What a busy month!

Hi there!

Sorry to you guys who think I've dropped off the end of the earth!!!!! I am preparing for my portfolio assessment and my interview. The interview for my job is monday (re-grade and contrsct update) and the assessment will be somewhere in the week starting 14th July. Meaning I have about 3 weeks to finish my folder that is about 2/3rds completed. Eeeeeeeek.

Enough about work.... it eats enough of my life already!

Knitting: SWAP TIME PEOPLE!!!
I'm a bit late posting this but....
Question 1: WWKIP day
On Saturday I knit at my mum's house. Not quite public but I had Seth and grocery shopping too! Oh how exciting my life is ;o)
I knit regularly at work so I guess that is public and I used to love going to a knit group but sadly I dont go now.
Weirdest place..... er.... well at a haematology seminar at Birmingham NEC is probably the strangest event. I knit in the bathroom when Seth is in the bath too which may be a little obsessive but it's rare I get time to knit in the day at home!

Also... I know several people tagged me for a questionnaire..... er I'll be honest and say I'm too tired and over worked to be bothered!!! Sorry. I think if something less comprehensive comes up I'll have a go ;o)

I'm on the right front of the Simply knitting cream caramel cardi... though I'm knitting it in Scotian silk in red that I got when I went to Ravelry day at The Crafty Cottage. I'm praying I'll have enough but if not I think it'll be when I do the ribbing on the cardi edges/neck so I'll maybe stripe it with another colour and do the same on the sleeve ribbing. Great thing about this cardi is that there are no sleeves to make as such, as the increases are built into the back and made in a sort of batwing affair. Hurrah! I'll post pics when I can.

Right, I'll try and keep up with the UK Swap questions and post weekly now, but doesn't time get away so quickly!!!

See ya for now, Fi x

Bank Holiday curse

Don't you just love Bank Holiday weather?! It is raining as I type and looking generally grim. Plans of gardening gone awry, no visits to the duckpond or Seth playing on the slide. On the upside- no gardening and I don't have to waste water using a hosepipe since Mother Nature is doing its thing.

Also.... Bank Holidays are so busy. I would have more rest at work! Yesterday, Seth had a social engagement (birthday party) to attend and of course I'm the chaperone on his arm ;o) and he has another on Monday as it is my niece's birthday on the 28th. As you can see, he dressed to impress




















And here he is making another cheeky face for the camera.... such a star!




















I have managed some progress this week. I haven't been knitting much over the last few weeks, work and necessary resting haven't left me with much patience or inspiration. However, on friday I decided to spin the second half of the 'beach' fibre I got from FeltStudioUK on etsy. I managed to spin it all and get it plied with the first batch too. A late night... but worth it!
















It is still a little bit wet here but turned out good for my first real effort since I started spinning a few years ago. I'd just washed it and hung it to dry, but had lots of great advice from the guys on the UKSpinners group on ravelry. Next time I'll try the shock and whack method which is what most people seem to do. I'm not sure why, but physically torturing yarn seems a bit sadistic though I suppose it's a better way for relieving your frustration that some therapies ;o)

I finished the second front on the hexacomb cardigan this morning. I think if I dedicated a bit more time to the project it would be done in no time at all.... ah well. It's easy enough to pick up and put down so the rest of the back and sleeves plus neckbands are left.


















Right.... to finish up, since watching CSI:NY is just takes so much attention ;o) I urge all you guys to join UK Swap... sign ups end soon and the more the merrier!!! The blog button is on my sidebar- click it, click it now!!!

UK Swap round 2 questionnaire

Part One: Crafting

Do you knit, crochet, or both?

Both

What do you like to make?

Cardigans mostly for practicality, lacy scarves, fingerless mittens

Do you have a favourite project?

My Dahlia sweater is my favourite project to date

Do you have a favourite type of fiber or brand of yarn?

I love knitting with wool but I’m allergic to 100% wool or animal fibre. Blends are better for me.

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn?

Squeaky acrylic

Do you do any other crafts?

I spin with a drop spindle and I’d like to learn how to sew properly.

Do you knit in public? If so where do you like knitting and what is your "portable" project?

I like to knit in public but currently I’m without a regular group. I drag along any project that is easy enough to concentrate on without making too many mistakes. Unfortunately I’m not much of a sock knitting person.

What do you carry your "portable" knitting in?

One of the many felted bags I’ve knitted

Are there any knitting gifts (book, toy, yarn, item, tool) that you have been lusting over?

I really would love a yarn swift and ball winder (swoons) and would like a really good 1 skein book.

Part Two: Your Favourites
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be (and why)?

