quelle erqsome...

socktoswap

I've been sitting on this for a whole week, I'm afraid, because I am a selfish, selfish being. The Socktopus Secret Santa is in its second year and I missed last year, for various reasons, mostly involving my own hibernating hermitage. This year, however, I pounced at the chance to participate, and I'm so glad I did!

So why have I waited to share the spoils rather than shout from the rooftops my good fortune and delight? Because then you would know where to find the most delicious skein of Sundara in the land. And it's mine; mine; I tell you! I've only ever covetously fondled the Sundara of Alice and pined for it on Ravelry. Little did I know Tricia had a skein up her sleeves just for me, hurrah!

The rest of the parcel is just as awesome: a brand new copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, to replace mine which met a tragic end from overuse (and from being dropped in a mop bucket); a hanging lavender sachet, which is currently defending my closet with sweet-smelling gusto; some frankly superb gourmet popcorn, including BLUE CORN, which I have only ever had in tortilla chip form and has been my favourite since I was about eight; and a fanfreakingtastic pattern from Emily Johnson of the Family Trunk Project.

If you followed the Loumms Year of Socks at all, you'll know how I love a good story when it comes to patterns and designs and I've been eagerly following Emily Johnson's Family Trunk Project since it's inception. The Julia Socks, a bit of a deviation from the Project, inspired by Sarah Water's The Night Watch, is a beautiful textured pattern and I cannot wait to cast on!

parcels in the post, take one -- now with extra words for your pleasure!

What's this?

Why, it's a box and it's travelled a long way.

A box of well-travelled paper? Oooh, and a card! It smells really nice...

Ah! That's why. Fragrant and pumpkiny.

Fabric? For sewing? How did you know? And are those vintage buttons I see?!

Cables and knitterly mishaps, anywhere else a dangerous combination... Here, er, actually, still quite dangerous.

[thud] I'm sorry, Sheepaints makes me whoozy. Hang on, what's this...

...the soft. Oh, the soft baby alpaca-cashmere from Yarnsmith--- [thud] I have got to stop doing that.

Aw, and you even thought of my poor curry plant. Those damn cats are sure to leave it alone now!

Thank you, Catherine! Not only did you work me out (with uncanny accuracy), but you got my kittens down pat, too (and saved a helpless curry plant from wanton destruction)!

*My apologies to Arianne for originally thinking pictures would be enough.

pals out! (and a bit of the UK's first Stitch'n'Bitch Official Day Out)

Both my girls seem more affectionate than usual today; they seem to hum with a pride of feline proportions. I might know why it is: they know -- they knew before I even turned my key in the lock -- that I came home from the UK's first Stitch'n'Bitch Official Day Out empty-handed.

It was awful. So much gorgeous yarns from so many gorgeous places that I had never even heard of, like Oxford Kitchen Yarns and Fluffenstuff and Devon Fine Fibres, all rejected out of hand. And Alice, that temptress with her wretched selection of gorgeousness and seduction. I nigh on dropped to my knees to beg flexibility, some respite from the constraints and vigour of my yarn diet.

I did get to meet up with Lara and Kirsty in person, and get accosted by and have my picture taken with SuperMonkey by which was as lovely as you might imagine AND Badger which was AWESOMENESS INCARNATE. I did hang out a bit with Diane and Jane and Jenni (and get a fab spy-dork tip from her Supermodel Boyfriend) and Mithranstar, though it's never enough. And I did (finally!) meet Ruby and her famous Charlie, which was fantastic and far, far too short. So it wasn't all bad, as I watched as Laura and Arianne, HeyYeah and Izzy, Gabrielle and Mel heap themselves with crisp bags and gloat over their score. However, the full weight of my horrible yarny truth sat heavily on my shoulders, such that I could not shift. Fortunately I had Sharon to help stave it, and thus I conquered desire and walked away yarn-free.

