076knits: Kille

If you've been reading the blog, you might have seen the pictures. I can't get enough of Bubs running around and doing anything but standing still to have his picture taken.

It all started when Bubs had only just joined us. I wanted to knit something for me, instead of the pile of baby knits that had gone before. I had a really (really) nice skein of Ripples Crafts Assynt Storms, a circular needle, and a naptime to gather my sanity before the next round of nursing, nappies and cramps. A new mom needs a bit of pampering, and that hank of yarn was just the trick.

One thing led to another (ever so slowly) and with help from two lovely professionals (hello Dutch Wool Diva and Yarn and Pointy Sticks) I can now present you my first ever pattern, Kille

Kille is a cowl with lots of nice and easy stitches, not a lot of counting and lots of pretty colours if you pick your yarn carefully. The sample shown is a new colourway by Dutch Wool Diva, Strolling through the Woods, and it's perfect for matching the Autumn colours out there right now. The sturdy Sock Star is perfect for sharing the cowl with your little one, especially when they like chewing on your knitwear, and soft enough to be worn against the skin. If you don't have a little one or like to live dangerously, go wild with your yarn choices! Be careful though, changing the gauge means changing your yardage! The pattern is carefully tech edited, but if you find a problem, please let me know!

You can wear Kille inside out and upside down, but not twice around your head.*
You can even try it on your other person, but I would keep it. It's a selfish treat, remember?

You have to knit it first, and you can do so after going right here: buy now (you don't have to be a member)


Love,
J



*definitely not twice around a little head so that pulling on it doesn't pull it tight

Nanowrimo, Nanoswemo, Movember, Wovember, Whateverember you wanna call it

It's all about the challenges, isn't it? Getting things done, without looking back or forwards too much. I sent a thingy to my wonderful tech editor. I'm working on being proud of that. Gimme a minute ;)

In the mean time, I knit a hat! It just needs buttons, and I have those ready to be put on. Just, you know, need to do it. Pattern is Lexie by Woolly Wormhead, Yarn is Warm Hearted Aran by  Helen of Ripplescrafts, colourway Carnations. 

WIP Wednesday: Purple

Hello everyone, 

Good to see you again. Are you cold?

Light a few candles, wrap up warm in a shawl and some mitts, and have yourself a nice cup of tea. That's what I'm doing anyway. 

Gosh it got cold. I'm looking at cycling to work in the morning, when it's a balmy -12C according to some weather forecasts. Within 2 days the skin of my hands has given up on being able to handle it. Wool is my friend, my friends. A thick, long wool coat, handknit socks, cardigan, scarf, hat and mittens, none of which are colour coordinated, are part of my daily wardrobe. Right up to the moment I enter my office, where the heating system seems to think subtropical is the way forward. No wonder everyone at work is sniffling and coughing...

Last week wasn't so much busy as it was tiring, with a few things that should *give* energy surrounded by energy sink holes. Now that they're behind me, I'm still battling to keep my eyes open at work. The bottom of the pile of 'no thought required'-files is finally in sight, and soon I get to use my brain again. It's really difficult not to drift off in thoughts about plans and challenges....

On the bright side, I'm quickly catching up on podcasts I had a huge backlog of, like Hoxton Handmade, otherwise known as the Electric Sheep. While an otherwise very enjoyable and popular podcast, the adventures of the Sheep and it's band of.... I don't know what to call them... fellow... adventurers, are the best bits and make people look at me funny. A heist, a flying bathtub filled with Molotov chickens... Seriously funny. Go listen!

There has been some knitting when I wasn't working or otherwise engaged. I passed the halfway mark on my Damask (I did the numbers) so it's downhill from now on. Bottom Up shawls always take a while to get started, but the good thing is that rows only get shorter, and shorter, and shorter.... until there's nothing left! Right now, I have 7954 stitches left to go. This means I've already done 14468 of them. That's putting row 59 of 143 into the right perspective, isn't it?

