Not Finished Friday :(

One of the problems with having so many WIPs is the fact that I don't work on any one thing long enough to get it finished as quickly as I would like. So I have plenty of things I am working on, but nothing finished *sigh*

In light of this, and the fact that I am 3 weeks away from my 1 year knitting-versary, I thought I would have a look back through some of my finished projects and see which ones have been successful and which have vanished without a trace ;)

I think the most successful FO I have made is the Lore Hoodie from Vampire Knits (note to self, get better pictures of this!):

I wear it fairly regularly (wore it last night in fact *grins*) and really, really like it. If I were to make it again, I would definitely modify it to have long sleeves, a hooded item with elbow length sleeves is a little strange ;) This is also the only thing I have made with lace (I don't count some of the attempts I have made that never got finished), and the lace part only has one mistake - score!

A project that I initially thought was successful has not really stood the test of time/greater experience. My self-designed tank top:



I still like this, but there are quite a few changes that would make it so much better. I didn't do any waist shaping (didn't know what it was at the time!) so it is a little boxy. Because the shoulders are plain stocking stitch, they roll in, apart from at the top seam where my ability to join pieces together shows a painful lack of skill ;) Overall though, I think it is still pretty cute.

A complete failure project was my Ugly Slippers:

Yeah, wrong yarn, wrong size... just wrong *laughs* They were wonderfully cosy despite their revolting appearance, until they stretched, and stretched, and stretched. Then I decided to try and salvage them by felting them... The less said about that experiment the better!

Well, it's kinda fun to look through the projects I've made and remind myself of how far I have come. Given that I am unlikely to have any FOs for the next couple of weeks, I might continue this theme in the lead up to my year-of-knitting anniversary. At which point it'll culminate in a giveaway and probably a party for everyone... Ok, maybe not a party, but definitely a giveaway *grins*

For actual finished objects, pop over to Tami's, and for more creative and fibrey posts go to Natural Suburbia and Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

Fabulous Friday Foot

Check it out, boyfriend has a sock!

*grins*

He seems to be pretty pleased with his sock, and is waiting impatiently for the second one to materialise. Because of the way it is knitted (ribbed leg and top of foot), he can wear it either regularly or inside out to have the princess sole. Having thoroughly tested the fit and comfort, he has decided that the princess sole is preferable *smiles* I figured that might be the case, so I'm really pleased that was the approach I went for.

So, second sock has been started (same pic as Wednesday, because it isn't actually any longer yet!)

This will be my in-car knitting in a few hours time, so hopefully lots of progress will be made. I had to start it before travelling, there's no way I would have managed the really fiddly toe part in the car!

More details about yarn and pattern when I actually have a finished pair (I know a single sock only just counts as an FO - but it is an object and it is finished, so I'm going with it!)

As ever, you know the Friday drill... head over to Tami's, Natural Suburbia, Plumslife and Wisdom Begins in Wonder for more crafty and fibery loveliness. Well, I won't be around too much today, but will try and catch up on as many Friday posts as I can!

Sock Monkey Swap

A little while ago I posted a picture of the sock monkey I had made for a swap...

Well, I got my parcel in return *grins*

I got a whole lot of monkey themed goodies; a monkey pad, bookmark, fabric, apron, facemask... Plus 2 skeins of Lang Jawoll yarn in black and brown and a fold up shopping bag in a lovely bronze colour (my mum swears by these little bags). And, of course, the awesome sock monkey (oh, also, not pictured is a cute little "grow your own monkey" thing that you put in water and it gets bigger - not pictured because I got excited and put it in water before taking the photos *laughs*)

One of the things I like most is the apron. I made boyfriend an awesome batman apron for Christmas last year and he wears it all the time. But I never got round to making one for myself. Well, now I have a handmade apron of my own, and it has monkeys on it ;) And I got extra fabric, so I can make something else for myself too. I'm thinking a chef hat *grins*

But the coolest thing in the swap was the monkey:

Yes, he is a Malcolm Reynolds Monkey (from Firefly/Serenity, if you don't know it - and if not, why not?!)

