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July 31, 2005
Claude
Claude, started 31 May 05 finished 29 July 05
Pattern: My own
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora
Claude was inspired by Debbie Bliss’s toddler smocks; this is a very grown-up version. The pearl buttons to fasten and at the cuffs, and the deep wide neckline make her very ladylike. The mock smocking and cabling detail give a slight empire line. Wide, swinging jackets have been very much in evidence in ‘high’ fashion over the last couple of seasons, and Claude will be perfect for the early days of autumn.
This yarn makes a beautiful soft fabric, cool from the cotton, and it knit up very quickly on 5mm needles. I lost my way part way through the design of this and stalled for several weeks, but start to finish this will be a quick and easy knit.
I love how elegant Claude looks, all dressed up with pearls and tweed. But today the sky is the same colour as Claude, and I’m going to put her on, with jeans, sandals and a headscarf, to go shopping.
Posted by Amelia at 01:45 PM | Comments (48)
July 30, 2005
Giotto socks
It’s been some time since I last used Koigu, so forgive me if I wax lyrical. At last I think I have found the right yarn and the right stitch pattern for my Sockpal2za socks. It took only a very little investigation on my sock pal’s site to reveal that really, none of my stash yarns were going to be suitable. Much as I wanted to put her in jaunty blue and white stripes, I could no longer deny that she likes far more sophisticated, subtle, subdued colours than I tend to pick. So I ordered some Koigu from Get Knitted.
It looks beige from a distance, slightly like porridge, but closer attention reaps rewards. In this swatch I can see indigo, rose pink, baby pink, pearl grey, smoke grey, hazlenut brown, chestnut, sage, teal, lavender…
Now I have been heard to say I don’t like lace patterns in variegated yarn, but recent projects give this the lie. This twisted cable and ladder lace pattern I hope will keep my sock pal’s feet from overheating in wool socks. My next challenge: maths, to work out how long my socks can be (I think I want to go top down).
Posted by Amelia at 05:35 PM | Comments (11)
July 27, 2005
Cloud cover
The English summer, it has been said, consists of two fine days and a thunderstorm. The glowering gloom of the last few days has made bad my promise of pictures of Claude - the evenings are so dark it has been impossible to take a reasonable photograph.
Or, put another way, the rain has caused a raincheck. I checked, and yes, still raining.
Posted by Amelia at 08:28 AM | Comments (22)
July 25, 2005
Wild orchid
Speaking of white hawthorn and yellow daffodowndillys, if you want to learn from the sky and the hills you could do far worse than visit this little corner of north west of Scotland.
This was sent to me on my birthday by my dear aunt and uncle; it came as a breath of fresh air in humid, polluted, bombed London. Aunt and Uncle abandoned London for the banks of Little Loch Broom many years ago. They don't live exactly the middle of nowhere, but it's not far away. I can never see the mountain opposite their house (and in the background of this picture), without seeing a reclining nude, one knee raised, her hair streaming down to the loch... perhaps this angle doesn't show her at her best. It was while staying here, and in the company of their dear departed dog Cap, that I discovered the power of silence. And that a blink has a sound.
Posted by Amelia at 08:17 AM | Comments (7)
July 24, 2005
Is this heaven?
Six hundred grams of Hip Knits silk in 'Peace'. It's unusual to work with - I had to change the way I hold the yarn because it wasn't 'sliding' around my little finger. It has a squeaky quality, like cotton. The shine is amazing - it's reflective, the yarn seems to change colour depending on what other colours it's near. This is going to be something very special indeed. Looking out of the window at the garden as I knit with it, I can see the same colour in the lavender, the echinops, the verbena... it's been raining today at last, and the garden looks reinvigorated.
Speaking of flora, my Limeleaf Kiri is finally finished. Here she is reclining on her favourite pink velvet buttoned chair.
Limeleaf, started 23 June 05 finished 24 July 05
Pattern: Polly's Kiri
Yarn: Sirdar 'Calypso' 100% cotton DK
Look at those leafy leaves.
It's still grey out and there is banana bread in the oven. This evening I hope to finish Claude, the cotton-angora confection. Pictures tomorrow I hope.
Posted by Amelia at 05:17 PM | Comments (19)
July 20, 2005
Lit Ref 2
A figure which stood outside, wrapped in a long green cloak, rushed across the room and up the stairs so quickly that Flora only had the merest glimpse of it. She raised her eyebrows.
‘Who was that?’ she asked, though she was sure that she knew.
