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I have to admit, I like interior design p0rn. I watch Grand Designs religiously, listen to By Design and read (and reread or just revisit my favourite pictures!) interior design magazines.
One magazine I subscribe to is Inside Out. Much to my surprise, I recently received their Christmas issue and they have jumped on the crafty bandwagon and included some knitting ideas for Christmas!
Some has kindly knit up this woollen chain pattern from Simply Knitting and it is very cute without being over the top Christmassy (see picture of Colin Firth from the last post). This would be a great stash buster and would look pretty good in any colour.
The article goes on to talk about free patterns from Patons. These patterns are a bit more traditional, including a cute crochet angel, pretty crochet stars (sheesh I need to learn to crochet), candy canes, lots of different stockings and a dog jumper! A good mixture of tacky and tasteful.
IK Holiday Gifts also has a range of decoration patterns including stars for a tree and egg like “German ornaments”. I dunno why someone would knit a skirt for their Christmas tree but I have now seen two patterns (Sunburst Throw and Paton’s Jester Tree Skirt – you have to log in to see the pattern and I couldn’t be arsed). Are we embarrassed to see the tree’s trunk?
There are a million Christmas patterns across the net, check out this stashbuster from craft.dow.com. But I think you would need to be polycraftual for that one…
I don’t think I am going to knit anything as a Christmas decoration. I don’t Christmas at home, so my attempt at Christmas decorating will be to pull the Aldi tinsel out of the crap drawer and wrap it around the telly.
Maybe I am a Christmas decoration voyeur to go with my problem with interior design p0rn!
Last night, I kicked back and started on a sock yarn leftover blanket. One square down…who knows how many to go! I filled a shoe box with leftover sock yarn balls and it will be interesting to see how I manage to co-ordinate the colours together as 85% of the balls are variegated yarns in a myriad of colours.
Why I like Knit Scene better than Interweave Knits.
I recently purchased both Fall 2009 copies and I have to say that Knit Scene is much more to my taste than IK. Whilst Knit Scene seems to have no real articles and many readers of IK say they only read it for the articles, the patterns in Knit Scene are clothes I would buy in shops. It is obviously targeted for a younger crowd and for the lazier knitter, as apparently these knits are supposed to be easier than IK.
Check out the Carnaby Pullover, super cute as the girls from Stash & Burn would say. Perfect in the olive colourway. And the Hollywood Herringbone Pullover, just right if you are feeling a bit Mad Men and curvacious 50s. Gratutious Mad Men picture.
Image from duckydoestv.com
Compared to IK, where the only good patterns are the Freyja Sweater (which is not really going to turn heads for knitting fanciness, but I have had a recent hankering for a top down jumper like this.) and Rosamund’s Cardigan…but with those side-buns, maybe I am more attracted to the Princess Leia/sci-fi-esque qualities of the jumper.
Another complaint about Knit Scene is its distribution. Knit Scene is not easy to come by here in Australia. I think I have seen it once in a shop and yet you can’t subscribe through Interweave Press. Why not?! I have discontinued my IK subscription but would love a Knit Scene arriving in my mail box every now and then. Are you listening Interweave Press? Prob not….
Finished the Retrograde Pullover and here it is…
I am now a top down devotee and want to make all my jumpers this way! There is some dodginess going on but that happens with all my creations. The sleeves were knit on a needle size smaller than the body, just cos I only have one small circular. I should have woven in the end more neatly but hey I intend this to be a lounge around jumper. The Jet is really thick, nice and warm. I can see that I will only need to wear this jumper for a month or two of the year.
What next?
Well I have a pair of the ubiquitous Monkey socks on the needles in a bright colourway for a friend who needs a bit of cheering-up. I lashed out in the pattern purchases today and bought two (also ubiquitous) Ysolda patterns; Ishbel and Liesl.
But after the socks I think it is time for another shawlette, so maybe Ishbel or Entomology.
