Ooh Betty...

My good friend and fellow knitter Linda came round last night and brought the beret I made her so I could take some pictures for this blog. It is from the Hats, Gloves, Scarves book by Louisa Harding and was ever so easy to make.

We got Stripe to model it - he wasn't impressed. What an affront to his dignity. Serve me right if he does a whoopsie somewhere he shouldn't.

Gosh! Been away a while...

But I have done a lot of knitting, your honour.



I finished the baby blankie for my friend Is whose little arrival is imminent now.

I do hope she likes it and more importantly, baby does too.



Roscoe was due on 15 April and hasn't popped out yet so we are all waiting with baited breath for news this week.


I also made a gorgeous (though I say it myself) skinny scarf for myself using the Lion Brand Fancy Fur yarn and Boye needles Bev bought for me in New York.

I really enjoyed knitting with it - there are little tufts of chenille (like tassels) that pop out on the right side of the knitting (with a bit of persuasion from my needles and fingers).

And there's still a ball left over to make a trim for a bag or something (should I be so inclined).

My other news is that my very own Bolton Knitting Noras were the featured knitting group of the month in the May edition of Simply Knitting.

Fame at last except the stupid twits got my name wrong though - Sarah Edwards indeed...

Gosh! Almost a month since I last posted...

and apparently, I am a world renowned ethical crafter - see here:

http://www.vegforlife.org/knitting.htm

so I'd better make a bit more bleeding effort...

I have finished my tea cosy bar the sewing up (so yes, it isn't finished...).

Here is a picture of it in progress and one with the teapot it is destined for.

I have also started a baby blankie for my friend Is and her partner Bob's expected boy, Roscoe. I do hope the baby is a boy anyway, or I'm scuppered (although they don't believe in gender stereotyping). I am knitting it in a lovely varigated blue / turquoise Rowan cotton that I got from somewhere or other. The sides keep going wonky though as I am doing them in garter stitch and as it is for a first baby I want it to be perfect; I keep ripping stitches out and going back a few rows.

Since I last posted, the Guardian has gone craft crazy but I am not convinced; I will keep on knitting for a while yet whether it is trendy or not - fancy trying doing the knitted dalek though.

Apart from doing some rather erratic knitting, last Saturday I gorged myself on chocolate at the MVS / MVVG vegan chocolate tasting organised by Caroline - 4 trestle tables literally groaning under the weight of about 100 different types of vegan chocolates, sweets and cakes. (I probably exaggerate, but I did sample most of them...)

My favourites remain the Organica vegan couverture bar (it's like Galaxy, but vegan) and the "Trooly Scrumptious" hand made chocs (I bit into a Jack Daniels one and nearly fell over).

We are planning a wine tasting next - who says vegans don't know how to enjoy themselves...

Another vegan crafter

My good friend Cathy, who is a Vegan Society local contact, Bookcrosser, Freecycler and generally wonderful person now has her own blog which I would like to share with you all.

I will probably try to add it to the links on the right at some point but this new Blogger scarily says that I will lose my template if I customise my page using the new tool.

And as it took me several weeks to get all the buttons interactive and in more or less the right place, I'm not going through all that again!

So here is the link to her blog, full of handy hints on how to make cards from recycled materials.

Personally, I am impressed with anyone who has the patience to make cards - I could do a blog on making a gluey mess which is all I ever manage but I don't think many people would be interested in it.

http://ethicalcardmaker.blogspot.com/

So swing on by and leave her a comment, why don't you...

Not all quiet on the knitting front...

I've had a busy couple of weeks on the knitting front, mainly due to have the luxury of a full week off work due to college half term.

I was busy doing other things too, the main activity being sorting out 26 boxes of old books from a Sixth Form College in Bury. It took 2 trips in 2 hatchbacks to pick them up and there are still 8 boxes in my backroom but at least I know what most of them are now and are sorted thematically.

I do need help though as I bought another 8 books during half term; 3 of which I had already (they were nicer editions though).

Having given my lurex mobile phone cover to a friend while drunk (it looks good on her phone though), I have made a lovely bright pink one for myself - still to be sewn up...

