AV Knits on the Run

Seneca

2011-12-07T23:15:00.007Z

Seneca pullover by Jared Flood is coming on slowly but surely. Love that soft angora Classic Elite Yarns Lush yarn, so fluffy, light, and warm. The sweater is knitter down up, then sleeves are joined in and the whole thing is finished off with lovely cabled yoke. So far I am all done up to that assembly point!

3 years

2011-11-25T17:15:00.005Z

I've got a discretionary leave to remain and work here! it is not a permanent one but I guess with taking so much time off 9-8 years ago being sick it is fair. My love affair with UK continues but it will not take me another 3 years to settle here. In my heart however I am fully settled and love this country with all its rain, drafts and humidity but also with fantastic science community and opportunities. Being allowed to do what you love the most is what counts in the end ;)

2011-11-18T13:46:00.003Z

Truly this month is getting worse... Dear mum, I know you are reading it, please get better soon... hopefully you will be able to go home in couple of weeks... what a huge scare those two last day were...

Meanwhile here is a bit of knitting I ve been trying to focus on. I am currently battling with sleeves of Thorington as original pattern is just not working, so I am trying to do them using my favorite set-in-short row model aligning stripes.

Black

2011-11-14T15:32:00.004Z

Loosing three people you love in as many weeks is incredibly sad... particularly when it is so incredibly random... just still feels surreal... Rest in peace H, N and G, you will not be easily forgotten

"I know somewhere you'll have a beautiful life,
I know you'll be a sun in somebody else's sky"
PJ

Old and New

2011-10-27T14:04:00.008Z

I have finally submitted my thesis (well a month ago now) with the viva set in December I finally have time to look for jobs, knit and simply relax. So nice not to be at work for up to 18hrs a day.

Here are some of my old and new favorites

Hair, face and nail care

Make up: new mascara and prep mascara from MAC in detail

Tall Sundae finished

2010-02-21T10:14:00.003Z

Yep, finished a week back now but just now finally photographed. Well it is still not washed and framed but that would have to wait. Now I am stitching a new chart: Venice kit from Lanarte. It is beautiful but unfortunately presorted thread is so annoyingly short.

What? A CC?

2010-01-30T09:36:00.004Z

Yep, I am in the CC mood again, no knitting done around here, instead I've picked up my "Tall Sundae" (last stitched back in June, khe-khe)and it is going pretty fast I should say.

All about shoes

2010-01-21T13:19:00.007Z

Just wanted to share more picture of my currently favourite shoes to cheer me up on a rainy dark Thursday afternoon in a basement ;) Sometimes work is just not fun.

Fhómhar

2010-01-17T15:07:00.005Z

My final project of 2009 is finally blocked and ready to show. It is yet another shawl, in the colourway I like, triangular, only this time it is a gift.
Fhómhar shawl in colour Pumpkin Spice, more pics on Ravelry

New Year resolutions

2010-01-02T00:38:00.003Z

This year resolutions are same as last year:
1. keep loosing more weight and get fitter
2. not work too much, try 9-7 with weekends off
3. work to the schedule, not random hours, in the end I get too tired and loose productivity
4. find more motivation to get out and train more often

New ones:
5. run my first half-marathon in March
6. train enough to start marathon distances
7. improve sleeping pattern (probably through more counselling)

I will also try to post much more often and not just on knitting but also on my running training

Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-31T10:52:00.004Z

Wish you all a great year full of love, laughter and happiness!

PS: It is not snowing now but was last week, I am off to London to see my dad!

Christmas present to myself Part I

2009-12-28T20:57:00.002Z

Coloumar Cashmerino cobweb yarn, originally uploaded by bb03aav.

new cobweb yarn from Colourmart

Winning another battle

2009-12-26T13:49:00.004Z

I have been knitting a sweater for my DB for the past two years. The pattern is not that difficult but there are just way too many problems with it. To start I've decided to knit it in the original yarn which have been discontinued for a very long time... Why, because I've done another sweater in it and really like it, so I went ahead and bought enough on the e-bay... Well, I though that it would be enough based on the yardage suggested, little did I know that it was oh so wrong and I would eventually run out of yarn twice!!! Fist time happened last year just when it is been in the making for nearly a whole year, I was lucky and bought 2 more balls on Ravelry (just to be on the safe side).
The sweater was supposed to be a birthday present, so this October I've picked it up... and run out of yarn yet again! Now after over a month of searching I have enough to complete... And what happens.. sleeve caps are completely wrong: they are massive, enormous, gigantic!!!!!!!!!!!! I do not like to assemble sweaters, even less I like to recalculate sleeve caps, this time however, I was forced to do just that... one sleeve is in now, the second is waiting, then the collar... Oh the struggle continues but I will not be defeated by some wool

Merry Chrismas!

2009-12-24T14:47:00.004Z

I hope you are all having a great festive day with your loved ones...

German Christmas Market 2009

2009-12-21T22:06:00.007Z

Every year Birmingham hosts the largest German Christmas market outside Germany. There is plenty of traditional food, souvenirs and glintwine! Here in England it's been a cold and snowy weekend, so we had had an amazing Christmas experience despite me being sick... and a national traffic gridlock. Here are some of the pictures I'd like to share

FO: Eskimo hat

2009-12-05T14:36:00.005Z

Another FO: a very quick knit (one hour of work actually) done from recycled yarn. It is bulky, big and very warm. The hat was done two weeks ago and worn extensively. In fact it got so popular among friends and colleagues I was asked to knit them a copy and since replicated it in 3 other colours! Here is my one with my new birthday coat and shoes...

FO: CheChe

2009-11-15T15:42:00.010Z

Another finished FO, something I never though I would make and from the yarn I wasn't particularity keen on... In the end I think it was destined to become a CheChe, a lovely shawl I actually do feel like wearing those days ;)

Small things

2009-11-08T11:29:00.005Z

that make life brighter ;)

There are no new pictures of knitting today, they are all in a complete UFO state and not yet to be seen. Instead are some lovely vintage things I have recently purchased to spice up my wardrobe. The shoes are absolutely stunning and should go very well with some of my vintage bags and hats form the early 50-s, late 40s period. All purchased at etsy And photos are courtesy to sellers

FO: Peacock Tail and Leaf Scarf

2009-11-01T15:12:00.004Z

Finally a proper FO! A spontaneous project knitted on a whim of inspiration. I love Nancy Bush designes and so her recent book Knitted lace of Estonia isn't an exception. This scarf is my second project from it and I have to say it is most definitely not the last. I fell in love with this scarf from the start but did not have any green coloured yarn in my stash, so one day last month I was looking at one of the blogs I am often reading and there I saw the yarn! It was a beautiful shade of green, beautiful yarn, so I quickly went to etsy shop got the desired skew in colour Marigold. And not only it is simply stunning it is also entirely organic!
So the yarn came in two weeks ago and very quickly I could not knit anything else. I guess there is no need to say I LOVE the end result and have been wearing it daily through last week. More pictures of the scarf are on my Ravelry page

April FO: Roza Socks

2009-10-25T13:18:00.005Z

This is the last pair of sock I have knitted, they are also the last item I have completed in a long time. Finished in April during my water fasting experiment are Roza Socks by Grumperina from IK Spring 2007.

I have shamefully taken the yarn and colour idea from Navi (I really like your version much more than the original). More info on Ravelry

Cross roads

2009-10-22T12:49:00.004Z

my work sucks big time right now, there is soooo much politics involved, there is no time or energy left to actually do science. And when you do it gets blown into pieces. Do you guys ever have days when you just do not want to leave the house and would prefer to quietly hide in the distant corner? It has been tough here for the past 2 weeks and I have to push myself every single day. Why or why I take work so closely to my heart... I think I might go for a looong run today just to clear my head

What I really need though is a long weekend away hiking, just like we did this summer

CRUK 10K in Cambridge

2009-10-18T13:21:00.008Z

I've run my second race today and oh boy was it a difficult one for me! For starters I do not like running on the grass particularly if it rained the night before, I also do not enjoy running on the grass where cows roamed... It is very difficult to believe but here in Cambridge there are cows roaming large public grass land. Since it is "public", animal right activists think they have the right to put their cows there and apparently they do. I've been a vegetarian for the past 9 years now but even I cannot stand them, they block the path and they do their dirty business everywhere... So imagine 2000 people running on that field, I was not impressed. But some of the path was through colleges and fellow gardens and that I have to say was amazing, particularly once the sun came out.

By the time I've done 5K I thought I would die and during the last one I was literally counting meters down. I thought that was strange since I always do 10K on my practice runs now and this Tuesday I went all the way to 10miles... so I was pleasantly surprised at the finish line to find out I run my fastest 10K ever with just over 60min (usually I am 10-15min slower!). I have another 10K race coming in just under one month in London, so hopefully I will improve my pace even more...

