Download

I fear my brain may overload with all the knitting buzzing around up there right now so time for a bit of a download to the knitting ideas overflow depository, this is probably very boring for anyone except me so do feel free to look at the one pretty picture and pass on to more exciting pastures. Come back soon though I even sometimes knit actual things!

Big excitement as my HipKnits sock yarn arrived yesterday - ooh ooh see how beautiful it is?

I'm holding off knitting with it until tomorrow night when I feel I will be able to sit calmly with a cup of tea and Wendy's toe up sock instructions and let rip/falter along getting in a right pickle.

I've been trying to gear up to start work on the shapely tank top I've been dreaming of for weeks but my plan to use some Silk Garden I have for it is feeling a bit ambitious for my first big project. It's knit up at quite a different tension from that recommended for the pattern which is not surprising as it is quite a bit thicker than the recommended yarns. I was debating fiddling with pattern to make it work with the yarn but I'm going to hold off on that for the moment - one challenge at a time I think. So then I thought I might splash out on the actual yarn the pattern calls for but the two options are US yarns which I'm struggling to source on the web in the UK and shipping from US makes the whole project a little pricier than my January pockets can face. After some dallying with the idea of the beautiful Rowan Tapestry which should be about the right weight I have settled for ordering some more January pocket friendly Rowanspun DK in Thorn from this fab shop. I also concluded that self striping yarn will create horizontal stripes (good use of brain here, it does work sometimes thankfully) something that I work hard to avoid purchasing normally, so I'm not sure I should inflict it on my middle just because I love the yarn. The colourway I really like is Moorland and I'd like to see some projects knit up in it as the stripes are more subtle in some of the shades but I haven't found any pics of this one knit up yet.

In a classic piece of me logic having hunted around for the cheaper Rowanspun I then looked at the Brittany needles and a pair of 5mm made their way into the basket - it was still cheaper overall than the Tapestry would have been and I haven't got any 5mm needles and the postage wasn't any more expensive with them and and and :)

So I think I'm settled now on the shapely tank in the Rowanspun (though this may all change when it arrives) but I'd still quite like a tank in the Silk Garden and as if by magic I saw this linked to from the Knit and Tonic blog. Under consideration for the next project pile as it would add cabling to my repertoire. Will it be too stripey? Have 4 skeins of 201 which I think would probably be much more subtle and should be enough? Will check the comments later as I see others are wondering how many skeins used too.

The shawl projects with the Cotton Angora seems like a goer, played around with the yarn a bit and am happy that it is not too heavy for the pattern and will feel gorgeous as a shawl. Just need to get a v large circular needle and have had problems with ordering online tonight - never mind though - plenty to be getting on with.

Other ideas in my head - need a nice chunky cardi/coat pattern for my Rowan Plaid. This is the best so far - but with a collar more like this? More research to do on this.

Have found this great pattern for another vest but I'm not too fussed for the argyle for me so I need to find something this shape but plain.

Am feeling a bit dejected about the driving gloves - more like gloves for the freaky handed at the moment - wrist should be that of a giant, fingers those of a skinny midget, think I can reshape a bit by resewing the seam but the passion to do the second one is ebbing away fast!

Phew time for bed I think, glad that is all out of the buzzing brain, writing things down always helps.