Bats In My Belfry

I am doing it. I didn’t know I was doing it. First taught myself to knit back in ‘66. Think I knit a couple of scarves and then decided I was going to have a decade or so of craziness and quit knitting. Then I took up crochet back in the late 70s through the 80s. Didn’t do much again ’til 1990 when I started crocheting again (wanted afghans for the CO winters) and charity drives. Then, to avoid going completely batty after moving to Germany, I took up knitting again almost 3 years ago but really only the last 2 with a vengeance. First year of that was desultory, mainly doing the ol’ “Grandma’s dishcloth” thing. I then decided that I truly wanted to learn to knit. Been quite a journey and the end is nowhere near in sight.

But I do have SOCKS!!! And they fit and everything.

Lever knitting…well, it seems that is how I knit. I did give Continental a go but, despite being a crocheter, it Continental struck me as being horribly awkward. Watched my MIL knit a bit (she showed me how she was taught) and my head almost exploded. It seemed to me that there was a whole lot of jiggering about to accomplish the “right” and “left” stiches (knit and purl respectively, at least that’s what I think it is but given my capacity to completely misunderstand all things German, I could be off. Still “recht” or “links” is pretty clear). She was equally mystified by my method. Near as I can tell, she’s doing some sort of version of Continental knitting which she learned from her mother. I have never seen pictures or videos of that particular method, so I have no idea quite what to call it.

Didn’t occur to me until recently (due to watching instructional knitting videos on Knitting Help and YouTube that I was not knitting in the method I thought I was (English/American). Apparently I do a version of knitting called “Lever Knitting” as best illustrated via this link to HeartStrings FiberArts.  I did wonder how folks could knit with the exaggerated “throw” that I saw in various videos. Seemed to me like it would slow one down quite a bit and wear one’s wrists out in short order. My right hand never lets go and the yarn is moved via my right index finger. Economy in motion (okay, lazy). It is somewhat similar to The YarnHarlot’s method but, of course, I am nowhere near as graceful or fast (ye gods that woman is blindingly fast) and she moves her yarn with her middle right finger. And is faster. Way faster. But I’m still pretty quick.

And it’s comfortable. I’m kind of tickled that I managed to teach myself this method. I just ended up doing what seemed to be the least motion intensive (again, lazy) and the “standard” English/American “throw” struck me as waaaaay overkill.

And I knit socks. Yup. I do.

Boy, this sucker is large. It’s getting a bit tough to manage whilst working here at my desk (usual knitting place). I’m still concerned that it’s going to be a bit heavy to wear but, I’m in this for the long haul.

Mushy Peas, not just for eating. I suppose I ought to get those put back in the cupboard. Hard to see but I’ve gotten pretty anal about lifelines. Thanks to the sensible comments from Stellaluna and Himself, I’ve gotten over feeling like I’m “wussing out” using lifelines. In fact, I find it quite freeing. After counting stitches obsessively to be sure I’m on the right count and pattern, I run a lifeline and then, for awhile, knit on whilst watching DvDs. I generally run a line each day so that, at worst, I would lose one day’s work.

About half done, maybe a bit under. Not sure where in the hell I’m going to block this. We have no carpeting, no surface that is going to be big enough. This could pose a challenge. In fact, I don’t know anyone who does have any carpeting that I could pin this out on. But, that’s a bridge that’ll get crossed when I come to it.

Loving the Harmony circs. The points make the k2tog so easy. Avoids that desire I have with some needles to cram ‘em into a pencil sharpener. No problems with cables coming undone either (touch wood).

Well, last week I groused and grumbled about Jordana Paige’s Bella here and here

After conducting the experiment I find that I need to eat crow. Upon leaving Bella hanging…

…for 4 or 5 days, not only do the straps work a lot better (e.g. they actually pull through the tabs) but when they are pulled up tightly, the top closes up in a secure manner.

So, I was flat out wrong. Conclusions were leapt to and first impressions were wrong (despite the old adage). I have to say I had a lot of fun cramming the cans in Bella and conducting the experiment.

I figure it’s only fair after withering on about this bag that I set the record straight. It’s still on the smallish side but it would be excellent for those who are sock addicts and want to have a stylish bag that also is a good home for their WIP.

Jordana Paige? My apologies. Now, to figure out what seasoning goes well with…crow.

I’m experimenting. Recently I groused a bit about the Jordana Paige Bella I purchased. I received (surprised me!) a nice comment from Jordana Paige about my comments and decided to experiment with adding weight to Bella in order to stretch out, a bit, the straps and effect a more “drawn in” top closure via the stretch. I’m a bit odd in that I tend not to carry much weight at all in a handbag/purse so the stretching would not have occurred naturally. So I hied myself down to the pantry and found some cans, all weighing 300 grams each for a total of about 5.25 pounds (2400 grams).

Note that I have used imported goods! My Bachelor’s Mushy Peas and Campbell’s Cream of Celery soup. I have to import these from the U.K. There was no issue in fitting ‘em all into Bella…

Then I decided that since I was in test-mode, I’d close it up and swing it around and see what happened. As I mentioned, the bag is well made and survived my flinging it about without issue (not sure the neighbours did after seeing me flinging a handbag around my head like a bolo) and…I think the straps stretched just a bit in that test. I was happy to see how much fit into the small looking bag. I would not have expected I could get eight cans in it and they aren’t even particularly crowded. All fit in one layer. So that puts paid to my moaning about it being small. Although I doubt many folk would be toting around eight cans of mushy peas and/or soup. Heh.

Here’s Bella closed up and sitting on my work table…

Well, not quite closed which is my remaining grumble. But, I shall hang Bella from a hook in the front hall (after tossing aside the husband’s coat…I mean this is an important experiment!) for a day or three and see how this goes. Serves him right. He suggested putting The Neem in the bag. Silly man.

