Warm Christmas Wishes From Stitchville

PS: Having gotten into a blogging drill I am finding it hard not to blog ;)

Day 24 - The Climax

This afternoon I took some time out of the Christmas Eve preparations to make this star. This also complements the advent heart I made to 'anchor' the advent pouches onto. I thought it would be a fine symbolic gesture to crown the tree tonight of all times, which reminds me of my childhood Christmases when we actually decorated the tree on the Christmas Eve morning!


After a special Christmas Eve supper and then sending kids off to bed (at least one night in the whole year it actually is easy!!!) I cast on for the last pouch. Throughout the duration of this 'project' I indulged in a wide variety of yarns to choose from - the colour, fibre, texture and weight of which were all totally dependent on a whimsy, MY whimsy... I would choose freely and sometimes impulsively, knowing that I will get to make quite a few more choices in the days to come. Tonight was quite different. I knew that I could only make one more choice, this year at least. And I felt a bit apprehensive of the deciding moment. So I closed my eyes, stayed still for a second or two, opened my eyes - and chose this...


...because it reminds me of winter berries :) The yarn is Habu bamboo in red (col.5) and I absolutely LOVE it!

Well, this is it for the Advent Calendar. It was first conceived as a KAL project, but that aspect of it did not materialize and, nevertheless, it was perfect just the way it happened. Do feel free to make your own version of the tactile Advent Calendar next year if you like the look of this one and the (slightly off the wall) interpretation. It is fun and it also is a test of sorts. I highly recommend it. It definitely helps to keep track of time and contributes greatly to kids' excitement about Christmas. I particularly like the non-instant gratification aspect of the experience.

Finally, I would like to credit a Norwegian friend of mine who shared with me the Scandinavian Advent tradition of daily storing of little gifts for someone loved. I completely forgot about this conversation which we had quite a few months ago. The idea was planted and has germinated and been adapted quite intuitively in this project. I only remembered this conversation a few days ago and was stunned by how I was unconsciously influenced by it...

Day 23 - Fragrant Home

I opened one of my yarn drawers with a plan in mind - Rowan Summer Tweed in tomato red or chocolate brown... No idea where this thought came from. Anyway, there I was scanning the contents of my extensive stash when I saw this Araucania Pehuen in blue, still in a skein (easily distracted!!!). I took it out without thinking much and wound it into a ball. Out came 3.75mm needles (I needed to compensate for the time spent listening to the choir at St. Paul's Cathedral singing Christmas carols earlier on today and a gorgeous smelling activity I set up for children in the morning. It turned out that O's little fingers couldn't quite cope with the pointy cloves and I was promptly turned into the person in charge of his pomander, which very effectively diverted me from knitting).


I admit I haven't thought this through properly. I should have photographed these pomanders before dusting them with orris root powder, but there you go - I got carried away!

Day 22 - Heightened State Of Creativity

The culmination point is getting closer all the time and I seem to have entered a heightened state of creativity and - it follows - productivity. Having spent about 2.5 skeins worth of time on the sweater, I was reminded politely by my children that the pouch no. 22 was still missing, despite the evening hours drawing in and B.E.D. time approaching.


So I got on the case with the pouch no. 22.

This yarn here is Hotaru by Noro, and if you have been following this calendar adventure of mine you know that I have already been there and done that, except it was green. Nevertheless, here I go again:

I love this yarn, although it doesn't quite meet my 'natural fibre' standard (containing 68%cotton and 32% of polyester). It is like a magical daisy chain - simply entrancing.

And if that was not enough for one day I have about an hour of work ahead of me tonight. I'm looking forward to it... I'm not telling you what this thing is. It smells of lavender :) I shall reveal the secret very soon.

I'm in a swing!

Day 21 - Will Power

Today's pouch is made of Mirasol Sulka in sage.


I spent most of the day working on my son's sweater. I have been caught out. He hasn't got a single warm sweater that fits him well at present. All I can say in my defense is that he is growing rather fast, and I have resisted the urge to resort to an easy solution, i.e. visit this place. Don't get me wrong - I do like Boden, but not for knitwear. I am a knitter for heaven's sake!
This is a snippet of the sweater in progress. May I say that working chunky alpaca and wool mix on 6mm needle feels like riding a lightning. The progress is stunning!