And on the knitting front I am slowly but surely sticking to my sweater, I am now about 25% done (based on the overall number of yarn); I am knitting the main body in the round since I do not like sewing parts together (particularly stripy ones) and it must be about 1/2 of the length...hopefully in 2-3 weeks it will be finished, so I can finish Camden sweater for my DB birthday

Back...

2009-10-11T15:39:00.006Z

It's been a long time since my last post and I was around all this time, just not writing. In the beginning I was too busy with summer and not knitting. Really this non-knitting for about 6 months completely demolished any desire to write.
My last post was on cross-stitch and since then I have not done a singe stitch, I am not allowed to due to recurrence of visual problems. When you spend a lot of time in front of the microscope or even worse a confocal microscope, cross stitch is not the best idea.

Also I discovered the joy of outdoor activities such as hiking, scrambling and running. Running is a separate topic since I am seriously getting hooked on it. I used to be one of those people who hates runners or just not sees the point in that. In fact if anyone had told me I will be running 4 times a week 6 months ago I would have laughed. But ever since loosing weight in the spring my body was aching for exercise, so I started running once or twice a week. I am slow, really slow but it doesn't bother me any more; I do my 10-12K in over an hour with every single other runner overtaking me and I like it. I run for myself for the joy and freedom it brings. And today I did my first fun run of 4.5K. Running a properly organised event is a completely different experience, it has it's ups and downs but it is simply great. I am running a 10K race in Cambridge for Cancer Research UK next Sunday with friends, so hopefully large crowds will not scare me any more.

Oh and now the most important part ;).... I am slowly starting to knit again! That's right I am still a knitter. To get back into it I even bought more yarn and started a new project!

CS project #1: Tall sundae

2009-07-12T10:14:00.005Z

Here is the first project I picked up 3 weeks ago, it is not going too fast but I am really enjoying the process! It is going to be one of the two sister pictures for my kitchen, something bright and easy to stitch just as I am getting back into shape.
There are 4 pages adn this is about 1 and 1/2 pages done (picture taken on Friday), it is now almost 2 full pages completed.

Life after fasting

2009-07-10T23:19:00.004Z

I haven't died. I fasted for two more days following the last entry and then started to feel pretty sick and had to slowly start eating.
I am doing fine and put on very little weight in the past 1 1/2 months of eating. The lowest weight went down to 62.8kg and now I am 64.5kg. My life had changed in the process, I fell in love with the food I could not stand before and stopped liking many things I did.

Unfortunately, I have also stopped knitting, the more I fasted the more I wanted to stop. I am into cross stitching now, something I had stopped 5 years ago when I picked up knitting. I did put on weigh around that time, so maybe there is a connection. I like looking at my yarn and do feel guilty about not knitting but really don't want to do it now.

Here is how I look now (with my mum visiting Ely)

Day 30!

2009-05-15T17:03:00.002Z

I am still alive and doing well! With both crises being over, I can simply enjoy myself now. And considering how busy work wise I've been all week, I would say not eating certainly has plus sides. For instance, I do not have to think about lunch and dinner, I can just go on with my experiment without rushing for a quick one now and then.

My tongue is almost completely pink now and I am starting to feel hunger pangs for about 2-5min every couple of days, therefore I am not sure I will fast for another full 10 days, maybe just 5. I do not want to abuse my body and I am pretty happy with the way I look now.

I am down to 64.1kg

Day 20: Half way point!

2009-05-05T21:29:00.003Z

I am half day done!!! Well I am currently just way too tired to be cheerful, not feeling that well at all today, was sleepy all afternoon and once again found it rather difficult to walk up the stairs. Just really want to feel more energetic again. So I am off to bed,

my weight is the same today

Days 17-19 and Dulce

2009-05-04T17:13:00.004Z

Sorry for not writing, I haven't stopped fasting I had my crisis point. And oh God was it bad, At some point I thought I would not make it through. My whole body was hurting really bad for two days. I am only happy it happened during the bank holiday weekend and not during the working week, that would have been a complete disaster. At any rate it is over now, and I did have a good night sleep tonight since haven't slept at all previous night. I would not wish anyone to go through it, all books say crisis it tough but I was not prepared.
I am down to 66.7kg!

Also, just to show what loosing all this weight means in turns of clothes is the picture of Dulce. When I've started it it in mid-March I swear it was a perfect fit for me, not any more. More info on Ravelry

Day 16

2009-05-01T19:21:00.001Z

I don't know what to write really, just another day full of work. I am feeling OK and not that hungry. Didn't sleep that much last night because of work, so feeling tired today.

I am down to 68.5kg

Day 15

2009-04-30T18:27:00.002Z

Today is a bit of a crappy day for me since I do not feel very well, nothing major, just a bit there and there. A bit nauseous, a bit cranky. Want to get home but there is too much work in the lab, so don't think I will finish before half 10 :(

My weight is the same, nothing changed.

Day 14 (two full weeks)

2009-04-29T20:19:00.002Z

Two weeks done! I am feeling generally fine but in the morning was a bit nauseous. It seems that if I drink a bit more than 250ml it gets too much for me. Also I forgot to take magnesium supplement yesterday so ended up with a crump today.

I am down to 69kg, -9kg overall.

Day 13

2009-04-28T19:54:00.002Z

Another one down, almost two weeks without food. I am the same weight as yesterday but did lose cms. In fact most my clothes is now too big. I was trying the new top I've finished and it is huge! A bit upset about it since I have never actually wore it, will have to be gifted.

Day 12

2009-04-27T19:22:00.002Z

Here is me again, I am feeling fine although a bit shitty in the morning. I think I must be entering the crisis time soon, after which body will feel much better. Strangely enough I still do not have any bad breath!

I am just back from the S&B knitting meeting (trying to finish my second Roza's sock).

I am 69.7kg!

Days 10 and 11

2009-04-26T11:41:00.004Z

I didn't get the chance to write last night, so today is a brief summary for two days. On Friday night we went playing badminton, after about 30min I was already tired bit still made it till the end. We were playing no-stop though, so it was pretty intense.

Yesterday I spend half a day in the garden doing some cleaning, planting more flowers and sorting out seeds and and seedlings. This year I am planning on growing two types of tomatoes, two types of courgettes, some sugar snaps, French broad beans, spinach and basil. Only and one or two of each though since the garden is tiny and communal (we are shearing with two other neighbours). I am very excited about it, cannot wait until end of May so I can plant it all outside!

We also went to Gary Moor concert last night, that was nice but very tiresome, I've never been in the standing before in my life, balcony or tables is just so much more comfortable!

Oh, I am doing abit of knitting as well, nothing much but I have finished a top which I simply cannot photograph due to the ever chaning weather; next week will be even worse with continious rain :(((

I am down to 70.1kg

Day 9

2009-04-24T17:47:00.002Z

Almost a quarter done! I am doing OK, not so much tired today. I had a massive cramp in my leg last night, horrible one I must say. So I did a bit of research and found out that is most likely to be due the lack of magnesium. Paul Bragg does recommend hard water and hard water is very rich in magnesium, but I cannot get it here. And it doesn't store in the body much, so I have decided to get a supplement. Feeling much better now.
I am down to 70.8kg

Day 8 (1 full week)

2009-04-23T19:20:00.002Z

I know I should feel pretty happy about it but I am not. I am just sooooo tired to day. Past two days have been an absolute nightmare, I don't know whether this is due to the lack of food, or period. Today I am just tired and hungry, and then more tired. Cannot wait to get home. Work has been very difficult and time consuming around here and it is only going to get worse. Oh well, will see how it goes.

I am down to 71.2kg

Day 7

2009-04-22T19:26:00.002Z

Everything is fine, no pain just a bit of tiredness, but then again I did have a 13hr working day today. I've noticed that in the past couple of days my lips started to get very dry, a bit annoying that's it.

I am down to 71.7kg today and this is including my first day of period. Overall I am very happy!

Day 6

2009-04-21T18:15:00.003Z

This is going to be a short one, I had such a long day a work today, just need to rest. I am feeling OK, my stomach is hurting quite a bit and I think it is due to an excess of acid. Hopefully it will go soon; also my left tonsil is hurting probably because not all the stuff is cleaned from it.

My weight in the morning was the same as yesterday 72.5kg but I have lost about a cm in waist, hips and thigh. I am not measuring my chest/breast circumference at all since I would not mind loosing a bit there as well but it is not critical.

Day 5

2009-04-20T07:01:00.004Z

I am fine! We went out with a bunch of friends last night, no one knows what it is I am doing so I just said I already had a dinner and have to do disections in the morning, so there was only plain water for me. The thing is physically I do not feel hungry anymore, but sicological reflex still prevails.
I am feeling OK today and so did yesterday with the exception for being tired in the afternoon, we went to the gardening centre and my stomach was killing me. I think it might be shrinking because it does gramble a lot particularly at night.
My left tonsil is getting a clean up which I am very happy about, so today there is almost no bad breath for me!

I am down to 72.5kg, clothes is getting looser now, yey!!!