I’d be a something colourful and feltable. Scratchy maybe at first (I’m shy) but then softens and becomes functional and useful in a heated situation ;o) Probably noro kureyon without the pricetag!!

What is your favourite colour?

Err.... I like purple a lot and cherry reds.

What is your least favourite colour?

Yellow

What scents/smells do you like? What don’t you like?

I don’t like vanilla/caramelly smells . I’m not keen on white chocolate and hate pear drops!

How do you like to pamper yourself? (bubble bath, hand creams, massage, manicure)

I love good scrubs that make you feel clean, soft and pampered and nice bath products for those rare moments I have time for a good long soak.

What goodies to you like to eat? (chocolate, biscuits, sweets,crisps etc)

I’m a quality not quantity chocolate person so good dark chocolate and love biscuits.

Do you prefer tea or coffee while you knit? Any particular kind?

I drink tea mostly at home (regular tea) but while I’m out I’m a Starbucks fanatic!

Do you listen to/watch anything while you knit? (TVshow-Along, movies, music, podcasts,

audiobooks)

I like to watch films (anything from sci-fi to action to cheesy chickflicks) and my recorded episodes of Moonlight/Blood Ties/Heroes/CSI:NY/How to look good naked. I also like to listen to rock music or the odd podcast at cast off.

Part Three: About you, Living & Past-times
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be (and why)?

I’d be a something colourful and feltable. Scratchy maybe at first (I’m shy) but then softens and becomes functional and useful in a heated situation ;o) Probably noro kureyon without the pricetag!!

Where do you live in the UK? (General idea not address)

I live in the West Midlands (near Birmingham)

Have you always lived here, or did you grow up somewhere else?

I have always lived in the West Midlands but changed towns a few times

What is your favourite place in the UK?

I loved Cornwall as a kid and really enjoyed a stay in Edinburgh too.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’d love to travel to Prague for the architecture; Egypt for the pyramids; Cuba for the mohitos!

What other hobbies do you have?

I like to read, watch TV and films, spin, have just learnt crochet, like to cook (mainly cakes!) and trying my best to learn to sew properly.

Part Four: The Theme
As part of this swap we are asking you to post (or link to) a picture or photograph you like. Your swap pal will use the photo as a basis for a themed item or parcel.
It could be of a specific item, e.g. Jellybeans, an Alpaca, a rainbow or a scene e.g. sunset, beach, woodland or anything else you can think of! Please add a few words to explain why you have chosen the photo if you think this is appropriate.
It could be a photo you have taken or a picture you have found on the internet. Please note - if the picture is not yours please ensure you seek permission from the owner before posting it on your blog. Alternatively, you can link to the original picture.

http://www.lanl.gov/news/albums/safety/Lightning.jpg

(That is the original link for the picture.)

I used this picture because not only does it show beautiful colours, but I am fascinated by adverse weather and how amazing and dangerous nature can be. Since a lot of knitted items are made us to protect us from the elements I thought a weather picture would be apt. I don’t expect miraculous lightning proof knits though ;o) but I thought the colours were particularly pretty.

Final Part:
Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)? I’m allergic to kiwi and 100% animal fibre yarns like wool and alpaca which make me itch and anything with a high angora content makes me sneeze and feel like I have a cold! Plant/acrylic/wool blends seem to be just fine.

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know?

I’d like my partner to know I have a quirky sense of humour and like patterns which show my individuality but also like classically beautiful things also.

I think that is it! Yay UK swaps!!!!

Pimp it up!!!

Hi guys sorry about the lack of blogging!

I'm making a short shout out to everyone that reads my blog to say:

UK Swap are up and about for round 2!!! YAY!

Please please please go and visit the UK Swap blog and have a look, the requirements are massive and as long as you are UK based you can join! Also.... please say in the comments I sent you!!! There is a contest going atm and everyone is entered in for some Socks That Rock yarn if they post a blog post or get a comment on the Swap site! It's all fair and I'll be commenting that I found out about it from Roo before actually looking at the Swap site. Unfortunately she can't have it as she's one of the new swap hosts.

Good luck Roo!!!!

Catch ya later.... x

Disaster!

