Waist/waste

Okay, another gross mistake: Remeber, Ing., YOU still have waist!!! Some don't, but you do! So start knitting like it. Are people square? Not most of them. Are you square? Sure not.
People who claim their bust is 34'', maybe have a very bad measuring tape because otherwise how is it possible that, Ing. who has 36 '' around the boobs feels like in a sack in a pattern created for 34'' (using the same yarn! and the gauge measures out the same: 20 sts per 4 inches). Can someone explain that? (I did try it on several times, but the circular needles didn't help in showing the mistakes.) Anyways, I've marked the decrease-increase area, hope to finish it to tomorrow and have some nice pictures next week (for I am away this weekend in the South).
Here is my square:

Progress?!?

Kiri's length measured from the middle is now around 60 cm (meaning another 30 cm to go), I have knit 18 pattern repeats and it's getting worse. I have already nearly 400 loops on the needles, and it is going to be over 600. I haven't been knitting Kiri much for the past days, due to another project and also because the woollen yarn is hurting my index finger, I have to find a solution. I have 1 week to finish. And from that I am out of town for 4 days. Yeay! (Irony)
Debbie Bliss Cathay has found a new meaning and is being knit up to a summer top. I have reconditioned it all and skeined 2 x 50 gr, I have still a lot to skein. (Without a machine using a roll of carton it is pretty time-taking event.)

Clapotis numero Due

My new Clapotis! Knit with stripy 100% cotton yarn to protect me from chilliness of Italian nights. It also seems that it will do for the mild winters.

Before unravelling ladders I measeured the length to be 145 cm, in the end it stretched 20 cm more. I am very attached to it already (after 2 days :P) - it feels silky on skin, I wore it one evening and yesterday during daytime and it is proven to be warming and eyecatching, not to mention that it matches the color of my favourite summer pants.

Yarn: Katia Jamaica (100% cotton), used ca 260 gr.
Needles: 3, 75 mm
Pattern: Clapotis

I think it took me 15 hours to complete, not even comparable of the first Clapotis, which I knit with 3 mm needles. The yarn is extremely soft for cotton (almost comparable with Debbie Bliss Cathay, which you know contains silk) and was a plaesure to knit. And the colorline is amazing! I have 2 more skeins (of app 200 gr), any ideas what I could do?

R.I.P

I just decided that this yarn (Debbie Bliss Cathay), doesn't suit the pattern and the pattern doesn't suit me. So, I'll frog. And of course I already blocked it. So... erm... how does this yarn reconditioning go?

London Yarn stores

In my estonian blog Mia asked where she could find yarn stores in London, during my stay I discovered these places:
1. John Lewis (Oxford Street) and Peter Jones (Sloane Square) - In John Lewis selection is much bigger, as well as all other items of haberdashery, lately the section moved to 4th floor.
2. Loop - 41 Cross Street, Islington, closest underground stop is Angel (on Northern Line - black one). It is a very very very lovely boutique.
3. Teasels Yarncrafts - 842 High Road, Leyton. Closest underground stop is Leyton (Central line - red). Minus is that for a tourist this is very out from the central.
4. Liberty - Regent Street (between Piccadilly and Oxford Circus), 3rd floor. Good selection of English yarns. Good service when you look wealthy. Cold service when you don't look so wealthy. Brm... I won't start wearing makeup or a costume to go yarn-shopping.
5. FTM Shop (Fashion and Textile Museum) . English yarns. Bermondsey street 83, closest underground stop is London Bridge (Northern Line).
6. Infusion - 3 Chepstow Road, Notting Hill
7. I just heard that in June 2006, two knitting group friends are opening a new yarn shop in Putney - Stash Yarns. Those two women were tired of ordering the yarns from overseas and wanted to create a place where one can find "world's most beautiful yarns" - their adventures in opening the shop are described in knitaround blog. I will go next time in Lodnon for sure. They say they're going to sell Koigu yarn. One reason I have to buy it is very simple, Kersti is from Estonia!!! Brm, I am from Estonia (if i haven't written it before)
8. Bunty Wool - It is far from center and worth a visit when youa re anyways around. It is rather packed of stuff and you cannot see all, just ask the indian looking guy and he will help you, even order you the wool if you wish to. Daniel Department Store, 132 UXbridge Road, closest underground station Ealing Broadway (Piccadilly line - blue)
9. Wools and Crafts - again out of center, but rather close to the underground station Finsbury Park (Victoria line - light blue), 169 Blackstock Road.

