Again I have delved deep into my earliest queued patterns on Ravelry. The shawl is Revontuli and I'm using some Kauni Effektgarn which I was given Christmas '09 by my very lovely grandmother. I have very little say at this stage, except it is a very enjoyable travel knit and I'm very pleased by it. More details to come once I've knitted the last three rows/blocked the shawl within an inch of its life.

Now for some speculative knitting and crocheting. I have five projects I'm really, really fancying but I cannot decide which one(s) to opt for.

1. Inga. A crocheted cardigan with a seriously cool collar. I'm worried about my body shape vs the shape of the cardigan. I'm also considering changing the colours to slightly more grayscale (with teal/avocado tones mixed in).
2. Dominika. I'm loving the statement-piece-esque feel to this cardigan/jacket, but am I really ready to wear anything with a heart-pattern? Will this be too shapeless for me?
3. Blanket. The name and the photo do not do this drapey cardigan justice. I would love to make it in dark raspberry tones with a thread of ochre stitched on for interest. But is it too boxy for me? Will I actually knit an entire afghan and add sleeves to it AND keep sane? I do love it. It's a beautiful project. I continue to be a Martin Storey fan.
4. Dandle. A seriously cute cardigan with an interesting slip-stitch pattern by the shoulders. I had a real 'wow' moment when I saw it, but I cannot believe that I'm contemplating a Super Bulky knit. I'm Super Bulky myself, for heaven's sake!
5. Homestead. Another Martin Storey design and one heavily influenced by Scandinavian knitting traditions (which makes my heart go all a-flutter). I simply love the design. It reminds me of my heritage. It is also knitted in Baby Alpaca DK which is one of my absolutely favourite yarns. I can see myself wearing this a lot. But it's not very dressy and I'm in the mood for a dressy knit. I'm thinking a neutral background and a delightful dark red contrast? I could see this being knitted up in Felted Tweed too.

(I also really really like Periwinkle but even I can see how its shape is all wrong for me). You may have spotted a common denominator. I fear I'm getting mildly addicted.Any feedback would be gratefully received and very appreciated. Even feedback along the lines of "you are a daftie for even consider XYZ!"!

I think I'm also entering a new phase. I go through colour phases, you see, and I think I'm leaving my red phase and heading towards deep violets and strong purples. Some people might say that I knit green stuff and then occasionally use other colours, but that would just filthy, filthy lies.

Now back to my last three rows on the shawl. Utterly delightful project.

I also saw a couple of yarn shops. Wool For Ewe came recommended to me, but I came away feeling slightly underwhelmed despite pleasant staff and a nice selection. I ended up buying enough Jamiesons Ultra to make a lace shawl (shh!). I also bought one ball of JC Rennie 4ply in a green-blue colour which brought home just how much I'm itching to do a proper fair-isle project. I have a good selection of colours in various Shetland 4-ply yarns stashed aside and these days most of my pattern purchases seem to be colourwork-orientated. Apart from the new Rowan 48, I have also just bought Sasha Kagan's classic book on fair-isle knitting. Kagan's book is very dated in terms of styling - hello 1980s make-up and hair! - but the patterns are very interesting and inspirational. While the idea of a dachshund-covered waistcoat might not appeal, I can certainly see myself knitting some fingerless gloves with pansies or seagulls.

I'm slowly moving towards autumn-knitting, you see. Scotland is never the warmest place in the world (or even in the UK!), so woolly knits are never far from my thoughts. However, I was browsing through some old blog entries the other day and I noticed how much I emphasised Needing Accessories. My thinking is that I might as well get a few quick-knit accessories under my belt before I start to yearn for big woolly cardigans. Last winter I loved my big snuggly scarf, so I have kept that in mind as I'm trying to narrow down my must-knits. Matters are complicated by the fact that I have been commissioned to design a couple of scarf patterns, that I have a few commissioned knitting projects, that a colleague of mine is expecting (and is going on maternity leave in two weeks, so I better start knitting!), and that my wrists are still not entirely happy about the amount of knitting I do.

