yarn shopping

I'm going to buy another ball of that Twilley's Spirit. I can't decide if it should be reds or purples. Hmmn... We'll see.

Will get a pic of the wristers into ravelry when I can, but am a bit busy today!

I found a nice crochet pattern (well it was shown to me by One Pretty Thing) but alas it crashed firefox. Poo!

Will try again anyway when my list of open tabs has diminished!
(it's here if you wanna see)

ideas flowing

Yes, I'm having ideas left, right and centre. Weird huh? What a change?
The first Woolly Wrister is complete, the second is just a slipknot at the moment, but that will hopefully change soon!
I've written a rough draft of the new pattern, as well as a schematic for a sort of matching collarette that I was thinking of making in a different shade of the same wool. Or maybe from a ball of Jet if I can find a nice enough colour in Hobbycraft. I might go look later. I do need to top my oyster card up (for my non UK friends, an Oyster card is like a bus pass card, you put money on it and it takes the value of one trip off when you board a bus)... One 50g ball should be enough in theory- afterall my alpaca collarette was only a 50g ball!

My other idea is to inspire you all to do a meme. Have you any idea what a meme is? Well, check out the wikilink. I particularly love photo/art memes and am always inspired to do them myself after looking. That's what I hope to do for you guys!

So, this is talumirage's photo-meme:
1) Something I use daily.
2) A view from a window of my house.
3) My favourite colour.
4) My mode of transport.
5) My wool (felt, paint etc) stash.
6) My bad habit!
7) My extravagance.
8) My breakfast.
9) My pets.
10) One word to describe me.

I REALLY want you guys to do it!
Send me a link to wherever you've put it (blog, flickr account, photobucket, facebook album etc) and I'll take a peek!

So this is my one:
1) Something I use daily: my asthma medicines.
2) A view from a window of my house: from my room.3) My favourite colour: green! Although it's a hard choice.
4) My mode of transport: the Underground (or my feet, or buses but who wants to see pics of them?)
5) My (insert craft here) stash: yes, all those bags are full of wool...
6) My bad habit: biting my hangnails until they bleed!7) My extravagance: undies! The spotty ones are silk ;)8) My breakfast: usually just a cup of green tea.
9) My pets: Patti the platypus, Trevor the thing (I crocheted him) and Zero!10) One word to describe me: well, it's true!

Come on peeps, you KNOW you want to do it!

new wristers

Yep, you read right, I'm working on new wristers. Instead of being called Handy Wristers, these are named Woolly Wristers, as they're made out of 100% wool! Twilley's Spirit, if you wondered. In shade "air", just for completeness's sake ;)
The pattern is slightly different, with a longer dc cuff area, but is still basically along the same lines. I'm a bit miffed that Hobbycraft have overhauled their wool selection, so I can no longer easily buy certain yarns I have become attached to. This annoys me! Although every time I go in there I do pick up a ball of this lovely looking yarn that I always forget what it's called. I know it's like 4ply or sock weight, Hobbycraft have 3 colourways (named after signs of the zodiac, aquarius and pisces stand out to me at the mo) and it's mainly bamboo (I think 85%). You'd think this'd be enough info to google it and get results. Nope. I think it's called "Happiness", but without a maker (Sirdar, Patons, Wendy, all tried, all failed) I can't find it! It's about £5 for a ball (think it's 50g) so I can't actually justify buying it as I don't knit socks, and that's what I want it for.
Lovely Hope and Leslie do sock knitting... they should knit me socks. I have a 50g ball of "Mississippi 3 Print" by Katia (colour 3203 here) from a UKRAK that looks like it should be for socks. It seems a waste to not use it...

Martha's moleskine is here, and I shall commence drooling on it and wiping it on my face... now! Only kidding... maybe.

I've now finished my scarf commission (yay, very bored of scarves!) and some new freaky looking animals that were meant to be colourful sheep but didn't quite turn out that way.
Introducing:
Blaise, the sheeplet, sort of inspired by something Nordic as I was reading Thor at the time!
Erin, the "My Little Pony" thing. She was meant to be sheeplet. Doesn't seem that it was meant to be.Phil, the "teddy-sheep" thing. I dunno what happened here. Adding Blaise coloured wool seemed like a good idea at the time, and I thought I'd finally got those damn Shetland curls (the mossy green stuff) to work properly! BAH!