I didn’t go to Bendigo again this year. Oh well, there is always next time. Instead I sat outside in the bright winter sunshine at 12 ply boy’s parents farm on a hill, looking into the green gully below filled with vineyards, knitting on my Monkeys, watching eagles fly above and listening to Stash n Burn. I think I did alright…
I have had to frog the Selbu! Oh no…after making a big mistake on row 50 of 64, I was ripping back and realised that it was just too small for the big boof head. It was turning into a tight beanie not the slightly slouchy beret as shown in the picture. The pattern does warn that the creator is a loose knitter and I should have known better. I am now going to reknit in 3.25mm rather than the 2.75mm as described in the pattern. Oh well.
But I have always had problems reknitting something. It is no longer fresh and new and like a kid on red cordial, I want to move on to the next exciting new project. This will be an exercise in discipline, because I am aching to get on try Fayfay in yummy lovely handspun bought at the Victorian Hand Spinners & Weavers Guild last year. And also some blokey presents. See how I go!
Woo hoo! Uneven Ribbed Socks in Heirloom are done!
Up to the heel flap of the second RPM sock in Knitting Ninja Cashmerino. About to get in the car for a bit of a drive, so I will try to get more done.
News – sale at the Knittery. Please buy everything before I do.
I have been awful slack with my WIPs this year. As some people from Sunday arvo SnB kno, I have been knitting some socks all year.
I have decided! I am going to finish 2008 with no WIPs on the needles. (except for the lace…lets be realistic here, there are only 16 days til the end of the year).
I have two single socks (RPM and Broken Rib) and the Lace Ribbon Scarf to finish.
Wish me luck!
I am a slacker blogger. Six weeks after the event, please find below a picture of the Goth Mermaid Wedding Shawl at the wedding.
The event was a handfasting ceremony which is a pagan ceremony where the couple have their hands fastened with cords to represent their connection. It was a lovely ceremony, with immediate family and a couple of close friends only. My friend looked beautiful with the rose buds in her hair.
The shawl matched her dress perfectly, but this was pure coincidence! Ah the wonders of serendipity!
Thanks to Live2Knit for the dyeing and Vicki Mickaluk for the pattern. Thanks to the project for giving me the yarn bug!
Recently, I received a gift of a big bag of knitting stuff. My friend’s mum has arthritis and can no longer knit. My friend knows I am mad about the knitting, so she gave it to me. It has been hiding under my desk at work but tonight I bought the first bag home.
At first I felt sad…imagine not being able to knit anymore! How terrible! But then again, she is passing on her paraphernalia to someone who can make use of it. I hope to do the same one day. Thanks D’s mum! Check it out…
Today was WWKIP day, we met up at Brunetti’s in City Square for coffee, hot chocolates and knitting. The rain held off but it was a little chilly, perfect for scarf, gloves and hat wearing.
There was a great turnout of about 20 knitters (people came and went and I was too busy chatting to count!) from Ravelry and other knitting groups (good to see the girls from Project 46), people of all skill levels and ages. We were not approached by any non-knitters, but there were some Irish boys at a table next to us asking if we could knit them ‘willywarmers’. We shared techniques, books, yarns and oohed & aahed at each others projects. There were prizes of sock yarn (congrats KittenKong and CraftyScience! And thanks to Live2Knit and Ozknitter for their contributions) and ACS publications (thanks Damo).
But then we were set upon by hundreds of zombies. Today was the Melbourne zombie shuffle, I even caught a zombie knitter.
Then a few of us hit Clegs for a bit of stash enhancement. I caved in and purchases 8 skeins of Cleakheaton Bamboo in orange/pink (how could I say no at $2.25 each?!)
Thanks everyone for a fun day. See you next year…
WORLD WIDE KNIT IN PUBLIC DAY (WWKIP) – MELBOURNE
CITY SQUARE
CORNER SWANSTON AND COLLINS STREETS
SATURDAY 14TH JUNE 2008
FROM 11AM ONWARDS
Bring your knitting and a sense of humour. Bring layers – who knows what the Melbourne weather goddess will bring that day.
We will be meeting for an hour or so before descending on the city, perhaps taking City Circle trams or finding other public places to knit in. All very casual!
Hope to see you there!
