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July 11 2010
orkney redux
we went back to orkney (again) last week. this time, with j’s mother, sister, sister’s boyfriend, and three dogs. we kept our visits to the main tourist attractions (skara brae, maeshowe, broch of gurness, tomb of the eagles) down and instead spent a lot of time on the dramatic coastlines watching for puffins, and mostly spotting fulmars and razorbills!
yesnaby:
•the yesnaby coastline looking to marwick head•
•the orkney coastline is peppered with all these amazing flowers that grow out of scree•
birsay:
•a view of the tidal causeway to mainland orkney from the brough of birsay•
•jumbled-up norse & pictish settlements on the brough of birsay•
•seabird cliffs on the brough of birsay•
•the barony mills in operation•
•vintage flour sacks•
•the drying floor (there’s a beautiful old kiln directly below that smells of woodsmoke)•
•outside the barony mills•
deerness:
•the covenanter’s memorial near mull head•
•bog cotton – not as spinnable as it looks on account of the fragility of its fibres•
•the gloup, a collapsed sea-cave that looks better the rougher the sea is, but looks amazing anyway•
marwick head:
•me wearing dutch world cup orange (hey, it’s worked so far – we’re in tonight’s final) in front of the kitchener [stitch] memorial•
•abandoned boat winches by the fisherman’s huts along the west coast•
stenness:
•the bewitching ring of brodgar, one of those incredible stone circles we’re so lucky to have in abundance•
south ronaldsay:
•photo of the holiday: j’s boardshorts have “here comes the sun” printed on the waistband and he was trying to put them on in the car while the rain pelted down outside… welcome to scotland!•
bay of firth:
•this was the view east as i was eating breakfast at 5am yesterday morning before catching the 6:30 ferry back to the scottish mainland for an 8-hour drive back to edinburgh, from where i caught a train to glasgow and arrived home in time to see the first uruguayan goal of an eventful third-place play-off that germany eventually won – phew!•
i’m working on some orkney-themed socks at the moment, which i fully intend to post something more about by the end of this week. however, there is the more pressing issue of a Very Important football match tonight that i now owe my heritage to spend a significant part of the day working towards. if you have access to a screen, you may want to watch history being made tonight (no, i’m not being over-confident. even if we lose, spain will still win the world cup for the first time ever, so it’s history no matter the outcome!)… let’s hope it’s a beautiful game.
June 29 2010
FO: greentoes socks
there’s been a lot of green the past week or so: the world cup pitches (come on! if you live anywhere but china or canada, there’s no chance you’ll have escaped the frenzy – give in and become a part of it!), the courts of wimbledon and england’s finest cricket wickets.
so, a lot of television-watching, and, of course, a lot of knitting. between thursday evening and sunday afternoon, i managed to complete an entire pair of socks (rav) on 2.25mm needles!
the pattern is emma haigh‘s norfolk ramblers (rav), which i knit exactly as written with 3 repeats on the leg for a shorter sock.
now, a word about my short socks, because they’re almost always shorter than written: it’s not because i have attention-deficit disorder (although i may…) but because i wear a lot of skirts and dresses. i’m usually barefoot, but i ride my bike a lot. in a city where there are few cycle-specific lanes, i don’t feel secure cycling on the roads in bare feet, or anything less than a sturdy (cough!) pair of plimsolls.
with socks, of course. pretty ones! but not too long.
June 24 2010
FO: bonn voyage! socks
because my journey to bonn and back was overland, it took 14 hours out and 18 hours back. you can knit a fair bit of sock in that time, even if you need a lot of sleep like i do. it didn’t take much to finish this pair on my return, i’ve just not had much knitting time (rav):
the pattern is rebekkah kerner’s francie knit almost exactly according to pattern (with two leg repeats instead of two-and-a-half) and makes for a mighty fine sock that i’m just itching to climb a hill in.
April 09 2010
check this, yo
i am knitting, i’m just not getting much done at the moment so have nothing of note to report. soon, my pretties, soon…
in other news, i got the most awesome package this morning:
in february, i took part in the vegan sock KAL on ravelry, hosted by kala at vegancraftastic – and i won! the prize was a kitchener stitch reminder tag and stitch marker from karatstix’s etsy shop and something of my choice from kala’s etsy shop. i chose her robot button badges, which are just the cutest things in the whole world. i love droids… and they arrived today! and they’re still ridiculously cute!
and she also sent me some chocolate (cherry & almond – yum! oh, and coins, too!), a project bag from her etsy shop, and two late to the revolution cards. not only that, but one of them is a john muir quote, and john muir is one of my current heroes since reviewing his journeys in the wilderness reader for my work magazine:
i’m seriously stoked. thanks, kala!
