FO: Dalek

After much agonising and procrastinating, the Day of the Dalek has finally dawned.



Pattern: Extermiknit! [Ravelry link]

The pattern looks like hell on earth, but once you get into it, it's really not that bad! I had a crisis (on and off for about 8 months) about i-cords but once I asked for help and made myself do it (only thing I took to a Knit Night) I was fine and finished. There is a provisional crochet cast on that I also needed help with. This did mean he spend waaaay too long in this state:


Needles: 4mm dpns

I would definitely recommend knitting it in the round, but I hate sewing things up so I guess I'm biased!

Wool: Acrylic DK from Leeds Market.

The shop is on the right, if you do in through the doors on the corner of Vicar Lane and George Street (I think!). The right sort of wool for such a project - I bought two 100g balls (red and dark gray) for about £2.20 and used some white acrylic I had lying about. And I have loads left, enough to knit at least one more Dalek. Maybe there could be an army of them...?

WIP Wednesday

I don't normally do WIP Wednesday, but I realised I haven't given an update about what's on my needles in a good long while, and I have some time to blog on a Wednesday. A match made in heaven. So, apologies for the godawful photos, a long day at work means I have looked whistfully out of the window at the beautiful sunshine but not actually been able to take any knitting photos in daylight.

Today's news is relatively exciting - there is a Beautiful Thing afoot.

Well, at least I hope it's going to be a beautiful thing - the pattern is Eskimimi's Simple City, a beautiful thing - and the yarn is Artisan Yarns Sock in Lavendar's Dilly (mentioned when I bought it and during Blog Week). I'm still not quite sure the whole parcel is living up to my expectations, but they are rather high so maybe that was inevitable.

The other news is about this wee fiend:

I know that it doesn't look like much, but the body has been in that state since at least September. That is some serious hibernation. And that provisional cast on was done about this time last year. Pretty lame, if you ask me. Though, as of Knit & Natter last night, there is also a plunger arm:

Of course, I didn't say it was attached....

Something to aspire to - 2KCBWDAY6

This was a topic I really thought I could get my teeth into, as there is a lot of aspects of knitting I feel I could improve at. After all, wisest is she who knows that she does not know (Socrates).

I need to learn some determination to stick at a project I love when I get stuck. It is not only the Doctor who has trouble with these guys...

However, when I looked through my favorites list on Ravelry, stock full of aspirational projects, there was one that stood out a mile: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/PATTspoke.php

This I saved to my favorites on March 13th, 2010. That was a loooong time ago. I have probably looked at it lovingly at least once a month since. It epitomises everything that would smash my knitting fears - will I suit what I knit, or might it look horrid? Will I have the skills to make good, well-fitted garments? Will I have the patience? Can I afford the kind of good yarn needed? And at some point I will man up, face those fears by buying the yarn and casting on. But until then, I will continue to practise my skills and lust after it.

And obviously, finish that damn Dalek!

New Year Confession

It would seem I'm addicted top starting things at the moment. I haven't finished a project - like properly finished - in a very long time. There are some many of them, I've categorised them. So, my knitting resolution for the week: I Will Finish One Of These Things For FO Friday.

1. Going along nicely

My heart scarf is going along OK. It is large wool which is easy and satisfying, so this is the first piece and I'm three out of eleven repeats into the second. Then they just need grafting together. However, I would like some matching gloves that I cannot find a pattern for, so I'm going to desgin it - scary! But there is a first time for everything. And at least I have the wool:

2. Stopped due to lack of brainpower

First, my Spring Ishbel. It went up to Edinburgh, and I really enjoyed it all the way there and all the way back. But, when I got home, I'd started the lace pattern and the concentration and long rows do not fit very well with my knitting at home (do little bits between tidying / eating, while watching TV or listening to the radio). So this shall be deemed my Journey Project.

Then there is a Christmas card that didn't get finished. It's perfectly lovely, but I need some good light to tell the shades of brown apart and brainpower to put a branch in the right place, relative to the robin. So, this shall I shall finish in my lunchbreaks this week.

