UK Swap Catchup - Warming your knees.

What has been your favourite finished blanket/lapghan?

I have never knitted one! Oh wait, I did a modular one in mitred squares for my son in 100% acrylic (well babies puke a lot!), it's not on my Ravelry page though. I tend to put on a jumper if it's cool, and if it's chilly in the evenings I snuggle under a HUGE (big enough to cover a king sized bed) fleece blanket on the sofa.

Do you have a favourite pattern that you'd like to make in the future?

I love the Natural Dye Studio's Bessie's Blankets - both knitted and crocheted. I love them all, but my favourites are the triangles, comfort blanket, and watercolour blanket. The colour variations in them are just stunning.

Do you have a favourite type of yarn for making blankets/lapghans

Not yet - I haven't made any apart from the acrylic one mentioned above (and there's enough of that in my stash already, thank you very much!)

UK Swap Catchup - Warming your feet.

What is your favourite way of keeping your feet warm?
Handknitted socks of course!

Do you have a favourite pair of socks you reach for to keep your toes toasty?

Whichever handknit pair are a. near to hand and b. relatively clean...

No seriously, I like all my handknits, a couple of favourites are Firestarter and a Knit-to-fit toe-up pair. I also made myself a pair of grown-up booties, but unfortunately my husband threw them in the wash and they are now tiny felted booties....

Is there a pair of socks/slippers you have been wanting to make for ages but haven't got around to?

I love the Knotty or Knice socks, they remind me of Celtic knotwork patterns (as do these Viking Socks), and there are several patterns in Knitting on the Road that I've been meaning to get round to. I also intend to do Master Coriolis at some point as I have heard good things about Cat Cordhi's patterns but have never tried one. I bought myself the Snuggs pattern too as I thought they look really cozy , but I haven't done those yet either....

What is your favourite finished object that warms your feet?

Socks. I only once got round to making myself a pair of slippers (see above)

What is your favourite yarn to use for socks/slippers?

The Yarn Yard Hug for really soft squishy cozy ones, but I tend to collect lots of different artisan-dyed sock yarn pets, so I always have something new to try. A look at my stash on Ravelry can be pretty revealing....

UK Swap Catchup - Warming your neck.

What is your favourite neck warming pattern?
I don't have one favourite, I have lots... the one I have knitted recently was the Tudora from Knitty.com.  I might make another but to a looser gauge than stated as it was a bit too small for my (freakishly long) neck. Others I like include the Crofter's Cowl, Dragon Scarf, the yummy Confection and the versatile Wisp from Knitty.com.

Do you have a favourite FO?

I often wear my Prismatic scarf, knitted with the lovely skein of Manos Silk blend I received in the last swap, but my current favourite is the crochet cowl I just finished - I have taken to wearing it around the house in the evenings. Amanda has designed a similar cowl called Cassia, which I would like to try too...

Is there a style of neck warmer you particularly like?

 I like the cowls for wearing with a jumper or under a jacket, although if it's really cold I might wrap a big scarf or even a shawl around my upper body under my coat to keep me cozy.

UK Swap Catchup - Warming your head.

What is your favourite style of hat?

I like all sorts of hats - I often wear a red cord cap that matches my red cord coat, but I also wear a fleece hat or a handknitted hat when the weather is cold... I like to change styles to suit my mood! For a slightly smarter option the slouchy berets are a good choice at the moment, but you can't beat a great beanie for cosiness. The Koolhaas is a favourite in that category, interesting and unusual without being outlandish,and I suspect the texture makes it really cozy. I must be one of the few Ravelers who haven't yet knit that one... 

Do you have a favourite yarn for making hats with?

Mostly the same yarns I use for other things - natural fibres, one-off, hand-dyed skeins, it has to be soft or I get an itchy forehead...

What hat patterns are in your queue at the moment? (pops off to check!)

Um, I have twenty-seven hat patterns in my Ravelry queue at the moment, of which only five are for my sons.... as I was saying, I have rather eclectic tastes in hats!

