tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2007-08-18://1 2008-08-28T21:38:29Z Movable Type Personal 4.1 tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.160 2008-08-28T21:36:40Z 2008-08-28T21:38:29Z

... and so much to show you. I have FOs, WIPs and just general stuff to show you all but I have no time at the moment. Tomorrow we are going to be going to Legoland for husband's birthday and...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com ... and so much to show you. I have FOs, WIPs and just general stuff to show you all but I have no time at the moment. Tomorrow we are going to be going to Legoland for husband's birthday and then I am back at school on Monday. I want more time to knit! tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.159 2008-08-25T16:26:32Z 2008-08-25T16:39:01Z

Yesterday we went to the in laws. Not only does this mean a yummy lunch, it also means a trip to Borders. For some bizarre reason, Sheffield does not have a Borders. It is my favourite book shop by a...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com The Best of Interweave Knits [amazon.co.uk]. And wow. I love this book. It is possibly the best knitting book I have ever laid my eyes on. It is full of so many wonderful patterns that I want to knit right this second. Firstly, I fell in love with the Forest Path Stole. It is just gorgeous. And the fact that it has an entrelac construction really fascinates me. I think that will hold my interest more because I will only be working on a small number of stitches and a small lace pattern at one time. I have even ordered some beautiful yarn for it from Gill at the Woolly Workshop. It will be a gorgeous mahogany colour. I can't wait to cast it on. I even dreamt about the stole last night. Yes, I have it bad. I can't wait! I also loved Icarus by Miriam Felton. It is actually a rather simple pattern. I thought I had enough yarn in my stash in the gorgeous Kid Silk Night, but I am 2 balls short. Rather annoying, but I do feel I have plenty to be getting on with. Especially as I know I have enough yarn for Salt Peanuts in Kid Classic and Weekend Getaway Satchel in Cascade 220. All in all, such a wonderful book. Love love love. And itching to cast on. But I'm being good. Wisp is well on the way.]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.158 2008-08-22T14:48:37Z 2008-08-22T15:00:32Z

What is the best thing you've ever received in the mail/post? This question is a tricky question. Recently, my most favourite parcels have been SP related. I have been really lucky and had lots of really wonderful presents from my...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com What is the best thing you've ever received in the mail/post? This question is a tricky question. Recently, my most favourite parcels have been SP related. I have been really lucky and had lots of really wonderful presents from my pal. I do love SP. Especially when I get a parcel that has all these wonderful goodies in it:

My SP was in Ireland recently. She had sent me lots of wonderful Irish goodies, including some wonderful homespun Donegal Tweed. It is luscious. It is so pretty in the skein. I keep looking at it and stroking it. Charile is currently guarding it. Thank you SP. I hope you had a wonderful time in Ireland and bought yourself lots of goodies too. Yesterday I cast on Wisp. This is my first lace project using lace yarn. I'm using some extremely fine Bright Dyes Lace Weight. It is so thin. But I really like the project.

It is quite a yummy knit. Let's see how we get on :)]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.157 2008-08-20T19:35:06Z 2008-08-20T19:46:36Z

Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK, sh801 Needles: 3mm DPNs Another Elijah! This time it is a present. Whenever a knitter hears that a friend is having a baby, the needles come out! This is as...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK, sh801 Needles: 3mm DPNs Another Elijah! This time it is a present. Whenever a knitter hears that a friend is having a baby, the needles come out! This is as lovely and wonderful a pattern as ever to knit. It is a fiddly knit, that is for sure, but it is very much worth it. I have nothing else to add on this. It is as cute as ever :) Don't they just look cute.

As there is a baby on the way, I am also knitting this:

It's a classic. I'll sew it up and you can see it in a couple of days. Am now about to cast on Wisp by Cheryl Niamth, from knitty. No other news to report :)]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.156 2008-08-09T21:58:40Z 2008-08-09T22:01:12Z

