Tuesday, 25 February 2014

I am likely to lose my crown if I don't knit more.

So it has been a LONG time since my last post. Granted there is only so much I can say about the benefits of single rib or moss stitch but there is even less to say if I stop knitting altogether.

In the past month and a bit I have made two things. TWO! That is it. Very unlike me and means my self applied moniker, Queen of the Knit, is in jeopardy. How can I call myself Queen of something I seem to have stopped doing?

Anyway I appear to have regained a little of my knitting/crochet mojo and have produced items for friends birthdays. Both were scarves. "How very adventurous your highness" I hear you yell sarcastically. I agree, not at all interesting. Or is it?

The first scarf was very run of the mill. It was blue and I knocked it up for a friend's 40th birthday. I hope he liked it, I can not say for sure. The second, however, was far more interesting (if the production of a scarf can be deemed interesting). This one I made for my sister's birthday and I was very tempted to keep it for myself until I realised I could make another one very easily so there was no need to deprive my little sister of such a delight.

I have photographic evidence of this one for your delectation.


The scarf before it is worn.



Me wearing the scarf. Apologies for the double chin.

So as you can see the finished article is made up of granny squares sewn together. I still have loads of granny squares left over so I could always make one for myself but then my sister and I have a habit of wearing the same things so maybe not. It does mean that if I make or buy her something chances are she will like it which is very handy.

In other news and in my other life (opera singer) I saw Peter Grimes on Sunday, performed by English National Opera, at the cinema. It was fabulous. The only thing that bothered me was one character had to knit and she was not very adept at it whilst singing. Therefore you will probably find me, from now on, knitting whilst singing so I am ready when this particular skill is required again.




Sunday, 5 January 2014

New year, new projects....a few commissions wouldn't hurt though.

So, my fellow wool lovers, we find ourselves in 2014. If I am honest 2013 was both good and bad for me (more bad by the end tbh) so I am quite pleased to start a new year. I have no resolutions as such but I do have goals and intend to see them through (she says).

One of the goals I have is to turn Queen of the Knit into some sort of legitimate business venture. Not one that will make my fortune and allow me to buy a big house but one that will keep me occupied and off the streets. This goal has been helped along by my sister Kat of "the kats whiskers" and one of her Christmas presents to me this year. She did not know this, but I had been intending to set up a Twitter account and a Facebook page for Queen of the Knit since it became a "thing" but I hadn't got around to it (it is astonishing how lazy you become when you have nothing to do). So imagine my delight when I opened a small box (homemade, of course) containing business cards and information regarding a new Facebook page and Twitter account created by my sister for Queen of the Knit. She had managed to literally read my mind and set them up exactly as I would have done myself could I have been bothered. If any of you lovely people fancy following QOTK via either of these social media outlets my twitter name is @QueenoftheKnit and my Facebook page can be found here. (I apologise for repeating information included in my last QOTK post but not many of you saw that one so I thought you wouldn't mind a small recap)

There is not a lot to see, as yet, on either but they are a work in progress and, as the hard work has been done, I really have no excuses not to use them to great effect. Anyway, enough of that, "what have you been knitting/crocheting over the Christmas period?" I hear you cry. Well, I had a couple of commissions and, as I am quite poor right now, I made a few Christmas presents to give to people. I was commissioned to make a tea cosy (which I featured in Crochet until your fingers bleed) and a hot water bottle cover for a friend so I thought I would show you the masterpiece I fashioned.



All my own work. The pattern is my own creation right down to the flowers. As this commission turned out so successfully I ended up making them for my nieces, sister, sister-in-law and my friend Helen. The following pic is the same thing in purple:



If you know me, chances are you will receive one of these at sometime in the future (it includes the hot water bottle in case you were wondering). That said if anyone wants one, let me know and I will sort you out. Just send me a message.

Feel free to contact me if you have any knitting or crochet needs. I will have a go at almost anything but there will be varying degrees of success I am sure.