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| Anne's finished projects 2003 |
| Socks (3 pairs): Socka Südsee socks for Chris' Birthday Fairisle socks Mike's Opal socks |
| Finished projects 2002 (with links to archives with picis) |
| Socks (6 pairs): Variegated welly socks Pastel variegated Brown wool Lime green cotton Red variegated Light blue cabled, Cream gansey yarn. |
| Other items (3): Black jacket Red scarf Project Linus Stripy blanket |
| Anne's work on needles |
| Toria's Daisy Dark blue rowan felted tweed background and large but delicate daisy in rowan wool and cotton. Have finished daisy and entire front. Back half completed. |
| Socks for Mike Navy blue Opal wool with fuchsia / green / yellow / mid-blue snatches. Looks better than it sounds. |
| Fantastic sites for sock knitters |
| Socknitters homepage An amazing site including cyberclasses in sock knitting, patterns, tips, technical help and masses of inspiration. |
| Whippoorwillhill socks Another superb sock site. Check out the gigantic sock patterns index. |
| Heels by number by Wippoorwillhill socks, the maths and instructions for all heels. |
| Toe index Different types of sock toes to knit. |
| The Sock Drawer
The Sockguy, sock designer and knitter. always worth a visit. |
Katherine DeMoure-Aldrich
An amzing, inspirational sock knitter. |
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I've just come across this site by a London knitter and designer Emma King - gorgeous knitted bags to buy made up and kits as well. Good stuff. There is a discussion on Martina's Opal and Regia sock yarn list (where you can buy German yarns in English straight from Martina - no hassle, but only within Europe) on knitting 2 socks on circulars, for any of you who are interested. Oh my word, a link from Emma and co took me to Ozeyarns, where they do the most delicious hand-dyed alpaca... they have prices in £ and $(Oz) and ship to the UK. I feel a stash re-enhancement programme coming on. Maybe this will help my meditation (no answers to that one, please). 21st February 2003 Knitting. As meditation. Let's get back to it. Why this? I've knitted (and unknitted) no more than ten sock rounds in the last few days (and a rushed woolly hat for Toz). Why that? My last few weeks have been so full, I have allowed myself (well, prodded myself, actually), to venture way beyond my accustomed comfort zone parameters, and the result is (not surprisingly) a little less groundedness than usual. My Body Control Pilates course has been good, albeit the learning curve has been breathtakingly steep. At this stage in the course, the supervised teaching arrangements turn out to be dire, and it is extremely difficult to find anyone nearer than one hour's drive away who is willing to supervise, and then only for one hour a week, after several weeks observation. I need 50 hours!! I don't enjoy not knowing how something I have invested in substantially is going to pan out, particularly when the investment is both financial and in time, and is threatening to become as long as a piece of string. Not a good scenario, but ultimately manageable. Feeling the rug swept out from under my feet, I went back to the basics last night, with a cup of tea, to produce a 'State of the nation' report. Basics are still there (family, business, friends, etc.) and I am on track with the path I have envisioned for myself. That's slightly comforting. What's missing is my usual reflectiveness, which usually happens during... knitting. And I may start journaling again. Oh yes, and in driving all over the countryside to find supervising teachers (whilst I could be seeing clients), my meditation has taken a back seat. Get the picture? 20th February 2003 Have added Stricktick and Spinnfloh to my list of blogs. Both German (speaking) knitters, very domestic. Spinnfloh has an English version. They are fun! 18th February 2003 Knitting books I had ordered arrived in the post from amazon.co.uk yesterday. I'm ecstatic! There are four, all technical except for one. The first is Domino Knitting, which delivers what it promises, a technical but simple introduction to domino knitting. The technique lends itself well to blanket knitting. Next is The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques, which is superb. It comes with a different (much better) cover than the one pictured by amazon.co.uk, and shows you several ways of doing everything from cast ons, decreases, increases and cast offs through selvedges, seams, borders, buttonholes, picking up stitches and odds and ends. Alongside each technique there is a box featuring 'benefits' and 'disadvantages', to help you choose which technique to use for a particular project. Third is Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns. No spectacular shaping, but loads of ideas for personalising the garments. There are patterns for gloves, mitts, socks, hats, tams, sweaters, waistcoats and scarves or throws, and charts to work from for yarns with a guage of 3 - 7 sts per inch for sweaters, for instance, and 5 - 9 sts per inch for gloves. Sizes range from toddlers and children to adults, and preemie to adults for hats. I've already knitted Toria a ski hat from one of the patterns. Photo to follow. The fourth book I ordered was the Vogue Designer Knits, which was a bit of a gamble, since you can never be sure that you will really like the patterns. Well, I do. They are, for the most part, well shaped and classy. You probably need to be quite a confident knitter to try most of them. 15th February 2003 Jamtart poses:  Is this a box I see before me? Will I fit? A cat needs a little privacy before she tries on a new box. So far so good. Has anyone put the heating on?Yes, Jamtart, the heating is now up and running.  