the last batch - for now

 this truly is the rest of my "new" books (do they still count from christmas?:) and I have to admit that several of them fall under "not strictly necessary"... I try not to ask for too many coffee table books, instead go for those with  new techniques. there's only so much shelf space (or rather: by now there's plenty of lack of space:), so I should really use it wisely. this is one of the books that is very nice to look at - but not absolutely necessary if you can make up your own patterns. I do like quite a few of the projects, but I don't think I'd do any of them for myself without change. judge for yourself... unfortunately one of the most beautiful patterns isn't on show - it's a "bridal cardigan" in white, with pink and green inlay and lace at the sleeve bottoms and along the lower edge. not for me, that's for sure - but gorgeous to look at:)

 when I saw the announcement for the book I was very keen on this one. another book about colourwork. this is in german, but the same book is available in english by now (I just couldn't wait any longer - for some reason the english translation took ages to be published). the knitting patterns are inspired by medieval murals in swedish churches. sounds odd, but the patterns are nice! a preview for the english book is here. the one odd thing about the projects is that nearly every pattern has bits in odd colours that don't really go with the main colours - at least for my taste. easily rectified though, no reason not to like the book:)

 and yes, another one about colour knitting:) obviously I do like knitting with several colours... this one is definitely more a technique book. all colour knitting techniques are described in some detail, plus there are nice patterns in it, too. I have to say though that it doesn't quite match up to my colour knitting "bible" by Margaret Radcliffe. that's not to say that it is a bad book - it's just not as in-depth as Radcliffe's book. on the plus side it does contain more complete projects (pillows, garments etc.) - and a preview is available here.

one not (only) about colour knitting:) the odd one out...  when I put it on the list I wasn't sure about the contents, I just found the under title "colour, structure and design" interesting. and the book gives plenty of ideas for this - if you're into making up your own patterns this should be interesting for you. but when you hunt for complete patterns to follow - you'll find that pretty much all the garments in this book are worked in modular style! I am not necessarily a fan of this, but I think some of the ideas the author shows can be used for "normal" (ie not modular) knitting as well. and she gives plenty of information about how to construct knitted fabric for a project, lots of knitted pattern samples, too. definitely a keeper...

another odd one out - I received this book in an exchange:) I like doing exchanges once in a while; you get rid of something you don't need any longer for something you want (and hopefully also use at some stage!). because I've planned to do some more rigid heddle weaving eventually, I was looking for a book that gives more ideas about how to add patterns to "plain weaving". Jane Patrick is well known in weaving circles and the book didn't disappoint me! I think I could spend a very long time trying out all the different ways to add pattern to fabrics on a simple loom. given that this is most likely the furthest I'll ever go in weaving, I think I can put this book to good use....

the last one - for now:) I have plenty of crochet patterns here and there in mixed craft books, but I lacked a single "encyclopedia" with all the basic information I might need. this fills the gap. all the basics of how-to are well covered, also plenty of separate patterns - plus a completed project for each chapter. those aren't necessarily sensational, but I wanted the book more to have an overview, something to check when I need to know something and don't want to hunt around on the net. the book has been revised and updated and I think it's well worth the investment.

 

those are my last books on the list - but never fear, I am sure I'll put a few on the wish list for my birthday:) can't help it, I am a book addict!

 

btw - the mystery of the missing fire pix is solved. not satisfactorily - but solved nevertheless. it wasn't a hacker - it was DS, who put up his own fire pictures - and deleted mine in the process:( the annoying thing is that I took the trouble to dig out the tripod to do the night pix properly - his are all wobbly and out of focus:(  teaches me a lesson... hide away all your pix in folders straight away - and hope for the best!