Day 4

2009-04-19T09:47:00.002Z

Today is already day 4 of my adventure. I am much better with denying myself any food by now. Last night I couldn't go to church for the Easter service because I cannot take communion, this is probably one of the big downsides for me, but there was no other choice. Refusiong to take it would have beed like slapping the priest.

I did experience a lot of kidney pain through out yesterday which is very unusual to me as I never ever had any problems with them, I think it is because I dehydrated myself, so I bought mineral water with low salt composition and drank about 4L of it. The pain has gone completely by now. But now I have a slight burning in my heart...

My tongue is completely white which is a typical symptom of detoxification of the body, oh and my teeth look so much whiter now as if I professionally cleaned them (that is probably due to the lack of coffee and tea ;))

I am 73.2kg today! Almost -5kg

Day 3

2009-04-18T08:08:00.003Z

I am still sticking to it! Yesterday was so much easier, I managed to devote 3hrs to non-stop flat cleaning (finally), cooked dinner for DH and went for a two hour walk. All in all I still think I can do it, but sometimes I have hunger pangs and I did become very short tempered. I also have a very changing mood as one miute I am perfectly happy and the next I feel like screaming at the world. I now understand why most people seek solitude when they undergo it. Another thing, I notice that as with my mood, I feel energized and 20 min later need a break.

I am down to 74.2kg, almost -4kg overall

Day 2 (take 2)

2009-04-17T09:46:00.001Z

No, I haven't broken my diet yesterday, in fact I took it further and turned it into the first day of water fasting. I am feeling much better, getting used to it, feeling much more energised. Last night I did develop a sore throat and a headache (seems like headache is going to be a permanent feature of this process).

I actually gained 0.5kg taking my weight to 75.9kg but lost 4cm around my hips and 4.5cm around my waist.

Hopefully I will get used to it soon, things I miss the most is coffee in the morning and tea in the evening, also for the past two nights I've been having food dreams ;)

Day 3

2009-04-16T13:59:00.002Z

Yesterday was very difficult, it was horrible to say the least, by the end of the day I ended up with a headache and couldn't fall asleep until 3am. Today is so much better: no headache and no hunger. I haven't eaten at all today, cannot even look at the buckwheat any more ;). If I do not anything by the end of today I will consider it my first day of water fasting.
I am down to 75.4kg, sugar is fine, still feel salty in the back of the throat. Yesterday I must have drunk at least 5L of water

Day 2

2009-04-15T10:01:00.003Z

One day down 6 more to go... Well excluding last night it is not that difficult! During the day I was too busy to think about food much and plain food for lunch haven't bother me, but the evening came and all have changed.
I was super hungry, do not think it was a real physiological hunger more like me being so used to having a nice dinner with my DB. And he was having his in front of me and watching the great British menu where they showed an amazing fish pie. Have to say it did nearly resulted in me suffocating from excess saliva ;) Tough, I really had to pull all my concentration, hopefully it will get better today.

On the positive site: I did not get any headache in the evening! I was experiencing a lot of saltiness on the back of my throat through out the day (this was very annoying) and to my goals. I managed to go down to 2.5L all together (by 1.5L I have meant cold water I take during the day but also I am having a large cup of warm one before meal intakes and in the evening). And I am 76.4kg today, I know it is not fat yet, just excess liquid but still I do feel better and less bloated.

I am back...

2009-04-14T09:46:00.003Z

Hi, I am back or sort of back... I will be using this blog to keep me motivated with my weight loss and not knitting because really I do not have much time for knitting with work completely taking over for now. In August I have started WW but did not like it and after coming back from a conference in September decided to take more drastic measures by completely cutting down some carbs and sweets and going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I did lose 10kg and started to feel much better...

However with work being the way it is now I have no time for the gym and want to start running in the morning instead because I could do it at 6-7am before work. But with my current weight it is a bit tricky, 3K in 25min is my maximum with 2 short breaks and being out of breath for the next 40min. Another issue is salt. I love salt, I am addicted to it and can eat by itself, and as a result my joints are starting to hurt. Last two weeks had been particularly painful as my 2nd MCP on the right hand was killing me and what is worse preventing my lab work.

To do it ideally I would like to fast for 40days... My parents are both huge fans of water fasting and have been doing it at least once a year for the past 10 or so years, but I could only manage 10 days once. So I am not sure I can do it right now. Instead I am starting a buckwheat diet for the next 7 days. And if I am fine after it I will reconsider a 40 day water fast.

The diet is simple I can eat up to 250g of hot water boiled buckwheat a day with no butter/oil/salt added to it, absolutely plain, with last consumption being at 7pm (6 hours before sleep) I can also drink as much water as I fancy.

So, today is day 1: My weight is 78kg and currently I am consuming a minimum of 2.5-3L of water a day (not counting tea and coffee).
My goal is to lose 6-8kg and most importantly lower my water consumption to 1.5L a day.

I will be measuring my blood sugar levels in the mornings (starting tomorrow) and hopefully with blog daily to keep myself motivated.

2008 Olympics Part II: Flow top

2008-08-27T07:50:00.005Z

Second project that was born on a wimp, got the yarn, spend the night thinking what pattern to knit and got on with it. To me it wasn't about knitting Olympics and finishing this one on time, I just wanted to know whether I will have enough yarn to finish and will it fit me or not.

Pattern: Flow by Noragh Gaughan from Berroco Noragh Gaughan vol 2
Yarn: 3 skews of SweetGeorgia Yarns Buttercrunch in natural indigo dye (sheds a lot when at work)
Size: 38 but knitted 30 due to a huge gauge difference
Needles: 4.5mm
Modifications: I didn't have enough yarn to finish the neckband and armbands, so I omitted them which still looks great with this yarn

2008 Olympics Part I: German Stockings

2008-08-17T17:44:00.006Z

I am having a great knitting weekend, some WIPs are getting finished in reasonable time!
As I wrote before I've decided on knitting German Stockings for this years summer Olympics but half way through realised it wasn't as challenging as I thought. So I've started an additional project (Flow top, Ravelry link). Both are now done!!!

Here is first instalment: German Stockings

Pattern: German Stockings by Cookie A.
Yarn: 1.5skews of Mama Blue Knitting Goods Simple Merino Sock in colour Naked on a Tuesday
Needles: Addi 2.5mm
Time taken to knit: 8 days

Eye candy Saturday

2008-08-16T09:17:00.002Z

Does this get your knitting mojo back?

What I did this summer

2008-08-03T12:12:00.012Z

Well... I am not blogging again. This past month was pretty hectic, not only from work point of you, but also socially. We had 3-5 afterwork things a week and I did make it to most of them. DB and me also travelled up north to visit the Peak district and Chatsworth (the house of Mr Darcy ;)). I was not really taken by it, but grounds are stunning, a must visit for everyone.

Knitting-vice I finished one pair of socks, started another pair, bought quite a bit of yarn, and selected my Ravelry-Olympic project. It's German Stockings by Cookie A. Something I long wanted to knit and something I know I will wear a lot because Anna socks have been worn extensively though winter.

I leave you with Kusha Kusha scarf pics ( did I tell you I LOVE it)
Enjoy the rest tof your knitting weekend ;)

Project: Kusha Kusha Scarf (Kit-78) by Setsuko Torii
Yarn: 1 skew of Habu Silk Stainless A-20/21 1/20 in black and 1 skew of

Habu Super Fine Merino A-177 in colourway 56
Needles: 3.25mm, 3.5mm, 4mm and 5mm

Jasmine

2008-06-24T20:32:00.006Z

Hey, I am back from Russia! There are two new projects I ought to blog about but first is long anticipated Jasmine. I am not happy with the knit, don't get me wrong, the model itself is great, it is me not knitting the right size. It ended up being huge, something in between 1 to 2 sizes too large. Please note, it is pinned on all pictures and on one stretches to fit properly. Too bad as I am not going to wear it, anyone interesting in having it?

Привет, я вернулась из отпуска в России! За это время начала 2 новые вязалки, но цначала фотки Жасмин. Мне готовый вариант не нравится: слишком болшой. Сама модель очень хорошая, но мой связанный размер на 1-2 размера слишком большой. На всех фотках кофта присборина, а на второй ещё и сильно натянута, что бы показать как я бы её хотела, и она и была бы свяжи я свой размер. Я не буду носить, кто-нибудь хочет забрать?

