http://www.bettyknitter.com en-gb bettyknitter.com 2010-7-28T00:00:00Z bettyknitter.com http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#71532 For most people an aroma place name trinket or song can transport them back in time and stir up some wonderful memories. In my case it was some 1970s orange Tupperware that took me back to childhood. I had spotted it on Ebay a set of two cylindrical orange canisters with sunray lids and a small stylised flower motif and was delighted to find I was the only bidder. My canisters which Im pretty sure have never been used arrived today and are currently sitting on the kitchen worktop whilst I decide what to use them for. Back in the days when it never rained the summer holidays went on forever and it was ok to eat sweets I spent a lot of time at the next door neighbours house. There were three sisters of a similar age to myself so we played together fell out together and made up together. Their mother Mrs Ridley was a wonderful woman who was always welcoming and would often include me on their outings to local parks. She had a motorcycle with a big covered sidecar and we would all... 2010-7-28 16:14:41 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#71161 I dont know what to knit. I really have no idea. My waistcoat is practically finished and only needs buttons my blanket is an ongoing project to do when I need something that doesnt take a lot of thought and thats it. I have a whole world of yarn in my spare room and the other day I went foraging through it looking for inspiration and found none. Personally I find its either feast or famine when it comes to ideas. A couple of months ago I was so busy that designs were coming to me at a furious rate and I could barely knit fast enough to keep up. Now the torrent has dried up to trickle and Im left scratching my head and wondering when the next good thought will percolate through my brain. No worries. Its happened before many times so during these quiet times I do a spot of gardening reading or general recharging of batteries. Before long I will be off again knitting like a demon and scribbling down my patterns as I go. It only takes a magazine article piece of artwork or a bea... 2010-7-24 18:07:56 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#70610 I spend a lot of time in my little garden either knitting pottering about or just sitting and looking at the plants. I have passed many hours in contemplation and decided that one of my borders was in need of a revamp. Calling it a border is somewhat misleading its more a collection of little holes dug along the side of the wall with plants in them. Over the past few weeks Ive been mentally visualising what different configurations might look like and in the end decided that a gentle curve would be most pleasing. The edge of the lawn anothing misleading name for what is actually a patch of uneven grass is defined with some very attractive old blue bricks. I used a hosepipe to mark the shape of the new lawn then lifted the blue bricks and placed them along the hosepipe. When I was satisfied with the shape I called my assistant gardener. Over the years Ive spent many hours planting tending and watering the plants whilst Hubby has been called upon to do tasks requiring a little mo... 2010-7-17 16:38:21 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#69191 Aromas have the power to conjure up memories from years ago. For some people the smell of baking reminds them of homemade cakes piled high on a plate after school for others a whiff of perfume brings back thoughts of teenage romance and snogging behind the bike sheds. Earlier today I was using some fabric glue and the smell transported me straight back to childhood. Bostik AllPurpose was my adhesive of choice back then mainly because I liked the smell and the way it made long stretchy strands which could be peeled off my fingers. If I wasnt gluing I was using sticky tape and my family named me The Sellotape Queen. At school there was a very odd product called Gloy which came in a tub and had the consistency and colour of lard. It was okay for thin paper but anything heavier than newsprint would cause it to give up and dry into a big lump. There was also some strange runny brown stuff in metal tubes that was supposed to have fabulous sticking power but the best it could do was s... 2010-6-29 22:03:52 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#68765 There are some things that a person wants to keep quiet about. It could be something mildly embarrasing such as owning all of Donny Osmonds LPs and one of them is actually signed or watching This Morning every day because you find Philip Schofield sexually attractive. This type of thing is totally harmless and the worst that could come of it is some gentle teasing from your mates who really have no right to be taking the piss because they fancy Adrian Chiles. At the other end of the scale are things that could cause major humilation if people were to find out for instance a liking for nude gardening you need very tall fences if this is your preferred way to pass the time outdoors or knitting with manmade fibres. Ill gleefully admit to the latter. I have many balls of manmades in my collection and Im not afraid to shout about it. The knitting world has gone terribly posh in the past few years and theres a definate oneupmanship about the yarns one chooses to work with. Once upon... 2010-6-24 18:18:49 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#68496 A couple of weeks ago a friend had