Most of all, I wish I could take more time off and spend it up north. I do not why I love Aberdeenshire so much, but I suspect it reminds me of Denmark (albeit with dangerous cliffs, birds of prey, hills, crumbling castles, granite, puffins, and glorious 'high' skies). I always feel at peace whenever I am up north and it takes me a few days to adjust being back in Glasgow. Sigh.

My Larisa scarf is finished and I am head over heels with it. More photos on Ravelry.

Specifications:
Pattern: Larisa by yours truly
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze, 1 skein (19 grammes to be precise)
Needles: 4mm KnitPro
Modifications: None, zip, zilch. I was effectively test-knitting my own pattern (which reminds me that my test knitters will need a revised version - I will get that to you by end of next week).

I'd be tempted to start another one, because what you see is actually a sample and I don't get to keep it.. but I've just cast on for a quick little weekend knit I've been meaning to do for a long, long time. More on that later.

I'm not one of those knitters who walk through a meadow and decide to knit a scarf inspired by a particularly beautiful tree. I designed 'Larisa' because I could not find the right pattern for an elegant, yet straightforward, scarf which I could give away as a present. I wanted a scarf which would dress up an outfit, a scarf which was classy rather than fashion-forward. And so I simply sat down with a partial ball of Kidsilk Haze, some beads and my trustworthy notebook.

I would say, though, that I am one of those knitters who love their art and fashion history. I drew some inspiration from Art Deco - in fact, the horizontal line of the beading contrasting with the vertical lines of the lace is a design element I picked up from all those hours I spent reading about sky-scrapers many years ago. I tried out various severe lace patterns with super-vertical lines before opting for a lace insert which combines some vertical design elements with a V shape (or heart-shape depending upon your mood). I just think the pattern looks much softer and more inviting as a result.

Meanwhile, I have finished my crochet bag and meant to get some shots of it today. Unfortunately the weather was not on my side and it proved impossible to get enough light(!) for a good photo. I hit a snag with the lining, actually. It turned out that my sewing machine which I was "not entirely sure actually works" did not work. Maybe you will understand if I show you which machine I have.. I'm not sure why it does not work, except that the bobbin case keeps falling out when I use the machine and the 'overthread' doesn't want anything to do with the 'underthread' (I'm not sure of my English sewing machine terminology - does it show?). So, anyway, well. I had to handstitch the lining and I'm not a fantastic handstitcher. I'm going to rip out the part of the lining I have already attached and wait until I can afford a new machine (or work out why my machine does not work - whichever comes first).

Finally, if you reading smart women writing about what it's like to be a smart woman (i.e. a person), you will enjoy The Anti-Room. I found this little post on Harlequin romances and inherent misogyny.

PS. Faithful readers, do you think me and my full-busted short-torsoed peasant-woman body could get away with this cardigan?

I had completely forgotten how wrecked my hands become when crocheting with cotton. I grew up using cheap cotton and I had assumed that the cheap cotton was to blame for my aching hands. For this bag I am using Roman Pima Cotton, a very luxurious cotton that I'm loving to bits, but my hands are still utterly wrecked - particularly my thumbs. I'm used to being able to knit for hours on end, but I cannot work on this project for more than ninety minutes before I'm in pain.

Worrying.

I had planned a few more crocheted bags, but I think I shall be postponing these projects until my hands are much better. I wonder what I'm doing wrong? Hmm.

But back to this particular crochet bag. I was beyond thrilled when I found the perfect lining material in the Amy Butler fabric range. Just look at it - isn't it just perfect?! Of course I cannot work the lining until I have finished the bag properly, woven in ends, steam-blocked it, cleared the dining table, and unpacked my old sewing machine that I'm not entirely sure actually works and .. did I mention that I have fever, a sore throat and earache? Yeah, I should possibly focus on getting over this mini-flu (or whatever infection it is I'm fighting), but I'm just so darn excited about getting this project finished*. Uhmm..

