Socktopus SoSeSaSwa.....................

So try saying that after you have had a few. Ok for those who don't know I have signed up for the Socktopus Secret Santa Swap and I have said I will knit socks for someone else and send a little knitty package just in time for christmas.
And someone will be doing the same for me so they will need to know a little bit about me so here are my answers to the swap questionnaire. Of course if anyone else wants to knit me socks or send me secret parcels feel free.
Questionnaire
Greetings SeSas!
Below is the questionnaire that you will need to post on your blog (or here, if you are blogless).
Ok so I manage the first step by being able to put this on my own blog.
Please ensure that it's up on or before 1st October as this is when partners will be assigned!
Yey - it's the 29th September so I manage that one too! Doing well.
1. What are your favourite colours and fibres?
Ok of course I love cashemere (seriously who doesn't) but I also love alpaca, silk, and a good merino. I love sock yarns that have a cashmere in the blend. I love baby camel!
As for colours I am known for being a pink girl but I am being drawn to blue / greens and sea colours at the moment, scroll down and look at my Malabrigo Iknit purchase and you will see what I mean or have a look at my stormwater shawl. I love lilac and purples and also chocolate and pink colours together.
2. Anything that makes your toes curl? (Fibre, colour, other)
I can no longer do Acrylic ( I don't mind like a 25% nylon added to wool to make it last though).
Yellow - I just don't do yellow.
I am not keen on orange yarn either but don't mind a more gold coloured shade.
3. Would you describe yourself as a beginner, intermediate or advanced knitter?
A long term intermediate knitter, I have only just discovered sock knitting in the last 2 years and have only just tried magic loop in the last week. I just don't know what took me so long.
4. Do you have an online wishlist? (Amazon or other)
I do but not suitable for this swap unless anyone has a spinning wheel they want to share! Or has access to Ipod touches!
I could create my own little knitty wish list here.
5. Any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm learning magic loop at the moment. I am also learning to spin using a drop spindle.
6. What is your favourite:
Snack?Book?Movie?Music?
Snack - chocolate or salt and vinegar flavoured savoury snacks, cashew nuts, pistachio nuts.
Book - Ummm difficult one I read quite a lot of childrens books and teen fiction (hazard of my job). I love Patricia Cornwell. My reading isn't what you would call cultured. I love chicklit.
Movie - Breakfast club, Educating Rita.
Music - Meatloaf.
7. What are your favourite items to knit?
I like knitting lots of different things, I knit baby stuff, sweaters, socks (always have to have at least one pair on the needles) I also like interesting scarves and wraps. I also knit a lot of ipod socks and socks for my kids DS lites.
8. Any patterns that are top of your queue?
9. Do you have any other hobbies?
Yoga, I did play squash but haven't been there for a while. I have been known to do the odd bit of sewing too. I also love baking - usually chocolate brownies.
10. Tell us about yourself. When did you first pick up your needles? Who/what encouraged you to start knitting? How would you describe your knitting style? Are you a process knitter or a product knitter, etc.
Ok I have been knitting since I was five years old and I was taught by my grandmother. I wasn't so much encouraged to start knitting I just thought it was what everyone did, my mother has never been without a stash of yarn in the corner of the living room.
I think I am a process knitter but I am sure there are people out there who would say I also have elements of a product knitter. I do know that I am a Kinesthetic learner when it comes to new techniques so need to be shown and don't tend to pick things up from books and pictures so easily. I really need to try it out and adapt the hands on approach.
My knitting style is an interesting one - I don't think I have one as such, I love to try out new things just because I can. I am currently dabbling with doing my own designs for items.
I love to just knit and get a bit irratable if I haven't done any knitting for a while or don't have a project on the needles (that's in addition to socks).
I really want to attempt a lace shawl and I have my yarn ready for both the swallowtail and print of the waves.

Right I think that is enough of all that, I hope it is useful to the person who is going to knit socks for me and at least a little entertaining for the rest of you. I have never had anyone else knit socks for me before so I am so excited.

Thank you ...........................

First of all I apologise for not posting this sooner. This is a great big thank you to the parents and children in my class last year that got together and bought me this beautiful Cath Kidston Basket so that I could store my knitting in it. As you can see it has been put to great use over the summer holiday and sits perfectly on top of my hamper that contains my yarn stash.
If you look carefully you can see the matching pouch that they also bought so that I can keep scissors and tape measures to hand.





Thank you once again, it was perfect.

Sock(topus)Club Part Five - Hopscotch Socks

Yep it is time for another lovely silver package to be unpacked and photographed for all of the knitty world to see and oh isn't it beautiful.
Yet again Alice has managed to extend beyond all expectations with the contents of these fantastic packages which is why I feel so guilty at the moment of not managing to complete the last ones by the deadline.

But here it is in all its glory.......