to miss our weekly Knit and Knatter because she was waiting in for a parcel to be delivered. The item was not even for her out of total unselfishness on her part she was staying in to take delivery of a package for her Beloved. I suggested that knitters should have a scale of charges for their partners to adhere to at times like these. A minor inconvenience might incur a fee of 50gr woolacrylic mix whereas a major putyourselfoutbigtime could cost as much as a whopping 600gr cashmere for a cardigan. I have drawn up the following Scale of Charges. Its totally flexible so if your other half has annoyed you to a greater or lesser extent feel free to adjust the payment accordingly. You may if you are patient keep a running total to save up for a larger payment although this can cause palpitations in some cases. Its wise to warn your partner in advance if this is the case since most people dont keep enough cash in the house for a impromptu visit to ... 2010-6-21 12:04:54 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#67978 Ive never been one to deny myself the pleasures of yarn buying but there came a time when I realised that I had more yarn than I could ever hope to use up in several lifetimes. I consciously made an effort to use more stash and buy less new yarn and up to a point its been working very well. However sometimes I have to give in to temptation and Buy Something. I dont know if its the thrill of acquiring something new the irrational need to spend money or because I cant resist a bargain but I found myself last week plodding through the Knitting Yarns section of Ebay. A twinpack of coned yarn in two very attractive shades of raspberry pink slipped onto my laptop screen and that was it. I gave in to temptation and placed a bid. Two hours later the yarn was MINE all MINE Ive bought some excellent yarns from Ebay over the years. Not only does it satisfy my yarn yearnings it also means I get to receive parcels which is always exciting as you can probably guess Im easily pleased. On the ... 2010-6-15 10:42:12 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#66437 Not really its actually been quite delightful. Sun and blue skies for most of the week although today has been overcast and a little drizzly which was as good a reason as any to go to the cinema and look at Russell Crowe in Robin Hood this afternoon. Ive been thinking of all things festive this week hence the Christmas lyrics in the title. Im not so organised that Ive done any shopping writing cards or planning what to eat on Boxing Day it is only May for Petes sake but I have been trying to get into some sort of seasonal mood. This has been rather hard considering that my clothing this week has included suntops and flipflops the world and his dog are talking about summer holidays and it stays light until almost 10pm. The reason for the incredibly early Christmas chez Betty is knitting of course. I was asked to design some festive patterns for a magazine so my thoughts this week have turned to snowmen baubles holly and tinsel. Anyone who knows me can vouch for my enthusiasm for... 2010-5-29 17:58:49 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#65163 This is a game for one or more players. Usually it will involve naming a person of the opposite sex or same sex if you prefer and deciding whether you would snog marry or shove them off a cliff. Just for the record I would snog David Tennant marry James May and shove Russell Brand of a cliff. It occured to me that this game is fully transferable to other things such as food TV programmes fashion clothing flowers and so on. Its probably more appropriate to rename it Like It Love It To Bits or Send It To Hell because I for one dont like the idea of marrying lasagne or snogging daffodils. Obviously this is a knittingrelated website so my primary concern here is which yarns I prefer to knit with. Like It Pure wool cotton silk mohair smooth textures fuzzy textures interesting manmades Love It To Bits Bamboo alpaca ownbrand merino from my LYS anything shiny Sirdar Escape King Cole Mirage chenille anything with viscose Send It To Hell Pompom yarns knobbly linen Snowflake invented... 2010-5-13 09:37:11 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#64921 I used to be a oneprojectonly woman focused on the job in hand from cast on to sewing in those final loose ends. Over the past couple of years Ive found myself straying away from this project monogamy and I must admit to becoming a Knitting Tart. Ive become strangely addicted to the rush of excitement that a new project brings and want to spend all my time with my latest love. However this heady feeling rarely last long before I am tempted by another goodlooking pattern or attractive yarn and the first project gets left half finished in my secondbest knitting bag. The hardest part is facing up to the fact that occasionally a knitting relationship has come to an end and theres nothing else to do but unravel and start again. Knitting Tarts of the world unite We may be fickle but we always have some knitting for company and as the saying goes variety is the spice of life. Its just that some of us like it spicier than others. 2010-5-10 09:46:26 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#64683 Yesterday I returned to a bag pattern that I designed a couple of years ago. