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!
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.
It just wented ... so fast that it's all a kind of blur. I've been on the road a lot with the job so I guess that explains it. But it's almost December and I've booked a table at a craft fair on the 13th (eek two weeks tomorrow!!) so need to get cracking and felting and sewing and allsorts. But first I have to tidy up - I noticed spiders' webs on the kitchen windowsill today, the new iron I bought inOctober is still in its box, I can't find anything (and certainly not the carpet) but hey, I have done all the christmas shopping ! (well okay I still have to buy for OH but he's just awkward)
So of course I am putting off the massive tidy up operation by 'tidying up' my pc and webs and stuff. Hhmmm. But here's a wee reminder that it'll be Christmas card time soon!!
Well the fluey lurgey thing continued - kind of got better then got worse again with sore throat and swollen glands - and the doc did end up testing for swine flu tho not heard back yet - so maybe I lied last time! Oops. We'll see.
Anyway, this being at home is great for the getting things finished malarky. I sewed up the Aran lacey jacket from Debbie Bliss's first magazine (had to redo the back from the armholes as I hadn't quite done it right and didn't know quite what I'd done wrong so it was easier to redo....) but it looked kind of lumpy and a bit tight - so I bravely filled the bath, dunked it in, then stretched it and pinned it to towels on the floor. And about two days later I have a wearable comfy jacket (needs buttons though).
Emboldened by this and taking deep breaths I finally grafted the cockleshell scarf I started on Shetland last hols - then spent ages weaving ends - then repeated the dunk and stretch bit. In this fine wool the results were amazing and dried really quickly. The crinkled mass all stretched out into lovely cockleshells after all!
Well all this being laid low by some fluey buggy lurgey thing (not swine flu, honest!) really does help get stuff finished! This all ready for autumn bodywarmer was going to be a jacket but it's quite bulky and also I was running out of wool, so it's a long hip warming length gilet. The button band and collar were a bit tricksy but think it's worked out ok. The wool was a fab bargain pack I got from Jamieson's when up in Shetland on holiday last year (and I need to knit up all those bargain packs so I can go back again some time!).
Well, it's not as big as I'd have liked, but I've used up all the wool - so I guess it's done. It's actually a good size for over the back of the sofa ready to get put to use while telly watching or reading in the evening -so I'm happy! And it was getting rather awkward to knit....
Yes it was big when I was knitting it ....
It was big when it was ready to felt....
and it's still big! Yay for a big red bag. Of course if I fill it with things it might be too heavy to lift ... and I need to find a big zip to finish it off, but it has used up a huge pile of lopi wool that I got on ebay and I've wanted to try this pattern (Noni Adventure Bag) for ages. So I did.
Other knitting updates are that the blanket is finished (ie I knit up all the wool I had) It's not quite a single blanket size but good enough for snuggling under on the sofa watching telly! If I find more suitable wool at some point it might enlarged.
I'm trying to finish off wintery knits at the mo so as to be ready when it comes - almost done the back of the Shetland stripey jacket though on looking at the wool I have left it might become a gilet instead. And at some point soon I will sew up the lacy Donegal Debbie Bliss jacket that has sat in bits since last October.....
Time is flying on again - and I've been busy of course - hols on the Northumberland coast were great - lots of time on the beach with kites and rock pools and walks, lots of knitting (a disastrous pink thing which got frogged) all the Harry Potter films (on various nights) and i got my blanket finished (well I ran out of wool so there's no border on it yet). And sadly I had to go back to work and it's been a hectic August so far but here's a few things to catch up on.
From this to this! My take on the French Market Bag on Ravelry - knitted in lopi. It's come out rather more square than I thought it would, but I like it anyway! Now I just need to find something to do with it! But it's certainly eating into my stash (which is good...)