Well, in that case...Mike's socks have gone in for a wash, so pici is going to have to wait. My course turned out to be *really* stressful, so I started another pair on 4 dp needles, instead of the circs I had planned. I may frog and start again. Ahem. I've just looked at the instructions for the 2 socks on circular needles lark... I think I'll stick with 4dps until I have a little more space in my head. 13th February 2003 Well, I have to say that our joy and hot water were short lived. There were some very odd gurgles coming from the system, so when the plumber (demi-god that he has turned out to be) arrived this morning to finish off, he followed the noise, found the system was perpetually overflowing with water escaping somewhere, and he and Mike padded around the house looking for water coming out between the brickwork. They finally found a very hot spot under Jamtart on the kitchen floor. Trust a cat to know where to sit! They then proceeded to dig up the kitchen floor (flagstones) and found boiling water gushing out into the non-existent foundations. Hurray for 17th C building regs!!! The piping was neither iron nor copper, but eaten away over large areas. We must have been leaking hot water for ages!! Anyway, it's now patched and the heating is definitely on. Come the spring, when we don't need heating any more, he is going to reroute the whole kaboosh. I can't quite believe this is all happening. Did I say that I have finished Mike's socks? 12th February 2003 Yay! As from 16:00 hours this afternoon we have had hot water and heating!!! And the Pilates course is brilliant, but knackering. That's a technical term. And Mike's socks are finished. Pici when I get hold of a camera. 10th February 2003 Yup, not much knitting, so no picis, a lot of freezing, and a Pilates training course. All adds up to a lot of yack and not much production, except for second sock nearly finished on train. Yay! Plumber turned up this afternoon and is coming back tomorrow morning with bits. The house is like a fridge - there is cold radiating off the walls. Very thick walls. It will take some time to heat it through again. However, plumber has agreed that the plumbing is early 17C like the rest of the house, and therefore some pipes have jammed solid. So we are having quite a bit of new rubbery stuff installed. I am so cold I just want to go to bed. I shall find a new book to read - it's only 7pm. |
| Leave a comment by clicking on the 'knitbackchat' button ... or just email me |
 Explore a quality, original, independent web site here: Knitdad A gentle, witty commentary on knitting and life, sometimes linked. Bubbles of genius appear from time to time. This man knows what he is knitting. |
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| The best publications in association with amazon.co.uk. Click on the title for information and to order today |
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How to Knit: Debby Bliss This still seems to be the best book for beginners - you CAN learn how to knit using this one. |
The Knitting Experience Book 1: the Knit Stitch
Sally Melville The first in a series starting with garter stitich. The Knitters across the pond are raving about it, talking about "charming, clever designs", "classic, modern, hip" and "great sense of style". Absolute beginners and seasoned knitters are smitten! US shoppers click here: The Knitting Experience Book 1 |
The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes & Gauges
Ann BuddThis book delivers exactly what it promises. Ideal for those who want to design a look of their own, but would like a basic pattern - a template - to follow. Knit hats, mittens, socks and sweaters in any size, any yarn and with any texture or colour pattern. US shoppers click here: The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns Ann Budd |
 The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques Nancie M. Wiseman Indispensible techniques for finishing your knitware professionally US shoppers click here: The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques |
 The Sweater Workshop: Knit Creative, Seam-Free Sweaters on Your Own with Any Yarn: Jacqueline Fee (new edition) Takes you through the entire process of making a sweater. Fantastically clear and simple instructions. Peek at the amazon.com link below to see inside the book and to read the reviews. US shoppers click here: The Sweater Workshop: Knit Creative, Seam-Free Sweaters on Your Own with Any Yarn: Jacqueline Fee |
| Software for designers |
| Knitware Design The best programme I have found, and excellent value. |
| Moran software Fantastic sock knitting software for any foot size (shape!), any pattern toe up or top down |
