KnitSpeak

Happy New Year!

2006-01-06T03:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while since the KnitSpeak blog has been updated. Ra has received her prize, as has Tari who received a runner up prize of 200g Hip Knits silk. (Scroll down and you'll see that the silk has been custom-dyed by Kerrie in some lovely purples).

With my own blog, KnitYoga, and the Curly Whirlies blog which I also administer, I've been finding it increasingly difficult to give as much time as I would like to KnitSpeak. I am therefore grateful to Katie, who a lot of you will know from her blog, Daisychains, for agreeing to help to administer KnitSpeak.

SO LET'S ALL GIVE HER A BIG WELCOME!!

I hope you all had a good Xmas/Yule/holiday and wish everyone a Happy New Year!

And the Winner is . . .

2005-11-18T04:20:00.000-08:00

Ra has won the KnitSpeak Photo Competition with her depiction of KIP below.

Well done, Ra! Please could you email me here to let me have your contact details so that I can liaise with Kerrie on the 400g Hip Knits custom-dyed silk.

The results at close of voting at 12pm today were as follows:

Photo 1 ten votes
Photo 2 eight votes
Photo 3 one vote
Photo 4 six votes
Photo 5 four votes
Photo 6 fifteen votes
Photo 7 one vote
Photo 8 one vote
Photo 9 two votes
Photo 10 four votes

Thanks to everyone who entered photos and also to those who took the time to vote!

Tari, as the runner-up, with your wonderful "frogging" photo, I think you deserve a little something as a runner up prize. Please could you email personally here to let me have your contact details so that I can arrange to send it to you.

Please Vote NOW!

2005-11-09T06:33:00.001-08:00

Please take some time to help us decide the outcome of the KnitSpeak Competition as the winner must now be decided upon and a poll has been set up so that this can be done. The winner will receive 400g of Hip Knits Silk (200g of which Kerrie of Hip Knits has kindly offered to donate). Kerrie has also very generously offered to custom dye the silk to the winner's choice of colours! The competition involved the entrants submitting photos depicting examples of knitters' terminology such as frogging, SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy), WIP (Works in Progress), KIP (Knitting in Public), etc. There have been ten photos entered which are reproduced below. A photo gallery containing all of the photos has also been created so, if you would prefer to look at the entries in Flickr to see them in a larger format before deciding which photo is the best depiction of the knitters' terminology illustrated, just click on KnitSpeak Competition Photos under Photo Albums in the sidebar on the right. Click on each photo separately in the Flickr gallery to enlarge.

When you've decided upon which photo you think should be the winning one, please vote for it by selecting the number of that photo on the voting form (which is, again, in the sidebar on the right) before clicking the Vote button. Please remember only one vote per person is allowed. Whichever entry has the most votes at 12pm on Friday 18th November will be the winning entry. In the event of a draw, the winner will be decided upon by drawing lots. Thank you for taking the time to help decide the winner!

Photo 1 Frogging

Photo 2 Single Sock Syndrome

Photo 3 SABLE

Photo 4 SABLE

Photo 5 KIP

Photo 6 KIP

Photo 7 Frogging

Photo 8 WIP

Photo 9 Swatch

Photo 10 SABLE

Joan's Photo (SABLE - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy)

2005-10-30T09:18:00.000-08:00

This is the last day of the KnitSpeak competition and there's another entry, this time from Joan, who has chosen to depict SABLE and I have to say, I think this photo depicts it rather well.

Joan says she is a yarnoholic and, in case you're not convinced, take a look at her other photos which show the rest of her stash! You can see them here and, also, here! Thanks, Joan!

I now need to put all of the photos into a gallery in the sidebar so that the winning photo can be chosen. Watch this space!

Three More Photos - Frogging, WIP & Swatch

2005-10-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Three more photos have been submitted for the KnitSpeak competition. The first, below, is from Anne and depicts frogging.

Then we have two photos from Rachel, WIP below . . . . .

. . . . . and, on the right, Swatch. Thanks, Anne and Rachel! Don't forget that the deadline is the 31st October and then the winner of the 400g of Hip Knits silk will be decided.

Thanks also go to Beverley who has suggested some new terms (which have now been added to the list) that she picked up from a new knitting board that she's joined. These are TOAD - Trashed Object Abandoned in Disgust and NTINAMY - Not Than I Need Any More Yarn. One for the general internet speak list as well is WOMBAT - Waste Of Money, Brains And Talent!

Ra's photo (KIP - Knitting In Public)

2005-10-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

KnitSpeak has received the photo below from Ra as our next submission in the competition. Here we have another variation on knitting in public.

Apparently, the photo was taken at Welford Road, home of the Leicester Tigers Rugby Union Club, before kick off on Friday night. Ra said that the match wasn't as good as the knitting as there was a bad-tempered draw, two players sent off and two sin binned (one of each from each team)! Many thanks, Ra, for submitting this great photo!

