100 years of Elizabeth Zimmermann
August 9, 2010 at 10:41 pm | Posted in Knitting | Leave a commentTags: Books, EZ, Knitting, patterns
Elizabeth Zimmermann born August 9, 1910 -Died November 30, 1999
A little blog post about the women who inspired knitters of all ages from all over the world and through out the past to present. Elizabeth Zimmermann, I noticed while pattern searching on Ravelry today they are celebrating 100 years of EZ and wanted to express my love of her work.
Yes I’m a young knitter at as young as most but i do understand and love the true talent and craftsmanship of Ez’s beautiful hand knits. From her colour work, Construction, methods and timeless sweaters that have been reproduced by hand knitters everywhere. If you don’t own an EZ book yet go out and purchase one they are all beautiful and full of great understanding of knitting. Ez’s love of sharing knowledge has helped many knitters create good sweaters of there own using her schematics and percentage systems. Her range of patterns are amazing from socks + tights to hats + mittens to sweaters and jackets to shawls + blankets. All her works have been fantastic and a lot of loving knitters will think of her has the best for many, many years to come.
Two of the books i own of EZ’s are The opinionated knitter + knitting without tears.
Patterns i adore are as follows- February lady sweater, Baby surprise jacket, Spiral hat, Icelandic yoke sweater, seamless raglan sweater, fair isle yoke sweater.
Also check out Schoolhouse press who she worked with for many years.
And god bless you Elizabeth Zimmermann You’ve taught me much and will for a long time x
Budding Leaves
June 3, 2010 at 8:07 pm | Posted in General ( day to day stuff), Knitting | Leave a commentTags: Cashmere, Ishbel, Knitting, patterns, Shawl, silk, skeins, wool shop, Yarn, ysolda teague
As you know I started growing some lovely herbs that unfortunately didn’t make it and i’m struggling to keep my parsley going which is disappointing. Although parsley is still going just not so strong, I had to get rid of the others some didn’t even appear through the soil. Since it been such nice weather these past fews days to help the growth of my new buds they have been having fun outside our upstairs flat.
Thats right on the window sill, It seems a little dangerous to place them there but it’s needed they just aren’t growing otherwise. So they spent most of the day soaking up the sun, I just have to make sure there bought inside if the wind picks up. Don’t want them falling on anyone, that wouldn’t be good. While tending to my new herbs, I’ve also been taking interest in a design idea I had a while ago for a shawl, Which I have started it’s been a week of hard work and i’m still writing up the chart but while i’m doing that I figured i’d cast on and start the beginning shaping then the easier bit is done and ready for me to the charts.
It seemed to take forever to find the perfect green yarn, although it looks more blue in the sunlight. It’s a soft emerald green but it’s gorgeous. Most lace yarns seem to come in mushy pea greens or darker shades or just washed out and dull. So I went on a major search to find a nice colour and came across Hipknits 100% Cashmere laceweight. The cashmere is beautifully soft when knitted and comes in a 750yds skein/ 686mtrs.
I’m hoping to have the shawl ready with the next month or so, And it will be apart of my Ebook -Eclectic Knits. Price wise i’m think Five pounds for the individual pattern, but if your holding on for the book that will be priced around twelve pounds. Although if your not waiting for the ebook then eat your heart out cos it’s going to be lovely. I promise.
And just to gush a little more about hipknits I purchased this lovely silk aran which luxurious and soft and the prices are very reasonable i’d say they were a bloody Bargin.
And before I set off on more shawl designing here’s Ysolda Teagues Ishbel which I still haven’t Blocked but I wanted to post it too much. So I couldn’t wait and took some lovely photo’s for you to gander at.
So delicate and pretty she’s put some hard work into the pattern and deserves the support she gets. You can purchase her patterns on ravelry and even download her books you can also get a paper copy if you prefer.
The Ishbel is a gorgeous 4ply shawl which used a yarn a friend had purchased me for a christmas gift last year from Posh yarn online store which is only open for custom from 7pm on sundays and you have to be fast to buy.
I hope you enjoyed my post Keep up on the comments I love feedback and it’s also helpful for improvements. Remember I have a new pattern store go check it out it’s super organized and also has go to links at the top of each pattern page to make navigation easier for you all (not too much scrolling to do).
Love to hear from you all soon nessa x
I needed a little break.
May 12, 2010 at 1:37 am | Posted in General ( day to day stuff), Knitting | 1 CommentTags: baby, holidays, katie davis, patterns, published, silk, ysolda teague
Over the past month or so i needed a break from blogging all the time. Mainly so i could get on with some knitting. I’ve also been covering alot at work which has left me miserable and tired out on evenings. Then i’ve had horrible colds which have also done the same. The weather here in England, West Yorkshire hasn’t been the best to say it’s spring and the temperature keep raising and dropping and so i’ve been greeted alot by the cold monster over the last month a good fair share. Actually no it wasn’t a good FAIR share at all.
