also had three skeins of yarn from Calana Crafts that she bought while at the WWKIP day event last week for me to wind so I got to play with more of the gorgeous stuff.

I have managed to get a few lace repeats of my February Lady Sweater done over the last few days and I love this project. I really really really hope it fits me when it's finished as it would be so nice to have made a garment that works for myself!

And the Teresa blanket is still plodding along. Still the love the way the colours knit up and it's the perfect pick up and knit in between stuff project. I have had a request for a pair of socks for someone from the sock yarn I bought last weekend so I think I will finally attempt a pair of Monkeys from Cookie A but not sure as yet.

On the audio front I finally have another audiobook on the go. Alas, due to circumstances outwith my control, it is not the next in the Matthew Shardlake Series, Dark Fire, but Eifelheim by Michael Flynn. Still, I am really enjoying it and look forward to reviewing it.

On the latest Doubleknit podcast, episode #22, Erin and Jessica talk about Jessicas trip to TNNA and it's another great episode. I really like this podcast as they not only talk about knitting but books and films and TV and the interaction between the two is fun and natural.

Hopefully, i'll have more pictures of knitting to post over the weekend as blog posts are boring without pictures :o)

More Audiobook than Knitting

2009-06-17T13:05:00.005+01:00

As the title says this post has more about audiobooks than knitting. I finished Tyrannasarous Canyon by Douglas Preston yesterday evening and it was a really good listen. Some of the voices the narrator did really grated on my nerves, for instance he wasn't good at female voices making them sound a bit breathy but the story was fantastic (as always from this author). The fact that it involved paleontology, geology and a little bit of the wierd made it perfect for me.

I did try to continue listening to KnitKnit by Sabrina Gschwandtner but it's just not for me. Normally I love listening to the Knitting Out Loud audiobooks as I find the history and theory of knitting really interesting but this just seems a no go for me.

My next Audible credit is due tomorrow and I already have Dark Fire by C. J. Sansom set for auto purchase with it. This is the next in the Matthew Shardlake series set in the reign of Henry VIII. I am a big fan of any Tudor fiction and I enjoyed the first in this series 'Dissolution' so much I put the second straight for auto purchase. My only grievance with these books is that they are the abridged versions. As far as I can tell there have been no unabridged versions recorded yet and it is unlikely there will otherwise I would have waited. Normally I wouldn't purchase abridged but these had such good reviews I couldn't wait and I am glad I didn't. Knowing me I will buy them all again if unabridged versions are released!!

But that's not until tomorrow so what to listen to today??? I only have a couple of hours listening time available today so I am just going to be patient and wait until tomorrow for the next instalment. I am sure I will find some knitting podcasts to listen to :o)

Speaking of knitting, I have to include this picture of the 'Teresa' colourway of Aran yarn I purchased from Calana Crafts is knitting up:

I am not sure my picture does it the justice it deserves but everyone who sees it 'in the flesh' raves over it.

New Stitch Markers For Sale

2009-06-15T17:58:00.003+01:00

I finally got round to photographing, editing and uploading my stitch markers that I have ready for sale to my Folksy Shop. Check it out at www.charminglochie.folksy.com.

Now I need to go and make more :o)

WWKIP Day Event report

2009-06-15T14:52:00.006+01:00

What a fab day we had down at the WWKIP Day event organised by the Woolwags, the Harris Knitting Group. We spent a wonderful 4 hours sat in the marquis outside the Harris Inn in Tarbert surrounded by knitters and gorgeous yarn. It was such a good laugh and it was so nice to meet up with our Harris counterparts.

The food from the Harris Inn was delicious and although it was raining at times we were nice and dry in our 'tent'. Here's some pictures from the event:

All of us enjoying some knitting and lunch.

Scrummy handdyed yarn from CalanaCrafts.

Some very artistic knitting shots by CloudPurple.

She's awfully good at this photography lark isn't she?

Yummy Yummy Yarn :O)

2009-06-13T17:00:00.003+01:00

Look at my pretty yarn:

Isn't it gorgeous? I couldn't resist these lovely colours. Teresa is a lovely multicoloured pure wool aran yarn while Opal and Grevillea are both 80% wool/20% nylon sock yarn. And it's all for me. These are handdyed by Calana Crafts who is one of the Woolywags Knitting Group who hosted the WWKIP Day event in Harris. We had a brilliant time and can't wait to get together with the group again. I am off to browse her ebay shop now :O)

Happy World Wide Knit In Public Day!

2009-06-13T07:21:00.003+01:00

Today, Saturday 13th June 2009, is World Wide Knit In Public Day. Stornoway Knit N Natter is off to meet up with the Harris Knitting Group who are hosting an event at the Harris Inn in Tarbert. Looking forward to a few hours of knitting, yarn and laughing. Hope you all have a great World Wide Knit in Public Day and manage to knit in public somewhere even if just for a couple of minutes.

Although neither of them read my blog I wanted to recognise the efforts of my Mother in Law and Sister on this most auspicious day. Mother in Law is picking up Little One early this morning and taking him all day for as long as I need and Sister is taking Eldest Child camping with her family overnight from this morning. Neither is a small undertaking and I am most grateful as He Who Pays chose the most important day in a knitters calender to go to the mainland despite knowing about it for months in advance. Issues, who has issues?? ;o)

Blogging on the go

2009-06-12T06:52:00.001+01:00

How exciting is new technology?! I've now discovered a new way to bog
on the go from my iPod touch :-) Another way to talk about knitting! I
love it

Amigurumi Guy is Done

2009-06-09T14:25:00.004+01:00

I finished Amigurumi Guy from the Lion Brand Website yesterday. He's really easy and quick and the results are pretty cute.

He's crocheted in an acrylic DK weight yarn and the picture doesn't really do his colours justice. He's a pretty funky purple/pink/green combo and i've already had to rescue him twice from the kids as they keep trying to steal him. But I think that's me for the week on the amigurumi front. I really need to work on some other projects.

In other knitting news I received a very exciting email from Knit Today magazine today to say that the Stornoway Knit N Natter will be featured as the knitting club of the month in an upcoming issue and we've won two books for it. Very excited about that.