To add:

Straps are certainly longer.

About 2 feet into the five feet to see it done. And not without a crisis. Heh. Always a crisis with me. All part of the learning process but sometimes I really, really, really wish I had a teacher. My biggest problem is figuring out how to fix errors. My brain works peculiarly, I guess, as I have trouble reading instructions in a book or online and then implementing them. Usually do okay when I can watch a video (thank goodness for all the great folks who make knitting videos!) but they don’t often focus on “oh look, this is wrong, no idea what’s wrong, but it’s obviously wrong” type situations.

Exactly the type I find myself in. Case in point…this shawl is a CO of 132 and a repeat of 4 rows. Simple enough, pattern easily memorised and requiring no particular fancy maneuvers. And yet, I have, twice now, made the same mistake. Bad part is, have yet to figure out exactly WHAT the mistake was. I end up with one stitch less on the “money row” (in Old Shale that’s the row with the yo and k2tog bits). I am pretty sure that I am missing a YO but every time I go to figure it out, I can never see where I have. Quite maddening, really.

So night before last saw me ripping back (always gives me the collywobbles) until I got to a plain knit row that had the proper amount of stitches. Happily this was only one pattern repeat. Then back on the needles and carry on. I did have the sense to run a lifeline which is kind of embarrassing but I’d rather be embarrassed than howling and cursing when I can’t get something fixed.

And so…

The colour just isn’t coming out correctly with the Ixus70. I need to investigate why. It’s more a tan/oatmeal colour.

Bottom edge. Shows the yarn and its heft. This is not going to be a dainty wrap by any means nor was it meant to be. It’s meant to be exceedingly warm and to be burrowed in. I do hope it’s not so heavy as to be unwearable though. Heh.

Lifeline. Meh. Well, as my husband pointed out when I was whining about the need for a lifeline, it’s akin to backing up your code when developing. Somehow that made it feel not so…uh…silly.

I think this is going to turn out as I envisioned and providing I can continue to count to six and stop mucking up with yarn-overs, I should be done with it in a couple weeks at the rate I’m going.

Even though it is frustrating to screw up, I did feel rather good when I took a deep breath (okay, several) and figured out how to try and un-screw it. Progress.

Happily, I discovered the TV series “House, M.D.” (on DvD with captioning!) and after viewing the first season in a couple days, got season 2 and 3 and am happily knitting away whilst watching the show. Love it. Hysterical and I am particular amused by the un-PC aspects and the rampant “smart-ass-ery” of Hugh Laurie’s character.

Ordered a Jordana Paige “Bella” from Angel Yarns in the U.K. on 18 December 2007. Finally got it today! Not sure what the delay was but I was happy that it finally shipped. Received a nice gift from Angel Yarns as well, I assume to apologise for the delay. They sent along two cable needles.

First impression. It’s smaller (by a lot) than I expected it to be. Certainly not going to work for a project of any size. Not a big deal, that, because I rarely carry around large projects. What really bothers me though is the short handles. I swear they aren’t as long as they appear to be in the following picture from the Jordana Paige Website.

Notice the length of the handles. Now compare with:

Seem a lot shorter. In fact, the only way I can get the handles longer is to really pull on them to draw the top of the bag closed. Probably just my perception but it’s one that might’ve stopped me from buying the bag. It’s awkward to have to pull those handles hard enough to make them long enough to put over a shoulder.

The inside is rather floppy with thin lining material (polyester). Hard to get things in the various little pockets as the material is so thin and floppy that anything with any weight (gauge, scissors) just rolls right out. Part of the problem seems to be there is little structure to the bag itself. I had planned on using this as my purse/traveling-knitting bag. I’m not so sure about this now as the top of the bag, aside from the strap that goes across the middle of the bag from back to front, is open. This not only worries me with respect to my wallet but all the little knitting do-dads that are in there (stitch holders, measuring tape, needles gauge, Chibi etc.). Looks to me like they could fall out awfully easily.

Tested it by putting the usual stuff in the little pockets along with current sock project (ball of 150g yarn, 4 DPNs). Closed the strap, cinched up the handles. Turned the bag upside down and everything fell out (except for ball of yarn and sock itself), including a DPN that was stuck in the yarn on the current sock project. Didn’t even have to shake the bag, the stuff just plopped out.

That’s definitely not a good thing. I have enough trouble keeping track of gauges and tape measures and scissors without ‘em having free egress from a bag.

Here is Bella with three 50g balls of yarn. This gives a good idea of how “not large” this bag is.

I wasn’t crazy about the material of the bag (polyurethane) when I ordered it but it doesn’t look too bad for that. I suppose making it in leather would have made it all the more expensive. It has a nice enough style to it. Metal feet on the bottom are a nice touch.

I am left to wonder what was in the mind of the designer of this bag?

So, summation:

1. Small. Okay for socks or a scarf but not at all suitable for anything much bigger.

2. Not terribly secure storage for anything except in the two zipped pockets (long centre one and small one on front “wall”). Things falling out all too easily. I suppose it would be fine for someone who was quite careful when carrying a bag. That someone is not me.

3. Not very good for tossing over shoulder. It can be done but it’s awfully short. This could be my prejudice as I prefer rather long straps on a bag.

What I would do to improve it:

1. Complete closure for top.

2. A sturdier lining. The lining is very thin.

3. Longer straps.

4. Leather

5. Slightly larger in width and height, maybe an inch on height and two inches on width. Depth is okay.

Final thoughts: Wouldn’t have bought it had I been able to see it in person. This is the bane of living someplace where you cannot see and handle something before buying. The ‘Net is great for being able to buy anything and have it delivered but you do get bitten at times and this was, in my opinion, one of those times. I don’t think it’s worth the money, especially considering it’s basically plastic. It’ll make an okay handbag but it’s useless for a knitting bag for me.