Seriously people- I could cry right now! I finished my gift Branching Out for my great aunt’s 80th birthday last night and 5 minutes ago I thought I’d go and block it for photos etc and wrap it up. BIG MISTAKE. Since I generally use the iron for stuff like this…. well it looks like cotton, feels like cotton, knits like cotton….. I forgot it isnt cotton but maize. It also melts. Turns crispy, and spiky kind of melting. It took me months to finish this between the zillion other projects and I don’t have enough time to make another. My mum is going to donate the 100% silk mini clapotis I made her as said aunt hasn’t seen it before. I dont know whether to be grateful or insulted that she’d give it away but still. :”o(

I'm now in no mood whatsoever to be taking pictures etc etc, but I'll make my little progress report:
Hexacomb cardigan: Finished Left Front and ready to re-join yarn to right front.
Jose's handwarmers: about 80% done on the first mitt but not entirely positive I have enough silk garden for both. I got this via UKarma and only have 1 ball. The pattern uses 1 ball of kureyon so I thought it would be enough. I'm reluctant now to finish it and start the other in case I end up frogging them,.
Crosswalkers: I've turned the heel and nearly ready to do the toe on sock#1

New project: Bronte's mitts for the Fingerless Gloves Fanatics group on ravelry. I have completed the rib section of the mitt and ready to start a lace section . These are the May KAL project for the group so it will definately be a challenge to get these done before the end of the month! Normal people can make these in a few days, but with my life interfering far too much with knitting it'll be a struggle.

I'm going to curl up into the fetal position now and sob on the very immediate loss I've just suffered. Damn it!! Damn it!! Damn it!!!

Boo here I am!

Hey guys!

I know I've been hiding for 2 weeks but... o.k. don't have much of an excuse to be honest. There has been way too much time on the laptop swapping on ravelry and still I couldn't quite be bothered to blog. Life happens huh.

I have had some great parcels over the last few weeks though! UKarma swaps is the best/worst thing in my little knitting lifetime at the moment. I find so much support, inspiration and of course yarn (!) from these guys.... but the knitting itself has taken a bit of a knock! I have finished a my fetching mittens though...














I have to say that I absolutely L.O.V.E. these mitts! I'm glad that I forced myself to get them off the needles; 1000 modifications and all; and make them to fit me. I've had lots of lovely comments about them too... so many that I have a long list of non-knitting people who want wristwarmers. Ahhh well I know what everyone i getting for birthdays and christmasses! Trouble is it's nearly the end of spring.... well actually no it isn't is it? Not in rainy england anyway.

And so I have cast on a pair of 'Extra Warm Kureyon Wristers' from ravelry pattern library for my sister Jose. Only I've used Noro Silk Garden I got from UKarma swaps. Jose saw this yarn at my mums a few weeks ago (I'd been to the PO depot to get a zillion parcels) and claimed it for some wristwarmers. See not all the yarn is for me! The colour is a purple/rusty orange/grey colourway.

I have been making slow painstaking progress on the Hexacomb cardigan too. Trouble is with this project atm is that there is 194 stitches on the 4mm circular addi. All of which are 100% cotton and non stretchy. In turn I get massive cotton related RSI in my right thumb and could cry after about 3 rows. Also, the purlside row has to be counted and patterned so can't just zip bacwards and forwards. I think after another inch or so I can separate the fronts and back and it will be easier going for me. I like the pattern to look at and making it because I love the style of the cardi. I knew all along that I'd hate knitting it though!



















I am a bit further along than this- I took this pic for the ravelry project avatar. I've nearly finished the ball of cotton. This particular brand has got 200m or so to a ball and I've nearly got to the AH without changing balls; even if it's a cropped cardi I'm impressed.

I've also taken a little trip to fibreville. I was sorting stash for swaps last week and found my turqoise merino... started spinning it just because I could and all that.... and now have this:















and














I bought this from an etsy store (first etsy purchase) called Felt Studio UK. I was a bit nervous though goodness knows why- maybe the $ thing or never using it before but the service was amazing. Bought it thursday evening- here saturday morning. The rosewood colourway is bigger, but I got both plus p&p for about $33... about £17. I was well impressed with the quality and softness, plus as I started spinning the 'beach' last night it was way easier than spinning the merino. In fact I've spun about 1/3 of the beach already! I've already had a look at her stuff again. Oh dear. Well the great spring destash has made some room at least. In fact I paid with th fibre from some yarn-cash in my paypal account- so didn't spend "real" money!

Ooh.... I had some yarn come last week which is fab. It's similar to malabrigo in texture and thickness:















The colour is less mauvey and more lilaccy but is so gorgeous. I'm thinking of making it into some of these or even these. Both are definately me!! Can you tell I've gotten cought up in some sort of wristwarmer disease? I've even joined the Fingerless Glove Fanatics on ravelry! They are hosting a May KAL and I've joined up... though I'm finding it hard to decide on what yarn to use. The pattern is 'Bronte's Mittts' and seems to need a DK weight though the pattern uses two strands of a mohair and koigu held together. Hmmmm. Still pondering and only have a few days til CO. Never done a KAL before either!

