A star is born

I was interviewed this week!

I've answered the odd question for Simply Knitting blurbs before, but this was a proper interview, conducted by a proper writer, for a proper 500-word article. Real proper stuff :)

I may have mentioned it in passing to the odd person since it happened. The fact that one of my carers greeted me today with, 'Yes, you told me' is entirely coincidental...

The interviewer, whose name, I am sorry to say, I was far too excited to take in, made it a really enjoyable experience. She asked interesting questions, not just the predictable ones for which I had already planned my answers. She had read my blog, and knew about my designs and interests. She was also really easy to talk to, and we discovered a mutual admiration for the very talented and twinkly David Tennant !

So, the article will be in the August issue of Simply Knitting, due out on July 20. There is also a design of mine for a cotton top with organza ribbon in the same issue.

Maybe my ambition to be on 'Desert Island Discs' is not so far-fetched after all.... Since the age of 10, I have regularly updated my mental list of eight records, one book and one luxury. Just in case Sue Lawley is reading this, and wondering what I would choose, here is today's selection.

Tomorrow's may be different ;)

Discs:
Time Out - Dave Brubeck
My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis
Birds In Your Garden - Pulp
Jokerman - Bob Dylan
Hearts and Bones - Paul Simon
God Give Me Strength - Alison Moyet
My Home Town - Bruce Springsteen
Who Knows Where The Time Goes - Sandy Denny

Book:
The Opinionated Knitter - Elizabeth Zimmermann

Luxury:
Need you ask? Lots and lots of yarn and needles. I promise not to knit an escape boat :)

News Flash!

Richard, the Beamish Boy, is now the proud possessor of a B Sc in Physics from Warwick University!

Feel free to raise a virtual (or real!) glass of bubbly :)

First, the good news

Well, it might not seem like good news, announcing that my second submission has been rejected by Vogue Knitting, but read on.

My first submission was accompanied by a letter that basically said, 'Thanks, but it's not for us.'

The second, which they kept much longer, came back with this letter:

'Thank you for your design submissions. We were unable to use them at this time, but we encourage you to continue submitting to our publications in the future.

Thank you again for thinking of us. We look forward to seeing more of your work!'

beam

I do feel chuffed :)

However, as one door opens, another door shuts. I am sorry to announce that I will no longer be submitting designs to Knitting magazine, as I am not happy with the way they have handled the error on the 'Magic!' hat pattern.

The Beamish Boy currently has the correct chart on his machine, but I expect it (and the other two I submitted) will be back on my PC soon, so if anyone would like a copy of the correct chart for the lightning bolt hat, do let me know. Don't expect instant answers, as I'm not managing to get online every day - but, if nothing else, I should be online every Sunday.

I still have a camisole in the the works at Knitting, but that will be the last one. It's sad, but I felt I had no other choice.

Phew!

Well, the four worries that have kept me away from my post here have all now been resolved. The two projects with insane deadlines have been completed (early, in both cases!), my brother is out of hospital, and I'm on new lung medication which is allowing me to breathe. Always a bonus :)

(My brother, for those of you who know him, has had a prolonged stay in hospital and in a rest home because his diabetes got out of whack and he ended up with kidney failure. He is well on the way to recovery now, having worried us all sick for weeks...)

I think I may have to take a leaf out of Mary Anne's book, and designate a day for blog entries. I'll probably pick Sunday, so I hope that, next Sunday, I'll be posting again.

In the mean time, it has been suggested to me that I reprint here an article that I wrote for SlipKnot, the journal of the Knitting and Crochet Guild. The issue in which it appeared was dedicated to bags, but the information on blending yarns applies to any project.

Stash Bags
This is not an article about storage solutions – it’s about how to make bags without spending money on yarn! As I am writing this around Christmastime, saving money on yarn seems like a very good idea….

Now, I’m not talking about pretty, lacy, delicate little bags – the kind that just about holds a handkerchief or a lipstick. What I am considering here is the good, solid, useful tote bag. There are plenty of patterns around which use expensive, chunky yarns to make thick, hardwearing bags in beautiful colours. However, many of us no longer have local yarn shops in which to browse or, even if we do, we may not necessarily have the budget for the sizeable balls which always seems so short on yardage.

The answer lies in our own hands – or, rather, our own stash. I have been experimenting for quite a while now with working with more than one yarn at the same time, blending my own yarns to create different effects. If you have never tried knitting with two or more yarns together, it may seem a little daunting. But really, all you have to do is pay a little extra attention to ensure that the point of the needle goes through the entire stitch.

First of all, root about in your stash to find those odd balls that you never know quite what to do with. Try to choose balls with a similar yardage. A mix of textures is always a good idea; I recently completed a garment for Knitting magazine which combined a variety of colors and textures with a Lurex thread, and the results looked almost like a sparkly Fair Isle. Because of the way yarns twist together when they are worked, different colours come to the forefront at different points in the fabric. I suppose, if you are a spinner, you could even ply the yarns together, although I’ve never tried this myself. I prefer just to hold the yarns together.

