Wednesday, September 18, 2013

4 plus 18 equals #yarnpadc

You'll have to excuse the rather crappy pictures today. I don't get hours and hours of daylight when I get home, and there's someone more needy of my attention than these pictures when I do finally get home after work.

Stitching!
Speaking of needy, Bubs does need more trousers, so I made him a few. I started on these Big Butt Baby Pants while Stateside and they've remained nearly finished ever since (notice a trend?). I've been hand stitching them as that's just easier to do when traveling. I love my (mother's) sewing machine, just not enough to drag it around on a trolly across an ocean. I really just need to sit down and sew them on the machine. Just a little hemming to do, a couple of buttons to hold the elastic buttonhole waistband in place and I can strike another project off the unfinished list.


Guilty Pleasure....
I'm afraid I keep repeating myself. It's another skein of Ripples Crafts from the Assynt Storms range (gorgeous one-of-a-kind (OOAK, duh (note to self, that's what it means, please do remember for once)) Reliable Sock).
Technically, I don't exactly need more sock yarn. But, you know, the Precious!!!!





Tuesday, September 17, 2013

#yarnpadc, day 17 and day 3.

Beverages and Blue. Not something I want to combine on most days. 

As today was another challenge to my sanity, I figured I deserved a hot Nesquik with a cheeky head of whipped cream. Served in my special Shakespeare Swearing Mug. It really has been one of those days...


Blue is the colour of one of my current in-love-with yarns. It's called Stormy Sea (Formerly known as Brave Lads and Lasses) and you can get it from Helen right here. She has it in a few different yarn weights, so there's no excuse. Go get some!

I'm knitting a few kilt socks out of 2 skeins. Size giant and size tiny. Guess which size this is...







Monday, September 16, 2013

Day 2 and day 16, #yarnpadc

Thanks AnnieBeeKnits for leaving a comment! The mittens in the last post are the Chawton Mittens. I think I've sufficiently shamed myself into finishing them before I need them. Seriously.

On to the next round of the Yarn Picture a Day Challenge.

Day 2 Something beginning with D...

I can't be the only one taking a picture of a box of Drops Baby Merino, can I? I've knit a few baby cardigans (the Tomten Jackets) and a few booties with this yarn. Soon, so very soon I need to start Bubs his own Tomten Jacket. There's a chill in the air suggesting it should be Autumn so very, very soon.


Day 16 In My Project Bag

I really like my project bag. Being the person who 'can make that myself', I've never spent money on something I could so easily make myself, or something like it at least. Except that I never have because I just don't happen to have done it (yet). Until I spotted this one, with its own knitterly decor. It's holding a little cowl-on-hold while I knit socks and cardies for the little one. The yarn is by Dutch Wool Diva and the pattern doesn't exist. Unless you count in my head and jotted down on a piece of paper. One day... one day. It turned out to be reversible and has some linen stitch and slipped stitches. I really like the ribbing...





Sunday, September 15, 2013

Late to the party: #yarnpadc

I  finally figured out what the deal was with the Yarn Picture a Day Challenge when I saw someone post a picture through Twitter. So I'm joining late, trying to catch up on some older challenges.
Today's challenge is "want". Fortunately, that's the Dutch word for mitten, which I have a lovely example of in my UFO basket. Two birds, one stone!
It's the cameo mittens from Jane Austen Knits, by @AnnieBeeKnits (sorry, not the correct name for the mittens or the designer, I'm on the phone. You can find them in my projects on Ravelry)
All I really need to do about them is kitchener stitch the tops and weave in the ends. I can't believe I've taken 2 years to get to this point! I'll have them done before I need them...


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Hatopia, a Randomly Generated Winner!

Dear readers,

Thank you all for dropping by in such amazing numbers! In time, this may become my most visited post, after the one tagged Dealey Plaza, which appears to attract a lot of people wanting to visit Dallas I presume.

I think the lot of you have already bought your own copy of Hatopia, because only 4 of you left a comment below. Not enough people to roll a die, so off to find a random number generator on t'internet. That turned out quite easy, and it generated a number for me.


3*

This means that the lovely Babylonglegs is about to receive a copy of Hatopia, or she can have it sent to someone she thinks should receive it. I started a little investigation into Babylonglegs and it turns out she's already donating to the fund through her shop which you can find right here. You should probably go there and buy some yarn for a hat

I have to admit I've had great fun checking out visits to the blog over the past week. I hope this helps me keep it up a little more often. With all the knitting I'm planning, this shouldn't be too difficult!
As a matter of fact, I'm awaiting some yarn to cast on a Playful Woolly Topper, Alfur. There's a deadline on this one, so I'll finish it soon!




*and the number shall be (3).... five! (am I the only one who automatically thinks this at seeing or hearing the number 3?)

Friday, August 16, 2013

Knit a Hat, Save a Community, or at least plan to knit a hat, buy the pattern book and the yarn and only remember to knit when your ears get cold on your way to work

You may do things differently.