 

stormy weather

our weather has changed a lot. from cold, but dry to april showers - and storms! I don't mind the showers so much, but three storms in three days is a bit much at this time of the year! all my daffodils are flattened - and the lovely tulips, who looked perfect just a few days ago (see header) are shreddered, some broke off and the rest of them look so bedraggled that I don't think they'll recover. and my spring bulbs in the front garden look really odd now. they have full-sized flowers on very short stalks - their reaction to the cold and strong winds maybe? keep your head down and you might survive:)

 on tuesday I was invited to a "hunt for wild garlic" trip - and luckily we didn't wait until wednesday after all. it was still a bit windy, but mostly sunny - quite a nice day. in contrast to wednesday, where we had one shower after the next plus the 3rd storm!

we didn't only pick lots of wild garlic, we also found a few nice plants in a local nursery. I hadn't found any muscari in our local shop, so I snatched up this little pot, when I saw it. isn't it a lovely blue?

the skein beside it is the first batch of the teeswater I dyed on easter sunday. the colours have blended well and I chain-plied it to use as sock yarn. the teeswater fibres give a lustrous, very strong yarn, but they don't fill out very well, so I am not sure that they will be too cozy to wear... time will tell! not much good if the yarn keeps well - because they are itchy to wear:)

 after a lot of debate about what to do with our lemon harvest (and yes, they do grow in ireland - but only inside or rather in an unheated glass house) the owner of the lemon tree asked for lemon jelly (marmelade?). so I peeled three of the lemons thinly, cut the peel into the tiniest strips and sliced one nearly ripe, very small lemon. I used jam sugar and made a jelly including the peel/sliced lemon - and ended up with a little more than one jam jar full. it's really delicious - not as sweet as most jams, just right on a piece of (slightly burned:) toast! I also used the peel of the other lemons to make lemon sugar - nice for baking etc. so we used up all our lemons to the fullest - apart from the bitter white skins inside:) I have to admit I added the juice of 2 "normal" lemons though - because I was afraid I might not even fill one single jam jar....

I picked quite a big heap of garlic leaves, but just before we left I found a recipe in a german gardening magazine: pickled garlic buds. my own plants are still quite small, no buds in sight yet - but I managed to pick a small bowl full to try this out. the closed buds are put into sea salt for 2-3 days to draw out the water. afterwards the salt is rinsed off and they are pickled in a vinegar/herb/spices mix. they are supposed to be very tasty after a few weeks - we'll see about that! like capers really, just bigger in size.

 

I also wanted to show you photos of a big fire in the bog a few days ago. someone apparently took advantage of the long, dry spell and lit a fire in the dried out bog. it was sunday night and we watched for quite some time how the fire grew bigger and bigger until it stretched all along the little river in the valley:( this wasn't an isolated incident, we've had bog fires all over ireland during the end of the dry spell! the fire brigades were stretched to the max trying to keep it under control, but it made no sense to call them out here, because it is next to impossible to reach the area down there and there are no houses in the vicinity anyway. but it does destroy a lot of the wildlife and I don't understand why people light the fires in the first place. nobody is cutting turf down there anymore - I suppose somebody might have dumped rubbish and tried to "hide" this by lighting the fire:(

to cut a long story short - I am absolutely sure that I uploaded all the fire pix - but apparently my computer didn't like the fire either and "ate" all my pictures:( I hunted through every folder - but they're gone:( maybe the pyromaniac is also a hacker and took my pix????very mysterious....

Happy Easter

I can't believe that it's april already - though the weather still doesn't let up. windier than the last few days - still as cold and unfriendly as it was.... yesterday morning I hoped that DS might be too old for an easter egg hunt outside - he may be a cool teenager, but with stuff like that  he still behaves like a five year old:) luckily Dobby is too lazy now to "help" with the egg hunt - when she was younger you could always hear her successes - loud crunching meant that she had found an egg:) when I see all the work people go through to colour their eggs I have a bad conscience - but I don't like cold boiled eggs, so I have to do the job right before breakfast on easter sunday. not enough time to go fancy with tights, leaves etc. - just enough to use food colours and a simple dip:

 I put some food colourings into a mug, add a bit of water and some vinegar and dye the hot, just-boiled eggs for maybe 2 minutes. the yellow needs a bit more of the dye, because all the eggs I can buy here are brown. and I never get proper purples - they always turn out brown with a purple tinge:) luckily we found all the eggs - a few years ago we missed one and much later, when Michael cut the grass he hit it with the mower - you wouldn't believe the disgusting smell! the dogs were delighted though....

 the leftover dyes work well on wool - this is teeswater top that I "painted" and steamed after breakfast....

 and to prove that the lemon tree didn't only do one lemon (and to make you envious:)  - my whole harvest:) for now.... the last one is still a bit green - but what I find odd is that apparently all the fruits ripen now - even though some are still extremely small. we discussed our first pickings for some time - and decided to do a marmelade with it..... they are untreated, so there's no problem with using the peel in it.