Pattern: Jasmine by Kim Hargreaves (Nectar)
Yarn: 6.2 balls of Rowan 4-ply Cotton in colour shale for size 40"
Needles: 2.5mm and 3.00mm

Модель: Жасмин от Ким Харгреавес (из сборника Нектар)
Пряжа: 6.2 мотка Rowan 4-ply Cotton в цвете Shale на размер 40"
Спицы: 2.5мм и 3.00мм

Splash of colour

2008-06-09T20:46:00.005Z

I love bright colours: oranges, raspberry pinks, all shades of yellows and greens. Over the course of my life I've lived in different professionally decorated houses: form 18th century rococo museum type to Kelvin Klein minimalistic ones. I am not comfortable in any of them, I feel out of place, it is either way over the top or scarily clean. I like airy and colourful flats, where I do not feel guilty for leaving a cup of coffee on a table, where I can store all my books and just a right amount of clutter ;) Currently the flat I'm renting is quite frankly boring and since I cannot do any proper changes, I am left to play with decorations. So yesterday I got 9 lovely prints from a great etsy shop I've been eyeing for some time now. I will frame them in a pine wood frames (2 inches deep), all identical size and display above the sofa.
Я очень люблю яркие, насыщенные цвета: все оттенки оранжевого, малиново-розового, жёлтого и зелёного. За свою жизнь я успела пожить в разных домах, все они были префессионально декорированны от Барокко 18-го века до полного минимализма. И во всех них я не чувствовала себя камфортно, тк все они были доведины до совершенства: либо слишком напыщенные, либо до ужаса стерильные. Сама я предпочитаю много света и цвета, квартиры в корорых я могу оставить кружку из под кофе на столе, поместить все мои книги и кучу моих мелочей ;) В настоящее время я снимаю очередную квартиру и в ней нельзя делать ничего в ремонтном плане, но можно играть с декором. Вот так вчера я ноконец-то купила 9 принтов, которые оформлю в одинаковые рамочки из светлого дерева где-то в 5-ть см глубиной и повешу как группу(как на картинке) над диваном в вязальном углу зала. Купила их в давно мной посещаемом магазинчике на (см ссылку выше)

Waiting /Ожидая

2008-06-07T17:19:00.007Z

Recently my life is all about waiting: for the rain to stop and summer to come (seriously it is like +15 in June!), for my flies to hatch, so I could get on with my life, for my holiday break in a week form now, for buttons to arrive (Jasmine is done but there are no buttons), for my extra pounds to drop off...
В последнее время всё, что я делаю-это жду чего-то. Жду когда же прекратится доздь и потеплеет (+15 для июня слишком холодно), жду когда вылупятся мушки и я смогу начать экперимент, жду начала отпуска через неделю, жду пуговицы для Jasmine, жду когда же начнут таять мои кг.

I am knitting in a meantime, my long going-never-lasting-shawl. It was supposed to be a present for my grandma, but I know I would not be able to finish it in time. I do NOT like the yarn, have to push myself cursing at every row (it is 144 now).
А пока я жду я вяжу мою никогда-не-увижу-ей-конца-шаль. Задумывалась она ещё для бабушки в подарок, но теперь уже точно не успею закончить. Меня просто бесит в работе пряжа (помните я ещё долго не могла модель на неё подобрать), вяжу и хаю каждый ряд (так уже до 144 дошла)

At least I finally received some lovely yarn to make B-Side Cardigan
А ещё я получила вот такую красивую пряжу на кардиганчик (по ссылке сверху можно посмотреть)

pre WW

2008-05-25T21:17:00.009Z

Last week I had my mum and bro visiting for a day (actually they came for UEFA Cup final in Manchester, but after the game made it down to Cambridge). I am not really keen on being photographed as I am never happy about the way I come out, but my bro had an interesting lens. These are my pre-WW pictures. I am in my week 2 (have a weighting on Tuesday), and so far it looks like I've lost 2.5kg (5.5lb)!!!

Hеделю назад ко мне приезжали мама и брат (вообще-то они приезжали на матч Зенит- Rangers), даже сделали несколько фотографий. Решила их поставить дабы документировать как я выглядела до "очковой диеты". Уже минус 2.5кг!

The last pic is me at work in one of the 25C CT rooms for fly husbandry. I am holding a tray with Alzheimer model flies, see how happy I look. Love my new lab!
А это я в комнте-инкубаторе со своими мушками, больными Алзгеймером; я даже выгляжу на ней счастливой, первая моя такая фотка!

Also last night Russia won at Eurovision! I am a huge fan of the show(although it is considered bad taste, frankly I don't care;)) and Russia never won before, I am very-very happy. Next year competition will be in Moscow and I will definitely try to go in person.

А ещё я так рада, что Россия победила на Евровидении, я большая фанатка конкурса (хотя это и считается показателем плохого вкуса), раз на следующий год будет в Москве, попробyю сходить (ну если время урву)

WW and going bi-lingual (possibly)

2008-05-21T19:16:00.003Z

This again is a non-knitting post, just an update on what I am up to. Well.... I did a lot of misery eating during my rough times and put on 10kg, which is a LOT of weight. I kind of was in denial about it as I naturally prefer hugging clothes. But 2 weeks ago it struck me that I was completely out of breath after running up the stairs. It wasn't just about the way I looked it was about not being fit enough for my job (I run and stand a lot). It was time to do something.

A friend of mine told me about Weight Watchers, she wanted to go herself, so we ended up signing up together. Yesterday was my first proper weighting (after 1 full week on the points system), and I've lost 1kg (2lb)! So, I am definitely sticking to it.

Another thing is, I was thinking of carrying this blog in two languages (English and Russian) but seriously is there a point in doing it?

Changes

2008-05-12T20:35:00.004Z

No I haven't fallen of the Earth... only just. I went through quite a bit of changes in my life since my last post, such as completely leaving my PhD, and then fortunately starting afresh in a new lab. Its been over 6 weeks at the new place, so I am starting to feel as my former self (although I doubt I will be the same as these things change you). I haven't been knitting at all since February until last weekend, didn't have any incentive or energy to do anything really. But I am hoping to come back soon.

This a picture of me with my parents' cat last month.

Hazy Shade of Christmas

2008-01-13T17:13:00.000Z

It's been almost 20 days since Christmas already! Time truly flies! Today is Russian old New Year, a weird celebration of New Year based on the old calendar. So I’ve decided to finish of with 2007 by blogging about my last two FOs from it.

First one is a shawl for my boyfriend's mum. She loves that particular colour so when it came to choosing a shawl pattern I opted for something simple. This way it is the yarn which dominates the knit not the pattern itself.

Model: Icarus from IK Summer 2006
Yarn: 0.87 balls of Sundara Yarns Lace in Hazy Shade of Christmas
Needles: Addi lace circulars 3.25mm

Second one is Mad Colour Wave socks. I was not sure about the colour for some time, but now I actually think it works!

Model: Mad Color Wave
Yarn: 1 skew of Sunshine Yarns Twisted Sock in Colorado Sunset
Needles: 2.5mm

I also want to thank you guys for your comments on the previous post. The sawl was ripped and re-born as Muir. So far I’ve completed 2 full repeats out of min of 10 and it looks great. Thank you ever so much!

Not sure

2008-01-03T20:58:00.000Z

Not sure that this works… What do you think?
I’ve tried over ten patterns with this strange yarn, but none of it worked. This one is the best of the lot, but I am still not fully convinced. The swatch is washed by the way

Coming to a halt!

2008-01-01T20:15:00.000Z

Happy New year everyone, I hope this year will be very productive! Since it is Holidays and I do not have to go to Uni that much, I have time to sit and organise my knits. I have a number of hibernating WIPs, some of them I had an urge to complete before 2008.
So, I knitted like mad, finishing almost everything (a part of lacy-bobble bolero, which is a summer material). The big bulk was Demi.
Started in early January 2007(back completed) it struck me as being hard and consequently laid forgotten in the bottom of my WIPs basket, until 5 days ago. I picked it up, started working on the front and absolutely fell in love. The pattern now seems so easy and interesting (maybe my skill had vastly improved over last year). I finished the front, realised the back armpit decreases were wrong, frogged, re-knitted; knitted the neck band, left sleeve and almost entire right sleeve (30 rows left)…. ran out of yarn! The pattern calls for 7 balls, well it looks like it is 7.1. While waiting for that ball I will have to put the whole sweater back in the basket and start my Christmas knitting. Shame really…
What Christmas Knitting? That is right; while everyone else feels relieved it is over, I have yet to visit my family in mid-February, so presents are yet to be done. I will post soon on it, telling what pattern I will be knitting (or have already started)

The Achievement!

2007-12-29T21:38:00.000Z

I know I have several FOs to blog about, but all I want to write today about is Kaffe Fassett’ pillow. It took me absolute ages to complete. It drove me to insanity: often I felt like putting the whole damned thing to flames. I think it is my one and only block knitting project.
I was so fed up with it that once finished; I could not bring myself to sewing it together. So, my boyfriend did it! His first ever machine sewn piece (I am very proud). A collective effort in the end!

Model: Natural Tumbling Blocks by Kaffe Fassett (Rowan Club kit)
Yarn: Rowan Rowanspun 4-ply, 1 ball for each colour 701, 702, 704, 705, 706, 710
Needles: Addi circulars 4.5mm
Time: August 2006-December 2007
For my grandpa

Stripy hat for DB

2007-12-28T15:35:00.000Z

Ever since I saw this wonderful hat I knew I was meant to knit it. I wanted the exact replica: slouchy, alpaca-y, and stripy. I even went as far as purchasing the same yarn and counting down the exact number of rows for each colour. All of this only to realise, the colours did not work for me but did for my boyfriend, so I made it only 2/3 of the way.