We've had such wonderful photos, I think it's going to be really difficult to choose a winner! Anyway, if you still wish to enter, you'd better get your skates on, guys, because the deadline has now been set for the end of October. There is good news, too, in that Kerrie of Hip Knits has noticed the KnitSpeak competition whilst blog browsing and has very generously offered to share the cost of the Hip Knits silk with me so this means that instead of 300g of silk for the winner, the prize will now be 200g from Kerrie and 200g from me making enough for a full size clapotis! Not only that but Kerrie has also offered to custom dye the silk to the winner's choice of colourway. Isn't that fantastic!? Thank you very much, Kerrie!

So, get those cameras clicking, folks. Remember, you can submit a photo to illustrate any of the terms in the list and you are allowed as many entries as you like. If someone else has submitted a photo for a particular term, that doesn't stop you from submitting one, too, as long as no one person submits photos for the same term more than once.

Thanks also to Beverley for sending me some new terms to add to the KnitSpeak list. I will mention these in my next post and add them to the list. KnitSpeak is always glad to receive new acronyms and terminology, etc, to add to its list as preserving these for posterity is what it's all about!

Anne's Photo (KIP - Knitting In Public)

2005-10-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

I was really pleased to receive this photo from Anne as our next submission in the Knitspeak competition. Anne has taken her knitting to new heights of reverence by knitting in church to illustrate KIP! Anne comments that she has also been known to kip while knitting although not usually while knitting in public! What a great photo! Thanks, Anne!

Well, having just finished a clapotis in Hipknits Silk, I realise that one skein is not going to go a long way. It would also be nice to encourage a few more photos so to tempt you generous people into submitting photos, I've decided that the prize will be enough Hipknits Silk to make a fairly decent sized clapotis. In other words, three skeins! So, come on guys, get those cameras clicking!

Mary's Photo (SABLE - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy)

2005-10-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

Knitspeak has received another illustration of SABLE (this time from Mary). Thank you very much, Mary, for submitting the fantastic depiction below of Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy!

I think Mary must have enough stash here to start a shop and, yet, she tells us that this is only the tip of the iceberg, being only part of her visible stash, and that her loft is also fairly well insulated with yarn!

What I propose to do is to wait until we get a few more photos (I was hoping for about ten) and then organise a UKHK poll to choose the winner. So, please, keep those photos rolling in! How about one of SEX? No, really, I don't mean of the nuptial type - I mean as in Stash Enhancement eXpedition. A photo of you returning from your favourite LYS, perhaps, on your knees because you're so laden with bags of yummy yarny goodness. Inventiveness is allowed so, please, don't be afraid to be liberal with the creative use of your favourite photo editor! The main objective is to illustrate one of the terms in a photo.

Rachel's Photo (SABLE - Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy)

2005-09-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

Rachel has entered our competition and submitted the wonderful photo below as an illustration of SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy). Thank you, Rachel! Look at all that lovely yarn and, apparently, this is only some of what Rachel has!

This big time stash came to light when Rachel decided to separate the yarn she thought she might use in the short term from that which she has plans for in the longer term. She is now extending her yarn storage into the loft. She points out, however, that she can't yet compete with people who, having exhausted all other storage possibilities, have resorted to using the freezer! Are you one of those people? If so, why not get out your camera and share with us.

Thanks also to Beverley for providing the Yarn Forward's Knitting Tensions/Gauge link which differentiates between the different thicknesses of yarn and their relative gauges as well as comparing the US/Australian/New Zealand terminologies where they differ. Information like this is always useful so I've also added this link to the Knitspeak sidebar.

Katie's Photo (SSS - Single Sock Syndrome)

2005-09-17T02:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Katie for our next entry in the "Win a Skein of Hip Knits Silk competition. It's a fab photo illustrating Single Sock Syndrome!

Funny about knitting socks. When I first got back into knitting earlier this year and realised everyone was knitting socks, I thought why? Why? Why? Why? Perfectly excellent socks are available in the shops for a fraction of the price it would cost to knit them and yet people are paying for relatively expensive sock yarn and spending hours and hours wrestling with four or five of those double pointed needle thingies to produce their own! However, I don't know whether I've been abducted by aliens and brainwashed or something but NOW I feel the irresistible urge to buy some sock yarn and haggle with the hedgehogs to produce my very own beautiful PAIR (not one - two!) of snugglies to cover my plates of meat! I must admit the fact that there are some splendiferously beautiful sock yarns around at the moment has something to do with it as well. Anyway, socks seem to be part of the initiation process on the way to becoming a "proper" knitter as is knitting a clapotis.