We are back from sunny Rome and here, in the rain. We had an amazing time. Rome is such a magical city and I fell in love with it. We stayed in a really lovely hotel, called the Hotel Milton...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com Hotel Milton Roma which was situated across the road from a Metro station. I would recommend this hotel to anyone. Unless you want a quiet night's sleep. It is right on a main road. And the Romans are not quiet drivers! That didn't matter much to us as we slept so much at night because all we did was walk. We walked Rome. We walked miles upon miles every single day. I need another holiday to recover. But it was so worth it. We saw lots and lots of amazing sights, and each time, you could just feel yourself being overawed. You knew you were in the presence of something special. We went to all the usual suspects - the Colosseum (our hotel was literally 10 minutes away from here), the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Vatican and St Peter's and the like. We ate the most amazing ice cream, pizza and pasta. Drank wonderful coffee and wine. We ate outside every single day and just spent some time taking in the atmosphere. It was our wedding anniversary during our holiday and we went and had a beautiful dinner and sat in the restaurant, outside, and just took in the atmosphere. It was in the beautiful Piazza del Popolo, there was a wonderful saxaphonist and was given some roses. It was just perfect. My favourite day was when we went to the Vatican. You don't have to be a religious person to appreciate the vastness of that place. It is just beautiful. The art is exquisite and you know you are in the presence of greatness just standing in St Peter's. We saw his tomb and we climbed the 300-odd steps to the top of the dome and saw some breath taking scenery. Afterwards, we went to the Vatican Museum and saw the Raphael Rooms and his amazing frescos and then we went into the Sistine Chapel and were just overawed by the works of Michaelangelo. The art was breath taking. It was simply wonderful. Words cannot describe how I felt in there. Another wonderful thing was just the ease of life. Everyone was so laid back in Rome. It was a much slower, wonderful pace of life. Nobody seems to care too much about anything, unless they were on the road! Crossing the road was like taking your life into your own hands! The drivers are crazy. They were also in the middle of a bit of a heatwave. The coolest day was 34 degrees. Towards the end of our stay, it was 36 degrees. Even at night it only just dipped below 30. At some points it was just too hot. I wouldn't go back again at this time of year. But I would definitely go back. We took nearly 1000 photos between us, so today I spent the day sorting them out. There were over 100 that I really liked, so I have put them on my website in a special gallery. You can find them here. ]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.155 2008-07-25T10:45:42Z 2008-07-25T11:01:42Z

Blog was playing up earlier in the week. Hopefully David has fixed it all up :) Well, my Secret Pal has not just sent me one parcel in the last week or so. Noooo, she sent me 2 :D I...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com First she sent me the wonderful Tofutsies. I have never knit with that yarn before. It is absolutely lovely. I feel another set of Tidal Wave socks coming along. Then she sent me some Regia in a gorgeous grey colourway. Again, I have never knit with Regia before. I think that the reason is because I would've had to buy 2 balls of yarn for one pair of socks and 2 balls always seems more than one - even though the weights are the same! Daft, I know. My SP is off to Dublin soon, so I hope you have a wonderful time there. In other news, I scrapped my Hexagon blankie. Yes. Well, it was funny because the edges puckered and I didn't have a crochet hook large enough to stop the puckering. So, I went on Ravelry (oh, how I heart thee) and searched their blankie options and came across the yo-yo afghan. There are no pictures on the website, just some really funky ones on Ravelry. So thought that this was a good option.

The 'yo-yos' are tiny - about 2 inches across, if even that. However, that means that there is a hell of a lot of weaving of ends. Good thing about the blankie, there is no seaming up. I love that! There are lots of afghans that I want to make though (damn you Ravelry!). I came across this stained glass blanket from 50 Sensational Afghans and Throws, which is stunning. The Super Mario Afghan is wonderful too. And the pattern is free!!! Daisy Looms is particularly funky also. And again, free! So many afghans and so little time (and use for them!).]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.154 2008-07-12T12:55:15Z 2008-07-12T13:04:46Z

On Monday I had a card through the door saying that I had a parcel waiting for me. How exciting! On Tuesday I toddled off to the post office and was greeted by a lovely box all the way from...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com "Ooooooh, what's in there?" asks Charlie and Suzy.

"Hands off!" shouts Suzy. "It's mine." Actually, I think you will find it was addressed to me, not a Suzy cat!

"Have you got everything out of the box?" enquires Missy from the sidelines. Poor Missy is a feardy-cat. In all senses of the phrase. She always stands at the peripheral and doesn't get as involved incase it is scary. But I had got everything out of the box and what a delightful package it was.