 

on saturday we had a group meeting with the Connacht Textile Crafters again. the demo this time was the making and decorating of felt beads. not the usual round felt balls; you first make the bead from a piece of dyed felt (like the paper beads kids make), roll it up into different shapes and then start decorating. with metallic yarns, fine wires, beads etc... I am not really a jewelry buff, so I decided to skip making a necklace - and just made two beads, for a pair of earrings. I finished the first, but ran out of time for the second. I still have to do the embroidery and put everything together, but I can do this at home, because I took some materials with me. other than that I was extremely unproductive at the meeting!:( I already know that I never finish much, but making a single crochet hexagon must be the absolute low point for me:( and even though they are extremely simple to make - I even managed to choose a wrong colour once:) maybe I shouldn't take anything at all and just chatter and watch and do nothing at all?

not again....

I think blogger doesn't like me.... I tried to add the latest books to my list. first time no luck. second time no luck (yes, I did click on save and it showed the books both times) - third time... you get the drift. ok, at least all the books are visible in the entries. I'll leave it at that for now - maybe they are still flying around in the www and land later, when I don't watch?

 

anyway, I'd like to show you some more books (yawn:) - but this time they are not knitting books. I do bobbin lace as well and last christmas I took the opportunity to put some on my wish list. and those are the three that magically made it over onto my shelves (or rather into a book box, because there's no shelf space left.... maybe I should ask for more shelves, but then I'd have to ask for an extension to the house first!)

this is a ring binder with loose leaves. it doesn't look very inviting from the outside, but it's the best I've seen so far to teach torchon lace. this is supposedly one of the easiest bobbin lace varieties to learn, that's why many beginners start with torchon. Ulrike Voelcker publishes really good books, but most of them are a bit more advanced. this is a series of 3 parts (the 3rd one comes out this spring), so far I have no. 1 and 2 (looks the same, just red background). it's in german and english, which seems to be the case for most bobbin lace books nowadays. makes perfect sense, because bobbin lace books aren't sold in huge numbers, so authors/publishers have to try to reach as many readers as possible (the books are still quite costly, compared with knitting books).

the first part of the "book" covers all aspects of learning to do torchon lace, though you should know the very basics moves of "how to". with clear photos and descriptions, the first chapter shows the same pattern in lots of different yarns together with percentages of how to copy the pattern in the right size for each yarn. there are many patterns available - but the 2nd part is the really interesting bit if you're out for nice patterns! colourful scarves, the usual (and not so usual!) doilies, curtains, samplers .... enough to keep me occupied for a very long time! unfortunately I haven't found a good preview for the book (as is the case for many bobbin lace books. and amazon offers hardly any of them!). I took the liberty to take a photo of one of the scarves just to show you that bobbin lace is well past the look of granny doilies and old-fashioned bits! I hope the author forgives me, but maybe they should start to show more of them in those lace shops that sell the books!

the good thing about the loose pages is that you can take out just the page you need, without the need of copying etc. and you can buy each part separately. if you already know how to do it, just go for the patterns! I am going to get the 3rd part too, when it is published, though it is supposed to help understand the lace in depth, rather than give many more patterns for it....

 

 the second book I received looks rather boring at first glance. no patterns, just pages and pages of text/lists. but for a bobbin lace maker this is a small bible! it contains (probably) all available yarns for bobbin lace, exactly measured and compared, so that the lace maker can see at first glance how to replace a yarn for a certain pattern. I should really have bought this ages ago, because I always have to guess the thickness and have done quite a few false starts with that. the only "complaint" I have here is that the cover should be a bit sturdier - but I solved that problem myself by covering it with

rhino book covers:)

this is one of the few bobbin lace books that has a preview available on amazon. the downside is that the text is french - but from good photos and diagrams the patterns are still easy enough to follow. because I'd like to do a small bobbin lace gift here and there I asked for the book - just to find out that most would probably still take too much time to qualify for a quick/small gift:) but the patterns are still gorgeous, I just have to plan well ahead!

 and before you fall asleep from all the book reviews: this is the first deluge sock - with a few adaptations. it fits well enough, though as I said - I cannot really see the point of going through the trouble with the specially formed left and right toes. knitting is so stretchy that the simple ones fit well - unless you have extremely oddly shaped toes that is...