There is something else I would like to put on record today. It's an excerpt from a book I have found on my bedside table this morning and opened randomly and the first thing I saw was this:

"Will power!" retorted Arkad. "What nonsense. Do you think will power gives a man strength to lift a burden that a camel cannot carry, or to draw a load that the oxen cannot budge? Will power is but the unwavering intention to carry a task you set for yourself to completion. If I set for myself a task, be it ever so trivial, I will see it through. How else can I have confidence in myself to do important things? If I said to myself, 'For a hundred days, as I walk across the bridge into the city, I will pick up a stone from the road and throw it into the stream,' I would do it. If on the seventh day I passed by without remembering, I wouldn't say to myself, 'Tomorrow I'll throw two stones which will do just as well.' Instead, I would retrace my steps and throw in the stone. Nor on the twentieth day would I say to myself, 'Arkad, this is useless. What does it help you to throw a stone every day? Just throw in a handful of stones and be done with it.' No, I would not say nor do that. When I set a task for myself, I complete it. Therefore, I'm careful not to start difficult and impractical tasks, because I love leisure."

"The Richest Man in Babylon" by George S. Clason

This book looks very interesting indeed. I think I might read it from cover to cover to find out what's it all about.
The paragraph above struck me as it is exactly what I am doing with the pouches! Exercising my will power.

Day 20 - Pouch Strain

I am feeling it, but bravely ploughing on with the pouch thing. Basically, I have managed to stay on top of things, but the intensity of pre-Christmas prepping is getting to me a little. Mostly in that there seems to be not nearly enough hours in a day to do all the things I want to do!
I'm far from compromising though. Tonight, after a busy day involving dashing across the river to the South Bank to meet a bunch of friends, shlepping all the way to West End, and then to meet a student for an hour of tutorial on Upper Street (I am forgetting to mention the fairy light mission here - yet elswhere, and a stuck District line train, but nevermind that) I have picked up 2mm DPNs (the smallest I own I believe!) and bravely cast on for yet another pouch - using Jitterbug by Colinette - not exactly the chunkiest of yarns :/ I sort of new what I was doing, but could not help myself - the idea was there all day and I just wanted to follow through on it!

May I present pouch 20.

Day 19 - Red Is... Gone

And the thing of today (other than producing this Kauni pouch) was seeing Mother Goose at the Hackney Empire Theatre.

Dy 18 - Red At Last!

And if that wasn't enough back on track again!

Day 17 - Down To The Wire

I continue to be posting 1 day late. Yesterday I went out... All the way to Richmond (it's way out!) to see some friends I haven't seen in ages. The Christmas social commitments list is, shall we say, large. It was a frock night, for me at least (any excuse is good, right?). My vintage 1930's hand made coat came out, and so did my vintage beaded purse - after all it was going to be a night of leisure and socializing (I do manage to kick my habit of carrying everything with me all the time once in a blue moon. The purse is so small that even my mobile phone is too large for it!) My gorgeous friend and "chauffeuse" appeared at the door and off we went... Did I mention a very small secret bag containing a ball of fine pure silk, a set of DPN's, tapestry needle, and small scissors?

Well, the evening was so exciting and full of conversation, laughter and delicious food and wine that I sort of forgot all about my pouch duty.

Until we were back on our way home that is, driving past the Natural History Museum, V&A, Harrods, Piccadilly Circus, and so on. Me and my needles in a flurry of action...

11.40pm - cast-on
11.50pm - increases nearly finished
11.55pm - knitting even and FAST
11.58pm - nearly ready for the decreases!!!
All of this whilst maintaining an animated conversation on tricky subjects and explaining the contemporary Advent Calendar concept.

Say "goodbye" (xx) and get out of the car.
Get into the house.
Throw myself onto the sofa, still fully dressed.

00.03am - darn it! darn it! I nearly did it!
00.05am - finish decreases
00.07am - weave in the ends (where is that needle?!)
00.09am - ribbon
00.10am - go to the advent thing and hang the pouch
00.13am - camera at the ready, I can do it! The post will only take a minute or two.