There's another reason as to why such restrictions are now necessary. This morning, my poor postman delivered a veritable tower of fibre -- followed by the ParcelPost guy with one more. I'm on yarn overload. I'm also overwhelmed by the generosity of two of the senders, though bemused by the third.

First, whatever Get Knitted's reputation might be, it nonetheless took them two and a half months to send out my order and even then they got part of it wrong. I'm sure it was just an 'off' moment, but it's going to take a lot to induce me to shop with them again. I don't think I'd have minded so much if they hadn't played hard-to-get. While they were always very pleasant and sympathetic on the phone and in email, they waited for me to get in touch with them. I understand that we've gone through a rocky patch with the postal system and I understand that everyone and their lame Aunt Maria want a set of KnitPicks DPNs but I do not understand why the burden of communication fell on me. An update every couple of weeks would have been plenty to keep me happy and not growing steadily cheesed off. Whatevs, it's all here now and the kind lady on the other end of the phone told me to keep the error and to expect the correct part of my order in the post -- which, given their record with sending things to me, means that I should look forward to receiving it just in time to make some nice socks for Matthew for Valentine's Day.

The first of the overwhelming and lovely was Jessica (seagull on Ravelry). Let it be known that she is a crazy lady and sent me a tonne of yarns I've been wanting to try for ages, thank you! I've got plans for half of it all ready (in particular an amazing set of Elsbeth Lovold fingering weight yarns that immediately set me thinking about Latvian-style mittens) and will be posting my progress through the mountain.

Second, Catherine, my formerly secret Secret Pal -- thank you! Sweet Besus, it was like she opened me up and flipped to all the right pages. The parcel came just before I had to leave for the UK's first Stitch'n'Bitch Official Day Out, so I had to leave it, awaiting my return this evening. I can't even go into it now because stupid daylight savings means that my lighting conditions sucked giant arse, but let me assure you that it's every bit as fab as you think. Tomorrow... tomorrow, my friends, there will be pictures.

..and if the snow buries

It's bloody typical that the day after I lecture my staff about having 'bums in seat at 9 o'clock' my first train is 6 minutes delayed, which means I missed my second one, then get stuck at Clapham Junction due to brake failure and end up on the slowest train in the world, all of which connive to make me 25 minutes late.

I feel like such an ass.

I'm also rather horribly hungover; for, rather than go to iKnit as originally planned, I blew off the knitting to join in the leaving do for one of our Admin girls. That in itself was a great idea, and good fun to boot. The extra glass of wine at the end of the evening, significantly, was not. It's embarrassing that I was home by 10 and rather stinkingly rat-arsed.

I have two (TWO!) Hallowe'en parties to go to tonight and I don't think I'll make it. Alas, but I must. I am going as one half of a mustachioed artiste duo with Matthew.

Not to worry, however, as there are five rather lovely things happening at the moment:

1. Wendi gave birth this morning! I didn't have anything to do with it -- I didn't even know it was happening until I got the text to say little Joshua arrived at 9.45 -- but that doesn't stop me from wearing this accomplishment as one of my own. Congratulations, guys! I'm delighted for all of you!

2. My secret pal spoilee is about to get her second parcel and by some miracle of engineering I am actually on top of all my other swaps.

3. My secret pal spoiler has informed me that I can expect mine in the post any day now!! I can't tell you how excited I am about this. My SP has been very cunning and clever in slipping very few hints as to her (his? I think her) real identity and I can't wait to find our who s/he really is!

4. I've figured out a new way to do toe-up toes and my latest pair is really shaping up rather nicely. This sock is actually in Phase Two of Huge Big Heap Fun Surprise that I have to keep quiet. If you can imagine me gnawing on my fist in a mixture of heady glee and restrained blabbermouth, you'll have a pretty good idea of where I'm at.

5. I have 'Murderer' by Low and the 'Neighbourhood' trilogy of four by Arcade Fire on consecutive repeat in my mind, which just means that hangover or not this day is going to be something rather lovely.

