Meet Otto

Otto is ready to play

Making a bit of an entrance

Enjoying the pose

Inspired by a Reclining Buddha, I think.

But getting totally whacked by it all and now needing a lie down

Thanks Ysolda. It's a great pattern!

Otto takes shape

Last evening, as we sat watching an episode of The Gilmore Girls that we felt sure we'd seen before but didn't remember* (the one before Laine's wedding) Otto took shape.

He's quite a character, even with just the one and a half limbs and no face....

*we think we must have fallen asleep

Otto the bear

Packrat that I am, I ordered the Otto pattern from Ysolda - I loved Jordi's Elijah and a new baby in the family was enough of an excuse to start knitting a bear.

I bought a couple of balls of Cashsoft Cotton in John Lewis yesterday - on sale at 70p a ball, so a bargain to boot. But of course, when I got home and read the pattern (good idea, eh, read the pattern!) I realised I'd bought 4ply, not DK. Oh well, set to on 2.5mm needles and I am perfectly happy with the size and tension.

I've read the comments on Ravelry about Otto and was concerned at the "anteater" comparisons. I took someone's advice to shorten his nose a little by decreasing every row and was pleased with the result. As I stuffed his head, I took care to shape it nicely and took the opportunity to mark the eye position as I finished the thread end off from his nose.

But as I started to pick up his neck stitches it became clear that all was not right. Yes, his head is upside down! Am I bothered by this? Is Otto bothered by it? Not in the slightest. In fact, I think that his bear-like profile is rather grand!

Ysolda has written a great pattern to follow, easy to understand and clearly explained. quite why I've managed to go so far off piste I have no idea!

One - all

After a slow start, I took command and established my own order of play, defying all four strands of that tough cookie of a yarn with no give. Knit into the same stitch six times, though? (We've been here before - remember the Trellis Scarf?) Making a bobble with unforgiving yarn was hard going and having made four, the thought of another eight on this side and twelve on the other was daunting to say the least.

First decision. Only need bobbles on one side. After all, they'd catch and rub on my jacket/leg/side as I carried it, wouldn't they?

Second decision. Don't need bobbles at all. Did a purl where the bobble should be and will apply a small design alteration later.

There! Take that, you paper bag! I don't need your bobbles! I can un-knit!

But it had the last word, as I retired for the night with achey hands and sore thumbs from knitting such a hard and scratchy yarn. A pair of soft, alpaca socks are on the horizon, possibly a fine cashmere scarf.

But I won't be beaten!

Poor start

No more than ten minutes after I posted that last entry and picked up three neat balls of yarn to go and cast on, I read the pattern.

"Four strands of yarn are used throughout"

Beaten into submission

I'm at that unusual point when, having finished the Tofutsies socks last night, I need another mindless knitting project. Not quite ready for another pair of socks (though they will begin sooner rather than later, I'm sure), I thought I'd make a start on this Paper Bag . I got the materials in Habu, New York, last year and fought with the stuff whilst sitting in Jordi's apartment, making use of her swift, for I didn't have one of my own then. I seem to recall using a few choice words on that afternoon, too.

So, getting the yarn out to begin casting on, it came as no surprise to find that this was going to be a bit of an animal. It slithered and slipped all over the place, taking every opportunity to wind around itself, tie itself into knots and generally misbehave. Time for affirmative action. I rewound the yarn on the ball winder, taking care to make sure I had the inside end there, because I think that's the only way to go.

All the time whilst I was fighting it, I could envisage the kind of look on various faces, perhaps similar to those in the meeting on Friday, whose reaction to my knitting a paper bag - or a bag made of knitted paper - would be all-too-predictable. The Yarn Harlot says it so well and what she says could easily apply to quilting, when we cut fabric up and sew it back together again, to papermaking* and so many other things I do.

But one thing is sure. In the competition between me and a paper bag, you know who is going to win, don't you!

*Why are you ripping up all that paper and soaking it overnight? Why, to make paper of course!

Confession time

Opening my suitcase revealed a nice little "pie" of knitting yarn, because Switzerland is a great place to find sock yarn - nothing out of the ordinary but simple, good quality wool at good prices.

I was also pleased to find some silly coloured cotton for a couple of dishcloths, all in the Coop in Basel Marktplatz.

They all fitted nicely into this fun "soft" cake mould - spotted in a really comprehensive kitchen shop just off the Marktplatz and perfect for making a cake in portions to suit all-comers!

