silk purse into sow's ear

So, despite what I said, I spent lots of this weekend knitting the silk top.
And the more I knit, the less I like it. It's really unflattering and fits oddly. The neck is too high, the bust shaping looks weird, I'm not sure I'd actually wear it. I'm not sure whether to rip it up and start something else or persevere. Thing is, the silk's really delicate and gets more delicate every time it's ripped. I've frogged some of it about three times already and there are loads of places where it's just broken mid row and I've had to leave dangling ends. I like the colours, but I'm not really convinced I like the way variegated yarns look over a large area. Close up, they're lovely, but from a distance all you see are little clumps of colour.

I don't know what to do, so I'm going to shove it all in a bag and leave it in the corner of my room until inspiration strikes.

knitting in the dark

On Tuesday night, I was knitting in a pub, which was great fun, if a bit noisy. I think we must have puzzled the doormen with our large bags of yarn. Hello to Mary, Anne, Liz, Rosie and Claire!

Still no pics, sorry.
I thought I'd record some of my knitting goals for the year.

Currently on the needles:

Angelica in a vintage Jaeger lambswool/cashmere navy yarn. It's very dark, but it feels yummy.

Silk top based on Ubernatural. I might actually rip this out and make another Angelica, or something else entirely, or I might keep going as it is. It's going to be a while before it's warm enough to wear this, so I'm in no hurry.

Currently waiting to be started:

Sock two of a pair of Jaywalkers. Getting the first one done was an epic, but sock two should be straightforward, when I get round to it.

Future projects:

Over Christmas, I acquired some of my Grandma's monster stash. She had bags and bags. I pulled out everything I liked the look of, basically anything purple or pink, plus the navy Jaeger stuff and a large bag of cream aran wool. I have plans for some of it. I'd really like to knit something along the lines of Leaves in Relief with the aran, maybe a cardigan, with or without hood, with the trees on the back cos I don't think trees across the bust would look good on me. I've never cabled before, so I think I need to work up to it. Maybe I'll start with a simpler cable pattern and learn how to read charts.

Another technique I'd like to try is entrelac. Another Knitty pattern, Danica, looks like a good place to start. I've seen some lovely entrelac scarves and stoles in Noro and other long repeat variegated yarns, which might be fun.

This year, I'd like to design and make myself something from scratch, from idea to finished garment. It doesn't have to be too complicated, but something a little more challenging than a scarf. Mind you, there are so many patterns around, that generally it's as easy to adapt someone else's as come up with your own. Still, I'd like to try it.

There will also be socks, baby garments of some sort, perhaps another Clapotis. Who knows what I'll end up knitting?

you're it

I've been tagged for a meme by Mary deB. She's tagged lots of Cambridgeshire knitters, so this can go on my knit blog.

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life:
1. Stuffing envelopes and making databases for science teachers (at least 2 jobs I've had fit this description)
2. Being office dogsbody for a firm of solicitors (brief but memorable for its dullness)
3. Organising courses on creativity for scientists (I liked this one, but it ended)
4. Telling the world about computing for particle physics. (I didn't like this one much.)

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:
1. Delicatessen
2. Breakfast at Tiffany's
3. Garden State
4. Amelie

Four Places You Have Lived:
1. Walthamstow, NE London (my birthplace)
2. Bath (During my Masters course. Beautiful)
3. Oxford (When I was an undergraduate. Nowhere else is quite like it)
4. Cambridge (except perhaps here, my new place of residence. Not yet home, perhaps it will grow to be soon)

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch:
1. Doctor Who (Unmissable under any circumstances)
2. Dramatisations of classic novels. Bleak House was particularly good last year.
3. I've seen a couple of episodes of My Name is Earl and I rather like it.
4. At the moment, Celebrity Big Brother seems to be on rather a lot in our house. Not sure I LOVE to watch it, but if it's on...

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation:
1. Newtown, Powys, Wales (Twice with my family and several times since)
2. Docking, Norfolk (With my parents, sisters and grandparens in nearby cottages)
3. The Isle of Skye, Scotland (the most beautiful place I have ever been)
4. Dartmoor, Devon (Where my grandparents used to live)

4 Websites You Visit Daily:
1. Google
2. Guardian Unlimited
3. Blogger
4. Thinklings

Four Of Your Favorite Foods:
1. Chocolate (especially dark chocolate. Divine is particularly good.)
2. Bananas
3. Chicken Dopiaza
4. Turkey Mole. This isn't the recipe I'd use though.

Four Places You Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. Asleep in a punt in the summer sunshine in Oxford or Cambridge
2. Stomping across Dartmoor
3. Paddling up a Norweigan fjord
4. In bed

I'll tag you, you, you and YOU.

still no pictures

But I couldn't not record that this Saturday I went to me first meet-up with other knitters. Yay! I met some lovely knitters, including the Crafty Otter, which is the first time I'm read someone's blog and then met them in real life. There was a yarn swap, to which I took various purple fluffy bits and came home with some Rowan Big Wool Tuft and some unnamed lilac dk.

I'm a bit frustrated by not being able to put up pictures. I've joined the Angelica knitalong and I have some progress to report, but there's no much point without a picture. All the more motivation to find a solution.

temporary blip

I think I shall have to declare a temporary hiatus here at pigwotknits. I have moved to Cambridge, away from my parents' house and have changed jobs and therefore no longer have access to my dad's digital camera or the one I borrowed from work. Since I think there's little point in a knitting blog with no images, I'll put things on hold until such time as I have the means of illustrating my posts. This may involve buying a computer and a camera. Or I might figure something out with my camera phone. We'll see.

ttfn