Right, Seth is demanding that I play with him.... he's covered in crayola markers.... you can hide the pens but he still manages to find them. At lease they're not on the walls ;o)

See ya x

Spring Destash

Hello there

Well, a little progess is more than none as they say.

This week, I have managed to finish and post the Kitchen swap items, get half way through Fetching Mitten #2 and I have cast on for the Hexacomb cardigan.

Through no fault of anyone but myself, I didn't really do as much Portfolio work as I really should have but I suppose that's no surprise! I really lack self discipline when I have no fixed deadline to work to. Unfortunately, when I get to work tomorrow I suspect that my deadline will have been set and I'll have just about a few weeks to get it finished and prepare myself for the Big Day. That is... being interviewed for my qualification. Nail biting stuff!

Well this is a little round up of this week's little achievements really. I haven't quite done enough on the Hexacomb cardi to warrant a picture- the fronts and backs are all cast on together then separated at the armholes, so casting on 194 stitches in mercerised cotton was a chore. Last night I managed to get about 18 rows of pattern done.

I did a little bit of baking midweek:














This here is banana cake. It was so yummy I literally ate half the cake before lunchtime! Good thing it's considered a 'low fat' recipe then! The recipe was just from a friend and not out of a book or anything so I don't suppose it'll hurt to tell ya ;o)

Banana Cake (Low fat- ish!)

3/4 cup Caster sugar (I used 'light' sugar which is 1/3 sweetener to cut down on the kcals)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup self-raising flour
3 eggs
3 bananas mashed
pinch bicarbonate of soda

*whisk oil and sugar together and add eggs
*add bananas
*fold in the flour and bicarb
*grease a loaf tin and pour in mixture
*180 degrees for 45 minutes, check middle with a knife, adding 10 mins as needed til the middle is firm
Voila. Don't burn yourself trying to eat it as soon s it's done ;o)

As part of the 'spring destash' I have been getting rid of odd balls and stash I'm bored with and such on ravelry.
It's gone surprisingly well and I've managed to send out quite a bit. I've just managed to sell some too which is a bonus. Although... I was supposed to be selling my spinning stuff too as I never get around to doing any. As you know... when you get it all out, you tend to try it out etc etc and never got around to destashing the fibre.... instead I got this done:















This is merino, which I'd never spun up before. It is as fine as I usually spin it, so will need plying for it to be of use to me, but I enjoyed doing something different. So I guess it's staying!

And lastly......














The new hair. I love it.

Check me out on ravelry if ya want, I'm the usual 'scarletprincess' on there. Please aid the destash :o)
x

purple rules! OK

Hey there!

I have a half-finished WIP (!) and an unlikely one at that.














Here is Fetching in her purple glory-ness. Iam making this pair in a yarn thinner than specified to create a more snug fit because I have teeny-tiny wrists and I about as much guessed that using the DB Cashmerino Aran would make them too big. Here I've used Rowan Calmer for elasticity, snugness, and a blend that won't make me itch.














Here is the thumb side view. I thought from reading the instructions that the thumb would be a b***h to do but it took me a matter of minutes to do really. I have altered the pattern to allow for Calmer being thinner by making the pattern repeat 8 rows long instead of five and I like the slightly longer cuff. I've cast on the second one too so I'm hoping to do these fairly quickly now. I first cast them on in January according to my Ravelry notes and just left them once I'd gotten to the long stretch w/o cables. I think the break will mean I wont suffer from SMS (second mitten syndrome) as the cables are the other way around on the right mitt and it's been ages since I started the left.

There is another reason I want to finish as many WIPs as possible this week.... I have a project lined up! I think the cloud bolero can be frogged- I have fell out of love with it :o( and the branching out scarf is my work WIP so they don't count. The kitchen swap creation has to be finished as it's already over deadline so I have that to do also.

Here are my projects that I think will be coming up soon....

The Hexacomb Cardigan- from interweave knits



















I have already bought the DK cotton for this project! And buttons! I've got a dark cream for the main body of the cardi and a pearl/flat cream mix for the border. The buttons are cream with a patterned gold insert. I'm really psyched about starting this as it looks like such a versatile cardi and the colours were deliberate so that I can put it with pretty much anything. I just got Wendy Supreme Cotton DK as I think it will be as good as any other DK cotton to be honest and only needed 3 balls or 600m for the main colour so a bargain cardi really!

