Little observations of everyday life

Moving on......

2011-08-07T11:12:00.002+01:00

As I am finding it increasingly frustrating to use Blogger (it takes me far too long to make a post look 'pretty' and let's not even talk about adding photos......), I'm moving this blog over to Wordpress

From today, you can find me here

It will take me a few days to move everything over - but I look forward to seeing you all over at the 'new place' soon!

Crochet Mania

2011-08-03T16:51:00.008+01:00

I've been completely bitten by the crochet bug - again! It's funny - I've always loved crochet, not least because it gives you quick results. But my love for it seems to come and go in waves - I can spent a whole week churning out squares and then touch my hooks for months.

Which might explain why this little blanket for SIBOL was started back in March and only finished yesterday:

Can you see my little helper in the bottom of the picture? Hee hee!

But that's not all - one of the ladies in the Knitting Goddesses group on Ravelry has recently 'discovered' crochet and was showing off her latest creations - rather funky scarves that let all the lovely colours of sock yarns show in all their glory. Cue me spending several happy hours browsing scarf and cowl patterns for all those yarns in my stash that have never really wanted to be socks.

One of these in particular was a gorgeous skein of Dream in Colour Stardust in a lovely mix of turquoises and blues, shot through with fine silver thread. I had tried to turn it into a knitted shawl, but I have now realised that these are really my thing (to either make or wear). So, on Sunday afternoon, I started this little cowl/neckwarmer - I only put time into on the bus to/from work and it's already done:

And I only used just under half of the skein - which means I've got plenty left for a matching pair of gloves (now those will be knitted - crochet gives too thick a fabric when making gloves - ask me how I know!)

But that's not all. Flushed with the success of my blanket, and in the hopes that the current hot weather will continue (which is not really conducive to major sock knitting....), I have decided to see if I can make a different granny square for each day of August. I'll be using my Jan Eaton book, as well as a new book that I got from Amazon (with 99 different patterns) as well as all the freebie patterns I've printed off the web in recent months.

Here are the first two - makes a nice change from blue :-)

NB: for future reference, I'll be using a 4mm hook with double-knit yarn and aiming for 6" squares (as they are going to SIBOL). If I need to make extra rounds, any crochet terminology that I use will be US terms

Square 31:1 - Bea's Flower Square, added 2 extra rounds of DCs

Square 31:2 - Spinner from Jan Eaton's 200 Blocks - no changes to pattern

Trying to be good........

2011-07-27T09:31:00.006+01:00

.....now that things have calmed down a little (we're back from what was possibly the wettest, coldest 'summer' holiday I think I've ever had - but at least we got to eat Mum's cooking for a week - never a bad thing!), I'm trying to be good and finish up some projects before starting anything new.

I finished my Sam socks - the Sanguine Gryphon Kypria yarn is deliciously soft (unlike many merino/bamboo blends) and the colours are just dreamy....

I even had enough left over to make a little hat for my nephew - just hope it fits!

I did a fair bit of 'holiday knitting' - made good progress on my BFF socks, using the fabulous Sirius yarn from Barking Dog Yarns - I was concerned that the colours were hiding the cables, but now that I've finished the first sock, I'm not so worried. This is a very simple, straightforward pattern, with very little brain-power required - but strangely, I'm also finding it a little boring. Still, it's perfect for knitting on the bus, so I reckon I should have no problem getting the second sock finished by the end of August

Just before leaving for France, I also decided that it really was time I knit a pair for Miss A. There then followed an interesting conversation, where I offered her the choice of all kinds of beautiful colours (lilacy-blues, purples, greens - you name it, the colour was available). But no, Madam would ONLY consider a pair in pink - and the brighter the better! So, four days later, her wishes were granted - and she didn't take them off four the next two days (not surprising, given how cold it was.......)

Yes, one is a little longer than the other - because I was so distracted by being constantly asked when they would be finished, that I forgot to change needle sizes the way I had done on the first sock..... I also only used about 2/3 of the skein, so I guess there will be another pair in this appearing at some point in the future.

So now, for the rest of the summer, I'm going to concentrate on finishing up my outstanding pairs - such as this one, which I finished back in March, but haven't touched since......

I have another three (or is it four - really must go investigate all the bags in which my projects have taken up residence) pairs where I have completed the first sock. It's going to feel so good to get them all finished!

On a roll.......

2011-06-29T13:50:00.002+01:00

Having finished today's first layout, I thought I'd try and see what I could do with the same papers. They came from a coordinated page kit that I had put together some time (along with about 20 others - must get to those).

For the sketch, I picked a page at random from Ali Edwards' book "Designer's Eye 2", which I recently 'rediscovered' when doing a major tidy-up of my study.

I think the title says it all really. Also, I find it so hard to believe that there are 16 years between the two photos I used today........

Possibly the most special photo ever......

2011-06-29T13:29:00.005+01:00

Today's first layout features a very special photo of Mr A and myself. I'm not sure I've told the story if how we met on here before, but we met at Uni in the late 80's and were actually best friends for over 10 years before we actually got together as a couple.

Those were the days when digital cameras / mobile phones were still quite far off in the distance - which goes part of the way to explaining why this is the ONLY photo I have of the two us from that time.

So here we are - dressed up in all our finery for the 1991 Midsummer Ball. This photo triggers so many memories / emotions:

1. It was a great night, enhanced by the fact that we all knew it was the last time we'd all be together in this way

2. Mr. A had just found out he'd missed getting a First class degree by a ludicrously small amount....I would still have to wait another 3 weeks for my results (but at least the exams were over!)

3. I was wearing my first 'designer' outfit - a luscious, strapless dress by Valentino in black velvet with a wide, emerald green satin sash that was tied in a bow. The dress was bought specially for the occasion from an awesome shop in Brighton's Lanes, courtesy of my wonderful Daddy. And if any of you wonder about my dress sense, remember this was the tag-end of the 80s when a lot of fashion faux-pas were made.....

Anyone for Thickers?

2011-06-22T13:02:00.002+01:00

If I had to choose my favourite 'bit' of scrapbooking stash, it would have to be letters. You name it: rub-ons, die-cuts, stickers - any kind of alphabet and it has to be mine! And my particular favourite has to be the Thickers ranges from American Crafts. Unfortunately, they are not exactly cheap.....

