Pfaff-off

Well I didn't update my U2 at the Brandenburg Gate post and I haven't written anything for ages but I've been doing real life stuff like stressing about work and giftmas and doing social things and other rubbish. I've travelling a bit too. Had a nightmare over Christmas when they lost my bags with 4 hanks of Wollmeise and the giftmas presents in it. ANYWAY.....I'm back, I've finally stopped running around and now I can't think what to write. Typical.

Here's what I did at the weekend



Are you jealous?

I was down in the land of bier, brezels and wollmseise again with some friends and we had an excellent time. Good food, good bier, good company and lots of knitting time.

Seriously though, its not all for me and it will probably be my last Stash Enhancing eXcursion in a long, long time. Wait, did I not write that in October? I think I did but since I've just bought a flat, I really will have to tighten the purse strings and actually knit some of the stuff I've bought.

U2 at brandenburg gate

Report to follow.

Yrn Prn

This is where our Stash Enhancing eXcursion all began. Okay so the shop was closed because of the Wollfest in Vaterstetten but nevertheless we had to at least make the pilgrimige to THE SHOP.
We didn't get very far but look at all those shelves full of Wollmeise. It brought back memories of being a kid in a sweetie shop and not having any pennies in my pocket for even 1 soor ploom. Don't think Claudia had to wash her windows that week. Actually probably had to wash them twice just to get the drool off of them.


We did get to the annual Vaterstetten Wolfest though. Above and below is the stash. 2 hours at the wollmeise stand and kilos of yarn. We actually planned to fill the bath tub with it and get photos of ourselves in the bath tub but sensibility took over and we decided that the windowsill was probably the best place for a picture. Oh and don't worry, this is not MY personal stash but the combined orders of half of Berlin and the rest of the world. My haul has already been shared out with the other half of Berlin but planning on going to Pfaffenhofen some other time.

Here is what got started on the train. Julia Müller's Autum Leaves. Its the first time I've done anything double knitting and I kind of like it. I think I might knit a matching ipod cover but that will have to wait until the hats are finished. Why is everyone wanting hats for christmas this year? Okay so it does feel like winter has come early and even I've dug out my mittens and bought myself an new snuggly jacket so I guess I've just answered my own question but the problem is, I want to knit mittens and glittens and gloves (oh my)

Next off the needles will be a Gretel hat then a Struan hat and then the above mittens. Miss Daisy's Aran Pocket shawl is my wrestling project at the moment. Its so damn heavy and boring that I'm kind of stuck. Think I'll need to reseve some me time with a good audio book and the thing. I'm sure that once its finished Aunt Joyce will be delighted but until then....

Running is not going too good at the moment. I manged to jar my knee on Monday because of a stupid Audi driver who decided to turn right without looking and I had to jump off my bike rather quickly. I thought it was okay but it gets sore so we've been doing fast walking instead till it heals or feels better anyway.

From Hand Spun to Habitat

I am so very pleased with myself. Even if I hadn't spun the yarn with my own to hands, I would have been very pleased with the habitat hat. Its a bit big for me so I'm looking for a rather large and cold head to donate it to.

I completely over spun the yarn but that's a beginners mistake. The next lot I spun doesn't look nearly so strung out as this lot did so I think I'm a getting a bit more relaxed when spinning.

What Sari said in her comment about spinners not really missing knitting time is perfectly correct. Its more like part of the process of obtaining nice yarn. The whole whirring of the wheel and bobbin is kind of hypnotic and really is an excellent way to chill out and perfect for catching up with reading. Not the reading kind of reading but the listening kind of reading. I've discovered audio books and I'm getting addicted.

Amazon has a good deal with Audible but beware people. Its only really cut out for ipod owners. I ended up buying an ipod just so I could listen to books. Don't get me wrong, since purchasing my new technological toy, I have had massive amounts of fun and still am; what with the music, the books and the new chip thingie for my running show etc. but that's not the point. The point is, I had to go out and buy either a new mp3 player which can also play aac files or an ipod. In the end it doesn't really matter, I've got the ipod and I love it but just to warn those of you who want to do the amazon book thingie, you need an ipod or a really up to date mp3 player. Check out their list of suitable devices before you commit.

Also getting a new wee personality to come live with us. A very sweet little rat called Tar. She should be arriving this afternoon :o) so I'm buggering off early so that I can clear up and make her welcome. I'm soo excited.

Oh and on the running thing. Charleen an I are being very good. Despite being slightly under the weather we went out for a run around the park last night and will be again tonight. I'm actually begining to enjoy this running malarky. Never thought I would.