Then of course, there was the airport shopping. I don't think we could possibly leave Zürich without leaving a few CHF in Sprüngli in return for a Zuger Kirschtorte and some Luxemburgerli! Putting a carrier bag like this through the X-ray machine always raises a smile from the security people, who often threaten to make it disappear before it comes through the other end of the machine.

Yes, Swiss Airport Security people even have a sense of humour!

On the menu tonight with a couple of friends will be Zürcher Geschnetzeltes with Rösti, followed by Kirschtorte and maybe a Luxemburgerli or two. The Baseler Läckerli will keep for tomorrow!

A rare event

A completed knitting project! I have finished a pair of socks for Mark - they were the Retro Rib pattern from Favourite Socks and my first pair following this pattern. He likes them and I find it a comforting knit - interesting enough but not too complex to chat at the same time! Yarn is Trekking XXL, bought in Boston.

I think the colours are yummy - and he does too (I think)

The scarf is my other mindless knit on the go. I'm not sure about this one. The Debbie Bliss yarn is possibly a little too uneven in thckness for the pattern, but I shall soldier on because again, I love the colour!

Knitting Project done

The knitting project from our brief stay in Sea Ranch with friend Mary is done. It's the Mobius wrap from the Magical Knitting book by Cat Bordhi, worked in Blue Moon fibers knitting ribbon (you know, I've tried to find a link to that but can't - sorry) bought from The Fold near Chicago. I like the way it hangs/drapes and the colour is perfect with some linen trousers I have. I think I'll enjoy wearing it.

The colour in the photo above are totally off, so here's a more accurate swatch, showing texture too.

Unpacking

Just putting away the goodies from my trip and amongst the first things I came across was the little bag of bone "clasps" I tracked down in Paper Source. I plan to make a book with a fastening and though I was careful to choose six good ones, I don't think I appreciated the variation in size until now. Never mind - I will have to make sure I use the odd ones as singles, keeping the similarly sized pairs together.

Last Sunday, we were in Pasadena and called into the San Raphael Bead Company on the way back to Mary's. Couldn't resist replenishing my supply of these "niblets" - really cheap, interestingly shaped beads, even though I have plans for them yet. I rather liked the cubes too - not so regular and polished as some I have.

On my last trips to the US, I've kept an eye open for this Fiskars "Paper Drill". Found it in what must be the tidiest Michaels I've ever been in, in Bozeman MT. Of course, I didn't have a 40% off coupon when I got it - that came in the following day's newspaper. Bozeman was quite a good place for crafty souls - not only was there the new and sparkling Michaels, there was the sad, neglected JoAnns at the other end of town (I suspect there is a connection in their respective conditions) They were offering 25% off, so I took the chance to get a handful of the new (to me) non-slip Olfa rulers. In addition to the small square, I got a long 3" wide one and a medium 6" wide. They're easy to fit in a suitcase!

We also stumbled across Reproduction Fabrics in Bozeman and I couldn't resist this little bundle of fabrics, reproduced from antique French designs. No plans as yet, but we'll see.

Finally, the yarn. you've already seen the Toefutsies. As well as that one, there's the pink Crystal Palace kid merino, Blue Moon Fibers "Rio", Blue Moon Fibers ribbon (for the mobius scarf on the needles right now) and the green "montana" colour sock yarn which is Mountain Goat. I restocked with a few different sizes of the small Brittany dpns and an extra long Addi circ for the mobius.

And that, I think, is it! Oh, succumbed to a couple of books too - the Interweave Press Favorite Socks, and the magical "Knitting Never Felt Better" by Nicky Epstein, which has got me itching to knit up that kid merino.

Interesting day with *knitting content*!!

We decided to spend this, the last full day of our trip catching up on one or two places we've not reached so far and intended to set out from our hip, happening hotel (where most of the guests are as hip and happening as ourselves, i.e. not really!) and meet Mary somewhere midtown.

Sadly, the parking valets had other ideas. They'd lost our car.

OK, it's a hire car, there were none of our possessions in it (except for a treasured and personalised Thomas Guide to Los Angeles with markings on for all our favourite places), so we could afford to be relaxed.

But we were not. How could these people be so hopeless at their job as to give our car to someone else? How could someone else be so foolish as to drive away a car which wasn't theirs?