Darn it! The battery is gone!!!

So here we are. It's 12.48pm on the 18th and the picture is loading now.

Down to the wire. And lost. Nevermind. Today is a new day. I will manage this time.

Day 16 - Back To (Nearly) Black

This pouch is made of Habu bamboo in charcoal. Love it! Actually this tiny pouch is a prelude to the prelude for a dress I am sketching at the moment. It's a great low commitment way to get a feel for this yarn. It's exciting as last time I had enough head space to be designing dresses was a rather long time ago. It's not a gigantic project like this one, but a lot more tailored, a lot less seethrough, and - in case you haven't guessed it already - without seams. Oui. Oui.

Day 15 - The Very Essence Of Subtlety...

... is perfectly captured by this masterpiece of colour dyeing.

I was hoping to be getting into "real" red today, but as it appears with this yarn, subtlety is its thing. So here I am - closer to red than yesterday but still a long way to go. The thing with the pouches is that they are small. I will certainly come back to it, but for tomorrow I have planned something else. A little diversion of sorts to prevent myself from getting into a real state with the Kauni thing.

Day 14 - Carrot!?

Today was a day of creating - totally against the biblical notion of rest. Actually, Sundays are not exactly what I remember them to be when my maternal grandmother was setting the tone! Anything goes these days, and today was mostly about making ornaments for the Christmas tree, which appeared here early this year due to some of our friends not being around this Christmas and visiting today for a special festive hello before flying off... I was all consumed by stringing beads and making fancy chains whilst chatting to friends and being served endless refreshments by our chef du jour.


Today's pouch was inspired by this yarn here. It's the stuff that Kauni cardigan is made of (yarn available here). Well the idea was to try and get to the red layer, but I have clearly underestimated the meterage here. I knitted and knitted and the pouch was getting deeper and deeper... Finally I decided to stop. At least until tomorrow.
Believe it or not, nothing was further from my mind than a carrot when I started this. And here we are - a carrot resembling pouch!
I therefore dedicate it to my son, who adores carrots.

Day 13 - Luxurious Pouch

Today's pouch is made of The Good Yarn Stall bamboo yarn. Pure luxury outside + pure naughtiness inside pretty much sums it up.

Day 12 - Oxymoronic Day

I had a productive day that consisted of doing "nothing". I haven't been very well this week, which is a rare occurrence, hence I am completely unused to it. I pretty much spent today (as well as the rest of this week) on the sofa, under a duvet and with a cup of steaming hot lemon tea by my side, relaxing and surrendering to my temporary lack of vitality. All of that time I was knitting Christmas presents. At times I couldn't see properly as my eyes seem to have really had it with this cold, but I persevered and am very close to completing all the projects I need to have ready for this Sunday. I have several more small projects planned, but am tackling them one at a time to avoid getting too overwhelmed...

This meant taking the focus off the Advent Calendar and, although I have kept up with the daily pouches, I haven't had much time to think about them or to plan. Instead I have opted for spontaneity and am letting myself be inspired quite literally as I pick up the needles to knit them! It's been fun. Today's pouch is made of novelty Noro cotton yarn. I love it! I have slightly changed the formula to one where I cast on 20 sts, increase in 4 evenly divided sections, and then decrease in 8. This pouch makes me think of spring :)

Day 11 - Popsicle Moment

Right. I had this skein of popsicle-coloured Colinette merino for ages. And it jumped at me when I rummaged through my stash today...

Day 10 - Angels Rock

Well, I should have known this was coming... Having boasted of how very on top of blogging I was the day before yesterday, I have missed yesterday's post! It's not a total disaster as I am on track with the pouches (Louis sees to it - he is my "pouch alarm"), but I have been reminded not to congratulate myself before the proverbial sunset.

OK. Down to business. Lovely sari silk from The Good Yarn Stall is the main character in this pouch story. I adore this colour!
It's SOOOOOOO zingy!


And the highlight of yesterday was Nativity at my daughter's school. The Angels rocked!