Söd it

This is the beginning of the Södera Socks for Diana. I nicked BerlinBat's idea again and let her pick what she wanted and in what colour but with restrictions i.e. I pasted the photos from 4 designs which I though she would like and I wanted to knit into word. That way I wouldn't get landed with an uninspiring pattern and its something I've been wanting to knit for ages.

On a non knitting theme: I've signed up for the Berlin half marathon which is on March 28th 2010. I've already started the training which I'm enjoying as I'm training with a friend of mine and she has the same problems as me. We're both crap at self motivation and we both have short legs. Our pace matches quite well and we've got a wee bit of a rhythm going also its really difficult to let other people down so we manage to talk each other into things like going running in the rain.

I've also go a wonderful new thing. Its a chip which fits into my running shoe and the receiver plugs into my ipod. I no longer have to work out how far I run, what my pace was, how many calories I burned off etc etc. It does it all for me and plays my favourite music into the bargin. I just loaded more cds onto it last night. A wee bit of Metallica is great first thing in the morning. It certainly wakes up the brain.

The kromski is going great. I've taken fbz's advice and keep oiling the crap out of it. I've got 2 skiens of green stuff (BFL) hanging to dry in my bathroom and I'm very proud of myself. I reckon its alright for something I spun myself although I think you can tell that its the first thing I've ever spun. It will probably turn into a hat and if there is enough, some wrist warmers but I won't go casting on hats just yet. First the socks need to get finished. After that, I can cast on all sorts of wintery projects. Well maybe not; I'll get rid of some of the WIPs first.

Sleeping Beauty?

Spinning Wheel - check
(new)Bed - check

add them up together and what do you get?

Sleeping Beauty.........or the Wicked Fairy? As I'm in a good mood today I'll go with the Wicked Fairy side

I am now the proud owner of this lovely spinning wheel. Its a kromski minstrel. This is fbz's photo of my lovely new purchase, before I purchased it. Isn't it gorgeous? And you know what? It works!

I picked it up last night but unfortunately didn't get a chance to play with it straight away. My new bed got delivered on Tuesday and I still needed to build the drawers for under the bed so I was a good girl for a change and did something I was supposed to over something I wanted to. The good news about the drawers getting built and put under the bed is that I've now tidied up loads of stuff and have more room for fiber. Anyway, after the drawers and the tidy up, I was too tired to work out how to get things going so I finished off my
Aestlight instead. The wool is Wollmeise and the colour way is 'am kalten polar' but it makes me think of the northern lights which is kind of appropriate for a shawl called Aestlight.

Anyhoo, back to my new aquisition. Last night as I was too tired to work out how to spin. I had a go this morning before I went to work and I managed to get something which looks like yarn. I am very pleased with myself. I'm now champing at the bit to get away from work so that I can run back home and play with it again.

Even though I've had a spinning wheel for about 4 years I've never managed to get anything which looks like yarn at all. Okay so the 'old' wheel is a no name which I bought in NL for €8 including the petrol costs of going to pick it up. Its a really basic thing and it goes really fast and not really recommended for beginners but at that price, who's complaining?

Spittens

Live long and prosper......
At last night's stricktreff, we had a bit of discussion on what these should actually be called. The official pattern is 'Glittens' but Danni suggested Spockens and himself (when I got home) suggested Spittens. Well, whatever they should be called they're, well actually it's, knitted up on some purple Lanark Mills Aran weight and is very nice indeed. I know they were supposed to be in Wollmeise but that ended up frogged and this wool called to me from my stash. The wollmeise will perhaps become sotto socks and if not then I'm sure I'll find a use for it.

Himself thinks that the Sock Monster's mum will love them and if she doesn't then there is the nice drunk gentlemen whom I met last night who would like a pair but I think that's only because he was drunk and I was doing rude things with them. That however, is a different story entirely and would probably end up getting my blog x-rated.

Back to the point. When I got home from stricking and treffing, I cast on the 2nd spitten so that I wouldn't get scond spitten syndrom which I've heard, can even effect vulcans but I'm sure that with a bit of concentration, I'll get the 2nd one finished this weekend.

The next project to finish after that is Miss Daisy's (Aunt Joyce) aran pocket shawl. It was just getting too heavy for me to schlep around and also it was just far too warm to have it sitting on my knee while knitting. Its 100% alpaca for crying out loud. 100% Alpaca = heat stroke when the outside temperature is averaging on 30°C for weeks on end.
Actually scrap that. I'll hang off and wait to see if the temperature rises again. If so then the shawl from the firey depths of hell will just have to wait. I'll cast on some nice boring socks for himself.

Off to London next week. Not for I Knit but for work. Still I do hope to bring a few goodies back. We'll see. It all depends on whether or not I can drag my colleague into a wool shop or not :o)