I have in this amount of time completed the owls sweater by Katie Davis, Also the Ishbel by Ysolda Teague and enjoyed making both very much. I still have the blocking of the Ishbel and Another 32 buttons to sew on the owls sweater but that will come soon enough.
My Friend alison from my knitting group went away for the weekend and treated me and another friend lisa to a lovely 4ply skein of silk, i chose the purple on it’s so soft i’m thinking another shawl shall be on the way.
I’ve also just met my partners cousin’s 3 month old baby girl ‘Insha’ For the first time and have decided to knit up 2 beautiful debbie bliss dresses. One of them was in the spring /summer 10 and the other in spring /summer 2009. Both of them so very cute. I’m doing some unselfish knitting for a change 
She’s going to look fab in them.
Me and my partner pete are off on holiday this weekend with his parents to skipsea on a campsite holiday although we aren’t going to stay there the whole time. I’m sure hoping the weather cheers up abit by the weekend though, We’ve been needing a holiday for a while and it should be nice. So i’ll be packing some light travel knitting for the weekend evenings.
Also i maybe having two of my patterns published but i can’t tell you where yet. I’m very excited i got an email today saying out of my patterns there is two that they would love to publish as long as i agree. Totally agree why not . I’ll tell you more nearer the time.
Sorry to all of my watchers, I know you may have missed me.
But i’m back
Cu all soon Nessa xxx
Mayhem!
March 10, 2010 at 5:51 pm | Posted in General ( day to day stuff), Knitting | Leave a commentTags: Baa Ram Ewe, Books, Designing, Dpns, patterns, Socks, wool shop, Yarn
The last few weeks have been crazy for me. I’d been thrown back into full time hours at work while someone took there holidays, I visited Baa Ram Ewe for a yarn spring/summer season launch and spent lots of cash. There have been quite a few meetings with my knitting group and family visiting and getting Charlotte’s Octopus finished. In between all of that a lot of knitting and designing.
I have nearly completed the roger socks (my birthday sock) You last saw them looking like this!
Yes thats right not much done and now they look like this!
Yes i know! Their not completely finished but i only have a little left to do. I have a few pattern repeats and then onto the toe, They maybe finished in the next few hours or at latest tomorrow. I really do love them and I’m hoping to wear them with my Pink Doc Martens
I’ve been Designing a lace scarf using Rowan’s 4 ply cash-soft which is lovely and soft, knits up great and is nice for the fingers. This yarn also has a good yardage of 197 Yards which means only two balls is perfect for a scarf or small shawl. I’m not posting any photo’s of the lace scarf as i believe some patterns in my book should be a surprise.
As I’ve mentioned i went to a spring/ summer season yarn launch at Baa Ram Ewe where i picked up some lovely new yarns for myself.
I got some Cygnet 4 ply again in a green heathery colour, Orkney angora 4 ply lace weight in a soft blue, two different coloured balls of Zauberball sock yarn ,some Rowan cash-soft in a rich red and some fyberspates Scrumptious Dk in a beautiful dark purple.
While we are talking of purchases i found a lot of Rowan books in a charity shop and i whipped them up for only £4.70. In my bargain i got Kim Hargreaves – Nectar, Rowan – Bigger picture, Rowan – Ribbon twist collection, Rowan- Big it up, Rowan- The next big thing. Which is a super awesome buy, I’m chuffed.
Me and the rest of my knitting group had a lengthly chat about Dpns and what are a good size for socks. The choice of Dpns for socks is entirely up to the knitter it’s a personal choice based on comfort. Different sized needles suit different people. My chosen size would have to be 2.75mm and 15 cm in length they are more comfy to hold but thats just me. Everybody has their own preference though trial and error. To me Dpns are very fiddly for beginners and i would recommend two circulars first and get a feel for the creation of a sock and then use dpns. As if you are not careful with tension you may find ladders where your Dpns join. Also as you knit on Dpns the more to knit the more stable they will be as the knitting helps them not to wobble about. But remember it’s all practice and trial and error someone may give different advice than other but i recommend playing with your choices first so you can figure out what suits you.
Nessa xxx
Jitter Me Bug
February 21, 2010 at 9:53 pm | Posted in Knitting | Leave a commentTags: Baa Ram Ewe, patterns, Yarn
It’s been a busy weekend for me so I’ve been feeling shattered today and i must stay awake, at least a little longer. On Saturday early hours of the morning at 4 am, I woken up by my partner and friends coming to ours and then taking a trip to a party which since i already had been awaken i figured I’d go. It turned out to just being a little gathering of friends watching TV and chatting so i whipped out my knitting and got a good few inches of a sleeve done for my new shrug. I found the pattern in an older issue of Knitting, it’s called Bloom by Tess Dawson. It’s meant to be knitted up in Noro Blossom which is quite a bulky weight yarn where as i wanted to us King Cole Mirage Dk. So i spent a good few hours figuring from her gauge how many inches it would be in the cast on stage. I then had to do a gauge swatch for the yarn i was using to see how many stitches per inches and figure out the casted on stitches i needed. I added and extra inch for room as i wanted it floaty and it’s turning out really nice. I’m roughly about half way up my arm on the first sleeve and it is in plain stockinette, which is a bit boring but great for mindless knitting.
