Not waving, not drowning.....

....just doggy-paddling like crazy.

I am definitely trying to do too much. My unexpected nap attacks are outnumbering my knitting times, and that is Not Good. I can't remember the last time I read anything, and I'm falling down on my blogging.

I really don't want to give up any of my small number of activities, but I'm going to have to cut down my attendance at Quaker meetings to twice a month, especially if I want to keep attending my Knitting and Crochet Guild meetings. Plus I am going to have to be strict with myself about afternoon rests and sensible bedtimes. (Note to self: 'sensible' does not mean 1.30am just because the next episode of 'Lost' is on late. This is why we have a VCR.)

Dratted stupid illness.

Anyhoo....

Knittage has been done, despite it all. I've just finished another item for Knitting magazine which I love. I mean, I like all my designs, but this one is really cute :)

The only hint I can give you is: watch out for the pompoms. Oh, and it's burgundy.

Kate at Knitting has about five of my designs in hand now, so it's time for Christmas present knitting! So far I've produced three facecloths and a scarf.

The facecloths are in Anchor Magic cotton, from the Knitting and Crochet Guild online trading site. They're very simple - CO3, and work every row as (K1, YO, K to end). When you get up to 55 sts, then work (K1, YO, K2tog, K1, psso, K to end) until you're back to three stitches again. This actually produces a kind of diamond shape, rather than a true square, so I always add a hanging loop to the cast-off corner to make the shape less obvious :) Each cloth takes one 50g ball.

Because Anchor Magic is self-striping, you end up with a diagonally striped cloth, which looks quite cute. I'm packing a colour-coordinated soap in with each one.

I was hoping to do everything from stash, as my finances are tighter than a new shoe at present, but the scarf confounded me. I had two balls of Sirdar Foxy in Sable, bought at Pins and Needles, which only got me half a scarf. I had to force myself to go online and buy yarn. Goodness, how I suffer for my art.....

Actually, it was quite handy, as it also gave me an excuse to buy a pompom maker from Angelyarns. It's fab, and much less hassle than drawing round cups and cutting out cardboard! (You can find it here. Go buy one. You won't regret it.)

I've also made three little blankets for my friend Keryn - well, for her little friend Hannah's dolls, actually - and I'm now working on three beanies, before I get onto the snazzy sweater my sister has commissioned from me.

There's also the matter of two unfinished pairs of socks for myself, and the Lucy Neatby Celestial Merino which is crying out to become a Clapotis.

And I'll be able to blog about all of them - what a lovely change! Don't get me wrong, I love my designing - but I would love to be able to blog about it too.....

What I need....

I find it difficult sometimes to write about my knitting, because so much of it is for the magazine. I'm supposed to keep that quiet, because of 'commercial sensitivity'. I can tell you, however, that Kate, the editor, tells me that my Volcanic wrap was a big hit on the stand at Ally Pally, and that they handed out lots of the correct pattern for it!

Of course, I can write about the latest craze in Blogland - putting '(your name) needs' into Google and seeing what comes up. Heather needs:

• Men - now!
• a female parent who can help show her appropriate ways to attract the attention of guys
  
• a childhood
• to start wearing a brassiere
• two therapists
• to find the right balance between emotions and logic
• some support
• to stick to her career as a country artist
• to realize that although you can become the "It" girl fairly
  quickly (as Entertainment Weekly named her), you can just as easily lose that
• a variety of intellectual pursuits
• to be kept moist

OK, I'm off to get a drink. At least I can do the last one....

My eyes! My beautiful eyes!

I went to Meeting again today, so I'm currently running on adrenaline and not much else. However, while I'm still coherent, I would like to share with you one of my extensive collection of bizarre patterns, in lieu of witty prose....

There are several ways by which a pattern can join my collection - shockingly awful design, weird staging, or strange-looking model.

The following is a good example of all three. Anyone for a hat that makes you look like an Egghead? (Oh, and UK readers - is this Lorraine 'Luton Airport' Chase??)

An awfully big adventure

I had an adventure on Sunday! I’d contacted the Quakers in Durham about attending a meeting, and a nice chap called Jeffrey had come out to see me about accessibility and so on. I’d asked Paul to drop me off, but his diverticulitis flared up on Friday, so he was still flat on his back in bed on Sunday. At first I thought, ‘Well, that’s it, then, I can’t go on my own. Too scary.’

Then I decided to be brave. I booked the nice taxi driver I’ve used before, who knows my problems and can accommodate my wheelchair, and got him to take me in to Durham. Jeffrey saw me arrive, and helped the taxi man put up my chair and get me inside. (The hall we meet in is down a set of steps, but there’s a lift.) I had a super time, although I spent the hour mentally squeaking and thinking, ‘I’m here!! On my own!!’ instead of anything vaguely holy ....

Everyone was very friendly, and I had some great conversations, plus there was coffee available, which someone brought me. I had to get a different taxi home, but several people got me into the car and my chair into the boot, and the driver was very patient when we got to my house, making sure the chair was inside and that I was OK before he left! Amazing service!

