princessdeia

August 9th 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum, Swaps

Yesterday started off well, I received a parcel from my Secret Pal – unfortunately the postmark was smugged so I have no idea where she lives, her address is on the back but I don’t recognise the postcode – I will have to google it to find out.

She got me New Knits, this book has been on my wish list for over a year, I always over look it buying the newest knitting book. It’s a great book to put on the coffee table to let non-knitters flick through to show them knitting is more than just chunky scarves and baggy jumpers. In fact my sister as already requested the boudoir slippers.

Also, the perfect t-shirt for my blog – I am thinking of changing the colours to pink to match this shirt – Miss Golightly looking fabulous as always. And an assortment of sweets, I really need to rent some DVD’s to eat all these snacks.

After the excitement of opening presents, Jason and I met his mum and nephew at the Science Museum for a quick educational and fun day out, I hadn’t been there for a few years and it has been brought up to date with exhibits on DNA and global warming.

After Lunch we had time for a quick trip to the Natural History Museum, to see the dinosaurs - just enough time to take some photos. I pass this building numerous times and I never really noticed it, now it become my favourite building in London, it has some amazing architecture, hidden monkey, dinosaur and fish gargoyles around the doorways and windows. 

August 1st 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum, Stash Enhancement, Sweaters

As I have been concentrating on OSSP, I seem to have neglected Project Spectrum, I received this lovely card for Claudia over the weekend, hidden in the mosaic is eye which has been staring back whilst I type this.

I also invested in some Double Top Cotton in brown, from Texere. Which I am going to turn into the mohair stripe sweater from Vintage Knits. I have some left over Destiny Mohair (also from Texere), from my Wavy Gravy Scarf I made last year. 

Now I have a little confession – even since I started knitting again, and invested in Stitch ‘n’ Bitch, I have thought about trying some of the techniques like kool aid dying and felting – but have never actually ventured outside of my normal knitting.

Last month, I decided to dive in and make a felted stash-busting bag and also the felted clutch from One Skein. This is the stash-busting bag – pre-felt and my Clutch is blocking at the moment, I just need to add some crocheted flowers.

July 18th 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum

A little late (but then I was also a little late at sending out my card), my June postcard from Lauren at Life’s Just Ducky, she include a lovely message “may you tiara always sparkle” which brought a smile to my face as I have been practicing wearing my tiara for the wedding (I know it is 9 months away), but I am trying to get use to it.

With my top secret projects still continuing and me running around, I have missed knitting, so I decided start a mini project that I can carry around in my bag. This purple skinny scarf was inspired by Russell Brand (I have been watching a lot of Big Brother’s Big Mouth). The yarn is Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran from my recent stash enhancement.

I was going to try finishing all my old project spectrum projects this month, and then try and get a head start on my August project (I am still unsure what I am going to make), but lolly has suggested a Clean Sweep month for September, so I guess I can get a real head start on my neutral project.

June 27th 2006
Filed under Project Spectrum

As the World Cup entered it’s second round, this weekend, I began the second stage of cardigan. As I am knitting this cardigan top-down, I am now at the stage where you stop all the increases, as you do on the mini-sweater.

I am unsure what to do about the sleeves whether to make them full length or three-quarter lengths, so I am starting to sleeves first – over the weekend, I managed to complete over half of one sleeve so hopefully, I should have them both completed by the end of the week. Ready to start the main body during the quarter finals.

June 22nd 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum, Swaps

Yesterday we went to Royal Ascot and we finally got to see the new grandstand, unfortunately I had dead batteries in my camera and was unable to buy replacements. here should be photos of my in my hat, drinking Pimms and losing money!

Also whilst I was out the postman delivered my first package from my Secret Pal. So this morning, after a quick trip to the post office and shop to buy some batteries, I got to examine my goodies.

Inside was two skeins of this amazing Colinette Point 5 yarn – I have never seen it before and it is amazing! I think it will make a luscious scarf for the autumn.

Also was a collection of scrap-booking supplies all in shades of blue – just in time for me to make my Postcard for June’s Project Spectrum.

Finally, a Su Duko book for some brain training and candles.

June 18th 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum, Stash Enhancement

I am doing a pretty bad job of avoiding the World Cup, the idea of meeting up with everyone in the pub to watch the game or staying in and watching crap television isn’t really a fair contest, especially when there is cold beer involved! I watched the England game in the pub on Thursday, and although my knitting was in my bag, the pub was too crowded and the idea of knitting in the smokey atmosphere did not appeal.