3. Stopped because it went wrong

I'm making myself some properly warm flip-top mitts, because Yorkshire is cold and so are my fingers. Especially when I start walking to work. But as I'm walking, my fingers warm up and so I pull off my gloves. Then they get cold, so I dig them out of my handbag and put them on again. And then the whole sorry saga starts again. And this is especially sad because this is the reason I started knitting, really. Someone got me some for Christmas some years back, and I loved them and wore them until they were mostly holes. I hoped someone would buy me some for the upcoming Christmas, but no-one did (despite hints). So, I went to my high street to get some for myself, and then I understood why no-one had taken the hint: Prohibitive Cost. But then I thought surely I can make some for myself for less than that!! Hence, I learned to knit. And I started them, and made the mitts bit. The flap I made was too small though, and while this is not the end of the world, the mitts do work at keeping my hands warm almost well enough that I can't be faffed making the flaps. I just need to bite the bullet.

And then there is the long-hibernating dalek. I have tried and failed to make the appendages several times, to no avail. And also, I have something that looks a lot like a dalek anyway. I need to bite this bullet too, but I might do it at a knitting night, since I can't run away from it there!!

4. Stopped due to lack of resources / knowledge

I have finished knitting the cranberry bolero, but it needs blocking. I have only ever blocked hats. There is a blocking party on this afternoon though, so I can use the skills of the excellet Steph.

Cross stitch kits I'm going to turn into cards, but I left my card-making stuff at my Mum's.

A kit I got for Christmas and am determined to finish (unlike so many of these things I've had in the past), but I cannot find my white thread. The shop awaits.

And then worst of all, I really need to do things about two birthdays. And not ones I can wriggle out of: my Mum and my housemate. I have the stuff for the projects (socks and mitts, respectively), except some of it is at my Mum's house (awkward when it's for her present!!) and I need to print off the patterns. And, should I really start anything new this week? I'll need to make a list of 'Current Knitting Projects' as well as that list of Future Knitting Projects in my head. I'd best not think about that too much though!!

Hope you've been enjoying your FOs!!

Turn and Face the Strain

It would seem I have been dealing with thesis/ presentation/ living arrangement/ money stress by knitting rather a lot. I've made several presents which are not on here because you never know who may find this, but here are the best bits of what I've made for me.

So my favourite projects that I've finished lately are my Gehry hat, made with Sirdar Escape Chunky, bought for me by my lovely former housemate. I adapted the pattern a bit, as I have a small head but like floppy hats, so instead of doing the initial rib in 5.5mm and the rest in 6.5mm, I swapped to 5mm and 7mm. And I think it turned out rather well (though it was mainly the lovely lovely yarn!), and it's really easy, only took me a weekend (when I was also writing that presentation).

I've also done my matching-ish wavy mits - the pattern was also free on Ravelry, and it's called Hands of Blue. I used Sirdar Snuggly DK as I'm having a phase of eczema between my fingers :( It was a bit of a mission but I'm really pleased with the result. I have a great need for such things, as I spend a lot of my days sitting at a computer at work and I find my hands get a little chilly, and at home of an evening I'm usually on the computer of knitting, which have the same problems. I've done a few similar things but these were a challenge for me so I'm a little bit proud of myself.

And now for the one you've all been waiting for....

(Apologies for the desk mess, this was taken very near the end of the Masters...)

I've been having a break from it as I was on a bit of a mission with it, but had another session this week. I need to do the appendages, stuff it and do the base, but I'm getting into all sorts of mess doing the i-cord for the `eye', so I'm hoping for some help soon :S

I'll probably blog about presents soon, there are a spate of birthdays coming up including some of my little cousins so hopefully I can take photos then (I feel a bit weird wearing other people's presents, even if it is just for a photo). And the next project? Glittens! For me - because I'm designing the pattern myself and my friend wants some, I thought it best to have a dry run first. Honest!!