So. I guess the quest for a good combination purse/knitting bag continues.

Meh.

I’m a relative neophyte when it comes to various types of wool. Not a fan of how a lot of wool feels (Noro Kureyon? Won’t wear it, too rough but does make nice things that don’t need to be worn and whilst I think it would make lovely afghans, I’m not about to spend that kind of money on it. ) but I have fallen in love with Adriafil’s Llama. So many wools feel pretty rough or scratchy ’til washed but this? It’s lovely even pre-washing. It’s 50% wool, 50% Llama.

I bought a skein on a whim from Angel Yarns earlier this year and was intrigued by it. Soft, slightly fuzzy and The Dawg went mad for it. Keep in mind there is yarn all over the place here and he’s never paid the least bit of attention to any of it but when I got the parcel from Angel Yarns as soon as I opened it, he zoomed in on the skein and tried to run off with it.

I’ve done a hat (sorry, no picture, can’t find it just now) in the Adriafil and it knitted up very nicely. Pleasant to work with, nice squishy-factor. A bit fuzzy with a little bit of shedding. Recently made a simple headband from it (2×2 ribbing, done in the round) and it’s cozy warm, feels good on the ears but doesn’t make for sweaty ears. This inspired me to carry on and make a keyhole scarf. Bit disappointed in how the Karaoke scarf is working out…it’s stretching lengthwise something fierce and I am not a fan of long scarves for utilitarian purposes (since ripped out, tired of washing/blocking the thing after two or three wearings). Don’t like that whole flapping about thing. The keyhole ( ribbed keyhole scarf ) I’m making is going to be relatively short and should tuck in nicely and avoid the whole flapping thing. It’s about half done now and it is feeling and looking nice, bit narrow but then again that’s how I like ‘em. Just around the neck, keep it warm, no more material needed. Adriafi’s Llama is going to be great for this.

And since I had 2 skeins of it and it looks like the keyhole and headband are only going to use up one of the skeins, I’m going to make some fingerless gloves/mitts from the other skein (with leftovers likely).

Updated to add: Keyhole scarf, done. It is the scarf that is getting the most wear and it’s a style that I prefer. It tucks under my coat and stays put. Easy on/easy off. Warm and convenient. It’s a winner. Need to add a picture. Has pretty much decided me that long, flappy scarves whilst pretty just don’t work when out in the mud, wind, rain, snow, sleet etc. walking the dog. The keyhole keeps my neck warm, wet out and doesn’t get in the way. Next thing to try (with two new skeins of darker grey Adriafil Llama) is a neckwarmer, moebius or otherwise. Also whipped up a pair of gaunt/mitts with the same stuff as the scarf. Haven’t yet needed them. The weather, of course, went warm soon as I finished ‘em.

Loves my silly sheep “stitch marker” (actually one of those cell phone “charms” but I like it for knitting).

The finished product. Bog simple ribbing all the way. WARM.

I know of only one place to buy this here in the EU, Angel Yarns. It comes in limited natural colours (Llama colours! Browns, grays, natural, black) and I do wish it came in other colours. I suppose one could buy the cream and dye it but I’m unschooled in dying. It’s listed as a “double DK weight” which doesn’t mean much to me yet, I’m still stuck in U.S. weights but it comes in at 8 WPI which lists as “super bulky”. Again, not sure about this as I’ve seen plenty of yarn marked simply “bulky” that makes this stuff look like laceweight. Judge for yourself via the pictures.

The test of time has yet to happen but the initial results are that this is one of my favourite wool yarns. Unlike many wools this does not dry out my already terribly dry hands whilst working with it. It has no odor, doesn’t “crunch” ala Kureyon or Peace Fleece and is a pleasure to work with.

Errand day today so not much knitting accomplished (or anything else, yet, anyway). Hit the grocery, apothecary, what passes for a drugstore here (Muellers) and the Bahnhof (for cigs). Turned out to be a reasonable afternoon to be out after a wet, windy & cold morning.

Found something at the apothecary that might help with the Harmony sock needles. It’s Compeed’s Anti-Blister Stick meant to reduce friction thus preventing blisters. I know these needles are going to rub a hole in my palm. They just hit my right hand every stitch. So I picked up a stick of it. Looks like a mini-deodorant stick. Smells nice! Tried it out for a bit and it does seem to be helping but didn’t get to work all that long yet to be sure. Be nice if it did but if it doesn’t I’ll try to find some moleskin or just use a band-aid.

Had a rough time walking The Dawg this evening. We’re coming up on Fasching here in Germany which is a pre-Lenten celebration akin to Mardi Gras but lasting quite a bit longer than one day. All sorts of parades and events usually to do with scaring the crap out of witches (portrayed by folks wearing gunny-sack brown pant suits with witch masks and what appears to be gourds as their waists…don’t ask me, I don’t get it). Since fireworks apparently are only tolerated at New Year festivities, they rely on what we call “bull whips”, cracked LOUDLY and often. Haven’t seen it but I’m told there is a parade devoted to these whip crackers. So, folks start practising right around the first of the year…standing outside (fair enough, wouldn’t be very wise to practise indoors) cracking these whips. It makes a very loud, distinctive sound, something like a rifle shot. In fact, that’s what I thought it was the first time I heard it. There are smaller versions for the kids to practise with and I’d say those are about five feet long. The adult versions are longer, not sure by how much, at least a foot or two. They take some pretty serious strength to get cracking. It’s a skill.