We harrumphed and made it clear that we were not amused, in our very British way (!) and made alternative arrangements for Mary to come over to Santa Monica and collect us. Bless her. In the meantime, we explained that they should find our car. Preferably before tomorrow, when it needs to be returned to LAX when we fly home.

We made our way to Wildfiber which, over the years we've been coming here, has transformed itself from a surface design emporium to a knitting store. It's an exciting place to explore and the stock is extremely interesting. We had a fun hour or so there and of course, made a purchase or two.

Together with a restock of some needles, I decided I needed to try some Toefutsies Chitin yarn. To quote from the label: "Chitin is fiber from shrimp and crab shells! It's naturally antibacterial!" How appropriate to bring this one home from the beach.

I think that my good friend Sue of the Magic Armchair has used this yarn, probably bought from Get Knitted? But hey, I get to carry mine a few thousand miles

Incidentally, when we got back to the hotel tonight, there was a voicemail to say they'd "found" our car. No further details. We have been out to dinner with friends and haven't checked yet, though!

Socks on the go

I'm working on another pair of Jaywalkers right now, for Mark. I bought the Trekking XXL yarn last year and, although I fancied working a different pattern, somehow it just said "Jaywalker" to me. Added to which, given my current travelling commitments, a mindless pattern is probably for the best.

I've finished one sock and am almost up to the heel on the second, most of which was done on the coach to the NFWI AGM in London last week. Friends Judy and Marjorie wanted Connie to see what I was doing - so here you are, Connie!

Of course, the usual anxieties prevail - will there be enough yarn?

Over the border!

Nipped over the border into France today, for a look around Lille. Look where I spent a happy hour this morning! Best of all, the shop was completely empty - a real bonus, as anyone who has spent an hour or two in the Paris queue will confirm.

Getting it all done

Today was all about checking off the last things on the list, revisiting favourite places and generally tieing up loose ends. Chicos and Eileen Fisher had featured on my list from the beginning, but due to their location were amongst the last calls - no less successful for that. It gave us an opportunity to go via Grand Central Station, one of the truly magnificent buildings in the city and one which always bears a repeat visit.

Eileen Fisher had quite a few things to tempt us. As always it's the luscious fabrics and clear, clean colours which make all the difference.

Finally, we simply had to have the last supper of our trip at our favourite Bright Foods - having begun our gastronomic tour of New York there on Friday night, it seemed appropriate to end our journey there too.

It was completely empty when we arrived - we have a very early start in the morning (4am call) so we felt we should begin to get our bodies back on track by eating early. No matter that we were the only ones in the place, for the welcome was as warm as ever and the menu had plenty to tempt. Mark and Jordi went for burgers, but in this bread-free place, they came wrapped in tortillas. Bettine chose trout, served with a tortilla crumb and sweet Thai basil and I had the quesadillas...yummy!!

Having oooohed and aaaaahed our way through a few margaritas as well, we struggled to manage dessert...but manage, we did and the clean plates were testimony to a terrific meal.

All the better, then, to have the opportunity to tell the owners of Bright Foods how very much we love their restaurant! Yes please, open a branch of this best of all NYC restaurants in England - preferably somewhere accessible to us - and we'll be there!!

Oh, and having revealed the contents of my friend's shopping bag, I felt I should reveal my own stash. Some Nashua Yarns Ecologie cotton, the Habu paper yarn, some Koigu (because I can never resist it when I see it up close) and some Blue Sky Alpaca. Yes, you can see an Addi Lace circular needle and a FiberTrends felted clog pattern. Finally, there's a little bundle of neat braids, bought at one of the 6th Avenue stores. That's not really the complete bag, but it'll do for now. Will reveal all when we're home, I promise.

Buy yarn! Buy Fabric!

Those little voices just had to be obeyed...



We were drawn into fabric shops and succumbed to the bargains which were waiting. From such humble beginnings are masterpieces created... (not by me...)



Habu was a little disorganised today but the yarn for the paper bag on knitty.com was in stock and is now in my stash. Not only that, but it's wound and ready to go because the offer of Jordi's swift was too good to turn down....it's a rather wild yarn! Got handles too, so no excuses.



Purl Patchwork window always looks so attractive, especially today in the spring sunshine.



And of course, we had someone else's money to spend...hope she approves of the choices we made for her!



Terracotta: O-wool (50% organic cotton, 50% organic wool blend), Purple: Blue Sky Alpaca Melange, Stripy: Cascade Fixation elastic sock yarn, Pale Grey: Natural Focus cotton (Ecologie cotton)

Too clever by half?