Secondly....the Flutter Sleeve Cardigan (again from interweave)



















To those that know my taste, this may seem a little 'conservative'! However, I plan on leaving off the little sleeve tabs so that the sleeves are a little longer as there is no fold and ta-da!- a kimono sleeve cardi with lovely shaping under the bust to make it a bit more feminine! I think a few special buttons would really make it that bit funkier too. I've got some Katia Austral in a dark red for this which is a 50/50 merino/acrylic blend. How I love ebay :o)

Well, I'm gonna kick back with some tv and some chocolate pudding and custard and some knitting and have a cosy evening me thinks....
Good night x

Blog drought

Hi there!

I realise I've had a bit of a blogging drought lately. I'm still around and kicking up a storm, just very preoccupied with 'normal life' at the moment. Unfortunately, my knitting has suffered somewhat. I haven't done much knitting over the last few weeks since work has been a bit of a pig with the staff tea room being refurbished and all. This means I have no comfortable place to knit and those with kids know how impossible it is to knit at home with a zillion piles of washing, ironing and such. Also, my dad is awaiting his histology results for his skin cancer biopsies. He had them taken a while back during a small local op on his head to remove some patches of skin which were cancerous. The results are due friday and amongst a few other problems, this is on my mind a lot.

I must apologise to the kitchen swap people if they read my blog. I made a commitment to them to make the potholder/kitchen item swap and have failed miserably. Luckily my swap partner will be late too so I hope she'll forgive me with a few gifts thrown in with the 'creation' when I finally get it finished.

Branching out is going slowly. This is my work project, so unless I get a repeat done while having coffee in BB's waiting for my bus, it's just not getting anywhere. I'm about 60-70% done at the moment and my aunt's birthday isn't until May, but I like to be ahead.

Next week I have some time off to get some work done on the portfolio, crack on with the housework and generally chill as well. I'm going to have my hair done on Monday as a treat for feeling a bit out of it and really want a vast change.

So watch this space, hopefully I'll have some blog posts and pics and such next week for you all.

x

Happy Easter

Hope you guys are having a lovely easter. Ours wouldn't be too bad if Seth and myself didn't have another cold! I think that his is partly due to cutting his fangs.... to say he's irritable is an understatement. I think I got my cold from him, but the germs are out and about everywhere atm. Poor lamb has had me up in the night the majority of the week, though he managed to sleep through til 5 this morning.

Anyhoo....
I don't have any pictures of my knitting atm. I've done the heel flap on my crosswalkers but have to have my laptop in front of me (pattern is saved there) to make sure I'm making the heel properly. I've made the odd sock before but it's been a while and I've not gotten that innate knowledge yet! I've also been making something for a swap. I'm not particularly 'homely' but it seemed like a fun thing to do. I'm making a potholder/mitt thingy but I'm not sure what it'll be til I've finished. I'm trying different textural patterns knit into blocks and my 'potholders' were too small so I'm going to make a linked oven glove thing out of the sections. Thing is I'll have to make a sort of lining otherwise a cotton mitt will probably of no use whatsoever! Ah well... I'll put up pics if a) it's any good and b) if I have chance- it has to be posted by the 31st!!

I've made a bit more progress on the banching out scarf. I got about 5 or 6 repeats done when I went to Bristol last week on a blood transfusion course. There would have been a lot more progress if I'd not encountered a very chatty man determined to converse the whole 1hr and 20mins of the journey home :o| Granted he was a lovely young man, but after 7 hours of blood transfusion lectures I really didn't want to but I'm far too polite for my own good and ended up doing no knitting on the way home. I usually do some knitting in my breaks at work but there's a lot of "atmosphere" at work and I can't concentrate on the pattern rows and make mistakes. Even after 30-sum-odd repeats I still have to have the pattern. I can't remember lace patterns unless they're super simple!

As I have no knitting photos here's a cutie pic for easter















Don't eat too much chocolate folks... ah who am I kidding? I have a Green and Blacks egg with bittersweet cherry AND dark almond....mmmmmm!

Ducktastic Day

Hi there!

Well, Seth is still poorly :o( He'd not been sick since Monday but had diahrroea and no appetite for the last few days. This morning I bathed him at 7am as he was a little "messy" and he managed some toast. Hurrah.... except for later when both the sickness and diahrroea came back with a vengeance. Ah well.

However, between being O.K. and not being so good, we went for some fresh air. My dad took us and Sadie the bull terrier out for a walk to Sutton Park. We played fetch with Sadie then drove around to the other side of the park so that we could feed the ducks.



















Here's Seth on the field where we were playing with Sadie.
















Here we are feeding the ducks. There were lots of different types; not just your average ducks, canadian geese and swans. There were a few of the more exotic breeds there too as it's quite an expanse of water.




