Pattern: Palisel Hat by ever talented Olga
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight in colours 507, 508, and 510
Needles: 4.00mm and 5.00mm
Modifications: only knitted it 2/3 of the way but keeping the original striping

What is cooking?

2007-12-09T22:55:00.000Z

Hooray, I am finally blogging about my ongoing projects, not just posting images of the finished ones!
First it is Mad Colour Sock knitted in Sunshine yarn. I love the pattern; love the yarn….but the colour itself…. Well, it is called Colorado sunset and in a skew it looked magnificent, in the knitting however it is a totally different story…

I’ve never seen Colorado sunset but this to me looks more like Gauguin’s Marquesas period. The pooling is psychedelic, cannot make out whether I like it or hate it. Interesting part of this knit is the fact I wanted to find the pattern to suit variegated yarn. My only previous experience of variegated was Monkey socks (which I have to admit turned out rather bad as yarn overshadowed the pattern) and this time around I wanted it to work. So, I hunted for some lovely yarn to knit this pattern. Still not convinced though fitting is great and yarn itself is fantastic.

Second, it is Icarus shawl for my boyfriend’s mum. It is done after almost three full weeks of knitting. The pattern is nice and simple but having 500sts in a row was new to me. I will wash and block it soonish, so expect FO pics soon

Birthday present

2007-12-06T22:10:00.000Z

For my boyfriend…

Model: Beau from Rowan Vintage Knits
Yarn: 7.1 balls of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran in colour Muffin
Needles: 4.00mm and 5.00mm
Modification: sleeves are 10cm longer (done to his particular specification)

And from left-overs…

Model: Zeebee
Yarn: 0.8 ball of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed Aran in colour Muffin
Needles: 4.00mm
Modifications: made 5 repeats instead of 4

Helmet Hat Pattern

2007-12-04T13:49:00.000Z

Finally the pattern for this hat is done, sorry for 7 months delay...

This is a very simple pattern, easily adjustable to fit and looks good with variegated yarn.

Yarn: I have used slightly over 1 ball of Gedifra Fashion Trend Color in colour 4567 (roughly about 100yards). This is very inconvenient unless you already have some of that yarn as left-overs (I had, so going over 1 ball made no difference). Any Sport weight yarn suitable for US 6-8 (4.00-5.00mm) will work.

Gauge: 15st x 20rs (10cm x 10cm/ 4inch x 4inch)

Needles: 4-5mm (US 6-8) circulars. I knit using magic loop, but you can chose to work with DPN or any length of circulars.

Size: 56cm (standard) adjust by adding removing pattern repeats

Pattern: [3K, 3P]*

Also you need crochet hook (same size as your needles) and extra yarn for cast on (try to use same type as your hat yarn).

With crochet hook cast on 84sts (28 pattern repeats). Change to needles and your hat yarn: [K3, P3] x 14. Carefully enclose the ring (take care not to twist). Now continue knitting in your pattern for 12cm (here 24rows).

Decreases:

Note: Knit 3 rows keeping the pattern after each decrease row!

Start decreasing in the P3 regions of the pattern only. P2tog first two sts in every following purl region (i.e. K3, P2tog, P1, K3, P3). You now have 77sts.

Repeat decreases with the P3 regions you have not decreased last time. You will now have 70sts left and pattern will be [K3, P2] x 14.

Repeat decreases as above until you have [K3, P1] x 14 pattern and 56sts.

Decrease as above but now with SKPO (sl1, k1, psso) instead of P2tog; first by decreasing P1, then K3. Continue until you will have 14K sts left. SKPO every second sts in one row, so you have only 7sts left. Cut yarn and with either crochet hook or needle close and secure those sts. You now have main body of the hat.

To make the helmet, remove waste cast on and put a needle through all stitches, you will now work in opposite direction from previous knitting!

Using markers, select 33 front sts (starting and finishing with P3); this will be your forehead region.

Row1 (RS): Join the yarn just in front of your first marker; P1, P2tog, cast off front 27 sts, P2tog, P1, finish the row following the pattern. You will now knit only the ear flops and the back having both right and wrong sides.

Row 2 (WS): SKPO, work the pattern until last 2 sts, K2tog

Row 3: SKPO, work the pattern until last 2 sts, K2tog.

You now have 15 sts of first ear flop (K3, P3, K3, P3, K3), 21sts of the back and 15sts of second ear flop (K3, P3, K3, P3, K3).

Knit following pattern for 7 more rows and close the back 21sts leaving only ear flop regions to be worked separately. You might wish to make the back region longer, mine is 5cm longer.

Ear flops are knitted using the same decreases method as in the main body of the hat. Keep decreasing until you have only 3 sts remaining, K3tog and secure the end.

That’s it! You have your own helmet hat! Mine took under 2hrs from initial measurements to the end result ;)

Presents

2007-12-02T22:34:00.000Z

I know I haven’t been blogging... there is a combination of having little time and little desire to knit. Uni shrink says that if you do not feel like keeping up your hobby, you are depressed. And I guess I am, mentally I am finding my PhD very-very hard, and it just sucks up all my energy and will-power. But with a little help and holidays coming soon, I fell like knitting again.

So, here are two presents I have knitted for my friends in last one and a half months:

Pattern: Swan Lake (aka Mystery Stole 3) from MS3 KAL
Yarn: 1.2 balls of JaggerSpun Zephyr Wool-Silk 2/18 in Vanilla
Needles: Addi Lace circulars 3.5mm

Pattern: I love Gansey socks from Six Sox KAL
Yarn: 2 skew of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Solid in Old Rose
Needles: Addi Lace circulars 2.5mm
Modifications: the Celtic knot (as has been discussed in the group); added 5 rows of garter stitch before toe decreases, so it is symmetrical to the top of sock

Mushroom Hat Pattern

2007-11-06T18:40:00.000Z

Mushroom Hat

Materials: 3 skews of Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky Hand Dyes (here colour 1003 Porcupine). Note that skews have slightly uneven yardage
Needles: 15mm and 20mm
Gauge: there are three different gauges used here
· Double yarn on 20mm: 4 x 5 in 10cm x 10cm
· Single yarn on 20mm: 5 x 7.5 in 10cm x 10cm
· Single yarn on 15mm: 7.5 x 10 in 10cm x 10cm

Note: I would strongly recommend swatching as it varies from knitter to knitter!

Depending on whether you want it to be close fitting (like original Marc Jacob) or slouchy, as here, you would have to cast on and distribute you 3 skews differently. I did knit the more original looking hat initially but then opted to re-knit as slouchier since original was too low for my eye vision and because it was tight I could not adjust it. My version is VERY slouchy and some people may find it uncomfortable/impractical in every day life. I will give basic directions for tight option because I did not takes notes on how I knitted it and detailed instructions for slouchy option. The adjustment is very simple, so that something in the middle could be easily knitted.

Slouchy Option:

Cast on 44 stitches on 20mm needles with 1 strain of yarn and enclose in the circle (take care not to twist the yarn). Knit with 1x1 rib for 10-11 rows. This section of the hat will be folded inwards to make the shape.

Stay with 20mm needles but add another strain of yarn and knit for 12 rows. You will run out of one skew, so rejoin it with the 3rd skew and keep knitting; by the end of the 12-13 row you will run of the second skew and will be left with a single strain of yarn. This will mark the end of the main part of the hat. Knit 1 row with remaining 1 strain of yarn so that the change will be gradual.

Change to 15mm needles and knit 1 row across. Now start decreasing: because the hat is knitted in 1x1 rib it is very easy to do invisible even decreases. Note that when decreasing one knit and 1 purl stitches into one, it is the knit stitch, which is dominant and should come on top, i.e. knit both stitches together, so that purl is behind knit.

First row of decreases: decrease like above in every altering pair of knit and purl (i.e. Knit 2 together, 1K, 1P, K2T, 1K, 1P…)
Second row of decreases: decrease the altering row not decreased in the previous row only)
Repeat decrease rows 1-2 with remaining stitches, which by now should all be knit. Make sure that all your decreases will be to the same side.
Pass the yarn through the remaining stitches and pull tight closing the hat.

With remaining yarn sew the folded section of the hat taking extra care not to disturb the front pattern. Note that when folding fold in the first couple of rows knitted with double yarn, otherwise the change will be easily visible and it is the most visible part ;).

For the original-looking/ tight hat cast on 30 stitches on 20mm needles with 1 strand of yarn and join in the circle (take care not to twist), knit in 1x1 rib for about 15 rows (because you cased on less stitches you have more yarn to make the folded version larger; making it 20 rows and folding it twice will give even a better result). Join second strand and knit as in the previous option until left with single strain (this will give about 15-20 rows (if you run out of yarn in your first skew, join it with the third). Close and sew in as slouchy.

