Stash enhancements

As I mentioned the other day, it's been a frustrating month project-wise. Funny how it often seems to go in stages - January and February were a breeze, with projects just zinging off my needles and then - crash! March has been one big brick wall of knitting frustration. In an attempt to 'relieve the tension', I might have acquired a teeny little bit more stash in order to hopefully trigger a return of the mojo...... First up, some self-striping goodies that will become simple ribbed socks so as to maximise the 'show of colour':

Katia Ole Socks Gaudi - this is going to be so much to knit!

Jojoland Melody Superwash in a lovely mix of tweedy greens

(I have a purple colourway coming too, which I am ludicrously excited about)

Zitron Trekking in a heart-warming mix of purples,

browns and a flash of orange

Then we have the really good stuff - yes, more Hazel Knits! I tell you, Christine has a lot to answer for - but in the nicest possible way of course..... Wendee, the owner of Hazel Knits often puts up 'Naughty/Knotty' skeins in her shop - these are skeins that have a knot or flub in the strand. The marked-down prices make them incredibly good value - and the 'annoyance' of dealing with a knot is really so minor in comparison.... Anway, imagine my delight at picking up the following the other day:

Cabbage Rose

Terrywinkle

Now the hard part: having to choose the 'right' patterns for them!

A jolly good show

Even if I say so myself, the Great Birthday Party shindig was a roaring success:

I had them all making sparkly tiaras from a kit I found on Amazon (love that site!) which kept them wonderfully occupied for the first hour or so:

Then there was the 'feast', with all the accompanying Hello Kitty decorations and tableware:

And, of course, there was CAKE:

I almost had a heart attack when I went to pick this up and saw how big it was......carrying it home on the bus was a little nerve-wracking, but totally worth the look on Miss A's face when I opened up the box!

After all that, there was much mischief and merriment with all the balloons Mr. A had spent the morning blowing up:

Mummy is now going to have a large glass of wine and an early night..........

Not green!

Cast on: 1 March 2011
Cast off: 23 March 2011
Pattern: Oviatt by Melissa Goodale
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Hoppy Blonde
Needles: 2.5mm Magic Loop

Well, I did say that the next pair of socks shouldn't/couldn't be green didn't I?

To be honest, there were times this month when I seriously wondered if I would actually finish a pair of socks this month.

In addition to Oviatt (which was amazingly easy to do, by the way), I also started a pair of Thelonious in Dream in Color Smooshy in Some Summer Sky. I got to the bottom of the leg and they were faaaaar too tight, so that attempt got frogged.

I then used the same yarn to start a pair of Rick socks - only to be reminded exactly why I've never been really enamoured of that pattern (I don't like all the holes).

Third time around, I started another pair of Thelonious using some Juno Fibre Arts Buffy Sock in a lovely mix of purples - nope, that pattern has definitely got me licked.

Sometimes, Cookie A. patterns work a treat, other times they are just completely beyond my already over-loaded cerebral capacity......however, I still very much want to make a pair of Thelonious, so keep watching :-)

Not a baby any more.........

Four years already.......

how time flies when you're having fun

(and eating chocolate cake!)

Happy Birthday sweetie!

And here's to a FABULOUS party on Saturday :-)

(Mummy's dreading it just a little bit......)

Laundry Day

Do you think that, just maybe, for a little while at least, I need to knit socks in another colour than green??

Rhapsody in Blue...

I've been indulging in my love for blues recently - first up, a little baby kimono jacket commissioned by Mum for the forthcoming grandchild of a friend:

Made using King Cole Mirage in a lovely mix of pale & mid blues - I love using this particular yarn for baby things: it has a lovely fluffiness to it while still being super sturdy and machine-washable. Perfect!

Then, while going through all my 'odd' balls of wool last weekend, I realised just how much blue I had. This inspired me to do some squares for SIBOL - they will all be some form of 'circle in a square' pattern. Here are the first four:

I reckon there might be enough wool for a whole blanket, which I shall christen 'Rhapsody in Blue'. It's funny how much more engaged I am at the idea of making 6" squares rather than 8" squares........

Moody Blues

So, there I was, chugging along with some difficulty on my Thelonious socks....I had finally got to the heel flap on the first sock, when I thought: 'oooh, better try it on'. Dum, dum duuuuum (imagine sounds of doom): faaar too tight on the leg! Then to make it even worse, I realised that instead of 2x2 ribbing down the leg, I had done 1x1 ribbing - aaarrrrgghhhh! Amazingly, I didn't scream out loud.....

I'm not giving up on this pattern quite yet, but I think it needs to be done in a different yarn from Dream in Color Smooshy (I'm using Some Summer Sky). A rethink is required. In the meantime, I shall use up one of my substitute allowances for this month, and use this yarn to knit Rick from Sock Innovation - pictures once I've made it past the cuff.

On the good news front, I'm making great progress on my Oviatt socks, using Hazel Knits Artisan in Hoppy Blonde. This picture dates from earlier in the week - I have since finished both legs and turned both heels :-)

I'm also going great guns on the Sock Knitters Anonymous mystery sock - I'm using some 'old' yarn (i.e. bought over two years ago) from Needleworks Pleasure. All her colourways are one-off, unique creations - this one is La Reine Margot

Now to go and think about dinner.......