2 days to go!

I am two days away from the end! Not, I hasten to add, two days away from poncey gowns and mortarboards, I still have a little while to mentally prepare myself for that anguish, but my final deadline of the degree (CVs, portfolios and a lovely long evaluation about how wonderful the course is) is on Thursday. I had my big scary finished garments hand in 2 weeks ago, so this one isn't worrying me half as much, and I've been able to knit away to my heart's content in between preparing my portfolio and rather half-heartedly looking for jobs.

Ooh! And the costume I just handed in? Not only is it by far my best work, but I've been told by my Head of Costume that it's one of the best pieces he's seen ON THE ENTIRE COURSE. I am slightly swept away in a tidal wave of Smug right now. (Photos to come in a few weeks, gotta get a good photoshoot for this one)


And onward to knitting...


I have actually cast on at least 6 new projects since I last blogged, but in an effort not to make this post explode with images, I may leave those until later and catch up on some extremely late finished objects.



I finished my stripy jumper! About 6 months ago! (this is how behind on blogging I am) This marks a milesone for me. It isn't the first full size garment I made (that was the blue green and purple acrylic blob), nor is it the first jumper I've made that fit me (that was Tempting), but it is the first full size jumper I've made that fit me and STILL FITS AFTER BEING WASHED!! Huzzah, success at last! I love it, as you can probably tell from my out of focus grin. Ms. Walker is a genius and I look forward to making more garments from Knitting From the Top, though probably not any of the various styles of knitted trousers.

Just before finishing my (incredibly cartoonish) stripy jumper, I made a Kombu scarf from the Manos silk blend I bought in Scotland. I love this pattern, though...err...it possibly would benefit from something a little less drapey in terms of yarn.

The second scarf I made was for a two part swap over at the Monthly Adventures group on Ravelry, the idea being that we sent someone a skein of yarn (along with some presents for them), then they used that yarn to knit a scarf and sent it back. I ended up being paired with Twinsmama a second time for this one! She sent me 2 gorgeous malabrigo skeins which I used to make her a Reversible Cabled Brioche Stitch Scarf. This is another great scarf pattern, it has all the flat, reversible, extra squishy benefits of ribs, with added pretty cables all over it. 'Tis a good thing she picked pink yarn or I would have been sooo tempted to keep this for myself. But I did get a lovely lacy chevron scarf back from her so I don't mind too much!

Last minute Christmas presents! These were for a couple of my friends from university who unexpectedly gave me presents at the last minute (eep). Thems on the left are Fetchings, the most popular project on ravelry, for good reason. I think I finished those in one day. Thems on the right I designed myself :D Yup, I made charts'n'everything. I'm currently reknitting these as full mittens with some minor tweaks to the cable, then 'll write out a pattern. (Though it might make more sense if I waited until after the summer. Maybe)




Last one! This is the Limerick Moss Cap in mmmmmmMalabrigo, one of the lovely presents Twinsmama sent me in the scarf swap. According to my project page, this is the last item I finished knitting and I remember wearing it on my birthday. *sigh* that's over 4 months without a single finished item.

Hmm. So much for not having a picture heavy post.

Never mind. Just to cap it off, this is my small selection of current works in progress:

Hmm. I may be overcompensating for the last 4 months...

P.S. I did go and see the turtles at Weymouth in the Easter holidays, they are unbelivably cute! I think they're actually terrapins though. Bah. False advertising. But they are (were) about an inch long and thoroughly confused by the mirrored sides of the tank which more than made up for it.

P.P.S. I also went up to Wembley Arena the day after my final fitting to see the Prodigy play live :D (yes, I took 2 whole days off when making this costume). The Prodigy are, it has to be said, not as cute as baby terrapins, but they do set off this bizarre reaction in me that makes me dance like a broken marionette having an epileptic fit while stone cold sober. I am still on a high from this gig. Though I may remember to wear a sports bra if I ever see them again

P.P.P.S. I finally got round to casting on my second toe up sock, on the same needles, with the same number of stitches, only to find that my guage has somehow changed in the last 6 months. Well, bugger.

Season appropriate accesories need not apply

Only 4 days later, not half bad.


