Vast plains of rib

Colours are for fun, not links.


I have completed the back of this jacket in Twilley's Freedom Spirit yarn.
I have whizzed through left front.
I have successfully reversed the shapings for right front.
I have survived two and a half long weeks of not just Sleeve Island, but its more remote and more desolate counterpart Raglan Sleeve Island.
And now I have to face the biggest challenge yet- the acres of tundra known as the Vast Plains of Rib. And I do mean vast. Pick up and knit 650 odd stitches and do short row shaping on 3mm. Sounds like a great laugh.
Don't hold your breath waiting for this one to be finished!

Snowdrops

These lovely snowdrops were waiting for us on our back "lawn" this morning. They are so pretty and fragile looking I thought I'd better whip out the camera straight away.

Ok, now why not go over and pay a visit to my friend Mhairi's new blog Flavaknits .
She's got a new camera, some knitting needles and a crochet hook, and she ain't afraid to use them!

As I type this she's probably at the Glasgow Knitting Meetup, which I am missing as I am out in the countryside looking at snowdrops and pregnant sheep etc. x K

Call the SSPCA

Call the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

Or perhaps the SSPCA if you are north of the border.

I don't do pets as you know, but I feel sorry for this noble beast being dressed up like a dolly in a pram.
I would to see me try to dress up Wesley the Weimaraner who works at M and D's in such kit.

There are many things about Rowan I do like, but I think this Knitted Dog Coats or words to that effect is a step too far. Poor creatures.
I nearly piddled my breeks when I read Yarn in my Pocket's warning that a jumper made from Big Wool even makes a whippet look fat. Thanks very much for the links. x K

Photo essay part one

What happens when you pick up your Sunflower Yarn Swift from the postal depot and play with your Noro Hana 100% Silk which you bought from Get Knitted .
Too keen to get started to hunt for ball winder so just balled by hand.
Feast your eyes!

Photo essay part two

300th anniversary of the Act of Union

In 1707 the Act of Union was signed.

Here's a song based on a 1700s text brought to my attention by Dick Gaughan on the subject.

Independence AND harmony with our neighbours? Now there's an idea........

What's the spring-breathing jasmine and rose ?
What's the summer with all its gay train?
Or the splendour of autumn to those
Who've bartered their freedom for gain?

Let the love of our land's sacred rights
To the love of our people succeed.
Let friendship and honour unite
And flourish on both sides the Tweed.

No sweetness the senses can cheer
Which corruption and bribery bind.
No brightness that gloom can e'er clear
For honour's the sum of the mind.

Let virtue distinguish the brave,
Place riches in lowest degree.
Think them poorest who can be a slave,
Them richest who dare to be free.

Hope Dick sings this when we go to see him at Celtic Connections this year.

Kaleidoscope

Hiya,
I've been mucking about with our digital camera.
During the Christmas holidays I discovered all these different special effects that I didn't know it was capable of.
I'll show you some of my favourites over the next couple of weeks.
This one is "Kaleidoscope" and I've given you the before and after pix to compare.
You can adjust your centre point (within certain perameters) to get the effect you're looking for.
I think it looks cool.
You can do it with faces too, but I'll have to get permission before showing you some of them.



You may have noticed from my banner above that I am "Knitting from my Stash" Gulp.
Most of my New Year Resolutions are to do with the home, but I thought I'd come clean about my New Year "Aspiration" (see, I'm watering it down already) to knit from my stash for a while.
I always seem to skim relatively recent purchases off the top of the stash, and seldom dig deep into the realms of history, so I'm going to try to do that more. I have a couple of different exceptions (my niece is expecting again, yay!) and exclusions (I can buy top-ups for projects which need additional supplies) and jokers (trips to Paris, new season's products from the manufacturers) but I am endeavouring, in fact, aspiring, in fact, resolving to knit from my stash for the foreseeable future.
Wish me luck!

More Christmas Knitting Revealed

Ruffles from Scarf Style.

Thank you for the lovely comments on my Froth Scarf in my last post. Okay, as many of you guessed, some of my secret knitting a few weeks ago was the Ruffles Scarf from Scarf Style. I made it for Sarah (Mom's Knitting Again) who had been so generous to me in this year's Rowan exchange. I was conscious of the fact that living in Louisiana she may be better with a scarf for style rather than warmth as such, so this combination was born. Now I know she has safely received it and is happy with it I can show it to you properly. I was delighted with the finished product but I must warn you- doing the recommended amount of stitches in this yarn results in quite a narrow boa. (Which suited my purposes for the above reasons.)

