Sock/ yarn clubs

Hi, how are you all? I was lying in bed last night about midnight planning what I was going to write here. I'd been at Stitching Group and had come home all hyped up with looking at everyone's work and thinking about my own. Love going to my various groups but I often can't sleep afterwards.

Stell asked about my sock clubs. Actually one of them is a sock club and the other is really a yarn club. I have just got the first posting from the Rockin Sock Club 2008.

I was thrilled because red has got to be my favourite colour. The pattern is a little bit lacey. You'll see it when I have made some progress but I have already cast on and am a little past the cuff ribbing. Love knitting around and around to see how the colours develop on the sock. I think this one is pooling rather than striping but I like that. This sock club is a yearly one with 5 postings. I had to pay the whole amount for the year upfront which was a bit of a blip on the Visa. The wool yarn is lovely and soft although I have heard it doesn't wear very well might have to strengthen the heels.

The other club I belong to is the Spunky Club. Here are most of the yarns I have received over the past year.
There is a mix of sport, DK and fingering weight yarns. Some are pure wool, others are a mix of nylon and wool or tencel and wool. Each is enough to knit a pair of socks, a hat or scarf. I like this club because there is no pattern that I feel I should knit and I can pay monthly not for the whole year.

There are lots of other clubs out there here are some of shops which have them:

Simply Socks Yarn Company
The Loopy Ewe
The Wool Girl
The Art Walk Sock Yarn Club
The Tvyarn Sock Club
Sockamania
Harmony Semi-Solid Sock Yarn Club
Hipknits Project Club
The Yarn Tree Sock Club
The Zen String Sock Yarn Club
Joslyn's Fiber Farm

Well that's enough for now. I'm sure there are lots more out there. There are also clubs for roving for spinners as well.

Have to go. Work calls.

Cheers

Seasonal knitting

Hi, this is bit of an up-date of what I have been knitting (or actually mostly crocheting) and what my plans are for this year.

Spent most of my holidays crocheting various scarves, some for presents. I finished my Boteh scarf from Interweave Crochet, Spring 2007 in Handmaiden seasilk (Sangria) and sent it to my sis for her birthday.

I also made one for myself in Colinette Jitterbug (Marble). I wasn't sure how this colour would work out but I think it is great and so soft and warm.
Then I finished off the Open Diamond Scarf which is from Vogue Knitting on the Go: Crocheted Scarves II. The yarn is Holly Spring Homespun Scarlet Fleece in Poodle.

Being a new year, I have been having a bit of a think about what I am going to do with knitting and other crafting this year. I think I've gone a bit overboard with the knitting and especially the stash enhancement and in fact I've totally run out of storage space. I'm not sure why but I'm finding it very hard to stop buying yarn and I've really got far more than I will ever need. I think Ive been using yarn buying as a kind of stress release but it really causes more stress when you have to deal with the Visa bill. I also have too many magazines many of which I'll never use to make anything. So I've decided to:

1 Finish off as many of my WIPs that it is worth finishing and frog the rest.

2 Decide which yarn I will definitely use and sell off or give away the rest. This is going to be very hard because I love most of it. Some of it will be hard to even give away though! Unless someone out there really likes shiny variegated polyester ribbon!

3 Make a list of what I really want to make this year (after I finish the worthy WIPs that is) Most of my WIPs are on Ravelry.

This list might look something like this:

• Tangled yoke cardigan- Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
  
• Fifi - From French Girl
  
• Cobblestone for DH - Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
  
• Swallowtail shawl - Interweave Knits Fall 2006
  
• Chevron scarf - Last Minute Knitted Gifts
• Serrano - Knitty, Fall 2006
• Plus a range of socks and scarves.

4 Go through all my magazines and decide which I want to keep. I have heaps of those English knitting magazines which don't often have patterns I like.

5 I am also not going to buy any more yarn (well I am going to try not to buy more yarn) although I have already joined a couple of yarn/sock clubs. I'm hoping that getting a monthly yarn "present" will help.

6 Limited browsing of yarn shops on the Internet - except I still hanker after some Wollmeise.

That's enough for now. I'll report back on progress.

Cheers

Time for a catch-up

Well, it's a long time since I've been on here. Hope you all had a decent holiday and some fun over the Christmas/other holiday break. Lots of picture on this one. We all went off to Victoria in Australia for Christmas and met up with lots of my relations whom I hadn't seen for about 30 years. Really great to catch up and meet all their children and children's children. Here's a photo of one of our get-togethers.

We spent about two weeks in and around Ararat which was orginally a gold-mining town but is now a centre for farming and a "gateway to the Grampians". The Grampians is a pretty spectacular range of mountains near-by. We visited them twice, one day it poured with rain and we couldn't see much of the mountains and the next time it was about 40 Celcius and we couldn't bear the heat! Here's my mum sheltering from the sun.


We also did a trip to Bendigo and explored a gold-mine and took a tram tour.

