June and July socks.

Well, hands up everyone who has failed miserably on their June socks? Me, me, me! I really do quite like these socks, very easy pattern to remember and quick to do... but it would seem not quite that quick. Ah well, I shall get cracking with them now that the cake orders have once again dried up.

Which brings me to our July socks. Both Moogsmum and myself have recently bought fantabulous new sock books and we are keen to knit from those. But we can't do 2 pairs in a month as well as eat and do all the other necessary things in life. So we have declared July a Freestyle Month. You get to choose whichever sock pattern you want - but you have to own up and tell us which one you're doing! I have also decided that July must be a finish it off and get up to date month.

So here are my must do's

1. Finish Rhodie Gus, the June socks
2. Catch up with the Mystery Blanket (am hideously behind there - got 15 squares to complete)
3. Finish the Golden Wedding blanket (3 squares left to knit, 81 squares to sew together and all borders to complete!)
   
4. Finish the Tulip socks (they are my July pattern, already started, so a minor cheat there, but just don't tell)

I shall stop there because I'm realistic (yeah? since when?). This unfortunately means that I cannot cast on any new socks. That makes me very sad as I now have loads of sock yarn, all begging to be used. I shall try and keep you updated. Bets please as to how long it will be before I cave in and use some of the new yarn!

Perhaps another day I shall find all my sock yarn and take its photo. It might just scare me into doing something with it all.

Wedding Cake - again

I've been a bit busy again this week - another wedding cake was ordered. And boy oh boy was this a tough one to do! All 4 tiers were of the sponge variety (plain sponge with homemade strawberry jam, coconut cake, lemon cake and plain cake with apricot jam). Future brides take note - sponge cakes cannot be left hanging around for ages and all decoration must take place at the last minute so to speak. Please think of us when you have these ideas!!

The bride was very specific with what she wanted - which to be honest makes my life a little easier. And here is the end result in all its glory, sitting on my kitchen table waiting for the bride and groom to see it. They were very pleased (still not heard from the last people in the previous post).

Well, I really wish I'd been invited to this wedding. The attention to detail was incredible - apparently less planning goes on for a Royal Wedding. The weather was glorious, the marquee looked stunning, the flowers incredible. It was all so lovely, I really felt like gate crashing for the evening session!

Here is the cake all set up on the table - thank-you Mr Stressy who helped me put it there - way too heavy for a little weakling like myself to lift!


So because very little knitting has actually taken place all week, I fully intend knitting until my needles are smoking! Someone get ready to call the fire brigade will you?

Wedding cake

Of all the wedding cakes I've done, I think I liked this one best of all. Loved the simplicity of it - I think if I were to need another cake, I'd go for one like this! (Watch out Mr Stressy, you have been warned!)


Sadly I do not know if the bride liked it, how it went down or how well it was received. A taxi came to collect it, and neither the bride, or any of the family saw it until the reception. Mind you, perhaps by not letting me know if she liked it, I have my answer already. (The wedding was on the day of the first England World Cup Match, hence the flags.)

It occurs to me that I've not given you an update on Harvey the dog lately. Well here he is. Growing like I can hardly believe - I wonder if they put special growing things in that Pedigree Puppy Food! He loves food (particularly partial to stones, socks and ice cubes), sleeps loads, runs faster than eldest son, digs up Mr Stressy's lawn, barks at golf clubs and will not leave my side when it's near to tea time!


Looking at the sad eyes in this picture - they are not normally quite as sad as this- I can only assume he was late with his tea!

I seem to have done something to the layout of the blog - not sure if I like it, but am too stoopid to know how to undo it. so until I work it out, looks like we're stuck with it! What do you think?

Scraps

Well I just borrowed a different camera so I could show you some of the week's progress. Here's the first Rhodie Gus. If you haven't already started this pattern, I can only suggest you do so straight away. Really pretty, dead easy chart to follow, perfect fit (but I did go up a needle size as even the designer said they were a snug fit). Love it. Maybe one day soon I shall have a pair. It will have to be one day soon won't it as it's nearly July. (Nearly July? How did we get so far into the year?)

I've had a go at knitting 2 socks at once on a circular needle. It appears to be working, but I do still prefer the 1 sock on 2 circulars method - mind you, no doubt I will love this way of knitting socks when I realise that the Second Sock is not waiting to be cast on but is in deed finished. I'm using a variety of Posh yarn scraps - I have quite a few you know!

I've done a retirement cake this week for mum and dad's vicar - the remit this time was 'he's a vicar, is Welsh, loves rugby and used to be in the Navy'.

Mum and dad are pleased with it, hopefully Father Graham will like it too.

(Just in case you wondered what he looks like, this is apparently a very good likeness).

What? No pictures?

Sorry it's been a long old time since my last post, life is hectic as ever. And I'm just too busy looking at Ravelry when I get on the computer to think about blogging!

It's not going to be a very pretty post today either - no pictures. Youngest son has gone on a school trip to the Isle of Wight for a week and has got the camera - we are not a fancy household that owns more than one digital camera. (Gulp, hope he doesn't lose it, smash it, drop it or cover it in ketchup as he seems to do with most other things!)

But without the camera, I can't show you my single finished Rhodie Gus which I love. Neither can I show you the Wedding cake which was finished and was collected last weekend. And I can't even show you the socks I have cast on since finishing RG. Please note 'socks' - I was so impressed by those of you who make 2 socks on one circular needle that I thought I'd have another go. By some strange method, I seem to have worked out how to do it and have 2 socks now on the go. They do seem to be growing quite quickly, but I think I still prefer using 2 circulars and making one sock at a time. Mind you, at least I won't get the second sock syndrome which seems to haunt me so badly!

Incidentally, another must have sock book for those of you who, like me, can never have enough of them... Think Outside the Sox. It's great. Really, really great. You will not be disappointed honestly!

June progress

I was knitting this sock yesterday in between matches - youngest son was in a football tournament - so progress is going quite well.

One lady asked me if it was 'proper knitting'. I wasn't really sure if she was serious - 'er, no, I'm just pretending to twist wool round little pointy sticks to while away the hours' or if she really didn't have a clue. I explained that it was going to be a sock when it grew up and that I was using circular needles. She went on to say that she knits scarves, so she's obviously not new to the craft and has just never seen circulars.

Personally, I can't imagine life without them. (Quick survey here - dpn's, 2 circs or 1 circ for socks?)

Oh and by the way, Posh Yarn's Martha is now my absolute, total, 100% favourite sock yarn. I never want to use anything else - after I've used up my stash of other sock yarns that is.

Changing my mind

So I was all determined wasn't I? I was going to concentrate on the blankets. I was going to finish something off before casting on the June socks. And when the June socks were to be eventually cast on, I was going to use the bright green Tosh Sock wasn't I? You remember me saying so?

Well this has just arrived in the post. I have swapped my Posh cashmere club 2-ply yarn for this.

Martha.
4-ply.
Sock-weight.
Blues and greens.
Love, love, love, love, love.

So today I am not doing the wedding cakes. I am not doing the blanket (either of them). I am not making the model to go on the retirement cake. I'm knitting socks!

Well, you always knew I wouldn't be able to last didn't you? (And having knitted my last 2 pairs of socks in non-Posh stuff, I can't resist the temptation any longer).