Okay, so that all said…took The Dawg out just at sunset for his evening walk. Now The Dawg is no fan of noises like fireworks and he is no fan of these whips either. We turned out of our alley and onto the street and down by the last intersection before the fields were some kids about half of which were quite young, six-ish, and three boys that I would say were around ten. They were practising with their whips. The Dawg got nervous but he was doing okay walking along. Two of the whip-cracking boys headed out of the middle of the street leaving one who was cracking away. When I got within about ten feet, I called out: “Halt ein moment, bitte” (Stop for a moment, please). The Dawg was wary but he was trusting me that it was okay and we proceeded. Just after we got past the boy, he hauled off and cracked the whip a good one. The Dawg panicked. I mean total, full blown panic and dived through a hedge, taking most of me with him. As I was trying to get ‘hold of the dog through the hedge (I didn’t fit), he cracked it twice more (not helpful). A lady who was passing by said something, loudly and abruptly, to the boy and he laughed. I got The Dawg back on my side of the hedge and was trying to get him to move away from the kid. Kid cracked the whip again and The Dawg took off. I knew he was strong but never felt just how strong ’til this evening. It took every bit of my strength to hang onto him.

I got him turned down a sidestreet (hell with trying to get to the fields) and headed back toward home. Poor dog crawled under a parked truck (had to get him out of there), puked twice, peed a couple times, pooped and was shaking like a leaf. I managed to get him home a round-about way and when he realised he was near home he took off at full speed. I had to run or fall on my face.

I was angry. Very, very angry at this kid. It amazes me that people can be so inconsiderate and to laugh at a scared creature. It took about an hour for The Dawg to calm down. Poor thing was completely freaked out. Worse than with the fireworks and that was bad enough. I have no idea why he is so scared of noises like that but he absolutely is. So, it’s going to be rough couple of weeks whilst the neighbourhood is filled with whip practising people. I suppose we’ll have to adjust the walking schedule to times when they won’t be outside practising. Lovely.

I got my Adriafil “Swing” today from Angel Yarns in the U.K. It’s mercerised cotton. I got some blue variegated which’ll become gift towel/dishcloths.

Getting kind of cranky with Angel Yarns again. I ordered a Jordana Paige bag just before Christmas. Wrote ‘em an email on the 11th of January when I hadn’t yet received it. No reply. Tried to use their “contact us” form on their Web site and the form is broken. It gives you an anti-spam code to enter and even after entering it, it complains that you haven’t entered it. Grrrr. So, just sent ‘em another email with return receipt requested and read receipt requested. I cannot call them as I cannot hear very well. This fails, I guess I’ll have to go on their forums and complain. I’d really like to get that bag. Been over a month now with no clue as to when to expect to receive it. I so wish they’d get these issues sorted out.

Still pretty green for winter. I like that about this area.

Also working on a very heavy duty Old Shale made with Wendy Aran. So far, so good…

Oh well, back to…the sock…

Funny how yarn can utterly refuse to work out for something you really think it should. I guess this is an extension of yarn “telling you what it wants to be”.

Case in point. I started an Old Shale wrap with Jaeger Matchmaker. I carried on for about six inches with a niggling feeling the whole time. Colour was fine, gauge was fine, looked…okay-ish but there was something that just wasn’t right about it. Was…blah. Had no real life to it. Now, could be the yarn itself as I have yet to use it for something else but it just wasn’t coming out as I wanted this wrap to come out.

Frogged.

Then I picked up a ginormous 400g ball of Wendy Aran (neutral tweed/flecked) and cast on for the same wrap…with trepidation since this is a much heavier weight yarn. Still, I want this to come out to be something warm, bulky and very “wrapable”. I intend for it to be about five feet long and two feet wide. I’m about four inches into it and I like it far better than the Jaeger. This is a more organic, homey look which is what I was going for despite the “fussiness” of the Old Shale.

I’ve encountered this before. A yarn that I bought for a specific use that turned out to just not want to be that item. Now I’ve tried to explain this to Himself and he gets that “oh gawd, she’s nattering on about knitting and OMG what do I do now” look. I guess it does sound a bit nutty to carry on about how a yarn will “tell you” what it wants to be (or doesn’t want to be) but I’ve encountered it too often now to deny it happens. I’ve also learned to proceed once this happens usually results in a product that lacks or just isn’t right. Like the Karaoke scarf. The scarf that has now doubled in length and quartered in width. That one.

Going to be interesting to see how this wrap turns out with the Wendy Aran. I think it’s going to be right and achieve the warm/snuggly/organic goal.

And I’m going to go do another couple pattern repeats right now.

Have been using both the circs and the sock needles for awhile now. Did encounter some issues with the circs. One size (5mm, I think) has a faulty socket so that the cable cannot be completely screwed in. I also noted that the tips turn inside the metal bottom. I’ll be contacting GetKnitted about this. I am still irked that the circ set came with no way to attach two cables together to get a longer cable ala Denise Needles. They are comfortable to use and I am enjoying doing an Old Shale wrap with them. Nice feel and smooth.

The sock needles are feeling fine but the length is just so as to be rubbing a sore spot on the underside of my right hand. Trying to maneuver the rightmost needle as I use it to prevent this but so far, not really working out. And I’m still not enamoured of how the pretty colours in the needles works with darker yarns. I guess I prefer metal/wood/bamboo where all yarns are pretty clearly contrasted against the needles. Unfortunately the socks I’m working on right now happen to be done in a yarn that has colours that pretty much match the needles. Heh. So, I’m going to hold off being bummed about the colour until I’ve used the needles more.

Worst part is the sticking me in the underside of the hand. I guess I’ll find a band-aid or some moleskin and put it where the contact is occurring and see how that goes.

So, not sure I’m thrilled about this purchase. They’re nice, very pretty indeed but I’m wondering if the options and some of the Brittany or  Quill needles might not be better. Time will tell. I’ll finish the current socks on the Harmony needles and then do a couple pair on the Brittany and Quill needles and compare. I know the Brittany needles didn’t poke me in the right hand.

