It’s in Perplex, my hand-dyed 4-ply baby alpaca. I’m a bit strange about this yarn: it’s so gorgeous I can’t part with it. I’ve just dyed another 400g, and I really should put them up for sale, but I don’t think I can.

Here’s my shawl:

It’s Alice by Marie-Adeline Boyer and it has a sister, Cassandra.  I have a skein of Perplex in lilac which will won’t get sold and will get knitted up fairly soon, I think.

As for socks, I chose Cookie A’s Monkey for my second of 2012. I can understand why there are over 15,000 Monkey projects on Ravelry – it’s a nice easy design.  The first sock is finished:

and I’m turning the heel of the second.

One bright note in the last two dreadful weeks is that my yarns may appear for sale in another shop (the one in the street that’s been voted the best in England).

And my job? I’d rather not say, other than I may well have time to knit those 12 shawls after all.

Bright Flight

I had quite a bit of trouble concentrating on the design, either because I was worrying about my new job or concentrating on some interesting television. So there was a lot to tinking.  In fact one night I think I got a net total of one round completed after going back about five. Still, they look good and show off my hand-dyed yarn nicely. I’m very pleased with them.

My new job is a nightmare, which has been a sad surprise. That said, I’ve met some incredible people but unfortunately one or two others who aren’t. Oh well, some things never change.

I’m travelling on business next week – the first time in years. It’s just in the UK, but a four hour journey. I want to take some knitting, but nothing too taxing. I may start Alice by Marie Adeline Boyer in the hand-dyed pink baby alpaca which I’ve been saving in a strangely obsessive way.

But I’ve got to getting going on the second of my 12 socks in 2012 and  it’s definitely going to be from Knit.Sock.Love. Maybe Hedera or perhaps I should do Monkey since it’s so popular.

And I’d just like to say a big thank you to all the bloggers I follow, and all the knitty bloggers I sample from WordPress. You’ve made the last three weeks much better than they might have been with your lively and stimulating posts.  And a huge thank you to Fiona Hirst of Grace and Jacob in Barleycorn Yard, York: she may have convinced me to try spinning again!

I joined the 11 Shawls in 2011 group on Ravelry and completed the requisite number by mid-July. But I just kept on going. I’d made 19 shawls by early December and so, in knitty logic, I had to knit another to reach 20 in 2011. Here it is:

It’s Birgit Freyer’s Lazy Katy – a nice, quick and easy knit. It seems the 11 shawls group has morphed into 12 Shawls in 2012. I’m not sure I have the motivation this year but maybe I’ll concentrate on laceweight.

One of my Christmas presents was Clara Parkes’ The Knitter’s Book of Socks. There’s not much on sock construction, but quite a bit on sock yarn. And the designs are rather nice: I’m planning to start with Hummingbird using the same yarn as my Lazy Katy. It’s my own hand-dyed which I kept back for myself since I wasn’t too sure about its colourfastness. I shouldn’t have worried since the shawl washed fine before blocking. But matching shawl and socks. Cool? I’m not sure.

I got some sock blockers too, and here they are with my last project of 2011:

The design is Jocelyn Sertich’s Dragonfly Socks with a minor change to the cuff. Another nice and easy design – do I try anything else these days? I’ve joined 12 socks in 2012 on Ravelry – I need to use up all my hand-dyed yarn!

So what was my favourite project of year? There are three contenders:

• a sweater in red baby alpaca, 
• Pimpelliese in hand-dyed burgundy BFL, 
• and Anniken Allis’ mystery shawl KAL (which became Cornish Rhapsody) in hand-dyed grey BFL. 

Surprisingly, since I hated the third clue, it’s got to be the shawl. I just love wearing it!

And finally, I’ve been offered a job and will probably start work again on 9 January. I may be quiet for a little while, but I think 2012 will be a year of socks and lace.

As part of my austerity stash-busting exercise I’ve just finished a sweater in Airedale Aran which I bought from Texere Yarns some time ago.  Since the yarn is charcoal in colour it shows up the lustre of the yarn beautifully.  And it’s so soft.  The sweater may look like something suitable for school but it’s absolutely gorgeous to wear.

I used Ann Budd’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns.  Since I’m obsessed with tubular cast on and cast off at the moment I knitted each piece separately to the armholes and then joined all four together on a circular.  Why?  Because the recommended approach of  joining in the round after a straight row where the stitches are swapped into 2×2 rib leaves too bigger a gap for my liking.  I don’t mind straight seams, I just hate sewing in sleeves.

And the good news is that I still have another 700g of Airedale Aran, this time in indigo.  A round-neck sweater on the same principles, I think.  I’m even tempted to put in a bit of “Sarah Lund” motif, but maybe not.  She wore about four different sweaters in the last two episodes so the red one isn’t so iconic.

I can’t stop wearing the shawlette I knitted as part of Anniken Allis’ recent Mystery KAL.  It’s my own hand-dyed bluefaced leicester laceweight, and I must confess I prefer this yarn to the wonderful Fyberspates Scrumptious, even though that has so much silk content.  Perhaps it just suits the time of year better.

I dyed some more of this wonderful yarn (I call it Bemuse) for my Etsy shop, but had to keep some back since I couldn’t bear to part with it!

If I’m mad enough to consider a dozen shawls in 20dozen I’m sure this will get used early next year.

