h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've knitted since I was a teeny child. Lately I've even become quite good at it. Too good. It's taking over my life. Well, if not my life, then certainly my living-room.

Projects currently on the needles:

- 'Irish weather' socks (the yarn colour is very like Irish skies - all shades of grey and white with glimpses of blue) for me! me! me!
- White lace 'christening' shawl, consisting of approximately a bazillion stitches on teeny tiny 2.5 mm needles. I am not making it for anyone in particular. I just wanted to see if I could design and make a shetland lace shawl. Apparantly I can - very very very slowly.
- Mindlessly simple purple sweater in chunky yarn on whopping needles, for when the lace shawl is doing my head (eyesight?) in. Also for me. Because my winter sweaters are in the nth stage of decrepitude, what with being all second hand and thirteen years old.
- Smart silk sweater with shirt-like collar. I am sewing this one up. I hate sewing. It will therefore be finally finished when I am sixty-four and no longer need or want a smart little top for work.
- Green 'cobweb' shetland shawl. Even finer and more maddening than the white shawl, and final proof that I have lost my mind, as again I am only making it to see if I can.
- Dozens of miniature hats (made out of yarn scraps and left-overs) for innocent's 'Supergran' project (http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/us/our_ethics/doing_good_things/supergran/)

Things that SHOULD be on the needles:

- Little pink dress for niece's birthday (she genuinely is one of the few little girls who really REALLY suits pink. This distresses her grungy mother a great deal).
- Mother's cashmere slipper-socks which should have been for her birthday. I tell myself I didn't get started becasue I was looking for the ideal pattern. Honestly compels me to admit it's because they're cashmere. Cashmere! I. Must. Not. Sc**w. Up.
- Knee-socks for favourite aunt. Because I promised her four pairs and have only delivered three.
- Cute wood-nymph-colour knee-socks for sister's birthday.
- Silk camisole for her Christmas present.
- Black lacey stockings for other sister's Christmas.
- Fingerless gloves for Mum's Christmas (I have the yarn! It's made out of soy protein! It just tickles me pink that I'm making my dear old hippy mum tofu gloves).
- Mohair and silk scarf/ stole for step-Mum's Christmas.
- Lace wedding-ring shawl for best friend's wedding. This one may very well BITE MY ASS. Especially as she hasn't yet decided whether she wants this or a patchwork quilt (also to be hand-made by yours truly). Oh well.

See? OUT of my TINY MIND. Where's the coffee?

You are so talented

Is all this displacement activity so you can put off writing?

You know, I read the title of this as "Insane Yam". Was wondering just how crazy an orange potato can actually be...

Displacement activity? Me? Why on earth would you think such a thing?

Oh, what it is when even your 'imaginary friends' are on to you. I'll go write something now. I promise.

'Insane Yam' .

That is so funny, I read it as insane yam also...

Very creative...

I cannot and will not knit, I barely sew but that is ok!

Super glue will melt some clothes too...

...yes I really did...

Vegan knitting? That's a new one on me.

*Joins the 'Insane Yam' people*

Is this yam insane and unarmed or insane and armed?

Never learned to knit myself. I can crochet a bit. Nothing fancy, though. Kniting seems harder than crochet.

My limit is sewing a button onto a shirt or repairing a tear. Actually, the wardrobe mistress of M&MG was very impressed when I sewed my own button on rather than getting her to do it. Which is strange, given that sewing a button on is hardly difficult. I greatly admire knitters and crocheters.

Hyp: "Is this yam insane and unarmed or insane and armed?"
Now, that's just !

I spent the afternoon at the county hospital, waiting for my one lone prescription to be filled, by crocheting and then frogging my current project, a nubbly-yarn shrug... And even *that* entertainment didn't make the 4 1/2 hr wait pass quickly!

SC

http://www.knittersanonymous.com/

I can be crochety but never crocheting. I have been know a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away... Oh no sorry got carried away there. I have been known may years ago to knit something. Probably when I was much littler and my little sister (who is now old enough to know better and lives with her boyfriend) was a wee baby.

