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!

Is there anybody there?

I have been gone for a very long time and am wondering whether anyone is still out there.

Cooeee. You there?

I'm toying with the idea of resurrecting the much neglected blog - anyone still interested? I tend to live on Ravelry now, but might dip my toes back into Blogland now and again.

That's all for tonight, but just because I never did like a post without pictures, here's a couple of things I've been up to in the last, um 7 months...

The Beekeepers Quilt - an ongoing project, need about 600ish hexagons for the size I'd like.

And look what just flew off the needles at the weekend, finally!

More progress...

We've just been away to Welsh Wales for a few days - which apart from the beautiful scenery, means plenty of knitting time for me. Turns out though that I haven't really got much to show you. I managed to get a few more inches of Carica done (congratulations to anyone who can remember that far back!). I seem to have slipped up with this though. I started it exactly as the pattern said, but it was huge - bigger than huge infact. It would have fitted a baby elephant. So very sensibly I decided to go down a size and drop a needle size. On reflection it seems that one or the other would have been a more sensible option. Still, it will be good when I lose weight... and shrink a bit height wise too!

Here is my latest dog-walking sock. Despite the absence of the dog on holiday (he stayed at home with my mum and dad). It's the first of Snape's Stockings, designed by the same person who did Hermione's Everyday Sock. I was hoping to love it as much as Hermione's. I do not. I'm not terribly keen on the yarn either (when will I ever learn to just stick with Posh?) it's Tosh Sock and actually feels a bit nylony even though it's pure merino. Very loosely plied too so ends up being a bit splitty. Still, never mind, it's keeping me entertained while I'm out with the hound.


But here is another sock, another story altogether. Tug boat socks. It's mostly Posh with little bits of an unknown alpaca in. I love this sock. I love everything about this sock. The fish, the waves, the boat, the red bit at the top, and the heel... oh the heel! This is my most favourite heel ever in the history of heels! And even though I only cast it off a couple of days ago, I have already started on number 2. Something of a record for me! No second sock syndrome here. Love it loads (thank-you so much Trashy for pointing me in the right direction for this one!)

My queue on ravelry is gettting a bit long once again - I have 46 pairs of socks on it that I really want to do! So I'd better get on and do a spot of knitting don't you think?

Progress and pudding

Progress on the tug boat socks has been slow, but oh my goodness, I am so loving these socks. Look at that heel - I love that heel so much! I want to do all my heels like that from now on. I won't because it took ages, but I'd like to!

The second Dog-Walking Hermione sock was finished. I will go back to that pattern time and again. It was a delight to knit - so easy and so effective. Anyone else done one? I have started on a second pattern by the same designer - Erica Leuder - Snape's Stockings in an incredibly acidic green Tosh Sock. I'm only on the rib so far and while the yarn is OK, it hasn't had the same impact that Posh Martha has. Love Posh Martha. Really really love her. Though not in a lesbian kind of way (wasn't it Bridget Jones who said that?) (one of my literary heroines!)

Here was the Mother's Day pudding. Chocolate mousse cake heavily laced with Baileys and decorated with Cadbury's Caramel button things, white chocolate and strawberries just to be healthy! Yum, yum and yum again! Would you like some? Well sorry, but you're too late. We ate it all!

Oops - again!

Sorry. It's been ages again hasn't it? On the knitting front, I have finished my second Aspen Leaf cardigan. It is such a gorgeous pattern, really quick and well explained and I really, really love it. So it is such a shame that I seem unable to get the yarn right. My first one was knitted in Posh Yarn's Martha aran weight - it bled, so I washed it (may I just point out there that this is the first time I have ever had so much as a slight problem with Posh). Anyway, I decided to machine wash it. Not such a good idea. I killed it.

But never mind (well I did mind, but no use getting upset when it's all my own stupid fault) so I ordered some Almerboo from Woolhunter. Same problem with the bleeding yarn, but this time I decided to be so good and hand washed the cardi until the water ran clear. And then I put it in the washer on the gentle spin cycle. Mrs Woolhunter told me not to do this, but I knew better... well it turns out that Mrs Woolhunter was right and I was wrong.