‘My cowdling – my liddle Elfine,’ said Adam, listlessly picking up his thorn twig, which had fallen into the snood of porridge on the hearth.
‘Indeed, and does she always charge about like that?’ inquired Flora, coldly; she considered her cousin deficient in manners.
‘Aye. She’s as wild and shy as a pharisee of the woods. Days she’ll be away from home, wanderin’ on the hills, wi’ only the wild birds and the liddle rabbits an’ the spyin’ maggies for company. Aye, and o’ night, too…’ His face darkened. ‘Aye, she’s away then, too, wanderin’ far from those that loves her and cowdled her in their bosoms when she was a mommet. She’ll break my heart into liddle sippets, so she will.’
‘Does she go to school?’ asked Flora, looking distastefully in a cupboard for a rag with which to dust her shoes. ‘How old is she?’
‘Seventeen. Nay, niver talk o’ school for my wennet. Why, Robert Poste’s child, ye might as soon send the white hawthorn or the yellow daffodowndilly to school as my Elfine. She learns from the skies an’ the wild marsh-tiggets, not out o’ books.’
‘How trying,’ observed Flora.
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Elfine's socks, started 16 Jul 05
Pattern: My own, based on Magknits pom squad
Can you see the leaves? I'm not sure you can but they are definitely there. This is the same leaf lace pattern as featured in Kiri, and Birch, and on many sock patterns. I wanted to try a toe-up sock, so the leaves would grow 'up' the foot rather than down, you see. Now that I've turned the heel and am working the lace pattern all the way round I've got myself in a terrible muddle, but I'm sure it's retrievable.
Note: to avoid looking like Woodlande Ffolke, wear these with NO other green. Especially not with my lime green Kiri (link to pattern on Polly's page). (I finished the knitting weeks ago, but still need to block it. Progress can be seen here.) Cassie reminds us that too much of a good thing can be wonderful. But of course, it can also be just too much.
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[Flora] had no notion where Judith’s bedroom might be, but she found a guide to take her there. As she reached the head of the stairs, the tall girl in the green cloak, who had just dashed through the kitchen, came running lightly down the corridor towards her. She stopped, as though shot, at the sight of Flora, and stood poised as though for instant flight.
‘Doing the startled bird stunt,’ thought Flora, giving her a pleasant smile; or rather smiling at the hood which half concealed her cousin’s face.
‘What do you want?’ whispered Elfine, stonily.
‘Cousin Judith’s bedroom,’ returned Flora. ‘Would you be a lamb and show me the way? It’s easy to get lost in a large house when everything is strange to one.’
A pair of large blue eyes looked at her steadily above the green hand-woven hood. Flora pensively noted that they were fine eyes, and that the hood was the wrong green.
She said, persuasively, ‘Do forgive me for saying so, but I would love to see you in blue. Some shades of green are good, of course, but dull greens are very trying, I always thing. If I were you, I should try blue – something really well cut, of course, and very simple – but definitely blue. You try it, and see.’
Elfine made a brusque, boyish movement, and said off-handedly, ‘This way.’
She strode along the corridor with a long, swinging step, letting the hood fall back so that Flora could see the back of her unbrushed mane of hair; it might have been a good gold if it had been properly dressed and cared for. It all seemed deplorable to Flora.
‘Here,’ jerked out Elfine, stopping in front of a closed door.
Flora thanked her so much, and Elfine, after another long stare at her, strode away.
‘She will have to be taken in hand at once,’ thought Flora. ‘Another year, and there will be no doing anything with her; for even if she escapes from this place, she will only go and keep a tea-room in Brighton and go all arty-and-crafty about the feet and waist.’
All quotes from my most favourite book, Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibbons. Thank you to my dear friend Ashley, for reminding me what a ripping good read it is, and that it's been far too long since I read it last.
Posted by Amelia at 01:42 PM | Comments (17)
July 14, 2005
Pepper pattern
Mr Raitte says, 'If you don't want to wear it, hang it on the wall and enjoy it as 'a work of craft'.'
Oh yes one more thing: American Vogue's 'must have' items for Fall 05:-
***1. admiral's jacket***
2. voluminous skirt
3. romantic blouse
4. newsboy cap
5. bright bag
6. short black evening dress
7. long loose dress
8. flat boot
9. statement coat
10. a skinny pant
Thanks to Cathi for letting me know. I knew Anna Wintour was lurking.
'A flat boot'? Would boots be more practical? And as for a pant...