Here's me trying to hold a (very strong) dog and a very willful Seth.
















Seth trying to get as close as possible to the quack quacks.
















There was about 10 times more than this at least!
















Ok.... so here's just a boring picture of field and a radio mast right? Wrong. This radio mast is my "Twinkle Stick" from when I was a wee one. My mum and dad used to show fancy pigeons and go fishing all over the country and I travelled far and wide with them. I used to watch out for the radio mast dubbed the "Twinkle Stick" because of the way the light flashed and twinkled on the top. I always knew I wasn't far from home when I saw this and it was a comfort thing when I was a kid. Even now if I see this mast I know I'm not far from home and I look forward to getting back and having a cuppa. Funny how these things stick with you no matter how old we are.

And here's a pic from home:
















It's not often we get pictures taken together as myself and DB are usually the ones trying to get Seth to stay still etc while the other takes a picture! This was taken earlier this week while we were having 5 minutes cuddle because he'd not been well again. And LOL at my hair! It's not quite long enough to put up properly and I tend to clip some of it up out of the way and it all falls out.... a bad hair day for sure!
The jumper I'm wearing though, for the more observant, is "wicked" by Zephyr Style without the pocket on the front. I think I'd been a bit hasty not putting the pocket on, but I like the fit. Problem is since I knit in DB Merino Aran, the 100% merino content makes it itchy around the neckline. I think that I need either a blend of wool and another fibre for knits that touch sensitive skin like my neck. I know it doesn't look great here but I am sitting rather hunched. I lost the pattern when my PC died but I'd consider making another or something similar. I really like the Zephyr Style patterns. I bought a few when I got the 'wicked' pattern but it would mean scouring my old hard drives etc.

Well, I think I'm ready for a nap myself! We's been into Sutton Coldfield town after our nature walk as well. I popped into Next for some socks for Seth. £65 later, I'd bought him denim dungarees with an orange/brown t-shirt, blue-grey camo trousers, a lime green shower resistant jacket for when the weather is warmer, a pack of 4 long-sleeve t-shirts because he ruins them on a regular basis at nursery and 15 pairs of socks. Me thinks that covers easter presents and then some. Ooops!!! He isn't desperate for clothes.... just in the same way I'm not desperate for yarn, though it's desirable to keep buying it!

Right, I'm off to decide on what take-away we'd like for our weekly treat. I'm starving after all the fresh air!

x

are you sitting down?

I ask this because I have a surprising project on the needles.... A SOCK!

Yup once again I'm attempting to beat SSS and knit a PAIR of socks.... problem is SSS is like those other nasty diseases that are treated into remission but never really go away (like herpes, syphillis, myeloma). Now whilst latently hiding within me it could be just waiting to raise it's ugly head, so I'm trying to be optimistic and keep it at bay.

The design is 'Crosswalkers'- a variation on the bias pattern that is in the now world famous 'Jaywalkers'. It is much easier than counting the pattern repeats because on every other row, the kbf and ktog / ssk and kbf are at done with the stitches either end of the needles. However, it means I have to use 4 needles to spread the stitches over so I feel like i'm wrestling with a porcupine- I've more comfortable using dpn's when the stitches are over 3 needles.
















Here it is on the ebonys.... though because I have a habit of snapping my 2.25mm dpns I actually have a set of 6 which are a combination of brittany birch (very flimsy) and soxstix in ebony (lantern moon). The points are better on the ebonys as well. I think when I have some more spare cash I'm going to buy another set. I like the addis for strenght but they're too long for me and I tend to get injured or impale someone else!

















This is a close-up of the biased effect of the knitting.

















This is the safety demonstration.... protect your sock with squirly whirly things. It means I don't have to worry about the needles getting lost or stitches jumping off. However, I think with dpn's I'm going to have to get one of those tubes with a slot in that completely covers the needles so that they can't poke through my bag etc.

Now, to those wondering why I'm dayblogging it's because Seth spent all of yesterday being sick and we're home again today so he can recooperate. Nursery wouldn't have had him due to the sickness policy in case he gave it to the other children, but since he's not been sick today I think all being well he'll be ok for nursery tomorrow. My boss will be pleased!

Well, toodlepip I'm going to try and fit in 10 mins sock knitting while Seth's napping!

Party on my parcel has been unpacked!

Well hi again I've been to fetch my UK Swap parcel.

I couldn't wait to open it! I ripped it open in the car as soon as I'd buckled my belt!















Yup sideways picture... I'm tired!
