We’re still in the midst of a nice thaw and if one ignores the mud (bit difficult as it’s everywhere) it has been grand. Sun actually out, breeze from the SW and in the low 50s. Almost full moon makes for marvelous night walks. I’ve been taking over most of The Dawg walking because the weather is just so fine and it’s grand to get outside. Tempted to take my camera out tonight and see if I can capture the moon.

Spammers? Give it up. Blog is on comment moderation and your crap will never, ever get displayed here. So, might as well just take it off your lists. And, you guys are scum.

There. Got that off my chest.

On the knitting scene: got sidetracked (surprise!) away from the Old Shale wrap for a couple days. Woefully short on cloths for kitchen. Got a bunch cranked out and am back to the wrap. Makes me a bit nervous because it’s so important but I’m moving along…probably about six inches done and it’s meant to be sixty. So, quite a bit to go. So, aside from mindless knitting when my brain is on strike, I’m focusing on this.

Man…this whole Britney Spears thing? What a complete tragedy. To me it’s obvious the woman is ill. Don’t know enough about the ins-and-outs of the law but I’m to the point where I think she needs to be helped. Intervention time. From what I’m seeing, though, she’ll have none of that. So sad. All I can do is hope that someone gets through to her before it’s too late.

Harmony needles are working out nicely except for the dark colour. Still not happy with that. More excuse to buy the metal ones, I guess. Might do that next week. Or a decent lamp behind me but I don’t like bright lights. They feel grand though and it’s a joy working with them, especially with knitting stitches together, nice points. So far (touch wood) none of the problems I’ve read about so, overall, very happy with them.

January thaw continues here. And it’s incredibly muddy. Clay-ish mud, the kind that once it’s on something sticks and is hard to get off. All over the dog, our shoes, the front hall, our pants, it’s really icky. But it has been nice to see the sun. Fog is back today though, fairly dense. Will probably be spooky on tonight’s walk. Almost wish it’d go back to below freezing to get rid of this mud. It’s pretty annoying.

Himself has a cold again but, so far, I’ve managed to dodge it. This has been quite the season for bugs flying about and I read that the Noro virus is spreading around here. Lovely. DO NOT WANT. I wish people would be more responsible when they’re sick and just stay at home. Employers aren’t doing themselves any favours expecting people to work when sick. Just spreads things around even worse. And schools too. Just stay home for a day or so and I’d bet these bugs wouldn’t get the hold that they are this year.

Been kind of off Ravelry lately. I think I got over-saturated and it was making me want to be bad. Heh. So many things I want to do after browsing there and reading what others are doing and I don’t need any help at being distracted. Conversely have been watching DvDs on my spiffy HP notebook.

May I introduce…Mortimer (yes, I name my PCs, hush)

This is in standard notebook mode. He’d be great just this way. Nice display, good size, not very heavy, running Windows Vista Ultimate. But, he can also be…

Tablet PC! (cig box for scale). Operates completely via the stylus and touch screen. I love this. Have wanted a TabletPC for quite awhile but this was the first one that said: BUY ME! It’s wonderful to be able to kick back in a comfortable chair, wireless for ‘Net surfing or watching a DvD. So spoiled, me.

All the usual bells and whistles but one of the big things, for me, is that he has great volume. I can hear things on him. So many notebooks, even PCs, the volume just isn’t loud enough for me. This guy is pretty good that way. Very nice “gimme” and I use him often. I could probably get away with not using the desktop anymore but I’ve got all my software on the desktop and, so far, have been too lazy to migrate it over onto Mortimer. Might do that soon so I can wallow in comfort all the time.

…and I’m not sure what caused it but it’s good. I have stopped being quite so timid with my knitting. I was ultra-cautious about what I took on for the longest time. I avoided purling, I would look at lots of patterns and say to myself: “No can do.”. Of course, I was right. I couldn’t. But not because I couldn’t actually do it, rather because I believed I couldn’t.

This is all very indicative of my tendency to not have much faith in myself. I suppose I could blather on about how I came to be this way but I’d rather consider it moot and just move on.

I’m moving into texture now. Want texture. Want to see lots of texture. This is likely to result in numerous dish-washcloths. Small expenditure of time/money, enjoyment from trying out all sorts of patterns and a usable cloth at the end.

Doing the Old Shale wrap was something that as recently as 2 months ago, I couldn’t wrap (hee) my brain around. No I are doin’ it. Circular lace cloth? Made my head hurt. Did one this morning.

Will I still make mistakes? You damn betcha. Matter of fact, I pulled a real doozy last night. Was at the tail end of a scrap cloth (wanted to get the little balls of red off the desk) and joined up last little ball to finish the cloth. It was late. It was dim lighting (as usual) and I was a cruising along thinking of nothing more than getting this done, clearing off a bit of space on the desk and going to bed when I realised…different yarn! Mercerised instead of combed cotton. I snorted and said: Bugger it. It’s a dishcloth.

This would not have happened last year. I would’ve taken it back to where I joined, actually further back so as to finish off in the combed. Nah. Just left it be. It amuses me. And it goes in the face of my persnickety-ness. There’s a time and place for that and this wasn’t it.

Progress. Gotta love it.

January thaw underway, I guess. Been nearly 50°f for a couple days now although still gets well below freezing at night (and oh have the nights be clear. Stars all the way down to the horizons. Really feels like being in a bowl.). Much nicer especially since the sun has been out for 2 days in a row! Took The Dawg for his late afternoon walk today and it was pure pleasure. Fresh, fresh air, nice to be out walking around in it. Sunset was pretty nice too. Took the camera with me and got some shots.

The Dawg: Pigeon-toed, floppy-eared, hairy-tongued and very patient.

Beautiful light just at sunset. Warm and a nice change from the gray that is so common in winter here.

Nice view for an evening walk. Oddly there weren’t very many people out this evening. Usually this is prime walking time.