I used Louisa Harding Kimono Angora shade# 02 for this. I purchased mine in Stitching Time in Hamilton, but I see Cucumber Patch stock this shade at the moment too. http://www.cucumberpatch.co.uk/kimono_angora.htm

I keep observing how I (and many other bloggers) return to the same colour combinations. This is the scarf next to the socks which the recipient Sarah sent to me! Magnetically drawn.

The corkscrew effect worked a treat.

It's Frothy Man!

This is the Froth scarf which came as a Members' Bonus with Rowan International last year. I chose the colour "Trance" as my renewal goodie.

Here is the pattern made up in "Heavenly" Kid Silk Haze and "Medici" Kid Silk Spray. I made the scarf both wider and longer than the original pattern, but I wasn't restricted by yarn amounts as you would be if you used the two balls provided. I basically kept going with the main shade until I had virtually run out of yarn from two balls (160cm) and made the ruffles with the toning colour. I M*A*Y have been able to eke out the edging by holding both ends of one ball of the contrast, but I was working to a deadline and preferred just to use two balls simultaneously.





I knew this was a lovely pattern because I had seen various versions knitted up at my Knitting Meetup Group and I have to say I was delighted how it turned out. The silk content gives a lovely gloss to the yarn too. Bearing in mind I made the scarf larger in all dimensions than the original pattern I ended up casting off 885 stitches for the ruffle - twice!!! (One long and one short edge at a time.) That's a lot of stitches, even for someone who has knitted a few shawls by now.

This was given as a Christmas present to my father-in-law's wife, Cynthia. She was delighted with it and it made all of those ruffle stitches worth it when she said that although she had knitted for others for years, no-one had ever knitted anything for her before. Well worth it. Another first is that this is the first time I have truly been at one with knitting KSH. Re-sult!
(By the way, "It's frothy, man" was a slogan used years ago for Cresta sherbet crystals you stirred into cold water to make a fizzy drink.)

Happy New Year everyone. Hope 2007 is good to you. xxx

Knitting Inventory 2006

This is a picture of scarves I have either received or knitted this year. One of my resolutions last year was to knit fewer scarves- well I succeeded. I knitted eight in 2005 and seven in 2006. Hee hee. Mind you I did accomplish three shawls, and plenty more of them to come in the year ahead, all being well.
Another resolution was to knit more for other people, which I definitely achieved too.

Here's a list of my Finished Objects for 2006.
Like last year there are 18 of them.
And like last year, the colours are just for fun, not links. Unless otherwise stated, items are for me, me, me.

Cardigans
Sirdar Indigo zipper cardigan, Woman’s Weekly pattern, for Anja
Deep by Carol Meldrum, Rowan 39 in Rowan Summer Tweed
Old Hayfield pattern cardigan in Jaeger 4ply for Maggie’s Adam

Jumper
Garter Rib jumper from Classic Knits for Real Women, Rowan All Seasons Cotton

Shawls
Leaf Lace Shawl in Kid Classic, by Evelyn Clark at Fibertrends
Shetland Triangle in Lang Yarns Venezia, by Evelyn Clark, Wrap Style
Kiri in Orkney Angora, by Polly at All Tangled Up

Scarves
Multi-directional scarf in Art Yarns Royal Silk
Misty Garden from Scarf Style, in Fyberspates Silk Boucle, for Pam
Braided Mischief from Scarf Style in Debbie Bliss Maya, for Jonathan
Gedifra Scarf Net scarf in Da Masi
Ruffles from Scarf Style in Louisa Harding Angora, for Sarah
Funky Chunky side to side scarf in Wendy Fusion, for Kathryn
Froth Scarf in Rowan Kid Silk Haze and Kid Silk Spray, for Cynthia

Socks
Cable rib socks, adapted Lucy Neatby, Shoeller & Stahl
Jaywalkers by Grumperina at MagKnits, Regia Mini Ringel

Headgear
Denim headscarf with picot edging in Sirdar Indigo
Lace headscarf in Rowan 4ply cotton
Rambler Beanie in Sublime Aran
Fake Isle hat by Amy at Magknits, Noro Kureyon and Kilcarra Donegal Tweed
Half Dome in Jaeger Merino, Knitty, for Anna

Gloves
Fingerless Mitts in Rowan Kid Classic for Childline
Fingerless Mitts in Rowan Felted Tweed

Bag
Felted Gypsy Bag in Kid Classic, own recipe, for Jane

Home
Midwest Moonlight mat in Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere
Ballband table mats in Sirdar Indigo for Carol for Rowan exchange
Jug cover in Rowan 4ply cotton for Carol
Siesta lap blanket in Noro Kureyon

All in all I've had another great knitting year.
Thanks to all my visitors here at KEDkrafty.
Any knitting resolutions for 2007? Watch this space.

