Clap for scarves

Well it's taken a while but I finally finished the clapotis scarf.

This was the only piece of Christmas knitting I did, so it makes sense that it would take me until the middle of January to get it done.

I think I'm a bit over this pattern now (that almost seems like knitting blasphemy, ha!) It took me twice as long to knit this scarf version than it did the other two full versions. But I like it. I used the Lion & Lamb I had left over from this and I think the yarn is great with this pattern (funny that.)

It's a bit short, there'll be no wrapping it around your neck a couple of times, but it will flick over one shoulder nicely.

Gosh I'm so sorry, it's all a bit boring really!

To make up for it, how's this for yarn porn:

Colinette JutterBug sock yarn in 'popsicle'

Makes me all hot and steamy...

Winter warmth from across the seas

In my pre-blogging-lurking stage I used to think it rocked that relative strangers would exchange home-crafted goodies, especially when it was across generations, countries or languages. Perhaps i'm horribly judgemental, but I find the list of words ending the sentence 'I have little time for someone that's .....' is not as short as I would like. I realise that no one characteristic can or should define your interaction with a person, but I have very chippy shoulders. This is why the idea that you could invest so much care, attention, time, money and creativity into something for someone that you don't know seemed so remarkable to me. It really emphasises the lovely, generous, friendly nature of crafters and a solidarity that too often gets lost in (the endless list of) social, cultural, economic, generational and national divisions. It's a focus on what we have in common over the things that divide.


The whole swap thing is new to me (Bells was my first never-sighted swapee), but I had a fantastic time doing a scarf swap with Melissa. I'd been looking for an excuse to make the mistake rib scarf in last minute knitted gifts. I thought one ball of Noro was impressive, but two is even better (or three, this is kureyon colours #88, #128 and two of #147).


This pattern is easy, quick and brings out the colours in kureyon brilliantly. But most importantly, Melissa liked it and (I think) it looks fantastic on her! Swap success, no?


But I was only half way there. When I got back from Christmas holidays I had such a wonderful package waiting for me. I don't know how she knows (some sort of sophisticated cookie-stalking when I browse online yarn stores perhaps?) but she somehow managed to pick not only a yarn I was bitching that we couldn't get here, but the exact colourway I would have picked. She also included some soap...we ran out the day we left for holidays and the shops were closed when we got back. Freaky hey.


There were lots of other goodies in the package, knitpicks yarn (we can't get this either), chocolate (nasty woman), and a very hilarious 1964 edition of Needle and Yarn (which I will share later). But she also included some of her wonderful home-made gocco cards. I saw these on her blog and thought they were brilliant. I like them so much I don't want to use them. Ever. Get away from them!


Thank you so much Melissa. I'm glad we lost our (International) swap virginity together :).

Edited to add: the yarn is Manos del Uruguay, (of course!)

Scarves in time for summer?

I'm feeling like a bit of an idiot knitting scarves when it's just hit Spring here, but I got my hands on a copy of one skein and just couldn't resist the cable/rib scarf. This was my first go at cables. I don't think I stuffed it up. It was a lot more straightforward than I thought. The only reason I really wanted to try cables was because i'm addicted to knitting accessories (I don't think I'm alone here!) and I wanted to get some cute cable needles...Any excuse really. The thing I really like about this scarf, and one skein generally, is it's a total stash-buster! I have no idea what yarn this is, I always manage to loose the covers, it's a talent, really. I suspect it's wool. It's very soft, and quite thick. Anyway, it had been floating around in the abyss that is my yarn stash for a while. I had to adjust the pattern a bit, even with two balls I didn't have enough yardage, so I just knitted to first ball and then replicated the second in the same length I had done in the pattern with the first ball.
On a completely different note, I was talking to my dad and then my sister tonight, and we were all in the process of cooking tuna bake for dinner! Isn't that weird? It was nice to know that although we're so far apart there's some things that still bind us together.