And even more exciting is that Stamps the Knitted Hedgehog is coming to visit. Stamps is a hedgehog postman knitted by Geraldine in Ireland and he's on a round the world trip. You can see his itinery and follow his travels at his blog Stampses Travels. We're hoping he visits when the weather is good as we have great plans for trips to the Callanish Stones, Carloway Broch, Harris Tweed Mill and of course our fabulous beaches up here :o)

Little Wolf

2009-06-07T18:50:00.003+01:00

Little Wolf is finished.

He was dead quick to make, only 12 hours really as I started him last night and did a couple of hours today to finish him. But I think it shows really. I am not entirely happy with him but He Who Pays seems to think I should take him to WWKIP day anyway. What do you think?

The Ladybird Has Landed

2009-06-06T19:08:00.005+01:00

And she's pretty cute :o) Her eyes are a bit squiffy but we will blame that on 'He Who Pays' as he put the on for me.

I've also made some more stitch markers and a cushion to display them on at the WWKIP Day Event next Saturday:

Cushion is actually just a turtle I knitted up a year ago covered with a piece of quilting fabric but I was fair impressed with my ingenuity! I really enjoy making these and I have been using every different type i've made on my February Lady Sweater. This is because I want to sell these on Folksy but I will only sell ones which I find pleasant to use when knitting. The 'made with love' stitch markers are definately my favourite so I am now waiting for some new charms and beads to arrive to make another batch to sell.

My February Lady Sweater is coming along v e r y s l o w l y :o( This is because I want to make as many amigurumis' as possible to display at the event next week so I am only knitting a couple of rows a day as a treat for working on other things.

I will probably try and finish birdie for the event as well as there is only a couple of pieces left to knit for it and I am casting on the Little Amigurumi Wolf today as well so hope to have that finished. Busy week coming on.

On the audiobook front I finished 'Dissolution' by C.J. Sansom this week. A murder mystery set in a monestry facing dissolution in the time of Henry VIII investigated by a hunchback lawyer. Absoloutly brilliant!! My only fault with this audiobook that only the abridged version is available. Why on Earth do they even bother with abridged??!!! Despite this I have already marked the next in the series, 'Dark Fire', for automatic download when my next audible credit comes in. The narrator, Anton Lesser, was superb which is one factor which can really make or break an audiobook. This is definately a reccommendation.

The Summer edition of Twist Collective also came out this week and there are some fantastic patterns in there. I will definately be purchasing a couple of them and really enjoyed the article 'Swatch It! Summer 2009' by Clara Parkes. One of my favourite podcasts 'YarnCraft' from Lion Brand is adopting a new format. It's going to be shorter but will be weekly which is just fab!! Check it out as they will be covering crafting with kids which will be much needed over the Summer Holidays.

Look Ma, I Made Stitch Markers

2009-06-03T21:30:00.004+01:00

And here they are:

The pictures aren't great but I am pleased with the results. I might list them on Folksy but not sure yet. But I need to concentrate on Amigurumi Ladybird and February Lady Sweater for a while so I think I better step away from the beading!!

Sloppy Blogging!!

2009-06-02T17:14:00.004+01:00

Huge apologies for the sloppy blogging of late but I think I might be back on track. Had a few issues over the last couple of weeks and my knitting and crochet has really suffered. Not only have I not been doing much but what I have been doing has been dire to say the least. But I think my mojo is back so off we go :o)

The blue merino socks which are acting as my portable project are slowly but happily coming along. This is what I would expect as I only really manage to work on them when I am at Knit N Natter.

I cast on the February Lady Sweater last Friday and I love it. I've been mostly working on that when I am at home and although the yarn is 100% acrylic it feels lovely. It's Sirdar Supersoft Aran in a lovely shade of blue and I am hoping this will be the garment to dispell my garment curse!

Birdie from the Lucinda Guy pattern is still on the needles and I won't frog it or give it away but he's asleep for the forseeable future (insert ashamed look here!)

And my final yarn project is the Amigurumi Ladybird from Lion Brand. I love doing this but was overtaken in my lust for the February Lady Sweater. However, I am hoping to have her finished before the WWKIP day event in Harris organised by CalanaCrafts to show off to everyone.

And here's something not entirely unrelated to yarncrafting. I decided to try my hand at making my own stitch markers using Fimo. As you can see the end product isn't entirely attractive but I am happy that the theory is sound so I am hoping to refine the modelling. I'll keep you updated :o)

Lots To Talk About....

2009-05-24T16:01:00.004+01:00

.....but no pictures i'm afraid. Little One's Tank Top has been put in the bin along with the two colour socks. Turns out the knitting gods were really really mad with me!!! I've had such little luck with my knitting that I wasn't even able to knit for a couple of days. My family seriously thought I might be sick but i'd just lost my knitting mojo.

But i'm back with it now and I am working on a plain pair of navy blue socks for myself and an amigurumi ladybird from the Lion Brand Free Patterns. Birdie in cotton is still in the knitting basket and will be worked on at some point.

I've discovered how to put my knitting patterns on my iPod Touch and also how to track my projects with the KnitMinder application for the Touch. Unfortunately the rest of the family are addicted to the games on the iPod Touch which makes it difficult to follow a pattern at the same time!

I finished listening to Relic by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a horror and so was a bit gruesome in parts but the narrator was fantastic and the gruesome parts added to the story rather than putting me off it. I am now listening to Dissolution by C.J. Sansom which is a Matthew Shardlake novel. A lawyer investigating a murder in Tudor times. Very different to a prehistoric creature eating brains in a New York museum but very enjoyable also.

I am also catching up on quite a few knitting podcasts. Knitty Nora is back after her twins and she's put out three podcasts which were all excellent. And I am enjoying the latest episode of Stash and Burn while doing the ironing on and off today. Check them out as they are a great knitting fix while doing other things.

Taking a break

2009-05-18T21:26:00.001+01:00

Just a quick post to let you know that after the nervous breakdown following the toddler + yarn incident I have fled to the mainland for a short break. Actually, I am over visiting my parents for a few days knitting my heart out so more photos and knitting updates will be posted when I get back. I will also update the 'What I am Listening To' links and do a couple of audiobook reviews. Happy Knitting guys :o)

Mourning for my socks

2009-05-13T13:49:00.003+01:00

All I will say is toddlers and yarn do not mix. Behold the evidence:

The picture does not do justice to the knots and filth that were created as Little One went ruining through the house dragging it along the laminate (not that my laminate is that filthy but dust gathers you know?!).