So, imagine my delight when I found a seller on eBay who was selling off her stash of Thickers - there were all kinds and even though some of them were part-used, at £4 for a set of 8-10 sheets, they were an amazing bargain. I had to fight off some fairly stiff competition, but nothing much was going to stop me!

This morning, I went to the Post Office, and picked up a HUGE box which contained this gorgeous lot of scrummyness:

Yep, 42 sheets of Thickers! Guess who's a happy girl today?

Even better, I've already made use of some of them:

The Weasleys go to Canada

2011-06-17T12:58:00.000+01:00

And the 14th pair for 2011 are done - these are going to my colleague Jo, who is having a really rough time at the moment, and spending 3-4 nights a week in a hotel - hopefully these will help bring a little 'home' comfort to her.....

Pattern: Weasley Homestead by Erica Lueder
Yarn: Claudia Handpainted in Maple Leaf (do you get it now? LOL!)

Hallelujah!

2011-06-07T20:30:00.000+01:00

No, I haven't come over all religious - but I HAVE finally finished the *insert expletive* Rhombus socks:

Don't get me wrong: I love the colour and the yarn was delightful to work with. But it was such a slog to keep going with these - lots of twisted stitches, cross-over cables and picking up new stitches - just doing 6 rows (or less) was enough to give me a headache. And to cap it all, I'm not actually convinced about the final product....... In fact, I'm thinking of giving them away - but that would require finding some who a) has the same size feet as me and b) would appreciate the amount of work that has gone into them.

So maybe I should just put them in the sock drawer and hope I like them once autumn comes around again?

Sketch of the week

2011-06-03T21:00:00.000+01:00

Every Wednesday, Shimelle posts a sketch of the week - a good way of getting the creative juices going - even if the final result turns out quite differently

This was the sketch for this week:

Which Shimelle turned into this:

And here's my take - a full double layout :-)

A few details:

Even Mr. A likes it!

Washi, washi!!!

2011-06-03T19:13:00.005+01:00

So, I'm rapidly getting back into the swing of things scrapping-wise. Having browsed lots of different crafty blogs recently, I've noticed that lots of people are getting excited about washi tape - best description I can think of is that it is a kind of Japanese masking tape which comes in lots of pretty colours/designs. Now, because it comes from Japan, it's not exactly cheap.....I also didn't really want to risk buying entire rolls of the stuff, in case I didn't like / couldn't make it work.

So imagine my happiness when I found this fab shop on Etsy - and imagine my even greater happiness and excitement when the postie squeezed this through the letter box today:

And what was inside, I hear you ask?
28 little wooden spools of washi tape - in all the colours of the rainbow :-) So, if you don't hear from me for a while, you know what I'll be doing.........

Knitting update

2011-06-01T18:43:00.003+01:00

I finished my 12th pair for 2011 last night - which means I'm still ahead of my target :-) These were great fun to knit - the pattern is Rudy Got Sole by Amy Klimt, using Claudia's Handpainted sock yarn in the John B. colourway. Must get some more of this stuff - I love the rich, saturated colours and it knits up beautifully.

It will be interesting to see how June goes - I'm 'supposed' to start the June socks for the Knit.Sock.Love KAL (I'm substituting Sam for Stricken - can't face all those cables right now.....) and I also want to knit Yarnissima's Gush mystery sock for the Solid Socks group. However, I also have FIVE pairs of socks already on the needles, on which I really must make some progess.....

First up, there is Rhombus from Knit.Sock.Love - these are taking foreeeeevvverrr. I've finished the 1st sock, and the leg on the 2nd - really hope they will be worth all the work, because I'm totally not feeling the love right now...

Then there is the May Mystery sock from the Knitting Goddess group - I'm making these using a skein called Heather Trio (bought way back in 2009 would you believe?). Again, these are going slowly - I've only done the 1st clue on both socks......my brain doesn't seem able to cope with charts at the moment. There is no real deadline for these, so maybe I'll just let them 'rest' for a bit....

I then have a pair of SKA mystery socks that have been hibernating since March (these are the same pattern as the red/brown ones that Mum claimed as her forthcoming Christmas present)

I don't have photos of the fourth (Tresse Socks by Nicole Masson aka Stefanina, using Angels & Elephants sock yarn in the Mevagissey colourway) and fifth (Solid Socks March Mystery socks by Lisa Stichweh using a lovely delphinium blue from Patons) pairs - but that's because I haven't really made enough progress to justify getting the camera out......

UPDATE: I did indeed cast on the Gush socks :-) I couldn't decide between three shades of blue, so Mr A helped me pick this: Knitting Goddess Merino 4ply in Hyacinth:

Aren't they the most gorgeous colour???

You won't believe it........

2011-05-25T19:30:00.006+01:00

....but I've actually been scrapping! I know, I'm still pretty amazed about it myself!

By my calculations, it's been about 3 years since I did full layout. Not good, especially given a) how much pleasure I got out of it and b) how many photos I have accumulated in that time. There were all sorts of reasons why I stopped, but the main one was that it was absolutely impossible for quite a long period of time to devote myself to something that meant separating myself from a small person - ever tried sitting in a separate room from an inquisitive toddler who totally breaks your concentration by a) wanting to know what you're doing and b) wanting to 'help'? Trust me, it's not possible. That's one of the joys of knitting - it can be done in the same room as the small person

Anyway, my mojo / inspiration has recently returned in a major way, triggered by three things: Shimelle Laine, one of my favourite designers has been posting some awesome weekly sketches. Then the naughty girl mentioned Pinterest a few weeks back - if you don't know about it already, go check it out - it's the most awesome online tool for helping you keep track of all the lovely photos that can be found on the web, be they crafty things, interior design, colour schemes, you name it. It is simply the best thing to come to interweb in simple ages

And the final trigger for this return to inspiration? The arrival in February of my totally adorable, cute as pie, little nephew Alexander. I know I'm biased, but he is just the sweetest little baby with the sunniest, happiest of natures - and he's got the most adorable dimples too! His parents are holding a naming ceremony for him in a fortnight, so here is how I've been spending my Wednesdays for the last few weeks - a paper bag mini album:

- the afore-mentioned dimples :-)

- chilling with his Mummy

- see that gorgeous smile?

- and lastly, one for all you Fawlty Towers fans (this is a bit of inside family joke - my sister was a massive Fawlty Towers fan and used to do the most hilarious impression of Manuel.......):

I've actually done four more pages, but these are the ones I'm most happy with. It's been sooo wonderful getting back to this fabulous hobby - choosing the photos, the papers and embellishments - seriously, this much fun really shouldn't free!