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with it in fact I was rather pleased with the shape but it somehow didnt feel finished. At the time I remember thinking of what to do to add the final flourish and I pondered this for many days on and off until eventually it quietly slipped to the back of my mind where it has rested ever since. Anyway I decided to have another bash at it so I chose some nice summery yarn from my stash and cast on. This morning I had my Eureka moment and now I know exactly what Im going to do to transform it from a soso bag into a So Fabulous bag. All it took was a browse through a gardening catalogue to prod my brain into action and now Im on track for the big reveal of my latest baby. Im a perfectionist and like all my designs to be just right so thats why they sometimes have a long incubation period. I have a stack of halffinished ideas that have been abandoned because something... 2010-5-6 11:44:01 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#64215 Theres a theory currently going around the Interwebs that knitting in cars can be fatal. Obviously if youre knitting and driving at the same time theres going to be some risk involved but the theory goes that if a passenger is knitting in the front seat and the airbag goes off they will be stabbed in the chest and suffer a nasty death. This got me thinking about just how dangerous crafting can be. As an example some years ago I managed to stab myself in the finger with a pair of very sharp storkshaped needlework scissors. The pointy end went into my skin for about 1.5cm which doesnt sound a lot but it sure smarted and left a nasty mark. Ive also managed to draw blood on many occasions with pins and needles both whilst sewing with them and inadvertantly losing them in the carpet. What the eye fails to detect can be reliably found at a later date with a bare foot. There was a girl at school who managed to sew through her finger with a sewing machine ow and who can forget the stern... 2010-4-30 11:02:15 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#63970 Dear Father Christmas I know its only April but I wanted to catch you early before the rush later in the year. When youre bogged down with requests for Barbies and Scalextric sets my letter might get overlooked so make yourself a nice mug of tea and settle down to read my requests. First on my list dear Santa is TIME. More please. There isnt enough of it to go round and when it eventually finds its way to me its usually ran out or theres very little left. An extra hour a day or even two if you can manage it would be most welcome. After time my next request is SPACE. I know Im lucky enough to have a spare room to call my own but the cupboard is full to bursting and I cant seem to find the sofabed any more. I think it must be buried under those packs of yarn. The computer table takes up another big chunk of space and the cat has to curl up in a little ball when she wants to sleep because theres no room to stretch out. Please Santa can you make my room three times as ... 2010-4-27 12:58:29 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#63655 Oh how wonderful it sounds. A sunny day a free afternoon and a chance to get a lot of knitting done. That was my plan but I didnt get quite as much done as I expected. I arrived back from meeting a friend in town around midday. The washer had finished its cycle so I hung out the clean towels to dry then wrestled with the parasol. Back indoors to make lunch corned beef cob cheese and onion crisps and a pleasant fifteen minutes passed sitting on the garden bench eating my meal and listening to the birds. Knitting time I fetched my almostdone right mitten sat down and cast off. Botheration my scissors were indoors so off I went to fetch my little tin. Back outside I cut the yarn and finished the mitten. A pot of tea would be nice I thought so off inside again to boil the kettle and gather together the things I needed to cast on for a new project. I took outside yarn needles and notebook then returned to the kitchen to fetch the teapot milk jug and mug which were waiting on the... 2010-4-23 19:11:52 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#63567 Ive had my Bernina sewing machine since 1985. Weve gone through a lot together suits curtains blouses cushion covers wedding clothes and alterations to name but a few. My lifelong love affair with the Bernina brand started at school age 11. My first ever selfmade skirt a circular number in white cotton printed with tiny squares was sewn on a school machine. After taking off and reapplying the waistband three times because the teacher said it was wrong then taking it home and mum saying its not wrong its a miracle that I persevered with dressmaking but by then I was hooked. At home my mum had an oldfashioned treadle machine which was great fun to use and I passed many happy hours pedalling furiously away. My older sister had a Brother machine which she would let me use if I asked nicely. However good these sewing machines were I still longed for a Bernina. When I changed to upper school I chose Fashion and Fabrics as an O level subject. By this stage I was making practically a... 2010-4-22 09:48:25 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#63098 Oh dear. Fingerless mittens. Ive made many a pair of gloves over the years but I dont think Ive ever had to unravel one four times. Its a new design Im working on and I keep making silly mistakes a dropped stitch here a miscalculation there. Maybe I should just quietly put them back in the bag and walk away for a few days. By the time I get them finished it will be too warm to wear them I hope. 2010-4-15 18:14:36 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#62779 