- reading: on chesil beach by ian mcewan
- listening: lime & violet 103
February 25 2010
time for a change?
the main reason for this is that i've spent the past month working on a project that, although i benefited from financially, i reaped no physical reward from. in other words, apart from a slightly healthier bank balance, i've got nothing to show for it. so, i started thinking about the things i knit and how i enjoy them.
i like socks because i can take them places and they knit into something quite quickly, but what about other things? well, in fact, i only really know anything about socks because i've not really knitted anything else. i mean, there are a couple of washcloths kicking about, and other people are wearing mitts i've made, but they were all practical projects. carrot rather than stick, if you like.i remembered the rosalind scarf (rav) i started ages ago, and thought about how much i enjoyed seeing the illusion pattern appear, and the morgan hat (rav) that i'm knitting for j with its exciting shaping. about how i really want to knit fair isle and how i've been coveting a lot of sweaters recently... so i'm doing it. putting the sock yarn away, i swatched for 4 sweaters, cast on one, and i'm working on my scarf again.
listening: be true to your school on fortuna pop!
reading: i've just finished the road by cormac mccarthy
FO: socks!
listening: loss by mull historical society
reading: journeys in the wilderness: a john muir reader
time for a change?
so, since i started knitting in april 2009, i’ve made 8 pairs of socks. that’s not an epic turnover, but i’ve also been learning hundreds of new skills in that time, so i’m pretty pleased overall. however, i’ve recently been re-evaluating my priorities and started to think that there are other things i should make before my year is out.
the main reason for this is that i’ve spent the past month working on a project that, although i benefited from financially, i reaped no physical reward from. in other words, apart from a slightly healthier bank balance, i’ve got nothing to show for it. so, i started thinking about the things i knit and how i enjoy them.
i like socks because i can take them places and they knit into something quite quickly, but what about other things? well, in fact, i only really know anything about socks because i’ve not really knitted anything else. i mean, there are a couple of washcloths kicking about, and other people are wearing mitts i’ve made, but they were all practical projects. carrot rather than stick, if you like.
i remembered the rosalind scarf (rav) i started ages ago, and thought about how much i enjoyed seeing the illusion pattern appear, and the morgan hat (rav) that i’m knitting for j with its exciting shaping. about how i really want to knit fair isle and how i’ve been coveting a lot of sweaters recently… so i’m doing it. putting the sock yarn away, i swatched for 4 sweaters, cast on one, and i’m working on my scarf again.
listening: be true to your school on fortuna pop!
reading: i’ve just finished the road by cormac mccarthy
February 24 2010
FO: socks!
so, i finished my brady socks yesterday (rav) and paraded around in them all day at work. they make me pretty happy in spite of the dreich weather that crept in this morning:
listening: loss by mull historical society
reading: journeys in the wilderness: a john muir reader
January 31 2010
half a pair is one
the kitchener's a bit wonky on this one, but i'm sure it will even out with wear... shame the same thing can't be said of murray's grand slam hopes this time around. i don't think he's going to be setting any records at the french, but given the time he has to work on his shortcomings between now and the summer, maybe he's in with a shout at wimbledon or flushing meadows.listening: glasvegas
reading: mobius cast-on. looks daunting. i may attempt it later today...
half a pair is one
i finished my first brady sock while watching murray battle through his three-set defeat to federer in the final of the aussie open:
the kitchener’s a bit wonky on this one, but i’m sure it will even out with wear… shame the same thing can’t be said of murray’s grand slam hopes this time around. i don’t think he’s going to be setting any records at the french, but given the time he has to work on his shortcomings between now and the summer, maybe he’s in with a shout at wimbledon or flushing meadows.
listening: glasvegas
reading: mobius cast-on. looks daunting. i may attempt it later today…
January 26 2010
yay for the loopy ewe!
even better, my order was for yarn i can't seem to get anywhere in the UK because it has been discontinued:
crystal palace, you are fools to be stopping the fern colourway of panda cotton. fools, i tell you!some of you may wonder (or you may not have even noticed) where the food blogging has gone. well, not only is it winter, and therefore the time for knitting, but the daylight hours are also Really short in scotland, so there hasn't been much opportunity for taking photos. i don't think i need to explain how disappointing food photos look when they've been taken under energy-saving lightbulbs...
however, last night was burns night, so we had some good friends over for hearty traditional scottish fare of haggis (the veggie variety), neeps and tatties with plenty of single malt whisky to hand. when i say plenty, i mean, we had ardbeg, highland park, distiller's edition lagavulin, edradour, 17-year-old cask-strength bowmore, famous grouse and bells. like whisky much?
we also had the no bake black bottom peanut butter silk pie from vegan with a vengeance, except i think our ideas of agar are maybe different so mine didn't set hard. nevermind, i covered it in shedloads of coconut flour and it tasted like something angels might have made!listening: the low anthem - and going to see them in two days! and the lucksmiths because it's australia day!
reading: the redressing the balance handbooks - for community environmental activists
January 23 2010
FO: a.m. socks
i finished them this morning after days of procrastination. well, it wasn't really procrastination, because i was actually itching to get knitting, but stuff just kept coming up. all in all, they took 4 days to knit on train journeys and evenings, but a week in real time!
i really liked the pattern and enjoyed knitting them but, as usual, will probably appreciate them more when i've worn them a bit. for now, i'm just impatient to start the next pair...listening: pow to the people
reading: nah, i've been watching instead. i saw little miss sunshine for the first time last night - it was fucking funny.