I think it's safe to say that you'll be seeing lots more scrapping projects in the near future :-)

Famous?

2011-05-25T09:09:00.003+01:00

As you know, I have a bit of a passionate love affair with Hazel Knits yarn - I've made three (or is it four?) pairs of socks with Artisan Sock now. And of course, I've joined the HK club for the last 3 shipments, so I have plenty more to play with :-)

Anyway, I recently got a message from Viki, who 'runs' the Hazel Knits blog, asking if she could feature my Mona socks.....once I'd picked myself up off the floor, I said yes (of course!).

So my lovely blue socks are now reaching a wider audience! Check it out here

P.S. I haven't been ignoring the blog - I've just been super busy. And......I've been scrapping again! More details soon, I promise!

May madness

2011-05-04T10:54:00.004+01:00

It's the start of a new month, and you know what that means, don't you? Yep - new socks!

To be honest, I might just have bitten off more than I can chew this month......after all, I've still got the Mermaid socks, the 2nd pair of Monas and the 2nd pair of March mystery socks still on the go as well. Hmmm.....maybe I should finish a pair before starting new ones? Nah! what's the fun in that?

First up, this month's pattern for the Knit.Sock.Love KAL is Rhombus - pretty damn complicated to be honest, but I'm making good progress (I'm at the heel flap now so quite a bit further on than when this picture was taken):

I'm using the gorgeous lilac-coloured Hero sock yarn that I received in the Secret Santa Swap I took part in last December - it comes from Flamboyance Yarns. Go take a look - they have the most gorgeous, one-off colourways in all kinds of lovely fibre mixtures.

Next up, the theme of Sock Knitters Anonymous is 'textured' - i.e. producing texture using knit and purl stitches. I've chosen to use some of my favourite yarn - Claudia Handpainted - in the John B. colourway and using the Rudy Got Sole pattern (will be a nice, mindless break from Rhombus!):

And last, but not least, we have the May Mystery pattern from the Knitting Goddess group. I'm using the Heather Trio colourway that I bought waaay back when I first discovered Joy's yarns. I was a bit uncertain as to whether the colours were hiding the pattern, but I love the diagonal stripes so much, I'm going to continue regardless!

Not green!

2011-04-30T11:05:00.001+01:00

I forgot! One pair of completed Monas, using Hazel Knits Artisan sock in Cloudy Day. This was one of the December 2010 club colours - I wasn't a member at the time, but was lucky to find a skein for trade

I enjoyed knitting this pattern so much, I've already started another pair - this time I'm using Barking Dog Yarns' Sirius sock yarn in Sonoran Desert:

P.S. See our pretty little pansies and violas in the background, hiding behind the blue Monas? The garden is coming up really nice after all the recent sunshine. Now, if we can just keep the slugs away........

Phew!

2011-04-30T10:31:00.002+01:00

It's been a busy couple of weekends! Having had a very intense month-and-a-half at work, I decided that I merited a wee break - one of the joys of working part-time is that I only need to take a few days leave to have a good spell away from the office. This, combined with all the lovely Bank Holidays we've just had recently (there was the four-day Easter weekend, followed by another four-day weekend courtesy of the Royal Wedding and May Day), meant that I've just had almost two weeks off - can't remember the last time that happened!

I took Miss A to 'chocolate heaven' (aka Brussels) for Easter weekend - a great opportunity to spend some quiet/quality time with both her and my parents. One of my oldest (and bestest) friends was also there - a great excuse for a reunion over a lovely Easter Sunday brunch and an easter egg hunt!

Just before we left London, I had managed to finish a little pair of socks for my friend's daughter, who just happens to share the same birthday as Miss A. I've given her mummy a few pairs now - and she's apparently been fascinated (and just a little jealous!). Time to redress the balance then!

I even have enough left (i.e. half the skein!) to make a pair for Miss A - in fact, she's getting quite desperate for a new pair, so I really must get a move on.....

Miss A had a special pair of bunny ears just for the occasion (yes, she has an easter egg planted firmly in her cheek!)

As you might be able to tell from the photos, we had the most amazing weather - I'm pretty sure it got to 30 degrees on the Sunday afternoon. A perfect excuse to sit on the terrace and run up a few crochet squares for SIBOL - amazing how many you can get from just a few balls of wool!

Then it was back to London for a few days of 'peace' and quiet before all the madness of the Royal Wedding. Miss A woke me on the morning of the Big Day at 6am, asking if it was time yet......thank goodness the BBC started broadcasting at 8am! But seriously, even though I'm hardly a supporter of the monarchy, it was a great show - the bride looked stunning, the couple looked so happy, and the crowds were pretty amazing. All in all, a great day!

Someone's been using my camera again........

2011-04-23T10:28:00.000+01:00

......funny the photos you find on your camera when you've left if within easy reach for a few minutes!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

2011-04-21T09:28:00.001+01:00

Look what I found when I walked into the living room this afternoon:

I just love the way she's lined all the animals up in straight lines......... :-)

Trio of Mysteries

2011-04-03T11:26:00.003+01:00

I finished my first pair of SKA March Mystery socks on Tuesday night - these were already claimed by Mum during her visit last week. Which means I've already finished my first present for Christmas 2011 - mwah ha ha ha!! The colour is proving amazingly hard to photograph - but hopefully you get a good idea of the strawberry pinks, coral reds and mushroom browns:

I immediately started a 2nd pair for me (well, it's actually the 3rd pair as I have another one on the needles in a mix of browns and greens). That naughty skein of Dream in Color Smooshy (in Some Summer Sky) is finally behaving itself. Isn't it pretty?

The final part of the trilogy is this rather gorgeous design, Summer Blooms by Marcy Vandale. It's the April/May mystery sock for the Solid Socks group. I'm using Fleece Artist Sea Wool in a gorgeous shade of raspberry pink. It's a strange design - seems like a really slow knit, but actually goes very fast. I'm using 2.25mm needles for this one, as I wanted to see just how much firmer the fabric would be than with 2.5mm needles. I only have one circular needle in that size, which means I'll be forced to take this project nice and slow - makes a change :-)

My final contribution to the SKA March / Lace challenge month are these:

This is another yarn (Juno Fibre Arts Buffy Sock in 'Passion') that has been a little 'naughty' - I've tried knitting a shawl and a different pair of socks, with no luck. Don't get me wrong, I love this stuff: the colours are amazing, it's soft and squishy. The problem is that it's a little on the thin side, and I don't do so well with those. Case in point: these socks were supposed to be for my sick colleague (the one I made the uber-bright rainbow socks for, which never reached their destination.......) and they have come out waaaay too small for any full-grown adult. Thankfully, they will fit my best friend's 9-year-old daughter perfectly, so no trips to the frog pond this time around.

