(no subject)

Dear Me, I am building up links of Things To Read, what with GABG stories and Yuletide recs and my new books, and somehow I am watching more telly and knitting a nice, easy scarf instead. Ah, well.

I've finally put up the beginning of That MTYG Meme on the discussion group, here. Do, please, check it out and have a go—I'm not sure quite how this will work, whether we'll end up discussing in the comm or posting in our own journals, but I'd love to re-hash the joys of the popslash secret Santa just one more time.

( My answers here )

Our boiler is not working properly. Beast managed to re-start it a couple of times, but it persists in turning itself off and failing to come back on, and is now complaining about a lack of mains power, which is downright untruthful of it. We haven't been able to contact the plumber who serviced it about a month ago (though I am perhaps rather less trusting of him than I was, given that he serviced it a month ago). Fortunately the weather is fairly mild, and we can snuggle together for warmth.

The Knitting Round-up

For the first time since I signed up for LJ in 2005, I have no fannish writing to discuss. Okay, traditionally I have included last year's SeSa stories in This Year's Roundup Meme, but I think I've talked plenty about those, so.

Instead, I shall do the Knitting one. Note: the links are all to Ravelry, and I don't know whether they'll work if you don't have a Ravelry account. But if you are interested in knitting, surely you do have a Ravelry account!


1. Your favorite knitting project this year - Peacock Princess. I'd wanted to knit a peacock shawl for a long time, and dithered for ages over which pattern to use. But I bought yarn for it a year ago at Fibre East, (Debonnaire Frisky in shades of dark and medium blue and green, and Debonnaire Shimmer in light turquoise) and it seemed as though I really should actually knit the thing.

The pattern was well written but quite a challenge, because the shawl is in five segments which are symmetrical about the centre of each segment, so there aren't really repeats in the usual way, at least, not everywhere. I got used to the rhythms, more or less, but I also wrote out every line, because following a chart was never going to work for me. It is a beautiful shawl, though, and I'd recommend this pattern to anyone wanting to knit a peacock shawl.

2. Your least favorite knitting project this year
I don't really know. I did a few variations on the theme of Nurmilintu, and one of them (with jagged teeth) wasn't very successful, so I guess that one.

3. The number of knitting projects you completed this year - I honestly can't remember. I did produce quite a collection of Nurmilintu asymmetric scarves, or Nurmilintu-based, at any rate. Stash-bust quite a few balls that way! There must have been t least six, then I went on to the Peacock Princess, Sagitta, and the sweater for my nephew that just got finished in time to get to him for New Year's Eve. At least ten.

4. The number of knitting projects you started but have not yet completed this year - only one, I've just started a new scarf. Yesterday.

5. Your biggest knitting project of the year - has to be the peacock shawl in terms of time and effort. And it ain't small, either.

6. Your smallest knitting project of the year I think I probably knitted this hat this year. Can't remember for sure. I really should be more organised with my Ravelry projects.

7. The project you most enjoyed the process of knitting this year - probably Sagitta, a lovely pattern. The Peacock was quite hard work, but Sagitta is just detailed enough to be interesting, yet overall easy and rhythmic to knit, and by the time the rows get long, you've got a very clear idea of what you're making and it is a pleasing thing.

8. Knitting events (exchanges/knit-a-longs/classes/etc) you participated in this year - I go to a Knit & Natter (with tea and cake) on alternate Tuesdays, and went to Fibre East with a couple of the K&Natterers. I really enjoy Fibre East—it's basically a market, but with lots and lots of really lovely yarn from small companies.

9. Your favorite music/podcast/tv show for listening to/watching while knitting this year - I'm afraid I tend to watch Say Yes To The Dress. Also Bakeoff, and some crime shows - Lewis, Endeavour and Death in Paradise, in particular. Well, I say watch, I glance at the screen every so often. The crime shows are usually talky enough that the information is mostly imparted that way, and the wedding dress and cooking stuff has a few points where you want to look up and see, while the rest can be mostly ignored.

10. Your favorite yarn of the year - well, the WI acrylic aran-weight was a great surprise, very nice to knit. It isn't a beautiful yarn like the two I got from that yarn shop in Bath, but I was impressed.

11. Your least favorite yarn of the year - don't, so far, have a least favourite. Although on reflection, I had a pig of a time balling up the most recent one—the skein just didn't seem to work logically at all, besides being in too large a loop to fit on my (perfectly adequate) swift. I have somewhat took agin it for that reason.

12. A new-to-you technique you tried and liked this year Well, the Sagitta involves two-line striped sections with one colour carried up the front to look like cabling, and I was so pleased with that that I used it in the sweater for my nephew. It's really neat.

13. A new-to-you technique you tried and hated this year Nah, can't remember doing this.

14. Your favorite yarn store/source of yarn this year It's got to be either Fibre East or the fabulous yarn shop in Bath with the incredibly beautiful yarns and the placid and pettable red setter. Can't decide!

15. The first knitting project you plan to start in the new year Hmm. I do keep meaning to knit a Viking Balaclava, with beard, for my daughter's housemate, and there is a lot of rust-coloured WI Aran available, so it might be that. Otherwise, I'm not sure. I feel I should be knitting with the four or five seriously gorgeous skeins I could not resist of late, and one of them may turn into a Madrona Lace Scarf, which is a pleasing pattern with a bit of character to it.