This pattern is easily twigged to be in between, just cast on even number of stitches!

Green Marsh

2007-10-28T17:50:00.000Z

This sweater was finished a month ago but I never got around posting about it. I love how it came out and it did get quite a lot of wear already! However, I found out, I am not much of the alpaca person: it scratches too much, so I will use another set of this yarn for boyfriend’s sweater.

Pattern: Highgate from JM08
Yarn: 7.7 balls of Jaeger Luxury Tweed in colour Kew (826)
Needles: 3.25mm and 4.00mm

Camouflage Stole Pattern

2007-10-25T21:18:00.000Z

Hi, I am still here, just passing by… Thank you everyone for some really nice words on my knitting. I am slowly integrating into my new life (work consumes a LOT more time these days ;)). Never-the-less I have two completed project I have to post, but first is one of my long-overdue patterns.

Camouflage stole

This stole is perfect as a first crochet project, for someone with no crochet experience.
I have used Alize Pure Wool Cashmira yarn, which is not available in Europe and America, but you can use any variegated DK weight yarn you like and has access to. I would like to re-knit it in Noro Silk Garden, which has the same gauge as in my stole. However, stitch pattern can easily be adjusted to fit any gauge.

Because this is a very simple stitch, you can take any yarn you like and the crochet hook recommended for this yarn (usually the same as needle size) and do 9cm x 9cm gauge. For me one of the advantages of this pattern is that there is only one row to be repeated over and over again, so you can easily stop once running out of yarn.

My stole took up 830 meters/ 900 yards of yarn to get dimensions of 150cm x 40cm. I have used 3.75mm crochet hook, but up to 4.5mm is fine. If you do want to crochet it, I would strongly advise to make it 50-60cm wide.

The stitch pattern used is called Rope stitch and it was taken from the book ‘Good Housekeeping: Crochet’ printed by Ebury Press in 1981 (ISBN 0852232047).

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
lps = loops
rep = repeat
t-ch = turning chain
sp = spare
tr = treble (Make a ch row, yrh, insert into 5th ch, yrh, draw 1 loop through; yrh, draw through first 2 lps on hook, rep one more; count to end, 3 t-ch, turn, make 1 tr into 2nd st on last row)
yrh = yarn over hook

Pattern:
Make a number of ch divisible by 3, 3ch, turn
Row1: 1tr into 4th ch from hook, 1ch, 1tr into next ch, *miss 1 ch, 1tr into next ch, 1 ch into next ch, rep from * to last ch, 1 tr into last ch, 3ch, turn
Row2: (1tr, 1ch, 1tr) into each ch sp to end, 1tr into t-ch, 3ch, turn.
Repeat row 2 throughout.

When you are happy with the length of your stole you can either stop or do fringe, I really love the fringe option with this stole. Please take into account that fringe takes up a LOT of yarn! My stole is 30 patter stitch repeats wide (90sts), therefore once bound off it has 90sts to pull fringe through. Three strains of yarns (40cm long each) formed a single bundle of fringe; 45 bundles were used on each side of the stole (in every other sts)

The calculation I would recommend you to use in order to estimate the meterage/yardage is as following:

The length of the fringe (keep in mind that you will fold each strain in two once knotting it) x number of strains you want to use in each bundle (I used three to get a better colour variegation) x number of bundles you used per side) x 2 (stole has 2 sides).
e.g. for my stole I used 40x3x45x2 =108meters of yarn.

That’s it! My stole only took me a couple of evenings to crochet bearing in mind that it was my first ever crochet project. I hope you make it ;)

Little things…

2007-09-29T09:28:00.000Z

I am a hopeless blogger, almost a week since last entry despite my constant attempts to write something. Well, I had a pretty busy week this week: met my supervisor, went to all of the induction parts (more to come during next two weeks), and met lots and lots of people! Oh and finally, yesterday I went through matriculation ceremony, becoming a proper Cambridge student (and it wasn’t as scary as it sounds)

On the knitting front: I have a very small FO, one new sock and completed back, front and half of one sleeve of Highgate.

Model: Colorimetry from Knitty Winter 2006
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay (less then one ball, about ½, left from Mimosa)
Needles: 4.00mm
Modifications: casted on 110 stitches (10 sts less)

I love Gansey sock (sock 1)

Highgate (an old picture)

Elastico Jacket

2007-09-23T20:00:00.000Z

A new jacket finished in under a week. Love it!

Model: 12 from Lana Grossa Cotone Magazine
Yarn: 7.5 balls of Lana Grossa Elastico (colour 60)
Needles: 4.0mm and 4.5mm
Crochet hook: 3.5mm

Moving on

2007-09-15T00:18:00.000Z

I am back! I know it’s been a while but I just got so busy with my Dissertation writing, moving to a different city, flat cleaning, unpacking… In the process I’ve lost weight, quite a bit of hair, peace. I’ve gained insomnia, a couple of grey hair, hatred for flow cytometry analysis, and hopefully an MSc in Medical Genetics with Cancer Research (the board meeting is in December). Just for the record, if you not sure whether you want to do a Masters, think again, because you have to want it (and I am so not ready to start my PhD in less than 2 weeks time, I am just so TIRED).

With all of this going on, there has been absolutely no knitting. And now I am obsessed about that fact and feel like knitting for 24hrs (not good, I need to sleep). So, I guess there would be some action here. Stay tuned. Oh, and before I go, I’ll show you the top I’ve knitted back in July (before I’ve lost some weight)

Pattern: Lace Nightie form Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: 4 skeins of Alchemy Silk Purse (21e Green Plum)
Needles: Addi Lace circulars 3.75mmModifications: a part of initial cast on and lace motif, it’s all been changed

Anna Kneehighs

2007-08-03T21:24:00.000Z

Finally done! I’ve actually bought yarn for them a year ago now, as soon as Rowan 40 came out (have you seen the new one? Love it). So, after several rip ups, here it is.

Pattern: Anna Socks from Rowan 40
Yarn: 3 balls of Rowan 4-ply soft in colour 980
Needles: Addi lace circulars 2.5mm and 3.25mm
Modifications: went for smaller needles on the ankles
Extras: velvet ribbon

PS: Victorian Lace Socks are from Six Sox Knitalong, a yahoo group, which posts their exclusive patterns every 2 months. The latest one is Fantastic; cannot wait for cast it.

Victorian Lace Socks

2007-07-22T18:31:00.000Z

Pattern: from June 2007 Six Sox KAL
Yarn: 1 skew of Fleece Artist Basic Merino Sock in Ivory (as seen at Nattugla2007 )
Needles: Addi's 2.5mm DPN for one and new Addi lace circulars 2.5mm for another one Modifications: extended rib, heel, toe, YO in 'Melon stitch'

The pathetic blogger

2007-07-14T17:41:00.000Z

Sorry guys, with only 7 weeks left until dissertation submission, life is getting pretty hectic here, meaning I have less and less power left for knitting and blogging. Besides it is summer and I want to get away during weekends, travelling around lovely Cambridgeshire County and visiting new places.
Here is the top I finished more than a week ago…

Model: Top 140 from Burda 06/07 (I call it Summer Breeze)
Yarn: 5 balls of Luxury Yarns Hawaii in colour 958
Needles and hooks: 3.5mm and 2.5mm
Modifications: I made the back piece 1cm longer and crocheted the edges so that the straps would not roll and fall down the shoulders

The One with the Sale and Chest Pain

2007-07-01T11:58:00.000Z

I have been experiencing some chest pain through this week, so I am on a caffeine-free diet right now. Kind of tough, like I‘ve lost the grip of what I am doing, as my daily pace had to slow down. I am staying away form books and articles this weekend, devoting much of my time to knitting. Summer Breeze top is now 2/3 done, but there is no summer to wear it.
I also went to John Lewis yesterday to find out it was a huge sale day. Look what I’ve bought: 4 skews of Debbie Bliss Pure silk at the price 3 times cheaper! I would have liked to buy more but it was all they had left in this particular shade of silver grey. Have to find a pattern for it.

I also bought 1 ball of Rowan 4-ply Cotton for the bag I fell in love with this weekend. Go and check it out if you haven’t already done so at Purl Bee.

Oops, just realised, I never blogged about the top. Well I it is from German Burda 06/07, model 140. This is the picture from the mag and the one with the beginning of the back (I am now at the same place with the front)

Not a knitting post

2007-06-25T17:02:00.000Z

I got a letter from Cambridge Overseas Trust today saying I’ve got a full Overseas science scholarship for the duration of my PhD (3 years). I need something for my heart now…

Project re-visit: Rust sweater

2007-06-23T15:22:00.000Z

Sweater was knitted almoust a year ago, but was left in Russia and hence not photographed.

Model: 1 from Russian version of Verena 09/05 (Gernam 03/05).Yarn: 10 balls (500gr) ofGedifra Azzuro in colour TangerineNeedles: 5.00mm and 5.5mm

Slowly but surely

2007-06-19T11:56:00.000Z

I am so busy right now with all my lab work that there is almost no time left for knitting. Sad, I check other people’ blogs daily and feel like I am the laziest knitter there is. I am loosing my knitting mojo.

