Half term Week

The Boating Socks are done. Love this pattern. Love it loads. Quick, easy, pretty, Posh Martha - what's not to love?!


I am suffering from startitis so very badly that I have got very behind with all my knitting. I mean I have loads of things on the needles, but precious little is actually getting off the needles! So I hereby declare one of my Work In Progress Weeks. Feel free to join in if you want.

Every day I will work on a different project. This excludes the hexipuffs, of which I must knit at least one every day.

Saturday - Latvian Wedding Sock - have done a bit more of this since taking this photo - these are going to be my Tuesday Socks for the Posh Challenge.


Sunday - flourescent yellow Posh Sock
Monday - Isaac's glove
Tuesday - oh I don't know, something else from the basket...

... and so on and so forth.

Wish me luck, I need it!

Unsure if I ever showed you this little lot - I joined in the Posh Yarn Strictly Come Dancing Sweepstake and I won! Everyone else who joined in had to send me a skein of Posh or a voucher. Yeeha! Well done Harry and Aliona!!!!!

I just knew...

... that I'd be rubbish at this blogging thing. The will is there but the ability to do it isn't. I spend waaay too much time playing on Ravelry, deciding what to make and what I would like to do with my rather copious supply of yarn.

I've made some fingerless mitts - Susies Reading mitts - if you haven't ever made a pair, I cannot reccommend them highly enough. Brilliant pattern. They are for a friend of mum's - she doesn't know how honoured she is - Posh Yarn's Martha is not given out willy nilly!!!

I have entered the Posh Sock Challenge - the aim is to knit a pair of Posh socks for every day of the week - we have 52 days to knit each pair. My first ones (ie Monday's socks) are the Edwardian Boating Socks. Love these. Really love them. Martha yet again, in a colourway that I did feel should have been re-named Multiple Orgasm. Yes, it really is that good girls!

And another free pattern from Ravelry - little mittens make very lovely cards for New Babies - I went to deliver this card today to Lola Ann - she is tiny, only 5lb 5oz. It never ceases to amaze me how perfect babies are - the miracle of life is just that don't you think? How 2 little cells can multiply in only 9 months to form eyes and ears, fingers and toes, hair and all the other stuff inside. Mind blowing!

No more doom and gloom

So yesterday was the shortest day. Yippeeeee!!! The nights are getting shorter and the days longer. Summer is on its way people. And it isn't even Christmas. See, I told you I was optimistic!

Progress on the Hexipuff blanket is slow, very, very slow. Other knitting, not to mention life, has been getting in the way. I am still aiming for 40 hexis a month, but December will be a tall order. This is what it looks like at the moment - 186 in total. Unsure about how many left, but I'm thinking probably about 400ish.

Have you been watching Strictly Come dancing? Now I don't normally like the programme myself, but this year has been different. Over at the Posh Forum on Ravelry, there was a Strictly sweepstake -I joined in, unable to refuse the temptation of a little gamble. Well, I drew Harry and Aliona. That was very good news. They won, which means that everyone else in the sweepstake has to send me a skein of Posh yarn, or a voucher to the value of a skein. Christmas has come early for me this year - the yarn is trickling in through my post box and my Posh Bank has credit in it, ready for when the shop next opens on January 1st. All very exciting!

I have joined in the Posh Sock Challenge too. Knit a pair of socks every 52 days, so by the end of 2012 I will have 7 pairs of Posh Socks. In theory. Being a slow-knitter, this really is a challenge - but at least I now have lots of delicious sock yarn to choose from thanks to my mate Harry.

I will try and post again before Christmas, but if I fail miserably at yet another target, I wish you all a very Happy and Peaceful Christmas and all health and well-being for 2012.

New Year's Resolutions anyone? I might suggest something like ' control Startitis, finish wip's and stop buying yarn'. Yeah right. The same as it's been for the past however many years. I can usually manage until January 2nd. But doubt I'll even get that far this time!

xx

Letting go

Over the past, oh I don't know, my eldest son has been a major cause of worry in my life. He is studying for a Diploma in Uniformed Services - a course which gears young people up to a career in one of the public or armed forces.

This picture was taken today at 7am. He was going off on a Survival Course somewhere (location was kept a secret just in case anxious parents travelled to rescue them I suppose!). He was not allowed a tent - 'no mum, you have to survive - make your own shelter'. My son cannot (will not?) even make his own bed, how on earth is he going to provide shelter for himself?

As I sit and write this, we are being lashed by the worst weather this country has seen for 30 years apparently. Terrible gales and rain. He will not be able to light a fire - no hot food or drink for him for the next 3 days. He will be cold and wet and freezing. Oh I am so worried - problems aside, he is my son and I love him.

This morning he sent me a text - before his mobile had to be handed in - saying simply 'It's going to be awesome, I can't wait'.

It's very difficult being a parent. It's even more difficult realising that your children no longer rely on you, no longer need you. My role in life has changed.

Hurry home son, I miss you!

Looking on the Bright Side

I have had a really lousy week. It has been The Week From Hell. I will not go into all the details.

On Wednesday morning while I was out with Harvey, the sunrise was so beautiful, it took my breath away. Harvey was particularly bright eyed and bouncy and for once he stayed fairly close to me and did not run away chasing rabbits or foxes.

When I went to school, all the children were being lovely. My teacher, knowing I was not feeling great was so supportive and kind. She gave me things to do which she knows I love. The children made me laugh, they rehearsed their pantomime and tried really hard.

A friend brought me round a lovely bouquet of flowers, which of course made me cry.

I am not one to wallow in self-pity, neither am I one to suffer with depression, thank God. So I started thinking. Maybe my week hasn't really been so bad after all. Yes some pretty horrible things have happened, but so have lots of good things. I have a nice home. I have food to put on my plate. I have warm, clean clothes to wear. I have people who I love and who love me back. I have a crazy loyal dog whose only aim in life is to play ball. I am one of the lucky ones.

I remember reading once 'All things will pass'. They will. Life goes on. I will try hard to be the optimistic person I usually am.

I will get up at 6am on a Sunday to do the ironing and think 'yey, it's cheap electricity, good old me!'. I will walk the dog in the wind and rain and think 'yey, my wellies and hand-knitted socks are keeping me warm'. I will eat the last Crunchie that's in the cupboard, rather than munching on Bran Flakes for breakfast and think 'yey, I'm not going to wait until Friday to eat a crunchie'

In amongst this week of optimism, I have made a cake. Want to see it?

Happy Birthday Shannon.

The Return of Saturday Pudding!

Well I have to say, I was thrilled by the response! I didn't realise any of you would still be interested in hearing about my mundane life. So thank-you all, I was smiling all day!

Well, what's been happening lately? Um, not a lot really. Well, not a lot that you would want to hear about. My life lately has revolved around the joys of having a 17 yr old son. It can be summed up in one word. Scary. No, 2 words. Bloody scary. If you have had a 17 yr old son, I'm sure you will understand.

I have of course been knitting like crazy - onto hexipuff number 153 now. I'm also making Fingerless mittens for Christmas presents, have a shawl on the go, a fab jumper, loads of socks, another shawl and a wrap... to name but a few. When will I ever learn? Startitis continues to be a problem.

Anyone fancy a bit of Saturday Pudding? We have tiffin and caramel shortbread. If you do want some, better get round here quickly, 17 yr old boys are always hungry!