making a pattern.

Remember this?

Now I’ve finally decided that at least with knitting patterns you make it once properly and then sell on copies. I am hoping that at least if I can create a small arsenal of these it will be the basis for creating and making that I can enjoy without getting completely bored. I’m no publisher, my main line of work is IT so at least I can apply the tools of my trade to getting this in to something readable and nice. What I have done though is write this up.

Now I love this pattern and I’m not sure where I stand on a few items including copyright of the original cables and how to get it published without offending any previous designer and or the cable creators. I can say in this instance most of these cables came from a knitting book, a stitch dictionary type book but not ALL of it. Also I created the miter sections myself so that each cable starts correctly on the miter to sit properly within the pattern.

Over on “The Rav” (ravelry) as I like to call it, I went to the test knitters discussion pool and posted a request. Sorry if you can’t get to that link, ravelry is a sign in type site because of the vast content hosted inside. If you are at all interested in the crafts of knitting, spinning, crochet or weaving you should know about it and have an account. So anyway, I posted a request and I was surprised by the vast response to the request. I did this yesterday and I already have what I like to call MINIONS. I know it sounds mean but they are doing my bidding. *cackles evilly* These lovely 5 people are getting this pattern for free whilst they test knit and prove if my charting and pattern writing skills are fully tested.

I want to charge for this pattern mainly because it’s the biggest best knit I’ve created so far. I want it to be something special for other people too. I’ll try to keep you informed on how it goes. For now, if you know anything about publishing, copyright or what really needs to be in that pattern that I may have missed, I would really appreciate hearing from you. It’s all new territory for me and I’m not the sort of person who wants to tread on anyones toes making this.

what can you do? and animals.

hair is being used to suck up the oil spill in the gulf of mexico.

Now this may seem like telling you stuff you already know, but I have asked for all the sheep from brays cottage to have their fleeces donated, except Marcus. I am truly aware of that amount of fleece would be too much work for me. I can’t do much, I could do with a hair cut but I love my hair long and can’t bear to part with it. I just hope we can do something to help. I’ll be discussing how to get those fleeces there with the owners as soon as I can.

On to our lovely fluff balls, I would save the fluff from them but they’re too busy spreading it about my house and garden. I’ve had to pull our new rug out of the hall way because Otis decided it was more comfortable to poo and wipe on the rug than use the litter tray.

Otis sitting on the garden table.

 

“Take the camera out of my face Lady or I make with the rug decoration”

Jasper guarding the fresh grass. Jasper has his moments too, his worst habit is using one of our speakers in the lounge as a scratching post. He gets squirted with water for that trick.

“Moi? Je suis innocent! just look in to my eyes!”

These were both taken with the wide-angle lens which Scotty was so good to buy just before upgrading his camera to a lovely cannon with full sensor. Which meant this lens was not really much use. I adore this wide-angle lens and what it does to animals. So much in fact not only did I get pictures of our cats and my sisters dog, Scotty and I went to the Country game and farm show at the Norfolk showground.

As you can see dogs were entirely welcome. Plus there was sheep shearing, wonky donkeys and some very lovely alpaca which I cooed over and stroked.

After that show day we went to my sisters and help her re-arrange her kitchen to have new flooring installed. It coincided with my nephews 13th birthday and my brother in laws birthday too. Of course my now teenager nephew was glued to his new gaming computer but was super happy when we didn’t get him a present but left money in his card so he can get new games.

Last weekend we went over my brother’s house to help him move. He’s having a “grand designs style” complete make over of his house. He’s moved in to a 2 bed bungalow in the village close to the house whilst his is ripped apart and re-constructed. He’s mad I tells you, but clever too. It will be well worth it. After moving around a lot of stuff we gave in and came home to rest. I’m glad I’m not moving or re-doing anything major in our house.

Laminaria how I love thee.

Yeah, I know I have a ton of projects on the go. BUT I had a moment, one of those moments where I saw wool, saw pattern and they wanted to make love. I used up 1 of these 3 balls and about 10 yards of the next ball but Laminaria was the way it was meant to be.

It took me exactly two weeks and 3 days to complete, wash and block the shawl. I was wearing it the very next day. I meant to blog about this for some time but I was too busy being REALLY smug about what I achieved.

A quick trip out in to our back yard and I tried to snap a few photos of myself.

Pattern notes: I mussed up one of the sssk type things and did a different stitch. I don’t think it detracts, I did the same stitch throughout so it looks like there are no mistakes. I’ve already had several people tell me they love it and it’s not meant to be kept by me. Even my lovely big sister said she wants one EXACTLY the same. This is one of the few knits I’d love to knit again. The make 9 from 3 stitch appears to be a bind but at least you don’t have to knit more than 3 together in to one stitch. Now I get to wear my entirely blue collection of clothes with a lovely hand knit too! I am SO smitten.