A few of my favourites are the Meret, (and in fact most of Wooly Wormhead's berets!), the Fern Glade, and Porom. For more funky colours, I like this ribbed one, and the Selbu Modern looks like fun to knit too - maybe in slightly less "loud" colours than the sample photo though!

I have also been meaning to knit myself a Fountain Hat for some time now, I just have never got around to it. 

Do you have a favourite handmade hat that you (or someone else) has made?

My Urchin (with a naff photo-sorry!), which I knitted from the leftover skein of yarn from my poncho knitted by my husband - so I can go out all "matchy-matchy"!

Warming Your Hands

I'm posting this late, but better than never....

So, what is your favourite winter warmer for your hands?

I don't have any handknitted gloves or mittens! I have knitted a few pairs of wristwarmers and ended up giving them away as gifts. Mittens are warmer, but of course you have to take them off to open a zip, turn a key, etc. Usually in Scotland it's not so cold that it's a problem for a few seconds though!

I love the stranded mitten patterns - Hippocampus  springs to mind, especially with the lovely variegated colours in it. The Sea Mineral mittens by SpillyJane are beautiful too, I love those colours... I have also bought myself a couple of patterns I haven't knit yet - Very Terhi by Yarnissima, which I have totally gone off after knitting a single "La Digitessa" Sock and deciding the result really wasn't worth the effort... and a favourite one I just bought the other day actually, Fiddlehead Mittens by Adrian Bizilla. I don't have stash yarn for that yet though. There are some really nice colour combos on the Ravelry pages for that pattern.

Are there any patterns out there you would love to own?

I have been trying to get a copy of the Selbuvotter book for ages, it doesn't seem to be available in the UK though. As far as individual patterns go, I love the Lotus Leaf Mittens By Elli Stubenrauch and of course the Fiddlehead mittens, which I already have...  

Or do you already have a winter warmer and you would like some mittens/gloves/handwarmers to match?

Actually I would like to knit a pair to match my Urchin hat, but as the Rowan Chunky Print is now discontinued I think I'm out of luck there. I did finish a scarf in Manos Silk Blend, maybe I could knit a hat or gloves to go with that.

Post about "Warming your hands" on your blog and then link to it in the comments so we can all see what you like!  

Consider it done!

Goodies!!

It has arrived! The parcel from my lovely swap partner, Sally, has arrived. Who wants to see inside?

Just look at all those lovely goodies - all for me!

First up, we have the "pointy things" - lovely wooden needles with the cutest Fimo tops! I will enjoy knitting on these...

Next (and a vital component of every swap parcel!) - sock yarn!  A skein of Bonny from The Yarn Yard in a lovely terracotta colour. 

A book! Sally must be psychic as she managed to work out that I am an avid reader without my ever mentioning it (at least I don't think I did...). Of course this one has a knitting theme, even better!

Next up... more Yarn Yard loveliness. This time it's a soft, squishy batt of lovely carded fibres ready to spin! I can try out my recently-acquired wheel with this! Might even spin some sock yarn...

The next one is slightly surreal. Without further ado, I present to you - a tube of Udder Cream!

I have not been brave enough to use it on my milk-producing organs yet, but I have used a dab on my hands and it is lovely.

And last up, but by no means least... I have saved the best till last.

(A hushed silence of anticipation would be appropriate at this stage...)

Just look at this! I am in love with a skein of yarn! Silky and soft and yummy, and the most beautiful colourway imaginable! I have been coveting this for some time now. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sally, it is sooo lovely.

And just to sum up, a piccy of all the goodies together. Just because.

Week 3 Questionnaire

I know, I'm doing these out of order and way too late. I have been away though!

Is there a TV programme you watch religiously? Actually I don't have a TV... I have been renting Heroes on DVD though and am really enjoying it!

What TV programme(s) do you avoid like the plague? "Reality TV" - Big Brother, The Island,  anything that involves voyeurism and voting off contestants. I'm just not interested.

Is there a TV programme that you find works particularly well for knitting along to? Anything I can follow by listening to it, without watching too closely.

What was/is your favourite kids TV programme? Postman Pat. He is one serious dude. He can snowboard, play football, fly kites - your classic all-action hero! And a nice guy too...