Stash enhancements

2011-03-27T09:25:00.003+01:00

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

2011-03-26T18:30:00.002Z

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!

2011-03-24T19:08:00.002Z

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.........

2011-03-23T09:19:00.003Z

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

2011-03-12T18:02:00.001Z

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...

2011-03-11T17:57:00.000Z

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

2011-03-10T17:48:00.000Z

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.......

Giving something back......

2011-02-27T18:55:00.005Z

One of my favourite, leisurely activities is to take a little wander through Blogland - I get lots of crafty inspiration and feed my senses with pretty colours and things. I hadn't done this in a looooong time, so yesterday I took advantage of a momentary lull in the usual weekend madness, and came across a couple of new charity projects which I think are worthy of wider attention / publicity.

First up, there is Crochet a Rainbow - this has been set up by crochet designer, Sarah London, who is based in Australia. Watching the footage of the devastation caused by the recent floods, she desperately wanted to do something to help. She has come up with a devilishly simple, but super effective, plan: she is asking for donations of granny squares in bright colours. (For full details and instructions, click on the rainbow button at the top right of this blog).

So, this morning, I decided to resurrect 'Crochet Sunday' - this was something I started doing back in the summer (i.e. a bit of leisurely crochet while waking up to my favourite day of the week), but which has lapsed a little recently. You may remember that, back in July, I was given some squares and wool by a colleague? Well, I had turned a few of them into the larger 8"squares required for Knit-A-Square, but still had quite a few that hadn't been 'dealt with'. Imagine my hapiness when I discovered that they were all made up of 5 rounds - perfect! Well, except for one thing: they all needed multiple ends weaving in:

Nothing much else to do but roll up my sleeves and get going really......cue a scene of slight chaos and confusion - but it's all crafty, so it doesn't matter!!

Even Miss A got in on the act:

- note how I sacrificed one of my precious sheets of 12 x 12 scrapbooking card??? No, seriously - I love the fact that she seems to have inherited the 'crafty gene' in the biggest possible way - long may it continue!

And here's the final result - 41 squares all tidied up and ready for posting tomorrow!

And the 2nd charity I hear you ask? Well this one is much closer to home - set up by the lovely Mrs Twins, this one is called Sunshine International Blankets of Love (or SIBOL) for short. Basically, Mrs Twins (aka Sue) collects 6" squares of all designs (knitted and crocheted) which she then makes up into blankets for the elderly. This one appeals to me on several fronts - the squares will be quicker to make than the ones for Knit-A-Square, I can plunder my enormous collection of square patterns and it's a UK-based effort. Guess you could say I'm spreading the love! Pictures in due course - once I've actually settled on a pattern / colour scheme.....seriously, that's the hardest part :-)

And what of Knit-A-Square? I will admit that things have slackened off a bit recently, but I have still managed a few bits and pieces:

And then, of course, there are two famous afghans that were started last spring. If you remember, one of them was going to be for the 1st child of some friends (the other is/was for Miss A - but more of that another time). Well, that particular child was born back in May - so then the blanket was going to be for my niece/nephew - well, that child has also now been born! Both babies got other goodies from me, which leaves me without a recipient at the moment. I figured it might be a good idea to actually get it finished so it could go to the next baby to come along - whenever that might be!

I am actually quite a bit further along than I realised - almost 50% of the 64 squares are done. Here's the green square - I need 10 of these, but they're pretty quick. Then (hallelujah!), I get to move onto the pretty colours: blue, pink and purple - yummy!

Centered Square from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton

Patons Diploma Gold DK in Dark Green (6246) & Thyme (6213)

and King Cole Big Value DK in Lawn (11), 4.5mm hook, 6" across

I hope all your Sundays were as crafty and colour-filled as our :-)

THREE pairs!

2011-02-26T10:12:00.006Z

I have managed to finish not one, not two, but THREE pairs of socks since I last posted - not bad, given that I've also been very busy with family stuff (more on that later) and getting my head round some fairly major changes at work.....but enough of that uninteresting, work-related stuff, let's get to the pictures!

First up, I finally finished the Gentian socks for the Hazel Knits KAL. I was given this particular skein of yarn (Artisan sock in Sagebrush) last summer by the awesome Christine - I wonder if she realised just how addicted to it I would become? (Actually, given how much of this stuff she has, I think she probably did - naughty girl!)

Pattern: Gentian by Lisa Stichweh

Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Sagebrush

Start Date: 1 January 2011

End Date: 13 February 2011

It's a wondefully squishy, bouncy and quite thick yarn - it knits up with beautiful stitch definition and makes for a pair of very warm, snuggly socks. As a result of Christine's machinations, I have since acquired two more skeins of Artisan - Hoppy Blonde and Cloudy Day (this last one was the Club yarn from December 2010, which I was lucky to get my hands on through a trade with a fellow Ravelry member)

I also ordered the February/March sock club yarn - an amazing deal, as you get TWO skeins of 'surprise' yarn for a really good price. It's currently on it's way over the ocean (hurry up, Mr. Postman!), but I took a sneaky peek at the Hazel Knits blog - and almost fainted.....

Good Morning and Pick Me:

SWOOON!!

Next up, we have the Monkey socks from the Knit.Sock.Love February KAL - these were made using Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight in Quinault Canopy. Another nice, thickish, squishy pair of socks - and I love the way the colours twisted themselves around the leg...

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A. (Knit.Sock.Love)

Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Quinault Canopy

Start Date: 1 February 2011

End Date: 23 February 2011

The reason these socks took just over three weeks was because I was also knitting another pair for a colleague who's in bad need of some serious cheering up. She's going in for back surgery next week and is just a little nervous to say the least. Hopefully, these will cheer her up nicely while she's on her back for 3 weeks afterwards:

Pattern: Diagonal Rib Socks by Ann Budd (I inverted the cables on the 2nd sock)
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Sunset 100 in shade 8701

Start Date: 5 February 2011

End Date: 25 February 2011

Next up on my list is Thelonious, which is the Knit.Sock.Love pattern for March - looks pretty complicated and has required the creation of some special stitch markers so I don't lose my way. I'm also planning on turning the Artisan in Hoppy Blonde (the first yellow picture above) into a pair of Oviatt socks by Melissa Goodale - her description says it all:

"Echoing the grand Art Deco glass of Los Angeles' Oviatt Building, this sock's slip-stitch pattern creates an eye-catching geometry. Ribbing feeds into the window-pane design - much like the period by which it is inspired, Oviatt is functional, elegant and modern". Can't wait...