I also went and casted on the mystery shawl in yarn forward magazine, I’ve been waiting for the first installment of this project for a month and have been looking through my stash for some nice yarn and finally found some i was happy to knit it up in. I started this today at work and it’s turning out quite well although each row is 141 stitches so it’s going to take a while to be fully finished.
I also got a wonderful present from my friend Charlotte, As I’ve been helping her knit for her animation . She went out on Saturday to baa ram ewe and purchased some lovely jitterbug Colinette sock yarn for me as a gift to say Thanks which is great as i was needing more sock yarn my stash is lacking it at the moment.
I just remembered
February 5, 2010 at 1:32 am | Posted in Knitting | Leave a commentTags: birthday, buttons, hats, patterns, rose red
I was looking over some of my finished projects and realized i forgot to show of my Ysolda Teague rose red beret, which is fully finished I’ve been wearing it for weeks now. I completely forgot to show it off too you all and i am really pleased with my handy work.
I had to cast it off a little loose around the edge due to my dreadlocks but it’s gorgeous and i love it. I used King Cole Merino DK which is very nice to knit with, but it itches ever so slightly which is annoying. I still love it though, My mum even wants me to knit her one she likes it so much.
A photo of me and my partner (Pete) Enjoying our first photo in our new home. It needed to be done!
I picked up a vintage sweater a few days ago and could help but notice how great it could look if only it had different buttons, so for £2 i bought it and got some strawberry buttons. I snipped of the old ones and put them in my button bank (selection of jars) and sewed on my new set and i love this sweater it’s now going to be a long running favourite.
and now a new addition to my knitting corner is the project space saver box, which i have my projects waiting for me to pick them up in there is Pete’s sleeves for his new sweater, my blue on Noro cowl, My newly changed design I’m working on which is turning out better And the cotton reel mittens by Ysolda Teague which I’ve had going for quite a while, Whoops must get those wrapped up soon.
Also it’s my birthday this weekend on Saturday the 6th, I’m going to be celebrating by going for my morning coffee, then i shall be picked up by my mum, dad and little bro to go shopping for the afternoon to come back and have a small gathering of friends round at my new home were the opening of presents will proceed and fun games shall be played it’s going to be fun. where did the year go?
Nessa xx
Beret Beauty
January 5, 2010 at 12:59 am | Posted in Knitting | 1 CommentTags: hats, patterns, projects, Yarn
When i Recieved my Ravelry mitten exchange parcel, And got some gorgeous yarn along with other goodies. I had been wondering which pattern to make up with this yarn, and it had to be a project that only needed one skein of stock ranch lopi yarn. And so i decided on The one day beret by Kristen Kapur And it turned out great and i did indeed get it finished with the day and it beautiful and warm.
Next A list of 2009 Project’s I’ve Knitted up And finished
There are Project that are Hibernating And are in progress from 2009 but i didn’t think it fair to include them since i hadn’t finished them. But 22 projects isn’t bad for my first year knitting away
Nessa xx
Xmas over, New year Comes, Patterns are made!
December 30, 2009 at 1:49 am | Posted in Knitting | Leave a commentTags: hats, Knitting, patterns, ysolda teague
Thank God Christmas is over it was a tiring one for me, Thursday was my ownly christmas shopping day since i’ve been working constantly at work this month, so i was in a mad rush to get presents bought and wrapped, I got back home to get a call from my mum to find out she was picking up the presents in 45 minutes and i had to get them all wrapped in that time. Yea!!! I did manage too, Thankfully. Christmas eve as you know we opened our presents early which was fun .
Christmas day we woke up at about 10:30am had some poppy seed bagels and cream cheese and a warm mug of coffee. While we waited till 3pm For my partners parents to pick us up we watched Blackadder as Pete got the boxset for christmas from my Parents. We then went for dinner, We had prawn cocktail and salad for a starter and Turkey, brocolli, carrots, Roast potatoes, Pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon) and Gravy for main course and Pavalova for dessert. Pete’s dad got a Wii console so we played Beatles rockband and did some bowling. We left for home at about 8pm so i could have an early night as i was working the early shift on boxing day. Boxing day i woke up at 5:00am and headed off to work at 5:30am i was there until 11am and then got picked up by my dad, Me and pete then went to visit my nan, Aunties and uncles basically my side of the family. My little brother showed off his nasa space suit he got for christmas and his telescope, he’s so cute i’m glad he’s alot younger than me, It means we are less likely to fall out We came back home at about 6pm for dinner at home. It was so much more tiring than i thought but i slept that night for 13 hours and i have to say i needed it.
