WIP Wednesday: In the Grip of The Muse

Victorian Romantic Tarot

I know, I know - you've been grateful for the moment's silence, but too much of a good thing is bad for you, right ? So I'm back. I was quiet because Mini Diva has been far less Mini and far more Diva recently, and my mental equilibrium - always a bit wobbly and teetering on the edge at the best of times - took a bit of a knock.  

Add that to my recent travails with Melpomene, merciless muse of Tragedy, and I didn't have much to write that wasn't as dreary as a sober politician telling the truth.

Fortunately - I hope - her sister Thalia, muse of Comedy, came along, and thus I am immured once more in the creative process. I will never look at a tea cosy in the same way again - and neither will you, if I have my way, and you keep coming back to read.

I sepiad (yes, it is a word now) the photo because I am paranoid - don't you know that people are desperate to steal my amazeballs ideas and with them, conquer the world of novelty tea cosies ? Well, no, probably they are not. It'd be like clowns fighting. But I did say 'paranoid'.

Anyway, you can see that Thalia and I are pretty good pals, and I must go listen to what she has to say. She's one of those high-maintenance friends where it's all about her, but you put up with it because you love the flavor of the dip she brings to the party.

WIP Wednesday: An Old Dog

Spiral Tarot

I thought talking about an old dog learning new tricks might be a bit less threatening than talking about Armageddon or the End of the World being nigh, as in, right now this minute.

Because I made a swatch:

I made a swatch because I want to make Wilde for Mini Diva's Xmas present. Instead of the Malabrigo Rasta at a cost of nearly £100/approx.$158 and aftercare involving washing it by hand in filtered unicorn pee and drying it with the breath of fairies (but only orange ones) in a south-facing rose garden at dawn, I've substituted King Cole Big Value Chunky for about £25/approx.$39 which can be bunged in the machine and will survive the Zombie Apocalypse along with the cockroaches. Let's set this out as simply as possible:

Malabrigo Rasta recommended gauge:  10st x 18 rows in a 4'' square on 9 - 12mm needles

Pattern gauge:   6st x 9 rows on 15mm needles

King Cole Chunky gauge: 10st x 14 rows on 10mm needles

So from that heap of confusion, you can see the logical thing to do was to knit a swatch and actually do, like, you know, measuring-type things. So feeling very grown-up and sensible and responsible and more of those really unattractively boring qualities, my first swatch on 12mm needles came in at 7.5st x 11 rows. Which means that the item would come out way too small (by about 20% according to the help I got from Ravelry).

So I made the Earth positively rock on its axis by knitting ANOTHER SWATCH.

I know, you'll need more than a moment to recover. I'm not sure if I have even now. Do they even make smelling salts any more ?

This gave me 7st x 9 rows on 15mm needles; but you can see in the photo that the fabric is too holey and loose - it'll sag and let the cold in.

So after all that, and with advised caution, I shall attempt using 12mm needles and make the Large size hoping to achieve a Small in the end. 

You may indeed wish me luck - I am surely going to need it all.

Mystery Monday #1

Whimsical Tarot

Well, the SusannaIC Autumn MKAL is finished, and the next MKAL I'm taking part in doesn't start until the New Year - but I still have a Mystery Monday for you, a mystery that perhaps you can solve for me since I am stumped.

Last week my MIL generously frogged and rewound the Oslo Walk Shawl for me, ready to be turned into something beady and sparkly but with way less opportunities for error, which ruled out the Golden Orchids Shawl for the time being.

Shuffling through my queue, favorites and library on Ravelry, to try and find a pattern that I already own for which I also have enough of the frogged Artesano Alpaca 4ply in 'Sweetpea', I came up with Sweet Dreams by BooKnits.

No, the mystery today isn't how or why I made more errors (I haven't made any - yet) but rather, why is the pattern in the state it is ? I've been through my projects, and searched this blog, but I cannot find any record of having made this pattern before - so why does it look like this: 

Yeah, I need practice using my mouse to write with in Paint. 

But you get the idea. Most important for our mystery is (A) which clearly shows that the lines of the pattern have been marked off as each row has been completed. (B) is most likely a tea-stain, since I'm not a huge coffee drinker. (C) is a water stain, and D is some other kind of drink stain.

That's a lot of scars and detritus for a pattern which I haven't made, don't you think ?

So what happened ?

FO Friday: A Tragedy of Errors

Halloween Tarot

It's actually really lucky that I am not a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist, or else this week we'd be talking about unintentional lobotomies and rocket wreckage (this had nothing to do with me, I promise).

It started with the completion of the Oslo Walk Shawl - mine was 77 inches long not fully blocked, and had more of a scarf shape than a crescent:

 

Fortunately my MIL was visiting this week and frogged the whole thing for me, in spite of the additional challenge presented by the alpaca halo and ton of beads. 

And having completed the Autumn MKAL, and commented on the unexpected shape, it turns out the instructions were not as straightforward and clear as I had thought - and followed; so, mine should not have been a 'U' shape but a normal crescent. As it's washed and blocked already, it'll languish in a corner while I struggle with my depression about it.