I am going to miss this walk when we move up to the top of the “mountain”. I probably won’t miss the aroma of the dairy farm that is silhouetted in this picture. When the wind is from that quarter it is very, very aromatic. Still, pretty and, to me, beats the hell out of any view in a city.

We recently got a printer that can print out very nice copies of photos. Since we don’t have many pictures on the walls to begin with (I rarely find anything I like and what I do like ends up be horrendously expensive…figures) this new printer will help us to “decorate” and, maybe, gift some photos to family/friends. The picture at the top of this post of “The Dawg” got printed out for my office. That shot just tickles me.

Appetite has been slow in returning after being sick but after the walk this evening I found myself really hungry. Happily the grocery store is again stocking the vegetarian entrees they carried before the holidays. I guess with the limited room, they did away with the veggie stuff to have room for the holiday stuff. Sugar vs. veggie? I go with veggie. Anyway, I stocked up on “Cordon Bleu”, “Schnitzel” and the “nuggets” (trying for first time). The nuggets are good! Doesn’t surprise me considering everything I’ve had from this company (name escapes me just now) is excellent. Almost got me over missing my Morningstar Farms Grillers. So, supper tonight is nuggets with a mayo/cilantro/lemon/garlic dip. Himself turned his nose up at the offer to share. Hah! More for me.

Kind of nervous about the shawl I am making Sandra. I got 8 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker in a lavender/periwinkle (shade 626) which should have been enough but even though I’m on gauge, I’m thinking it’s not going to be.

I emailed Angel Yarns to see if they had any more in the same colour/lot but then I remembered it was on sale (gnah! I see that it’s being discontinued. Why oh why is it that when I find a yarn I like…discontinued…meh!). I think I might be screwed here. I ordered another batch of the Jaeger but in a loden green and enough to be absolutely sure that I have enough. Worst that’ll happen is that I’ll end up with 2 shawls and that wouldn’t be the worst thing. It is very pretty though. And I am actually enjoying doing the pattern. Bit nervous given my concentration issues but I think I’m just psyching myself out. In any case I’m chugging along. Going to take awhile.

Also have cranked out a couple of towels for the kitchen. Needed ‘em. Going to get stocked back up so I have a week’s worth again. Doing a very basic but pretty “interrupted rib” (did a scarf in this pattern last week too) and then edging with a round of single crochet and then a quick loop for hanging. Nice ‘n’ squishy, dries things pretty quickly and look nice. Need pictures I guess.

Ah well, back to the shawl.

I admit it, I’m a River John needle freak. I love ‘em. I love the feel of them, I love how they work with almost all yarns (not so good with Rowan Kidsilk Haze). I love the ability to get them in short lengths. Most of mine are 7″ which works for a great deal of the common knitting I do and I have been known to cram too many stitches on ‘em just to use the RJ needles.

They are made of Birch and are very smooth and very light. The large ball on the end precludes any stiches sliding off which does come in handy when I’m pushing my luck with lots of stitches on a 7″ needles. I find that I knit very quickly with these needles, just as quickly as with Addi Turbos and I prefer natural over metal any day.

My latest haul which arrived this morning. That’s the two sets of cable needles (3.5mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, 9mm and 10mm) and one pair of 7″ 3.5mm straights and one pair of 7″ 4mm straights.

My only complaint is that River John will NOT ship to the EU. Yes, we can get some of the needles here via Kangaroo and GetKnitted but they only carry the “swing” and “commuter” (7″ size) and there are a LOT more plus (waaaah) a drop spindle. Well that’s not entirely true, I got my hands on their cable needles (2 sets) here. Otherwise I cannot find any of the others: 5″, 6″, 9″, 10″, 12″, 14″, 16″ or 19″ in the straights. Pity because I’d buy the lot of ‘em, I’m sure. I’m THAT fond of ‘em. And crochet hooks too! I need to get a new set of crochet hooks anyway, mine are very old and getting beaten up.

These needles are great for “desk knitting” which is my main place to knit. Short so that I can have my elbows resting on the desk and not have needles catching on sleeves or banging into the desk itself. Perfect for scarves, most dishcloths and flat-knitted hats, mitts, baby booties etc. Sturdy too. And they are very smooth.

Love these things and wish I could get more of them. Might try begging the folks at the home site.

I love people who ask what you want for gifts. I especially love it when they say…how about a gift certificate? That’s what my wonderful MIL did this year for Christmas. So I got one from GetKnitted in the U.K. and I used it to buy the Harmony circs. and sock needles (plus a tension-gauge). Got ‘em today.

Very uhm…colourful. Not sure about this. They are pretty no doubt and unique amongst all my needles but I’m not sure about the busy-ness of all the colours whilst knitting. Right now I have one pair in use with white cotton, working on a knitted towel. No problem there but not sure how they’ll be with darker yarn.

I was a bit concerned having heard how some folks had problems with the joins (where the wood bit goes into the metal bit) or the needles coming unscrewed from the cables. I examined mine quickly and didn’t see any sign of problems. Everything looked well glued in. Guess time will tell on whether I have problems like some folks have. Hope not.

Very smooth and the cables are nice and flexible. I think I might give sock knitting on circs a try with these. That’ll be down the road a bit since I insist on learning the “hard way” using DPNs. Happily I got a bundle offer from GetKnitted that also included the Harmony Sock Needles.

They are six inches long (good length, I dislike the longer ones intensely, too much flopping about for my taste) in sizes 2.00mm, 2.25mm, 2.50mm, 2.75mm, 3mm and 3.25mm. Quick examination shows them to be smooth, not too flexible and light. Nicely contained in a plastic envelope (let’s see how long I manage to keep ‘em in that nice envelope.).

