peace at last

After much pattern browsing on ravelry and what I am choosing to call swatching rather than started and abandoned attempts, I finally worked out what to do with about the Scarf of Doom.  I’m using the Ruggles #1 Original Scarf pattern and am liking the way it’s looking so far.  I am still dithering about the width but am not starting over again so the width it is now is the width it will be (I think it will turn out about 22 cm unblocked and 27 cm blocked and if you don’t think that’s a good width for a scarf for a large  -  6 ft tall – man, please don’t tell me).

Now I have to leave my knitting and go out into the big bad cold world to buy those few presents I can’t knit or buy on Amazon.  But before I go, reading Yarn Harlot’s post reminded me I have someone else to buy for (which I can do easily online)

Imagine that your family, however big or small it is, gets another member. A baby is born, someone marries, it happens all the time. Now, naturally…as is the case when someone is added to a family, they are welcome at your winter festivities and they will be fed and receive a gift (or, in the case of many of our families, multiple gifts.) When a new family member is added, no-one declines to feed them because you can’t afford it, no-one refuses to buy them a birthday or holiday gift because the family is big enough. You spend a little less on each other person, you spread your budget around, maybe if you’re really broke you make them a card… but you make it work.

The challenge is to imagine this person has been added to the list of people you care for in some way, and to give their share to my favourite good guys, Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders.

In short, and to the best of your ability, I want you to include MSF/DWB and the people they help to your family

More about Knitters without Borders

autumn leaves

Lovin’ the boteh so much I had to make another one.  This one was for my mother-out-law’s birthday and used some BFL sock yarn with lovely autumnal colours.  I decided to try stitching photos together to show the whole scarf.  This turned out not to be such a good idea, but you get the general idea.

pattern: Boteh by Kathy Merrick
yarn: Dazzle (100% BFL) by The Natural Dye Studio;
hook: 4 mm

There was an article in the paper today about the Oxfam Knitted Blanket Petition: these are the squares our knitting group sent in:

And because flattery gets you everywhere, I’m making another pair of Evenstar gloves so I can write up the pattern, because I keep getting messages on ravelry asking me to *blush*

and another reason ravelry roolz …

You don’t have to join in the groups / fora to enjoy ravelry. But it’s so much fun if you do. Amongst other things you get to take part in community projects like the ‘Who Knits’ group’s aghan project.
People make one or some squares out of left-over sock yarn, knit on the bias, and then someone’s going to sew them up into a blanket and auction on ebay for MSF (as has been mentioned before, Doctors without Borders is the obvious charity of choice for Dr Who fans was well as knitters). These are mine, posted them off today …

Could’ve made oodles more (am not lacking in left-over sock yarn) but have work and chemistry and such to do, not to mention there’s now less than 6 months left for the Christmas knitting.

crocheted bits and bobs

Haven’t been crocheting much lately, not sure why exactly. But have picked up the hooks a couple of times when I’ve needed to make something quick. Like, these gift bags for the ‘present from Scotland’ bottles of hot chilli sauce I got for Sister and BestMaleFriend

improvised in oddments of DK with 4 mm hook

… and these hearts, a little something to pop in friend’s wedding card:

Pattern: 104-46 Elegant heart by DROPS design
Yarn: Yeoman Yarns Cannele 4 Ply, shades cardinal, ruby
Hook: 3mm

I love this heart pattern, the constrution is really interesting and the finished objects yay cute. Quick and easy to make from bits of stash.

Talking of using up stash, I’ve made a square for Manchester Oxfam’s Maternal Mortality Awareness blanket. They’re making a giant baby blanket of 1,400 squares – one for each woman who dies each day in pregnancy or child birth some where in the world, due to lack of adequate health care. When I had my son, I needed an emergency caesarian. Without it, there’s a good chance one or both of us would not be around today.