Progress

Well the blanket got finished and has gone off down to my mum to keep her lap warm when out and about in the wheelchair - just waiting on confirmation that it's big enough before I use the leftovers to do a cover for the chair cushion!

I've finally got the New Lanark Aran project sorted out - after several froggings last weekend much to the amusement of everyone - I'm doing this:

But I'm using a broken rib pattern to give a bit of texture (k1, p1 on row 1 then purl row 2) and have decided against any waist shaping as I want a big comfy warm about the house kind of jumper. It's going pretty fast - the back is almost finished.

And no, Owen ain't ready yet. Watch this space!

Button up

So that's something new done this year - covering buttons! Poor Owen got put on hold til I could find 4 large buttons which would not cost a fortune (what is it with buttons these days?). Finally (and yes I should have gone there first) I got them in mum's button box - flat and just the right size. Apparently these go inside the legs and arms and work the joints ... Owen and I are both a little sceptical about how this works in practice. But at least I now know how to cover buttons!

Muffins and blankets

Bake number two from my Christmas book - Blueberry and Lemon Muffins - with a secret bite of cream cheese in the middle and covered in lemon drizzle - very nice indeed! And I learned how to use the whisk bit of my food processor (and where it was).

For some reason which I can't work out my thighs get awfully cold these days - so they really needed their own little lap blanket. Funnily enough I had some Christmas money left over and John Lewis had a sale on so some of the Rowan Felted Tweed Chunky came home with me and is now halfway to being a lap blanket:

I know this isn't quite in the Cold Sheeping 2012 spirit but on the other hand I didn't want to eat into any of the sweater amounts of yarn and I didn't have anything really suitable anyway..... honest. And this is reinforcing how great it is to buy something and start it immediately!

He that hath ears to hear

He that hath ears to hear ..... currently also speaking or seeing no evil! One leg is almost finished but I need to go on a  button hunt first as they're needed for the joints. But Owen is becoming more bear like every day.

First Bake of the Year

Blackberry and pear scone - made with lots of ground almonds and gluten free flour - and er, quite a lot of dairy. Worked well - though maybe more of a pudding than a scone but then again I may have rolled it out too thin.
The recipe is from a book my sister gave me for Christmas - The Gluten Free Baker by Hannah Miles - lots of yummy looking recipes there so am planning the next one already.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year folks! And since I got my own internet access and new laptop sorted out in December then there might even be a few more posts this year....

So how did the cold sheep go? Well I knitted over 15,000 yards - but have to admit I did add some to the stash too. But I learned some things. It's a great feeling to buy something and come home and knit it up immediately! It's good to buy things that you know what you are going to do with!

The stash is now mostly large amounts - most of the odd balls got used up last year - so 2012 will be the year of big things....

But first, my first foot, Owen - currently the headless bear but getting there.

One week in July

last week was lovely - a week spent in stranraer with my mum the pair of us plotting and planning some knitting projects to use up some of our stash - mostly to finallyy to finish off our cottons. So a lot of time was spent looking at patterns and on ravelry but we each now have 5 project bags with a pattern and wool in each one ready and waiting.

I even managed to finish one that I started - a lacey scarf in RYC Silk Cotton only 2 balls at the grand cost of 80p each in a John Lewis sale a couple of summer's ago!

 W e also had chores to do - Alex the tiger was needing an operation and a bath !

And finally peace was shattered when everyone else came home - guess where Andrew had been!

The Cold Sheep bug

Well I've been good since New Lanark in April and haven't bought any more wool - but I've knitted up lots! Some of that was thanks to the impetus of a Cold Sheep Knit Along over on Ravelry - so my tally for that was a baktus scarf, a pair of cosy socks for my mum, a cowl and fingerless gloves to match, a rainbow shawl from kureyon sock yarn that didn't want to be socks, a pair of socks in fingering weight yarn I brought back from Germany and somehow they magically match each other, and a thick hat that covers my ears for the winter! I've also finished a danish tie shawl and a pink cotton sweater. So am feeling good about it all!

We went to New Lanark!