Day 9 - The Liberty Pouch

I am on the roll with this blogging Advent thing. I even saved a draft of a message for today's post yesterday. Completely unheard of! I admit, the title of the draft read "Day 9 - " and there was not a single word in the message box, but nonetheless I feel very accomplished for managing that!
The reason there was only half a title there was simply because I had no clue what today's pouch might be about! And as it happens the idea crystalized in an organic process - completely naturally and spontaneously...

You may have noticed (or not, as the case may be) that there is a new item on the dashboard as of today - an article about fair trade and textile industry. I researched, pre-digested and edited this for your benefit and with raising awareness of its impact (or the impact of its absence as sadly is mostly the case) in mind. My interest in this subject dates a long way back. The thought - or maybe I should call it a vague notion, a pre-sentiment, an intuition - was nurtured through the heart and mind expanding dialogue work and a whole lot of soul-searching and looking for something that would be a true reflection of who I am and what I want my life to be about.

You may ask me where it all leads... It leads home. The reason I chose knitwear design is that it is like my second nature and I am free and at ease with it. I know it is an area in which I can excel and achieve and I truly feel that - given that I put work and strong commitment into it - there truly is no limit to my self-expression through this medium. AND it does not require the smallest compromise on my part as it fits perfectly with other commitments in my life. Phew! There it is!

But of course there is more. My perception of reality has been irreversibly altered by the dialogue work I have been (and still am) part of and as a result I find it much easier to act from a less selfish place when it comes to my choices in life. This extends into putting some effort into understanding how stuff works; stuff like trade, like our human micro (friends, neighbours) and macro (nations, races, cultures) interrelations.

And I now know that - if I am to be true to my heart - I cannot expect any other human being to aspire to less than I do, if they so choose.

I want my family to be happy and I want the best for my children - I want them to be healthy, well educated and able to realize their full potential in life. I want myself to be fulfilled, happy and healthy and my work to be appreciated. Why shouldn't a woman born in a remote part of the world and in poverty, who is - as I am - full of love for her children and dedicated to her work, not be fulfilled and rewarded by it, just like I am!?

Let's face it - the old trading model belongs with the dinosaurs!

So there I was, getting a feel for this lovely hand-spun alpaca produced by a Chilean co-operative, by means of turning it into yet another Advent pouch, and I meditated on the subject of LIBERTY, also known as FREEDOM. Freedom to be aware and generous and caring, and freedom to, ultimately, contribute to someone else's freedom. When I opened my ribbon box the first ribbon I saw was this...


Perfect!

Day 8 - My Grandmother's Rolling Pin

Whenever I need to be quick 3mm DPN's come out and the number of stitches plummets. Today's pouch is Habu Uran again, this time doubled up with Debbie Bliss alpaca and silk blend. And the reason today was busy is that Christmas knitting projects are now on the needles, and my grandmother's rolling pin was out tonight, as I was making a mountain of gingerbread biscuits. The family tradition of biscuit baking goes on - to children's delight.

PS: I forgot to mention why on earth my grandmother's rolling pin was given such prominence in today's post. Well, one of my very earliest memories is that of me climbing on my tiptoes in my grandmother's kitchen to put my chin on the surface of a large wooden table and seeing her rolling out the pastry for biscuits with that very rolling pin! I must have been 3. Today my youngest child was playfully stroking the smooth wood of this old family heirloom and listening to the stories of my childhood. This month is the 13th anniversary of my grandmother's death.

Day 7 - The Sheep-Inspired Pouch

Today's pouch is made of double strand consisting of Stitchville's fair-trade silver grey hand-spun alpaca and Uran in natural white. It brings to mind fluffy clouds and countless sheep on jade green welsh pastures. A happy thought :)

The day of rest perhaps it was not, but I am committed to - at least - getting an evening of rest, so I will keep this post prompt. Something I would like to put on record before I go is that this Advent project is proving to be an excellent exercise in disciplining myself to be consistent and steady. And it makes it very unlikely that Christmas will take me by surprise this year!

Day 6 - On Christmas Cards

An article attracted my attention in today's Guardian. It is featured on the front page of their Money section. It is full of very enlightening information on how the charity cards' business works.

For example, did you know that "some charity cards now selling in Harrods give just 3.9% of the sticker price to charity."

