I am still trying to work out whether it is possible to blog from my phone. I feel that it ought to be, but as yet I have not been successful. But I use the phone far more than the laptop these days and so it would be handy.

That said, Mildred the laptop has been out this evening. I am currently knitting a Cardigan (Sojourner) on which there are decreases at the neck edge happening at a different rate from the increases in the side seams. For me, that spells "spreadsheet". That's particularly the case on this occasion as I am putting in short-row shaping, using the extremely helpful information in Ysolda's latest book "Little Red in the City". There are several patterns in the book that I want to do, but Sojourner was already planned, so it reached the head of the queue first.

Well, this is a bit of a mini-post, especially since I can no longer see what I'm typing as I write; however, it does seem that I can compose posts (albeit without pictures) on the phone. You never know - perhaps this will encourage me to post more regularly.

Photography class

I promised to write more about the Cornwall retreat, and so here it is (although it may not look that way at first...). I got up this morning, and made a cuppa in my beautiful retreat mug.

I then cleared my workspace and started taking photographs.

The last class that I took in Cornwall was with Anne and was on photography. Initially, it was just Ali and me in the class, but then Alice was able to join in too. We started out talking about backgrounds, light and how these can affect the picture - looking right in to the object and seeing the shadows. We also tallked about how the different objects in a picture can affect one another (Ali's pink sweater cast a definite glow onto a ball of oatmeal-ish yarn) but less obviously when the two colours are on opposite sides of the colour wheel. We then started looking at how to edit our pictures. Below are my 'before' and 'after' (they have been made the same size, but that's all I did to the first one.) We looked at how to edit the colours and how they affect one another. In the original picture, the red skein wasn't far from its correct colour, but the green wasn't showing its real vibrancy.

We then went on to take some pictures of an FO (more to follow).

I saw Alice again on Thursday. She has already bought a new camera - I am only thinking about it (although it has to be said that I found some functions on mine this morning that I couldn't find last week).

Just a quick one

Just a very quick post this evening, as I really ought to be in bed! I have spent the weekend in Cornwall - Watergate Bay to be precise - at the Socktopus 2011 knitting retreat. The train back was somewhat delayed so I didn't get home until 9.30. I have emptied the suitcase and the knitting bag and sorted out my projects to take to Sticks and String tomorrow (priorities being what they are...).

I arrived home to find two parcels. The first was from NicsKnots containing a dpn needle roll (which has been filled with my KnitPro Nova dpns) and a matching sock project bag (which has a sock project installed). The second was the first instalment of Rosemary Hill's 2011 Pins and Lace club, which contained - well, I won't say just on the very remote off chance that someone who hasn't had their package yet reads this. Suffice it to say that I am very excited. And all this on top of having received the first instalment of the Knit Love Club 2011 Sock Club while I was away. I'm so excited that I don't know where to start!

On the train on the way back from Cornwall, I made some notes in my knitting book on what I wanted to put into future blog posts. There is a (pencil) scrawl at the top of the page saying "where are all my biros?" (actually, I don't think there's a question mark at all) - and then a response of "here's one" arising from my need to sort my bag out in order to get everything back into it. Other topics to cover include the wonders of Audible, the wonders of Cornwall, the things I learnt in classes, and the mysterious UFO. Some additional photography is required to complete these posts but in the meantime, here's a picture of the beautiful Watergate Bay.

PS - There is not going to be a completed blanket square this month, but other things have been achieved on the way through!

Knit Love Club

In 2009 I was a member of the Socktopus sock club, and in 2010 I joined the next generation of Alice's club 'Knit Love Club'. This year Alice designed all the patterns herself, and in addition to the six pairs of socks there was also a bonus package with a scarf pattern adn yarn. The scarf was completed today and this was the last of my seven projects - so here they all are.


For 2011 I am a member of the 'Knit Love Club' again and this year, Alice is dying the yarn herself. I have also joined Rosemary (Romi) Hill's Pins and Lace club - 4 shawl patterns with yarn and a hand-made shawl pin.

Embryonic blanket

Back in March last year, I started knitting a 'Ten Stitch Blanket' using left-over sock yarns. I pulled together my left-overs in blues, pinks and purples, and set to work. And then, as is often the way(!), I became side-tracked. I picked up my blanket sporadically, but it didn't really grow very much. However, I did make a decision. I decided that, rather than keep on going around and around until I had the full blanket, I would make a series of squares and then join them at the end. The idea was that this would be less unwieldy.

On Monday, I finally finished the first square, and yesterday I blocked it. It has blocked to around 18" square, and therefore, if I work 12 squares, I could end up with a blanket 4'6" by 6' which sounds like a pretty reasonable size.

I have also made the decision that I will try to complete one square per month this year. This means that, by the end of November I should have my 12 squares completed, leaving December for the joining.

We'll have to wait and see how well I stick to this. Number 2 square is underway, and in the meantime, here is number 1 square. The ends that are visible are all on the outer row - I have darned in all the "inner" ends so there aren't toooo many to do when I'm making up.

Checking in next month to see whether there's another square...

Happy New Year

Well, Happy New Year to Blog-land. 2010 was an eventful year, not always in a good way - and so here's to a peaceful 2011.

I spent Christmas overseas with my sister and her family. It was lovely to see them all (and to meet the newest addition to the family - the new 10 week old nephew) and to spend time with them. It was also good to escape from the rat race that is Christmas at home - Christmas is not big where they are which means it is actually possible to go into shops on Christmas Eve (or even on Christmas Day) and there is no mad panic of consumerism.

The reason I went away was because, for the first time, Mr Auntie Fred was working over Christmas. He returned on 30 December, so we had Christmas lunch yesterday (although we opened presents the evening before, after he got home). One of my presents was an electric 'frosting pen' - a gadget for applying frosting (or icing!) to cakes. It so happens that I had a tub of
one of the recommended brands of frosting in the cupboard, and so I have spent the afternoon experimenting. I baked a batch of muffins, applied chocolate frosting and gold star dust, and here is the result. I discovered that it is not a good idea to bake in my oven without the fan on (although I have done so before) - each muffin rose towards the centre of the oven, hence some of the distinctly lopsided creations shown. Still, it doesn't seem to alter the flavour which isn't bad if I do say so myself!

It's that time of the year when we make resolutions - going to the gym, losing weight, blogging more often, creating a certain number of knitterly projects or whatever they may be. I am not going to go into writing formally on my resolutions (although all of the above might well appear were a list to be made), but it is my intention to blog slightly more often this year, and let's face it, based on last year's showing that wouldn't be hard!