I think this is sufficient for day two -- by the Power of NaBloPoMo, ho!*

*[Er, please note that to have the desired effect, you'll need to read those parting words with a degree of He-Man, Castle of Grayskull enthusiasm. Try reading it again. See? There we go!]

walk with faireknits

Recently I discovered I was ahead on my saving schedule and though the night of debauch yarn-buying at the  Socktopus launch ought to have cured that, it did not. The loving arms of my stash have since welcomed 4 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton/Angora in baby blue, 10 balls of Lavish Alpaca in sunshine yellow, 2 balls Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in deep wine, 1 ball Malabrigo Worsted in bright sapphire blue, as well as a myriad yarny delights for my SP11 pal. (The latter, of course, is not technically part of my stash but a girl can dream, can't she?)

After the panic set in and I decided I was under no circumstances allowed to buy more yarn until KSS at the earliest (and even then only if it was absolutely necessary), I checked my bank statements and it turns out that I'm still ahead of schedule and eBay rules. What could have been stupidly costly turned out to be a mere dip in the budget, hurrah!

All the same, the stupid spending karma continues to haunt me, so today I decided to do something worthwhile with this magical mountain of cash: I made a donation towards Fairie Knits Walk for Lupus. Normally, I prefer my donations of this kind to be done anonymously however this I felt deserves advertising.

Aimie, or the funfairiegirl, has Lupus, a disease which can be as silent as it is debilitating. She is raising money to sponsor her walk for the cure. Her goal is to raise $5000, which I think we can help make happen. If the helping to find a cure for a horrible disease or doing a good deed aren't incentive enough, Aimie is also running a contest. For every $5 you donate your name will be popped into a raffle, and the prizes are sweet. They've been donated by various people throughout the knitting community and are documented in her blog, so go check them out. The deadline for donations is 6 October 2007, which leaves only three days to let the beautiful exchange rate make your money work for a cure.

As she says in one of her podcast episodes, Lupus is not something everyone knows about, like cancer. Particularly in the early stages of it, often when one tells another they've got it the immediate response is 'Well, you look healthy' and leave it at that, whereas the very word 'cancer' provokes a much more profound reaction.

That's not to say cancer isn't awful of course, just that the general public has an image of it. You think cancer, you think the effects of chemotherapy, the hair loss, the physical signs of fatigue. You think Lupus and, well, actually most people don't. When I think of Lupus, I think of lupins, but that's because I grew up in a home of rabid Monty Python fans. (Although, interestingly, there is a connection between the two, at least in terms of lupus, the Latin for wolf, from which they are both derived.) The assosication between Lupus and lupins is such that I have a very strong memory of Lupus Canada used lupins as their flower, as part of their fundraising campaigns, though I may have created this memory due to the Monty Python skit.

Now, after you go and make your donation, take a look a these links. I found them while researching whether or not the Lupus Canada did ever use lupins (it seems they like everyone else just use the image of a butterfly):

A particularly fine collection of words derived from the Latin lupus.

If you like your etymology a little more mythologically based, Cloudline will cater to your every whim. (This is particularly interesting if you have any interest in Eastern European folklore and the migration of lingual ticks.)

The obligatory Wiki entry, fascinating and seemingly well-researched, but really who can tell.

However, these links will very likely clear up any discrepancies caused by Wiki woes.

Lastly, a hilarious exchange on Owl Fantasy Forums wherein they clearly get off topic.

over the rainbow, beneath the yellow brick road

Just found Knit on the Net's latest issue in my inbox -- and who should be on the front page but my SP10 pal Ruby! Well, her design is, in any case. What's kind of funny is that my first thoughts were At last, something punky in a British knitting mag, whoever came up with that is genius! And so she is. The plucky 40s-style turban and lacy curtain are hers too. I just love the beaded detail right at the bottom!

