First sock done

About ten minutes ago, I finished sock 1 of the Summer Daze pair and I'm very happy with it. It's the first time I've got the bind-off loose enough.

Anyway, here are some photos of it.

As it's nearly midnight here, I'll cast on for the second one tomorrow morning. I've learnt casting on late at night can cause some serious side-effects!


Enjoy

Pfaff for me!

I have a new toy! Today mum and I made a trip out to Artarmon and, after a fair amount of driving about, picked up this:


This being my new pfaff sewing machine:


I'm really looking forward to using this. I've always wanted to sew more, but I find my mother's machine intimidating. Hers is also a pfaff, but it's a tad newer than mine, by about 20 years.

I'm making going out tomorrow and buying some fabric to make a bag I think. Something easy and basic to introduce myself to the new toy.

Spinning and knitting

So I've not been too great on the blogging front of late, so I thought I'd through in a few recent photos to try and kick start myself. And failing a scintillating post, at least there are photos to look at!

I've been working away on my summer daze sock. I'm trying really hard to finish these so I can can continue work on the mystery stole. I've found that if I'm getting nowhere on a project I can knit an interim one and get my mojo back. The interim for the alpine lace was the shimmer shrug. The result? I got both finished!

Also, last Tuesday I had a quick spinning lesson at uni with Katy and for a short while, Mel. During this, I remembered how someone on the spindlers list had mentioned spinning on a stick, so I gave it a shot using the working needle for the above sock. I ended up with this:



And upon home I had to demonstrate for the boy and my mother, and I did this one:

It's very slow, but rather fun! Not a way I'd want to use to produce any usable amount of yarn though.

Also, the cat decided to take up residence on my table/desk:

Right on top of all my knitting things! Including my recent stash acquisitions and my knit picks binder. I'm not entirely sure if you can call that comfortable in any sense of the word!

Also, for those who already there or on the waiting list, I'm on ravelry! I'm really enjoying it and getting to understand what all the fuss is about. It's brilliant! For those who've never heard of it, ravelry is like myspace/facebook/multiply ect but designed for knitters and better. Much better! My username is Camee if you'd like to look me up

It's been a slow week...

It's been a slow week in the way of knitting around here. The uni/house/ect work has been getting in the way. With any luck I'll be getting more done around here during the coming week.

However, I have managed to turn the heel of the tofutsies sock. I found I had an issue with picking up the wraps on the short row heel, but only on the knit side. Either way, it's all fixed, and there's a great video to show where you're going wrong at knittinghelp.com.

The heel has now been fully turned, and an inch or so worked on the leg. I managed to leave my camera at a friend's place so I don't have a shot of the actual current sock, and yes, these are different needles to the other photo. My gauge was too tight so I had to go up a needle size. I'm really not liking the bluntness of these bamboos though, so I've ordered a set of the knitpicks. These needles do hold a special place though, they were my first ever pair of sock needles, purchased last year at the Stitches and Craft show.


And this is one of the brilliant stitch markers my sister gave me. I think they're great!



Also, I'm nearly on Ravelry!

• You signed up on July 9, 2007
• You are #9247 on the list.
• 265 people are ahead of you in line.
• 16582 people are behind you in line.
• 34% of the list has been invited so far

Friday, the day of knitting and yarn!

Well, tonight marks the second last clue for the mystery stole. And I'm still over a week behind. It's not much further along than the photo shows in the last post. It's hard to believe that it'll all be over soon. Till next year anyway.

My push to get the alpine lace done kind of gave me lace overload so I've been a bit slack. However, I still have been busy, though it doesn't really look like it. I've been going to uni and keeping up with my work, and even trying to get ahead. It's easier to keep up if you're a week in front!

I had been a bit antsy about the tofutsies club. Everyone else appeared to have their yarn but me! I was right too, an clerical gremlin upset the shop's address book so she accidentally sent my yarn to the wrong address. However, the yarn appeared on my doorstep this morning! Yay for fast postage!


I have to say, if I'd seen this yarn in the store, I'm not so sure I would have bought it, but I'm glad I've got it. I'm really enjoying knitting it up. See?


Well, not quite yet anyway. Turkish cast ons on dpns are not my friend, but they do indeed look good and are good practice. That's what I tell myself anyway!

To make today even better (any day that include the arrival of a ball of yarn is a good one) we were visited by our godmother. She also brought yarn!


That's 6oog of laceweight! It's going to the stash for the moment though. I'm trying to make myself finish something else before I start more.

I've also been knitting on the boy's sock. I'm on the last pattern repeat of the leg before I try and figure out what on earth I'm supposed to be doing for the heel. The pattern isn't the easiest to follow, but it'll be fun!

A week late, but it's an update!

Yeah, I've been slack. After I finished the alpine lace shawl I took a bit of a breather. I worked every now and then on various projects and started a new tatting project.

I very nearly started a new knitted lace project today too, as my triinu shawl pattern arrived! I'm very excited, but a tad daunted by the pattern, so I've delayed it till I've finished the mystery stole.

Speaking of which, clue five was released about 10 minutes ago, along with the theme. Every mystery stole has a theme, which is released about 6-7 weeks after the start. It turns out this one is themed Swan Lake, and now we knit a wing apparently. I'm a tad behind anyway, so I'll get a chance to see what the wing looks like before I knit it. Otherwise we have the choice to knit it symetrically. I have a feeling I'll be doing the wing though, I feel like doing something new! I did a quick steam block the stole before taking the photos, it's getting a tad long for me to be bothered pinning it out just for a photo.


I'm really impressed with how it opens out. It feels wonderful!

New, which brings me to the next segway, I'm expecting a new ball of tofutsies! The new balls have apparently been sent out. Mine has yet to arrive but I'm looking forward to it, I need another pair of socks.

I've done a bit more work on the boy's cablenet socks. I'm under instructions from the recipient to work on them only when I'm tired of the other projects on the needles.



The tatting project is the celtic bookmark. I'm enjoying it and learning a fair bit, such as how to hide the ends as you go.


Here's to a more productive week ahead!