I have finished that sodding project report, I'm now procrastinating when I should be writing my essay. Plus, its a bright sunshiney day, so obviously the perfect time for me to take photos of myself in knitwear. Hmm.


I finished off my chocolate chip mittens. Actually I finished these in Kentucky, and they have been getting much wear, but I only sewed the buttons on two days ago. I like the buttons, they stop the tops flapping about like...annoying flappy things. Not feeling at my wittiest today.

















I also just wove in my ends for Quant, made from a surprise single skein of handspun that my Mum posted along with the usual package of things I forgot and left at home when I went back to uni. I'm not entirely convinced about this one. Not sure headbands suit me. Mind you, I need a haircut and I'm toying with the idea of a fringe, maybe it'll look better with less forehead on show.

So, stress causes ulcers huh?

Well I have a mouth full of the buggers. Seriously, I can't move my tongue without finding a new one. It ain't pretty. I spent most of the week wanting to batter my head against a wall until either my head or the wall broke, and I didn't much care which.

Anyhoo, these photos are from the toile fitting, over a week ago, before the nightmare started. At this point things were going well. Give it a couple of days and it'll be going well again. I have to keep telling myself this or I will throw my sewing machine out of the window and I quite like my sewing machine if I stop and think about it. Quite like my window too.

My model likes it at least, it's 'swishy' apparently. You can't see the pleats in the photo, but yes, they do swish. He's not overly keen on the breeches (can't imagine why), but he has already announced plans to steal the shirt.

I have until next Wednesday for my final fitting, which means all the garments done in proper fabric, finished apart from hems and fastenings. It's now half past midnight on Friday and I'm taking a break from sewing 18 metres of ribbon and eyelash yarn onto the front of my waistcoat. It really is as fun as it sounds, and according to my schedule I should have finished it on Tuesday. I love my degree I love my degree I love my degree.

Knitting wise, in the two whole minutes of free time I have had, I frogged Pomatomus because it is a silly, silly pattern and I dislike it. Alternatively, I made the catastrophic mistake of attempting to knit it without stitch markers in front of Torchwood. I cannot keep track of where to decrease when there are dashing young men kissing each other on my television screen. I would have restarted, but I only have one set of those needles and as soon as the sock was off my half finished mitten went back on. I have completed half of one mitten flap in the last fortnight. University deadlines do not make for exciting knitting progress. Oh well, next time maybe.

Nearly better now, haha

My glandular fever (aka sore throat) lasted a grand total of seven days. I obviously have a hardcore immune system. Oh yeah, these white blood cells are trained like Spartans. With any luck I'll be back in uni in January and still able to go to America.

Our Christmas tree is up, take a look.

Doesn't it look...well, amateur. But in a festive and enthusiastic kind of a way. Planning to have a fake Christmas dinner with my housemates on Wednesday and since we're a bit late to make christmas cake or pudding we've decided we're going to have the very traditional apple crumble. Hmm. I would have fought for yule log or trifle, but I like apple crumble, so I can't complain.

Back onto knitting for me now, I'm about halfway through my first Broadstreet mitten (except I'm not actually following the pattern, so they're just Broadstreetish) I still love this yarn and I can't believe its taken me over 2 years to getting round to using it. These are my chocolate chip cookie dough gloves.

Not dead yet. It's a close call though.

So, first year at uni is long gone and only a week left till year two starts since the summer holidays flew past in a haze of nothingness. Initially I made up my mind that I was going to stay in Bournemouth, get a job and revel in my independence. Then I realised that I was barely earning enough to pay rent, all my friends were at home and Bournemouth is full of foreigners in the summer. Ok, the Polish people who suddenly invaded my house were nice, but it's a bit odd to get the bus to work every day and never hear an English voice. I lasted about a month before I came crawling back to my parents' house. Eh, I have the rest of my life to be independent.

Managed to successfully finish the Elizabethan costume, and yes, it did look vaguely more exciting in colour.

And here's a closeup of the headdress and ruff (look, knitting! oooo):

And the shoes! I love the shoes, they makes me happy

Eighteenth century menswear to come this year, with any luck.

Can't wait to start second year, not only do I get to specialise in making (no more designing, yaay), but there's a possiblity of a study exchange to America in the Spring term.