The gorgeous parcel contained lots of lovely goodies, including some Cascade Fixation, which will make some yummy summer socks. And the earrings are simply gorgeous. The kids at school have all been complimenting them. They are so lovely. I did laugh at the card, though, as it said that these were beach goodies to kick start summer! Ha! Summer?! We have had rain all week. I haven't even smelt summery weather in aaaaageeeees. And if it doesn't come soon, I shall be devastated. At least it will be sunny in Rome. We are off there in just over 2 weeks time. Yaaaaaaaay :D Thank you Secret Pal. The package was delightful and I am having a fab SP12 :D]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.153 2008-07-06T18:21:06Z 2008-07-06T18:30:52Z

What is it indeed? Poor little cat. Missy is rather curious. And beside that there is this: It is, of course, the start of my Hexagon Blanket, as shown in a previous entry. I managed to get a whole lot...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com Missy is rather curious. And beside that there is this:

It is, of course, the start of my Hexagon Blanket, as shown in a previous entry. I managed to get a whole lot of Rowan Cashcotton DK from the John Lewis sale. Yesterday I spent the evening winding it into little cakes, all ready to start. And today I had a little go with the yarn. The yarn is going to be quite taxing to work with but I think it is just becaouse it feels rather different. Once I get into it, it will be fine. The colours are all rather bright so I am going to end up with something as fab as the Babette I completed earlier in the year. Another plus of the cotton is that this is summer so it will be lovely to work with. And the other good thing about the Hex blankie is that it doesn't need seaming together! Bonus. I 'ate seaming. But that's not the only thing on the go at the moment.

It looks rather like I am being surgical with it. However, as it is starting to look like an elephant (and not a sperm) it is needing a name. It is going to be a girl elephant and Ellie seems to predictable, IMO. Any suggestions. And man, this tennis is tense.]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.152 2008-06-30T20:17:36Z 2008-06-30T20:18:55Z

How delicious do these colours look?! It is going to be a hat for a colleague. I can't wait. I've never knit with Manos del Uruguay before :D...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com ]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.151 2008-06-29T13:42:52Z 2008-06-29T13:58:39Z

Pattern: Percy Bag by Cheryl Niamath, from knitty.com Autumn 2007 Yarn: Patons 100% Mercerized Cotton DK, 2 shades of blue Needles: 3.5mm straights This was a relatively straightfoward knit. There was a lot of seed sttich and ribbing and...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com Pattern: Percy Bag by Cheryl Niamath, from knitty.com Autumn 2007 Yarn: Patons 100% Mercerized Cotton DK, 2 shades of blue Needles: 3.5mm straights This was a relatively straightfoward knit. There was a lot of seed sttich and ribbing and it had the longest strap ever! Although, in actual length it isn't as long as I expected it to be. The yarn is a good, sturdy yarn, as you would expect from mercerized cotton. And it is just perfect for a bag. Finishing off was rather fiddly, as expected. The inner pocket is a shade of darker blue in the same yarn. I put a snap on it also, so that it can shut. I was really pleased with how well I managed to line it and the yarn for the lining is just perfect.

I learnt some new techniques while making this bag. Mainly the i-cord bind-off which took ages but looks really good, and the i-cord edging, which is also really fussy but not as effective, methinks. It does make a really clean edging but I think I did it rather loose. Either way, I do really like the bag. Don't know if I would make it again, though. In other news, yesterday I ventured into town. It was the first day of the John Lewis sale :D I love the JL sale. I managed to get some rather nice yarn at bargainous prices!

I never realised before that I was so partial to red before! This wonderful bundle includes some glorious kid silk night and some baby llama stuff that is just gorgeous. So, all in all, good weekend :)]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.150 2008-06-26T20:05:04Z 2008-06-26T20:15:48Z

I have finished Female Elijah's head. I shan't take a photograph as, due to the colour and the fact that it is a head with a trunk, it looks rather like a sperm. Sorry, but it's true. I have been...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com What would you consider the perfect amount of stash? I think that this is probably too much as I would never in a million years knit my way through all that. I have 3 totes with stash. One tote is my everyday sock, small project yarn. One tote has some larger quantities of yarn (eg sweather worth amounts - I have 2/3 lots of sweater amounts of yarn) and the other has bits and pieces and needles and the like. I have a rather modest stash that is mainly sock yarn but that's always nice to buy! I think the perfect amount of stash is when you have a variety of different weights, a variety of different colours and enough for a few different small projects. Enough so that when you spot something on Rav, you can go and check and start straightaway. However, I do quite like buying for special projects. I love choosing yarn specifically for projects and whenever I am about to start something I like to have a look around for the perfect yarn. I think I am near the perfect amount of stash. Not a heeeeuuuuuge amount like some people seem to have (where do they put it all?!) but a modest amount and can yank something out for that impulsive cast on :) I also have to confess that most of my yarn is impulse buys due to sales. Very little of my yarn was purchased full price. I can't resist bargains. And a John Lewis sales that starts on Saturday will assist with getting that magical amount of yarn, methinks. So there you have it!]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.149 2008-06-25T20:06:56Z 2008-06-25T20:21:16Z

A while ago I purchased Crochet Motif Item by a person whose name I can't write! I bought it with the sole purpose of getting the pattern for the hexagon blanket. So, whilst I had nothing on the needles I...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com Crochet Motif Item by a person whose name I can't write! I bought it with the sole purpose of getting the pattern for the hexagon blanket. So, whilst I had nothing on the needles I thought I would try a hexagon on some random acrylic yarn I had lying about.