The next thing to consider is the colours that you will use. You could begin simply with several strands of the same colour yarn, but this is a bit dull. It’s much more fun to hold two or more different colours together and see how they twist around each other to create a random variegated effect. Even the most garish colours can be muted by being worked with other, more subtle colours.

Sometimes a theme can be useful in choosing colours. Try jewel tones - sapphire, ruby, emerald and topaz. If you prefer a more muted palette, what about ice cream colours? Perhaps Raspberry Ripple (pink and red), Caramel (shades of brown) or Neapolitan (brown, cream and pink)!

And don’t simply use yarns of the same weight. I achieved very pleasing results using a pale cream double knitting yarn together with 4-ply peach, yellow and green. In terms of the ice cream colours, it was a little like Tutti Frutti!

Next you need to consider your needle size - the smaller the needle, the denser the fabric. You may want quite a stiff and hardwearing fabric for a tote bag, so a smaller needle may be what you need. (Of course, blending yarns is not just for bag making, and a larger needle creates a springier fabric suitable for cushion covers, throws etc.)

Even with a dense fabric, you may like to create an inner for your bag to stop things falling out through the stitches. I find old pillowcases are invaluable for this, as they need very little sewing. You may prefer to knit an inner on much finer needles, with finer yarn.

Finally, don’t forget that the Guild offers BIYCH yarn – Blend your Own Chunky. If you don’t like what you’ve unearthed from your stash, perhaps the Guild can supply colours for you. Whatever you do, be adventurous – the results may surprise you!

Things are bad. Send chocolate.

Still coughing. Had a week off the antibiotics and then had to admit defeat and go back onto a new set. Vague rumblings are being made about my going into hospital, which I am strenuously resisting - I have enough problems without that :)

OK, well, now that Blogger has condescended to work, and my computer has stopped sulking and working at half speed, let's see what kind of a post I can cobble together for you. I can't believe it's nearly a month since my last effort....

Two new patterns published: a baby poncho called 'Angel Delight' in the current 'Simply Knitting', and a top in the new issue of 'Knitting'. (No info yet on the reprinting of the correct chart for the Magic hat, by the way.)

I'm sure Debora, who edits SK, won't mind me saying here that I wasn't totally happy with the photo for the poncho - we have discussed it at length ;) You get a better idea of the whole garment on the following page, where it is laid out flat. The baby model was a bit large for it - but VERY cute!

That reminds me - talking of cute babies in SK, my sister has just returned to knitting to make the doggy babygro from a previous issue. She's making it for her granddaughter, in the same colours as the family dog..... although, as my niece is a vet, I have no worries about her confusing the two!

Anyway, as I was saying - the poncho is made in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, which is one of my very favourite yarns as it's so soft and pliable. The gorgeous buttons are from a huge and lovely selection at Laughing Hens, and I've used several different designs from there in the past.

The Honeybee top is one of my most enjoyable past projects. It's made by working random stripes of four different yarns, along with a length of Lurex, and it creates almost a brocade-like fabric. The stripes are more pronounced in the final item than they were in the swatch, as I had to replace a Rowan yarn, which was being discontinued. This seems to happen with monotonous regularity :(

It was a fun project to do, as you can swap a colour as soon as you get bored of it. The best thing of all is that it's worked top-down, in the round - no sewing up!!

Two other bits of news - sadly, Alice Weir (Flossie Knits) didn't win Knitter of the Year, but stll needs sponsors for th Race for Life. Please visit her site if you can.

Secondly, as well as luring my sister back to knitting by showing her the doggy babygro, I have persuaded Richard's grandmothers to start knitting again. My ex-mother-in-law is knitting for charity, and my mother is about to start knitting my baby poncho. I am beginning to feel like Patient Zero for a knitting virus :)

Aha!

It let me upload it at last :)

This deserves inclusion in my collection of ghastly patterns for so many reasons. The fact that it's designed for Jimmy Savile; the clumsy 'OoOoOo'motif; the fact that said motif is swiss darned (what a cop-out by the designer!).....

For any of the non-British readers who don't know why this is funny - Jimmy Savile is a British DJ with an unpleasantly unctuous manner, whose trademark is a weird ululating yodel - hence the motif. He does loads of stuff for charity, but he still gives me the creeps :(

The new issue of Knitting magazine is now out, with not two, but THREE of my patterns in it, AND an article (photos courtesy of the Beamish Boy). They've done a great job on the article, adding extra illustrations for me and setting it out well on the page.

I'm not totally happy about the way they've styled the Springtime shawl, although it looks good - I would have preferred it twisted as I suggested in the pattern. I have to say, though, that the Blue Sky Alpaca Silk that I used for it is just the most gorgeous yarn I've ever had the pleasure of fondling. It is soft and smooth to knit with, and blooms on washing into the most amazingly even fabric.

