I love Knitty! The Vegan Fox is my favorite at the moment. I just have to knit him! Excellent site produced by wonderful, talented knitters. I'm so glad I started knitting again!
posted by Marie Irshad at 8:50 PM

I've been making jewellery since I was 14 and recently I've become a big fan of fused dichroic glass. Basically this is a technique where layers of glass and metal oxides are sandwiched together and fired at around 1500 degrees or so. The result is a magical shimmery wondrous piece of art. I've bought pendants from Bead Addict, Sara Creekmore and eBay. Charity Ann Heroux aka super-heroux on eBay makes some wonderful stuff.

However as usual all of this buying adds up so I have to watch myself! I'd love to make dichroic pendants and things from scratch but I certainly can't afford a kiln. If you do have all the equipment there are instructions here.
posted by Marie Irshad at 11:32 PM

I've put my Colinette Point Five sweater on hold for a bit. I've got to decreasing for the armholes but it got a little difficult as I had to still keep knitting in the 2/3 rib and adapt it. That proved too much for my poor addled brain so I've turned to a garter stitch scarf from some royal blue chenille I bought in La Drogerie. I'm knitting in a blue eyelash yarn to make it a bit more interesting. Although the chenille is acrylic it feels very plush and thick. It's already started to feel cold over here and hopefully I'll have a nice wool swing coat ready in time to wear with it.

My copy of Knitter's arrived yesterday and I really want to knit the longer version of the Point Five vest that's on the cover. I'm really tempted to buy the wool now but a quick glance at my yarn stash and unfinished projects and I know better. Plus there's still that visit to San Francisco in November. Who knows what I'll buy there!

The latest copy of Threads magazine is already out but my subscription copy has yet to arrive. I phoned Taunton Press' customer service dept yesterday but they claim that it's taking longer to arrive because it's the first issue of a renewed subscription. I've been a subscriber for over two years and this hasn't happened before. Plus my mother has started a subscription to the magazine and got her copy back in August! I really want to see the article on making kimonos and can't wait! But wait I must :-(
posted by Marie Irshad at 6:45 PM

Last weekend I did some major reorganising of my craft room. I read a tip on a web site, may have been Sewing.com, about organising sewing patterns. Basically you put the pattern envelopes into plastic pockets in a ring binder and the pattern and instructions into another pocket or a manilla envelope and file them in a filing cabinet. You can sort the envelopes in the ring binder into tops, jackets etc. and have the filing cabinet organised by pattern company.

I have loads of patterns and a filing cabinet that I don't use,so I had to get the filing cabinet into my craft room. This meant a large amount of tidying. Now it's done I have a lot more space for more fabric, wool, beads etc.!

I've sewn one skirt from a wonderful batik from the Batik Butik and have cut out another. I made french seams on the first skirt but it has a split and thinking back I should have sewn the split before making the seams. It was really difficult to sew the split after the seam had been made and it looks messy. It's not really noticeable but of course I notice it! I'll be more careful the next skirt. After this I'll look back at the Baltimore coat again.

Still knitting the Colinette Point jumper. I haven't done a great deal of work on it this week. In my lunch hour I've been busy reading and the last couple of evenings I made some more semi-precious gemstone bracelets from memory wire - Amethyst, Jade, Rose Quartz, Rutuated Quartz, Tigerseye and Lapis lazuli.


posted by Marie Irshad at 12:55 AM

This is the third time that I’ve written this blog entry. Twice my computer has crashed before I’ve been able to post. I’m now keeping this fairly short!

My Journey Jacket is almost finished. Just have to do some top stitching and decide if I want to add any extra decorative details. Aside from some sun and moon batiks on the pockets it’s plain black. I want it to go with anything but maybe it’s a bit too plain.

The Colinette 3/2 rib sweater from the Fall 2001 issue of Interweave Knits is going ok. I’ve half done with the back. I’ve only been able to knit during my lunch hour so far so it’s not going to be finished as quickly as I’d hoped. I’ve just started another shirt for Andy which has to be finished by Friday. After that I’ll have more time. My next big sewing project after that will be the Baltimore coat.

posted by Marie Irshad at 12:40 AM

Well it took three hours to get to Colinette Yarns not two but it was, of course, worth it! I had to be very strong as I didn't have a great deal of cash to spend. As it was I spent £70 - I bought seven skeins of Point Five in Lapis to make the Toscana sweater from Interweave Knits Fall 2001 and a Point Five multi-colour palette pack. Not sure what I'll make from the palette pack, I may be brave and try a striped cardigan. Not sure how it will work but it'll be better than making more scarves that I don't really need.

The Mill Shop is full of bargains but you'll need plenty of money because you'll want to buy them all! You can buy skeins of yarn in the Sale Shed for £4 but your colour choice is limited since these are colours that didn't quite make the grade. They're still fabulous because this is Colinette of course. However I found it difficult because I'd see say three skeins in a colour I liked but not enough to make the cardigan that I wanted. A more experienced or creative knitter than me would find it heaven. You can buy wonderful one kilo packs of boucle, One Zero and other yarns for about £30 as well as mixed yarn palette packs.

They have ex-display garments on sale for £20 but you can also buy brand new ready to wear garments in the non-sale section. I didn't see all the prices on these but I did see a cardigan priced at £45. There are small skeins for embroidery and buttons on sale as well as all the new yarns and colourways. I spent 45 minutes since I was watching the pennies but you could easily spend much more.

Don't worry if you can't get over to Llanfair Caereinion because you buy selected Mill Shop products direct from Colinette Yarns.

Since Thursday I've cast on a cardigan in Fandango Velvet Bilberry and the Lapis Point Five sweater. The Point Five sweater will be completed first because it's a chunky yarn but also because I am desperate to make one finished knit garment before my one year knitting anniversary in December! I have many scarves and half knit projects but need a hand knitted sweater!
posted by Marie Irshad at 5:29 PM

It's been a while but I'm still here. I haven't been very well recently and now my computer is feeling poorly too. I have gastro oesophageol reflex disorder - basically my stomach acids come up instead of staying down as they should. It's been very uncomfortable and I'm on my second lot of tablets from the doctor. Hopefully this will sort it. My comp's fan is now barely working and a friend is going to fit a new one. Until the comp is fixed I can't use it for very long each day, so I know that owe lots of emails but it will be a while before I've caught up with everyone.

In the meantime I've still been knitting, sewing and beading. I've started the Stained Glass cardigan from the last but one issue of Interweave Knits, frogged my Noro waistcoat (vest) because the colours don't match up - I'll have to knit it in the round or something instead to keep the colour patterns even - joined The Beadworker's Guild and been to my first South East Wales Beaders meeting and started work sewing my Journey Jacket from Saf-T-Pockets. I'm also planning my two winter coats - one in black and the other in purple - from Purrfection's Baltimore pattern. I've also sewn two more shirts for Andy.

But before I sign off some very cool news. I'm going to visit Colinette Yarns tomorrow!!!! It's a two hour drive but I can't wait! Only wish I had more money to spend there but I have to save some for our planned trip to San Francisco in October. If any Bay Area knitters want to meet up let me know.
posted by Marie Irshad at 12:09 PM