I also made 2 pink corsages for my good friend Linsay; they came out quite well. I used some bright pink DK from a bargain kit I bought, some pink Whisper-like stuff and some R2 pink lurex tape (bought off eBay I think). I just need to sew some pins on the back which will probably take me several weeks to get round to doing.

I am currently working on a retro style tea cosy in some linen drape from my stash. This is the one from the latest issue of Knitting - there is a mistake in the pattern but I think I've worked it out properly now.

It was a bit of an emergency project as I didn't have anything to take with me to the Bolton Knitting Noras meeting on Sunday. In my traditional style, I knitted most of it at the Knit Out and then unpicked it all when I got home.

The Bolton Knitting Noras group is going fantastically; there were 10 of us at the last meeting, including charming new member Jennifer.

New Rowan Magazine joy!

The other day I received my new Rowan magazine but have been unable to post about it due to a disgusting amount of gadding about and my inability to post photos and words together on this new supposedly improved Blogger.

I love the new magazine anyway and was filled with nostalgia for 1970s family hols by the Southwold fashion story - I recognised the location just by the beach huts.

We rented a beach hut every year for the full fortnight and my dad always insisted on us going to the beach every day even if it was raining so we could get our moneysworth.

Suffolk in the 1970s was far from the yuppie playground it is these days but we loved it just the same.

My friend Fran lives in Snape and there is no greengrocers or fishmongers on Aldeburgh high street now but you can buy a Cath Kidston cushion.

Arrrgh! So much to say...

and not able to say due to a problem with pesky new Blogger.

However, it all seems OK now - but I've forgotten what I was going to say now...

Oh yes, Rowan have a new yarn coming out (maybe it is out now) - Bamboo Tape.

I can't wait to get my hands on some and am awaiting delivery of the new Rowan magazine with baited breath.

I always appreciate the summer Rowan magazines more than the winter ones - all those lovely cottons rather than horrid itchy bulky wool.

I also got sent this link as a super Knitty fan: very amusing article on how a yarn stash should be viewed as a collection - now I know I can be proud of my random piles of acylics and cottons.

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/FEATcollection.html

Weekend a great success

Just had a lovely weekend of meetings with my Bookcrossing group, the Manchester Vegan Society and the Bolton Knitting Noras.

There was an all-time best attendance at the Knitting Noras Knit out today - ten of us, including new members Ann, Janet, Vicky, Jill and my vegan friend Caroline.

There were so many of us we abandoned Caffe Nero for the Varsity pub and most of us stayed for a good few hours.

What a great start to the new year!

I also finished my Water Aid blue square.

Also, Lady Sovereign, the new rapper sensation from London was on Popworld on Channel 4 and showed an enthusiasm for knitting - she used to make pencil cases and said she wanted to take it up again.

Match the jumper to the picture...

The baby pirate jumper is coming along well; I've done the back and two sleeves and am a third of the way through the front.

I managed to miss a row out yesterday though so had to rip it out down to the first 2 and a half inches but all seems to be OK now.

Veganism is all the fashion, darlink

One of the members of my vegan group posted a link to a recent article from the New York Times on vegan fashion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/fashion/11VEGAN.html

(Don't know how to make this work like a link like other clever people who blog)

It made me wish I lived in the US and particularly New York.

Join me on the dark side...

I've just returned from a wonderful fun-filled weekend in Sheffield, where I went to visit 4 friends in different parts of the city and celebrated 3 birthdays.

I also taught Isobel to knit - she's a natural!

As previously mentioned, she wants to knit a pregnancy poncho for herself - we had a look at my Viva Poncho book and she's decided on a drapy moss-stitch one.

We've adapted the pattern for Sanchez as it calls for 12.75 circular needles and these are nigh on impossible to get in the UK at short notice.

As baby is due in April, time is of the essence!

Is is using some woolmix double knit in a lovely heathery mauve colour. This is from my stash, donated by someone and was no use to me.

I left her casting on on Sunday morning with 6mm bamboo needles and with a sample of moss stitch I did on 5.5 needles.

I hoep that she will enjoy it and not get too frustrated. She has some local knitting friends who should be able to help if she gets stuck.

Baby blankie nearly done

I have now completed 3 of the 4 edgings I need to do for the Heirloom Baby Blanket.