This post is now quite long enough - I will keep the big family news for the next one!

Plodding along.....

2011-02-12T09:00:00.005Z

I finished the Hedera socks for the January Knit.Sock.Love KAL - not too sure I understand why people rave about / enjoy this pattern so much. I found it quite boring, and had to really push myself to finish them. They are now in the hands of Royal Mail, heading off to Scotland - hopefully they will bring a touch of spring to my best friend's feet :-)

Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A.
Yarn: Buffy Sock by Juno Fibre Arts in Stargazer colourway
Start date: 15 January 2011
Finish date: 4 February 2011

I'm still soldiering on with the Hazel Knits mystery socks - I've reached the final clue on both socks, so hopefully I will have a new, finished pair to show you shortly. I've enjoyed knitting these - mainly because I know completely understand why people rave so wildly about this yarn. However, they have been slow-going and I will be glad to get them off the needles and onto my feet. The yarn is super squishy and bouncy - and these socks will be very warm and cozy - perfect!

I've also started a pair of Monkey socks for the February Knit.Sock.Love KAL. I'm using some Socks That Rock Lightweight in the Quinault Canopy colourway. I've always drooled over this yarn when I've seen it on Ravelry - so I treated myself to four skeins for my 40th last year. This is the first one to be knitted up - and I LOVE it....the squishiness, the colours, the excitement of seeing how the colours come out and they way in which they pool together in different, mysterious ways......happy sigh! Here's the first sock (are you impressed with the photographic composition?)

I've also started another Mystery Sock (I know, I'm powerless to resist!) in the Barking Dog Yarns group. I've only recently discovered these yarns, and I'm looking forward to knitting with the skein of Sirius that I recently purchased. However, I'm not using that yarn for this project, as my swift has had to be sadly retired to knitting heaven and I am therefore forced to only use yarns that I have already wound into cakes until I can find a replacement.

I started out using a rather interesting yarn I had traded last summer with another Knitting Goddess - it's composed of 50% wool, 50% yak (of all things!). I love the colours and it was coming out quite pretty:

Unfortunately, it feels very stiff and scratchy. It's also unbelievably fragile - in the space of one single row, it broke THREE times. So, I have frogged my progress so far - I think I'll use hold it double and use it for something that won't get intensive wear, like a hat or scarf. We'll see......

I'm now going to be using this:

Zitron Trekking XXL in a lovely grey that is shot through with red, orange and brown. I've had this for ages, so it's definitely time it got used! I've only managed the cast on so far, but I reckon I should make good progress in the next few days.

That's it for today - now must get off and finish those HK socks!

Peacock Feathers

2011-01-23T10:46:00.005Z

At last! Started back in October, I really don't know why this pattern (Passerine by Cookie A) was such a struggle.....and given that I was knitting them in the softest, smooshiest, squishiest merino/cashmere mix, you'd have thought they would wizz by.

Still, I'm really happy with how they have come out - and I love the 'feather' pattern that goes down the leg and long the foot....

I also managed to finish this little baby jacket for my friend Jessica, who had her second baby boy the week before Christmas - I'm also giving her the Oxblood Mystery socks that I finished back in October - I had enough left of the brown wool to make a little hat, so both Mummy and baby will be snuggly warm :-)

Overheard.......

2011-01-20T10:00:00.000Z

Conversations overheard between Miss A and one of her friends at nursery:

J: My daddy's losing his hair......
A: That's ok, my daddy's got no hair at all, he's BALD!

J: My mummy and daddy don't love each other any more, that's why daddy has his house and mummy has her house
A: My mummy and daddy love each other, and they got married, but they got married BEFORE I was born!

From the mouths of babes......!

First pair of 2011

2011-01-15T09:57:00.003Z

Yipee! The Cauchy socks are done - and I'm pretty pleased with them to be honest. I like the way the various purl and knit stitches combine to create an almost optical illusion. The Koigu was lovely to knit with (quite similar to Claudia Handpainted in terms of weight and 'bounce') - it makes for a nice snuggly pair of socks, without being overly warm, which is always nice!

Now to finish the Passerines that I started back in October......

Ooops!

2011-01-09T07:51:00.007Z

I've just realised that, in the mad end-of-year flurry, I forgot to show some of the things I finished up just before Christmas. First up, Mum's beret for 2010 - a Breiwick beret by Gudrun Johnston. This designer is based in Shetland and the hat's cable pattern was inspired by her beachcombing walks - it was a lovely pattern to knit and I think the final effect is very impressive. I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in Russet - the picture doesn't really bring out the red tones but still gives you a good idea:

Mum had requested a brown beret this year to go with her brown coat. She says it has a much firmer brim than the grey Whirlpool beret I made for her last Christmas - good to know for the future!

Next up we have the first of the baby blankets - this one was done in a variety of DK cottons (primarily Paton Sorbet). It didn't come out quite as big as I would have liked, but seeing as my sister has almost been inundated with various baby blankets of bigger sizes, this will work quite well as a pram cover once it gets warmer. I also hope the bright colours and texture will be nicely stimulating for the new baby (only three weeks to go now....)

On the sock front, a few hours after I posted the picture of my Cubist socks, I realised that the pattern just wasn't working with the yarn. So I frogged and started over with Cookie's Cauchy pattern from Sock Innovation. Sooo much better - while the pattern still doesn't jump out as much as it would in a semi-solid yarn, it almost looks like an optical illusion, which is pretty cool.

I'm halfway through the foot of the first sock, so still on course :-)

A lot of my recent projects have been in quite dark colours (or green - what's all that about?), so I decided I needed something pretty and spring-like. I'm using one of my favourite yarns, Claudia's Handpainted (which I used to make my very first pair) - it's soft, squishy and the variegated colourways are soft and subtle. This is Maple Leaf, which mixes shades of olive green and salmon/sugar pink. It's coming out quite differently on both sides, so when I get to the heel flap, I'll have fun deciding which is to be the front....