I had a bit of a problem to get close enough with the zoom and still end up with the whole foot in one pic -but missing one row of rib should be ok, nothing exciting to see there:) at least you can see the rain drop pattern, though the pattern in the foot is barely visible. I like the colour better than the one I am knitting with now, because it's less blue and more grey - but on the other hand more grey would fit perfectly with the name of the pattern?:)

 

 

 maybe I shouldn't mention the word spring anymore - hardly a blog where there's no moaning and groaning about spring - or rather the lack thereof! but if there's none to be had - I make my own! lots of greens, a bit of yellow and some white - I spun myself a snowdrop yarn! only, the snowdrops to take a photo are gone by now...one skein comes with small beads, the other one is the same, just without them. it's all merino (only the yellow is corriedale) and I plied with a commercial viscose thread. which had a live of its own during plying, that's why I had to break the yarn with beads on one - it became so kinked that I just couldn't get it apart (story of my life just now:)... all the fibres apart from the viscose are from derryaun crafts here. all in all I should have enough for a medium sized project - it's just that I have no idea yet for what. nothing unusual in that, I have to admit:) it'll go as a show & tell to the spinner's meeting of our group, the Connacht Textile Crafters this weekend, and after that it can hang in my room for a while - until the real spring arrives and I have to make another yarn. maybe one with a lot of grey and very tiny specks of blue this time - for the real spring we are having??? as you can see from the header - the fluffy clouds and blue skies are gone here! 

 

not just books

I don't only read books - sometimes I even make things I found in a book:) this is a sock pattern I found in the book of the last preview. It's not difficult to knit, the only row, where counting is necessary is the change of direction, I think in row 8. on the other hand - I think I prefer the look of the wrong side... but it's a pair of socks, not a garment that is visible from all sides, so I don't really care all that much about that.

 

 the pattern would look nicer if blocked I'd say - but I was keen to put them on and skipped on the finishing:) the pattern on the right shows RS out, but somehow I prefer the structure of the left....

 

 the finished socks, out of thicker sock yarn, I think the name is Regia "fjord". this time I put in an afterthought heel, because I always end up having holes in the heel part below the foot! easy to undo - and because the yarn comes in 150 g balls, there's plenty to change the heel until the rest falls apart as well:)

 this one on the other hand is the first "deluge" sock. you can see the right foot shaping at the toes. there is a bit of a pattern along the foot, and then "rain drops" along the lower leg part. that's the part I like a lot. I also like the v-shape on top of the drops, but I skipped most of the patterning above, because I lacked the yarn. and I agree with another deluge knitter on ravelry, that putting pattern into the rib as well was just overdoing it a bit with the pattern. also the tbl rib doesn't stretch as nicely as a normal rib. so I changed the sock (no photo yet, weather dysmal) - I frogged to the uptter part of the v, started the pattern, but only lead the "shamrock" pattern into the rib, which runs along both sides of the leg. the rest I did partly with tbl ribs, where they continue from the pattern between the v - and partly simple k and p stitches to give a bit more stretch. the sock is wearable, so I'll make the second one at some stage. I know I'll have enough yarn because of the frogging. but I also started the pattern again in another yarn, with simple toe-up and a change in the leg part... to be continued - the never ending deluge story (very fitting for our weather just now:)

 this is the proof that it is possible to untangle the mess! just don't look at the hours of fiddling it takes me....

