That’s customer service!

Last weekend I could no longer resist. At the weekends I’m always somewhat inclined to do some online shopping since „normal“ shops are closed but this time it was a bit more than the normal 99-Cent-itunes-Shopping. I ordered the Beatrix-kit from www.kimhargreaves.co.uk. I had a look at the colours of Rowan Felted Tweed first and if I had the choice I would have chosen „camel“. Unfortunately and for reasons I don’t know they don’t offer the full range of colours at Kim Hargreave’s shop, so I switched to „cocoa“.

I just got an email telling me the following:

Dear Miss Sophie
Thank you very much for your order. I am pleased to let you know that your
kit was sent today and should be with you in the next 4 – 5 days. Please
will you let us know that it arrives safely?

I hope you enjoy knitting and wearing Beatrix – but please do not hesitate
to get in touch if you need any further assistance.

Best wishes
Kathleen

Ahh, that’s too cute. I mean of course I would write them an email if, say, two weeks are over and no parcel arrived, but if they want to I will sent them an „everything’s arrived safe – thanks!“-mail as well. Oh, the British, they are the personified politeness.

Baby bootees

Well, no, that’s no photo of Wimbledon or the Bomber jacket. Wimbledon is still unfinished and Bomber will need a visit to my Mom’s washer and dryer on the weekend until it’s ready to become a photo model.

What you see above is a pair of Saartje’s bootees (you can find the free pattern on Saartje’s homepage), knit from Schachenmayr Nomotta Catania. I used 3mm circulars and this project was incredibly quick! You can finish them in one evening (watching football on TV additionally ), weaving in all the ends, sewing on the buttons and making the buttonholes is almost the hardest part.

I made them for a colleague who got a baby daughter the other week and he announced to give a small party at the office. But he postponed the party today and if he will occasionally „forget“ to catch up the booties may be for my cousin who will give birth to a little baby girl in September.

Love at first sight

You can fall in love with knitting projects like you can fall in love with men, I think There are projects who need a second look or a third and maybe a month or two until the appeal to you. And then there are some that are really love at first sight: Like Beatrix from the new Kim-Hargreaves-Collection. Oh, how I love this design! PLUS: The sizing goes down to „extra small“! Oh, it’s so nice to be in love Only one thing kept me from ordering the knitting kit until now (well, maybe one thing except from the price… but it’s ok for Rowan yarn I think) – the color decision. The colors of Rowan Felted Tweed are so beautiful – each of them. But I prefer pictures of finished projects rather than just pictures of the balls in order to make a decision about the colour. Well, of course it shouldn’t be a problem to find out the best color with the help of ravelry!

Having talked about unlaid eggs so much I should end this post with a report of my present knitting. There will be photos of my Bomber jacket in Rowan Denim soon! I finished it two months ago and I use to wear it almost every day (especially since this summer is quite cold here in Germany). It had to be washed for about three times now but you can simply throw it into the washing machine together with blouses and trousers. More details about this very satisfying project in the next post!

I’ve finished the back of Wimbledon:

I’m almost done with the front, too. Stay tuned for a bulk of FO-photos coming soon!

New Interweave Knits

The preview for the fall issue is out.

• I like the Dickinson Pullover, but I’m to petite to wear oversized pullovers like that.
• Perhaps my favourite in this issue is Eunny Jangs Tangled Joke Cardigan. It looks feminine and elegant, yet has this very interesting detail. My only worry about this project would be that there’s a lot of plain stockinette until you reach the interesting parts.
• Tyrolean Stockings: They have just the right length – I don’t like this short socks. But they look somewhat bulky around the models ankle – don’t seem to fit very well.
• As with knitted skirts I’m not much into knitted dresses. Especially ultra-short knitted dresses.
• Although I’m not as garter-stitch-obsessed as Brooklyn Tweed, I do like his Cobblestone Pullover quite a lot.
• The Snowflake Socks look nice, maybe a good project to get some experience in colorwork.
• The Mireboix Bodice: Also very beautiful.

Conclusion: A lot of interesting projects, but nothing that really strikes the eye as a „must knit“. We’re going to see whether I will buy this issue or not. In the meantime, I’m working on Wimbledon and almost finished the back. It’s interesting that I seem to be the only one on Ravelry who ever tried this tennis-tee.

As for future projects: I bought „Lace Style“ but am not sure what to make from it. Some patterns should be labelled as „Don’t try this at home“. Know what I mean? The „Oh la lace dress“ of course. Maybe I’ll cast on for the „Katherine Hepburn cardigan“.

I also ordered a copy of Elizabeth Zimmermans „Knitting without tears“. My former art teacher used to say: „First get the basics and then get the tricks“ and I think it’s time to get some of the tricks by now, especially about finishing techniques.