The pattern is Weasley Homestead by Erica Lueder - she's done a whole series of patterns inspired by the Harry Potter books/films, and I'm planning to do a few more of them. This one is super easy and mindless - a 12-row elongated rib stitch that works really well with variegated yarn. It also goes really fast - I only started on Wednesday and have almost finished the first leg - not bad!

New Projects

2011-01-03T09:59:00.006Z

It's a New Year, which means New Projects - right? Well, in my world it does :-)

(Note: we will ignore the two pairs of socks still on the needles from last year, as well as the three crochet blankets crying out for a little attention......)

First up, I've been whipping up some more squares for Knit-A-Square -

I'm particularly pleased with this one, which is called Wagon Wheel Square:

Then, we have the first 'official' KAL for the Knit.Sock.Love group. Cookie has structured this book according to the design elements of the patterns - Columns, Tesselations and Diagonals, with the patterns in each section being listed according to difficulty. The group will be knitting the patterns slightly out of order, with the 1st Column, then the 1st Tesselation, etc. etc. We are allowed to substitute up to four other Cookie patterns throughout the length of the KAL.

This month the pattern is Hedera - which has never really rung by bell, so to speak. So I'm using my first substitute card. I give you Cubist, using Koigu Painters' Palette Premium Merino (also known as KPPPM in the knitting world - not surprising really!) in a rather lovely, washed-out shade of minty green:

As always with a Cookie pattern, it's an interesting construction - and it's growing quickly (the picture shows the results of just one evening's knitting), which is good because I have also started a Mystery Sock with the Hazel Knits group. I was lucky enough to be given a gorgeous skein of Hazel Knits Artisan yarn by the lovely Christine back in the summer. As it's a mystery sock, there is no name for the pattern just yet, but it's by the amazing Lisa Stitchweh who does awsome things with cables:

Interesting, until I saw these photos together, I hadn't realised quite how similar these colourways were - it's obviously going to a 'spring green' month.....anything to counteract the grey skies and drizzly weather that have been hanging around in the last few days.

I might (just might) start a pair of blue socks for the Solid Socks KAL (January has been declared 'blue' month) but I'm not sure yet - I'll certainly not finish them by the end of the month (both of the other KALs are two months long - even if Life intervenes, I know I stand a good chance of finishing them before the deadline!).

Knitting Totals 2010

2011-01-01T09:27:00.001Z

Well, I made it up to 17 pairs of socks in the end! Here are the final two pairs:

- the first for Mum using Angels & Elephants BFL Sock in Tamar and my own cable design:

They fit her perfectly and she loves them - result!

The second pair were done on a bit of a whim. I've joined the Knit.Sock.Love KAL group on Ravelry, where we will be doing each of the socks in the books over the next year and a bit. In December, they organised a warm-up KAL where you had to use a Cookie pattern that was not in KSL - I decided to make a pair of Wanidas, partly because I loved the pattern the first time around and partly because I wanted/needed a pair of plum-coloured socks to replace a pair that have mysteriously disappeared - I swear, I've hunted everywhere and just can't find them. I'm most unhappy, as they were last year's Socktober mystery socks knitted in Dream in Color Smooshy that I finished on New Year's Eve 2009. So here are the replacement pair, also finished on New Year's Eve, but one year later (obviously!):

These were made using the Knitting Goddess's Merino/Bamboo. It was originally a very bright mix of yellow, pink and orange - really not my thing. So I overdyed it with some Dylon in Violet - and absolutely love the result - a mix of plum, purple and russet brown. I re-named it Forest Fruits as it reminded me of autumnal walks and blackberry picking :-)

In terms of other knitting totals, I managed the following:

8 baby jackets (all in crochet - love how speedily it grows!)
12 hats of various kinds / sizes
6 shawls and scarves
95 crochet squares - either for my own baby blankets or for the Knit-A-Square charity
2 pairs of gloves

Not bad going really........

On that note, I wish you all a Happy New Year - may 2011 be filled with all you wish for and lots of creative inspiration!

Revamp!

2010-12-29T09:12:00.000Z

So, yesterday, my sister came by with a small truck and took all our remaining baby stuff off our hands - wheee! Feels good to have cleared it all out - and for it to be going to a good home. One of the items was Miss A's cotbed - which has resulted in Mr A (and I - but in a less enthusiastic way!) deciding to re-decorate Miss A's bedroom. This has entailed much internet time, trying to find a suitable bed (and one that could be delivered before the end of January), as well as bed-linen, paint colours, mural ideas - you name it, we've looked for it, debated the choices, and generally got a bit frazzled about the whole business. What will we be like when we move house? I shudder to think....

At the same time she picked up all the baby stuff, my sister also dropped off two unwanted bookcases - one is going to Miss A who desperately needs it (her books are currently stored in a shoe box) and I nabbed the other one for my study. Given that a) I will have a bit more time on my hands from now on (trust me, a four-day working week is the BEST invention known to man!), b) I'm intending to resurrect my scrapbooking / card-making in 2011 and c) my study has become increasingly messy and crowded in recent months - it was time for a revamp. It took most of the day, and resulted in several bags of rubbish (I'm such a hoarder!), but was worth it. The room feels tidy and serene once more - ready for lots of creativity! A good start to 2011 I think.

Everything has been reorganised so all my cardstock, papers, embellishments are within easy reach of my desk - I can't wait, particularly as I have ordered (just) a little bit of new stash, including these lovelies from Sarah's Cards:

My Mind's Eye papers in Bloom & Grow and Ooh La La (for Him). These are going to be so much fun to play with!

15 pairs!

2010-11-28T08:40:00.005Z

Back in January of this year, I set myself the goal of knitting a pair of socks a month for 2010. It's not quite December yet, and I've already blown the target out of the water :-)

I give you the 15th pair in all it's glory:

They are the Sock Knitters Anonymous November Mystery socks (such a long name, the designer is currently running a poll to find a good name for them), made using YarnAddicts Yarns BFL in Dusty Lilac. They are also eligible for this month's KAL in the Solid Socks group, which was knitting on an 'air' theme - these make me thing of those frosty morning, when your breath puffs out in clouds and things crunch underfoot - very appropriate given the freezing temperatures we are currently enduring. I've christened them Frosted Lilacs

I am sooo in love with these - they look really complicated with all the twisted stitches and cables, but they really weren't that bad. Maybe that's because the knitting was split into clues...I don't know. I finished them on Thursday night and they fit like a dream. And that yarn is sooo soft - have never known BFL (Blue Faced Leicester to you - 100% British sheep!) as soft as this. A pity the dyer doesn't seem to sell this particular yarn any more....