I love the way the Hollyhock gilet has been styled and photographed, and it really shows up well. The Twilleys Freedom wool is incredibly light and airy for a chunky wool, and so soft that you would never know it was a pure wool yarn. I love the colour, too!

The Magic hat looks OK - it's difficult to photograph shadow knitting. Big problem with the chart, though - they've printed the wrong one. As soon as I can get hold of the editor, I know she'll arrrange an erratum notice, but I'd rather it was right first time.

Oh, and one of my swatches has come back from Vogue Knitting, with a nice letter saying, 'Thanks, but no thanks.' I'm not really surprised - I don't think anyone gets in first time. However, they still have the other swatch, so - who knows?? Watch this space....

News from Nowhere

Still here.

Still knitting.

Coughing well.

Yes, I have... a chest infection!! Just as the weather was improving :)

I wanted to show you all the ghastly pattern with which my dear friend Vicki cheered me up recently, but I'm having issues with the photo upload gremlins.

Instead, I shall leave you with this joke:

A friend of mine had to visit her doctor lately with a rather odd problem. She'd noticed that, whenever it was her turn to drive for the car pool, she got a tingling and then numbness in her hands. Even stranger, it only happened when she drove through the Tyne Tunnel - nowhere else on the journey, and on no other day of the week except that one.

The doctor told her not to worry, and diagnosed car-pool tunnel syndrome.....

At least I can blog about it

Well, the Beamish Boy is home for vacation - next term he takes his Finals and (I hope) graduates. Where did the time go? I swear, the last time I looked, he was sitting on the sofa in his pyjamas, chewing his toenails and watching 'Dangermouse'.

Oh, wait. That was this afternoon....

Well, I finshed camisole A (see a few posts back), washed it and blocked it. It looks gorgeous, it has worked just as I hoped it would, and the colours absolutely glow.

Now, before I go on with this anecdote, I have to explain a few details.

1. I don't move fast.

2. Especially when I am in bed, which is one of those snazzy electrical jobs, but moves even slower than I do.

3. I block finished items at one end of my desk, which is the other end of my bedroom from my bed.

4. My cats ignore any order I give them.

Ok, so I was on the phone with Serena (who has, incidentally, done her duty and added herself to the Frappr map. Just saying....). We were happily chatting away when I noticed Chloe lumbering up onto the desk - she's rather old and has lost her bounce, bless her.

She sniffed the camisole. I told her to get down.

She lay on the camisole. I told her to get down.

She stretched out her neck and, before I could get to her, casually chucked up a hairball onto it.

I may have deafened Serena at this point, and if I did, then I apologise.

With gritted teeth and murder in my heart, I rewashed it (thoroughly) and reblocked it. It doesn't seem to have suffered too badly. And, as I said to Serena once I started breathing again:

'At least I can blog about it...' :)

Hard sums

It is the bane of my existence as a designer that Knitting Involves Hard Sums.

I was unfortunate enough to be taught Maths in junior school by someone who didn't understand how numbers work and just taught us by rote. This state of affairs was made worse when I went to secondary school, and had to learn SMP Maths. Don't ask - I don't know the difference. I just know I don't understand it, and I passed my Maths O-level purely by dumb luck.

This means that I am as capable of solving maths problems as anyone else with a calculator - but I have no confidence in my ability to select the right bits of any problem on which to use it.

I've even been known to phone the Beamish Boy and ask him to check my answers....

Which is why I was quite ridiculously pleased today, when working out two concurrent sets of increases, to find out that one needs to increase every 4 rows, and the other every 8 rows. Nice and easy to remember - and I didn't even have to torture the numbers and fudge the tension to get them to work out :)

Don't forget the Frappr map, readers. I know there are more of you out there than there are pins on the map. If you want to use a pseudonym, or a fake email addy, feel free - I just want to see the pins. Click on the box above to add yourself...

Not a good day

I was going to have a moan.

I was going to tell you a long story about how I needed to rip out about 6 rows of the camisole last night, and have managed to end up, 24 hours later, 20 rows further back than I was this time last night.

I was going to shake my fists at the weather, which prevented my sister from coming and spending the day with me.

I was going to grit my teeth over the DVDs which didn't turn up today as they should have done.

Then I switched on Radio 4 for 'The Archers', and caught the 7 o'clock news, and an item which put my bad day into its proper context.

Linda Smith, stand-up comedian, actor, Radio 4 panellist and writer, died today of ovarian cancer. She was 48.

She had a deceptively quiet style, with, as Mark Steel said today, 'an air of Englishness' about her. She could sum up a situation in one pithy remark and put people in their places without their ever realising she had attacked them. She wrote a subplot on one of her shows about having a poltergeist with ME which still makes me laugh every time I remember it.

She went too soon.