"The Charities Advisory Trust advises to seek out charities' own cards, which donate at least 40% of the sale price, but now you can go as close to the full 100% as possible. The Sreepur Village outreach project is offering handmade cards produced in and around their village, 40km north of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. The women make the cards at home using paper made from locally grown jute. They are paid a fair wage, and it allows them to earn an income without having to leave their young children."

The cards can be purchased here.

Harrods does not need my charity, after all.

Today's pouch is made of Bee Sweet yarn.

Day 5 - On Stockings

This pouch has been knitted using leftover silk from the project pictured below (Silk Hose), which is going to be referred to in some length tonight...


As I have mentioned in yesterday's post, today I will tackle a long overdue subject closely related to stockings. (The timing is neat, although I am not talking here of your regular Christmas stockings!) Some months ago I received a parcel with (over) half knitted stockings and a brief note basically saying "Help!". I have a professional relationship with the person who sent it and was obviously keen to help out. Months went by and in several brief sessions, spread over a long period of time, I tackled the tangled threads, the fallen out needles, and having re-gained some visibility started examining the situation. The remaining part of this post is addressed to the maker of the stockings, but do read through it if you are curious about my troubleshooting methodology.

The problem was that the number of stitches in both stockings was incorrect, and the reason for this has managed to elude the knitter(s) who has/have been attempting to put things right before the whole thing got referred to me. One of the reasons it has taken me such a ridiculously long time to perform "the fix" is that I have promised a thorough written explanation of what and where went wrong. My diagnosis is as follows:


Stocking 1

52 sts in total – 2 sts too many compared with the pattern* instructions

When looking at the stocking positioned such as the faggoted (lace) section is at the bottom you can see that 14th decrease to the left (LS) and to the right side (RS) of the fagotted (lace) panel at the back are missing. I have marked this with red dots. This explains why there are 2 sts too many.

REMEDIAL ACTIONS:

We have a couple of options here.

1. We could frog all the way back to the missing decrease and correct the mistake. This option is preferred by perfectionists. The pros are that you will end up with a piece as close to perfection as is humanly possible. The cons are that it's a lot of work to correct a detail that most of the population will not even be aware of (even if you put it right under their noses and point to it!)
2. We can discreetly decrease these 2 sts.

Now, if these were my stocking I would frog. No questions about it. However, bearing in mind that they are not my stockings I will errr on the safe side and suggest that we discreetly fix the problem without wasting so much work. Think of your work (particularly at such a minuscule gauge) as knitted fabric and this will not bother you too much.

I am picking up the work right at the base of heel flap. However, as there are 2 sts too many as a result of missed decrease, I have “engineered” 2 decreases 3 rnds below the current rnd and fudged the excess yarn into the neighbouring sts. I could do this as the last person who worked this stocking got a little carried away and worked several more rnds without shaping after the last decrease than indicated by the pattern. I now have 50 sts, as required by the pattern.

Heel flap can now be worked as instructed in the pattern. I have done this and I have also worked Rnd 1, 2 & 3 of Gusset section. 52 sts (54-2) as in the pattern (as I have decreased 2 sts in Rnd 3). You are now ready to work Rnd 4 of Gusset section.

Please note that sts on needle 3 & 4 in the pattern are in fact on one needle here, which is due purely to insufficient amount of DPN's! Please remember this when continuing the work.

Stocking 2:

51 sts in total – 1 st too many compared with the pattern*

17 decreases (marked with blue dots) are detectable to the left and to the right side of the faggoted section, whereas there should be 18. However when measuring both stockings against each other it is clear that Stocking 2 is one decrease section shorter. So, if we were to follow the pattern, there should be 52sts at this stage. This means there is one st to few.


REMEDIAL ACTIONS:

I have identified that the next rnd of fagotted section is dec rnd and have worked it accordingly. Due to some inconsistency in the way the decreases have been placed in this stocking this means that decrease is perfectly placed on RS of lace, but is 1 rnd out on the LS of lace. This is not visible and can only be spotted when counting rnds carefully, hence we will leave it at that.