Going to reserve judgment ’til I’ve used the circs and the sock-needles for a bit but initial examination looks good. I really do like the cables, they are much thinner and more flexible than my other set (Denise). They stow away nicely and don’t stay crimped like so many circ cables. Specifically one set of Addis that I have that will not un-crimp. I’ve tried all the usual tricks and they sproing right back into a tight “pretzel”. Kind of annoying when working with them.

**Update** Just occured to me that these needles are missing something I consider crucial. There is no way (that I can find) to connect two or more cables ala Denise needles. I checked a couple of sites (including KnitPicks) and unless I’m blind, I don’t see how it can be done. That was a very good option with the Denise needles and I guess I was expecting the same functionality with the Harmony Circs. Bummer. On the plus side, they knit like a dream, smoothness of metal but warm and the points are great. Am doing a feather ‘n’ fan shawl for a neighbour and quite enjoying the 4mm circs.

Been working on the shawl for a bit. The needles are nice, so smooth and light but they are not very good in my standard knitting environment. I knit at my desk, with low light. I was concerned about the darkness of the needles and it is a bit of a problem at night especially with darker yarn. If I would have proper lighting, I don’t suppose this would be much of an issue. Guess I should consider not being such a mole and having a bit more light on my knitting. Maybe after I finally get my office rearranged this will change.

So, happy as can be that I got my hands on some of these. I truly didn’t think I would for awhile yet given the backorder situation for these here in the EU.

Thanks, Christa. You rock!

Found some Sophie (Peterle Wolle) wool/poly. blend in the stash in a green tweed colour. No clue why I bought it, wasn’t enough of it to do much of anything except a scarf. That probably was my thinking. My lighter weight winter coat is a green polar fleece so perhaps that’s what I had in mind. So, in an effort to de-stash and come up with a scarf that works with the green polar fleece I decided to do it up in a pattern that I saw on a dishcloth somewhere (probably Ravelry). Pretty basic stuff but looked surprisingly nice with this yarn.

Bog simple it was, a bit tedious toward the end but many scarves are.

And so…

4 50g. balls of Sophie

7mm River John Needles

CO 20

Rows 1 & 2: Knit across

Rows 3 & 4: K2, K1, P1 to last 2 stitches, K2

Repeat four row pattern ’til out of yarn ending with rows 1 & 2 and then cast off.

Scarf achieved.

With close-up (complete with mystery shadow!)…

Of course, the weather is warming up. Well, during the day anyway. Getting pretty chilly tonight. Already 28°f and going down. This scarf won’t go at all with my heavy coat which is kind of a blue/gray plaid. Ah well, since the Karaoke scarf I made to go with that one is a complete and utter washout, I guess I need to come up with something else. Although I do now have the complete Adriafil Llama set.

With our health mostly back it was the icing on the cake that the sun came out today! I didn’t take the camera out, didn’t even think to but nothing special to photograph anyway. The sun was haze covered but it was quite clearly there. It has been over 3 weeks since we saw the sun so this was a treat. Many folks were out walking, cycling or rollerblading even though the temperatures were right on the freezing mark. I think we’re all just so glad to see light.

And then…came tonight. I harnessed up The Dawg just after midnight and we set off and two steps outside the front door, he wiped out and I almost joined him. There was a glaze of ice on everything. We carefully made our way to the street thinking the texture of the sidewalks and/or street might help but had to give up because it was just too slick. The Dawg did his thing on the corner bushes and we made our way back home, carefully, with me clinging to the fence the whole way. Nasty business! Supposedly it’s snowing now which’ll really be a treat in the morning. Snow covering the evil ice. I sure hope that most folks are home and in bed and not out trying to drive on this.

Got pictures of the gifts for my MIL and my GMIL (grandmother-in-law) so here they are for posterity. I do have to say I am totally disappointed in my offerings this year but the grand projects I had partially done had to be set aside due to being so sick and I had to turn to things I could do in my sleep. Good thing, too, because I really don’t remember doing the crochet scarf for my GMIL.

This is the scarf I made for my MIL. Alpaca that I doubled. It was meant to be a lacy dressy scarf but I couldn’t manage to focus on it well enough to stop making errors every few inches. So this was a fallback pattern that I figured I could do.

And here it is “wrapped”. The gift bag I had originally purchased was meant for something very lacy and thus small. This wouldn’t fit so I had to improvise. iCord was knitted and this is the result.

And this is the crocheted scarf with the same alpaca yarn as used for my MIL’s scarf. It’s very light and yet warm. Originally I had planned on doing the Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts using Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze and I actually still have it about half way done but again, the whole plague thing. I couldn’t see straight to work with that fine a yarn. Neglected to get a picture of this in its gift bag but it was just a plain ol’ holiday gift bag, nothing special.
Both of the projects that got booted because we were so sick will be finished and gifted in the near future. Had fun making the cards too.

So, I suppose it’s not all that bad considering the circumstances but I am so disappointed that I didn’t get done what I wanted to.

A look at the weather forecast shows that we’re in for snow and/or rain for a couple days, oh joy. Rest of the week looks to be just above freezing and surprise! cloudy. Just as well that I am almost done with my llama “set” (headband, keyhole scarf and gauntlets…the two former are done and were in use this evening, the gaunts were just cast-on this evening). Not crazy about my workmanship on these items but oh, they are cozy warm. Gaunts should only take a couple days and then I’ll be set for the rest of the season.

I am sorely grouchy about how my One Row Scarf (Yarn Harlot’s One Row Handspun pattern) is working out. I made it from Karaoke and it looked great when finished. It has gone funky now though. It’s stretching something fierce. It’s about a good 10 inches longer than it was and has narrowed commensurately. Bummer. I’m going to give it a serious wash and blocking and see how that goes but I have a feeling I just learned something about Karaoke. We’ll see. It’s a nice feeling scarf but especially now that it’s stretched out, it’s waaaaay too long. I suppose I could frog it and make a cowl from it. That way there wouldn’t be so much pulling down going on. Bah.