Check out the holster, with a ray gun inside. It even has a button closure. So clever. The embroidery on his chest says "I aim to misbehave", the fabulous quote from the film Serenity, and he has a pendant with the ship's logo on it.

And because I think he is so very cool, check out the back for a better view of his brown coat with a hole for his tail, and he has hair...

I love how much work my swap partner put into this *grins*

Work In Progress Wednesday Number 23

Crappy photos today, thanks to the terrible light and being in a bit of a rush!

[By the way, if you missed the big blanket reveal last week, you can find it here]

So, works in progress/reading update...

Well, Cria has had a few more rows added, nothing worth taking a new solo picture though. Same for my sock - a little longer than last week but not by much ;)

On to the projects with worthy updates *grins*

The Fuzzy Ballet Sweater has been coming along nicely:

I've finished the back and have started on one of the fronts. This picture is a slightly more accurate colour than last week's, which made it look like I was knitting with pure gold *laughs* The yarn is Rowan Kidsilk Aura, and the silk in it really does catch the light when you try and take a photo. It's lovely, soft, silky and fuzzy ;)



You may have noticed, there is another project on the needles. I really don't need another project on the go, but I am bored of my sock, not enjoying Cria, and the ballet top reminded me that I should have things I enjoy working on to make up for it. Plus, after finishing the blanket, I found myself missing the pure simplicity of garter stitch (weird, I know, I used to hate it with a passion!)

So I have cast on for a Hitchhiker. I love the shape, with the sawtooth edge and the gentle widening of the scarf. It is really simple to do, making it perfect TV knitting. And I love this yarn. Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend. I've used it once before and fell in love  and I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy knitting with it.

The only problem with it is making sure the yarn and pattern match. I'm not usually a fan of variegated yarns, they can look a bit messy to me, but I got this colourway cheaply on ebay and couldn't resist ;)

The pattern is for sock yarn/4ply but I think it works just as well in DK.



Close up, to demonstrate 2 things; firstly that I can take a photo that is in focus and secondly because I think it shows how the garter stitch works in this yarn...

So, that's the knitting I've been doing. Of course adding projects leaves less time for reading, so I'm rereading another old favourite, Fight Club. One of the rare occasions where the film is as good as the book, if not better.

For more knitting and reading goodness, head over to Tami's and Ginny's :)

Cookbook Challenge #4

Another cookbook post - I'm quite impressed that I've kept this up! This one is once again from the James Martin book...

Braised Lamb Shank Pies. Definitely a weekend meal, due to the hours of cooking time. Perhaps I should try some quicker meals, as the point of the challenge was partly to expand my repertoire of recipes so that boyfriend and I have a bit more variety *laughs* At least it fulfils the second part of the challenge - actually using the cookbooks I have lying around ;)

Here's a shot of the ingredients (something Mooncalf has done on her posts, which I've stolen because I like it *grins*).

Instead of making a large pie, I made a medium pie in a 2-person sized dish and 2 tiny pies in my adorable Le Creuset casserole-style pots. I like a fair amount of pastry and I figured smaller pies would increase the pastry to filling ratio ;)

Yes, that is a heart on the top - who said you had to have leaf shapes anyway?!

Please excuse the angled shots, I was feeling a little arty ;)

So, verdict... It was tasty, but there were a few things that I would change if I made it again...

• I don't really think it was necessary to use lamb shanks, any braising lamb would do. It makes it sound fancy, and the flavour of the lamb is great by having the bones in, but not great enough to warrant the cost of shanks and the extra faffing around!
• The redcurrant jelly gives the sauce a lovely taste, but I'd use less as it also makes it a little sweeter than I would like. 
• I'd put the onions in later in the cooking process - having them in from the start means they soften so much that they're barely there by the end!
• The sauce wasn't as rich as those I usually make for stews/pies, so I'd probably tweak the flavours and add some other bits to give it a little more depth.