Come on guys, get those cameras out and get snapping. All you have to do is illustrate one of the knitting terms on the list in a photo. You'll see the list if you click on List of Abbreviations, Acronyms and Common Terms in the sidebar. Use your imagination. Be inventive! It might even be fun! And you may be the lucky winner of a skein of Hip Knits Silk!

Tari's Photo (Frogging It!)

2005-09-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Tari for allowing me to use the wonderful photo below which humorously illustrates the term "to frog" This is what Tari says on her blog. "With the Birch finished, I return to the Mermaid. I would have preferred to show some progress on this, but I had to face the unpleasant fact that the upsizing of needles was a mistake. I have no idea why I didn't stick with the original needles, I even made a swatch. Again I run into the problem of too loose stitches, and with a garter stitch pattern like this, loose stitches look really bad (it looks way better in the picture than it does in real life). Can you see the look of anticipation on that frog's face?"

I think we can all identify with the frustration of having to frog something that we've worked hard on. Hope it all goes well now, Tari, and thanks for being such a sport. Yours is the first photo to enter the competition and, if yours is judged the best, you may soon be the proud owner of a skein of Hip knits silk! Any more takers?

Photos Wanted!

2005-09-06T00:44:00.000-07:00

I've added Stitch 'n' Bitch and Knit 'n' Natter to the list of definitions. As ever, comments are welcome.

*****PRIZE FOR THE BEST PHOTO *****

Come on campers, show some enthusiasm, please! Have a look at the list of knitters' definitions - can you provide a photo for the KnitSpeak blog to illustrate any of these definitions? One of you doing a HD (Happy Dance) after finishing a project or one of your enormous yarn stash to illustrate SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) or, indeed, a photo that is a good illustration of any of the terms listed. The person who submits the best photo will receive a skein of Hip knits gorgeous silk and you will be the judges!

Second Sock Syndrome (SSS)!

2005-09-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ruth (UK Handknitters) for suggesting a new acronym for our list (SSS - Second Sock Syndrome). I've defined this on the list as a reluctance to knit second sock after completing first one of the pair. This can be remedied by either knitting them both at the same time or by getting someone else to knit the second one for you! There's a two socks on two circulars tutorial if you fancy knitting them both at the same time, OR, if you'd rather someone else knitted the other one for you, why not join the Sock Knitting Exchange that has been set up by Little Lixie!

UPDATE - I've now defined Knitchick, Knitflicks and eXtreme Knitting. Any comments or suggestions are welcome!

Emoticons

2005-09-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's a list of emoticons that can be typed. I suspect some of them may be a bit more useful than others! If anyone can think of, or create, any emoticons that are relevant to knitting, let me know and I'll add them to the list. Please let your creative juices flow!

LIST OF EMOTICONS

=):-)= Abraham Lincoln
>-< Absolutely livid!
8-l Amazement
:-Y An aside
0:-} Angel
:-ll Angry
:-C Astonished!
:( ) Bigmouth
!-( Black eye
C=:-) Chef
:-7 Cigar-smoker
:,( Crying
%-) Dazed
:-l :-l Déjà vu
>:-> Devilish
:*) Drunk
5:-) Elvis
:-( Frown
:-l Grim
:-I Indifferent
:-X Kissing
(-: Left-handed
:-} Moustached
:-# My lips are sealed
:-? Pipe-smoker
:-“ Pursed lips
[:] Robot
@}->-- Rose
*<:-) Santa
:->Sarcastic
:-/ Sceptical
:-@ Screaming
:-) Smiling, Hi
:-, Smirking
:-Q Smoker
:-M Speak no evil
B:-) Sunglasses on head
+-:-) The Pope
:-)8 Wearing a bow tie
{:-) Wearing a toupee
@:-) Wearing a turban
:-# Wearing braces
:-{} Wearing lipstick
8-) Wearing sunglasses
;-) Winking
:-O Wow!

Definition of a Knitchick?

2005-08-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

This blog has been created lightheartedly and the definitions in the lists are meant to be appreciated as interesting in terms of semantics without becoming overbearingly pedantic or political but, mainly, this blog has been created with the intention of saving for posterity some of the wonderful knitting terminology that is now evolving.

With this in mind, I'd like to ask knitters to consider the following question. What is the definition of a Knitchick? Chicks once referred to females and then only young females. Is this still the case and, if so, does this mean that any female knitter not in the first flush of youth is a Knithen (Knit Hen) or, worse still, a Knitboiler?!! :-) And how does one refer to men who knit, young or old? Could it be that Knitchick refers to any member of the new generation (or new age) of knitting rather than the age of the knitters themselves and could Knitchicks indeed also include males? After all, chicks (as in the young of hens) can be male or female, can't they? So, what is the definition of a Knitchick? Has anyone ever seen the term defined?