  and I finally did start on my version of the Fia. this will be the border of the kimono style "cardigan". double knit in pure pima cotton, dark blue and lime green. it's fun to knit, as long as nobody starts talking and you can count your stitches in peace... I'll be busy with that one because DK knitting takes a good bit longer, but the main part will be quicker, because it's knitted in stockinette and not DK. the downside is that it isn't exactly portable knitting, too many balls plus the pattern (the yarn is very fine, I have three threads of the lime green and four of the blue - not for the impatient, because it's not plied and a mistake is very visible, when the needle splits the yarn! but so what - I know that I'll wear that one for decades, so it's worth the time).



not much to tell on the garden front - wind and rain and cold means that I don't do much outside. but the little lemon tree is nice and snug in the glass house - and has produced the first ripe lemon! and 5 more to come in the next few days.... the scent  is gorgeous, we are going to eat the first one raw to get the taste! if I don't blog for some time I might have to unscrew my eyes after this experience:)

two more....

two books that is - and two more purple skeins untangled:)

I've always been a book fan - even as a child my favourite christmas and birthday gifts were books. as soon as they were unwrapped, I became silent and started reading! nothing has changed, I still ask for books as gifts - and here are two I received for christmas (or at least bought with money I received for christmas:):

this is a weighty tome of a book - well, it has to be because practically everything about knitting is in it. I thought the price was very reasonable, though the book does not contain any colour pictures, just drawings. it really does cover pretty much anything you could look for - and it has been totally revised and chapters were added. but I still prefer my smaller "dictionary" written by Montse Stanley. it might be out of print, but is available very cheaply - and well worth it!

another "bible", albeit a small one. it does however contain everything you'd need to successfully knit socks, and all in one small book. the spiral binding keeps it open nicely and the smaller size fits easily into my "knitter's corner". I am sure that I have all the different heels, toes and insteps explained somewhere else, but if I have to start hunting around for them it tends to take a while to find the stuff I want - and also I get waylaid far too easily, when I start to leaf through books and mags! the one downside - it's not exactly cheap for the size of the book - at least compared with the one above!

second in line....

... but the first in my opinion:

 if you only buy one new knitting book this year - I'd go for this one! it's full of basic instructions for beginners, but also shows brilliant ideas even for the advanced knitter and covers everything about colour knitting that you could imagine - even double knitting and entrelac instructions are to be found. stripes, intarsia, stranded knitting, colour basics or knitting with multicoloured yarns (you need tips to use up all those multicolours that look awkward when knitted into anything but socks? here they are!) all included... and all for the measly price of less than £ 9!! there are also design tips and finishing techniques - and a few projects, but I wouldn't buy the book for those (not very exciting - I have no idea why they were included). this is by far the most useful book I've bought in the last years, and I wouldn't want to be without it anymore!

 Nicky Epstein must be one of the most prolific knitting book writers around. I like some of her ideas, but have to admit that quite a few are way over the top for me. but the book is full of good ideas - and all of the given patterns can be toned down either by using less colour or fewer styles in one garment. the different chapters show anything from circular lace patterns to colour work and cables - and pretty much anything in between. there are basic ones about "how to knit a circle" - which can be used in lovely colours - or decorated with i-cords, leaves or flowers.

there are also full garments with instructions, all either completely made from circular designs or at least decorated with circles. many not necessarily my style, but I didn't really buy the book because I wanted the garment patterns - the ideas for simple circles of all kinds were what I was after! and they don't disappoint - plenty of choice to use in my own knitting....

and this - has nothing to do with books at all. this is my latest and most desperate project:( my machine dyed silk-viscose blend yarn - that ended up in a huge tangled ball... and yes, I know how to tie skeins before dyeing. there were three ties on every skein and to be on the safe side I added 2-3 more for each. didn't help one bit though - somehow the very smooth yarn managed to get tangled viciously anyway. I somehow untangled one skein by leaving in  on the table and going over and under for endless hours until I had several balls wound... but I cannot usually spend at least half a day without moving from the table - so I decided I needed a different setup for the next 6 skeins. I took out all but one tie and tried to finger-comb out as many kinks and knots as possible. then I fixed a clamp to the table to put the skein over it - before removing the final tie. still going over and under for hours, but at least I can leave my place and come back to it later! this skein is halfway done - only another x hours to work on:( but I will manage - at some stage! possibly not before next christmas, but luckily I don't need the yarn for an urgent project:)