Retraction

On the 14th January in "The Arden Arms" (Stockport), I made a false statement that alleged the BF had been browsing Ravelry.

In my account, I stated that the BF had found this rather brilliant pattern (Some Assembly Required by Amber Allison, available at www.ravelry.com) whilst surfing Ravelry. He had then asked to use my account, rather than set up his own, paid for the pattern and downloaded it.



The BF has protested that this is not a true and accurate representation of what actually happened.

What actually happened was as follows:

He had found a link to the pattern whilst browsing his usual websites (you know, games, gadgets and all round general manly sites). He then asked to use my account, rather than set up his own, paid for the pattern, downloaded it and saved it to my desktop so that I couldn't fail to see it and would therefore knit it for him.

So, now you know.

New Year, New Knits

Finally, here are some pictures of the things I am knitting at the moment.

This is the "Point Edge Wrap" (DB Cathay) that is actually knitted in "Muskat" (DK Egyptian Cotton) which I bought at Ally Pally in 2008. It's a fantastically easy knit: garter stitch with a very simple lace edge. It was fun and transported well (as I took it with me on the Great Northern Christmas Cross Country Dash AKA visiting all the relatives).



It's currently blocking so I'll post a photo of the full item once it's dry.

Can you guess what it is yet?



Yes, it is indeed sock yarn ("Regia - Silk" 4ply) and it's another stash buster. I'm knitting a jumper (a jumper! in 4ply!) which is a pattern from the lovely 'Web of Wool' people. The front and back are knitted in two pieces and stitched up the middle so the self-patterning effects aren't lost. Surprisingly (a jumper in 4ply!) it's knitting up really fast. The back is upstairs blocking, as I type and here is the front. One of the sleeves is on the needles.



And, I've already broken a resolution - the none shopping one, naturally.



How could I resist? It was £4.19 on Ebay! I also picked up a bargain of sock yarn at "Kemps" online shop. Enough "Regia " for four pairs of socks, for under a tenner.

Regretsy

Many people and friends have Etsy shops where they sell the beautiful things they make. However, there is a dark side to Etsy... Regretsy... I stumbled across this site months ago and have been meaning to talk about it here. As ever, I finally manage to, just as the site owner is becoming popular - we're talking book deal popular - and everyone has already seen her work of art.

Bugger.

The true horror of it all can be found here: http://www.regretsy.com/

I don't know what I love more - the awfulness of some of the creations, the posts by their creators or Regretsy's comments.

Obviously, this site could offend the crafters who have worked so hard on their products. However, the main complaint was that Regretsy did not link back to their site in case viewers wanted to buy.

As a taster of some of what's on offer...

Apparently, these are intended for adult women.



Oh My God! You've got a dead dove coming out of your head!



Words have failed me. It's a ...Unicorn...Pig...Hat... for the inner child within us all. My inner child has run away screaming and will be in counselling for the rest of her life.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year.

So, have I made any resolutions? Not really. I've got a few to carry over from last year but this year I intend to enjoy my knitting rather than turn it into a chore. So, I won't be making any more jumpers for the BF (he loves his latest but is well jumpered out); or cardigans for my Granda (he has three and absolutely loves the latest even though I thought it was a monstrosity); or anything other than accessories for Niece No 1 (at 7 she has reached her knitted goodness limit).

So, in 2009 I mostly knitted and sewed:

Stash Busted 2009 (from 'old' stock)

• "Admiral R Druck" socks for me in basketweave pattern.
• "Colinette Jitterbug - Lapis" socks for me.
• "Fortissima - Colori" socks for the BF.
• "Fortissima Colori" - more socks for the BF.
• "Middle Earth Yarns - Captain Jack" socks for me in 'Cartridge Rib'.
• "Middle Earth Yarns - Davy Jones" socks for me
• "Regia - Colour - Avenue" socks for Thomas.
• "Rowan Silk Tweed" "Deep" (Rowan 39) for my Mam.
• "Thomas the Tank Engine" jumper for Thomas.
• Patchwork blanket for a friend's baby.
• Two pairs of cobbled-together socks for Thomas.

(Gift) Knitting (bought new)

• "Bo" (Rowan Babies) for Nephew.
• "Buster" (Rowan Babies) for Nephew.
• "Buster" (Rowan Babies) for Niece No 2.
• "Hans" (Rowan Babies) for Niece No 2.
• "King Cole - Zig-Zag" socks for Liz.
• "On-Line - Circle" socks for Debs.
• "On-Line - Circle" socks for my Mam.
• "On-Line - Circle" socks for Niece Number 1.
• "On-Line - Circle" socks for SIL.
• "On-Line Circle" socks for FIL.
• "On-Line Circle" socks for Step-Dad.
• "Opal - Circle" socks for my Auntie.
• "Opal" gloves for Step-Dad.
• "Regia - Colour - Avenue" socks for the boss.
• "Retro Jumper" in "Jaegar Extra Fine Merino" for the BF.
• "Retropolitan 4.0" for my Granda.
• "Rico" socks for BF.
• "Rico" socks for Brother.
• "Rico" socks for my Granda (yes, another pair).
• "Rico" socks for my Granda.
• "Rico" socks for SIL.
• "Rico" socks for the BF.
• "Rico" socks for the BF.
• "Rico" socks for the Debs.
• "Rico" socks for the Neice Number 1.
• "Vintage Swing Coat" (Sublime) for Niece No 1.
• "Wendy - Happy" socks for MIL.