Fortunately, one of the energy sink holes did allow some time for some knitting. In amongst a lot of musicians, at least a few recognised the craft of knitting... One of them asked if I planned to finish a sweater before the end of the day. I presume she has little sense of scale, since what you're looking at is the top of a bootee. A baby one. Stretchy though it is, I can't fit my freakishly small hands through them...

The young lad sitting next to me was mesmerized by the magic of the magic loop. Which was good, it's nice to show that a traditional craft can still be cool and technically interesting. Then again, the thing that impressed him most about the moment, was the very, very long sleeked back hair of the 12 year old pianist. the only thing missing from the outfit was a Count Vlad outfit. To each their own, and it takes a special kind of guts to be that young man. Power to him, I say. 

Anyway, I'm working on it, even if it isn't very fast. 

Right, I've got an hour left to knit a few swatches, so I'm going to start them now. Babyknitting for a friend's sister is fun, even though said friend can't decide on colours... This just means I have 11 of them to play with before she decides!

Clearance and Sales, the second part.

I seem to have yet another cold. I'd put it up for sale but I fear there won't be any takers... I'm having oranges instead. 

Lack of sunlight and a decent night's sleep probably don't help. I've been told I need another challenge. So far, 2012 sounds quite a lot like 2011, doesn't it? Well, not quite. 

Clearance has expanded to include the old hard drive that's keeping this laptop going. I debated, and debated and debated. What if I remove the things I have backed up from the working hard drive because I have them on the back up hard drive, and then the back up hard drive breaks down? What if?!?

I've been dealing with that question for years, to the dismay of the Photographer, who has to deal with the "no room on this hard drive for your thousands of .ORF files you managed to take in a week"-message. A lot. Again I cut off at 2010. Every picture from before that (except the folders I consult for this blog) has been backed up, and now resides only there. I hope that thing lives forever, or at least until I manage to backup the back up drive. 

Squeeeeeeeeeee!

I'm *in* the perfect sweater workshop. That is all. 

(A challenge, knit something that actually fits me). I might also sign up for the steeking workshop during the next Breidag, 'cause that *sh*t* scares me senseless. Excuse my language, but have you ever considered cutting your knitting? I have. I was away with the faeries just thinking about it. A workshop might be a plan, as steeking is another challenge. Thanks for confirming that, Stacey!

A challenge that will be a leeeeeetle *insert squeaky voice* bit more difficult is one that's been swimming around for a while. I'm not really worried about the knitting challenges above. I'm really good at following instructions. That's why I never have any bits leftover after a long day of IKEA construction. 

The challenge lies in the making of the instructions themselves. And obviously, I don't want to do half a job, so besides writing down the pattern for the adapted HEMA bootees, I want to figure out how to do basic publishing. I'm watching all kinds of videos, which have told me how to make a new document, and do something with columns. A template would be nice, wouldn't it? Anyway, I'm working on stuff. 

Will I get tired, what with all these challenges? You bet. I'm going to rest myself on an island for a week.



I received an invitation for Pinterest by the lovely Martine from the iMake blog and podcast and it looks like I can invite some of my friends as well! Pinterest is a place where you can share your favourite things with you friends and the world by 'pinning' an image to what I can only describe as a huge, digital pin board. it's a great way to discover new things, get some inspiration, and create your very own mood boards. Drop me a line on Ravelry or Twitter (or my email, if you have it) if you want me to send you an invite!
If you're already on Pinterest, you can find me here. I'd love to see what interests you!


Earlier this week I bumped into this lovely project called FLOCK. You can join the FLOCK by adding a wool pompom sheep to their collection. I can't think of a better reason to try out my new pompom makers...

I've had enough of writing and trying to put buttons on this page, so I'm calling it another night.

Stay calm,
Cast on.


Note to Stacey: Sometimes you have to liberate a knitting needle when it's been hijacked by the project of doom. So I did. I'm now using my 4mm to knit Damask, together with the other people who are doing the #damaskkal. Martine from iMake and friends of the podcast are organising the thing.