(* somewhere my 15-year-old self is looking aghast and cringing at my enthusiasm).

So, well, I'm trying to nap as much as I possibly can (and I'm revisiting an old favourite read which I actually haven't read in about twenty years - more on this in a later entry) and I'm also having slightly feverish dreams about my next few projects.

But isn't that fabric just fabulous?! Sigh.

Once upon a time I bought some merino lace from 100purewool.com - I have an affinity for peridot green and their "Green Sausage"(!) colourway looked like a perfect shade. Sadly it was more yellow than I would have liked, so I overdyed it. It turned out acidic green rather than peridot green.

Fast forward some years and I decided to knit the Aeolian Shawl out of the yarn. The end result was pretty but still acidic green, so I decided upon another overdyeing session. The solution was a bit strong (never dye when you are sleep-deprived) and some parts of the shawl were a bit .. splotched. And I decided to overdye the shawl again.

Yes, this is why I first thought this was going to be a tale of woe. I was despairing by the third overdyeing session and I was worried when the shawl did not take the dye well. But this is also where the tale gets good: I pinned the shawl out deciding that I'd like to see the dry dyeing result.And I liked what I saw.

Granted, I'm an urban decay sort-of woman. I take photos of crumbling walls, overgrown buildings and burnt-out cars. The shawl actually looks as though it is rusty and has moss growing on it. I'm not sure how I can incorporate echoes of deindustrialisation, disenfranchisement, inhospitable cityscapes or abandoned buildings into my personal wardrobe, but I shall find a way. I live in Glasgow, after all.

Specifications:
Pattern: Aeolian Shawl by Elizabeth Freeman, free pattern from Knitty.
Modifications: Yucca Chart x 6, Agave chart x 2 before Finale Agave Chart. No beads. 7-loop nupps.
Yarn: 100purewool merino lace 950yrds/100 gr. Used 60 gr.
Needles: Addi Turbo, 3.75mm.

Isn't the shawl just pretty?

Do you like the photos? We were out grocery-shopping when we walked past a doorway with fabulous old tiles. Our part of Glasgow is filled with old Victorian buildings and you see these doorways everwhere - although not always with fantastic colours or, to go back to the idea of urban decay, tiles missing.

Next on the agenda: I hope to reorganise my stash this week. It is long overdue. I have a walk-in closet(!) which doubles as yarn stash and spare-bed storage. I have boxes and bags stuffed with my yarn, but I want to start having a proper system. My stash is such a size that I am beginning to forget exactly what I own and where it is. I find it a bit overwhelming, but that is surely a sign that I should start weeding out old partial skeins and what-was-I-thinking balls of yarn. I have already tossed out some old projects and odds-and-ends today and it felt really good.

Finally, I missed my own personal goal of finishing my 4-ply cardigan by the end of the FIFA World Cup 2010. I still need to knit one sleeve and one front, plus all the finishing flourishes. It is a shame, but I did sustain an injury to my wrist. I'm tentatively rooting for Spain tonight, although Denmark does have long-standing football grudges towards Spain.. but I really haven't been keen on how Holland has been playing throughout this tournament..

Actually, this was the very first pattern I ever queued on Ravelry: Inga's Haekelbeutel. An easy bag assembled from 16 crochet squares. I'm teaching a session on crochet squares next week, so I'll be able to use my bag as an example of what you can do with squares. The square Inga's bag uses is very plain, but you can obviously use which ever square you want (Ravelry examples: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). The assembly is pretty ingenious - I'm saying this before I have assembled the bag - and you can even use knitted squares if you don't like crocheting. And did I mention that the pattern is free?