Today I went to an Open Studio Event. Babylonglegs httpbabylonglegs.blogspot.com has a wonderful dye studio not far from me so it was a good excuse to go and see what she does and how she does it. It must be wonderful to have a dedicated space to turn blank yarn into fabulous colours and I was inspired by all the lovely hues that she magically makes. I was particularly taken with a oneoff handspun yarn in a mixture of blues and greens called Celebrity Masterchef II which was whispering ever so softly asking to be taken home and knitted into a bag. How could I refuse Out came my purse and this lovely yarn became mine I recently designed a fanshaped bag which is knitted from side to side and although Ive made a couple in plainer yarns I was keen to find something selfstriping that would be suitable. My latest purchase fits the bill perfectly so as soon as Ive finished faffing around with my current project Ill be ready to cast on. In the meantime I shall admire its good looks and... 2010-4-11 17:54:01 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#62424 After a few weeks of being unable to think about topics to write about Im back in the saddle at last. I like to keep my writing muscles well exercised but sometimes I have to admit defeat and go away until inspiration strikes. And how it has struck Spring is well springing the sap is rising and my grey matter is swirling with new ideas. On the knitting front I have a bunch of ideas for new patterns which I am steadily working my way through and this morning I received a parcel of lovely yarns to make into samples. Ive had a few thoughts about offering a Knitting with Beads workshop for a while and my ideas are now turning into reality. I could just do a demonstration hand out some beads and yarn and wave goodbye but that will hardly inspire people. Im working on some samples for beaded projects that could be started during a workshop then the attendees can take them home and finish them at their leisure. Im hoping to offer four possibly five designs so that each person will get... 2010-4-7 16:32:18 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#60133 My late father was The Original Recycler and its his genes that are responsible for my waste not want not mentality. His shed was stacked from floor to ceiling with all sorts of useful things jars of screws and nails lengths of metal car parts unidentifiable tools and most interesting of all to a child anyway an oldfashioned wooden football rattle. He could probably have built a car using all the bits and pieces in the shed with enough left over for a couple of atom bombs and a small block of flats. One of his favourite activites was a trip to The Tip. He would take a token bag of rubbish and usually come back with something interesting much to my mothers annoyance. In those days The Tip was basically a big heap of rubbish in a field supervised by a man in a hut. People could drive in add their rubbish to the pile and have a look to see what everyone else had dumped. Dad became friendly with the man in the hut so he would save toys for me and once I got a Lego train set whi... 2010-3-9 12:25:56 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#59901 When I wrote about my empty building in February there had been no signs of life there for years. This week scaffolding was erected all around and workmen have started to strip the roof. Being such a tall building its hard to see exactly what theyre up to but it looks as if the tiles have been carefully stacked on the scaffold boards so they can be reused. I feel very pleased that this wonderful place is coming back to life and I shall watch with great interest as the work continues. Lets hope that should it reopen as a shop its a good one thats worthy of such a beautiful building. 2010-3-6 12:26:43 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#59346 I cant resist a bargain. My spare roomofficestash warehouse is full of yarns that were bought in sales and rescued from bargain bins. Some of these yarns are odd balls from charity shops and leftovers from previous projects but there are also many full packs ready to be converted into cardis. My wardrobe is already fit to burst with cardis in various styles and colours but I always seem to need just one more. I used to be a jumper person but that changed a few years ago when I was looking through my pattern collection and happened across a booklet from the mid 1980s. It was a supplement free with a magazine and I had worked my way through and knitted practically every design some of them twice or three times. Anyhow I decided that I would knit one again a large cabled jumper with saddle sleeves and a high neckline. What a mistake that turned out to be. In the mid 1980s I was a skinny slip of a thing and photographic evidence shows that sweaters hung off me in that oversized ba... 2010-2-27 10:40:42 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#59086 The Winter Olympics. Hours of TV coverage filled with lithe Lycraclad athletes doing exciting fast and sometimes downright dangerous things on snow and ice in the hope of winning Gold Silver or Bronze. Then afterwards they pack up the thermals and all go home to prepare for the next time. Im not in the least bit sporty. Theres not enough Lycra in England to go around my butt but still I dream of one day being able to whizz down an icy tube on a teatray at 90 miles an hour or grab some air as I shoot vertically out of a halfpipe. My personal Olympics are of a more sedate but no less challenging type. www.ravelry.com is hosting the Ravelympics a challenge for knitters crocheters spinners weavers and dyers. The basic premise is that whatever challenge you accept it must be started and finished during the timeframe of the Vancouver Olympics. There are lots of categories to choose from and the Ravthlete can choose from such varied disciplines as Hat Halfpipe Flying Camel Spin Cable ... 