About this time yesterday, with a Saturday afternoon at home stretching out in front of me, it seemed the perfect time to begin a new challenge. After lunch I sat down and began to cast on 375 stitches, using yarn bought whilst in Luzern recently. Only half way along did I check the pattern and notice that I ought to be using two strands of yarn so, being too lazy to go and fetch a second ball of yarn*, I thought I'd be really clever and use the end from the centre and the end from the outside.

*the building work continues on our studio and my stash is still in the garage, "filed" in some kind of order, but nevertheless making retrieval challenging!

I'm sure there are experienced knitters out there, shaking their heads in the knowledge that using both ends was not as good an idea as it might have seemed. Indeed, some hours later, with more tangles and twists than enough, I almost conceded defeat and pulled the whole thing out for a second time. However, the spirit of the ace-untangler, inherited from my Mum, persuaded me to be patient, to take it gently and eventually, almost twelve hours since I began, Ene is finally on the needles!

Jaywalkers 3 are progressing nicely, thanks to a couple of hours sitting in Mark's concert rehearsal last night.

I'm going to another concert later, to see my four-year-old friend, Rosie-Jane dance. I'm rather looking forward to it, since pink tutus and ballet shoes didn't feature much in Edward's upbringing!

Socks done!

Have finished my socks! Contrary to everything I said about Jaywalkers, I thought the Fleece Artist yarn (SuperMerino, Cosmic Dawn)was so well suited to such a pattern and will admit to finding it much, much easier than before. In fact, it was a good indicator of how much more knitting experience I have than the last time I knit them!

I even had the confidence to adjust the heel slightly, for ever since I got Charlene Schurch's Sensational Socks book, I've found her heel instructions to be second to none. Next time I do the Jaywalkers, however, I'll follow Charlene's heel instructions to the letter, for Grumperina's heel flap is slightly too short for my high instep and I find them a little tight to get on and off. Of course, not only is this the most obvious adjustment to make, it's also a pretty easy one too. Quite why I didn't do that this time around is a mystery - guess I'm still not that confident to muck about with patterns!!

I've cast on another pair of socks for my "mindless" knitting project (Mark's turn) and I'm mulling over my next "challenge". I guess I'm a convert, too - it's another pair of Jaywalkers!

Time to catch up

I seem to have had little to blog about of late, and yet now I sit down to post a couple of photos, I've come across some other small finished things which I haven't mentioned. I think this is the best part of blogging - charting small achievements which would otherwise go unmentioned, forgotten within a few days.

Firstly, I don't think I mentioned the "Wine and Roses" mitts (Interweave Knits Winter 2006), which I decided to knit using the February Posh Yarns Sock Club yarn. I finished one of these and felt underwhelmed by the end result, somehow. Maybe they're not quite my colour, perhaps a smaller needle would have given me a more satisfying finish? Anyway, I did one and left it to one side until my Mum arrived and enthused about it enough to encourage me to complete the pair for her.

There was enough yarn left over to knit a quick "Misty Garden" (Scarf Style) to match, though the colours in the two photographs are so different, you'll just have to take my word for the fact that they do!

What to knit next? Though I am still spooked by Ene (another Scarf Style pattern), I'm umming and aaaahing and cast on a pair of socks instead. When in doubt, cast on socks! I had a great skein of FleeceArtist merino in Cosmic Dawn and started a pair of Pomatomus. Great pattern - but better in a plain or self-coloured yarn rather than this flashy multicolour job! So, after a bit of ripping, a second pair of Jaywalkers is on the needles.

Yes, I can hear Sue saying "but I thought you swore never to knit another pair of those?" The difference is, that this time I'm not trying to do them on two circs!

Other stuff around here: it's a glorious Saturday afternoon, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. We have more frogspawn in pond and anyone would think it was March.

Oh, and I have a new favourite flower in my vase.

"In fairy tales frogs are apt to change into princes and it was an Asian prince in just such a story who gave his name to this flower, which grows naturally in swampy ground. The prince was so good-looking that he was loved by everyone. He also had a beautiful voice but this was his undoing. He loved the open country and sang delightful songs in the presence of nymphs. He did not have the courage to declare his love to them and this haunted him so much that he died. After his death he was changed into the flower with delicate tissuey petals which bears his name." From The Flower and Plant Association website