Fringe S03 (there are spoilers)

Ok so I finally got round to watching Fringe S03 - being laid up for over a month during the summer meant I didn't get as much done as I wanted but c'est la vie.  

I was sooooo disappointed by it when I watched the whole thing, the love triangle was just kinda dumb and the ending where they just wrote a long term character out of existence left me sitting staring at the screen going "WTF people!".

The first 2 seasons had so much promise, the underlying story ark was ok and but they were basically the mad science police which made them awesome. Walter is by far my favourite character with all his mad science going on in the background and self medication, but with Peter written out of existence how can there be a rift between universes? He would have had no reason to go to the other side. Also without all the Peter business he would be a different Walter(s) because he would not have had the experiences which helped shape his personality, same goes for the Olivias. I think a lot of shows try too much to give characters depth or have a huge reveal when people like me would be happy with just monster or mad scientist of the week/month. Instead the people in TV land try to make Sci Fi shows more soap operaish by adding all this lovey dovey crap, having mad twists and mysterious creepy bald guys who dress like it's still the 1950's.

So my advice would be not to waste your time on Fringe and watch the new Conan movie a few times instead :)

Quilting

I have for a long time had a fascination with quilting, I have never had a clue how to produce these fantastic works of art but instead looked on in awe at the work of others.  Over my Christmas Holidays I treated myself to a book called The Ultimate Quilting Bible by Marie Clayton.  Being broke after Christmas I was somewhat hesitant in buying myself this but it was well worth it.  I'm only partially through reading it but it is brilliant, it has bits about the history of quilting, where different techniques originate as well as all the really interesting technical stuff.  It is very much a technical guide and not a pattern book. 
I think it is brilliant to have a resources like this on your bookshelf, as an avid knitter I often reach for my Knitters Bible by Clare Crompton when I come across something new, or even a technique I haven't used in a while.
As I am now the owner of a shiny new sewing machine I will hopefully be doing more sewing projects which should be quicker than my knitting projects.  I'm working away on the Aran Hoodie but also trying to finish my circular cardigan, this way I can choose a project that suits my mood better as if I'm tired trying to follow the aran pattern is a bit of a pain but the edging detain on the cardigan is just a basic cord so takes less concentration.  I think for big projects, if you've a short attention span like me, it is good to have two things on the go at once that way you can do whichever you are in the mood for rather than plodding away at something and being sick of the sight of it when you're only 1/2 way through.
Just as a recap I found the pattern for the Aran Hoodie in an issue of Knit Today and the circular cardigan is from www.elann.com , you need to be registered to enter this site but they've got some nice stuff on there.  I'm using Tivoli Ocean in the cardigan instead of the recommended wool.

We Live and Learn

In the run up to Christmas my needles were smoking.  I was making hats and even managed some of the Alan Dart designed christmas tree decorations, which turned out fantastic I have to say.  The thing I came away with after christmas was the realisation that when using such fine knitting needles and also "glue sewing" is the importance of using thimbles.  You can purchase knitting thimbles or leather thimbles online for a few euro's.  I know I will most certainly be purchasing one.

Spidy Phew

I have finally finished the spidy scarf, it is blocking as I type :)  It took way longer than I had intended but it was also a fun pattern to follow.  I had never used a drop stitch method before, it was weird at first because as anyone knows when you're knitting dropping a stitch is usually a bad thing.  It was defiantly not something I'd done on purpose before.  I am really happy with the result though.

I used a spray blocking method which you pin your item onto a blocking board, or in my case an ironing board, to the measurements given in the pattern and then spray it liberally with a water sprayer.  Now this is the most important step. You now have to boil your kettle, pour the boiling water into a mug with a teabag add milk/sugar to taste then sit down and relax while your scarf drys.

I have a few more projects lined up.  I have recently bought this pattern ( http://tiny.cc/orqfl ) which I intend to start soon :)

Next up are the crimbo decorations, the pattern was purchased from Alan Dart's homepage.  I am also going to be making a super snuggly hat for a friend.