You can’t imagine how much this all boosted my confidence. Mum couldn’t believe I’d done it! This means I will no longer need to rely on Paul, but can now think about doing things like meeting my knitting friend Vicki in Durham, and stuff. The only limits are my energy and my money...

People can be very kind when you give them the chance :)

Houston, we have a problem

My new copy of Knitting arrived on Saturday.

I was so excited to spot a small picture of my wrap, Volcanic, on the cover.

The photos inside looked amazing.

Then I read the pattern.

It was wrong.

Not as in typographical errors.

As in wrong item.

Wrong shape, wrong measurements, wrong item.

And I couldn't get hold of the Editor till Monday.

squeak...........



By the time Monday came around, my heart rate had started to approach normal again. The ed was really nice, and apologised profusely, and we think we've worked out what happened - basically they have two wraps from me, waiting for publication, and the materials and photos of one got muddled up with the pattern of the other.

There's a big apology, and a basic version of the pattern, in next month's Editor's letter, and it will be reprinted fully in the issue which comes out in December.

In the mean time, please admire the photos. They really are very good.......

Pieces of eight

Apparently yesterday was National Talk Like A Pirate Day.

And in honour of that:

Q. Why are pirates' voices so deep?
A. Because they arrrrrrr!

Q. How much does a pirate pay to have his ears pierced?
A. A buck an ear.

Q. How many letters are there in the pirate alphabet?
A. Two - arrrrrrr and ayyyyyyye!

(Thanks to the warped minds of Knitflame for those.)

I now return you to your normal blog-reading......

It's been a long eighteen years

Lixie (and any other cricketphobes) - don't read this.........

WE DID IT!!!!!!

It may only be little in size, but it holds the hopes of every English cricket fan....

WE DID IT!!!!!

Tee hee :)

Blowing my own trumpet

Toot toot.....

It's out!! The October issue of Knitting magazine!

And on pp24-25, we have.....

My beanie!!

It was originally called Blissful, because it's made with Debbie Bliss yarn. However, I found out that Debbie Bliss herself was using this name for a sweater in an upcoming Interweave Knits, so it got renamed.

I keep squeaking and bouncing :)

And in the next issue - my wrap!

Just a quickie

Thanks to Daisy for reminding me about this - how could I have forgotten to blog about it???

My first design for 'Knitting' magazine is in the October issue, which hits the newsstands in September. It's a beanie hat, which I called Binky, but which may have been renamed to tie in with the theme of the issue. The November issue has one of my wraps in it. After that, I don't know what's in which issue.

The socks are going well, although I haven't worked much on either pair this week. In answer to Mary Anne, I work on dpns - I have worked on circs, but I prefer dpns, especially the different-coloured metal ones I got on eBay. (I won a bunch of bue, green, pink and gold ones in a variety of sizes.)

I've also discovered a new (to me) heel stitch courtesy of Mary Thomas. It's a very simple slip stitch pattern, which has one row of (sl1, P1), followed by a whole row of K. I haven't used slip stitches much, and I love the thickness and the texture of this one.

Lastly, a quick plug - Richard has put a whole load of stuff on eBay for me, under my seller name of heathercawte. There are quite a few knitting books there, and more to come, so feel free to browse.

Joy of Sox

I'm feeling a lot brighter today, so I thought I'd make the most of it and bash out a quick blog entry!

I love knitting socks.

I love trying out new heel types and patterns.

I love the smallness, lightness and portability of socks. Not that I have to port stuff all that often, but even so :)

I love how quick they are to knit.

I love how comfy and warm wool socks are.

I love knowing that they haven't been produced in a Third World sweatshop.

I love the way people look at me in amazement and admiration when I work with dpns.

I love how people really thank you for handmade socks, in a way they just don't seem to do when you make them a sweater or a hat.

I really love the magic of turning heels.

None of this was much consolation on Saturday when I had to unpick two socks. I knit pairs of socks concurrently, alternating between them (as opposed to one inside the other, which is really magic, but which I have yet to try). This means that, when I finish one, the second is so nearly finished that I don't suffer from Second Sock Syndrome. Sadly, it also means that, when I make a mistake on one, I usually make it on both before I realise what I've done wrong.

The bigger problem with this mistake was that the wool I am using is a tad splitty, and picking up a whole round of stitches looked so messy that I ended up frogging the whole thing :(

My consolation is that it's a pretty quick pattern, and is making back up fairly quickly. Still - frogging two socks.....

My other consolation is that, although these are the socks I am making for my sister's Christmas present, they are not the 'This Little Piggy' socks (from 'Socks, Socks, Socks') which I originally intended to make for her. Those have individual toes, and duplicate-stitched pigs on the legs, and, had I made an error on those, my screams would have been heard on the moon.

I'm also making a pair for myself with printed yarn (some Fortissima Colori by Socka, which I've had in my stash forever), and I've just made a pair of black socks with Feather and Fan cuffs for my mother.

If you've never tried socks, this website is a brilliant place to start. It has a great range of free patterns, advice, lessons on techniques and stuff.