All the other bits

Right I'm going to catch up with all the bits I've scribbled on a piece of paper to blog about.......

Knitting stuff first...... Issue 2 of the Knitter arrived in the post on Thursday. I wasn't expecting it until at least Monday. I subscribed to the offer of 3 issues for a fiver, then quarterly direct debit. This issue is all about intarsia and fairisle, not my thing at all. I don't think there is anything in this issue that I would knit, except maybe this for a cute little gilet, though where I would wear it I don't know. I was quite taken with this dress too but it would be completely impractical for me. As in the first issue, most of the patterns are from previous publications so as I said before if you have an extensive knitting book collection you may already have these patterns. I do still have high hopes for this magazine though so I'll stick with it for a few more issues anyway.

I have decided after knitting upteen pairs of socks from patterns I would like to design my own. I now have my Harmony Guides and have picked out a few stitch patterns I would like to use. It's not as easy as that though is it? The stitch patterns in the books are for flat, back and forth knitting, so in order to use them I will have to work out how to knit them in the round where there is no "wrong side". I would need to change all the knits to purls and vice versa and also go from the other end of those rows too. It's going to take some thinking about. However, one revelation I have had, is that I have now worked out how to turn a heel on any (even) number of stitches. I wanted to knit a quick pair of plain socks but only had the Opal pattern for 60 stitches. The socks are for a man so I needed more stitches (I've plumped for 72) but only knew how to turn a heel on 60 stitches. I laid in bed at 7.30 yesterday morning and thought about it, then got up and tried my theory, and it worked! I'm so pleased. Once I have written it down and worked out a formula I will post it for you. (You will probably all now tell me this already exists and I needn't have bothered in the first place!) Edit: Bum! Just googled it and found this - but I'm still chuffed I worked it out anyway!

Ah yes, a couple of stash acquisitions


Araucania Ranco solid in a browny green and a purple colurway, and Regia Silk in dark blue for my step-dad's socks. I was using some Possum yarn but I ripped those out becasue the yarn was driving me crazy. It was too sticky for the tiny needles, it needs to be knitted on larger needles and possibly usedfor something lacy.

Other stuff..........we had a murder in our garden during the week. I came home from a dog walk to find black feathers all over the garden and at least 9 magpies kak-kak-kakking on a nearby roof. I'm thinking it was probably one of our lovely blackbirds but there was no sign of a body, just all the feathers. Magpies - grrrrrr!!!!

A quick fact for you - I have now had my new car since Dec 13th and I have done a grand total of 182 miles in it!

Finally, I am pondering something. Last night we went to see some friends about an hour away - not a great success as the dogs didn't get on particularly well which was a shame - and on the way back we had the radio on in the car. Claudia Winkleman was talking to three female authors, can't remember their names, who have put together a book of erotic short stories by well known female authors using pseudonyms. No-one, including them, knows which story was written by each author so they are kept anonymous. From the sounds of it some of the stories are pretty full-on. So why is that called "erotic fiction" and not "pornography"? I'll leave it with you.

(If you are wondering, the book is called "In Bed With" and one of the editors names is Imogen something - I have NOT read it!) Oh, here's a link for amazon.