And, just because I can, here is the 'Sock Gallery 2010' - big smile!

Of course, socks are not the only thing I've made this year - will be back soon with the totals in all other categories....

Wooosh!

2010-11-03T19:46:00.011Z

Yep, that's what happened to October - it just went whizzing right past my eyes...no idea what happened to it, but I was shocked on Monday to realise that it was already November.

Progress on the two pairs of October socks has been slow to say the least - but I have turned the heel on all four socks and the 1st sock of the pink Through The Loops socks is almost done. Just to prove it, here's a picture of what they looked like at the end of Clue 2:

Passerine (the green ones) has been a little painful, due to all the twisted stitches - so much so, that I have decided to knit the foot in a simple ribbing stitch to save my wrists.

Despite the lack of 'sock mojo', I did manage a few other things:

A couple of little bits of cuteness for imminent arrivals (they will get hats and little shoes to match)

And some hats - the two pink ones were intended for me, but came out too small, so will be gifted to various little/young people for Christmas.

In the meantime, it's the start of another month, which of course, means new socks (yes, I know the last two aren't finished - but you know what? I don't care!). Both the SolidSocks and SockKnittersAnonymous groups on Ravelry have mystery patterns this month - and I'm such a sucker for those.......

Here's the start of the SolidSocks one:

I have started the SKA Mock, but haven't made enough progress to show you any pictures. Soon, I promise! P.S. It has twisted stitches - will I never learn?

Socktober!!!

2010-10-08T09:09:00.003+01:00

October is a very exciting month in the sock-knitting world - because it means the start of Socktober! It started out as an excuse to knit as many socks as possible in the month - either new projects or finishing up languishing projects.

I had started a pair of socks using the Knitting Goddess April sock club colourway (Speckled Egg) back in April of this year. It is the most gorgeous stuff imaginable - merino, cashmere and nylon - you wouldn't believe how soft it is.

Anyway, I finished one sock and had done the cuff and one leg repeat when (for whatever reason) it was consigned to the 'Works in Progress' box and was happily ignored. Given my impending status as a new auntie, I thought they would be perfect for keeping my sister's feet warm during night feeds. So I 'resurrected' them last Friday and got them finished on Tuesday - not bad, even for me! Even better, this is the 13th pair I have finished in 2010 - which means I'm waaaay ahead of my target to finish 12 pairs (wonder how many I can actually do before 31st December?)

Yarn: Knitting Goddess Luxury sock yarn in Speckled Egg

Pattern: Cloverleaf and Double Eyelet Socks by Mary Hough

Started: 1 June 2010

Finished: 5 October 2010

One of the other really cool things about Socktober is the annual mystery sock published by Kirsten Kapur (aka Through The Loops) - I made two pairs of her 2009 pattern last year (yes, it was THAT good!), so I was really looking forward to this year's pattern.

It's also been declared 'Opulent October' in the Knitting Goddesses forum (an excuse for using something 'special'), so I'm using Crazy4Dyeing's Luxe Sock - yep, more cashmere! It's looking good so far - once I'm finished here, I'm off to start the 2nd clue. Don't you love all the little twisted stitches in the cuff?

Lastly (and because I'm just a sucker for starting new projects), I'm joining in with 'green' month in the Solid Socks group.

This is yet another 'luxury' yarn, from KelpieFibers on Etsy - and how gorgeous is the colour (Jade Water Garden)? The pattern is Passerine by Cookie A, which as you would expect, has lots of twisted stitches - think I might need to do a pair of plain, 'vanilla' socks next month!

August / September Socks

2010-10-01T08:52:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I posted about anything knitting-related - but that doesn't mean I haven't been playing with 'string and pointy sticks' :-)

First up, a pair that I started back in June, but which got a little stalled as I got bored with the pattern. Having said that, I'm pleased with how they came out - particulary as the yarn was one of the first skeins of Knitting Goddess goodness that I bought last summer, so I'm pleased to have found a use for it at last!

Yarn: Knitting Goddess BFL Superwash in Copper Desert
Pattern: Dragonfly socks by Jocelyn Sertich
Started: 1 June 2010
Finished: 25 August 2010
Destination: Alex B's Xmas pressie

Next, another yarn that was purchased almost a year ago, and which did not prove very cooperative. I tried knitting a lacy scarf with this, as well as two other sock patterns, and was almost ready to throw it out before giving it one last try.

This was the Solid Socks September/October mystery sock by the amazing Himawari (aka Claudia Eisenkolb). I loved the pattern - with all the leaves, perfect for autumn - but I'm still not sure it's the perfect pairing of pattern and yarn. We live and learn I guess....

Yarn: Madeleine Tosh ToshSock in Oxblood
Pattern: Mystery socks by Claudia Eisenkolb
Started: 5 September 2010
Finished: 29 September 2010
Destination: going to Jessica when she has baby #2 in a few weeks time

Pottering.........

2010-09-24T20:10:00.004+01:00

Aaaaah - a whole day off! Lovely.....took Miss A to nursery, came home and made some jewellery bits and bobs for one of my best friends (who is also 40 next week), then took myself and Mr A off to Islington. I had a lovely Thai massage while he had a coffee (and played on his Blackberry) and then we hit the shops for the some birthday shopping - thanks to the very slick shop assistants in Whistles and Hobbs, I walked out with TWO new outfits (one pair of grey wool trousers, a teal-blue drapey cardigan and mint green camisole, followed by one black shift dress and matching jacket plus belt!). Phew! Really needed our lovely Italian lunch after that. A great day on all fronts :-)

Want to see the jewellery? Really? Well, ok then! My friend's favourite colour is red, so I whipped up a charm bracelet and cluster pendant necklace (strung on red suede cord).

Here's the necklace:

and the bracelet:

See the little silver heart charms? Aren't they cute? Really hope she likes them!

Little Bruiser

2010-09-23T20:08:00.001+01:00

what happens when you go too fast up the pavement on your scooter? You fall off and whack your cheek on the metal pole beneath the handlebars! Not sure if you can see the bruise, but it's there - and makes her look like she's been a fight with the local thugs........