Medusa is coming out Wednesday for some iKnit, hurrah! I think I mentioned it before, but she wisely purchased a stack of needles off ebay one night after stumbling home drunk and (less?) wisely has asked me to teach here the ways of knit and purl. I've now got to find some suitable yarn for teaching. Hmmm... As I'm nearly finished the Bells and Whistles, I might have a stab at putting some mileage on my Boobholder:

I finally received the details of my SP11 pal and I'm already in the planning stages for her first package. I actually kind of know her, so it'll be interesting to see how right I get everything. (By 'kind of' I mean 'passing acquaintence' level.) It's funny that I've now managed to get two SPs with whom I have some kind of relationship with already. I was a fan of Ruby's patterns long before SP10 and now this girl. If it happens again I'm going to think there's some kind of spooky going on.

I think I've finished with my Ravelry stash updates, which is both remarkable (the task seemed daunting) and a bit anti-climactic (I really thought I had more...). And yes, I decided to be honest about the crappy crap I've got. I was tempted to pretend that I've got the best stash ever, full of only hand-painted delicacies and delicately spun delights. But some times you just have to suck it up and say, 'I have Patons acrylic in my stash, so bite me.'

sp11 questionnaire

I'm off in Oslo for a week, taking in the Oya Festival with Matthew, to pretend to be in music promotion (thus warranting my free passes... being the girlfriend of a music promoter has to have its perks somewhere), knitting in parks and taking in great swathes of culture. Marvvy.

Rather than talk about the fjords or the music or the amazingly hot weather we're enjoying, Secret Pal 11 hooked me in and I've some questions to answer. My answers for SP10 are pretty much the same, but I've tried to shake it up a little.

1. What is/are your favourite yarn/s to knit with? What fibres do you absolutely *not* like?

I love, love, love natural fibres and hate, hate, hate synthetic ones. There's a delicate balance to be struck between my very vegetarian ethos and my love of the smooshy soft. Soysilk recently became on of my best friends, along with bamboo silk and tussah silk (the jury's still out on real silk...), and I'd be a fool to say no to cashmere or BFL. I'm not keen on mohair because it's too fluffy/hairy, but have a weird attraction to brushed Suri because it's so fluffy/hairy.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

Glass jars and recently a groovy cloth needle case. Travelling needles get carried in a clear plastic pencil case.

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

I was taught many aeons ago, but only entered the fold convincingly in the last few years. I still have trouble with the idea that I might be a capital K Knitter, even though I do occasionally get the design bug, so I will continue to place myself firmly as intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yar. But I have no idea what the link is.

5. What's your favourite scent?

Right now, baked goods and coffee. Yum! Oh, and that burnt orangey smell. I'm not sure what it is. Perfume makes me gag, as does most other chemical scents. I wish I didn't react so violently to them because some (at a distance) are so pretty!

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favourite candy?

But of course. I'm not a candy person, my sweet tooth chews on homemade pie and cookies and cupcakes. Mmmmm... I made a pie last night in fact!

I will do most things for good chocolate, though; anything organic or fair trade will surely make me squirm. Name it and we'll see if you're lucky.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I'm still trying to spin.

I do like ridiculous project with random objects. I paint little portraits of green and purple and attempt to sew and get a glint in my eye if someone suggests I pick up a hammer and some nails. I want to garden.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Lots of things, but mostly indie schmindie stuff that involves a lot of starry-eyed musings and raucous meanderings. My mp3 list currently holds Arcade Fire, Mars Volta, The Tiny, Joanna Newsom, Essex Green... I like most things on Track and Field.

9. What's your favourite colour(s)? Any colours you just can't stand?

I like rich colours, jewelly colours, solid colours, variegated colours. I like a wealth of colour, even when it's only the one colour present. I don't mind faded colours, but I Do Not Like pastels. Unless they're mixed in with vivid counter-colours. Then they're all right.

My favourite colours are fuchsia, petrol blue, kelly green, saffron yellow and midnight purple.

I tend to think self-striping cleverness is fantastic, but balk at anything reminiscent of those pseudo-intarsia crap Regia and Opal are renowned for. Yuck.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

My family situation is 'in waiting' -- give us a couple of years to grow up and we'll look into it.