So I now have 2 felted Aspen Leaf cardigans. Do I try for a third? In superwash something?

While I ponder this question, I was sent the Ravelry link to a pattern that was apparently right up my street. (Thanks Moogsmum and Trashy). A fantabulous sock with little boats on, fishes, waves, cables and loads of colours. Oh how right were you both, this pattern was ordered within minutes.

Oh heavy sigh. Next time I'm sent 'good ideas', someone please remind me to check the pattern first. A sock with 80 stitches? 2.25mm needles? Intarsia in the round? Loads of ends to darn in? It is certainly a challenge, but I absolutely adore this little sock. Doubt I'll even end up with second sock syndrome here - there's so much to keep me entertained.

But after all the knitting dilemmas, I feel a slice of something nice is in order. This is healthy. It must be. It's got 2 whole punnets of strawberries on. Surely their goodness outweighs the all-butter puff pastry, the double cream, custard, white chocolate and full-fat yoghurt?


PS anyone fancy joining me knitting this rather wonderful bag? I think it might possibly be the best hand knitted bag I've ever seen!

WIP's

I'm beginning to feel swamped by my WIP's again. I love them all. I want to finish them all. Why can't I just get off this machine and knit them all? I have too many WIP's. A friend of mine who comes to the Stash Basket house once a week to knit has only got 2 WIP's. She is making me feel like I need to get something done. (I keep telling her to get more stuff cast on!)

I was seriously thinking of concentrating hard on one particular project, just so I could get it off the needles. Reduce my 8 WIP's to 7 and then 6 and then 5...

... But then I saw this. 17 WIP's. I no longer feel quite so guilty, just a bit of a light weight (oh if only!) with such a paltry amount of projects hiding in the house!

At last!

OK then, get the patterns out and the yarn and the needles. I need to start casting a few more things on. The interminable Mystery Blanket is finally finished and off the needles. Thank goodness for that, I can now breathe a huge sigh of relief. The colours are much brighter than this photo shows (rubbish light today, grey clouds and drizzle).


Some of the colours in it really bother me. I can't bear the hideous bright coral pink - it was awful yarn to knit with too - and the brown is just wrong. But I love the greens and blues. The multi-coloured cable squares were a pain to do, but worth every last grey hair - they are lovely! The picture squares are all great too - so pleased with the turtle and shell in particular. I didn't like the mermaid so changed the centre square to a policeman's helmet, er, jellyfish. It is far from right, but I couldn't bear to pull it down. In future years I'm sure it will make me smile - sitting in my dotage in a nursing home with it draped over my knees, I will no doubt wonder why I didn't do the mermaid but opted for a policeman with dreadlocks instead.

A friend of mine is doing this year's and despite my initial reaction of 'I don't like that' I would like to hearby change my mind. The colours are lovely, the yarn is gorgeous and the squares are beautiful - and look very complicated! But I am pleased I'm not joining in this year. Too many other things to knit (and indeed finish) and a whole big lot of sock yarn waiting to be turned into socks.

That being the case, I wonder why I've just bought 900g of Almerboo Aran and 600g of organic wool/alpaca. There is no hope, truly there isn't!

Anyone for a slice of today's pudding?

Chocolate mousse cake. Calorie free (cough cough). Personally I can hardly wait for pudding tonight and am seriously tempted to have some right now. Tell you what, if you all want to come round now for a slice then I'll plead ignorance and tell the family that they'll have to make do with a kitkat for pudding instead.

Anyone?

Knitting has been taking place. Two borders are now done and just so you can see, here is part of one of them completed. 15 rows of 250+ stitches and then cast off. It seems to be taking forever.

Failed

Failed hopelessly in fact. Didn't get the blanket finished and actually did very little else. I still haven't done any other kniting except the blanket and fortunately the end is really in sight now. Good job as a lovely lot of Almerboo arrived yesterday. Photos soon. Going to hang my head in shame now, thanks to Locket I have re-named this month as Make-It-Up-March. Hoping to have a few more finished projects this month. And a few more photos too.

Sorry everyone.