I on the other hand, have *almost* finished a pair of mittens I started 2 years ago. I'm under no illusion that I'll knit myself a hat before next Spring, but I like to surprise myself.

encircle

Now about saving a Community, I should probably explain myself. How does one save a Community by knitting a hat? In all reality, one doesn't. I'd never stop knitting hats to save communities all around, I'd pick it as my superpower. Hat-knittingWoman. I'd like a cape with that, TYVM.

rubbish mojitos

So, we're not saving a Community by knitting a hat. But we can help save a community by helping that very same Community to collect the funds to help them save their own Community from demolition. I'll tell you how, and I'll tell you why I care.

The Community we are talking about here is called Mutonia and this is what's happening to it (official statement)


The Mutoid Waste Company arrived in Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy in 1990 to perform in that year's "Festival Dei Teatri", a renowned annual festival held in the town. From that time on Santarcangelo became a base for the group and it became their home. Their art, their way of life and they themselves became an accepted part of life in Santarcangelo. Over the last 23 years they have increasingly collaborated on projects with local institutions such as schools, and their ties with the local community have strengthened. In recent years some of the Mutoids have chosen the Yard as a safe place to raise their own children. 
The Yard is unique: a place that follows the rules whilst living completely outside them, a place that advocates an alternative outlook on life, a place that allows people to discover new things - and it's wonderful that such a place is considered a true part of Santarcangelo and that the locals readily accept the Yard as part of their community.
Despite these many years of mutually respectful cohabitation there is one voice that has continually spoken against the Mutoids presence; a single objector who now seriously threatens this culturally important phenomenon.
Mutonia is not a campsite (even though its inhabitants live in caravans, buses, trucks and temporary constructions that look more like works of art than houses); it's not a standard travellers site (although many of its inhabitants have a semi-nomadic lifestyle); and the group have never illegally occupied the land. 
In recent years Santarcangelo's local council has been searching for a solution to the situation, seeking help from other government bodies, with the ultimate aim of declaring the Mutoid Yard as a Site of Cultural Interest.
Unfortunately the Yard currently finds itself under a very real and serious threat of eviction - a reality which would not only destroy this unique community but also disperse its inhabitants and their artwork



A few years ago I got close to burning out. I gave myself the gift of therapy and avoided going down the hole. At that time I was just finding out more about the lovely knitting community. I read a lot of blogs by knitters, from the casual multi-hobbyist to the massively impressive designers who all show us a lot of their craft and a glimpse of their lives.

Runway

One of the special ones is Woolly Wormhead. A hat constructor extra-ordinaire, who just happens to live in a bus. This bus happens to be parked on the site of Mutonia.
Suddenly, whenever I thought to just start driving and keep going until I couldn't any longer, there was a destination. I never went, and I got better, but it's nice to know it's still there should I be in need of a destination ever again.

But now it might not.
Woolly (may I call you Woolly?) has released a pattern book called Hatopia which contains a whopping 10 of her popular designs for the price of £9.00 of which £7.00 goes to the SaveMutoniaFund.



Maybe you've already bought your own copy. If you haven't you totally should, or at least let me buy it for you. Well, one of you. Yes, it's a



Give away!!!



All you have to do is leave a comment below, stating when you'll cast on and actually finish knitting a hat if you had all the time in the world. (I'll check up on you!)* 
You'll also need to leave me a way to contact you, so add your Ravelry name, as that's the best I can come up with right now.

If you already own a copy, you can still enter. Just find someone you think deserves the gift of a really nice pattern book full of great hats and we'll get the book to them. 


If you're inclined to help out (and gain patterns, enlarge the stash, like we need an excuse) you should check out Woolly's blog in which she lists a bunch of people offering to donate part of your money if you buy some of their stuff  fluf. 


The GiveAway will close on Sunday the 25th of August, at noon CET. A winner will be chosen by some sort of random number generation. I'll figure something out.


Oh, and sign the petition. 



***COMPETITION NOW CLOSED***

*No I won't. I barely have time to check up on myself. Whatever makes you think I have time to check up on you?

Monday, July 29, 2013

Six months


Sweet Bubs,

I can't believe you're already six months old today. 
I can't believe you're just six months old today.

It seems like it was only last week that you looked up at me for the first time and yet I can hardly remember a time before you arrived.

You haven't changed a bit since before you were born. You never stop moving because you're too busy exploring and expanding your reach. 

Sometimes I wish you would stop rushing ahead so I can get used to your progress, but it's so much fun to watch you develop new skills that I just try to keep up with your pace. You can roll over every way you want to and scoot around on your back to get where you want to be. You're working hard to learn crawling and sitting and standing. I can tell because you get so frustrated when your little legs don't do as you want them to. You really enjoy family meals in the garden and so do the birds that get to clean up after you.

You're growing and learning and rushing ahead and I love you to bits. Happy half birthday little Bubs!