2010-2-24 09:40:14 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#58219 One of my previous blog posts 20 January 2010 described my adventures with knitted spirals and Im pleased to say that the instructions are now available as a downloadable pdf file so you can make one too. Click on httpwww.ravelry.compurchaseelizabethjarvisdesigns30106 and you will be directed to www.ravelry.com where you can purchase your pattern cost 1631.50 and take a look at my other designs as well. 2010-2-11 18:22:07 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#58077 Today I made a cake. Not a fabulous one but its edible. I have been trying for years on and off to bake a good cake and I cant seem to get it right. I follow the recipe measure the ingredients carefully set the oven to the correct temperature and still the cake comes out mediocre at best. Anyway my friend visited today so I asked her opinion and she suggested that next time I bake it for less time and at a slightly lower temperature. My friend Ill call her M is a Baking Genius. Her chocolate brownies taste divine her cookies are amazing and she also makes the most meltinthemouthmarvellous fudge. A few years ago she baked a cake for my mums birthday it was scattered with little sparkly stars that were actually edible and it was a truly magical treat. Many decorated cakes hold a lot of promise but the inside rarely lives up to the outside with a centre that has the texture and flavour of loft insulation. However Ms cakes are as delicious to eat as they are gorgeous to look at... 2010-2-9 19:34:01 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#57729 Theres an empty shop in town that Im rather fond of. Its an old building dating from the early to mid nineteenth century and is of very pleasing proportions. When I was very small this shop was occupied by Noons the Haberdashery Shop. The doorway had a mosaic floor featuring the local coat of arms and NOON in large letters. Walking in was like entering a wonderland of buttons ribbons fabrics and embroidery supplies and to the left of the shop through an archway was the Ladies Undergarment section . I dont remember ever going in that part. The main shop had huge glass counters with wooden drawers in a stepped arrangement in order to see the goods easily and the assitant would pull out whichever drawer the shopper wanted to inspect and put it on the countertop. I still have my first embroidery hoop bought from Noons cost 52p written in ink on the outside. ... 2010-2-4 18:36:38 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#57433 A few years ago I knitted myself a long waiscoat. The yarn was beautiful pure wool in earthy tones with an uneven twist which gave the finished fabric a lovely texture. I should have known better. Im a big lass and chunky yarns on a chunky body just make the wearer look even more well chunky. I wore the waistcoat a few timesdecided it made my bum look like a bouncy castle then it was folded carefully and went to live at the dark end of the wardrobe. Last week I was in my favourite charity shop and on the reduced to 1631 rail was a handknitted tank top in the same mottled shades as my waiscoat. I examined the tank top and it looked unworn so I quickly paid up and took it home. Its way too small to fit me but after a therapeutic session of unravelling I will have some yarn to play with I dont know what the fibre is if Im very lucky it will be wool and I can use it for felting. If not its still pretty and I will definately find a use for it. A while ago a knitting friend boug... 2010-2-1 09:16:01 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#57065 I was watching my son and his friend playing on the Xbox 360 the other day. They have a preference for noisy messy wargames which usually involve bumping off as many computeranimated characters as possible. I asked them why there arent any nice console games featuring flowers bunnies knitting and chocolate. I got a dusty answer which I guess I should have seen coming. In order to rectify this definite gap in the market I have written a proposal for a new userfriendly compelling and challenging console game. Nintendo Sony and Microsoft take note. Knit Challenge 3000 Your mission is to choose a design purchase sufficient yarn make your garment and finally take part in the prestigious Catwalk Show. Along the way there are various pitfalls and mistakes to avoid as well as some exciting bonus levels to be found and unlocked as you go. Level 1 Lets Go Shopping Knittyville has four yarn shops as well as two department stores all scattered around the city centre. Starting at the b... 2010-1-26 19:25:23 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#56712 Theres a wellknown urban legend amongst knitters regarding The Boyfriend Sweater. Many have laboured for countless hours out of devotion to their beloved only to have their carefullycrafted garment consigned to the bottom of the wardrobe never to be seen again. After a few enquiries along the lines of have you worn it yet but no actual sightings of it on his body the knitter quietly resolves to never waste their precious knitting hours on HIM again. In some cases it even leads to the end of the relationship altogether as the knitter realises they would be better off finding a soulmate who loved both them and their creations. I fell into this trap once. He loves me so therefore hell love something I make for him. How wrong a girl can be It was 1986 or maybe 87. I decided to knit The Boyfriend a Jumper I know hindsight really is a marvellous thing so I bought some brushed chunky in black. Very fuzzy. Very black. And the jumper ended up very large which at the time was rather fashio... 