2012 knitting

Surely there must have been more!

Knitting update

I have been knitting.

I finished a sweater:

And the pair of socks that have been haunting me for ever:

And then I cast on two projects in colours I don't normally choose.

Vodka Lemonade:

and more socks:

Very patriotic!

Reclamation and refurbishment 1

I don't often buy knitwear. I knit a lot and have so much yarn stashed in the house that I've taken to calling it insulation and am contemplating getting Kevin McCloud round to do a feature on my sustainable approach to tackling keeping the house warm.

But, I do love a bargain and a poke around in a charity shop. Not going to tell you where my favourite ones are in case you get there before me. Last year, I was almost attacked in a branch of Age UK. I found a size 10 merino dress from East. Still had the £97 price tag on and was still on the website. AgeUK price :£9.99. I picked it up and continued to browse, when a larger woman tried to take it our of my hands.
'Are you buying this?' 
'Yes,'
'But I like it,'
'I like it too, it's in my hands and it's my size,'
'I don't care what size it it, for that price, it can stretch! Are you sure you're buying it?'
'Yes!'

I've had a lot of wear and pleasure from that dress this winter.

Anyway, last week's bargain was a sweater from Pachamama. I've always had a love for their sweaters, but they are expensive, usually too big for me now, and (shhh, say it quietly) quite badly made.
I bought this one - looks like it was never worn - for less than half the price of a ball of Malabrigo (which is the closest I can get to the yarn.)

Needless to say, it was huge on me.
So, I frogged it.
Do you know how horrible frogging badly-knitted intarsia is? Very horrible.

I reskeined it, washed it and rewound it.
I've got more than 700g of the pink and about 200g in total of the other colours.
I'm just waiting for inspiration, now.

Step One

I came to believe that I was powerless over my stash - that it had become unmanageable.

Decided to photograph the yarn I have and add it to my Ravelry stash database. 

Uphill racing

I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with daily blogging about the Tour de Fleece! To be honest, although I have managed, keeping up with the spinning has been difficult enough.

So, this week I have:
- spun, plied, skeined, washed and dried my Nowhere to Hide Falklands top from My Heart Exposed. This is my best effort so far and I'm very proud of this yarn. It will actually be suitable for socks, according to my reckoning, but I think it might be a component of some mittens I want to try.


I also finished the baby camel I had started. I love the feel of this, it's so soft - like baby alpaca. It needs to be something close to the skin. Maybe a cowl.



Now I am working on some merino from My Heart Exposed. It's trickier than the shetland and falkland I have done so far, but much less sheddy than the camel and not quite as slippery. I'm working slowly and carefully to try to get a thinnish, consistent yarn from this. I love the grey, pink, bluish colourway, which is quite different for me. It's called Eye Spy.

I went shopping and I bought...

...frankly, a ridiculous amount of stuff...



...at Woolfest!

I have vowed to stop buying (much) yarn and fibre throughout the year and save my budget for Woolfest next year. Had a really good day and got so much inspiration from the wealth of colour, texture and design on display.

Loved the sheep and alpacas too. And the rabbits! And the funny little depressed-looking dog I kept running into. He looked just like J when he has to come shopping with me. (Except smaller and hairier)

My haul:



Fibre from Philippa Joad (who taught me to spin) at Wheeldale Woolcrafts.



Gorgeous yarn and a pattern for a crocheted scarf (will need to relearn crochet!), which may become a throw instead, from The Natural Dye Studio.



Sock yarn and fibre from Freyalyn.






Acid dye starter kit and some fibre from DT Craft & Design.



Lovely buttons and a flexiband for my wheel.