I was browsing this months House&Home mag, they have some fab featured knits in there. Even if you can't afford to buy them they might just give you the inspiration to turn something drab into something fab.

Emma's Spidy

Now that her birthday has arrived and she has seen what I'm making for her, I can finally show off my latest project.  I got the spidy scarf pattern from Ravelry, it's called "October is for Spinners".

This pattern starts off using 4 strands of yarn and cuts down to 1 as it goes along.  It's kind of a pain knitting with multiple strands, I dealt with this by stabbing a shoe box with a scissors, seriously.  I put the four balls into the shoe box and fed the strands through, next time I think I will cut the holes with a scalpel coz the stabby method was less than efficient. 

I'm around a third of the way through making the scarf now and the pattern is really easy to follow.  The only thing I would say about it would be that when you're using the YO you don't knit as part of the YO like you would in normal patterns.

I have several patterns to add on to the blog for pillows which will be put up during my mid term. 

Pinwheel Cardigan

This is a nice basic pattern which also comes in a children's size.  At first you might think circular knitting is intimidating but it's not.  It's a little awkward at first when you are using the double pointed needles, or maybe that's just because I am a little clumsy.  Once you switch over to the circulars it's a total breeze.

I am using Ocean Aran by Tivoli, it's a lovely soft colourful yarn.  I started with the lightest colourway in the centre working my way out to the darker colourway (161, 162, 163). 

I'm planning on using colour 162 for the arms, it's got nice shades of purple going through it.  I've bought 5 balls of yarn so far, but might need to buy another 2 before I finish.

I would advise you to just work the pattern each section at a time, if you read ahead like I did you might get a bit panicked as some of the instructions seem very complicated until you actually start working on it.

 

The i-cord edging is way easier to work than you might think.  I'm alternating colours 163 and 162 for the edges.  When I reached the edge I did not cast off, I picked up 3 stitches on my double pointed needles and knit 12 rows of  i cord.  When you reach the end of a row you do not turn the needle you just push the stitches to the other end of the needle.  You just place those stitches on a holder, do the same with the second colour.  Then you pick the first coil off the stitch holder with your dpn and knit the next 3 edge stitches onto the coil, finally you knit 2tog three times so you are back to working with 3 stitches.  You basically carry on doing this until you run out of edging.  Cast off and sew final 2 cords into the edge.

Here's the link to the pattern I have used, you need to be a member to view the free patterns but it is a safe site and they also have a childrens pattern on there too.

 

Elann Pinwheel Cardigan Pattern

Coiled Clay Pot

This is how I'm making my coiled clay pot.  It's around 1/2 way through as I've only a few hours a week to work on it.

* Use a rolling pin and 2 1/2" wide pieces of wood to stop you rolling your base too thin.  Roll out a slab of clay and use a circular object to cut out the base.

* Place your base on a tile sized piece of wood. This makes it easier to turn your pot when you're adding your coils.

* Next use a water sprayer to dampen your workspace.

* Roll out your coils the same way you would roll out mala/play dough.  They should be the thickness of a sausage.  Only roll out one at a time as too much handling will dry out your clay.

* Place your first coil on the base and pinch the clay when it meets.  Use your thumb or index finger to smooth the ends of the coil into each other.

* Blend the coil into the base on the inside, cupping your free hand around it so it doesn't go out of shape.  Finally blend the coil in from the outside using your free hand to support the inside.

* Continue with your coils until the object is a few inches high blending as you go.  Try to keep it straight.  Use a damp sponge to smooth out inside.

* To store your pot wrap it in plastic and run your finger around the rim to seal it.  This will stop it drying out.

* When you restart your work run a comb or blade around the rim to give your new coils grips.

TIP: If you need to re roll some clay make sure you don't leave any air pockets or the piece will explode in the kiln.