I then have proceeded to complete this section of work by knitting further 6 rnds without shaping, and working further 2 rnds as described in pattern (bottom of first column on page 76).

I am now ready to work the heel flap. However, as you will remember, before I have carried out the last decrease I had 51 sts on the needles. Now I have only 49 sts – 1 st is missing.

I have examined the stocking carefully and can say that the fagotted section and decreases appear to be correct (although - as I have already mentioned - the placing of decreases is a little inconsistent). Increases (marked with black dots) are fine too. This leads me to believe that the mistake is most likely somewhere in the plain st.st section of work. My guess would be that a st was unintentionally decreased. As it would be very time consuming and difficult to find this I will recommend the following solution that bypasses this investigative work.

Having arranged sts as described in the Heel Flap section (2nd column on page 76) I have 11 sts on one of the instep needles instead of 12. To adjust this I will increase by 1 st between needle with incorrect number of sts and needle holding 26 sts of heel flap.
I now have 50 sts, as required by the pattern.

Heel flap can now be worked as instructed in the pattern. I have done this and I have also worked Rnd 1, 2 & 3 of Gusset section. 52 sts (54-2) as in the pattern (as I have decreased 2 sts in Rnd 3). You are now ready to work Rnd 4 of Gusset section.

Please note that sts on needle 3 & 4 in the pattern are in fact on one needle here, which is due purely to insufficient amount of DPN's! Please remember this when continuing the work.

I have marked the beg of rnd on both stockings with a pink ribbon.

* When referring to 'pattern' I mean the pattern for Silk Hose from Stitch Style Socks, p. 74-77.

HINTS:

Several simple precautions can be taken to avoid mistakes and they are well worth following religiously.

- Work stages in one go wherever possible. When a stage is too big to be worked in one session take careful notes of where you have paused.
- Always place markers to denote decreases/increases.
- Work in well lit room.
- Be vigilant.
- Be vigilant.
- Be vigilant.
- Did I mention no wine rule?

If you are a purist you will obviously frog all the way to the mistake (provided that the mistake can be identified).
If you are not bothered by a small flaw or time is of essence, make maths work discreetly and go on!

Bon courage!

The colour combo is great, BTW :)

Day 4 - The Turquoise Cloud

Today I ventured even further into territory of texture and tactility with one of my gorgeous Habu gems capable of turning anything into an art piece.

You may remember yesterday's pouch...


... silver silk and light brown Habu mohair loop.

Today I indulged in the more voluptuous version of the subtle mohair loop - also known as Uran. Gorgeous stuff. Knits up very beautifully doubled up with anything. I used 3mm needles this time and cast on fewer sts (18 to be precise). I have pretty much repeated yesterday's pattern, and presto - a little while in the waiting room at the clinic a couple of rounds on the bus and a cup of green tea later I have this:


Although I have doubled up Uran with Debbie Bliss turquoise pure silk, it is not very obvious, but adds a bit of weight and density to the fabric, which is good, as the pouch is full of treats!

I am loving this project. Not only did it inspire me to use up some beads, I am now a threat to my ribbon collection too :) But I am going on a tangent here...

I would actually like to prime a subject scheduled for tomorrow, very much related to the afore mentioned Debbie Bliss silk. It was a leftover from a project I have designed and made some time ago now, which can be found in this book. And tomorrow all about putting projects gone wrong right. A well overdue article.


PS: Did I mention that the kids absolutely love the Pouch Calendar, as they call it. Every day they spend a little while looking at it and gently stroking it, brimming full of anticipation and imagining the treats inside.

Day 3 - When I Give Myself An Evening Off

Day 2 - About Being Deluded

Well, I had a very productive day today mostly consisting of actions that were space clearing in nature. It feels very good to have done that. The things I have accomplished today proved to be rather time consuming too. So it follows, the intention for today's pouch was to make it quite quickly. I have picked some vibrant Debbie Bliss pure silk leftover. Hooray! This pouch will put that meager ball of yarn out of its misery!!! It may be the case, however, the unforeseen bit is that trying to put it out of its misery made me quite miserable! Oh, irony!

