Float'n'purl

Saving for Retirement!

For reasons I can't disclose at the moment I just so happen to be going to Wales tomorrow and perhaps might happen apon Colinette on the way home (providing I don't got snowed in!). How lucky can a girl be?????

Sock yarn to (kill) dye for and other stories part 2!

Just thought I would catch up on events of the last few weeks. Since I handed in my thesis in January I've been busier than ever - mostly doing stuff for other people so I think I need to learn how to say "no" and to stop myself from volunteering for things as life is too short and I've got no time to do stuff that I enjoy which usually involves fiber stuff!

On the stashing front - I heard a lovely story that Carry told her podcast about a woman that never collected yarn despite having enough money to buy some, then one day she lost her job and couldn't afford to buy any yarn to knit with. Carry says that stashing is like saving for your knitting retirement and if that's true then I'll have to knit like the wind when I'm old to use up my stash! More on what I've been buying later......

Sock yarn to (kill) dye for and other stories part 1!

Once upon a time there was a middle aged young maiden who bought some undyed sock yarn at a show in Manchester. The sock yarn was cream and bland and was desperate to be something more exciting so the young maiden took her sock yarn to visit her friendly spinning teacher and together with some other young maidens they gaily dyed their sock yarn using ancient techniques. But all was not well as the young maiden made some stupid fatal mistakes. She didn't wind her sock yarn into a proper ball and then took the hold of two ends rather than one when taking her sock yarn out of the dye bath.

As midnight struck the young maiden rushed back home with her damp tangled sock yarn to steam it for twenty minutes still believing that it would miraculously untangle itself when she took it out of the steamer.................but she was wrong. The yarn wound itself into a great big lump of spaghetti!!!

The young maiden spent many frustrating hours trying to untangle the mess to no avail until the arrival of three white knightesses on galloping horses who helped the young maiden in distress. One of the three knights then took the troublesome yarn home and low and behold.............she delivered two beautifully wound balls of sock yarn (and a small ball extra where the young maiden had cut the yarn in her desperation).

The End

(this is a true storey of friendship that goes beyond normal knitting boundaries - thanks Shirley, Janet and Ali for saving my sock yarn from the bin!!)

(p.s just couldn't resist this picture of Wally - I think he's wondering how close can he get to the fire before his fur starts to burn!)

Olympic Disaster!

For news on my Olympian disasters so far see the Team Scotland blog!

I must be completely mad!!!

I've been watching the build up to the Knitting Olympics with much interest over the last week or so but until now I'd decided that it was simply too much of a challenge for me...........that is until I saw that there was a Team Scotland and national pride took over. After all it may be the only time I ever get to compete in anything for my country(if you too want to find a team go to this site)!!

So what will I be knitting? Well, despite the fact I still haven't finished my first ever pair of socks I've decided to knit a pair of Jaywalker Socks by Grumperina - both socks at the same time on circular needles purchased on Saturday! (Yet another UFO in the making then!!).

More later on Saturday's purchases.........needless to say it involved rather a lot of sock yarn!!!

First FO of "06"

At last I have a FO to show (even if its very small indeed)! Its the little knitted corsage from Rowan Mag No. 38 which I sent to my mum as part of her birthday present. Its in KSH as called for in the patter and I would definitely do another one (or two, or three) as its a really quick and easy gift - that's what we like!

The flower is sitting on a SWATCH - yes, I never knit one of these but since this is my own hand spun I had to. Yes, I know I'm not supposed to cast on yet another project but I'm itching to have a completed hand spun project! I'm planning to do a Booga Bag but I'm a bit disappointed by the colours. You can see in the skeins that its come out a bit muddy although in the swatch I seem to have some stripes by sheer coincidence (colours look really funny here as I didn't use the flash)!! I've now cast off the bottom of the bag but I don't have 6.5mm circular needles but not to worry..............TODAY I'm going to the North West Stitch and Creative Craft Show in Manchester to spend, spend, spend simply have a look at what's on offer. I've been told that its not as good as Ally Pally but its my first trip to anything like this. My plan (what plan?) is to buy needles and not yarn.....................unless there's something amazing of course.

But back to the colours of the Booga Bag: last week Shirley and I went to our local guild for the first time. It was great - lots of friendly, supportive and very talented members but amongst things they have a library of books and I got to borrow "Colour in Spinning" by Deb Menz which I've had on my Amazon wish list for ages (together with "Spinning Designer Yarns" - ordered only to get the free postage you understand) . This is a fantastic book and really explains everything you would ever want to know about colour in spinning - so it does exactly what it says on the "tin". I loved it so much that a copy is on its way while another book makes it way back to Amazon - "Fat Needles, Fast Knits" which I ordered after seeing a review by another blogger but I was really disappointed with it. In my opinion (and only mine, others must like it otherwise Amazon wouldn't be selling it) its only suitable for absolute beginners.

Anyway enough of book reviews and onto my current obsession - podcasts - or to be more precise knitting podcasts! I can't seem to get enough of them (not that there are that many). This week I downloaded all of the past episodes of Cast On by Brenda Dale. This woman is hilarious and has a wonderful soothing American accent. She lives in Wales and describes funny little quirks of us Brits extremely well. She also plays great music - some to relax to and some that are just for fun such as the  - "Enormous Penis" song by DaVinci's Notebook, and another one about President Bush smoking "hash" in the White House! I've been listening to these in the afternoons while at work and they're addictive!!!

Right, that's enough of my ranting I have to go and get ready for some stash enhancement window shopping!