So, although we both really enjoyed it, I'd make so many changes that it would be a fairly different recipe by the time I got through with it *laughs*

W is for...

Writing

I love writing. I got out of the habit for a long time so, when I started this blog, part of my enjoyment of it was to do with the simple fact that I was writing again. Not a lot, and not anything earth shattering, but putting my thoughts down into a coherent form and enjoying the process.

I have ideas and rough notes for 2 novels (although I am sure that everyone has their dream novel in their head, so until I actually write them they really don't count!) They're both utterly different, one is a fantasy novel with a heaven/hell theme and one is based on politics... Not quite sure how that works *laughs*

I've also written 3 children's stories. They do count, because I have actually written them ;) Boyfriend would love for me to get them illustrated and then attempt to get them published. I really enjoyed writing them, I have a very different style depending on what I am writing and the one that comes most naturally is the one where I feel more like I am talking to the reader than setting out a story. It just so happens that both my blog and the children's stories are written in that sort of style (albeit with fairly significant differences).

One thing I found with these stories is that I can't force them, I don't decide on a subject or character or storyline  Inspiration strikes randomly and I write. The last story I wrote was actually inspired by a post on this blog. My "R is for" post...

I mentioned the word "reremouse" meaning bat, which I read as ra-ra mouse. I ended up writing about a slightly odd bat, a little bit flamboyant and playful, who saves the day through his eccentricities *laughs*

Unfortunately, the adult sized stories I want to tell don't flow as quickly and easily as those for children, so I struggle to force the words out. One day I would love to have a writing area with a huge whiteboard where I could plot out the details/timelines/characters/relationships, so that I could just get on with the writing part.

Until then, I shall continue to seek inspiration in the unexpected and enjoy writing at all.

Swift Enough*

I think you may know what this is *laughs*

Yep, the long-awaited blanket *grins* Now, I feel that I may have hyped this up so much that it'll only be a disappointment! If it is, please don't tell me ;)Incidentally, that first picture is the most accurate in terms of the colour.

I started it in July, even though my subsequent posts may have confused the issue and made it appear as though it has only been a couple of weeks since I started. Ooops, sorry about that! I wish I did knit that quickly.

It was a surprisingly enjoyable knit, given that it is all garter stitch and the yarn was acrylic that was given to me by a colleague. Somehow that all added up to a relaxing, mindless project that gave as much comfort during the knitting as I hope it will as a blanket *smiles*

So, finished blanket, in all its glory...

I know it looks a little wrinkled around the edges. This is probably because I crocheted the border and my tension in crochet does not match my tension in knitting *laughs* A bit of steaming will probably help that.

Another full size picture, this time with DVD sized case for scale (see mum, I remembered!)

It's probably not as big as it should be, which may become a little annoying, but I used up most of the yarn that I was using for it. As the aim of making it was to use up some yarn, I didn't want to buy any more for it.

As I mentioned, I crocheted the border and was very pleased that I had learned crochet recently so that I could! It's 3 rows of single crochet, which certainly went more quickly than picking up stitches along the edges and then knitting them!

Here it is on the back of the sofa for which it was designed:

*grins* Cool, huh? Well, I think so anyway ;)

Details:
Pattern: Moderne Blanket
Yarn: King Cole, Stylecraft and Something Else acrylic DK
Modifications: I didn't follow the dimensions in the pattern, choosing to end the sections when I liked their shape and size. Added 2 rows at one end and 1 at the other to lengthen it. Crocheted the border instead of knitting it. 
Happy? Yep *grins* I love it.

And, because I love the fall/autumn colours of my blanket, I am entering it into the Stitched in Colour, Celebrate Colour competition *gins*

* "Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket" - Charles Simic