My kitten situation is awesome. I have two wee ones, Mozzie and Yeti. I try not to blog about them too much because it gets boring if they're not yours, but there is nothing more invigorating that waking up to the sight of one popping like a cork out from under a rug while the other bounces in from the other end. They like to groom me, but I do not let them near my yarn.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Ponchos are the work of the devil. I delight in all else.

12. What is/are your favourite item/s to knit?

Socks and the first three inches of sweaters. I have several of each on the go.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Socks and the first three inches of a sweater.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Who doesn't? They're the best kind.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminium, plastic?

Circs all the way, they're so portable. I'm fond of wood for my double points and nickle-plated for everything else. I've several Addis in all sizes, but I'm rather keen to experience some Knit Picks DPNs... A friend of mine has them and they're apparently the way forward. Brittany Birches for DPNs, or Clover.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Alas, but no. I have worked out a groovy little method of winding cakes while in transit using three pencils, but it's rather time

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

4 months -- ha! I can't believe it. It's the Slanted Neck in Spring IK 2007. I had to rip back a whole whack of it and haven't been able to bring myself to look at it since. I will do, though. It's on my Ravelry now, so I've got to.

18. What is your favourite holiday?

Probably summer -- lazy days in a park, basking in the sun. I'm a very big fan of Christmas and Hallowe'en, however, as both allow for gadding about in ridiculous get ups specifically designed for the season.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Too much. I like lunch boxes and old tobacco tins; I have far too many buttons; I store every piece of ribbon I've ever come across in case of a ribbon-related emergency. I like fabric and pins, brightly coloured. My collection of sock yarn is steadily growing.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I am VERY keen on the Vogue Stitchionaries. I've got the first one and rather fancy another. I need to get a subscription to IK and Knit Scene. I am desperate for something Wicked and maybe a little Rust Root.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Entralac! I've done toe-up socks, but entralac continues to elude me. I want to learn how to knit left handed and how to knit backwards. I want to do stranded entralac and thus impress all my friends.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Pitifully I'm not sure what my measurements are, but I am very much a sock knitter. I'm roughly a 7.5US/38UK. I think I measure 8.5 inches around. I'm update this part.

23. When is your birthday?

14 April 1980. Being 27 is currently sublime.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

erqsome. It's been with me a long while, so no need to go a-changing.

sprawled across the living room floor

If you don't want Camden Stables Market to go the way of Old Spitalfields Market (i.e. unique culture drowned by corporate concrete and steel), then sign this petition. I did and I think you should too. (Thanks, Sharon, for pointing me in the right direction.)

Alas, today I will miss seeing Adem playing at the Innocent festival in Regent's Park. Alas, today I shall miss basking in the sun in a park, with a ready bottle of Pimm's and a good baguette. Alas, I shall miss my knitting group, miss catching up with Diane and the other girl whose name I constantly forget even though she knows mine and I'm now too embarassed to admit it (Diane, you could maybe help me out on this one...). Instead I shall be helping blogless Louisa and Aneet move house. Actually, it's going to be awesome, because they are the coolest couple and they make me laugh and with Louisa crazed on no sleep and the pressures of moving, it's going to be hi-larious. Plus the flat they're moving into has a garden. So there may be time for some sun-basking...

In knitting news, I'm about the start the heel on my modifed Bells and Whistles. I've decided they're for my nan because this pattern is HUGE. These are going to be fat socks, the cuff stretches out to about 11.5 inches, perfect for her chubby little ankles.

      

They're being knitted in raspberry Koigu and are super soft, and because my nan is such a short little Ewok, I might even be able to finish them with enough yarn left over to contribute to the stripey Dobby socks I want to make my sister.

I've also started the Buttony cardie by Katie at O My Stars. She didn't make note of what her gauge is, and I have a small feeling I'm Way Off the Mark. But time will tell. At least it's top down, so I can check these things as I go.

