socherryknits

Could this be the cutest SP gift ever [woman's knecklace]? As seen via a link from Beverly's blog - as it states this necklace could fit all types of personalities depending on the yarn used -a clever idea for a wee something to give my SP Knecklace

The latest findings using knitting/crochet on Stumbleupon - the best site for when you just want to wander through random knitting/crochet pages A pattern for a crochet nun! Cool or what!? You just download the Stumbleupon toolbar and then hit Stumble! button for random hits on the most interesting sites for you - as rated by other Stumble users! *later* I just stumbled onto Knitpicks *drool* much coveting of beautiful sock yarns - ship to the UK pur-lease!!! Am proscrastinating whilst listening to Cast On again .... must knit the sock... byeeee!

Have sent in my app. for SP8 - whoop! Am all excited and can't wait to get started :) And I also thought I add a note of appreciation to I for funky blog gadget things which I have added to my own blog! They're cool!!

So I KIP'd twice this week - once in the doctor's surgery on Friday and yesterday in Starbuck's on Byres Road - the sock is so addictive that all other people melt away from my mind/vision when I am working on it - I think socks maybe my newest crafting addiction! Oh and I have to show off the delish bag that I commissioned SeabreezeStudio's to make for me - from Japan, Yukiko is currently living in the UK and makes the highest quality bags - her stuff is just lovely - I can't praise her highly enough. She made my bag and sent it about a week after I requested it The link incase the image doesn't work - this is the perfect knitting bag! So I think that's me for this week - I'm trying to get into the habit of updating my blog weekly so that I can join secretpal8 , and also cos I think it is good for me to organise the mess in my head that is all my WIPs/ideas etc!

On my sticks this week: Still plodding on with the sock and baby blanket - spent a lot of time preparing for the stall last Saturday [read about that here once I update it] I have made a 'work' blog to talk about the stuff I make to sell - I feel a bit uncomfortable writing about what's going on with that section of my creative life here - I always feel the need not to go on about it too much, feeling like it's self-promotion-y and sales-woman-ish. I am filling in my app. form to join secretpal8 - thank you Jen for leaving the info :) I have not yet attached the sleeves to my Bella - perhaps I will take it to this Sunday's Stitch n Bitch meetup for help. I have a meetup tonight where we are all to take along our cast on methods and teach each other different cast on techniques. I have noticed with our wide range of European and international members that there are many different ways of casting on - yet most people seem to stick to their one cast on method for all...

So whats on my sticks? Well with the craft fair looming of Saturday I of course am working on my sock! [In denial that Saturday is so near]. Thanks to I for sending me her groovy toe pattern - I am having to frog the first sock as it is too big. Am currently emotionally unable to do it yet, so have cast on 2nd smaller sock until I can face the challenge. Right ... the boy is home, so back to the sock! I have more to chat about - esp Brenda Dayne's Cast On podcast - does anyone have any idea how to access the shownotes? And also, Secret Knitty Pal - this sounds like much fun, the brief snippet that I head about it on the aformentioned podcast - does anyone have a link/more details about this?

Baby blanket for my work colleague - going rather well out of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran from K1Yarns - it's so soft I wish there was touch-vision on computers so you could just feel how delicious this is. Seed stitch at the edges with straight knit in the middle. Is seed stitch and moss stitch the same? I also had an accident at John Lewis and bought 2 balls of Kidsilk Haze in the bargain bin for Branching Out [my 3rd Branching out] I haven't yet finished a repeat so there was no point taking a photo yet...

Well Bella is going quite well now - I refrogged the front over and over til I got it right, and now have seamed that side seams, the sleeves and joined fronts to the back at the neck. Thanks to L for helping my with the drop stithc guide idea by suggesting that I also yo to keep the same number of stitches. The last thing left is to 'set the sleeves'. Have no idea how to do this, and so will have to take it to a meet and see if anyone can help. The only problem is that it is curently covered in cat hair and crumpled up, so I will need to make it look a bit neater so I don't look like such a knitting slob!

I had a retro weekend last weekend and decided that I needed to make these ‘vintage’ fairy cakes with pastel butter icing. Delish they were too! I got a ‘make-your’own’ Easter egg from the boy to play with next Sunday too!

