Clapotis time!

Well I've given in to the knitting forces in the world and cast on for a Clapotis, the amazingly popular (and free!) scarf/shawl pattern with a drop stitch feature. With the blanket on hold til more supplies arrive from Shetland, I needed a mindless and easy knit as the asthma has kicked in thanks to last week's cold and I'm spending quite a bit of at home trying to chill out time. So I raided the store of stash from John Lewis sale last summer when I got a lot of cotton and rowan wools. I had bought 12 balls of Natural Silk Aran which I had loved the look of before but was way too expensive at full price - but at £2 a ball it was much more reasonable. But there's not a lot of yardage in a 50g ball so I didn't quite have enough for any of the patterns I liked. I cast on for a waistcoat but I couldn't make gauge and realised that this wool will stretch and grow so decided to use it for a clapotis for the summer. There's been a couple done on Ravelry in this wool - one frogged as she said it was too heavy which i kind of wondered about -but others thought it was great so I've taken the plunge. It's knitting up pretty quickly and I'm almost half way through already.

And they're mine!!

Yes, finally got a pair of these socks that I can keep for myself.... (the others went to mum who's not been that well and loves having them to wear about the house as they're very cosy so that's okay really) which is just as well cos I'm starting to think it would be nice to do a different pattern! It's fyberspates space dyed blue faced leicester sock wool and ridge and furrow pattern. And the blanket is growing - it did really need more wool so I sent off to Shetland for about another 600 grms - there's nothing worse than a too short and too narrow blanket when you're trying to snuggle on the sofa. So, what should I try to finish off now?

Flowers

I was given these lovely flowers on Monday.... nice :)

More socks, sand and cake

Getting faster with this pattern now - just finished another pair for my mum, who was fascinated with the pooling of the colours and now owns 3 of these in different colourways. So have finally cast on a pair for myself...

We went out for some fresh air on Saturday - walk on the beach with the throwing of stones optional - then some nice tea and cake in the tearoom before back home for more food and DVDs. Nephew is one-armed cos of a kick boxing fall last week.... (yes auntie was in charge....) oops.

This cheery little robin was singing away inside Dobbies on my way home, made me smile!

A little winter trip

I love getting to take a little winter work trip that is almost as good as holiday - a week in Germany - lots of snow - I was staying in this lovely little red house in the woods - good company, good food (great cake....) and a day off in Bonn to go shopping and get some lovely sock wool. Which is just as well as I lied in my last post - I didn't get those nice fyberspates socks - I gave them to Mum who's not been that well and finds them really cosy in the house. So of course she got them and I just cast on the second of another pair for her. Ah well, I'll get a pair soon!

Christmas knitting! (And beyond...)

Well the pressies have all been given out long ago now so here's a few things I made for family this Christmas: This was a bowl I made for Mum from the felted (intentionally!) remains of Colinette jacket I knitted when we were on holiday one year, but it just kept stretching and growing and was pretty heavy so I flung in the machine to see what came out, and what came out was pretty thick! I also made a brooch out of hand dyed tiny skeins I got on Islay one year, with alpaca yarn for the leaves. Also lurking in there is a small 'stand' I made using my lucet for a large African egg which will now not be rolling all over her dressing table!And this a handbag for my sister - made of Noro Kureyon and kind of a booga bag but not exactly! I put in a snap fastener in the middle and hid it with the felted flowers on either side. And so to me.... draughts are now excluded from my flat! And I have regained a large area of the cupboard previously full of quilt polyfibre wadding stuff which is now fulfilling a useful function in life. And of course, another pair of socks - for me these ones - yay - yarn is blue face leicester from Fyberspates.

Random Christmas and New Year stuff

Well yes I made it down to my sister's - thanks citylink! - and had a great time for almost two whole weeks! Lots of DVDs (in pjs on sofa with breakfast), fun and games and too much to eat as usual. Lots of nice pressies all round, masses of photos taken, a real mess made when we decided to have a scrap day and lots of snow and ice still. So here's to 2010. And please I demand the right of veto on whatever crafty things my sister and mum think it will be a good idea to make next year ... poor Rudolph just made it and no more!

But I do have some place to go....

So why is it still snowing?? Why didn't it wait til everyone was where they want to be at Christmas and then snow... Harrumph. I have become a real woose about driving in snow and bad weather but my sister's is a couple of hours away over some moors etc so here's hoping that the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday really holds up and the snow lets off. This is the matchbox I sent off for our team swap on UKS - surprising how much you can get in a matchbox!

He's back!

It's December now.... so guess who sneaked out of the cupboard? Well I guess he's had a long sleep so is full of energy now! I'm not going to try to journal my christmas this year as I'm still on the road quite a bit for another week and don't really need anything else in my life that would make me feel 'behind' but at some point I'll do something - an A-Z maybe though I think some of those letters might be hard to find something for.