This pattern was free for a limited time period, which is now over. Thanks to everyone who came and grabbed themselves a copy and left all those encouraging comments. Please enjoy knitting it; and send me your pics so I can post a 'Lonely Hearts Club Band' gallery
Posted by Amelia at 10:12 PM | Comments (25)
July 13, 2005
Go away, knitting maths
I have had the pattern for Sgt Pepper written up for a while now, and sat down this evening to work on the schematics. Before you know it, I'm questioning all my calculations and the maths has killed my confidence. Tomorrow I am going on a quest for software that will take the pain out of this part. For tonight, I'm setting Sgt Pepper, and my calculator, aside, and going to read in bed.
Posted by Amelia at 11:00 PM | Comments (9)
July 10, 2005
Comfort
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I'm angry that our behaviour, in going to war on Iraq without the sanction of the UN, has been, to say the least, reproachable. It seems somewhat obtuse to attempt now to claim any moral high ground. Thousands have died at our hands. As well as those who actually planned and executed the attacks on London, Tony Blair must surely carry some culpability.
It was a shock to learn that an aquaintance is among those still missing. She spoke to her father after King's Cross station was evacuated, to reassure him that she was safe and going to try and catch a bus to work. The barbarity of the bus explosion, timed to go off as people streamed out of the underground to find an alternative route to work.
So I have been in need of succour. There are only two projects being worked on with any kind of commitment.
The cable rib socks from this autumn's Interweave Knits, for Mr Raitte. When I knit him socks I generally start out with a woman's sock design (darling they are absolutely masculine), but instead use a DK superwash instead of 4-ply, on 2.75-3mm needles. He wears them with his footwear of choice, army boots.
Mr Raitte has already been blessed with three pairs of Fashionable socks since the beginning of the year, but they are all sadly wearing thin (testiment to how much he wears them). I have discovered I much prefer knitting to darning. Therefore I have started a new pair of socks, and bought him a pair of slippers. Old wood floors are not so kind to pure wool socks.
And this
This is Claude, a little something for the first days of autumn. The colour reminds me of nothing more than that high, blank grey cloud that swaddles England so much of the year. The cotton angora is cool and soft, and flies along on 5mm needles. I only wish it would slow down, so I could work for longer the mindless expanses of stocking stitch.
Posted by Amelia at 06:03 PM | Comments (17)
July 07, 2005
7 July
I think of those whose loved ones won't come home tonight. And I remember that, although the world's eyes are on us, this is not the only place where innocent people have died today in the name of whatever misguided motivations lead us to kill one another.
Let's see how I feel about this post in the morning.
Posted by Amelia at 11:13 PM | Comments (16)
July 05, 2005
Pay me no mind
Thank you for indulging me in my pouting moment, and for your kind messages. It was just a blow coming on top of an already trying, distressing day, and I do tend to emote somewhat. Of course, it's not the end of the world. I'll go on the course in the autumn, and in the meantime take my inspiration where I can find it!
Posted by Amelia at 07:26 PM | Comments (15)
Would it be childish to cry?
Just because my course has been cancelled? But I was so looking forward to it.
Sigh. Why must disappointments be so very... disappointing.
Posted by Amelia at 01:52 PM | Comments (17)
July 03, 2005
Ugh
This bag was meant to be these colours.
Not like this. This is nothing like Rita Marley and Dior 04.
Gentle reader, if you know the secret of felting Cascade 200 without the colours bleeding, please, share your wisdom.
Kiri has me held to ransom; very little other knitting has been going. I now have 350 stitches on the needle; only half a repeat and the edging to go before I am liberated. My next challenge will be to find a place to block it - the living room rug would be a good if Jnr didn't have a fascination with pins (and putting them in his mouth). All the lace around is calling me, especially this Kimono shawl, and Blackberry Ridge's Hiawatha stole is playing a major part in my knit fantasies.
For the failed FO I also have a success to show, finished last weekend:
Grumperina's Tivoli, started 18 June finished 26 June
No need for an edging, once it was pressed the neck edge and cast off edges lay flat. I really enjoyed this, such a clever construction and flattering style. To be honest this is just the tiniest bit big on me, but I'll wear it nevertheless because it's such a pretty, classic style. And it will be perfect as a twinset with Sgt Pepper.
Finally, I've been playing with stitch patterns for lacy socks, but I think my sockapal2za pal might prefer a blue and white baby cashmerino pair of these stripy anklets. She doesn't seem like a lacy 'type'. Or am I just saying that because I really want the white lacies for myself?
Posted by Amelia at 05:03 PM | Comments (26)