The list I've compiled is only a start and was put together from a quick trawl of the internet to see what terms came up. I then added a couple that weren't included on the lists I found. I've not yet defined some terms on the list, such as Knitflicks and eXtreme Knitting as well as Knitchick discussed above. Does Knitflicks involve a visit to the cinema or might it just be a group of knitters that have got together to watch a DVD, for instance, and how would you define eXtreme Knitting? All suggestions are welcome as are any comments or terms you think should be altered, deleted or added so please let me know if there's anything I've missed out or that you think ought to be changed.

Photos are also welcome. For example, is your stash so gi-normous that a photo of it could illustrate what is meant by SABLE? In order to encourage this photo sharing, I pledge a small prize to the best photo illustration of SABLE! And if you're not sure what SABLE stands for, check the previous post!

Abbreviations. Acronyms & Common Terms

2005-08-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS AND COMMON TERMS (KNITTING)

DPNs Double Pointed Needles
eXtreme Knitting Usually represented by photos of knitters knitting whilst skydiving, scuba diving, bicycling, rock climbing, on rooftops, up a tree, etc. For safety reasons, none of these activities are recommended whilst knitting but it's surprising what can be achieved in the relative safety of the home with the creative use of Photoshop, for example.
FO Finished Object
Frog To rip out a whole row at a time (as in the sound made by a frog, “rip it, rip it, rip it, rip it)”. Compare with tink
HD Happy Dance (celebrating a project’s completion)
HK Hand Knit, Hand Knitted
KIP Knitting in Public
Knitchicks Any of the new age of knitters
Knitflicks Involves a group of knitters watching a film whilst knitting (usually at the cinema)
Knit 'n' Natter A meeting of knitters for knitting and socialising (sim. to Stitch 'n' Bitch)
LYS Local Yarn Store
MK Machine Knit, Machine Knitted
NTINAMY Not That I Need Any More Yarn
SABLE Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy
SEX Stash Enrichment eXpedition
Stash Enhancement eXpedition
Stash Enhancement eXperience
SSS Second Sock Syndrome (a reluctance to knit second sock after completing first one of the pair. Can be remedied by knitting them both at the same time as in the two socks on two circulars method or by getting someone else at the Sock Knitting Exchange to knit the second one for you!)
Stitch 'n' Bitch A meeting of knitters for knitting and socialising (sim. to Knit 'n' Natter)
Tink Unknitting stitch by stitch. Compare with frog. Tink is knit spelt backwards
TOAD Trashed Object Abandoned in Disgust
UFO Un-Finished Object
USO Un-Started Object
WIP Work In Progress
YCZ Yarn Containment Zone. Your closet, room or home
depending on how many WIPs, UFOs and USOs you have

GENERAL ACRONYMS WIDELY USED ALL OVER THE INTERNET

AFAIK As Far As I Know
AIUI As I Understand It
ASL Age, Sex, Location
BB Bulletin Board (forum, message board)
BTW By The Way
<bg> big grin
CYL Catch You Later
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions
FWIW For What It’s Worth
FYI For Your Information
<g> grin
HTH Hope That Helps
IANAL I Am Not A Lawyer
IIRC If I Recall Correctly
IAE In Any Event
IMCO In My Considered Opinion
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
IMNSHO In My Not So Humble Opinion
IMO In My Opinion
IOW In Other Words
ISO In Search Of (something)
ISRN I’ll Stop Rambling Now
ISTM It Seems To Me
IYSWIM If You See What I Mean
LOL Laughing Out Loud
NAYY No Affiliation Yada Yada
NR No Reply Necessary
OL Out Of Luck
OT Off Topic (not the usual subject matter of the group)
OTOH On The Other Hand
ROFL Roll On Floor Laughing
ROFLOL Roll On Floor Laughing Out Loud
RSN Real Soon Now
SAHM Stay-At-Home-Mum
SITD Still In The Dark
TIA Thanks In Advance
TIFN That’s It For Now
TTYL Talk To You Later
URL Uniform Resource Locator - the full address of a web page or other resource, i.e. http://www.knitspeak.blogspot.com/
WOMBAT Waste of Money, Brains And Talent
YMMV Your Mileage May Vary (your experience may be different from mine)
<vbg> very big grin

RELATIVES/RELATIONSHIPS

BF Boyfriend
DBF/DB Dear Boyfriend
DD Dear Daughter
DH Dear Husband, Darling Husband, Darned Husband (depending on your mood), Demented Husband (depending on his mood)
DIL Daughter-in-Law
DS Dear Son
DW Dear Wife
FIL Father-in-Law
GF Girlfriend
MIL Mother-in-Law
SWMBO She Who Must Be Obeyed (wife, female partner)
SIL Son-in-Law
SO Significant Other (partner)