JUNO REGINA

Well, I've joined my first lace KAL and we're doing the Knitty pattern Juno Regina (designed by Miriam Felton for Knitty, Fall 2007) (my midwifery background wants me to call it Juno Vagina!). I keep humming and hawing about which of my yarns I should use - it calls for 950 yards and I think my Knitting Goddess cashmere has only 612 yards. I really must get in touch with Joy - she's so helpful.

I do have three skeins of HipKnits cobweb, but I think that might be a bit too adventurous - eek time.

Decisions, decisions!

JO'S LABOUR SOCKS

bubble wrap sock 1
Originally uploaded by yarnzie

Obviously as yet unblocked (and very likely to remain so - once you put a sock on it blocks itself doesn't it!) this is the first sock of the pair that I am knitting for my daughter.

She wanted a specific pair of socks for her labour - her first child is due on Thursday!

MY WEE TINY SOCK!

tiny wee sock
Originally uploaded by yarnzie

Here it is! Took me two hours because I dropped the final stitches and because I was working in dim light I couldn't see to pick them up. Still, it's rather cute eh?

WEE TINY SOCK SWAP

This has to be the best swap ever! Well, one of them anyway, I just love all swaps cos it's pretty much like Christmas.

The Wee Tiny Sock Swap just entails knitting, you guessed it, a wee tiny sock. The sock itself only takes a couple of hours to knit and in return you get another one. I already have two wee tiny socks attached to my pc screen, one of them is shown above, so now I need to make way for sock number three.

The Knitting Goddess

The Knitting Goddess
Originally uploaded by yarnzie

This stunning cashmere 4ply is from The Knitting Goddess, who is another wonderwoman. She hand dyes yarn on the Isle of Man and up until now anyway, sells it here

This lovely lady is in the process of setting up her own website, so I'm busily saving my pennies.

Anyway, I digress, I just put this up because its the yarn I'm thinking of using for my first lace project.

Heere Be Dragone Shawl Complete on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Heere Be Dragone Shawl Complete on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I have gone stark staring, totally mad - what other explanation could there be for my burning desire, my yearning need to make a lace stole? I don't wear stoles or shrugs and I am not a lace knitter. But, ever since seeing the Heere Be Dragone Shawl on Ravelry, I am smitten. I might start with something a tad easier first but then again, maybe I won't!

This wonderful shawl was designed by Sharon Winsauer who, although I don't know her, must be a wonder woman!

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?

err... rusty red, terracotta, burnt orange

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?

knitting, beading - anything to do with textiles

3. What products do you really covet?

none, really. I'm impulsive - see something and have to have it, like, now!

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?

Always got my head in a book

5. Is there anything you collect?

Yarn!!!

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?

Leo - can't you tell! and Horse (I don't like horses - they scare the shit out of me, even though I live in the countryside)

7.What are your favorite…

…scents/smells?

oooh! spices, roses (yeah, I have a romantic side to me)

…types of music and/or bands?

depends on my mood - cock rock (y'know Led Zep and stuff) and anything with clever/funny/whimsical words. I just love words.

…authors?

Anne Tyler and whoever I am obsessed with at the moment - I tend to read non-fiction mostly (okay - knitting books!)

…animals?

cats and dogs - anything that's furry but that doesn't have its balls on show like some short haired dogs do

…places to shop?

little craft shops

…season?

late summer, early autumn - no contest!

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?

all of it, every single piece!

…candies or goodies?

chocolate!

8. Do you have any wish lists?

No, I just want everything!

9. Are you allergic to anything?

Nope! Well, actually some stuff gives me migraine but I just take a migraine tablet. I like to grab life by the balls, which doesn't leave me time for allergies. My husband gets totally pissed off with me.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?

A cat - ginger and looks like a tiger stalking his prey (and he's a bloody killing machined - called Floozie cos I thought he was a girl and he rolled on his back for anybody. He is now permanently damaged from having such a girlie name and I think he needs a spiky collar to make up for it. Unfortunately, they don't make such things for cats!


11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy. Also, if you have a Ravelry ID, please include it here.

I'm yarnzie on ravelry because somebody already had yarn floozie - I just joined the words together to get yarnzie. I am a freelance writer and retired midwife and I do things on a grand scale. I never plan, always cross my bridges when I come to them - sometimes that is very good; sometimes it is disastrous. As I've grown older, I've learned the wonder of women - I just love us all because we are all so strong, even though we don't always realise it. I have three grown up children - boys 18 and 21 and a daughter who is 33 and about to make me a grandma for the first time. I have issued an edict that I will be Nanny Marigold - (my mum used to call me her Marigold).

A SPECIAL, PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL NOTE TO MY COLOR SWAP PAL

Well, okay, so everybody can read it - who cares (nobody visiting yet anyways!!). Got your message, bloody hell, I'm excited - us knitters are so simple to please eh?

SOCKS TOO TIGHT?

There's been a lot of talk on Ravelry over the last couple of days about the problem of too tight sock tops when toe-up socks are finished with picot edges. One Raveler, Jeanie, has a wonderful tutorial on her blog Sewing, knitting, and beyond that really helps to avoid this problem. Why not go take a look.

In fact, why not become a Raveler yourself - the only thing to lose is your money as you become even more addicted to yarn!

A CLUE FOR MY SWAP-PAL

Koigu KPPPM
Originally uploaded by yarnzie

The colors in this skein of yarn from Koigu make my toes go all tingly!!

FAVOURITE COLOR SWAP 3

Ravelry again - this time Favorite Color Swap 3; a marvelous idea based on the premise that
participants will get a package of goodies, all in one of their favorite colors! They will also be secretly putting together and sending a package to a swap-pal in their favorite colors.

For my swap-pal: I love the colors of autumn, so russets, golds, burnt orange. Think of fire and crisp autumn leaves and you won't go far wrong!

ENTRELAC

I have been trying to knit entrelac socks as part of Ravelry's Sock Knitters Anonymous group March Mystery Sock.

Bloody hell, it's difficult! Perhaps I should have tried to do it with big wool on straight needles first, but I thought that doing it as part of a Knitalong with others would help.

Instead, I look at everybody else's attempts and just feel pathetic! I will not fail, oh no, failure is definitely not an option. As soon as I've succeeded I will post the evidence here for all to see - you might have to wait some time!

Beaded socks

Beaded socks
Originally uploaded by yarnzie

I knitted these little beauties from yarn that I dyed myself. The dye was made from the dead heads from October's garden, plus some blackberries. Shame of it is, its completely unrepeatable.

Scrummy eh?

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!

I am so obsessed with knitting and yarn that I decided it was time to give this obsession its very own blog.

If you had told me a few years ago that I would spend my free time tangled up in yarn and needles I would have responded with a very rude word. However, I've found that knitting is good for the soul; in times of stress, the repetition of knitting and purling is almost hypnotic. No thought is needed and, as each tiny knot is made using the needles, a little of the angst disappears.

My mum was an inveterate knitter, but she never finished anything properly. I never saw her block and press, that's for sure! She was quick though. I now realise that this was because she knitted 'continental' style - never lifting her hand from her needles because she had this nifty way of throwing the yarn over the needle point. I can't to it and for many years I was embarrassed to knit in public because I thought I was doing it wrong. I now find that I'm doing it the way loads of people do and she was in the minority. I wish she was alive so that I could gloat!

Anyway, I shall attempt to keep this stream of consciousness going - if I can tear myself away from my yarn for long enough.