That's it folks. Actually I do know some others, but they are very far from those who don't have their own car and some are in the parts of the city where I do not advise to go without a local.

New yarns

I ordered some yarns from new online yarn shop, that was before I found out I can go home to my parents this summer, if I would have known I could have saved quite a lot of money to buy more yarn from the postal expenses. But, ah what is done is done.

Novita Neli Raita (the blu and pink colored skeins) - my daughters sweater for the fall.
Katia Jamaica (fuxia-turquoise-brownish-orange) - new Clapotis (as I mentioned before in one post, the first one I gave to my mother, for she wears bold-deep colors)
Katia Jamaica (green, red, orange, brown) - I have 2 skeins, 200 gr (3 1/2 oz) and app. 400 m (438 yds), any ideas what it might become?
Novita 7veljestä Jätti Raita for socks.

As you can see, I haven't seen many stripy yarns on sale in these parts of the world.

Kiri

I started knitting shawl Kiri yesterday. I am using laceweight very very thin lambswool and knititng with 2,75 mm needles, which are 30 cm long. I think this is suicide. And it's just my Day 2. But don't worry, I'll finish it, at least ebfore 6th of June.

Birthday Wishes

For my birthday I wish:

• some Peruvian alpacas
  
• some Angora goats
• some Kashmir goats
  
• some Angora rabbits
• some Merino sheep
• A bit of silkworm colonies
  
• spinning equipment
  
• dyeing equipment
• one big studio where I would fit with my addiction
  
• 48 undisturbed hours a day and
  
• enough money to buy all yarn
  

That's it.
Oh and 1-2 pairs of extra hands would be nice.
And all sort of weaving, blocking, crafting with knitted items - would be nice if magically it would always be done :)

When children...

... are listening to fairy-tales in bookstore, moms can lure around. Especially if the hobby bookcorner is on the same level as the children's books.
This was the first time I discovered such a huge selection of handicraft books, from a bookstore in central Milano, for usually what you see mostly are decoupage and painting books, sometimes cross-stitch or embroidery as well. But this time I had time to properly look around, the secret is just to look also the bottom shelves.
So I bought R. Niccoli and M. de Ferrari "Pizzo Macramè" and a translation of this book.

News

Since I have nothing new to present, I'll give you a glimpse of what is happening.
First: I am knitting a summery cotton cardigan from Debbie Bliss Cathay. Since I used a pattern of different sort of yarn I've had to recalculate all, back and front pieces were easy, now I am knitting and frogging and knitting the first sleeve, for I haven't been able to work out a satisfying pattern yet. I am not very sure about the future of this cardigan. You know, in the magazines the models always have perfect sized bust - not big and yet not too small. And I am much more blessed with size, so I always have to worry whether the item being knit suits me. It seems this time it doesn't. So most likely I'll frog it and work out a design of my own.
But oh, the yarn is adorable, so soft, such a texture, perfect color...

I also discovered that I had bought nicely colored yarn for socks. Time to knit it for I have a new load of yarn coming from harriet.ee website soon. (Update: I skeined it... and started knitting a little, it's tooo harsh :(, how can I make 100% wool feel softer, does washing help?)

I also recieved Elann.com's yarn catalogue, and I would like to order one yarn from them, but I already have had bad experiences with overseas ordering - the 70dollar pack is on the way for the last 5 months so I have no hope of ever receiveing it.


And a new experience:
I bought my first bamboo needles (though I like alumium the best - haven't had many to try yet) mainly because I would like to knit a Haapsalu scarf (picture) and it requires very light needles, aluminium ones are too heavy. Some examples of most famous works: Haapsalu scarf "Silvia" for the Queen Silvia of Sweden, "Greta Garbo" made in 1936 for her, "Crownprince" - this pattern was created in 1932 for the crownprince of Sweden. I have already two books of lace patterns set ready.
But: bamboo needles are not slippery enough for me, so to move the stitches on the needles you have to use force or knit very loosely (which leaves an uneven result). But I am trying to learn to handle bamboo needles. I do like it, that they are light, and maybe for future projects with laceweight or smaller DK yarn I'll buy more of them. Right now I am not very impressed.