Lastly, Ruby, my lovely SP10 pal, sent me a thank you package:

Isn't that gorgeous? Natural Dye Studio (sigh!) alpaca/silk!! I can't stop looking at it, it's so beautiful. And soft. I can't wait to knit it up, but it's going to have to wait until I've come up with a pattern for the sock yarn from my other SP10, Maylin. My next couple of sock projects are going to rock!

one clean flat later

From the heavy of Thursday, the winds have changed. Yesterday and today have been very light and full of delighted squee!

For one thing, I can reveal Ruby of Just Call Me Ruby was my SP10, hurrah! It was so much fun to send her things and find things I thought she'd like. She's a very talented knitter and has designed all kinds of things including the Paper Bag in the spring issue of Knitty! How cool is that? Between Ruby and Maylin this whole secret pal thing has been brilliant! I'm kind of hesitating to sign up for the next one just because this has been so much fun. I don't want to jinx it! But I might... I just might.

Also, Luke Skywalker has his own colourway! Isn't that awesome?

I'm looking forward to The Devil Makes Work opening day. It looks so interesting! There's so much stuff! And is that hand-spun nestled off to one side? I think it promises to be something kind of lovely.

And the Real Ale Fest is on tomorrow! I'm going, are you?

when there's no time for lunch

I don't know what it is about Mimi's smartypant dialogues, but they crack me up (scroll down to get to the good stuff). I was just thinking yesterday how I wish my office had a laminating machine -- was that right about when our goodly leader, Director 'It's Not Rocket Science', told the new girl that his parking space should not be confused with her parking space EVER because it upsets his balance and gave her a hand-drawn map of the three designated Company parking spots, labelled for her convenience? Why, yes it was! -- but now I wish we had one for Theory and Literature purposes.

Except, instead of my Theories and Literature, I would print out and laminate the Theories and Literatures of some of our authors. Like Poet Author the Great who has decided to include a glossary at the back of his noxious tome that lists the variety of ways he has mutilated abbreviated the word 'with'. Or perhaps Sci-fi Guy who has all kind of opinions on why transcribed alien dialects and accents do not require consistency at all. Or Lady Index who, at the final stage of the pre-print process has decided to rewrite her entire index and include brand new entries for subjects that don't exist in her book. Unfortunately, I've had the pleasure of meeting all three, which negates my suspicion that they are all the same stupid person.

Whatevs. Today I'm in a justifiably lovely mood. Last night Matthew and I celebrated our general lack of responsibilities with an impromptu champagne picnic in our living room and Marx Brothers marathon; I've been listening to Arcade Fire all day; and this morning I got up early enough to find more yarn I'd yet to document:

From my trip to Canada, here we have in the slightly shadowy top row Colinette Jitterbug and the amazing Fiddlesticks (both purchased at Romni for a steal -- a steal!); in the middle row, Fleece Artist Seawool in a colourway I've not seen fore or since (from Lettuce Knits); and at the bottom, three skeins of Koigu (from Knitomatic), two skeins of the softest cotton ever, Patagonia, I think (from The Knit Cafe), and Blue Sky in brushed suri and alpaca (from Lettuce Knits as well).

Here's another picture of the Koigu:

I wish I could capture the colours better; they really as so much more in person.

I could have sworn I brought home more, though I have have used some for dishcloths (Mission Falls -- from The Naked Sheep):

and for a baby cardigan (Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece -- also from The Knit Cafe), because everyone is pregnant:

and for Mr Bear, who is slowly getting torn to pieces with love:

It was around this time that Maylin asked what kind of yarn mood I was in -- orange and fuscia, indeed. I just remembered what I did with the rest I bought: they're going to my secret pal! She's getting a box of Canadian goodies for the Big Reveal. I hope she likes them. They weren't easy to give up even if I did get them specifically for her!

I just cut my finger with the bread knife I keep in my drawer. Ouch!