We should all take a moment of silence as the yarn is deposited in the bin and comfort the lone sock that remains never to be matched.

Needless to say, said child is now in time out.

1 Sock Down....

2009-05-11T20:44:00.002+01:00

.... and 1 more to go. Luckily my knit pro nova tips arrived this morning just in time for me casting on the second sock. Not going to take pictures until I have finished the pair. Really please with how the first one has turned out despite the heel gusset being a bit ropey. Hopefully I can tighten it up on second sock. The colours are cool and the sock fits me perfect which is always nice :o)

And I've decided to give birdie a reprieve. As i've only got his wings and eyes to go it seems a waste to try and pass on what I've already done. I am going to let him rest in the knitting bag until I've finished the second sock and then I will pull him out again.

And the tank top for the Little One is coming along nicely. As I am at a stage of knitting x amoutn of inches in stocking stitch in the round I am keeping it as my out and about project and it's small enough to fit in my handbag so that's handy.

The Relic audiobook by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston is highly addictive so I have being doing housework without complaint so I can listen to it. But now it's time to settle down with Relic and my sock and some hot chocolate. Bliss!

Knitting Podcast Glut

2009-05-08T21:34:00.003+01:00

After finding a replacement needle for broken symfonie yesterday I spent a couple of hours back on the two colour socks listening to three excellent knitting podcasts. Check out DoubleKnit, Stash And Burn and YarnCraft for excellent knitting talk. These are all two person shows which means there are two hosts chatting to each other and both DoubleKnit and Stash And Burn covered some of the new American knitting magazine releases. It's interesting to hear what they are getting over the pond in their mags. YarnCraft is the podcast for the Lion Brand Yarns company and they covered wedding knitting. Not as weird as you'd think actually!

On another topic I am now on Twitter. Yes I finally got sucked in and joined the dark side. Totally fab and totally addictive. Find me over there as charminglochie. I'll hopefully get a link posted to the sidebar of the blog in the next few days.

And cotton birdie is a no go. I've shot him down. I'm sorry but I'm just not cut out for cotton!! I think I will pass him on to cheesybabe and cloudpurple to do what they will with him (they like cotton so they'll take him in!). I think i'll stick to my socks which are getting a bit blinding now!

That'll Teach Me!!

2009-05-07T20:11:00.005+01:00

Well I shouldn't have been so smug yesterday. The knitting gods decided to frown on me for being so proud of myself. Behold the evidence:

My knitpro symfonie broke :o( I don't know what it is about me and the symfonies but we just don't mix. I had to order a replacement in the nova metal tips. I just can't be trusted with wooden needles anymore!

I had been having a good day with some knitting goodies, crochet hooks and a knitting magazine coming through the post but that'll teach me eh??

Said knitting magazine was the June 2009 issue of Let's Knit.

Not impressed. I'd previously cancelled my subscription but the last payment I made covered this issue as well so it dropped through my letterbox today. The free gifts of stitch holders and markers were welcome enough as they are alwasy handy. The magazine had 19 patterns in it but in the pattern gallery they also show three fimo recipes for stitch markers. Although nice and I am actually thinking of making them I don't see how these can be classed as patterns?

However, I did get a number of websites for interesting knitting resources and I have to admit that this is one way in which Lets Knit does deliver monthly. Although i'd probably spend more time knitting and less time on the internet if it wasn't for these resources :o)

Productive Knitting Day

2009-05-06T21:28:00.002+01:00

Well I am feeling very very smug! I have had a productive knitting day today. Well it more sort of started last night. Because 'he who pays' was watching the football I was listening to Relic and got a good chunk of birdie knitted. I can only knit birdie when the kids are in bed or else I would lose my place which would end badly.

And then in between mummy and house tasks today I managed to knit a good 10-15 rows of little ones tank top. This is just a basic 2x2 rib edging and then stocking stitch knit in the round so it's not exactly difficult at the moment (that comes when I have to do the armhole decreases). But it does make it a great project for knitting little bits here and there.

And then at knit n natter tonight I finished the leg of the first of the two colour socks and started the heel flap in purple. This isn't come up as neat as i'd like but they're only for me and they are supposed to be my not concentrating portable project so I am not bothered.

Was a good with knit n natter with M bringing along a friend, another M, and K managing a huge chunk of her baby blanket. J (our new start) was swatching up for a popcorn bear which is gorgeous and is going to look lovely. Cloudpurple was working on a charity knitting project and Cheesybabe had finished the first of her pair of socks for her other half and was casting on the second sock. And the hot chocolate was delicioius :o)

Elephants in the House

2009-05-05T11:05:00.005+01:00

The pink dancing elephant is finished. Isn't she pretty? Little one actually seems quite taken with her so she won't be going in the Folksy shop. Also, her stuffing is showing a little bit through the stitches as I stuffed her a little too firmly so I don't want to sell her looking like that. But apart from that I am very happy with my latest amigurumi offering.

Bought Verena Knitting Spring 2009 yesterday. It doesn't have any articles but the patterns in it are gorgeous. I really want to add a few of them to my Ravelry queue but because I wouldn't be able to buy they yarn (because of my yarn diet) I think it's best to leave it until after September when the diet officially ends. This magazine cost me £3.95 and was well worth the money with over 50 patterns inside in a huge range of sizes and syles.

I have still got birdie and the two colour socks on the needles but I also cast on a tank top for little one yesterday. It's going to be plain blue and is based on the pattern from Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. I have adapted it to knit it in the round but with my success at garment knitting I should probably have stuck to the original pattern to avoid disaster! I guess we'll just have to see how it turns out.

AND.... I think I am going to cast on an amigurumi dog in the next few days. We'll wait and see how I feel. I think I am compensating for not being able to cast on Grace from Verena but I am determined to stick to my yarn diet. No really, I am !!

Today I Like....

