So, to that end, here is the all-new Dizzy Knits blog. Hi, I am Dizzy, I live in the East Midlands and I knit and crochet and bead and embroider and do practically anything really that involves fibre and thread. I am 38 (how the devil did that happen?), married to Mr Perfect and have one gorgeous 10-year-old son, known as The Boy. On Ravelry I am TheBeadyHooker. The point and purpose of this blog is to add extra 'stuff' to my Ravelry Notebook, a diary of WIPs and UFOs and new stash arrivals and so on, including any non-yarn-related creative stuff (there isn't much of that at the moment, I am definitely going through a yarn addiction just now) and life stuff.
Recently I acquired this:
Ridiculously cheap on ebay. Homespun lambswool, somewhere around a chunky in weight, seven 60-odd metre skeins of it. It had been spun 'in the grease' so some googling ensued to find out how to get rid of the lanolin and bits of straw and so on. I dumped it all in a very hot bath with some carpet shampoo, *let it soak for a bit, swished it gently, watched the water turn yellow, drained the bath and filled it again with plain hot water and repeated from * a half-dozen times or so, which seems to have got rid of most of the stickiness. I am currently winding it into one long skein, joining the ends with the 'wet and twist' method as I go. Then I'll dye it with food colouring and probably knit a shawl out of it. Even still slightly sticky and scratchy with straw bits, it's gorgeous. It's unevenly spun, unevenly plied (perhaps by a beginner, but I've never done any spinning so what do I know?) and it is FABULOUS.
Currently on the needles and close to completion is my Truly Tasha's Shawl, done in beautiful purpley/magenta Silkwood hand-dyed wool yarn. I originally bought this yarn as 4ply for socks, but when it arrived it was more of a DK weight so I mentioned this on my next order. The store owner emailed me and said she was sorry, she'd take it back if I didn't have a use for it and refund my money (me? return yarn? especially beautiful, real wool, purple yarn? Never in a million years), or she had two last skeins in that colourway I could have at cost if I wanted them. I nearly bit her hand off, and then had three skeins of this beautiful purple yarn I didn't know what to do with... While searching Ravelry for a lace shawl pattern for a different yarn I found the wonderful Nancy Bush and her site and fell in love. I'd been feeling chilly since coming back from our holiday on the Isle of Wight, cast on immediately and warmed up just knitting it (certain colours have that effect on me.) It's nearly done, the top edge border is complete and all I have to do now is the sides.
Also on the needles (languishing while I finish my Magenta Tasha) is the fourth sock for Dad's birthday. The first sock was frogged for being too big, the second for being too small, the third is just right and now I'm trying to get the fourth to match it. I'm using a black and charcoal space-dyed sock yarn, and beginning to really hate the colour, it's so drab. This one stays in my handbag and gives me something to do while sitting in waiting rooms or in the car. I really want to get it finished so I can cast on with this:
eventually this will become a pair of socks for Mr Perfect. It's not a great pic, but there's actually some pink in this brown colourway (soft, baby pink at that) and he chose it himself. Can't wait to find out how it knits up, it feels gorgous. And if Mr Perfect won't wear the socks because of the pink, I'll have 'em instead. Win-win.
And then there's Perdita X Nitt, my gothy version of this amigurumi doll, who is currently armless, and a cute little jacket for a friend's baby due in September.
I received a few extra stash acquisitions yesterday:
The softest kid mohair DK imaginable. I'd never heard of the ggh brand before (it's german) and I'm guessing that nobody else in the UK has either because I got all seven 25g, 138 metre balls of it for the grand sum of £10.50. Unbelievable.
This is Lister Cachet, an acrylic/wool blend, in shades of orange, coral, yellow and purple. A bit brighter in real life than the pic shows, and slightly itchier than I was hoping for, but the 360g I have should make a Column of Leaves set of scarf, hat and mitts. Lovely bright warming colours to make our drab British winters a bit more bearable.
And finally, we have 6 balls of Regia Stretch in pale blues. I'm a bit miffed with the seller actually, who posted one pic of one ball and didn't say they were all the same, just said they were 'multi coloured'. I was hoping for different colourways, but what the heck - I like blue, my mum (a rambler) likes blue, so there will be blue socks in my future, and blue socks for Christmas (mum, don't read that bit).
Mr Perfect has rather fallen in love with a zip-up jacket from Son of Stitch and Bitch, so we may be going to Heath's at the weekend to get the yarn for it. So much for my poverty-induced yarn diet then ;-) Heath's might have to wait another week though - The Boy has 11+ practice on Saturday and the exam centre is 16 miles or so in the wrong direction. I am suffering from Heath deprivation (the Manos is to die for) so it will be soon. Mmmm Crystal Palace Kid Merino in Strawberries & Limes, you will be mine!
No comments:
Post a Comment