The only thing I have still been trying to knit from time to time is sister’s bolero: which it the biggest and most complicated piece I’ve ever done.

So far I am up to underarm decreases at row 50! This means I am only at about 20% of the entire bolero…

Another piece of knitting I was doing this weekend was my Entrelac Sock: finished the first heel tried it on and realised that the sock was waaaay too small, so it had to go. I have absolutely no idea if I will ever attempt to re-knit it.

My exams results are on: I’ve done really well! Thank God, just my dissertation to go now, which reminds me that I have to submit 4000 word introduction component by the end on next week and I haven’t started yet…

Project re-visit: Phildar Gilet

2007-06-16T07:44:00.000Z

Something like 5 months ago Jared introduced this particular way of adding new pictures to the existing knits. I think it is a cool idea as it allows seeing the knit in the prospectus of actual wear it got.

Remember the unfortunate Phildar Jacket I’ve knitted back in March and then decided to give it away to my mum. Well, I finally took some pictures of it on her: only it is slightly modified nowadays as she removed the pockets (plans to put them back!) and doesn’t like the belt.

Inside Out Socks

2007-06-12T17:56:00.001Z

For my boyfriend ;) Finally he got something knitted for him. I have to say this was the easiest pair of socks I’ve ever done, took me only 2 days! Love it!

Model: Inside Out socks from Rocking Socks Club 2007-06-12
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR Medium weight in colour Monsoon
Needles: Inox 3.25
Modifications: I only used one needle size because this way I was able to get even stripes.

Purl Bee Lace Rib Cowl

2007-06-10T14:57:00.000Z

For my godmother

Was finished on 31st of May (just in time to be gifted). Because she is so timid, it is modelled by me.

Model: Lace Rib Cowl
Yarn 2 balls of Habu A-32B in colour 22
Needles: Addi’s 4.00mm

Back

2007-06-07T15:39:00.000Z

I am back to UK and my normal life. These were some crazy 14 days with so many things going on, I lost any count: celebrated dad’s b-day, met up with old classmates, had an operation on my tooth, a photo shoot, went to Linkin Park concert, did administrative thing for my passport, went to a giant swimming pool complex (twice, 5 hrs each time), went to my sisters’ dance concert and after party…
I also managed to finish the Cowl in time, finished a pair of socks for my boyfriend, started a new top, and bought tons of yarn.

For now I will just show you pictures of LP concert, which was great!

Mimosa

2007-05-21T15:06:00.000Z

Is finally done! But to be honest I am not sure about this one: it looks like it makes me fat visually and I cannot decide on how to close it. Initially I wanted to use buttons, but it looked bad, so here it is without it.

Pattern: Pink Mimosa from Interweave Knits Summer 2006
Yarn: 8.5 balls of Debbie Bliss Cathay in colour Wedgwood/ Blue-Gray for size 3.
Needles: Addi Turbo circulars 3.5mm, 3.75mm (for the st st border, not in the original pattern), 4.00mm and 5.00mm
Crochet hooks: Pony 2.5mm (I can use it any time ;)) and 3.75mm for assembly, closing and fancy edges
Modifications: I recalculated the waist shaping for size 1-2 (1.5), because I do have an unconventional figure; knitted the st st border in identical length to lace border just because I thought stitching them together (grafting) will look better; I don’t like seaming, so instead of binding off the st st border, folding it in two and seaming to the cast on row, I bound it off directly to the cast on row using crochet hook and 3 needle bind off method

In other news, I am going to Russia for 2 weeks tomorrow, but I am hoping to blog from there.

Of bobbles and lace

2007-05-17T17:28:00.000Z

I am knitting the bolero for my sis as planed but now I know there is absolutely no chance in the world for me to finish it in time.

God it is tough, 40 bobbles in one row! 3 days of work and what do I have?..22 rows!!!
I know for certain now that I will not re-knit it for myself, not even for a million.

Habu Craze…

2007-05-14T17:00:00.000Z

…has truck me lately. On Saturday I got two balls if Fique (FQ-1) in colour denim (20). I could not rest till the summer hat was done ;)

Pattern: my own
Yarn: 2 balls of Habu Fique in colour 20
Hooks: 5mm, 4.5mm, and 3.5mm

I have mixed emotions regarding this number, probably because I still could not wear it out. The weather here is monsoon-like, has been raining for over a week now without any sunny prospects what so ever. Perhaps I will come to love it later and will definitely take more pics. A couple of words regarding the yarn: it is FANTASTIC, strongly recommend to anyone!

The second knit was started last night and it is 20rows done. The lace motif is very simple but because I do hold the needles in a strange manner I have to twist a lot of stitches and it slows the process. So far I am infatuated: the colour is so sophisticated, simple, slick, and just yummy. The pattern I think goes extremely well with the yarn. This knit is intended for my godmother, who lives in Yekaterinburg (meaning a lot of cold days).

Just as I am writing, the sun came out!!!!

All Done!!!

2007-05-09T19:09:00.000Z

So, what do you do when you finally finish your exams?... Fall sick, I swear I do, I think I overstretch myself with revision; I was so worried eventually I could not sleep. In the past two weeks my sleeping pattern went all sorts of ways, generally speaking, the insomnia kicked in. The exam yesterday was great, I think I did well, when I opened the paper I knew everything, so revision was good overall

But before turning ill, yesterday afternoon, I went for a little treat… not so little treat, the mighty expensive treat.

I was long planning my visit to the London Loop yarn shop, I do buy online from them for God knows how long, but being there in person is totally different. The main thing which struck me is its size, it is astonishingly tiny, but at the same time it has huge amount of yarn laying everywhere mixed with needles, hooks, books, mags, accessories.

My primer reason for visiting was Habu (they stock it but very-very little). Look at what I’ve got, isn’t it cute! Some purl bee cowl soon to be.

From that point I could not hold myself and bought some Alchemy as well which I was eyeing since IK Spring Issue. You know the lace nightie, I want it but not in bamboo, in silk, and it will be a top.

I am off to lay down and maybe knit something eventually (yep I still didn’t knit a single stitch, maybe I forgot how)

One down, One to go

2007-05-02T16:37:00.000Z

I had my first of the two exams yesterday. Thank God it is over, next week this time I will be free like a bird, knitting frenzy for all I care.

I haven’t been knitting for a week now, and I have cravings. Seriously the thought of knitting keeps me sane in times like this when I go for 48 hours of continuous studying on pure adrenaline.

Today is the day dedicated to rest, so I have time to blog and show some pics of the current and future projects.

My current project Mimosa from Summer IK 06 (was current before exams). To be honest, I didn’t like it in the mag, just flipped through and forgot all about it. But then I saw it being knitted by Elizabeth and fell in love. I am copying her version completely; I even went for the same yarn in the same colourway. Shame on me ;)

Secondly I think I’ll post a couple of the project I will be knitting soon: Bolero for my sis and top for myself.

My Visual DNA

2007-04-29T22:42:00.000Z

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

STR

2007-04-26T19:32:00.000Z

I have joined the club this year. I am not sure why actually: it was more of the spontaneous decision. I love knitting socks, and I love hand painted sock yarn, so I went with the flow.

So far it hasn’t been that smooth: the first packet got lost somewhere in the mail, but the nice and kind people send me a replacement, which I received this Saturday. Thank you the owners of the STR club, I gave up all my hope of seeing this lovely Monsoon yarn again.

Today my boyfriend called me from Cambridge and said that the second pack had arrived (I soooo want to see it, but in view of having exams, I will have to live in London until the 8th of May without any knitting).

This brings me to the point: I will have to blog about my recently bought yarn and the project I’ve started last weekend but haven’t yet show here for the next couple of weeks. Hope it will not be too boring.

Stay tune, I have big plans for my after exams rest ;)

‘Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream…’

2007-04-21T20:27:00.000Z

Model: Swallowtail Shawl from IK Fall 2006
Yarn: 1 skew of Handmaiden Sea Silk in colour Capri
Needles: Addi’s 40’ 4.5mm circulars
Modifications: none

Blocking gets easier with time

2007-04-19T18:37:00.000Z

I have to say it does not feel as a torture anymore, with a good practice it is manageable. I finished, washed and blocked the Swallowtail Shawl. The end result pictures in 'real life' will be taken later

The end result is stunning (well in my view); it is perfect for the summer and will go with different outfits. I know the colour is not mine but as is the shawl. That is right the yarn and the project were chosen back in January to become a present for my mum (she is blonde and has blue eyes, so fingers crossed she will be glad to receive it). I am proud of myself as I have finished it beforehand not a month or two after the birthday. I will go to visit my family at the end of May for about 10 days (cannot wait) and will give it to her. I think I will also take some pictures of my damned Phildar jacket as well on my mum

Holidays

2007-04-15T08:33:00.000Z

Came and went so fast, I don’t event feel like I had one at all. I had so many knitting plans to convey but had a food poisoning instead.