2009-05-02T20:41:00.004+01:00

..... my clover soft touch crochet hook and my audiobook! The clover soft touch crochet hook is an absolute dream to work with. I received mine yesterday and started the Girl Elephant from Boy and Girl Elephants from Amigurumi World with it. It's been great to use and I was so impressed that I went online and ordered some more sizes for the rest of my amigurumi planned projects.

And I'm pretty impressed with the audiobook I finished today. It was Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Scott and narrated by Scott Brick. 10 hours of excellent listening which really helped me get through my housework.

I hope to have my Girl Elephant finished tomorrow so if I do I will post a picture up. My socks are still being used solely as my portable project and birdie is stuffed to the bottom of the knitting basket until I've finished the elephant. I needed a break from the cotton :o(

Knit N Natter Saved My Life....

2009-04-30T16:22:00.004+01:00

.... well more my kids really!! I was so glad to get out of the house yesterday evening to Knit N Natter. It really is my saviour once a week. Cheesybabe is working on a fab pair of socks in King Cole zigzag for her other half. I think she is deliberately trying to tempt me off my yarn diet as they look really nice and I am really tempted to get some. And Cloudpurple was casting on a baby hat for a friends baby in some gorgeous cotton yarn. I think it's going to knit up lovely. K is still working on a baby blanket for a friends baby and L is working on a scarf for lovinghands.org.

And i'm still working on the portable green and purple socks. I have another couple of inches to do on the first sock leg. Although I love the colours I am not so much in love with the yarn. The Patons Dreamtime 4ply piles as you knit it and the yarn forward yarn is really really splitty. But I still like the ease of the project. I really am going to have to do some jazzy socks next as I can't keep doing plain socks!

In non-knitting news, my new handbag (Kipling no less) arrived which I paid for courtesy of my ravelry knitting book sales. Big thanks to all those who bought books from me and I hope you are enjoying them. I just have to get all my non-knitting books up for sale now. And Monstrous Regiment audiobook kept cutting out so I am going to have to pick a new one to listen to. Suggestions anyone??

Purple - Yum, Cotton - uggghhh!

2009-04-26T19:36:00.008+01:00

Here are my yummy green and purple socks:

I love them :o) My rubbishy photographic skills do not capture the yumminess of the colours in their full glory but trust me, they really are yummy! And of course I am knitting them on my knit pro symfonies which tend to make knitting a bit of a luxury experience. But I am being very strict with myself and only knitting on these when I am out and about. They are to be my portable project for the next few weeks. I've never knitted a sock with a contrasting cuff, heel and toe so I am really hoping I don't mess them up beyond belief!

And on to the ugggghhh part of this post. I hate knitting with cotton :o( Now some may ask why I am perservering in this endevour but if you go on to ravelry and search for the pattern 'Birdie' by the designer Lucinda Guy you will realise why. This is the cutest way I felt I could use up the cotton yarn I had in my stash. And as I am all about only using the stash in 2009 (which by the way is working pretty well) I thought this pattern was the way to go. We'll wait and see if this turns out as I hope!

In other knitting news, the Harris Knit N Natter group organiser emailed details of their event for World Wide Knit In Public Day. They will be be at the Isle of Harris Inn on Saturday 13th June, from 11-3 so there will be access to food/drink and also sitting and toilet facilities. What more could you ask for in an afternoon of knitting??

And my book sales are going well. I think I have made enough to invest in a couple of new books and I am really interested in 'Sock Innovation' by Cookie A, Amigurumi Two by Ana Paula Rimoli and Amigurumi Knits by Hansi Singh. If anyone has any reviews of these (good or bad) please let know :o) Happy Knitting!!

Mommy & Baby Penguin

2009-04-24T22:18:00.003+01:00

Here's mommy & baby penguin.

I am really pleased with them both but not sure if they are going in the Folksy shop as yet. I will think about it overnight. I really love the patterns in Amigurumi World. They are really simple to follow but yield excellent results even from a novice like me.

I need to cast on some socks though for my portable projects as the toys are definately too fiddly to travel with. I am thinking of some cool purple and lime green ones. Not sure how cool they'll be but we'll see :o)

Book Clear Out!!

2009-04-24T13:40:00.008+01:00

Well I decided to bite the bullet and clear out my knitting bookshelf. Finally whittled down the ones I want to sell and here they are:

And that's just a fraction of the bookshelf. I can't believe that I am so obsessed with knitting I even have knitting fiction!!! In all truth I love books and hate selling them but I am slowly moving on to having my books on audiobook format so that I can sell the hard copies on. I don't think I will ever bring myself to do that with my beloved Terry Pratchett novels though.

I finally finished No Idle Hands: A Social History of Knitting in America. Excellent book with a very good narrator. Covered colonial knitting right up to Elizabeth Zimmermann and very interesting for the knitting obsessed listener. And baby penguin now has a head and I am starting work on his body today.

My first sale :o)

2009-04-20T17:04:00.002+01:00

BIG HUGE THANKS to Calana Crafts for being my first ever customer on Folksy. I'll hopefully have more up in my shop by the weekend for anyone else who may be interested. In the meantime, i'll do requests ;o)

My Folksy shop finally has something in it!!

2009-04-20T07:38:00.003+01:00

Timmy the Turtle is my first item for sale on my Folksy Shop 'Charminglochie Hand-Knits'. Find it at http://www.folksy.com/shops/charminglochie. Sorry the picture is a bit big. Haven't figured out how to resize them on this laptop yet. Please let me know what you think of the listing by leaving a comment here. I need feedback on it to make it as good as possible :o)

Spring has definately sprung.

2009-04-19T20:11:00.009+01:00

I can tell because we have a new arrival in our house.....

Meet Timmy. This excellent pattern by Alan Dart is actually for a glove puppet but Little One is a bit young for that so I stuffed the body, which is probably why he looks a little square.

The pattern also calls for Timmys' dummy but i've replced that with a red felt mouth as we're trying to wean Little One off his own dummy at the moment. All in all i'm pleased with him and substituting Patons Essence with Sirdar Snowflake Chunky seemed to work well.

I'm currently working on Mummy Penguin from Amigurumi World and hope to follow her up with Baby Penguin. I think I might cast on a pair of simple socks to keep as my portable project as the little bits of toys can be fiddly to carry with you. I have some grey sock yarn in the stash that should do nicely.