2010-1-22 13:12:40 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#56568 Ive been intrigued recently by the North Pacific Gyre. Its an area of the Pacific Ocean where currents meet collecting debris and swirling it round in a neverending collection of trash. There are smaller ones in other oceans but the North Pacific is the biggest. httpmarinedebris.noaa.govinfopatch.html This link has more information written by proper scientists. I wanted to make my own gyreinspired piece of knitting so I set to work. Like the ocean gyres mine would be made of leftovers so I raided my stash for suitable yarns. Circular blankets usually start with a tiny number of stitches in the centre and increases are worked on each round as the circle gets bigger until eventually there are several hundred stitches on one circular needle. I didnt want to do this so I did a little experimentation. My aim was to create a spiral from one long strip starting in the centre and curling round until either the blanket was big enough or I was bored with the project. So I started out wit... 2010-1-20 09:15:36 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#56566 I found the Perfect Buttons for my cardi. httpwww.buttoncompany.co.uk is a marvellous online shop selling buttons buckles beads threads and kits. I love their Lucky Dip bags and colour assortments and I found my Perfect Three in a Girls Night Out selection pack. This particular pack was full of pink and purple buttons and I enjoyed sorting through them to see what I got. A while ago I ordered a Pearly Kings and Queens pack which was full of the prettiest buttons imaginable. If youre starting a stash like the excitement of mystery packs or are looking for The Perfect Button I can highly recommend The Button Company. 2010-1-20 09:06:43 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#56216 I went on a little trip round my local charity shops today. I didnt find any yarn but I bought a purple chain belt to dismantle for the beads 1631.95 a pair of bamboo bag handles 20p two pairs of chunky clipon earrings 1632.00 and a little inlaid wooden box 50p. All that fun for less than a fiver and I had a good chinwag with one of the volunteers in the Mind shop as well. I dont wear clipon earrings. I tried it once when I borrowed some fabulous diamante jewellery from my sister but after that lobenumbing experience I stuck to pierced earrings only. So dear reader you may be wondering what exactly I have in mind for the clipons I bought today. In a flash of inspiration I decided they would make fantastic bag decorations so although I have nothing they can adorn at the moment it will inspire me to make something that I can use them for. The big drawback with earrings is that they only come in pairs. Theres a design theory along the lines of odd numbers which says that when usin... 2010-1-15 10:15:09 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#56042 My shortsleeved cardi is finished now and is in need of fastenings so my first stop was as always my Button Tin. I passed a pleasant halfhour or so sorting through the delights within but this time I couldnt find exactly what I was looking for. The lid went back on and it got me thinking about buttons and fastenings in general. After much deliberation and thought I am pleased to offer my definitive guide to the perils of finding that elusive Perfect Button. 1. The Button Tin promises so much but delivers so little. However much I enjoy having a casual browse through the many hundreds of buttons pressstuds old currency and curtain rings contained within when push comes to shove and I need a button for an actual project I rarely find anything suitable. 2. Sorry Madam I only have five of that style. Ive lost count of the number of times Ive tipped out the entire contents of The Tin spread them all over the table sorted through them and put the rejects back in The Tin then found o... 2010-1-13 09:39:58 http://www.bettyknitter.com/page2.htm#55774 It looks terribly pretty outside with all that snow. Its a real winter wonderland and its nice for the kiddies to finally have enough of the white stuff to build a snowman go for a slide around or just sling it at each other get wet and cold and come inside complaining that theyre wet and cold. I like to look at snow but I much prefer to see it through a window. I can think of no better reason to stay inside with a bag full of wool and needles and a head full of ideas for what to knit next to keep the chills at bay. Currently Im working on a nosew sideways cardi with cap sleeves. It seemed like such a good idea when I started it but now those minisleeves are looking rather inadequate in the face of such chilliness. I have a bag of lovely squishy superwash merino to knit a hat with. Its a new design and after being complemented on mine I will be starting work on the official one to give to a friend. After being worn to death for the past few weeks mine is looking a little flabby... 2010-1-9 12:17:06