Socks

I has just occurred to me that I've not shown you the Dog-Walking Hermiones. I used this yarn to make Nutkin, possibly the worst sock pattern I have ever done - it went to the frog pond, something I very, very rarely do. The pattern twisted and was so very tight, the yarn pooled and looked awful. But I tell you what, Nutkin's loss is my gain! Easy peasy pattern and I love the effect it's made. Yummy!

And here, as promised are my somewhat bright socks. Quickest pattern ever. Lovely and thick and warm. I will be making more and more and more of these socks - every pair will be different, depending what yarn I have to use up. For I have quite a bit of sock yarn to use up!

And for now ladies and gentlemen, I am heading back to the blanket. Not long now (she says with great enthusiasm!)

I promise...

... not to knit anything else (apart from Dog-Walking hermiones) until the bloody Mystery Blanket is done. There. I've said it.

Afterall, with only 3 squares and 4 enormous borders left to do, it would seem silly to actually pick up another unfinished project and to enjoy knitting something wouldn't it?

Oh and the other mad and crazy scrappy sock? It's done! But as it's evening I can't take a good picture - the weather man has promised sun tomorrow so maybe that would be a good time to get snap-happy.

Sunglasses at the ready please...

Well, what do you think? How can this ridiculous sock not make you smile? I only cast it on on Saturday afternoon and here we are on Monday morning and it's done!!!!! I love this sock so much for every reason - the colours, the pattern, the yarn (pretty much all of it Posh except for the Colinette heel), the thickness, the speed it knitted up... I have already cast on for its partner - no second sock syndrome for thick socks. Oh I think I always want to make thick socks from now on - even my children like them - and for a 16 year old boy that's quite some admission!

Cast on 48 stitches, 3.5mm needles, with 2 skeins of sock yarn, change one colour every 10 rows - easy peasy and wonderful! Pattern is here.

Um, what day are we on now?

Sorry I've not been here for a couple of days. No excuses, but I have been knitting. I finished the Without Borders sock and I'm still not entirely convinced by it. But that's just something I'll have to live with. Actually I probably won't be living with it as the thing is a bit too small... so it's going to be heading mum's way I should think.

And someone please remind me - I did say I wouldn't cast anything else on didn't I? At least not for the rest of February? Anyway, it just shows how bad a case of Startitis I have. I cast on another pair of socks last night! I know, I know, I know. Don't give me a hard time. They are a cross between these and these. I'm not going to show it to you today. You will need to come back tomorrow to see this sock in all its finished glory (for yes, I will have finished the first sock by the morning).

But let me just warn you now, bring your sunglasses when you call back, for this sock is bright!

Day 5.

Things aren't going quite to plan. Having turned the heel already on the Without Borders Sock, I knitted an inch and a half yesterday of the fairisle pattern on the foot. It looked hideous. Holes everywhere. The stitches round the heel gaped and the whole thing looked awful. So I pulled it back. I was very tempted to pull the whole sock back, but as you know, I don't frog. To take back an inch and a half was bad enough.

So I decided to knit the whole foot plain, and here it is. I'm not happy with it but am determined to keep going to the bitter end. It's very much a 'use it up scraps' sock, hence the variety of different colours. I'm wondering though, just to tie it all together, whether to make a fairisle band across the middle of the foot. What do you think?

Was supposed to be doing the blanket today, but have been doing this sock instead. Blanket tomorrow. Promise!

Day 4.

No photo today I'm afraid. By the time I got back from school and then the dog walk, got tea ready, hoovered up and brought the washing in, it was dark. I managed a few rows of Soho last night, but not many.

Today's WIP is the Without Borders Sock - a p/hop pattern, which brings me quite nicely round to plugging a blanket that p/hop are organising on e-bay. Go and have a look and even bid if you feel so inclined. I tried bidding (because I so need another blanket!) but was outbid very quickly.

Right then, must go and knit. Spent far too long on Ravelry last night (oh my queue is growing again!). Please do not be concerned about my wip pile decreasing. It isn't. Apart from the Almerboo Bootees, nothing else is remotely done. Thanks Locket for giving me the opt out clause of Make it Up March, I'll be needing that (and very possibly About time April and even Must finish May).