January 17 2010
CO: a little slice of summer
the yarn is tencel laceweight 2-ply from yarntopia treasures (etsy), held double with the colour repeats matched up. and what amazing colours they are. it's the tequila sunrise colourway, and consists of bright yellow, orange and coral. it didn't pool at all, instead just forming really delicate single stripes of colour. and it's only $9 per skein, so super-value.knitting from the toe up is just genius! as i was knitting the foot, it became clear that these were going to be short summer socks, rather than longer ones. i'd planned for them to have a ribbed cuff, but it just didn't work with the yarn and pattern, so i followed the picot bind-off instructions from aleta fera's 'vog on! socks (rav) off knitty.com and i'm really happy with the results.
wouldn't have happened with cuff downs...
listening: spotify... oh.my.god!
reading: love to knit socks by bronwyn lowenthal. got it out of the library for the sake of a couple of designs. it's ok, but the internet is better!
January 14 2010
halfway house
they took a week of sporadic knitting, so i may try to focus my efforts for the next one. i'm hoping to get a few pairs finished by the end of january: a.m. (rav), dead simple (rav) and trilobite (rav) - ambitious, much? and don't forget another pair of herbivore knits ones by the end of february so i can contribute two pairs to the KAL (rav)... looks like i may have to take a break from real life for a while!listening: belle and sebastian - the life pursuit
reading: the intentional spinner, a beautiful book on fibre and doing stuff with it.
January 10 2010
CO: vegan sock KAL
so, you have until the end of february to knit a pair of socks by christabel (rav) and get them onto either the vegan sock KAL blog or the vegan socks ravelry group. at the end of february, kala will choose one pair of socks at random and their knitter will win a cute kitchener tag from karatstix and an item of his/her choice from vegancraftastic.
here's where i am three days in (rav):
i'm using crystal palace's maizy yarn in birch bark. i'll need to pick up the pace a bit if i want to get those two pairs finished, won't i?listening: the best sixties album in the world... ever!
reading: no time to read - the sock kit swap is almost ready to go, and i have to pair everyone up!
December 01 2009
warriors of the rainbow
When the Earth is Ravaged & the Animals are DyingFrom all Colors Classes & Creeds
Who by their Actions & their Deeds they will make Again
the Earth Mother Bloom Green
they will be Known as the Warriors of the Rainbow
while we were on deck, it started sleeting, so we sheltered in the bridge. i spied a crew member knitting socks. even bloody greenpeace didn't know whether their biscuits were vegan or not...
then we went to ocean terminal - a terminally ugly shopping centre at the edge of the ocean - which was a painful experience but brightened by the presence of cute bike tiles embedded in the pavement:
so yeah, that was sunday - eco-warriors juxtaposed with consumer hell. nice, eh?listening: ballboy - i hate scotland
reading: ryan giggs in sierra leone
November 18 2009
FO: new socks!
and, because autumn has become distinctly winter-y here in glasgow (spot the grey hue to all the photos!), i got some winter mixture sweets yesterday. so i took some fun photos of sock candy... get it?
i just CO a toe and then started knitting. everything was easy until after the heel, when i worked out my interval spacing was going to be a lot harder to maintain. so, i just stuck in random purl stitches and ran with it. the variation on the leg is a bit less noticeable because of that.listening: radiohead - in rainbows (listen - legal and gratis, get in!)
reading: cycle magazine
November 13 2009
new vegan shoes
i saw an ad in the scottish big issue, advertising ethletic sneakers as "ethical manufacture - fairtrade certified cotton - 100% vegan - 0% plastic - arch supports - organic cotton canvas - FSC-certified rubber soles - fairly traded rubber" but with a slightly different email address to the one i'd tried to use before:
so, i gave it another shot and... success! one of the brand founders replied and apologised for the deteriorating rubber, offering me a brand new pair. i cheekily asked for a different colour because, although the other shoes are falling apart, they're still shoes and i'll still wear them - except now i'll have a different story to tell folk who ask about them.these ones are a better fit than the old ones - and have a wider toe box than converse, which works for my barefoot-shaped feet - they come with fairtrade laces (although i'm a fan of wider laces, so will probably replace them with something colourful), they are guaranteed vegan and sweatshop-free - unlike converse, who are owned and manufactured by nike - and the cotton is organic and fairtrade. they're exactly what i've always been looking for, and now i can endorse their customer service, too!
the perfect pair of shoes to show off my handknit socks.
and, i've just been informed by the person who contacted me that yous can all get 15% off purchases from the ethletic website by entering the code Softly1000 at checkout. so there you go!
listening: more low anthem
reading: the big issue
Maybe Soup is currently being updated? I'll try again automatically in a few seconds...