I've had a bit of a flux of knitting magazines recently with Yarn Forward, Simply Knitting and Knit Today all coming through my door in the last week of so. Yarn Forward was excellent as always but can't review as i've lent it to Cheesybabe to check out. But the other two were frankly dissapointing. The second part of Medieval Mice from Alan Dart was of course superb but nothing else did it for me in all honestly. If it wasn't for the toy patterns and the crossword I would cancel this subscription.

So now I have the excitement of choosing this months audiobook from Audible. I think I will go for something knitty as the Kelley Armstrong Otherworld audiobooks are giving me all the fiction I need at the moment. Have a good knitting week everyone :o)

One of those weeks

2009-04-18T07:55:00.002+01:00

It's definately been one of those weeks where life (or more accurately housework) gets in the way of my knitting. However, i've been making steady progress on Timmy and with only an eye and his tail to go I think I may have him finished before the little one gets over his obsession with him. Mommy Penguin is a slow burner. Just picking her up as and when I get a minute but she's in no rush.

The beautiful weather up here on the island means that i've been out and about a lot with the kids (good mummy karma points being earned) and with my new (old second hand) car it's been fun. I intend to make lots of amigurumi creatures to put in the car just to upset he who pays.

Knit N Natter was great fun on Wednesday evening. I hadn't been for two weeks (due to being on mainland) and it was really good to catch up with everyone. Cloudpurple is organising a lot of charity knitting for where she works and a couple of our members were working on that. Cheesybabe was working on a swatch (isn't she good doing a swatch and all that!) for a bolero she's making for her niece. It's in the most gorgeous pink colour. K was working on socks on 4 needles which I just can't do so i'm very impressed with that. We also had a new member show up. She was very nice and i'm hopeful we didn't scare her off with talk of Cloudpurples knitted boobs in her work window :o)

I think I bought too many books... oops!

2009-04-16T18:36:00.012+01:00

Despite only crocheting for the last 1.5weeks I appear to have amassed 5, yes 5 crochet books already. I thought I would do an exciting run down on them here because we all need more crochet book reviews in our lives don't we ? :o)

The first two books I purchased to try and learn how to crochet from were Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden and Amigurumi by Annie Obaachan. I think we can conclude from the fact that I managed to actually make something they are both pretty good books. Actually they are more than pretty good. Creepy Cute Crochet is the book I actually learnt the basic techniques from and the patterns in it are fab!

It has over 20 patterns in it including the grim reaper, a robot and a corporate zombie which I think I will make for 'He Who Pays'. Amigurumi also has a lot of patterns with over 15 toys to whip up but what I really like about this book is the design section. It is a 10 page section covering 'Designing animals from sketches', 'Making shapes with circular crochet' and 'Finishing touches' and I can see myself returning to this section many times in the futures.

The next two books I ordered from Amazon.co.uk and I was delighted with both of them. Amigurumi World, seriously cute crochet by Ana Paula Rimoli is definately my favourite book.

It has over 20 gorgeous designs and every one I looked at and thought 'I want to make that'. Surely that's a sign of a good book?? And the general guidelines section is really clear and well laid out. Ana Paula Rimoli has a second book Amigurumi Two!: Crocheted Toys for Me, You, and Baby, Too available for preorder on amazon which is due to be published 22 June this year. I am definately preordering that one today!

My other book from amazon was of course The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. Now I am not a big fan of the patterns that appear in the Debbie Stoller 'Stitch N Bitch' books but I love her writing in them. And her techniques lessons are so easy to follow in the books that that is why I buy them. I really find her books are staples for my knitting and crochet library.

And finally I picked up Kids Learn to Crochet by Lucinda Guy & Francois Hall in the local bookshop here in Stornoway at the weekend. The reason I did is because I have had great success teaching people to knit using their Kids Learn to Knit book and decided to give the crochet one a chance in case I was teaching anyone crochet. It's not like it's only kids who can use them is it?? Again, great technique explanations and the illustrations are dead cute :o)

So that's my crochet book purchases within the last 1.5 weeks. Sssssshhhhhh, don't tell He Who Pays :o)

More Amigurumi

2009-04-10T15:48:00.006+01:00

Yeah, I know... I may have a problem! I am totally addicted to these little critters now :o) Here is my latest creation, Timmy the Turtle:He's from the Tiny Turtle pattern from the Lion Brand website. Now, the Lion Brand website is an excellent knitting and crochet resource. Not only do they have free patterns but their 'Learning Centre' with FAQs and Learn to Knit and Learn to Crochet sections are fantastic. I also subscribe to their podcast 'Yarncraft' with Liz and Zontee and it's definitely one of my favourites.

I am now working on a second turtle, 'Thomas the Turtle', as these are great for practice and I know my kids or niece and nephew will give them a good home. Timmy only took me a day to complete. Now that isn't a full day with ignoring my kids etc. I actually did look after them and feed them as well as doing all the housework. And this isn't a nod to my crochet prowess either. Nope, it's more a case of these patterns being so fantastic and quick they can be done in a matter of hours.

Don't worry though, my knitting isn't being put on the back burner. I am going to start working on a new Alan Dart toy in the next week or so but haven't decided which yet. I am waiting until Sunday when I get the chance to sort through my stash and see what I have to choose a pattern.

Rupert the Deranged Octopus

2009-04-09T14:12:00.008+01:00

Meet Rupert the Deranged Octopus. He's got a creepy smile and his legs are different sizes as well as different colours. But he's my first EVER crochet project and I am pretty darned proud of him. I taught myself to crochet from YouTube last week and then used the Lion Brand Octopus amigurumi pattern to come up with him.

I am officially addicted to crochet now although I feel knitting will still be my first love. Here are some pictures of the second Alan Dart Chick & Egg that I made for my niece and my nephews Jean Greenhowe Easter Knits. They were really good travelling projects for the drive to and from Edinburgh.

While waiting for the ferry in Ullapool yesterday I also visited a shop called 'Unlimited Colour Compay'. The shop was amazing and one wall was filled with amazing yarn. But I was restrained and only bought a crochet hook. The staff were really lovely and friendly so I know where I will be going when I have to wait for 'that flaming boat' in future. Take a look next time you are there.

