Variation on SP11 questionnaire

I'm not a secret pal, but thought I'd give the questionnaire a go anyway:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
My favourite is soft wool. I like most natural fibres. Hate eyelash yarns, and don't generally care for synthetics.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a felted needle roll for my circs and a small wicker basket for my straights and dpns.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
18 months. Intermediate.

4. What's your favorite scent?
Lavender, cinnamon, cardamom

5. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like brights, not so keen on sludgy browns

6. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, except for ponchos!

7. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Hmm, difficult one, anything I can knit in the round

8. What are you knitting right now?
A stole, BSJ, Lutea shell and big bag

9. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes

10. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Addi circs

11. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Swift only

12. How old is your oldest UFO?
18 months

13. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Yes, I'd like the latest Noni patterns, the Norah Gaughan leaflet from Berroco and a cropped cardigan pattern from Blue Sky Alpacas

14. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'd like to improve my fair isle and cabling skills

15. Are you a sock knitter?
An occasional one

16. Ravelry?

Of course! Smugsheep on Ravelry.

Starting my first BSJ

I cast on for my first EZ Baby Surprise Jacket today - I say first, because everyone in blogland seems to knit this pattern repeatedly. My first yarn choice went the way of the petal bib - too thick and hence way too big. I settled on a thin sock yarn which is giving me a much better size.

I've worked through the decreasing section and have reached the bind offs on the increasing section. I can't see which parts of the knitting will form which parts of the garment yet, but I have faith. If anyone is thinking of knitting this, I highly recommend Dawn Adcock's row by row notes to supplement the original pattern.

I'm plugging away on MS3 clue 4, and am now knitting it in cars and in other situations where my concentration is less than 100%. I figured I would still make more progress even allowing for frogging rows where concentration lapses. Clue 6 or 7 has now been published, so I'm falling well behind the pace again.

The Lutea shell continues to knit up quickly. I am now knitting the front and back separately. When I tried on the first half, the decreases made it too revealing, so I decided this would be the back, and have tried to maintain more stitches on the front. Not sure if it will work or whether I will have to frog back to the armhole.

Innocents Village Fete

Yesterday we headed up to Regent's Park for the Innocents Village Fete. This year differed from the previous Fruitstocks; it was less of a music festival and more of a well, village fete. The weather always seems to be fantastic, and true to form, despite the most dismal summer we've seen for decades, the fete has coincided with a 2 day heatwave.

London is a pretty big village, and the place was packed.


Knitting wise, there was the usual campaign to knit woolly hats for Innocents, with a knitting tent run by Rowan.


Other entertainment we enjoyed included duck herding,





London Swing Dancing society demonstrations and lesson





the Yorkshire tea tent








and of course



My brother was particularly keen to see the ferret racing, but everywhere we asked, no-one could tell us where the ferrets were! Apparently they had been moved. Finally, a kind person from Innocents personally escorted us to the ferrets, where we arrived in time for the last races of the day!

Cast on, frogged, cast on again

Keen for a small and simple project, I cast on the petal bib from One Skein, using some Rowan All Seasons Cotton. I worked through the petal edges quite quickly and started the short rows, but eventually had to admit that the bib was adult sized not baby sized! Not being that messy an eater, I gave up and frogged.

I enjoyed working with the yarn, as it's soft and squooshy, so immediately looked for another pattern, and settled on a simple hat, modelled here by Shaun.

Reviewing July's knitting goals:

1) Finish spree bag - no progress

2) Finish the knitting of the adventure bag. I think the finishing will take longer, but I'd like to get the actual knitting done - very little progress

3) Finish Sahara - still hoping to complete by end of June - no, lost the mojo on this

4) Make the icords for large tote bag - no

5) 3 pattern repeats of Charlotte's Web shawl - yes I managed this before getting sucked into MS3

6) New summer top - yes, I did start this, although I didn't pick any of the 4 designs I was considering. The Lutea lace shell is work in progress.

For August, I'll roll forward goals 1, 3, 4 and add some new ones.

That is:

1) Finish spree bag

2) Finish Sahara

3) Make icords for tote bag

4) Finish Lutea lace shell

5) Make a BSJ

6) Clues 4 and 5 of MS3

7) Start Hipknits project shawl

Far too much as usual, but 1-6 are all UFOs or WIPs that need work.

Mystery stole clue 2

Progress continues on MS3. I did make a mistake a few rows from the end of clue 2, and kept trying to knit the following row and not understanding why it wasn't working. I eventually realised the error was on the previous row, and to my surprise, found I could quickly identify the missing yarnover visually, and furthermore, insert it on the following rest row. I think I finally understand what they mean about 'reading' your lace. Flushed with success, I raced through the following rows to finish the second clue.

The Lutea shell has become a commuter project for the foot of stocking stitch, so is also moving along well.