It Was (Not) A Very Good Year

I'm sitting here being a touch introspective and thinking back upon the year that is almost over and done with. 2008 wasn't really the best year I've ever had. Yes, I met some lovely people this year. I found myself a new creative outlet. I had a very, very enjoyable summer holiday in Scandinavia. But all in all, this wasn't a very good year. Too many problems, too much hassle, too many worries and so forth.

So, here's hoping for a much better 2009. And since BBC4's doing another round of programming with me in mind (i.e. an entire weekend's worth of swing music!) here's Frank Sinatra singing "It Was a Very Good Year" (from Sinatra at the Sands (1966) - a classic album with Count Basie's Orchestra).

Happiness Is A Warm Neck

One finished object to show off! I'm very, very happy with this one, actually. Finally getting my clammy hands all over a hank of Noro Cashmere Island, I managed to whip up this cowl in two evenings. I used a simple feather and fan stitch, found some perfect vintage buttons in my stash and .. it was done!

It feels divine, it's wonderfully warm and it matches my green coat (as much as the multi-coloured Noro yarn ever matches anything). Woo!

Next up: a pair of mittens.

PS. People have asked which secondhand shops I peruse here in Glasgow. "Relics" down Ruthven Lane is the Daddy-O off all secondhand shops anywhere (I scored two vintage silk scarves there yesterday, for example, but they rarely do clothing). I also like the shops along Dumbarton Road - the further out you get, the better stuff you find. As with all secondhand shops, you need to visit regularly to find good stuff.

Pattern-Lust Unveiled

Let's talk knitting. Having just finished a quick Christmas knit for my Other Half's aunt, I am now working on the Lush and Lacy cardigan in a soft wool/alpaca blend. It is an interesting knit insofar as something is constantly happening - an interesting lace pattern, some reverse stocking stitch or some garter stitch - but I keep wondering if I will ever wear anything this overtly feminine. I am also slightly frustrated by the pattern instructions which are not as well-written or clear as they could be. I think it is a case of the author knowing exactly what she means but not having had other knitters read through it before putting the pattern up for sale. I have not had any major problems but I must admit to a tiny bit of frustration when I have to rip back ten rows because I missed that throwaway subordinate clause at the very bottom of the page.

What's next? Well, there are a lot of new patterns out there and quite a few have caught my eyes.

The new winter Knitty has just been unveiled with a fantastic selection of patterns (it is possibly my favourite issue thus far). Amelia is classy and very wearable (perfect for my Noro Cash Iroha in a heady rich purple which I scored at 75% off earlier this year). Norah Gaughan is a fecking genius and her Surface pushes all the right buttons for me. It has a vintage feel whilst being very current - and I have a thing for interesting collars, anyhow. Yarn? No idea. Finally, my three-year-old nephew would just love a fish hat, wouldn't he?

I'm dithering between liking the new Interweave Knits and .. not. I think Elaine's Blouse is frigging gorgeous. Funnily enough I just happen to have some peacock blue/teal tweed which I've been wanting to use in an unconventional way. A perfect union. I am also going to knit the Climbing Vines pullover, but I will need to a) lengthen it and b) make it more fitted. It would look beautiful in a deep claret red, wouldn't it? The rest of the patterns in this IK issue underwhelm me, however. They are slightly too nondescript or too frumpy for my taste (although it could be the styling). There's a fab article on Faroese knitting, though, which caught my attention (I'm one-quarter Faroese).

Another recent pattern which I absolutely love: the Hippocampus mittens. They look complicated, but they are really not. It'd be a good way to get myself back into colourwork and I think they are gawjuss.

And.. I have saved this pattern for last because I am head over heels in love with it to the extent I have to keep looking at it.

May I present to you: Flyte?

It's perfect. All interwar-period perfect in tweed and subtle colours that ask you in an Oxbridge-Countryhouse voice if you would like some Five O'Clock tea. The designer cites Brideshead Revisited as an obvious inspiration: Flyte is actually the surname of the two siblings, Sebastian and Cordelia, with whom the narrator gets entangled (Go read the book - its first part always makes me ache in all the right ways). I tell you: that top shall be mine once I figure out how to justify buying nine balls of Rowan Felted Tweed.