And finally here is my Hobbycraft stash. How many eyes does one person need? That's pretty much what 'He Who Pays' asked!

Really quick update

2009-04-06T10:13:00.002+01:00

As I am still away on the mainland and will be until Wednesday evening I thought I would post a really quick update on my knitting progress. I have finished eldest childs' hoody and it was okay apart from the hood which was a bit of a disaster. I have also knitted 4 of Jean Greenhowes eggs & 1 of her easter knits as well as a second Alan Dart Chick & Egg. Photos of all of these will be posted when I get home. I love the eggs as they are so quick and as I bought a gazillion toy eyes at Hobbycraft in Edinburgh (my idea of heaven by the way) I am going to be knitting a lot more toys :o) I also bought two amugarmi books which I will again post about more when I get home and I will also add in links to Jean Greenhowe and Alan Dart then. Happy knitting!

The knitting gods have finally smiled on me....

2009-03-27T22:32:00.003Z

..... and I seem to be getting somewhere with eldest childs hoody. After a disasterous attempt to graft the original front and the extended rib section together I decided to take a different approach. Well I actually cried and swore a bit and then chucked the ribbed bit in the bin. I decided to just knit down from the original front bit and re-do the ribbed section. It's working great and can't believe I didn't do it in the first place.

Added to the fact that the lousy weather has left us stormbound on our rock in the Atlantic this means that I might actually manage to get the hoody finished before we are due to leave said rock on Monday. However, this entire experience has taught me something very important. In future I will try and adapt the pattern to knit in the round and then the front and the back should hopefully be the same length!!!

My knitting is screaming.....

2009-03-26T20:26:00.003Z

Eldest child's hoody had a problem and I had to operate. The front was a good 2" shorter than the back.

See, it's a huge difference and there was no hiding my mistake.

I have no idea how it happened as I was a good little knitter and I counted my rows and I wrote my notes. Obviously I messed up somewhere and my poor knitting had to suffer the consequences. So I prepared the hoody for surgery:

I threaded a knitpicks cable through the stitches at the top of the ribbing and then another one through the stitches 4 rows up.

And then I did the most painful thing known to knitting man and woman. I cut.

And I even took pictures for you all to see. I swear I could hear my knitting screaming. Or maybe that was me! But it's done and I now have a cable supporting the end of the front of the hoody and the ribbing on another cable ready to be added to. I went wrong a few times and I think some stitches are from different rows but I am fairly confident I can tidy it all up and make it good.

I feel I owe it to my poor knitting :o( Wish me luck!

Magazine Review: Yarn Forward - May Issue - 12

2009-03-23T16:50:00.007Z

Yet again Shannon Oakey and the team at Yarn Forward have produced a quality magazine that actually takes me longer than 5 minutes to get through. Although I wouldn't knit them all I found all the patterns to be really eye-catching and I love the fact that the sizes go up to 50" on all the garments. At least two of them, 'Louisa' and 'Diamonds' had me running to the Internet to price up the yarn. That doesn't happen very often!

The features were excellent and a great read over a cup of tea. I had a personal interest in the Terry Pratchett interview, 'Knitting for Knights', as I am an avid Terry Pratchett fan and knitted one of the squares (albeit a very very basic one) included in the afghan that is talked about. I was also really interested in the 'Knit and Make Money' feature as this is something that I am looking to pursue.

The regulars such as 'Book Reviews', 'Knitting on the Net' and 'Tales from a Yarn Shop' were at their usual high standard and the photography was pretty darn luscious as usual. In short an excellent magazine for any standard of knitter

Two Sleeves At Once

2009-03-22T19:55:00.003Z

I finished the front of the eldest childs hoody last night and blocked it as well!! As I was making a start on the sleeves I decided to be brave and do two at a time on one long circular. So I hooked up a 120cm cable to the knitpro novas and voila:

They are coming along really well I am hoping to have the increases finished by the time I watch Lost tonight so it's just basic stocking stitch as I can't do anything more complicated than that while watching Jack and Sawyer ;o)

The Mother's Day socks were well received and the spare is eagerly anticipated. I am glad she liked them and in the winter of Aviemore they will definately be nice and warm. The niece and nephew visited today and seemed rather impressed with Bob the chick. This cemented the intention to make them one each for Easter but I am thinking of working with some different colours or maybe making some patterned eggs. Not sure which yet. But at least now I know what knitting projects I will be taking away with me next week.

I also picked up the lastest copy of the Debbie Bliss magazine and it's lovely. I will review it at later date but I want to have second read of it first :o)

Bob Has Hatched

2009-03-21T15:06:00.004Z

Although I am sure every mother thinks hers is the cutest I am fairly sure that Bob is. Here he is hatching:

Isn't he gorgeous? In all seriousness if I hadn't been full of the cold and taken more time with my finishing he would be much lovelier but even with all that he turned out great. Which is definitely more attributable to Alan Darts fantastic pattern designing than anything else. This was a quick and easy knit which is a perfect little gift to give at Easter. I'll definitely be making at least 1 more for the little one if not another 3 so I have 1 each to give to niece and nephew as well.

This means that I am back on the eldest child's hoody. Get Knitted once again came through with fantastic customer service and my new 5.5mm nova metal tips arrived yesterday so I could get to it. The back was completed a while ago and I should have the front finished by this evening. I am probably going to work solely on this now as I really wanted to have it finished for going away next week. We'll wait and see though!

My subscription copy of 'Knit Today' also arrived in the post today. I was frankly disappointed and pretty much done with it after 5Min's so I won't be reviewing it. Disclaimer time: you might like though so don't take my word for it :o)

Magazine Review: Let's Knit Issue 17 April 2009

2009-03-20T10:20:00.006Z

This is not a magazine I get every month but picked it up this month and thought I would do a review. Please bear in mind that I only mention things I like, I don't diss things I dislike just don't tend to mention them. I will give an overall impression at the end of the review but it is in no way suggesting it's what YOU will think :o)

The free gift with this issue is a set of 3.25mm bamboo dpns. I don't use dpns but I am not about to throw away free needles so they will be going into the collection.