My stash has also been enhanced with some Cascade 220, when I started knitting again two years ago, Stitch ‘n’ Bitch became my bible and the Internet was a constant source of patterns, amazingly a large amount of pattern (especially felted patterned) called for Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride Bulky, and these yarns where impossible to get hold of – now Get Knitted has started selling both these yarns so I had to check them out – now all we need is got Knit Picks to export to the UK and I will be able to find out what all the fuss is about.

Luckily I am not on a yarn diet, as I brought more yarn on Friday afternoon, when I was meant to be shopping for my Secret Pals when I invested in some Louisa Harding Kashmir Aran for me – I think I will turn it into a summer scarf.

Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to knit much this weekend, as we saw the Foo Fighters in Hyde Park yesterday – undoubtedly a gig I will tell my children about, gorgeously hot day, one of the London’s most famous landmarks, 85, 000 people and members of Queen performing the encore – my only complaint was the set was too short!

Today, I have completed a Blue Square for knit-a-river.

June 12th 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum

This pretty much a “bear” representation of our weekend, Friday afternoon, Jason began his month long marathon of watching football matches and I started knitting, I manage to cast on my cardigan during the Germany/Costa Rica game, and did a little more over the Poland/Ecuador match.

Saturday was devoted to enjoying the sun, watching the England game and catching up with friends. On Sunday, I started knitting some blue squares for Knit-a-river, perfect for stash-busting and also for this month Project Spectrum.

June 5th 2006
Filed under General, Project Spectrum

Over this weekend, I received my May postcard from Suzanne at Luscious Fibers as part of May’s Project Spectrum Postcard swap, with a lovely message about me trying to find balance whilst planning the wedding (I hope I haven’t become bridezilla).

I spent the majority of the weekend having a clear out – think of it as spring cleaning a little late. Because of limited space, I don’t really have a massive stash of wool – and I am always envious when I see other bloggers flash their stash, this sad box is my stash.

• The sky blue mohair, I brought on eBay last year, hoping to make Grecian Plait from Knitty, however, I found the wool to itchy to wear and so it has been hidden away.
• The turquoise is aurora 8, I am hoping to turn into the Clutch Bag from One Skein.
• Finally, the navy is aurora 4, which I am going to turn into a little cardigan – my World Cup knitting project.

I also realized my knitting notions and needles really need a better home, using some plastic bags does not look good – so what does one do – well obviously she knits herself a knitting bag. For a while know I have loved the Cleo Clutch from SPUN, which I think would be perfect for my notions and I thought I would double the pattern to make a larger bag to hold my projects.

May 31st 2006
Filed under Finished Projects 2006, Project Spectrum, Socks

Yarn: Opal Prisma in 1192 (Green).
Pattern: Sock it to ‘em pattern with decreases for the calf.
Needles: 2 mm DPN’s (5 needles).
Notes: As I have mentioned, my sister has awful taste in trainers so for her birthday, I had to introduce her to the wonderful world of Converse, but you can’t just have a pair of Converse you also need a matching pair of socks, and so for the last month I have been busy knitting some green socks - the perfect project for May’s Project Spectrum.

I wanted to make knee-high socks, so I started with 80 stitches and decrease a stitch at the beginning and end of each 10th round, to 60 stitches, then followed the basic sock pattern.

I also used Alison’s method for solid coloured heels, but I don’t think it works extremely well with this yarn as the stripes are too short, it looks better on the fatter stripes.

May 25th 2006
Filed under Finished Projects 2006, Project Spectrum, Socks

Yarn: Sirdar Town and Country 4ply Sock Yarn in Classic Grey and Cygnet Wool Rich 4ply in Rose Pink.
Pattern: Sock it to ‘em pattern with short row heel.
Needles: 2 mm DPN’s (5 needles).
Notes: I had about 75 grams of the grey yarn in my stash, and this pink wool I brought for some reason (I have no idea what I was thinking when I brought it), but I decided to make a striped pair of socks – originally as part of March’s Project Spectrum, as I had a limited amount of the pink yarn I added an extra stripe on the foot.

This project was also the perfect time to experiment with short-row heels, as I figured the grey heel would look more symmetrical, I think the socks fits more snuggly this way, but I have to get use to short-rows, I am still not use to this techinique.