“A well-stocked mind…”

“…is safe from boredom.”

Dear reader(s),

Do you remember the picture from last week, the disturbing one of my horrific ladders?

Well I feel a complete fool, because “hidden” in that picture is the cause of why those ladders were so much worse than the others. I had dropped a stitch.

Urgh.

I still have a few laddery bits, but now I’ve corrected that pesky dropped one, the sleeve’s looking much more sleeve-y. The laddery bits stop at exactly the same point I moved from double pointed needles to a circular one. Coincidence? No. Circulars are so much better. They are quicker, there are no opportunities for ladders, and they are easier to transport so you can get more ad-hoc knitting done.

But now I am beginning the second sleeve so I am back on my stupid DPNs. I even tried to buy a new set (considering I only have two in the right size) but I couldn’t get a cheap metal set from Amazon. They were out of stock or only offered 4mm or 3.5mm. So I’m back with my brittle plastic hodge-podge.

I cannot wait to be knitting the yoke. It looks interesting and tricky and is therefore fun. I was knitting at my family’s Easter party and people seemed a bit alarmed at the pattern when I showed them, but I guess it’s what you’re used to. Although I’ve never done anything like this before I’ve knitted enough things to just trust what the pattern says (and ask people on Ravelry when it makes no sense!)

In terms of the knitting queue, I realised I was being a bit silly and knocked off all Easter knitting after finishing Egwene, my chicken (blogged about here) . I also made up my mind to knit this pattern for my friends’ unborn baby:

© MillaMia 2009

It’s the Mikael cardigan by MillaMia Sweden (Ravelry link here) and I already have the pattern and (hopefully) enough wool to knit it in black with a putty-grey trim. If I have enough wool I think I will make little pockets too as that would look freaking adorable. 

I have also decided that it’s unfeasible to try and knit a cardigan for my friend’s birthday in June. It makes me sad, but considering how long it’s taking me to knit Peloponnese and the fact that I don’t even have the wool picked out for it, I think it’s a wise decision. I still have two other piles of wool waiting with their patterns anyway: 

Confetti, by Veera Välimäki (Ravelry link here) (which I will knit in King Cole Bamboo Cotton):

© Veera Välimäki

and Navigate by Annie Lupton (Ravelry link here) (which I will knit in Cascade Yarns® Heritage Solids):

© Devon Johnson

Plus another pair of socks. Phew! 

*Quote from Arthur C. Clark

“…although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable…”

“…solutions are not.”

I have begun knitting the sleeves of my Peloponnese. Yay! Finally she gets round to it!

As you know, I prefer knitting in the round on circular needles. As I didn’t have any short needles, I had to buy a new set. Blah de blah.

When I started knitting, however, I realised I wanted to knit long sleeves (not three-quarter length as described in the pattern) and so would have to knit the smallest size to fit my wrist. Can you guess what’s coming next? My needle was obviously too big. I needed to use double pointed needles. And I didn’t have the right size…

I could have cried. I had two DPNs in the right size, and a bunch that were a size up. So I decided that would have to do.

It was really fiddly doing the pattern over DPNs of varying sizes, but I got through it. Now I’m going round and round slowly with my increases and it’s going well.

I have run into a couple of issues though…

El Snappo
Turns out using hand-me-down plastic needles isn’t always smooth sailing. As I mentioned, I have been using two 3.75mm needles and two 4.00mm needles, which brings its own special kind of joy, but yesterday I also managed to snap one (luckily one of the bigger ones) in half! As much as I’d like to think of myself as the Incredible Hulk of the knitting world, I think we can blame the perishing plastic DPNs. RIP.

Ladderinos
The reason I dislike using DPNs is that I cannot seem to avoid ladders. I try and I try, pulling my yarn as tight as I can when moving from one to another (possibly another reason for El Snappo above) and yet I still seem to create nasty ladders. I’m hoping most will come out when blocking, but this one I am particularly worried about:

Honestly, I shudder looking at that :(

Fabric yuck
Finally, not DPN related, but I still dislike the feel of the wool and of the resulting fabric. It’s horrible knowing I’m going to so much effort for a jumper that’s already pilling, but I really want to see how this jumper comes out. It’s a big step forward for me so there’s bound to be numerous errors and I will have to reknit it again at some point anyway, so I think it’ worth continuing and just using different wool next time. Knowing my luck if I stopped halfway and switched wool I would run into a completely different issue when I got to the yoke anyway…

*Quote from Isaac Asimov

“The good guys dress in black…”

“…remember that.”

So here’s the brief:

• My friends are expecting a baby in June. 
• I would like to knit them a baby jumper and hat. 
• They have asked that – regardless of the sex of the baby – all baby items be black, white or grey. 

I have already knitted a cute black hat (blogged about here) and am thinking about the jumper.

Originally I was going to knit this:

© Tin Can Knits

Gramps (Ravelry link here), by Tin Can Knits, in dark grey.

However I would have to buy new wool to start it. As I already have rather a lot of wool and a few projects earmarked to use it, I feel wasteful buying MORE. I know that’s silly, as it will all get used eventually, but I still would rather work through the wool I already have rather than buy more.

I thought I could knit this:

© Phillysaurus

Fredrik (Ravelry link here), by MillaMia Sweden, in black with a light grey trim.

I already own the pattern (and made the jumper, blogged about here) and have a few balls of black and one of ‘putty’ to kick off the project. But is a black V-neck jumper too much? Too morose? I hate gender stereotypes so believe me I cringe at saying this, but – would it be too severe if they have a girl? But they did specify black, white and grey…

Other options include this:

© Georgie Hallam 2014

Gidday Baby (Ravelry link here), by Georgie Nicolson, with black as the main colour and grey as contrast.