Having swooned over several patterns, now would be the time to mention that I have signed up for a "12 projects in 12 months" challenge (which should be entirely feasible), that several friends have either just given birth or will give birth within the next six months and that yesterday I was approached by a craft boutique who enquired about me possibly designing some pieces of children's knitwear(!?) for them. One thing is certain, though: Flyte and I will meet. Mark my words.

Two - No, Three - Links

One website is really eating into my online time: Geni. It's a site which will let you generate your own family tree for free. I have an unwieldy and complicated family tree (think Jeremy Kyle or vintage Jerry Springer) which makes it super-fun to figure out how people are actually related to one another. As Geni also lets you add photos of the different family members, you can also trace where that family chin originated.. Another website which has captivated me today: the 'Coraline' website. The website seeks to promote the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Coraline" book - and in all honesty, I am not a big Gaiman fan. However,  try typing in the code: sweaterxxs and you will see why I'm enchanted. Clues: Starmore and miniature.

Addendum: Darn, I forgot to add this amazing video of a meteorite falling in Canada and burning up as it hits the Earth’s atmosphere. The footage is from a police car in Alberta. (via)

A Bit About Yarn

I wonder what my favourite colour is..? I have been spending the past few evenings winding up a lot of yarn from hanks into these cakes you see. It's both totally gratifying and hard work. Gratifying because I get to rummage around my stash, see all the gorgeous yarns I own, daydream about future projects and fondle the fibres as I wind them up using the swift and ball winder that socherry let me borrow (thank you! thank you!).

Hard work? Well, my right wrist is sore thanks to all the laceweight yarn I am winding. Believe me, 1300 yards of any yarn will make even the strongest wrist a bit sore. I must admit I'm cursing my thriftiness: "Ooh, laceweight yarn is cheaper by the yard and will totally last longer than bulky yarn, so I'm going to buy that laceweight, yes!!" - of course by "thriftiness" I mean a completely patchy sense of thriftiness that mysteriously allows me to buy more yarn.

People (who shall remain nameless, but I live with them) claim that my knitting groups have a "cultish" air to them. I would like to refute that by directing everybody's attention to The Advanced Bonewits’ Cult Danger Evaluation Frame which examines how likely it is that a given group is a cult. I'll just go through a few of the questions.

"Lack of clearly defined organizational rights for members"? Certainly not. Anything mildly important is decided via polling and discussion. Anything mildly unimportant is also resolved thusly.

"Amount of infallibility declared or implied about decisions or doctrinal/scriptural interpretations [by leaders]"? As accomplished some of these knitters are, even they have to frog rows and picked dropped stitches. Sorry.

"Emphasis put on attracting new members" ? Okay, I'll give you that. We like new victims.

"Advancement or preferential treatment dependent upon sexual activity with the leader(s)"? Sadly, we get our kicks from fondling yarn, not each other.

Cult claim refuted, I believe.

Anyhow, I'm off back to bed with my almost-flu/cold. Thank you, Paula, for your professional medical advice. I might just survive (although I'm not sure Other Half will).

Buttons and Books

These are my Buttony Mitts. I test-knitted them for Lilith of Old Maiden Aunt. Basically, she asked me one day if I wanted free handpainted yarn and I replied with my best teenage "dooooh" face. The yarn is gorgeous. It is a soft alpaca-merino-bamboo blend and is handpainted in shades of forest green, khaki and pine. It knits to aran-weight but Lilith had decided to use a 4mm needle to create a warm, durable fabric. It worked a treat. The pattern itself was well-written and taught me how to make paired increases. If not for other commitments I could have finished the mitts in the course of two evenings (I love instant gratification projects).

Lilith is planning to make Buttony Mitt kits available on her site, so keep an eye out for those.

Other commitments? Among other things I went to Edinburgh on Friday night for a panel on the future of the book at The Scottish Book Trust. I was pleasantly surprised to see a relatively large turnout (fifty people or so! on a Friday night! in November!) and was even more pleasantly surprised by the panellists who all had interesting points to make. I was particularly impressed by Donald Smith (of the Scottish Storytelling Centre) who knew his book history and made good points about the book (codex) as a material object. The panel ran out of time, so the Q&A session was cut short, but I managed to raise a point about the socio-economic implications of digitalising books which was well-received. I suppose "you had to be there", but I really enjoyed myself.

As an aside, I was cornered by an American who wanted to know what I had bought my cardigan. Score!

PS. I trust the permalinks are working for people now. If not, let me know.