Ohh yes... La Occitane baby! A beautiful rose hand cream just great for smoothing the cracks and softening the dry skin. So scrumptious!
















Two metal buttons about 12mm long. They're really beautiful and I'll keep these for a worthwhile project for sure!
















These twirly whirly things are made by Clover and are designed to keep your needles in their rightful pairs. I'd never even seen them before but I think they're great and love the jelly sweet colours.
















Oooh yum! This was attacked by my 3yr old neice much to my disdain. Luckily I've got about 2/3rds left for me. Hmph they're starting young on the luxury chocolate these days!
















This is meilenweit sock yarn. It's a lovely mix of light blue, navy, beige and cream. I'm unsure what to do with it just yet (pattern wise I mean) but the colur combination is lovely.

And the best is last.....
















Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica! Ooh this is a lovely combination of forest green, cream and reds. It's a poor pic but I was oohing and stroking this for ages!

Thanks SP!!!! And no I still don't have a clue who you are!

Just a few more pics for today.... I went to my sisters house with Seth today so that he could spend a little qua;ity time with my sister, brother in law and my niece. She and another of my sisters had bought me some beautiful fairtrade roses to celebrate me finishing my degree bless them. The daffodils are some I bought on thursday to try and lift my spirits a little.














































beautiful!

quick post :o)

Hi there! This is just a quickie post because I am so excited! My swap parcel is at the depot and I'm going to fetch it tomorrow. I can't wait! I'm busy in the day tomorrow though so it will most likely be tomorrow night or Sunday when I get to put any picures up. :oD

I'm a big fan of sideways smileys right now :o) I have cought this strange bug where I text them, email them, blog them, put them on birthday cards.... It's become a bit of a compulsion lately. Weird thind is I've been anything but smiley! I'd hit a wave of feeling particularly down with things this week and not been shaken out of it. I'm hoping that it's not a long term thing but I think it was a long time coming where I realised that I perhaps am a little depressed and frustrated with life. I am naturally a worrier and so many little niggly things can mount up into a huge boulder you're dragging around.

Don't get me wrong, I loved going to ravelry day last week- it was a great break to spend some much needed time out but I felt guilty about it too. I feel guilty about not doing the ironing, leaving bills to the last minute, having a demanding job and feeling rubbish and generally being short tempered at home. I think that sometimes it has to get to this point when you realise you cannot cope and that some of these things just cannot change or aren't as important as we think. I have to try and get myself from this slump to a happy human being again and paying attention to more important things.

I find it difficult to admit that juggling being a mom and working full time and trying to get my portfolio is dampening my spirits and making me feel inadequate because I'm not coping as well as some people would. I thinkt he best step forward will be to not expect that I should cope and get on with taking it a day at a time.

And so to cheer me up until I can get my mitts on my parcel and post again, I'm going to put up the scenic pics from last saturday to remind of the lovely day we had.







































Well I'm off to bed, so goodnight x

Scarlet by name....

Scarlet in nature :o) Not in the whorish sense I hasten to add... unless you mean a yarn whore!

I went to Ravelry Fun Day yesterday at the Crafty Cottage in Warwick with Ruth and a couple of her friends, Rachel and Alison. This was the first knitting 'event' I've been to in a long time and I'm so glad to say it was way worth my expectations and well worth the weeks of barely contained excitement. I'd briefly met Ruth in the flesh before, though I've known her blogwise for a longer time. She really is a wonderful friendly person and really enjoyed her company.

The Crafty Cottage had it's official opening day and invited those that were a part of Ravelry to come along and also the gals from her Monday night knit group too. The spread she put out was amazing and the yarns she's got- I got a bit giddy when I first walked in with a heaving shop and a wall to wall scrumptiousness. There's stuff from all over like Handmaiden, Fleece Artist, Louisa Harding, Mango Moon, Malabrigo, Shades of Cashmere and so many more. To say I had a feast for the senses is an understatement. But most importantly, Jo is so lovely and down to earth and very accommodating.




















This little part of the store had a lot of attention. The first 2 shelves were Handmaiden and the 3rd and 4th shelves were Fleece Artist- which I chose the yarn for another Dahlia.




















Here is the Noro section which was really impressive. I love Noro for the colour combinations they use, but rarely find one that has exactly all the colours I like.
















This was just a small fraction of the food that was put out. I grazed constantly as I'd not taken a small knitting project with me and found the mini samosas and spring rolls really difficult to resist!















Well this is the haul from the trip! The two biggest skeins are Fleece Artist Scotian Silk which is 35% silk and 65% wool. So divine.