*small squeals of excitement*

Since I have been way too lazy to get myself a job back in Wycombe, the last two months have been spent moulded to the sofa watching an endless string of Buffy, Spaced, Doctor Who and Heroes (in between getting drunk, my summer hasn't been that wasted) and trying to get back into the swing of knitting.

At the moment I'm attempting to design my first garment. It's called Chloe. According to the note scribbled beside a sketch I did about a year ago, this is because it was inspired by a photo of Chloe Sevigny, but I can't honestly say I remember that. I'm sure it was a lovely picture though.

Progress so far...

It's based on Tempting as a starting point, because I love the way the sleeves are attached on that, plus some bust shaping (which you can't see on the photo because I managed to take a photo of the back - genius), and a yoke with some type of collar. Not sure what type yet, kind of making it up as I go along. I've ground to a halt at the moment though as the neckline's getting too small for the needle, so I'm back to zombie knitting until I can buy some more DPNs.

Zombie knitting (mostly while getting annoyed trying to work out yoke decreases) has been a matching hat, scarf and mittens set - finished but not photographed, and a spiral bag - a frugalhaus pattern that seems to have disappeared from the internet, which I started yesterday. I don't have gauge for that though, and I want to make it about half the size it's supposed to be in the pattern so....not really sure how that's gonna work out. I may end up with some huge shell shaped table mats instead.

Hmm, so I abandoned the blog for another year. Oops. Well, trust me, you havn't missed much - I managed a grand total of 2 FOs in 2006 and I really cannot remember that last time I had a free moment to sit down and knit. *sigh*

Anyhoo, the gloves finally got started in June (I got some very odd looks for knitting gloves in 45C heat)

Ah, the everpresent mirror shot

These are knitted sans pattern (oh yes, I am so proud) from the lovely tropical fish inspired sockyarn Amanda sent me way back when for SP6. Opal I think - lost the ball band along the way. There are two of them, honest, but they got quite a bit of wear this winter and one of the fingers needs repairing.

The other FO was a stuffed stegosaurus for Chris back in April (he was a little amused that I still thought he was of an appropriate age for stuffed toys). That was from a pattern, and it was gorgeously silly, but I can't find it anymore. Hmmph. Turned out way easier than I thought, since it was my first toy, tail spikes and all. He was called Texas, and was incredibly goofy (my embroidery skills displaying themselves to full effect on the face.)

Wish I'd got a picture, but sadly the boyfriend is no more, and I feel it is not generally accepted good etiquette to ring up ex-lovers demanding photos of their dinosaurs.

I'm now finally at university (it's taken me long enough), doing Costume for Screen and Stage at Bournemouth, which is great, when its not driving me nuts and interrupting my sleep patterns. I just started my first making project a week and a half ago, and have been given a design for the widow from the Taming of the Shrew to make for April. Feeling a little daunted by the costs at the moment. We're probably going to need about 20m of various fabrics. Why couldn't I pick a nice cheap course like Maths? Hey ho. Spent this week pattern drafting and we should be ready to cross our fingers and start sewing up our toile tomorrow.

What the finished project will (hopefully) look like

Our bodice pattern - or at least two fifths of it

My lovely partner Hayley and our insane metre long hanging sleeves

Sleeves and Secret Pals

Finished one of the sleeves for my huge jumper, I think my guage (or possibly the instructions, as I did actually check this time) is off since I magically reached the required length without doing the block of work even I was supposed to do. Oh well, at least it wasn't something important I missed out.

Also been having great fun stabbing myself with DPNs for the first Tempting sleeve. Gah! Why are they so long! What on Earth are you going to knit on DPNs that needs to be that big? Socks for yetis? I think I've more or less got it figured out with minimal puncture wounds now, and worked out that you can work into the back of the first stitch to avoid big ladders. Cunning eh?

And since I've been having trouble with DPNs, it makes a great deal of sense that I just did my guage for Broadstreet Mittens. Of course. Not supposed to be starting this till one of the others is finished, but the yarn is calling to me. It looks like cookies and cream!












And finally, I've just signed up for Secret Pal 6. Eee, v. excited about this, though I imagine I'll waste lots of money buying stuff for myself while shopping for my pal. Not good.