As for the real reason as to why I'm making this bag right now.. well, I had a long and tiring day at work yesterday, which made for some comfort yarn shopping. I got a full bag of Rowan Milk Cotton DK for £12 (down from .. £47, I think?) and some select balls of Pima Cotton which I knew would be perfect for this Haekelbeutel. I'm pondering what to do with the Milk Cotton - I'm thinking either Anais (which a girl in winter has handily just made),  or maybe just a quick top-down raglan a lá Japel's Cropped Cardi (but with different neckline, a lace pattern, buttons and .. totally different, really).

Summer knits on my mind and the summer is nowhere to be seen.

The Mosswell Shawl is off the needles and currently being overdyed. I'm a bit sceptical about the dye solution, but we'll see..

Still not head-over-heels with the pattern. It is exceedingly well-written, well-charted and well-explained, but it does lack a certain oomph. Perhaps I expected too much from the woman behind Laminaria (still my favourite shawl pattern), but I thought the stitches would flow into each other far more than they are. This is not to say that I am not enjoying knitting my Mosswell (because I am) but it is a different experience to what I had anticipated.

It is also very green which is why Mosswell will be given a little dye-bath once I have bound off. I hope to give a slightly more, er, "mossy" look. If not, I'll just rename the darn thing. Blackwell. Brownwell. Mudwell.

Oh, I nearly forgot.

Come autumn I will be releasing a couple of patterns for some scarves (just in time for Christmas knitting - you'd think I had planned this).One of the scarf patterns is currently with test knitters, but I thought I would let you catch a glimpse of my swatch. Once Mosswell comes off the needles, I will start working on the scarves in earnest and write more about the design process.

Oh, but for more hours in the day.

A couple of links:

• The early reviews of Christopher Nolan's Inception are in - and they are frighteningly GOOD.
• I chuckled at this list of imperfect Romance heroes/heroines. Oh no, Lady Alys is tall and odd-eyed! Prudence Lancaster is bespectacled and plain!
• 'Till Derrida Do Us Part' is the loveliest thing I read for some time. Other Half read it and said: "your mother would kill you". I replied: "I'm pondering if having a wedding ceremony just to interrogate the idea of "the vow" would alter the contextual meaning-making of the vow to such a degree that it could no longer be said to be a vow but rather an avowed non-vow?" Then he threw me out of the living room. Men.
• This method of making iced coffee looks very inviting - and possibly also a bit too daunting to someone whose idea of a good cup o' java is wholly dependent upon how much sleep she has had.

I also bought John Allen's Fabulous Fairisle for a mere pittance. It is not a collection of knitting patterns, but rather a compilation of traditional fair-isle patterns. I particularly like how Allen explored the use of colour and how different colour combinations affected the chosen fair-isle patterns. Some of the patterns were shown in non-traditional colour combinations (pinks, greens and yellows on bleached white background!?) which was admittedly interesting, but also slightly off-putting.

Stranded knitting is definitely on the agenda later this year. I have no excuses left (bar lack of time).

A few days ago I was contacted by a staff member of a search company who informed me that the company was about to launch a Top 100 Most Influential UK & Ireland Knitting Blogs. Seeing as the company had included this very blog on the list, would I be interested in offering some critique? I pondered this whilst feeling mildly dubious (which I always do with such lists) Later I notice that an Irish felting blog* has now posted the entire list, and my lingering feeling of mild doubt has become less .. mild. Where is Needled? Ysolda? Attic24? Mooncalf Makes? And that is just off the top of my head. It is flattering that I should be called one of the top five most influential UK knitting bloggers, but it is also completely tosh. Who would you include on your list of "influential" UK knitting bloggers? And what is this "influential" thing about, anyway? Bah.

Still knitting that 4-ply cardigan. I'm contemplating cheating on it with a quick little knit - a hat or a cowl. The weather has turned decidedly autumnal today, and I'm tempted to knit a small bow-knot scarf. Just to get that "just completed something" glow, you see. It has been a while since my last Finished Object..

*) I don't know why I'm so surprised to see blogs devoted to felting, but I actually am..