Stitching

• Elephant curtains for the spare room
• Nefertiti cushion for my Mam
• Tutenkhamun cushion for my Mam

Not bad, methinks.

Happy New Year!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

...Well, it isn't, obviously, but for a change, I'm not frantically knitting the night before Christmas. (This is largely because I have written off the knitted teddy bear until next year).

The computer keyboard has been fairly neglected over the last few months, largely because of all the knitting; and because I started a new job in August which has been extremely busy; and because I've been running an online course (tutoring and marking); and because this year has been one of those years for anniversaries, milestone birthdays, housewarming parties and just general chaos. It has been great.

So, what have I finished? (You might want to go and make a cup of tea while this page loads).

Another "Retro" ("Sublime") jumper in 'Jaeger Extra Fine Merino' for the BF.



Socks for almost everyone on the planet (ok, ok, I know I'm exaggerating) in a variety of yarns - 'Rico', 'On-Line' and 'Opal'.



"Buster" and "Hans" ("Rowan Babies") in 'Sirdar - Soya' for Niece No 2.



"Buster" and "Bo" ("Rowan Babies") in 'Sirdar - Soya' for Nephew.



Erm... socks? mittens? a jumper? for my Step-Dad.



"Vintage Swing Coat" ("Sublime") in 'Sublime Cashmerino Silk DK' for Niece No 1.



Oh dear - it's another "Retropolitan" ("Son of Stitch and Bitch") in I'm not sure what yarn, for my Granda. But, I think I'm guilty of a Christmas jumper. I'm so sorry.



In my defence, I would like to point out that I am slightly colourblind (weird shades of green and blue) so what I thought was going to be a red and blue jumper has become a very festive green and red. (I've also got him a bottle of whisky to numb the shock).

Sunny Samos

We stayed at the gorgeous Ino Village Hotel. (www.inovillagehotel.com because I cannot do justice with my photographs). It's up on a hill overlooking Samos Town (or Vathy) which is the capital of the island.



There is not a great deal to see in Samos Town. It's in a beautiful bay and there are lots of cafes and bars overlooking the harbour, where we benefitted from the breeze coming in from the sea. There are also lots of great places to eat but for attractions... well, the museum was shut every time we walked past it.

There is a statue in Pythagoras Square.


(Complete with a man picking his nose, in front of it. My camera timing is useless).

There's a very pretty church too.



Gagkou Beach is where we spent most of our time. Most mornings we were there before 9.30 and it was virtually deserted - just us and a few elderly people swimming in the water.



We did catch the bus down to Pythagoria where we scrambled around the walls of Logothetis Castle (which was shut) and visited the church nextdoor.



The harbour was fab - full of yachts and fishing boats. And cafes, naturally. We also walked out to the Efpalinos Tunnel. (Underground aquaduct through the mountain). Surprisingly, it was open and we paid 4 Euros each to walk down some steps, along a short tunnel and back again.

It was worth it, to get out of the heat.




Even the locals were sheltering in any shade they could find.

By, eck! It's been a while.

The last month has been a bit busy. I've been finishing off at work to start my new job tomorrow. (Nervous? Moi? No, not at all, honest. And if you believe that...).

On top of that, I've been marking essays and doing lots of swearing about plagiarism and students who can't follow instructions. Ask them to write 2,000 words and they present you with 741 words.

I've also been on holiday - which was lovely - and some of those photos will be in the next post.

On the knitting front... nothing hugely exciting which is why I haven't posted for a while. Because I decided to knit presents for everyone for Christmas and I don't want to be still knitting them on Christmas Eve, I'm managing to turn my hobby into a chore. That was never the point. Knitting is supposed to my relaxation not another list of jobs to be ticked off.

I am enjoying making the gifts - so the process is enjoyable - and I certainly don't begrudge them as presents for my family. It's the fact that I have created this 'list' and this 'job' as a task to be carried out. So, I won't be doing anything on this scale again.

However, I have been productive:

One sock for Mary's birthday on Thursday. (There will be another).


Socks for Debbie for Christmas.


Two pairs of socks for the BF's birthday and one pair for my Granda's birthday.


Swing Coat for Niece Number 1.


The BF's secret jumper - back, front and the start of a sleeve.