As soon as I’ve finished wristbands I’ve decided to stay true to my initial proposal and pick up Highgate again. Which I did only to see yet another mistake at row 13! I am crazy about mistakes; I just have to have none of them if I possibly can, so I’ve ripped the whole front and started afresh. I am now back to where I’ve started: row 120.

Then I thought I could start another socks and relax for a while, sure I did, only I’ve chosen the wrong kind of socks for it: Eunny Yang’s entrelac knee-highs from IK Spring 2007. 2 evenings spend knitting frenzy, 5-6 ripping, plus ~10 ripping of the toe cast on. I don’t enjoy the process yet; I am now up to heel on the right sock and no passion.

To cheer up I’ve started a shawl: Swallowtail from IK Fall 2006 in Handmaiden Sea silk. That is a fantastic and utterly rewarding knit!

Useful or useless

2007-04-06T12:39:00.000Z

Cannot decide actually, so what do you think?

When I finished my first Monkey Sock I was left with quite a leftover of yarn and taking into account the colour of it, I was completely lost at the prospect of finding a project that would incorporate it (I don’t like to store leftovers)

My boyfriend took a look and proposed to knit wrist bands. At the time I must say the idea seemed too appealing to resist because I use them very-very often. Ok, here is an embarrassing fact about me: as soon as the temperature strikes 25C my face starts to sweat enormously, just like in a sauna. I don’t sweat anywhere else but the face. Nothing helps against it, I can’t use any make up during the summer time, and to make things worse there is no hope of growing out of it. It is hereditary, my father and grandmother are just the same.

To wipe my brow I tend to go through loads of tissue per day and 2-3 wrists, so you see: it is an essential item for me. The thing I have noticed over the years as that sport wristbands are not as tough as they should be: they do not survive for more then a month in my care and every day wash (Nike sometimes lasts longer).

Here is the ingeniousness of my boyfriend’ idea: the yarn is for socks, so it is the toughest one available and in theory should withstand the summer. We’ll see about it.

Ok, enough on the advantages of the knit, coming to the uselessness of it: it took a really long time to knit. They only look small but being done on 1.5mm, it took about an evening each and I grew sooooo tired after the first one. I was only able to complete them employing all the willpower I seem to posses. I could have done a large garment at the time ‘wasted’.

Now you see why I have this mix feeling toward my wristbands

Model: Wristbands by me (72st x80rows for XS wrists)
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in colourway ‘Happy Valley’ (about 0.5-0.75 of the ball for the three of them)
Needles: Pony 1.5mm(US 000)

Martha

2007-04-05T12:05:00.000Z

It’s done! It’s done….and I am in love! This is my favourite knit so far: love the pattern, the fit, the yarn, the colour. Oh, how I love this ice cream with blackberry jam colour, so pretty, not lilac and not pink, just right in the middle.

I had to wear it today, so here are some pictures.

Model: Martha by Sara Hatton form Rowan Studio issue 2
Yarn: just slightly over 5 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed in colour Melody for Size L
Needles: Addi 3.00mm (US 2/3) and 3.75mm (US 5)
Modifications: none

I know that hat doesn’t match the outfit but my ear is hurting and I had to wear it

The secret 5th button

Almost there

2007-04-03T16:40:00.000Z

I am desperate to finish at least something, the cold is almost gone and so what would be the point of my winter sweaters? I won’t be able even to take a picture in them.

So, I am on the quest to finish Martha, and then the mystery item, and then the Highgate (it has been collecting dust for far too long).

I was knitting in the train today on my way to Cambridge (was determined to finish the second sleeve). The elderly couple was sitting just opposite of me and the woman was ever so often glancing at my growing sleeve. When the train was approaching the platform the woman broke the silence and asked me where did I learn to knit THAT way? I know I don’t hold the needles in any known way because I am self-taught and I was already knitting for years before I realised something was wrong, but I figured it would be far to late to re-learn.

Anyway, the woman said she had been knitting for years and had never ever come across my method and she also said that my way is fast and very tension controlling. I am so pleased!!! Finally someone said something nice, not just a blank stair of annoyance as if I am not a knitter but a clown.

Martha is now washed and blocked

Candyfloss

2007-04-01T14:31:00.000Z

Or mint candies for kids: that’s what ‘Happy Valley’ reminds me of.

Pattern: Monkey by Cooki A. from Knitty Winter 06
Yarn: 1.5 skews of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in colourway ‘Happy Valley’ (Note, I started each sock from the different skew to obtain similar pooling)
Needles: Addi’s DPN 2.5mm
Modifications: chose to do 6 pattern repeats for the leg and 6 for the foot

Spring

2007-03-31T14:58:00.000Z

Finally I feel some change, not only on the outside but inside as well. I despise the feeling of being ‘up in the air’ and it is exactly what I have been experiencing recently. Thank God it is all over and I can start knitting again.

To get the sense of the spring I wanted a knit with summery yarn (bit tired of wool), something cheerful, happy, and bright.

The pattern that immediately came to my mind was Monkey. And monkey means cheeky, playful, carefree…. Here the choice of yarn came in, or rather the choice of the colourway: Happy Valley from Lorna’s Laces.

I personally think that it is the great colour choice as pattern can be easily distinguished and it is cheeky enough to be worn out with keds and shorts and a geeky t-shirt. Oh, I want summer!!!!

The meterage of the skew is so generous, I think I will cast on a mystery item with the ends (my own design representation of my boyfriend's ingenious idea)

PS: Ava, thank you for your congratulations (I still don’t know how the retrieve peoples email form their comments).

Away

2007-03-26T19:26:00.000Z

I’ve been an awful blogger recently: not writing, not commenting, and not even reading.
I have a very good reason for it actually-PhD interviews at Cambridge University. That’s right, my dream place-the fruit fly heaven, the Department of Genetics.
I’ve met lots of really-really nice and smart and friendly people over the two days I have spent in the lab.
And today Dr. Martinez-Arias confirmed that I can have a place in his lab, starting October 2007!!!!
It is an oral confirmation, not a written one yet, but I am sooooo happy my heart hurts.

These past two weeks were the most nerve breaking experience in my life: I could not sleep and eat, and I’ve lost 2.5kg during it. That explains why I could not knit and so haven’t blogged.

I am off getting back with my life now.

More images

2007-03-15T17:06:00.000Z

From today's section on SEM

Not knitting but still art

2007-03-14T20:34:00.000Z

I am afraid I wasn’t knitting much these past days, way too busy with my ‘primary’ life in a lab. This week I’ve been enjoying an introductory course to Electron microscopy. Pictures I was able to produce myself using pollen sample and SEM will follow later this week (Uni internet is way too slow).

For me molecular biology and genetics are fun and in a way a form of art. Some people have a misconception regarding the matter believing that science is all to do with maths. Well in a way it does, as it does with physics but then again physics may be regarded as a form of art too. You have to know how to draw diagrams, use sophisticated computer paint packages and take pictures (understanding the principle of image developing comes in pretty handy).

Aw, as some of you may have noticed I put a new name down in the ‘Progress section’, that is my new infatuation piece (again in tweed) called Martha. It comes from Rowan Studio Issue 2, and not from a Rowan mag. I am pretty happy with my progress so far: last weekend I’ve done the whole of the back and have to say it does look as good as in the picture.

Another thing I need to say or rather ask is a bit stupid, so here it goes: how do you find the e-mail of the person who commented in your post, so you may send him/her a thank you reply? I am totally lost…

Gambling

2007-03-09T16:51:00.000Z

I am not a gambler, at least not with respect to the casino game aspect of the definition, neither with respect to life decisions, but it seems like I might be a gambler when it comes to yarn meterage.

I have never knitted with Sundara Sock Yarn before, so I had no idea whether 1 skew will be sufficient for the sock I wanted. The Ripple Weave socks have adjustable pattern repeat, nothing to worry about, right? The problem is I set my heart on knitting exactly 7 repeats like on the mag model girl, knitted the first sock, absolutely loved the length, and started another one…

I wasn’t sure until the very end whether I would be able to make it. It is such a thrill not to be sure; it keeps you knitting frenzy and doesn’t get the ‘second sock syndrome’ to kick in.

So, after 2 evenings knitting like a complete knittoholic (does such word exist?), I finished the second sock with only 50cm of yarn left. Can you believe my luck?!! I have no idea what I would have done if I ran out of it since it is limited edition dye and there is absolutely no chance getting another skew. I know I would have to rip it but then I know even better that I would never make myself to re-knit it one repeat shorter.

This is a true colour (above)

Model: Ripple Weave Socks form VK Fall 2006
Yarn: Sundara Sock Yarn in 'Navy over Pink'
Needles: Addi's DPN 2.5mm
Modifications: I chose to knit complete 7 repeats pattern

This is the reason I think it is called Weave

Pattern is double sided, cannot decide which side I like more