I was collecting for the York Blind and Partially Sighted Society and really heartened by the generosity of the passersby. There was one wonderful lady who donated a nice crisp fiver. Thank you so much!

Since I felt a bit poorly in the afternoon I did some work on my Mystery Shawl KAL. There’s an option to add beads to the border and, since I’m not that keen on the thing so far, I thought I’d use it as my first beaded project. I’d popped into Craft Basics on Tuesday and bought some nice shiny black size 8′s so I was all set. Well, I’m (crochet) hooked! What a satisfying experience!

Of course I’m thinking about what I could do next and I have a suspicion it’s going to be pink with beads.

I’m collecting for the YBPSS again next Thursday in the city centre, but I’ll dress warmer. Now where’s my Urchin?

I’m working on some very pretty laceweight and all sorts of sock yarn. A skein or two of these would make a nice gift at this time of year.

My first Cascade 220 sweater has left my circular needles and it’s keeping me snug and warm.

I love the yarn and I certainly wouldn’t mind walking into a shop that stocked the full range.  In fact I wouldn’t mind owning that shop, so listen up, fairy godmother, and grant my wish!

The shop is upstairs in Me & Mrs Fisher, a wonderful cake and coffee shop in Lord Mayor’s Walk.

Picture by Jane, owner of Sunday Nest

Notice the brick wall? A happy coincidence. And it’s a building with a very well known gable end.

So I’ve been knitting up a few samples to show what can be done with my yarns, particularly the chunky wrap.  This cowl, based on Cowl’d and Frosty Morning by Kelly Herdrich, took only an hour or so to knit.

I absolutely adore these cabled fingerless mitts, designed by Joelene Wiggins and Allison Blevins:

It’s a shame I have to let them go. The items are in nice autumn colours: brown, red and orange. There’s my Bonfire Beret, too:

This is my second knit of Ysolda’s Urchin and I think I’ll be making more …

The skein turned out to be four skeins, each of 30g.  I’d guess the yarn is 100% wool since it’s worsted spun and breaks quite easily.  It’s a bit neglected but now it’s in four little yarn cakes it looks fairly inviting.

So, what should I do?  I need to make something that will appeal to people who either buy at a charity market or a stall at the hospital.  I’m thinking a lace scarf would be best, but I’m drawn to yet another crescent-shaped shawl, like Annis. After all, I wear my Pimpelliese, Mezquita and Annis wrapped around my neck as scarves:  I like the variety of shapes and layers I can achieve.  But would someone else think the same?

I’m very attracted to Dragonfly Wings from Boo Knits and I think the yarn would really suit this. Any thoughts, dear readers?

I’ve finished my Pimpelliese, which is beautifully soft and cosy. Bluefaced Leicester is wonderful wool!

I mentioned Anniken Allis’ Mystery Shawl KAL in my last post.  The swatching instructions arrived on the same day and I quickly polished off a little bit of lace knitting:

Then the first clue arrived Saturday lunchtime and when X-Factor started so did the knitting in earnest.  It didn’t take long to finish, although there’s not much to see in this rather poor image (I’m still working on those improvements):

I’m using Addi lace circulars which are wonderful, although I appreciate they’re not the latest and greatest ChiaoGoo’s (maybe for Christmas?).

And talking of circulars, on the warm sweater theme, I’ve started my first garment in Cascade 220, knitted in the round.  It’s Jess’ Birthday Sweater by Emily Wright.

That’s the start of 4 inches of 2×2 rib and rather boring I thought at first. I was wondering why the yarn is the most popular on Ravelry and then I noticed the stitch definition.  Question answered.

So my weekend knitting will be a competition between the shawl KAL and the sweater.  I can’t wait for the next clue to arrive:  I have no patience! Unfortunately, I should also take advantage of the good daylight to finish making up my Tanzanite sweater. I’ll just have to remind myself that once it’s finished it will keep me warm and it’s another BFL masterpiece.

Consequently I’ve supported chocolate week more than I probably should. On Wednesday I made an appointment by phone. “Tomorrow at 12.45” was offered and I took it, assuming some cancellation. Turning up yesterday at 12.40 I was treated, politely of course, like an idiot, and told that the appointment was actually tomorrow – Friday. So, on the way home, I bought a VERY large bar of chocolate and ate a substantial chunk with a nice cup of Earl Grey.

As for curry, well that’s for Friday, which is today, I think.

Still, I took my newly finished cowl for an outing.

I’m not too keen on Feather and Fan – I think it’s the sequence of yarn over’s that annoy me – but a strange thing happened while I was knitting. It seemed such a silly thing to make, especially with the picot cast off at both ends.

Have I lost my mind? I vandalised my WIPs. I frogged my socks and my Clapotis. There’s only so much K3, K1tbl, K1, K1tbl, K3, and so on, that a sane person can do. I worked on my Pimpelliese. But I was worried: am I knitted out?

To treat myself I’ve signed up for Anniken Allis’ mystery shawl KAL and I’ll use my grey BFL laceweight for this instead. I might even add some beads. And of course, there’s chocolate and curry. But will I get my knitting mojo back?

As for yarn dyeing, I started on some gorgeous baby alpaca 4-ply. In pink, of course.

I absolutely adore this yarn. It’s incredibly soft, the colour is wonderful and (this is weird, I know) I love the smell. I had planned a range for my Etsy shop, although I’m not sure I could part with this gorgeousness.  But I’m not impatient to be knitting with it. Should I be worried?