The pattern is written in Japanese, which was extremely daunting. However, life was made easier as they wrote their patterns using symbols rather than abbreviations. And as well as symbols, they have a really comprehensive stitch guide at the back, so it was easy to actually match up the stitches to the symbols. I don't need to know any Japanese at all :D The hex is quite funky. It comes up rather quickly and looks rather striking. It puckers slightly at the edges because the hexes are all joined on the go, through some chained stitches in the outside round. They wouldn't be so noticeable when other hexes are joined in. I love it :D I am already planning my hex blanket. But I'm not buying any more yarn. Not at the moment. Not til after our Italian holiday next month. After I crocheted my hexagon, I cast on a new project.

It is another Elijah! This is a female Elijah though. It is going to be for a friend's babba, who is due in September. They are having a wee girl so the elephant is going to be female. I wanted a really nice baby pink colour for it, but couldn't actually find anything suitable in John Lewis in town. So I have gone for a nice, neutral cream and will embellish with a baby pink ribbon, methinks. But I do love this pattern. And I love that it is a seam-less pattern. On a similar but different note, does any of the Sheffielders know when the John Lewis sale starts? They normally have one around this time of year and my google-fu is failing me ...]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.148 2008-06-22T14:32:41Z 2008-06-22T14:38:31Z

Well, Percy is all knitted up. I just have the unenviable task of putting all of this together! At least the strap of doom is complete. I do need to give it a little block first, I reckon. Nothing too...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com At least the strap of doom is complete. I do need to give it a little block first, I reckon. Nothing too spectacular. With a little bit of steam, methinks. I just need to find my iron first ... I have decided that as wonderful as cotton can be, I am not a big fan of it. I think I will make it all up next weekend. I don't want to do anymore of it today. It took me ages to find some suitable lining for it. Hobbycraft had nowt, John Lewis had nowt (they did have a really nice, helpful assistant, though) and as a last resort before internet I tried Dunelm Mill. They had lots of different options and I purchased 3 pieces of fabric. However, the snowflakes win. Summer of Socks 2008 started yesterday. I have knit no socks by today. On the Ravelry group, people have already finished their first socks. Not me. I haven't lifted my DPNs. I may start a sock tonight. I haven't decided. I quite fancy crocheting something. No idea what. Or toy knitting. I am in a bizarre, possible startitis mood. I think some delicious scones and homemade (not by me!) lemon curd may aid my decision.]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.147 2008-06-19T19:39:41Z 2008-06-19T19:46:57Z

Today I had some lovely post. I made my first etsy purchase the other day and bought a knitting cube by Schrodinger. Today it arrived and I love love love it :D It is everything I could possibly want in...

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com Schrodinger. Today it arrived and I love love love it :D

It is everything I could possibly want in a small projects bag. It is compact, easy to carry around, wonderfully made, beautiful material and I could go on! It's just perfect. Most of all, it is Suzy proof, so my needles are now safe. I put it to use straightaway. It is currently housing the longest strap in the history of strap: the strap from Percy.

As you can see, it is a rather long strap. And it gets longer:

And longer still:

And it's still not finished! Charlie was most curious about this funny bag with this long thing coming out of it. I think I shall be getting a lot of use out of it :D]]> tag:www.prettyinpurple.com,2008://1.146 2008-06-17T20:13:04Z 2008-06-17T20:17:40Z

A few of you may've remembered at the beginning of the year my post regarding some children's knitting. For those of you who have forgotten or are new to my blog, I was working with 5 children knitting scarves....

Laura http://www.prettyinpurple.com A few of you may've remembered at the beginning of the year my post regarding some children's knitting. For those of you who have forgotten or are new to my blog, I was working with 5 children knitting scarves. They hadn't got very far previously and their efforts were hit and miss. But it was their efforts and they were so proud of them. Well, the above photo shows their finished efforts. I did a little bit to finish them all off, but the children did lots themselves. And they are so proud of their efforts. One girl is even knitting at home as she loved it. It was so wonderful working with these children and sharing my enthusiasm. And even if only one of these children picks up the needles again, it was completely and utterly worth it. Bless 'em.]]>