The Wool Palace

Sunny days

Hooray for Daylight Saving!  Last night it was still light at 7pm.  The sun was shining, Toby got home from work early and we all spent about 3 hours in the garden.

For those of you who were worried I might have stopped knitting, here's my latest WiP enjoying the sun.

It's all crumpled, as is the way of lace but it will end up as a Shetland Triangle, in Handmaiden Seasilk.  Now, a question for all you shetland trianglers out there.  I have googled for STs (I'm not going to keep on writing it out in full) in Seasilk and there are a few, but they don't say whether they managed to get one as written out of one skein.  I don't want it any smaller, as I don't think it would be that wearable but I'm reluctant to shell out another £16.00 for another skein if I don't need it.  Plus, my skein says it's Mineral but I have to say it looks a lot more like Forest on the Get Knitted website.  Any thoughts?

I'm also reluctant to flex any more plastic as the results of last week's hangover fueled e-shopping spree have been arriving.

I have a couple of ideas for sewing projects taking shape in my head.  They aren't clear enough to share with you yet, but once I've got them sorted out I'll let you know.

Want to see what I spent most of my weekend doing?

I know we should have dug them last month, but we had to mend the fence and do a few other things first.  Easter Holidays start next week.  I guess I'll be spending a lot of time in the garden...

Flower power

I have a self-induced headache today - too much red wine at the pub quiz last night.  Consequently today has not been the most productive of days.  There are dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and the minutes of last week's Parish Council meeting are still untyped. 

What I have been doing is indulging in a little retail therapy, via the internet of course.  I'm in a bit of a sewing mood at the moment, so my various shopping baskets have been filled with fabric and a few books.  I'm hoping things arrive before the weekend so I have some time to play.

I made the pincushion yesterday in preparation.  The tutorial was on WhipUp sometime last year and I've been meaning to do one for ages.  Very quick and easy - maybe I should have saved it for today and done the minutes yesterday...

Free party soundsystem

One sock is done.

I'm sticking to this pair now and am going straight on to the second.

However, that doesn't stop me thinking about what's next.  I have so many leftovers that I think it will have to be some more Stashbuster Spirals.

I had a play around and came up with a couple of combinations.

Reds and blues.

Browns and cream.

I fancy doing the blue/red combo first, but there's just one problem.

Yes, only 80g of yarn in total.  Now, I know I always have leftovers (or almost always) from a 100g ball of yarn, so I thought I'd weigh my most recent sock.

Hmmm, by my calculations that gives me 4g to play with, which isn't a lot.  However, they will be toe-up and I have a feeling that a short row heel uses less yarn than a heel flap and gusset.  What do you think - am I setting myself up for disappointment?

Trying to find it

I'm getting itchy fingers.

The bad thing about getting out and about in Blogworld again is all the temptation one sees.

I caved in yesterday and ordered Classic Knits after seeing Kris' wonderful cardigan.

I'm teetering on the edge of starting the Pea Pod Cardigan after seeing Alison's pared down button version.

I know it's the wrong time of year, but I'm also very tempted to start a Swiss Cheese Scarf.

The Dollar and a Half cardigan from the new IK is playing on my mind as well.  Any thoughts on the new IK layout?  I'm not convinced - I always liked having the instructions next to a large photo, not having to flip to the back of the magazine to find out yarn requirements etc.  I know Rowan does the layout with the patterns at the back, but they don't have all the adverts that IK have.  It will be interesting to see how the next few issues shape up.  On a positive note, I'm excited about Eunny Jang's appointment as editor, as I am a huge admirer of her work.

The socks are Lorna's Laces in Camouflage.  Who are they for?  Well, I hadn't given it too much thought when I cast on, but of course, they'll have to be for Sam.  They can go with his camouflage hoody and camouflage trousers; I haven't given in to the requests for a camouflage duvet cover yet, but it's only a matter of time...

I could while away the hours

Alert the media - I've finished something.

Last week was pretty much a write off as far as knitting was concerned.  After a lovely weekend in London, Toby and I were struck down by a pretty grim bout of food poisoning that had us laid low Monday and Tuesday.  I was especially peeved as I was due to sit my driving test on Monday but wasn't in any fit state to do so.  To make matters even worse, I couldn't get another appointment until the beginning of April.  Cue much sulking by me for the rest of the week and many sentences beginning with, 'If I could drive...'.  Plus, I have to buy some more L-plates as the last ones have given up the ghost after being left on the car in the rain for too long.

After the food poisoning I picked up some other bug that had me coughing and spluttering for the rest of the week.  My usual knitting time in the evening was spent lying in bed alternately sulking about not being able to drive (because it would have made such a difference to being ill, wouldn't it?) and coughing and wheezing.

Then Toby had to work all weekend because of the food poisoning and because he'd taken an extra day off to go climbing (I sulked a bit about that too, seeing as I was on a roll).  At least the sun shone and the children were able to get outside and I got enough time to finish off these.

60 stitch socks, knit from the top down, with a 2x2 ribbing cuff.  My default sock pattern, basic stocking stitch with a slipped stitch heel flap and basic heel.  I always make my gusset a bit longer than recommended, to accomodate my relatively high arches.

Yarn:  Regia Canadian Colour, Shade 4731.  I bought this on Ebay a good while ago.  The colours remind me of spring flowers, coming up against bare earth.  There's almost 30g left after finishing this pair of socks.

Needles:  2.5mm Clover bamboos in the 16cm length.  Have you seen the new Clover sizes at Get Knitted?  I'm definitely getting some 2.25 and 2.75mm ones.

Started:  4th February 2007

Finished:  10th March 2007

Hopefully this week will see an increase in health levels and a decrease in sulking and maybe some more productive knitting time. 

I know I've been quiet, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything.

Here's some of the things that have been keeping us busy at The Wool Palace.

Baking muffins to brighten up rainy afternoons.

Bringing a touch of spring in from the garden.

Squeezing in a bit of shopping at Stash while on a weekend trip to London.

Putting up a new fence in a vain attempt to keep the hoards of rabbits from eating everything in the garden.

What's been keeping you busy?