Oh well, it’s all a part of learning!

Eyeore is ready for Yule

Originally uploaded by Die Alte Hexe

Just testing whether this actually works. This is being done via Flickr and will supposedly look all spiffy and cool.

Went to the…uhm, not sure what it’s called, will have to ask Himself. Anyway it’s a street market that pretty much takes over all of Altstadt Markdorf.

I scored! Yarn! Wooooo! Got 4 balls of GGH Soft-Kid in a nice green for 3€ a ball. A 150g. ball of Regia Country Colour (oddly called Onion Country, it looks like stained glass colors with black). A ball of 100g Regia Cotton Java Color (aqua color) and 3 50g balls of Lang Teddy in a burnt orange.

The prices were amazingly low. I didn’t need any of this but I about lost it trying to paw through and decide on what to get. Obviously now I really have to get the whole sock thing overcome. The GGH Soft-Kid is going to be my neck cowl. No doubt about that. It will be lovely and something I never would have bought otherwise. I couldn’t see €36 for something I would only wear walking the dog, but I sure can see €9.

Mmmmm, mohair.

Interesting fuzzy stuff. Didn’t felt particularly well but it did lead to be being even goofier than usual. Learning to felt is a new offshoot of my knitting. The hat that was just too ridiculous to live felted down to…

…this poor, lumpen thing which I am inordinately fond of now. It’s just so ugly duckling I can’t help but like it. So, after making another bowl, intentional, not hat-gone-horribly-wrong out of the Lang Teddy (and being a silly thing and only using one strand) I ended up with a container for the Ugly Duckling (yes, sometimes I don’t know when to give something up as a bad job)…

I know. Seek help.

Also snagged some 2.5mm, 15cm DPNs in Bamboo from a company named Klass & Gessmann (Spezialist feiner Handarbeitsgeräte). Never heard of ‘em but I was happy to get the short DPNs. These were €5. I got a new clue…seems that here if you want short DPNs you need to look for “glove knitting needles”. Makes sense and never occurred to me to look for that type.

All of that for about €22. Yeah. I scored.

Had been hoping to find something for felting…bags, bowls etc. but, as usual, just sock yarn and some of the obvious sweater/garment stuff. Meh. That’s the story of my life down here. Socks, baby stuff and the occasional sweater is all anyone ’round here seems to want to do. And very rarely is there anything 100% wool. Hence my supporting mail-order. Wish it were otherwise, would love to find a local LYS but those that I know about are pretty much strickly socks. Very little of anything else.

The Market was neat. Lots of good stuff, lots of silly stuff and lots of food. After the blustery, damp, soggy weekend weather we had a nice day today. Was still on the chilly side (just above freezing) but the sun was out and the wind was down to a level where it wasn’t painful. Was very nice walking The Dawg this morning. This evening at the Market was nice to be out smelling all the good smells of Glühwein and wurst and the spice merchants and tea sellers and the cold, fresh air. Oh and beer. Heh, can’t forget the beer. Even got some hot roasted chestnuts. A nice way to spend a couple hours.

Pictures either later tonight or tomorrow, for posterity, of my finds. Including a wee basket that Will be nice, once lined with a bit of cloth, for a small project holder for around the desk as opposed to the current system…which really isn’t. Just yarn and projects stuffed on the desk wherever they fit.

Just tried out the GGH Soft-Kid and I about lost my mind. The yarn itself is fine but I cannot find any needles I can work with this stuff. I want to do a simple cowl that can either be pulled up as a hood or pooled around my neck instead of a scarf. This’ll be grand for that but I think it’s going to require Addis. Nothing I have works…stuff pulls at the joins something fierce. I suppose I could try with DPNs but I’m still not over the “hedgehog wrangler” aspect.

Bah. Well next time I’m ordering I might just have to get me a pair of Addi Lace needles. Poor me.

Looks like the first significant snow of the season is bearing down on us. And it’s bleedin’ COLD out. Now I don’t get cold easily but today? Holy moly. Wind is coming out of the NW and I swear it’s the express from the North Pole. On the morning walk, tears were streaming, nose was…uhm…dribbling and my ears were hurting something fierce (they both have been frostbitten so they are kind of sensitive).

And me without a hat. Problem is, I don’t like hats. I look like a giant tuber root in hats (’cept cowboy hats for some odd reason), especially winter type hats (sensible ones anyway). Now, if this keeps up I may end up not caring how silly I look but I am making a THICK headband tonight from Lana Grossa Bingo in a green which comes close to matching my coat. I so wanted to wait ’til the rest of my Twilley’s Freedom Spirit arrived but no way. I hope to pull off this headband with one ball of the Lana Grossa but if not, I have plenty. I just do NOT want to go out there tomorrow morning without something on my ears.

My Yarn Harlot One Row Scarf made from the Twilley’s turned out beautifully. Very pleased. And nice and warm. Forgot it this a.m. (hey, I’m lucky if I can remember how to walk first thing in the morning never mind such niceties as a scarf I hadn’t fully processed I own) and made sure to wear it this afternoon. Really nice. No scratchy bits, warm. Glad I did it.

When the rest of the Twilley’s gets here (maybe tomorrow but more likely Monday…meh), I’ll get going on the gauntlets from it (since I’ll have this headband done and the need won’t be so urgent). Not a fan of gloves either but I may have to get over that. My fingers aren’t what get cold, it’s the backs of my hands and my wrists so I might escape with just gauntlets. Happily, I can do a pair of those in a day of dedication or two days of just knitting whenever I’m in front of the ‘puter.

Snow. Meh. Supposedly only about six inches but could be interesting with the way the wind is blowing.

But it’s okies, I will have a headband tonight. Pictures when it’s done.