Something to aspire to

Day six: 2nd April. Something to aspire to.
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Is there a pattern or skill that you don’t yet feel ready to tackle but which you hope to (or think you can only dream of) tackling in the future, near or distant? Is there a skill or project that makes your mind boggle at the sheer time, dedication and mastery of the craft? Maybe the skill or pattern is one that you don’t even personally want to make but can stand back and admire those that do. Maybe it is something you think you will never be bothered to actually make bu can admire the result of those that have.

I'm left handed and so knitting, being a two handed activity is easy, even though when I was at school I wasn't taught to knit because of being a lefty. Crochet, on the other hand, :) is another story. I, strangely enough, was taught to crochet at school and can manage the basic stitches but others seem to have to be worked in reverse by left handed people. This is a skill I would like to master - some time in the future.

And now for something completely different

Day Five: 1st April. And now for something completely different*
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experimental blogging day to try and push your creativity in blogging to the same level that you perhaps push your creativity in the items you create.

I've been thinking about today's blog all week and I think this qualifies as something completely different... and before anyone jumps to any conclusions, it is past midday here so it's too late for any April Fool jokes :)

As, I'm sure most people who know me will testify, I'm a fibreholic and always on a quest for beautiful fibres and especially yarn, nothing is more exciting than tracking down that perfect ball or skein of fibrey heaven and so.... I've decided to have a ColourSpun Treasure Hunt.

You can take part today or if you prefer on any other day in April 2011. Just remember, all the clues will be posted today, so the longer you wait to take part, the more difficult it will be to find them. There will be a clue at each stop and at the end you will need to put all your clues together in the order you find them so that you can claim your treasure.

Clue #1  is  01 
write it down where you won't loose it and then go to http://www.facebook.com/ColourSpun#!/pages/ColourSpun-Natural-Designer-Yarn/179000468792769 for clue #2.

Happy Hunting :)

Where are they now?

Day Four: 31st March. Where are they now?
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Whatever happened to your __________?

Write about the fate of a past knitting project. Whether it be something that you crocheted or knitted for yourself or to give to another person. An item that lives with you or something which you sent off to charity.

As long as I have knit, I have loved mohair yarn. Many years ago, I knit a Kaffe Fasset tumbling blocks pullover in many different colours. It travelled with me to the US on a winter holiday and I wore it almost every day! When we returned home, I carefully washed it and laid it flat to dry in the laundry as it was during our rainy season. It was taking a while to dry and so "somebody" decided it needed a little help and popped it in the tumble drier, well you can guess what happened! When I went to put it away, I had a much smaller, fulled mohair pullover. Fortunately the style was quite loose and long so it just became more fitted and short.

I still wear that pullover and it is lovely and warm on even the coldest winter days.

Another pullover I often wonder about was sold on an exhibition. It was called "Wild Women" The lady who bought it had the most beautiful auburn hair and it looked stunning on her. I wonder if she still has it and if she may still wear it. I hope she's still enjoying it. I often feel tempted to knit another similar one.

Happy Knitting :)

Tidy mind, tidy stitches

Day Three: 30th March. Tidy mind, tidy stitches
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How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised? It seems like an easy to answer question at first, but in fact organisation exists on many levels. Maybe you are truly not organised at all, in which case I am personally daring you to try and photograph your stash in whatever locations you can find the individual skeins. However, if you are organised, blog about an aspect of that organisation process, whether that be a particularly neat and tidy knitting bag, a decorative display of your crochet hooks, your organised stash or your project and stash pages on Ravelry.

My studio is where I spend most of my waking hours and since I usually have a lot on the go, it has to be organised. There are parts that are very organised and sometimes it's organised chaos but generally I have a place for everything and everything in its place :)

 

This is my personal stash. I found these lovely, see through suitcases that fit on top of each other snugly and have little wheels that help roll them off the shelf. They seal well and keep my yarn clean and easy to find. The yarn is organised by colour and the suitcases according to the colour wheel. I have more that I keep in two large wooden trunks, sorted in custom made, see through bags.

I made this felt needle keeper to hang my spare circulars on the wall. It's decorative and the needles are always on hand. My Knitpros are kept sorted in their special "filofax" .

... and this is the organised chaos - freshly dyed yarn waiting to be labled, some drying on a rack and Dandy Bear waiting to be photographed.

Skill + 1UP

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP.
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Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

Last year was soo full with getting my book done, but I did still manage to learn a new knitting skill  - 2 actually. I have a friend who has arthritis in her hands and although she still manages to knit, forming purl stitches hurts so we (Heidi of Heidi Bears and I) set off on a mission to find a way for my friend to purl in a different way that won't hurt her hands and in the process learnt a few new ways to form purl stitches ourselves.

The first was the Norwegian Purl stitch. The method of forming the purl stitch differs from our usual method because the yarn is kept at the back of the knitting. Here is a link to a vidio tutorial which explains it far better than I could in words.

The second method we learnt was a whole different way of knitting - Portugese knitting. The yarn stayed in front of the needle for the purl stitch and for the knit stitch! Here is a link to  a video tutorial that explains how to knit this way.Instead of holding the yarn in your hands, tensioned with your fingers, it is fed through a  safety pin attached to your clothing just below your shoulder or it can go around your neck. The stitches are formed by flicking the yarn around the needle with you left thumb. It's really quick and there is very little movement so this was the method we showed my friend - who is very happy to be knitting more that garter stitch again.

HAPPY KNITTING

A Tale of Two Yarns

Well here we are -
Day One: 28th March. A Tale of Two Yarns.
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Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

I have been trying all day to sit down and write about my very favourite yarn and life just kept happening but here I am now :) 

I'm a yarn snob! I want every aspect of my knitting experience to be wonderful and so I make sure that I only knit with yarn I love. My absolute favourite at the moment is my ColourSpun Pure Cotton Chunky. This is a new yarn that I have been experimenting with and I'm really enjoying it. It's extra soft and worked up quickly into comfortable, easy to wear, perfect for in-between weather cardigans. I'm going to make a throw next.

 Another favourite yarn is Adele's Mohair. Her yarns are also extra soft  and I'm busy knitting a throw for our bed using a mixture of colours and textures. Her yarn is mainly hand made and provides a living for many woman in an area where unemployment is very high.

Happy Knitting everyone

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week

It's here again - Knitting and Crochet Blog week starts tomorrow! If you are a knitter or enjoy crocheting and you're also a blogger - then join the fun. All the details are available on http://eskimimiknits.com/knitting-and-crochet-blog-week-2011/ . I'll be posting every day this week.

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