We spent a couple of nights in Portland on the south coast. It was supposed to be mostly industrial (there is an aluminium smelter there) but it was surprisingly pretty and interesting and much less over populated than some of the other south coast beach towns. Here is where we stayed.

Finished our time in Victoria by taking a trip down the Great Ocean Road which is supposed to be one of the great drives in the world. I have to agree. It was spectacular.

That's part of the 12 Apostles - I think there are only 11 now though because one fell down. And of course the obligatory koala. The photo was taken by DD of a koala in the wild. Pretty good I thought.

And although I didn't do any knitting I did do some crochet. Crochet is easier on a plane especially with a wooden crochet hook which doesn't seem to excite the security people. Here's a scarf I finished.

Made from Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome, pattern is the Cluster Stitch Fiesta Scarf from Vogue Knitting on the Go: Crocheted Scarves II.

Enough for today. I'll be back soon with more of the knitting I have been doing. If you are on Ravelry you can see some of my other projects - I am Diantee.

Cheers

Rushing up to Christmas

Hi, I know some of you are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend( Happy Thanksgiving) but I've only got three weeks until my Christmas holidays and I have done NO Christmas shopping. Think it might be very basic this year. I have had hints from the teenage daughter who wants either a new iPod or a new digital camera! I'm trying to think of something more imaginative and creative and it can't be knitted because knitted things except scarves and gloves are not cool enough. What fun! Any suggestions?

Have been working on finishing this.


This is the second half of Clementine from Interweave Knits Spring 2007. I have to get it finished by tomorrow for a friend's birthday so I'll have to get off here soon. Only managed to get some sock knitting time at a meeting the other night. Working on the next exhibition for my quilt guild. We have a biennial exhibition which as some of you will know takes quite a bit of work to organise. Good way to get to know members better though.

Have to take the teenage son to his NCEA level 2 exam shortly. He's quite happy with another Playstation game or a book for a Christmas gift.

I'll catch up again soon. Cheers

A fine weekend

Hi, thought I would show off what I achieved during the UFO Weekend. Finished piecing a large log-cabin quilt with flying geese sort of. Here's another photo. Quilting next!

I also finished piecing this quilt which I made from left-overs from another quilt - overestimated how many blocks I would need. Surrounded by fellow UFOers.
It was a great weekend. Sharing everyone's stories and quilts and also not having to do a spot of housework or cooking.

Cheers

Stuck on socks

Hi there, well I'm stuck on socks and loving it but all my other projects are suffering. Am off for a UFO weekend this weekend. Yes, it is for finished unfinished projects and starting new ones. The best thing is, no housework and no cooking for two whole days. Yayyyy! I'm planning to finish piecing a very large log cabin quilt I have been making for a friend and hopefully layer it ready for quilting. Picture next time.

Have finished a couple of pairs of socks one pair for DH in size 12! See above. Took forever so hope he wears them. Yarn details etc are in my previous blog.


Also finished a pair of baby socks. Such fun to knit. Did them on one 2.00 mm circular and before the baby was born. In Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Child's Play left over from my Jaywalkers. The pattern is Better than Bootees socks that are free on Knitting Daily. You can see my Jaywalkers and other projects on Ravelry, I'm Diantee. Have also started another pair of socks using a free Wendy Knits' pattern, Southwestern Socks which I downloaded from The Loopy Ewe. It's an easy pattern, toe up and great when you don't know how far the yarn will go. Yarn is Cider Moon Glacier in Victoria (purple). It's a "sport" weight - seems like an NZ DK. I'm using two 2.75 mm circulars. Have finished one and about halfway up the foot with the other. Knits up pretty quickly.
I notice that the preview for the next Interweave Knits magazine is up. Some lovely pullovers (jerseys, jumpers or sweaters) and a nice assortment of other patterns. This magazine is just so good. I don't subscribe but Magnetix in Lambton Quay, Wellington has it about a week after it is released in the US.

Well, got to go, have to make sure there is plenty of food in the house for the troops.

Cheers

Southern Summer of Socks

Hi, a short one this time. I wanted to say I have joined the Southern Summer of Socks KAL so I will get some of my largish stash of sock yarn knitted up. Some of it I'm saving for the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts which is gorgeous. I'll have to pick the yarn for that first.

We're supposed to set some goals for this KAL and these are mine:

1. Knit a pair of socks from every type of yarn I have.
2. Practise toe up socks at least twice.
3.Knit a pair of socks for every member of my family and some of my friends.
4. Try a new technique - maybe fair isle socks.

Here's my first pair which I cast on on Monday. I'm just decreasing the gusset after turning the heel and I think I am going to run out of wool because they are for DH who has very large feet. Here's where I am now. The wool is Sheldridge Farm Soft Touch Sock from the Simply Socks Yarn Company

I'm hoping to make a pair of baby socks next. There's an imminent arrival for one of my workmates!

I'm making progress with my cozy v-necked pullover from Fitted Knits. Have finished the body and started on a sleeve. Will have to rip it a bit as I don't like the ribbing starting so soon. I think it would be better below my elbow.

Cheers