The little red one in the middle is Mango Moon Capelli which is a fuzzy but very fine elastic yarn which is meant to be knit in with another yarn to add elasticity to a project. However I plan to use it alone to make a very simple airy scarf.

The smaller red ball is Rosarios 4 Pop Corn. Believe it or not, the yarn is 100% maize and extremely soft. I bought 2 balls to make the Branching Out scarf from Knitty.

The blue skein is Malabrigo lace weight and got to be the softest yarn ever. I don't usually go for lace weight but this is quite thick really and not far off 4ply so I'm going to make something special with that for myself. I might make a small kiri or something like that.

The little kitty brooch is actually from a lovely vintage boutique called Aspire Style in Warwick town. The stuff in there is amazing and definitely worth a browse.

I'd bore you with all the pictures from the haul but Blogger is playing up a bit and it's a pain trying to get it to load pictures. No doubt I'll put them up again in another post though.

I will show you this though...














This is just over 4 repeats of the Branching Out pattern in the Pop Corn yarn. The only complaint about the yarn is that it's very splitty but you get that with a lot of cottons really. I'd originally started it in koigu but this yarn suits the pattern so much more. I think with some blocking it'll open out nicely. The only mods to the pattern I've made is added 2 stitches to the garter border so that it's 5 stitches, not 3. The pattern isn't very wide so I thought that it would add width without having to work out half pattern repeats or anything too technical.

Well, I do want to get on with this project as it's for my great aunt so I'll bid you all goodnight xxx

A busy day

Hey there

I've been on a course for work today at the NEC in Birmingham. It was so lovely to be out and about and the course was actually very informative and interesting. I don't think I felt myself drifting sleepily once all day- which is pretty much a miracle! The lectures were centred around the use of blood and blood components in emergency situations and major incidents.

The most interesting features were the lectures on how this was done during the London Bombings of 7th July 2005. It was heart wrenching to hear the accounts of 2 A&E nurse practioners who were involved in the management and care of hundreds of critically injured and how some others were just too bad to even consider the "wasting" of valuable resources and made as comfortable as possible.

There were also lectures on cell salvage where the patients' own blood can be collected, processed and re-transfused to minimalize the amount of donor blood given to them during massive haemorrhage. All told, it was amazing to see how much our National Blood Service really needs donors and to educate the masses on the correct use of blood products and reduce mistakes that cost lives.

I know this is a bit alien to some of you, but I guess despite my artistic nature, I have the flip side of being a scientist as well... strange but true. I did fit in a bit of knitting today though! I couldn't knit during lectures obviously- I was too busy taking notes- but I did a little bit on the train and during the lunch intermission. So what have I cast on now???

To the impatient (you know who you are!) who leave comments demanding their next fix of my blogging, I have started the Cloud Bolero which I chose to make after running a small competition to find a bolero/shrug pattern and Ruth send me the link for Ysolda's creation. I have hit the 'cast on' button for it on ravelry so my progress will be added to on there as well as on here. So far I've done the set up rows and 2 out of 3 pattern repeats for section A so it's a good start so far. I'll post pictures when it actually looks a bit better, the piece isn't really long enough yet to get a half decent shot of anything.

Ho hum, I ought to be going to bed since I have to do some work on the portfolio tomorrow at work and it's hard enough to understand w/o sleep deprivation!

Good Night x

A FO!!!

Wow, the first 'proper' FO of the year!

Dahlia is finally finished! All the knitty gritty is on my ravelry profile :o)

Here's the pics tho as promised. I literally finished it tonight and am super happy with it. Albeit a little baggy, I'm sure I can pimp it up with a scarf or nice belt at the waist as suggested in the pattern notes.

































Well they aren't fabulous shots but for midnight using the camera on my phone, they'll have to do until I can get DB to play photographer.

I'm really happy with how everything turned out, even the sleeves. I was afraid they'd be weird because I had to do them on 5.5mm dpns instead of 5mm dpns. I would've eventualy bought another set to replace my lost 5mm dpn set but I wanted to wear this o Ravelry day- hurrah only 8days to go!





























Well guys sorry for the uber-short post but I'm shattered and really need to get some ZZzzz's!


Ooops I forgot to do the Topic 6 answer for UKSwap!
Q: Have you done a swap before (doesn't have to be a knitting swap)? What do you like best about swapping? Are there any personal "requirements" that a swap has to have before you will join?

Well, this is my first swap! I guess I was a little too nervous before to join one, but I've really enjoyed this so far. I guess I didn't want to much fussing with the swap. This is fairly straightforward with a reasonable budget (though I've got a little carried away!). I'll definately consider doing another!