If anyone has a request for me to make one, or would like to rehome one of the mutants, please comment below. Comment below if you just want to too, but if you want one, that seems the best place to let me know.

quick update

I finished my wristers- they both look the same from a distance, so all is well. I've started something else now... I dunno what it'll be yet, at the moment it's about 6 rows of 30 dcs...

I've decided that it's all well and good knowing how to knit, but I like being a hooker better. XD

I got two RAK packages today! YAY!

One is from Kristina, who is my source for random feltable scraps, lol and the other is from Birgit, who very kindly hand knit me some socks (am wearing them now, I likes) and sent me some other random bits, including a Fleece Dog kit! And we all know how much I love Fleece Dog! Incidentally, I bought the book this weekend...Socks, made by Birgit!My box of goodies from Birgit! Including SWEETIES!My fluffbag from Kristina! Also pictured, fluffy dressing gown, lol!

Just a quick update for the moment, as I have a job interview (that is apparently going to last from 12.30-4 or 5pm... weird) to get sorted for, and I want to play with fleece for a little while first ;)

crochet, at last!

Yes, believe it or not, I sat down with hook and yarn (Wendy Mode DK, v nice) and made myself something. Ok, there's meant to be two (as I have two wrists), but one is an achievement so far! They're called Handy Wristlers, and they're all my own design! And I shall write the pattern out as best I can. It may not make sense. Remember I write in UK english.

Handy Wristlers:

Main Part: (red on my pic)

Using larger hook (for me, 6mm) chain 33 (or enough to fit your wrist!)

1. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
2. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
3. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
4. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
5. dc in each ch, ch 3, turn
6. tr in each dc, ch 4, turn
7. dtr in each tr, ch 3, turn
8. tr in each dtr, ch 1, turn
9. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
10. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
11. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
12. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn
13. dc in each ch, ch 1, turn

End off, crochet/sew together at short sides.

Hand Edging: (black)

Using smaller hook (4mm for me), join second colour on at seam.

1. dc in each (colour 1) dc, join with slst, ch 1, turn
2. dc in each dc, join with slst, ch 1, turn
3. dc in each dc, join with slst, ch 3, turn
4. *dc ch dc in 3rd st, ch 2 (*repeat across), slst together, ch 2, turn
   
5. *dc ch dc in gap, ch2 (*repeat across), slst together

End off, weave in ends.

Arm End Edging: (black)

Using smaller hook (4mm again), join second colour on at seam.

1. dc in each (colour 1) ch across, join with slst, ch 1, turn
2. dc in each dc, join with slst, ch 1, turn
3. dc in each dc, join with slst, ch 1, turn
4. dc in each dc, join with slst, ch 1, turn
5. dc in each dc, join with slst, ch 1, turn

End off, weave in ends.

Now this is just a basic hand/wrist warmer pattern, but you can alter it as you see fit- lengthen it by repeating the pattern section (the rows of treble-d treble-treble), make it smaller, etc! The possibilities are endless... sort of.

Also, I learned to knit last night. I still think I prefer crochet, but anyway, here it is, just for a laugh, the little knitty bit I did:

And yes, that is a pair of chopsticks. Where would a hooker get knitting needles at 11pm?
Now I'm determined to buy a pair of needles and a "learn to knit for complete morons" book and teach myself.

Is it meant to feel all ribbly?

Also, I'm back on the needle felting today. Sheeps for all!

busy busy busy

I've finished Mark's hat. He should be wearing it about now, so I'll try and get a pic later (then you'll all also be able to see who exactly it is that I'm planning on spending forever with- urgh how sappy) so you can see my handiwork!

I've started nana Duane's scarf after a few false starts. The one skein one-der pattern seemed to be growing by about an inch outward every three inches length-wise, so we had to stop that one.

Tried to make some armies out of my lovely World of Wool Shetland Moorit DK but I have problems crocheting tubes, so that particular pattern was abandoned, and mother and I are going to have a look at making one up later.

My wooly fluff from World of Wool arrived, along with Kristina's gift, so all I need to do is fish out some bubblewrap and then I can make some felt! WOO!

Also the beautiful and wonderful frewen sent me a felting needle along with her IME moley today, so thankyou! I now have three moleskines sitting on the table. Confused? Slightly.

Now I must away to finalise the stitch markers and teabags for the E group IME or else Leslie will murder me slowly.