The pattern has been designed by Anna Bell (published in Knit Knit and famous for the Bridie Cardigan) and the yarn is Brooklyn Handspun and the most delectible colours, perfect for an autumn knit.





and the little knit bits box is where Alice once again scores full marks. A small little box you might say, what is so special about that? Well look inside........









By the way they aren't just any old safety pins these are super, duper, fabulous, coiless safety pins.



A totally amazing package to see me through the next couple of months and beyond. All has already been carefully packed into my Hands off my socks bag that came with the last package.

This really does have to be the most amazing sock club ever. I have already signed up again for next year.

For a little princess....................................

Everyone around me had either just had babies or is about to have babies in the next 6 months. This is providing ample knitting opportunities and I am already planning projects. But here is one little jumper that I knitted over the summer for my friends little girl which I have to say I just love. I will be knitting another one of these in a larger size for my own niece.





I love this yarn too. It is Rooster Almerino DK which I bought earlier in the year and it just knits up wonderfully. There is going to be a lot more of this yarn available very soon too at Laughing Hens. Why not come and pop by the stand on the Sunday at Ally Pally as guess what, I am helping out there.

There is something so satisfying about knitting for little ones, I think for me after the other projects I was knitting over the summer the ability to finish it in such a short time really was the motivation. I really like this design too and would love to see and adult sweater with this construction. As always my new knitpicks came into their own when it came to picking up all the stitches around the neck.

Confessions of Iknit Day purchases.................

I really didn't buy very much honest!





















I can justify each one of these lovely purchases.
The needles were money left from my birthday back in January.
The Kraemer yarn has been on order for a couple of months.
The lovely little socktopus gadgets are going away to Father Christmas to reappear as if by magic on Christmas day in my stocking and the buttons are for my February Lady Sweater finished back in July and in desperate need of some closeur!
The Malabrigio was the only real induldence as I really don't need any more sock yarn but I just loved the colour and there was a lot of buzz about it when it arrived in Alice's shop. I have already decided that I am going to knit the Shurgatal Socks that Alice designed which are on the insideloop. So all perfectly justifiable as I said in the first place.

NOTE: The baggu was a free gift with purchase from Socktopus. I am not saying how much you had to spend to get one just in case I incriminate myself.

IKnit day and knitting with the YarnHarlot

It's been and gone after all that anticipation and I must be the last person in the knitting world to get around to blogging about it. It is already 14 days after the event and everyone else is moving on to posts about Ally Pally and the Knitting and Stitching Show in Birmingham last weekend.

Well here is a summary of my day in photographs with maybe the odd comment to clarify. I didn't take anywhere near as many photos as I would have liked and many were useless due to my inability to take decent photos but I had a great day. You may have seen me or even have me sell you a ticket for the Mirasol School raffle.

So here they are...........









........so once in through the queue











.....now that's what I call cashmere!



....these were the amazing Sushi sock rolls from John at Easyknits. I made the mistake of not getting one on my first dash around and ended up missing out this time around! Gutted!



I had volunteered to be an usher for the Yarnharlot talk so managed to get this pic before the masses arrived. It also had the advantage of staying dry while it rained on the queue outside.



Yes there was even time for a few silly moments of G taking a photo of me taking a photo of her taking a picture of me taking a picture of the empty hall, haaa, got that all out.



....and then the talk began.









.....so once back in the main hall here was the queue to get your books signed. It finally died down at 6.45pm when I eventually got to join it.



There was plenty to keep you entertained while you were waiting though such as the Erica Knight fashion show of Men's knits and of course the knitted aliens. I love these little critters.







...one of those looks like Zippy from Rainbow on acid.



So finally it was our turn to get to meet Stephanie who by this time had been signing books for hours and hours and hours. So we were very grateful that she was still willing to sign ours. So here we have Emilie, Ems and Gabrielle, I managed to stay behind the camera.



Gabrielle having her picture taken with her first sock - we are not allowed to talk about what happened to the other one!



Ok so meeting a fellow Canadian at that time of the day was just too much.......



This was the nearest we got to Moustachio's all day! This must be rectified next year.

So that was it really. All that remains is to say such a huge big thank you to Gerard and Craig for putting on such a wonderful event and organising such an inspirational and down right humurous speaker. It was a wonderful day and I didn't spend too much while I was there much to a number of my friends surprise ( all purchases will be confessed later) I had a fabulous time. Can't wait for next year.

Competition winner..............................

OK so the winner of the competition is................

Katie with.........

"Just think of England darling, at least I got to you first, poor Mildred over there knows exactly what's coming (and it won't be her!)"

Ok so the minds of the inhabitants of this house live in the gutter too. Can you let me have your address so that I can post you your little prize?

Also sorry to everyone for being so late posting this but the start of term really just took over.

Thank you for all your comments, I had lots of little chuckles as each one was posted.

You can visit Katies blog here