I ambitiously set my heart on using the thread up to the very last bit. Finding the increase and decrease rate that would allow that to happen has eluded me for some time, and several times I have come pretty close, but not quite close enough...

Need I say that it was not a quick one at all - quite the reverse :|

I have learnt something: I am just making cute pouches. I am NOT trying to put my leftover yarns out of their misery.

Day 1 - Anatomy Of The Heart

Today I have managed to give myself a day off!!! I have been promising myself that for ages, and have been failing to fulfill on it. I have spent all day in the kitchen drinking tea and being creative.

First I realized that I needed a starting point for my Advent Calendar. I have been rather busy during the weekend (with the Oggle Christmas thing) and didn't have much head space to think about it in more detail - I had a rough idea of what it would look like.

So I started experimenting with some wire, wanting to make a star above the hook but - let me tell you - bending wire into a star is not easy. I have made three attempts, and at best my star looked like a weird flower... So I decided to try something else and promptly came up with a simple heart shape. That was good. I have made a discovery by accident. Wire painted with glossy nail varnish looks rather good (and I found some use for my red varnish, as these days I have no time to varnish my nails). Whilst varnishing my wire heart I pondered the weirdness of the whole nail-varnishing phenomenon...

Then I remembered my bead bonanza and was enlightened by an idea. The good thing about this approach is that I have made a tiny "dent" in my huge bead collection. The red heart was given to C and another one was expertly (I am a quick learner) produced.


I used some antique heishi beads (white), fair trade shiana silver beads and silver tibetan beads (arranged randomly), and just a few Russian blues. The red bead is an antique glass tomato bead of venetian origin.


The hook will hold the daily pouches of treats.



Pouch 1 is now ready. Here is how to make it:

Cast on 21 sts and distribute evenly onto 3 DPN's (3 x 7). I used 2.5mm needles and Debbie Bliss silk.
Set up for working in rnd and mark beg of rnd.
Work 7 rnds in st.st.
Next Rnd (Inc): Work to last st on needle 1, K&P into last st. Rep on other 2 needles. 3 sts inc'd.
Next 3 Rnds: K.
Rep last 4 rnds until you have 42 sts in total.
After last inc. work 8 rnds in st.st.
Next Rnd(Dec): [K5, k2tog] x 6. 6 sts dec'd.
Next Rnd: K.
Next Rnd(IncDec): [K4, k2tog] x 6. 6 sts dec'd.
Next Rnd: K.
Next Rnd(Dec): [K3, k2tog] x 6. 6 sts dec'd.
Next Rnd: K.
Next Rnd(Dec): [K2, k2tog] x 6. 6 sts dec'd.
Next Rnd: K.
Next Rnd(Dec): [K1, k2tog] x 6. 6 sts dec'd.
Next Rnd: K. 12 sts rem.
Cut long tail and pull it through all open sts and secure.
Weave in all tails.


First lot of treats is in!

Simplicity Is Where It's At

In the whirlwind of daily life and all busyness that it entails, I love to work on simple projects to relax, to meditate (cannot do the classic style meditation where you sit still - although garter stitch allows me to achieve perfect inner stillness, I am not kidding you), and to enjoy the texture and softness of wool. This is precisely why I came up with this scarf design.



I have plied together Stitchville 1-ply alpaca in charcoal and light brown minute mohair loop from Habu. To add a finishing touch I have worked a sequence of short rows at the end and when I have reached the point where you start going 'sideways' I have switched to mohair loop in cream, which resulted in a contrasting triangle.

It was a true "vegging out on the sofa" sort of project. No complications, no challenges, no fuss - just straight forward garter stitch... et c'est tout!



If there is anyone out there interested in joining in the Advent Calendar knit along here is a few thoughts on that subject.

1. I am trying to identify a wall in the house, which would display my knitted Advent Calendar to its best advantage. It needs to be good size clean and clutter-free space. 'Clutter-free' is the easy part, as generally there is not much going on on our walls. However, 'good size' is a different matter. Options are few and far between. Another consideration is to display it in the strategic place, so that we can all keep an eye on it and share kids' anticipation as we're getting closer and closer to the Christmas holiday (this is exactly where the appeal is for me!).