Patterns:
There are 22 patterns in this issue ranging from sweaters to fimo flowers. However, I would only consider making 3 of them myself and I have written about them below.

Rosita - This is a chevron bag pattern using 2ply yarn. I really like the look of this bag and can see myself using it. It looks to be a fairly quick basic knit but with enough pattern to stop you from getting bored.

Little Big Cable - a gorgeous boys cabled jumper for sizes 6-12months, 1-2 years and 2-3 years. A way to do cables without being intimating as it's on a small sweater. And because of the small size you can indulge in the recommended yarn of Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK which would make this a real treat to knit.

Kasbah - A fair isle design sock using black and self-patterning schoppel yarn. These socks are black with sections of fair isle knit in contrasting coloured intarsia yarn. The effect is really striking and I am definitely adding this one to may queue.

Articles:
The stitches on the bridge gets a mention which is excellent. Not just because it's my neck of the woods but also because my knit n natter co member 'Cloudpurple' is taking part. Claire Thomas's article 'Knitting in Public' was as funny, articulate and familiar as all her writing and the article 'Home Grown' about British yarns was really interesting. This looked at three British yarn suppliers 'Sheepfold', 'Toft Alpaca' and 'Home Grown & Home Spun', covering the history and ethos of the businesses and it's great to see these entrepreneurs and their successes.

'18 reasons to get online' is an excellent resources for the net savvy knitter with links to pattern makers, social networking sites, videos and more. But be warned, you may spend more time online than knitting due to this article!!! I found the guide to sock yarns useful as I love knitting socks but the yarn guide isn't something I always read. It does mention 'Ripples yarns' which is produced fairly local to me so I was quite excited to see this gorgeous yarn featured.

'When We're Not Knitting' has the usual array of podcasts and blogs for you to check out and Let's Knit normally showcase some excellent examples on this page. This month's 'My First Knitted Memory' is Ysolda Teague and I love following this young Scottish designers blog. Her patterns are simply amazing and it was a really interesting interview with her.

That's really all that stood out to me from this issue but there may be much more or much less that stands out to you. Happy Reading.

I love my knit pro symfonies' but.....

2009-03-19T20:20:00.005Z

.... they don't love me :o( I only ever knit on circular needles and I love my Knit Pros. Although I originally started purchasing them when they were still Knit Picks. I like both the metal and wooden tips and have slowly been collecting every size in every tip (shh.. don't tell he who pays or he'll turn into his alter ego 'he who revokes the bank card') and a number of cables to go with them. However, I seem to constantly break my wooden knit pros. They either snap, or the join comes out or the laminated bit shears off. I don't know what I do because I really do love them.

So I've made a tough decision. I am going to stick to buying the metal 'Nova' tips now. Sob sob. Although it isn't that much of a hardship as I actually love the metal tips as well although I often jab my fingers with them. But I would still like to recommend both variations of the Knit Pros to everyone out there. They are a dream to knit with and the cables are fantastic for magic looping. As long as you tighten them with the key or a paper clip or a safety pin they never unscrew. And you can use a safety pin through the tightening holes to stop your stitches sliding up and off the tips when your knitting is stored.

Now for the chicken. I have decided that I will not post a picture of the chick and egg as yet in case anybody is squeamish. We don't want to be looking at dismembered chick over dinner now do we??? To explain, I have all the pieces of the chick knitted up but have to assemble him (he's going to be called bob' and as soon as I have I will post a picture. But I want to finish the egg as well so I think it will be closer to Sunday before Bob is assembled.

Eldest child's hoody is on hold as the knit pro 5.5mm symfonie came away from the join bit of the needle (do you like my technical term) and 'he who pays' is away so can't fix it for me. I have ordered replacement nova tips though so it will be going back onto metal instead of wooden. I fairly certain that it won't affect the gauge too badly.

And the Mother's Day socks went in the post today so hopefully from Sunday my mum will be able to read my blog :o) Everyone at Knit N Natter was suitably impressed with the stripes as well so I was pleased with myself even though regia did all the work.

Knit N Natter

2009-03-19T10:52:00.004Z

Last night's Knit N Natter meeting was great. It was so nice to get out and talk to other knitters! I love seeing what everyone is working on and it's such a varied range of projects. Cheesybabe (ravelry id) is working on a digger sweater for her little boy from the Lucinda Guy book 'Designs for Kids'. It's a really lovely project and she's just hammering through it. Cloudpurple (ravelry id) is working on a panel for the 'Skye Bridge' project.

Knitisle (ravelry id) is working on socks for her other half. She also bought in some regia yarn she has for other sock projects and it was all gorgeous. Very much tempted me away from my yarn diet. She favours the magic loop method for socks like I do and was helping B with hers. K has started to learn to knit on dpns and is knitting some seriously pink legwarmers and L is working on a chunky vest top. M is our resident baby knitwear expert and is working on the cutest baby cardy you've ever seen!

I worked on my mother's day spare sock. We have such a laugh and talk about everything from knitting to property to Harris Tweed. I am so glad that I started this group as it's enabled me to meet a really wonderful group of knitters. It's also really nice to see everyone helping each other out and learning new things from each other. There's always someone who can help even if that means them finding out the answer for you if they don't have it right there.

I would advise every knitter to find a knitting group and if you can't then do what I did and start one :o) You'll meet some great people through it.

Easter Knitting Begins

2009-03-17T20:56:00.003Z

Well I officially started my Easter gift knitting today. The lovely spring weather got me in the mood so I swatched up (yes, I swatched. I am as impressed as you!) and then cast on the Chick and Egg pattern from the Alan Dart website. I can't tell you the name and details of the yarn I am using as I am using loose skeins from my stash which have lost their labels. My poor organisation is embaressing but has prompted me to dedicate a couple of hours to my stash this weekend. I think it's attempt to escape has made me realise it is unhappy and needs more attention. However, I can tell you that the needles are my 3mm Harmony tips on a 60cm cable. Anyone who knows me knows I love my harmony and options interchangeable needle sets.

I have also cast on the spare mother's day sock for my bag. That will take a while as it really is my out and about project so probably won't do any work on that at home.