And if that were not enough, the Heartskull Hat turned out great - if you like the inverted color scheme, which resulted from the pattern chart having the main color in white, and the contrasting color shaded, meaning the skull is colored and the sockets are white; I know, cock-eyed; but the other people who have made this seem to have managed fine. I know, also, you'd think I would have noticed - something was niggling me, but of course it wasn't until I uploaded it to Ravelry and compared it to the other projects that I finally figured out what was wrong.

No problem, I had enough yarn left over to make another one:

Except this time I forgot to upsize the needles after the ribbing to make the body - so the hat is much smaller. It will still fit the intended recipient, but that's not really the point.

I had been planning to make the Golden Orchids Shawl, but as it's rated medium-difficult, I may have to restrict myself to a garter-stitch washcloth or scarf .... except I'd rather poke my eyes out than make those.

MKAL Monday 7: Autumn Has Fallen

Halloween Tarot

Just in time for the clocks to go back from British Summer Time to miserable old Greenwich Mean Time, I've completed the final clue of the SusannaIC Autumn 2014 MKAL6 .... and soaked it and blocked it.

I'm really happy with the yarn (Araucania Ranco Multy in colorway 351) and the beads, gold rainbow in size 6/0 from Dawn's Bead and Button Box: the colors complement each other beautifully. I made the medium size shawl, the millions of beads version; 75 grams meant I have a few left over.

I love the lace pattern, and that the shawl includes lace right from the start.

The only thing I'm not overkeen on is the overall shape - I do not like shallow crescents, a new moon crescent; I need a shawl to be more of a half-moon, semi-circle shape. So something I have learned from this is to ask for very specific shape details before I commit to or start a MKAL.

I think this is the 3rd MKAL of Susanna's that I've made, so the batting average is good - and after all, the problem here was not with the pattern or instructions (as usual, they were very clear and straightforward) but more that the shape is not to my personal taste. I'll definitely be back for another of her MKALs in the future .....

Please do add your link to your MKAL or CAL ....

The Cooler King

Halloween Tarot

Listen to this as you read - I promise it's relevant:





So Monday started as normal - did a little blog post about the current MKAL, ran the hoover around, 3 loads of washing as the sun was out and the tail of hurricane Gonzalo was supposed to lash us on Tuesday ... yanno, the ordinary housewifey stuff that turns my brain to mush.

Sebastian keeps me company as I do my chores, although it's normally a pretty one-sided conversation, since he doesn't consider my rhetorical questions about what to do next as worthy of an answer.

As he gets older, he grows increasingly fond of patches of sunlight that are big enough for him to lie in, and if that patch is outside, so much the better. It being a lovely sunny day, he found a warm spot on the patio and stretched out while I hung out my 2nd load of washing on the line.

I shuffled back inside to continue tottering about with a duster in one hand and a gin can of polish in the other.

The next basket of wet clothes later, I shoved the conservatory door open and squished it all on the line somehow. Looking round, Sebastian was noticeable by his absence.

My shrivelled heart beat somewhat faster as I discovered he was also not in the house.

When I saw the open side gate, I went into full adrenaline mode; I checked his usual lairs when he has got out, but they were all quiet and empty, not even a pile of poop to show he'd been by.

The internetz gave me the Council Dog Warden, although it took me longer to find as it is listed under 'Lost & Stray Dogs', and fortunately he had already been picked up and transported 20 odd miles away to the kennels the Council use for strays. I remembered how to breathe. And then I remembered how to disconnect and unplug every single technological device Destructo Boy owns, as it was he who had left the gate open, he was in so much of a hurry to get back to 'Call of Minecraft: Zombie Doom' or whatever is his current gaming obsession.

Belo and I took an adventurous drive to the backend of nowhere to retrieve Sebastian yesterday - the ladies who run the kennels were lovely; I especially did not look at or think about all the other strays there who I'd brought treats for. At all. Not one bit. No pangs at all. Sebastian was overjoyed to see us, and told us ALL. ABOUT. IT for the whole journey home.

Do you think that looks repentant ?

No, me either.

Destructo Boy is in the doghouse with the dog, and is grounded for life.

MKAL Monday 6: Movement

Halloween Tarot

Having got all my chores out of the way early and quickly yesterday, I could sit down and pay attention to Clue 6 of the SusannaIC Autumn 2014 MKAL ... each row seems to take ages because there are so many stitches ... or maybe it feels like it because I have started her Oslo Walk Shawl in the meantime, which begins with casting on over 300 stitches ....

 

Anyway, a leafy pattern seems to be emerging; and the more I see of this lovely Araucania Ranco Multi yarn, the more I am pleased with my choice of rainbow gold beads ....

But right now I am itching to finish Mini Diva's hat - she's been around all weekend, so there's been no chance to do the last 8 or so rounds ....

Do leave a link to your MKAL, KAL or CAL  ....