And - enjoy bringing in the New Year.

Happy Christmas!

Compliments of the Season

Hello again.
Sorry for editing this post, particularly as it already had a comment -Happy Christmas Carol! My "stained glass" picture may resurface again in a few days.
The thing is, I didn't think I'd have the chance again to post before Christmas, but I'm enjoying a relaxing night with my beloved and a 'net' of satsumas so I have the time to show you some of the decorations we put up tonight. This is our Willow Tree Nativity Scene which we bought with the wedding gift from my brother T and his lovely and very crafty wife C. I'm gonna get the camel and the stable too, when they are back in stock.
It is fair to say that I LOVE Christmas, but I don't subscribe to the idea that we must work up a fervour building up to the 25th.
For me, a wee bit of preparation doesn't go amiss, but the whole point is that it BEGINS with the celebration of the Nativity, which tradition has it we commemorate at this time of year. I feel so sorry for retail staff who are caught up in the commercial machine which means they are rushed off their feet and then perhaps get a day or a weekend off. Not much time to get a breather, never mind have time to celebrate and remember the point of Christmas.
This is the lovely candle I bought from Nora, a former work colleague who is now retired and does a bit of supply teaching when not doing handicrafts.
She made us some beautiful wedding candles, so I was delighted to buy her products again.
And yes, in case you're wondering, I do keep all the "holy" Christmas cards together ! My friends from work and I all tend to give Nativity cards. I do like the others too, I just put them on separate racks.






This is the tree which DH has trimmed with decorations he has picked up over the years- he thinks some may be forty or so years old. I'm starting to feel a bit more festive now and I wouldn't be surprised if those pressies multiply a bit over the next few days.
Enjoy. x K

Half Dome

Well, I couldn't see any problem myself about doing Half Dome from summer 2006 Knitty in the round, but I just wanted a little bit of affirmation because I don't have time for avoidable blunders at this time of year!
Thanks for your thoughts.
If any of you decide to do it in the round I would recommend doing ALL of the decreases one stitch in from the marker. The pattern factors in the loss of a half stitch or full stitch on each side of the seam when sewing up your backstitch or mattress stitch and places the first and last dec two stitches in.
An easy enjoyable knit in Jaeger 100% merino aran, which was a pleasant change after wasting loads of time and money on Friday and Saturday on some DB Alpaca Silk which tangled, frayed, knotted, shed and stained my support gloves with dye loss. It has been rewound into a million tiny balls now, so no way of taking it back. Just FYI I was trying out centre square from the new Knitty in the DB.
Oh well, now I have a nice smart, seam-free, natural fibre hat for my friend in plenty of time (ha ha) for Santa.Thank you! x K

Advice please...

Urgent Santa query-


Can anyone foresee any problem at all with me knitting this pattern in the round?

Any comments gratefully received.

Thank you my dears. x K

Robert the Bruce

If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.

This little swatch here looks like a six inch square of Noro Kureyon whizzed up in entrelac. Let me tell you that this represents a great victory of perseverance over challenge and adversity. I get it! I finally get entrelac after umpteen attempts! Quick, cast on some more before I lose it again. It's a fairly ham-fisted attempt, but let me enjoy my feelings of achievement for the moment. Aaaaaaah.

Gumersinda looks proud of her new entrelac blanket, although she says I should be more consistent with my slipped stitches.

Angora snuggles

A sneaky preview. Please don't say if you recognise this, as many of you will, particularly Glasgow Stitch 'n' Bitchers. A big curly wurly pile of Christmas softness. Please feel free to say if you love it. Wink wink. More revealing photos and write-up to follow, after Santy's been.

Like many blogsters, I'm a bit limited as to what I can show you at the moment, but I can show you this side to side scarf for a young relative of DH, who does not read this blog. I enjoyed making this, it was a pleasant quick knit, and I'm glad I was taken by the idea of the whimsical funky chunky crocheted flowers on the ends. Not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure, but good for a young teen. And yes, yarns snobs ;-) it IS a wool b*l*e*n*d, again because it's for a carefree young person. :-)

This is the shop-bought scarf which gave me the idea for the hand made side to side one. Mine is not a copy, but the general ideas and colours spring boarded off the one bought in Accesorize. Mine is knitted in Wendy Fusion in "Juniper Berries" with accents and details in RYC Soft Tweed in "Loganberry" and "Kingfisher".