Damn, Knit & Blast It

My wardrobes are overflowing – which is very bad as I remodelled to bedroom two years ago and made more wardrobe space!

I’ve been very disciplined lately and taken great bags full of “stuff” to the charity shop. Now the hard bit…I need to cull the shelf where my hand knits live.

I found three garments I don’t wear any more and guess what? Two of them have never been blogged!

So first the one you might have seen, my Willow jacket in Ribbon Twist.

This one…

It has gotten kinda pilled and saggy and I was never quite sure about the white fluffy bits on the collar. Does it make  anyone else think of Santa Claus? I was reminded it was there when I made my Chunky Ribbon Twist Cushion. I wore it again just once and it felt too chunky and a bit frumpy on me so it has to go.

Next is a Pre Blog Project that has never been seen here before! (I’m assuming you’re jumping up and down with excitement here?? )

Here’s Angie..

It’s a Rowan pattern from “It’s a Tape Thing” by the lovely Kim Hargreaves.
This book…

I made this back in 2004 (I think!) and for me, the best part was doing the dropped stitch edging on the sleeves and bottom edge.

You literally knit some rib then drop a stitch and let it unravel all the way down the work. I had just joined the Guilty Knitters at that point and they teased me a great deal because I was very excited by the stitch dropping process and said,
“It feels so wrong and naughty and bad and decadent…but I like it!”
They assumed I had that approach to some other, more personal areas of my life too!

The worst thing about this jumper is that I really made a hash of picking up the stitches around the neck. Isn’t it amazing how, when you get out an old garment, you realise your knitting has improved?

Lastly here’s a huge piece of knitting!

It’s Nicole in Debbie Bliss Maya (and me pulling a “do you want me to come over there and make you behave” face at Ben )…

From this book, Debbie Bliss No.7…

I adore the Debbie Bliss Maya (I have it on reasonably good authority it’s actually Mano Del Uruguay’s wool classica rebadged) . I bought up rather a lot when it was discontinued – I still have 10 skeins each of solid pink and 10 of  solid purple in my stash – opps I forgot the 7 skeins of orange and pink mix too.

The yarn is great (and it  felts well – as I found with my Kim Felted bag) but Debbie Bliss’s pattern was not so good. I have to say – I’m not in the Debbie Bliss fan club.

Firstly, the front edging – it curled.

Being a stocking stitch garment, with no edging stitches and having a picked up edging, nothing short of super glue and stapling the edge to my thighs was going to stop the curl.

The picot on the sleeves was good…

I also wasn’t terribly impressed with the collar – it worked but I like a bit more attention to detail in my patterns. The button part was good though! Pity all the hard work on the edging below the buttons immediately curled out of view…

I guess I’m being a little unfair because, although this was a huge garment to knit, it was a very easy knit and grew faster than you’d think on the 5.5mm needles.

And I’m being really unfair because, when I’d finished it I wore it to death and was very pleased and had lots of compliments!

I suppose it’s just out of fashion now, looking pilled and tired and I’m bored with it. None of that is Debbie Bliss’s fault!

So there we are, three large garments culled and room for some more in my wardrobe!

I’ll leave you with the obligatory Completed Knit Reports then get back to knitting the Flower Blanket! An update on that coming next!!

The Knit’n'Commute  blankie production line has been going well but I’ve had my first nutter objecting to “train knitting” this week!

I get on the mainline train and get my knitting out. Within three stitches the woman next to me pulls herself up to her  sour, scrub faced, puffed up height of self importance and inquires,

“Have you ever considered that it might be dangerous to use such pointed implements? What if there was an accident?”

(I’m currently knitting with 3.75mm knitpicks circular needles)

After catching my breath, I calmly but firmly answered,

” Yes I have, these are less sharp than your average propelling pencil or biro. In the event of an accident or train crash anyone doing a crossword would be just as dangerous.”

She answered,

” Yes, but I wouldn’t want one of those poked in my  eye either!” (Why does every nutter think knitting needles are instantly going to have their eye out?)

I said,

” But you wouldn’t consider saying anything to someone sitting here doing the crossword would you?”

She huffed and angrily turned the page of ther crappy free newspaper in an exaggerated way that made me want to giggle.

The chap opposite me who really just wanted a quite trip to work giggled as well.

She fumed the entire 25min trip  and over acted the Mrs Angry page turning routine….and I purposefully knitted the entire way.

She nearly exploded when I stood up (still knitting) and disembarked, leaving her apoplectic watching me. ..I enjoyed that.

Like anyone who has had a minor confrontation, I thought of all the things I should have said later…

“Has it occurred to you that if we had an accident or train crash all those people standing up will crash into you?”

“What about all those heavy laptop bags in the overhead parcel shelves?”

” We’re not wearing seat belts you know? That man opposite will probably crush your skull if we hit anything?”

” Everyone on the train has fingers – they could take your take your eye out…maybe all train passengers should wear mittens?”

” Oh Hell.  Why don’t you just wrap yourself in cotton wool , goggles, mittens and a crash helmet and let the grown-ups take care of the nasty pointy world??!!”

It’s been busy, busy, busy here!

House buying fun  – I now have a buyer for my flat …

Day trips all over England with my 4 clients to visit suppliers (knitting on the train rides)…

Attempting to get more Flower Blanket knitted…

And the sudden and urgent need for a small knitted bear!

I’ll explain about the”bear-need”.

A year ago the Guilty Knitters, moved to meeting every week in the “new” Starsbucks in town. We’ve been wonderfully looked after, especially by our favourite barista, Sean. He always makes time to come and say, “Hello” and makes sure our eclectic coffee requirements are met.

So what has this got to do with bears?

Do you remember how we made Buck the Starbucks bear?

Who subsequently disappeared in mysterious circumstances?  Buck was replaced at our old Starbucks by his sister “Bucky”…

We, the Guilty Knitters felt kinda bad that the old Starbucks was still proudly displaying Bucky while our wonderful new Starbucks were bereft of knitted beariness.

I took my Rowan 4ply soft stash and the appropriate needles to our meet and tasked everyone with an arm or leg or head…

I was the only crocheter so I got to make the clothes…

And I volunteered my Sunday afternoon (normally reserved for blogging and doing blanket flowers) to sewing together another bear. All blanket production was halted!!

And so “Sean the Starbucks Bear” was born….

We presented Sean (who, you might have guessed, has red,  side parted hair!) with Sean the bear today. He was suitably pleased and embarrassed!

I’m sure Sean the Starbucks Bear has a great new home.