But is that going too far in other direction and choosing something girly?

I know I’m worrying prematurely; I just like to plan these things…


*Quote from Will Smith

“I am no bird…”

“…and no net ensnares me”

I have finally done it. I have completed my socks.

The toe is even (technically) correct on this one, though it still looks a bit unnatural.
So euphoric I was at completing this sock, I actually cast on another project:

This is Egwene, my Easter Chick. I used Janice Anderson's "Esther, Ernie & Enid Easter Chickens" pattern (Ravelry link here) and some Snuggly Sirdar DK in shade Eeyore that I had lying around. I think she looks spiffy.

I was planning on making three, like the pattern example, but I think instead I shall make one chick each year and let my fowl family flourish gradually (couldn't think of another alliterative word).

Now I eagerly await my needle set to start bashing out the sleeves for my Peloponnese cardigan…


*Quote from Charlotte Bronte

" ’Do you ever read any of the books you burn?’ "

“He laughed. ‘That's against the law!’

‘Oh. Of course.’ "

I am ashamed to say that once again I have prioritised reading over knitting. I am so close to finishing my second sock, but the lure of The Wheel of Time is too strong!

Why is it so difficult to balance things?

I have now ordered the needle set I need to finish the Peloponnese cardigan, so as long as I finish these darn socks by the time it arrives I am happy. Although I also would like to knit some things for Easter. And I’d like to knit a jumper for my friend’s baby which is due in June. And I like the thought of knitting a cardi for my friend’s birthday, also in June.

That is too much knitting. Probably too much when I was a knitting machine, but definitely too much now I have returned to my bookish ways.

It all started when I challenged myself to read at least a chapter a day. Making myself make time for reading made me realise how much I enjoy it, and now I need to make sure I spend time doing things other than reading!

Maybe I should try a similar thing with knitting – at least 10 lines a day. At the time I thought I wouldn’t need any encouragement to keep knitting regularly, but I underestimated the fickleness of my brain.

But then I worry I’m trying to check off too many things a day – no snacks, no alcohol, going to the gym, reading, knitting, cleaning, taking over the world, etc., etc. – it has to end somewhere!


*Quote from Ray Bradbury

“It is not real work…”

“…unless you would rather be doing something else.”

I know, like everyone knows, that exercise is good for you. “Eat less, move more” is the general advice. I also know that it works. I used to be a semi-regular gym-goer and I was considerably fitter and slimmer than I currently am.

But after more time than bears thinking about, my fitness levels have decreased so much that I don’t think I could complete a whole class like I used to. So I tell myself: “you need to get in shape before you can go to the gym so you don’t embarrass yourself!” but I struggle to motivate myself to work out at home. I like my fitness dvds, I like my workout clothes, but I find it so difficult to resist the lure of the sofa after I get home from work.

So...I want to be fit enough to start going to the gym, but I only consistently exercise when I am already going to the gym. That makes perfect sense (!) It's no wonder I have turned into a potato (a lovely potato, mind, but a potato nonetheless).

Don’t get me wrong – gyms are intimidating. I am well aware of that. Whether it’s your first day after a (very) long break, or your first day ever, it takes a certain amount of guts to cross the gleaming threshold into the land of the beautiful people.

And once you master yourself and get in there, it can be overwhelming deciding what to actually do! I guess this is why I favour exercise classes so much, it takes all the decision-making pressure away. You just do what you’re told to for as long as they tell you to do it!

I had my first day back at the gym this week. I gave myself some advice and I’ll give you the same:

1. Just go to the gym and get into your gear. Whatever happens afterwards, count this as a win. It’s further than you’ve got in a long time
   
2. Spend as much or as little time as you want on each machine, but go on more than one.
   
3. Try to push yourself one step further. 

This is how it worked out for me:

1. I went, I changed, I stepped out onto the floor and felt like a rabbit in headlights. But as I was already there and dressed, it was easier to climb onto the first machine and start moving than it was to immediately turn around and go back home.
   
2. I overestimated my fitness levels to begin with - I aimed for 20 minutes on the cross trainer but had to stop after 10. This was disappointing, but rather than punish myself, I chose to be proud that I had done that (better than nothing, right?). but the flip side of this rule is that I had to go on something else. I opted for the rower.
   
3. After 10 minutes on the cross trainer and 10 on the rower I was a bit achy and feeling proud of myself (yes I’m that unfit). I could have walked out with my head held high. But I wanted to capitalise on those endorphins, I wanted to tackle something that intimidates me, I wanted to push myself. So I climbed on the treadmill, right between the beautiful people, and did another 10 minutes on there. 

I cannot tell you how ridiculously, pathetically proud I was (and still am) of myself. I went, I did some things, and I did more things than I needed to.

Now I just need to make sure I go back again!
(and again, and again, and again….)

*Quote from J.M. Barrie

"The city mouse lives in a house..."

"...The garden mouse lives in a bower"

This mouse doesn't live in either, but he is rather cute!

He was supposed to be a pirate mouse, but I didn't have any spare black wool so he's a bit tame. He's been doing his best to take on any cats he comes across!

Photo credit H.Burke

This is my friend's kitten, Bob, and I think he and his sister Bella might be the cutest kittens I have ever seen!

Photo credit H.Burke

I used a free pattern I found online here - Captain Cat-Battler was designed specially for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

"The notorious Captain Cat-Battler is a veteran of cat vs mouse conflict. Since the dawn of time, rodents and their feline foe have pitted their wits against one another. Captain Cat-Battler is a handmade hero of mousekind, keeping the cats of the world on their furry toes with his cunning and his defiant squeak."

Sounds about right!


*Quote from Christina Rossetti