On the audiobook front you may notice that I have three on the go. There is a reason for this so thought I would explain. My audiobook listening is a little like my knitting projects and I have different books for different situations. I have my 'grown up choice' (Haunted) which I listen to when I am just sat knitting with my headphones on. These books aren't suitable for listening to out loud in a house with kids in as they may have some swearing in. I then have my 'young adult' choice (Northern Lights) which can be listened to in the car with the kids but is still enjoyable for me to listen to. And then I have my 'knitting' choice (No Idle Hands) which is what I listen to when I have to do something other than knitting with my headphones on (such as housework) and I have run out of knitting podcasts to listen to.

The Stornoway Knit N Natter meets tomorrow evening at 6pm in An Lanntair and I am really looking forward to it. I missed last weeks meeting due to a lack of babysitters and need my fix of talking knitty :o) It's a great crowd of knitters that meet and we do have a laugh. Plus there's cake and I love cake. Well, who doesn't?? So i'll hopefully post some news from the group up here tomorrow night.

Lovely Day on the Island

2009-03-17T09:14:00.004Z

These are pictures of the view from my house this morning. You have to agree that it's just plain stunning. It's on days like these that I fully appreciate the beauty of where I live. The spring weather has motivated me into laying aside eldest childs hoody and making a start on the Easter gifts. Little one and myself are going to dive into the stash later on today but not before going outside to take full advantage of the glorious day. Hopefully i'll know what Easter projects are on the needles later on this evening. In the meantime, if you want to see some more fantastic pictures of the island visit my friend 'cloudpurple's' blog 'View From The Island'. She really does take some amazin pictures. :o)

Mother's Day Socks are off the needles

2009-03-16T20:01:00.005Z

Finally I've finished the Mother's Day socks. I am so relieved that I will actually be able to post a gift on time for once. I still think it's a great vanilla sock pattern to have on the needles for 'no concentrating required' knitting. And aren't the colours just fab??!! I love self striping yarn. I've decided that I am just going to keep knitting socks in these colours as they are so funky.

So I am now back working on Eldest Child's Hoody and want to try and get it finished before our trip to Haven in a couple of weeks. But I also can't wait to start on Alan Darts Chick and Egg pattern for Easter presents for the boys. I can feel the lure of a new project pulling me in and I am not sure I will be able to resist! His patterns are fantastic and so great to knit. Check out his website at http://www.alandart.co.uk/.

I love starting new patterns. I love choosing what to do and what yarns to use and who it's going to be for. I think I should just succumb to the temptation and go and have a look at my stash and pick what I am going to use. Speaking of stash, something really scary happened today. My stash tried to escape. Seriously, I am not kidding. It has actually broken the lid on the blanket box it lives in trying to leap out. I even took a picture as evidence.

Now the question is do I have too much stash or do I have too small a blanket box? I am going with the second option. Better get back to some knitting to try and get the stash back in shape.

Not a productive knitting day :o(

2009-03-15T21:37:00.002Z

It's been one of those days when life and housework has had the audacity to get in the way of my knitting. Disgraceful really but there is light at the end of the tunnel as despite only managing a couple of rounds on the Mother's Day sock today, I only have 15 rows of the foot and then the toe decreases to go. I am fairly confident that I will have the pair finished to be posted in time for Mother's Day and the spare can go at a more leisurely pace.

I am still loving this sock. The plain pattern means it's so easy to snatch a chance to knit a couple of rounds in between other things. And being a sock it's great for a portable project in my handbag when I am out and about. The colours are so fab as well that it makes fun to knit and people are always commenting on how cool the stripes are. They are always amazed when they learn the yarn is self striping. Maybe i'll squeeze in a few more rows tonight now that i've reminded myself how much I like them?

Audiobook Review: Knitting Lessons by Lela Nargi

2009-03-15T20:39:00.005Z

I finished listening to 'Knitting Lessons' by Lela Nargi today and thought I would do a quick review of it. This book was narrated by Julia Olsen whose reading is fantastic as it is fluid and easy to listen to. This book was written as a series of essays by various knitters the author has interviewed. All of these were interesting insights into the history and motivation of the particular knitter. Some of these people discussed their knitting with such a deep creative passion that it made me wonder about my own. But it certainly inspired me to look more at my own creative thoughts regarding my knitting. A short audio book at 4hrs 20Min's but well worth it and highly recommended.

My First Post!

2009-03-14T18:57:00.008Z

Wow, so here's my first ever post. I suppose I should really say something about my life before I make the rest of this blog about my knitting. I am a stay at home mum to two boys, 'eldest child' and 'little one', and we all live on gorgeous Isle of Lewis with my other half, 'he who pays'.

I love knitting. As in LOVE it. Totally obsessed most would say! I knit, listen to knitting audiobooks, read knitting books, read knitting fiction books, read knitting magazines, listen to knitting podcasts, watch knitting dvds, watch knitting videos on youtube and did I mention I knit?? I am also rather keen on listening to audiobooks on philbert (the ipod, the love of my life). He is currently keeping a good 20 unlistened titles safe for me. I am also the organiser of the 'Stornoway Knit N Natter' because I got lonely and wanted to meet other knitters. Do you see a knitting theme here?

What am I working on?? Well, it's not that exciting really. My ravelry.com que makes me look like the most prolific and adverntureous of knitters. But the reality is a pair of socks and a hoody. I know, I am totally ashamed but I am on a deadline.

The socks are a basic plain stocking stitch pair. They are the kind I tend to carry around in my handbag. They are in a gorgeous pinky, purply, self striping 6ply regia and I love them. But I am making them for my mum for Mothers Day. Hence the deadline. And i'm making 3 of them. She's getting a pair and a spare as I had 3 skeins of this yarn so enough to have a skein left over which could make another sock but nothing else. Hey, we all need a spare though don't we?

The hoody is for the eldest child. He loves hoodys. He's getting to that age where he sits playing the xbox with his hood up. Indoors. Where it's dry. I don't get it either. It's in Sirdar Supersoft Aran and it's a cream fleck. It's actually a really nice easy knit which is good for knit n natter. Although I wish I had adapted pattern to do it in the round as that would be so much easier. Live and learn though.

I think that's all for my first post, hope you liked :o).