Sunday night i went and visited the rest of pete’s family at an open house night for a few hours, and had some great homemade foods and monday i met up with his auntie Ioene for a coffee and my local coffee shop (Nero’s) And recieved the knitpicks yarn she’d ordered for me and bought over with her from canada They ownly deliver to the us or canada which is such a great shame but the yarn and colours are gorgeous.
On more Knitting based blogging i finished the Veyla mitts By Ysolda Teague
I finished these last night after i realized i wasn’t far from done i stay up till 3am and made damn sure i finished them, They are so petit and pretty so very delicate.
I also Casted on today the Cotton Reel Mitts by Ysolda Teague With the Knit picks yarn in Palette Yarn. The Colours I’m using are Bison And Cosmopolitan
I also Started a hat pattern with my orkney angora, And i wrote out the pattern for the cabled area’s and the lace, there was a few ripping backs but not as many as i thought i must have changed the pattern about 4 times to make it right.
I can’t wait to finish it, the yarn is such a beautiful colour, i want to show it off on my little head and wear it proud.
I think I broke the ice!
December 22, 2009 at 12:26 am | Posted in Knitting | 2 CommentsTags: Baa Ram Ewe, Bargin, Christmas, hats, Knitting, mittens, patterns, silk, wool shop, Yarn, ysolda teague
Well I think it was last Friday when it started to snow and my was it beautiful, until morning hit at sub zero temperature and froze it over, and every time we’ve had a snow fall since it’s decided to freeze over again and again our street is an icy death trap as i figured out this evening coming home, Yes this is a rant of an annoyed, full of cold, Christmas lover, who wants to let it all out lol!!
Last Thursday I did some Christmas shopping i didn’t get much done due to spending money on myself i found more items i loved then others would lol!! I purchased a new t-shirt, new jeans (I’ve dropped a size Yea!!) and a new bag. I Love bags way too much. On topic i caught an evil cold i was out all day in the coldest weather known to man, And because god seems to be smithing me i had to walk an extra 20 minutes due to my bus braking down and setting fire only a few minutes after getting on it. Just my luck!!
I Awoke with a horrid cold which seems to not like any food which I’ve been eating there for non of it settled and have thrown up every morsel, until today and an evil cough which hasn’t aloud me to sleep and has pulled some muscles in my back and ribs. Then (wait for it) Today coming home i fell flat, straight on my back on some thick ice near my home and have hurt the base of my back which isn’t good, I’m now a bit worried of stepping out of our home due to the roads and paths around our street and the neighboring ones are covered in ice which the council have greatly not gritted, And i am done ranting!! Thank you for baring though i needed to vent lol!!
On knitting related topics
This is a new project which i started Friday and completed Sunday, My partners new hat which was for Christmas but it’s been so cold i let him have it early. I used the Style craft Life DK yarn which as a low wool content but is really quite nice to knit with and doesn’t squeak on the needles i didn’t use a pattern but it’s turned out great i did find a dropped stitch which you can see i saved on a dpn to fix once I’d finished.
I also started the Veyla fingerless mitten by Ysolda Teague i tried these on when i met her at the Baa Ram Ewe knit night and they were beautiful, I’m using a Regia 4 ply which i bought from Kemps at £1.20 a ball bargain or what!!
On the Yarn front i purchased some New Lanark yarn DK 50g balls for £1.95 an is 100% pure wool some have silk in too, they are very beautiful.
And off i go mentioning Kemps again i bought one of there Rowan Assortment bags 500g for £5 and i received my joyous surprise, I’d got some Rowan Classic yarn ‘Natural Silk Aran’ It’s so pretty and what a bargain, I’ve got project ideas flowing through my ears at the speed of light lol!!
I will most likely post through Christmas an let you know about my presents i received and what I’ve been up too,
Have a Great Christmas, And a Happy New Year to all, Enjoy yourselves
And let me know what you’ve been up to I’d love to hear some festive stories
See You All Soon Nessa xx
Nessastardom ravelry projects- Untitled March 26, 2012 nessastardom
- Untitled February 27, 2012 nessastardom
- garfunkel May 14, 2012 nessastardom
- Untitled January 9, 2012 nessastardom
- Nessa's Capucine December 27, 2011 nessastardom
- Leaping Stag Cardigan January 18, 2012 nessastardom
- My little cherry November 5, 2011 nessastardom
- Nessa's Henley July 27, 2011 nessastardom
- Sweet Pea June 4, 2011 nessastardom
- Sweetness June 8, 2011 nessastardom
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