Loving this vest top from this months Magknits - added to [long long long!] list of works in the queue. I received the Stitch n Bitch journal for my Christmas - which should be the perfect place to keep up with planned projects, planned projects for which yarn has been bought, WIPs, yarn looking for projects and so on and so on! But my knitting life moves faster than I can possibly catalogue it! And then there is the full intention of updating my blog on a weekly basis ... The problem is that too many hours are wasted earning money for my knitting life! A discussion at last Tuesday's Stitch N Bitch meet - maybe I could have a baby, then I could stay at home. I could name my baby Rowan if it is a boy, and Noro Blossom if it is a girl. Ok, so there are a few holes in my grand plan - babies cost money, take alot [alot alot!] of time, make a lot of noise which would make me lose my place in a pattern... and I don't have a single tiny insy-bitsy maternal bone in my entire body! Hmm...

Yay! I had a sale today on etsy - just what I needed to give me a bit more motivation for my stall :) Off for dinner - then back to making stuff for my stall - it's on the 22nd April in Hillhead Library, Byres Road, Glasgow. Theres gonna be loads of cool crafty folks there - I'm particularly coveting this necklace from Hannah Zakari.

OK ... so dropping the stitches early so that i can compare the lines when the pattern tells me to drop them ... such a simple idea... but i've already dropped the stitches - they dont come back ! a somewhat obvious point that escaped me. Bloody hell! Frog number two

And so the right front has been frogged this evening... New plan. To knit a few inches - match the dropped stitch ladders with the left front and drop them early. Then later on at the reverse shaping stage where I believe I should be dropping a stitch in accordance with the pattern I can simply run my eye down to double check that it is in fact correct. My only worry now lies with row that states: "cast off 3 stitches at beg. of next row" I've been listening to my first podcast tonight on iTunes - Cast On by Brenda Dayne - brilliant! The boy is away at an [enforced by his work] evening class every tuesday for the next 12 or so weeks so I have taken over the 'couple couch' with knitting and listened to knitting radio. Very cool! Episode 10 "Bitch and Bitch" she talks specifically about the whole Sew Fast Sew Easy / Stitch n Bitch saga. Very interesting. What else have i been up to this evening - well I frogged my hat - bollocks'ed it up. I seem to hav...

"Keeping position of dropped sts correct as now set, complete to match left front, reversing shapings" says Rowan of Bella.... "&*(&&*^%^!!!" say I! Look at the pictures! To save but 1/2 a column of instructions...! Arg! I can't do it backwards and keep the dropped stitches in the right place! I can't! My brain hurts and i'm so close! Anyone help? *goes off to Google my ass off!* *sob sob*

squinty photo...

I have succumbed to SSS... Second Sock Syndrome ... I cannot be arsed - as much as I loved knitting the first one the end result was not a sock that fitted me particularly well. It feels 'weird' It's alright... *shrug* but not the sunday socks to meander round the house that I desired. So I cannot face frogging 2 weeks of solid work on the tiniest needles I have ever used, but nor can I face casting on the second one and giving them away to friends, family on charity. I hold my hands up - I am too selfish to give so much of myself away. I admit it! I'm trying to upload a pic, but blogger just isn't having it! I have also made one mitten from the sirdar fluffy stuff that i won on tuesday's snb, and finished my handpaintedyarn.com mesh scarf. Photos to follow- if the internet gods allow it!

Knowledgable sock knitters - I've finally reached the toe shaping bit of my first sock and I'm stuck!It's a Lana Grossa pattern as follows (my questions in red); Round 1: Knit to 3 sts before first marker, k2t, k1, (slip marker), k1, Ssk 2tog 'Ssk 2tog' ? is that just ssk, or ssk twice and knit together? and also - do i then knit to end of row? Round 2: Knit to 3 sts before second marker, k2tog, k1, (slip marker), K1, Ssk 2tog same questions as above round Work decrease rounds every alternative round initially Knit rows do I follow:Rnd 1, knit one row, Rnd 2, knit one row? Or Rnd 1, Rnd 2, knit one row?help!? I'm so close to finishing!