That site is great, sunny!

Both my cats have had to be disciplined for yarn snarling!

Must be genetic, the attraction of cats to yarn...neither of mine had even seen yarn until a week ago.

SC

Wouldn't an insane yam be a half-wit from the black country?

I''l get me coat.

Oh, sewing? I can fix stuff. And take stuff in. Make it? Ah, no.

Well, my dears, I have got a very little somewhere. I have finished the Irish Weather socks (very cosy, fit perfectly, smug mode). I have reached the border of the white lace shawl, and am now frantically doing sums over and over again to see how I can get the pattern for the lace frill to match up with the pattern on the body of the shawl. Ach, but I hate sums. Mindless 'big purple' is nearly finished and has therefore gone to live under the sofa for a few weeks. This is traditional for my sweaters. Silk sweater, green shawl and hats all in stasis.

As for the things I'm supposed to be doing, Little Pink Dress has reached the swatch, measure, curse, find another set of slightly larger needles, swatch, measure, curse, find smaller needles again, swatch, measure, jump up and down on swatch, have another cup of tea stage. Mother's socks, I am ignoring. Aunt's socks, I am ignoring, but I have the yarn. Woodnymph socks, I have reached the ankle on sock 1. Black lacey stockings, err, I am ignoring at present. Can't decide on a lace pattern anyway. I am swatching the fingerless gloves, which is rather fun. Step-Mum's stole has about half-a-dozen swatches and simply won't come right. As for the Wedding Present, it is to be a patchwork quilt. So I am alternating ruining my eyesight on lace with ruining my eyesight on trying for ten stitches an inch in navy thread on navy fabric.

And I have two baby gifts to make, one for friends who we are visiting in a couple of weeks who have a brand new son. He was near as biscuits to 10 lbs at birth, more knitting, darnation. Am feeling unreasonably prejudiced in favour of seven-pounders at present. And my new cousin is getting christened in October and needs booties, obviously. How can you possibly be christened without fluffy white booties?

Gah.

Still out of tiny mind. When oh when shall I fit back into it?

I have no idea what you just said...good luck with the swatching...good luck with cousin and friend's baby booties n' fings....I think....

Mebbe one day I'll learn to knit...altho in retrospect I'm bad enuff with needles nevermind knitting ones!

Ag, you won't mind if I forage under your sofa, will you?

I'm very little further on my shrug (Gaaaaaaaaa!)

On the good news front, I was trekking over to the post office today on a street I rarely travel, and found a new Yarn Shop!!

Nice lady owns it. She told me that there's a local knitter's group who do charity/fundraising knitting and she's invited me to join. Just might do it.
SC

I may try to do a bit of crochet again this winter. Or perhaps some cross stitch. I haven't done either one for years. Something to keep the hands busy. My eyes are always so tired after a days work that I'm not sure it's a good idea, though. The other idea is to start sketching again.

I know that urge. It's been a bunch of years since I've last thrown a pot (on a wheel, in ceramics class!) but my fingers still itch sometimes to take it up again.

As an artistic outlet, I'm thinking it's more affordable to knit, crochet or sketch. When my hands are busy, I find my mind just settles back and relaxes.

Ag, I just got a copy of "Stitch and Bitch: The Happy Hooker" from a friend as an early b-day present. Most of the designs are a little young for me, but really nice! It sure ain't my grannie's crochet, though!

SC

Oh Lord, don't start me on crochet as well right now. I'm just a little overcomitted on the craft front as it is...

Marched all round central London yesterday searching for a purveyor of appropriate cotton fabric in the colours we wanted to match the colours we had. Bah humbug. Got home in temper, searched internet, found shop ten minutes away from home. Argh darn argh.

I just *hate* it when that happens!! Almost always after I've knocked myself out trumping around...I find it was really close by/easier to get to all along.

When I think to check before hand, though, whatever I'm seeking they're out of, so some trumping seems to be unavoidable -- probably a law of the universe or something. Unconservation of momentum, maybe? Sigh.

SC