2. Depending on the chosen spot I will then settle on suitable scale. The great thing about doing things this way (as opposed to just buying a calendar and then finding a spot that will accommodate it) is that in my case these two are interrelated and are dynamically influencing each other, as I obviously have a concept for the calendar and know roughly what shape and form it will take!

3. Think about your favourite yarns (preferably left-overs). Dive into your stash to fill in the gaps. Get a 'bouquet' of needles handy. We will also need a crochet and a large simple hook in the wall where the calendar will be displayed.

I am aware that I have used the word "calendar" quite a few times in this post and am hoping, against the logic, that I am not fixing your expectations too much. Remember, this ain't just any Advent Calendar - it is its contemporary counterpart.

My Kind Of Pet

This pet is currently on the needles, becoming... Ouch! This sounds a bit sadistic. Don't you worry, I'm just teasing you!

Advent Calendar KAL

Today I was browsing through a children's mail order catalogue particularly interested in Advent Calendars. We haven't done this ever as a family and I do need to pull myself together, because if I don't kids will grow up and it will be too late to provide material for some fond childhood memories. That will not do! (I do treasure mine.)
I saw some really cute ones and some ordinary ones too (mostly wooden)... And then I thought to myself

"Silly you. You can make a better one than any of these! And of course it must be knitted!"

You are invited to join in, you knitters out there...

There will be an Advent Calendar KAL button and N is going to make it! So watch this space. Ideas are brewing here. This is so exciting! I just love the idea of making a family calendar that is OUR advent calendar and it will be unique and wonderful. But that is not all - the grand plan stretches over 3 years so that every child can claim their own calendar in the future (it will come in handy if they decide to start a family one day).

Part 1 starts on the 28th of November when we (it would be so much more fun if others cared to join in!) find out - in detail - what we will need for this project (as it is not hard to make a rough guess given that knitting will obviously be involved:)

The Knitting Extravaganza report to follow shortly, as I forgot my camera and am waiting for the pics someone else has taken (lucky some people have their heads screwed on more firmly than mine is!) May I just say that it was a fantastic night out. I'm going to let you in on a secret here. Cocktails at Hakkasan are just out of this world. Pleasure enhanced by talking to a fellow knitter whilst sipping them, and yes, we did manage to touch on other topics than just knitting!!!

It's so dark, I cannot possibly take a decent photograph of my favourite skein of yarn of the moment (you know, I'm a changeable creature). It's gorgeous, I repeat, GORGEOUS skein of bright orange sari silk from The Good Yarn Stall (but of course!) and I already know what it's going to be. Not telling though.

Knitting Extravaganza

A knitter's life is quite simply not complete without at least one Knitting Extravaganza in a while. Well, if you haven't made it to one yet (and they are not terribly in the mainstream, you know?) than here is your chance to do it in grand style!

Where?



Jarndyce
46, Great Russell Street
(opp. British Museum)
Bloomsbury,
London WC1B 3PA

From the doorstep you will see:



Yes! The British Museum (although not exactly from this angle).

Jarndyce is a fantastic place with bags of history...

"No. 46 Great Russell Street was built c.1735 as part of a development by the Duke of Bedford and stood opposite the late 17thC Montagu (or Montague) House, the site of the present British Museum.

At the time of its construction, it was on the edge of Central London; to the north there was little development. A map of 1755 shows ‘Southampton Fields’ surrounding Montagu House. No. 46, like its neighbours, was built as a private house and would have only come into use as a shop in the 19th century.

During 1825-1850, the new British Museum building was under construction and No. 46, along with its neighbours, was given a face-lift. The fronts were rebuilt and stuccoed to make them uniform and fitting neighbours for the new building opposite, but the interiors remained untouched, retaining the original panelling and other features." cont'd.

Well, once a year this antiquarian bookshop becomes the home of The Knitting Extravaganza. The event is organized by The Good Yarn Stall and Stitchville will be there too!

And this means that there will be A LOT OF YARN!!! And this is the whole point!

I'm getting a little carried away here. No point in telling you how wonderful it will be if you don't know...

When?

Thursday 20th November
6.00 - 8.30pm

The last question is:

What am I going to wear?