Thank goodness, as I am now heartily sick of the whole thing.

I also ordered 2 balls of Elle Pure Gold baby 4 ply in black from Art of Yarn (via Ebay).

This is for the pirate jumper I am planning for my friend Isobel's little one - I thought black baby wool might be hard to find but obviously there is a growing trend for goth babies.

I also have a sore joint on my left fore finger - I've obviously been overdoing the knitting recently!

I'll keep an eye on it.

Very amused that there was a woman knitting in the Big Brother's Big Mouth studio last night; she wasn't very good at it though and the knitting looked a bit small and uninspiring.

Scarf success!

As I hoped, my good friend Angela loved her scarf.

Here's a picture of her wearing it at our Bookcrossing meeting on Saturday.

Two scarves done...

While at my mum's over Christmas I completed the long purple scarf on 8mm circulars for my good Bookcrossing friend Angela.

It's her birthday today and I'm hopefully seeing her on Saturday so will present it to her then.

I also finished the blue fluffy "Secret Santa" scarf for my work colleague / friend Mary. As I followed the instructions but cast on too many stitches to make a long scarf as in the illustration, I made it into a muffler with a hole in the middle to pull the end of the scarf through.

I hope that she will like it.

Secret Santa

I had a lovely meal with my work colleagues last night and we did a Secret Santa.

My friend Mary got a knit your own scarf kit which I relieved her of.

I'm not usually in the habit of nicking other people's Christmas presents; as she can't knit, I intend to knit the scarf for her.

I also need to finish the baby blanket (only the edgings to do now, hoorah!) and make a fluffy purple scarf like mine for my friend Angela in time for her birthday at the end of December.

Gonna be busy over Christmas...

Winter Markets fun

My two lovely friends Janet and Anne visited me today and we spent a delightful day shopping in Manchester. I was going to write that they are old friends too; but they won't thank me for that as they're not that old, but I have known them for almost 25 years.

I was supposed to be buying presents but ended up buying lots of things for myself, including a really rather gorgeous charm bracelet from a stall called Calico Monkey; it has a purple plectrum on it and brings out my inner rock chick.

(Actually, not that far from the surface...)

I also bought a delightful handstitched purse as my Secret Santa gift for a work colleague. We are having a meal on Tuesday and shall exchange gifts then. The purse was from another stall called amusingly dontbitchstitch.

Here's a photo of Janet and Anne looking Christmassy and also one of my stash of goodies.

Mobile muffler

I finished the mobile cover for my new mobile.

I used some bronze Rowan Lurex Shimmer I had left from a scarf I knitted for my sister.

Also, amazingly, for me, I have sewn it up.

(Not very well though)

It's a boy!

My friend Isobel has found out that she is expecting a boy so I can't wait to make the skull and crossbones outfit in the new Knit 1.

Just as well, as I'm getting bored with the Heirloom (non) Silk Shawl.

I also knocked off a lurex mobile phone cosy for my new moby but of course I haven't sewn it up yet.

Inspector(ess) Gadget

After the saga with the Cath Kidston phone, I have been trying to get a new mobile phone that might stay undamaged for longer than a day.

I have been haunting the Orange shop and they finally relented and let me have a new phone on Friday.

(On the way there I was lucky enough to see a tree full of a flock of beautiful long tailed tits, busy tweeting away and being totally ignored by everyone but me. It made my weekend!)

I finally got my hands on the new mobile phone on Saturday and this one is for keeps.

It's a Samsung Blush (I believe it is an X830) and is candy pink, teeny tiny and ever so girlie.

It also came with a box of Benefit cosmetics - a make over card, a plastic makeup bag (quite groovy actually), Hollywood Glo body lustre and a Hoola palette.

I am giving the Hoola palette to my work buddy Gemma as the lippy has beeswax in.

So no knitting for me for the next few days while I work out how to work my new gadget. Think I might break it with my meaty thumbs.

One night muffler

I've made a fluffy mini version of my purple scarf for my Bookcrossing NSSFC partner.

I only cast on 115 stitches so it's more of a muffler / tippet thingy than a scarf but I hope that she likes it anyway.