Forty-licious

2010-09-22T07:00:00.000+01:00

(photo courtesy of The Couture Cakery)

Well, that's what Mr. A's card says - think I'll adopt it as my mantra!

Musical beds

2010-09-19T07:24:00.001+01:00

Forget about musical chairs or musical statues - we have a much better game in this house: musical beds!

Miss A has three beds to choose from: her own bed, the one in the spare room (also known as Grandma and Grandad's bed, as that is where my parents sleep when they come to visit) and, of course, our bed....

Since we turned her cot into a bed last October, I reckon Miss A has probably slept a total of 10 nights in her bed. She generally prefers to sleep in the spare bed - and much as I know I shouldn't be encouraging it, she does look adorable in it. Lately, however, it's been a different story....whether it's linked to my not collecting her from school or some of the other fairly large changes that have happened recently (she's moved into the 'top' class at nursery and has started following a 'proper' curriculum with reading books and homework - a whole different kettle of fish), she doesn't want to be left alone at night. Bedtimes have turned into a battlefield of negotation and cajoling - exhausting.

Anyway, last night Miss A declares she doesn't want to wear a nappy to bed. "Ok", I think to myself, "we've prepared for this - there are mattress protectors on both her and the spare beds, we have plenty of spare linen and it's Saturday night, so I won't mind having to change the sheets in the morning. " So she gets all installed in the spare bed, and Mr A and I go down to enjoy a few hours of peace and quiet.

Lo and behold, when I go to bed a few hours later, I find her in OUR bed (i.e. the only one that doesn't have a protector) absolutely soaking wet.....so there I am, at quarter to midnight, having to strip / shower / change a sleeping child and changing a super-king size bed.......

Oh, this parenting lark is so much fun sometimes.......

Tugging at the heartstrings....

2010-09-14T19:27:00.005+01:00

....exactly how can you be expected to start the day on the right footing when you leave the house to the sound of your daughter crying her heart out because she doesn't want you to go to work?

I won't even get into the subject of 'are you picking me up today, Mummy?' (the answer, nine times out of ten, is no........). Nor will I mention the total hysterical meltdown that occurred when Granny took her to her first French class (no, she won't be going back - have realised that too much can be just too much at that age).

Why didn't anyone tell me how hard this 'working Mummy' lark would be?

Oh, and can anyone tell me how to get rid of the stain produced by a Fruit Pastille ice lolly (it would be on her new dress, wouldn't it?)

How much?

2010-08-18T20:42:00.002+01:00

Look! Over there! To your right.............

I hadn't updated my Knit Meter account since February, so I had quite a few projects to add - and I'm now gobsmacked to say the least! How much?

twelve thousand, two hundred and eighty-eight meters

and there's still quite a bit of 2010 to go..............

Wonder if I can get it up to 20,000 - shouldn't be too hard with all the charity squares I've got planned, should it?

Add to that some new, very exciting projects that have just been added to my list: baby things! Yes folks, I'm going to be an auntie in 2011! Squeeeeeeeee!

Silly Saturdays

2010-08-14T07:44:00.004+01:00

Up until a few weeks ago, the arrival of the weekend was still a welcome relief from all the hustle and madness of the working week. Yes, Miss A would still wake me up a stupid hour, but I could at least sit back with a large cup of coffee and slowly wake up and 'welcome' the day.

No more......

Take this morning for instance. Miss A woke me up at exactly 6.10am - that's earlier than my alarm normally goes off.....she did climb in to bed with me while I tried to prolong the 'snooze moment', but I soon gave up, as it's impossible to even doze when you have a mouthful of hair and a small person wriggling in your arms. So, downstairs we go, with me hoping she'll be satisfied with a little kiddy tv for just long enough for me to have a very large cup of coffee (and where has the lid to my themo mug gone, I would like to know?).

Needless to say, that illusion was quickly burst - first she wanted food (how unreasonable of her! - and yes, I am only joking), then she wanted to do 'sticking' with the new collection of stickers I brought home for her yesterday. I have only myself to blame - I discovered the coolest website recently which has a huge range of crafty / arty products for kids at really good prices. I bought her three packs of foam stickers (jungle animals, flowers and shapes) plus a pack of A3 sugar paper a month ago, and she's already 'burned' through all the stickers...........don't get me wrong, it's fantastic to watch her make shapes and arrange the animals by type and colour - just not at 7am....even if she does make me laugh with her antics

It's now almost 8am, and I have to get motoring - need to get showered, dressed and out of the door by 9am. We need to stop by the post office before heading for ballet class (I'm hoping she will actually do some of the class today instead of bursting into tears and spending the lesson at my side....). We are then off to see my sister and BIL, followed by a stop at the supermarket. I reckon I'll be ready to collapse by the time we get back home........I think Miss A has a play date this afternoon (weather permitting), so I might just get a bit of 'hooky time' (get your minds out of the gutter - I'm talking crochet!). A few rounds on the market bag, or maybe a few of my sock granny squares:

I'm really loving these - can make two during my lunch break and mixing up the colours is really too much fun. I've got almost 90 large (4") squares made up now - will have to think about starting to sew them up soon, as I don't think I'll be able to face sewing all of the 400 projected squares in one go....

And what is Mr A doing while all this is going on? Well, he did have an impacted wisdom tooth removed yesterday (it required stitches in the end - eeek!), so I reckon he'll spend most of the day in bed........note to self: pick up some baby food for him, as I don't think he'll be wanting solids for at least 24 hours!

A little inspiration......

2010-08-12T06:58:00.000+01:00

One of my favourite blogs for sheer inspiration and bold, fun splashes of colour is Attic 24. Lucy, the lady who writes it, has the most amazing eye for colour and a charming way of describing the ups and downs of being busy with little ones. She also takes the most amazing photos - wish I could make mine look half as good.....

She is also an avid crocheter and has come up with a number of simple patterns that make use of bold colours and are quick and easy to whip up into something rather fabulous. One of these is a 'bucket bag' - I've been wanting to make one of these for my Mum for what seems like forever.....in fact, I think I bought the cotton late last summer! Anyway, with an impending trip to the Grandparents approaching fast (two weeks to go - Miss A is sooo excited to be going on a plane, I can't tell you!), I thought it was time to get started. Pretty colours (I actually added a ball of white and a ball of dark pink to these after the photo was taken):

I've almost finished the base of the bag, but can't show you any pictures as a) I just discovered this morning that the camera battery is flat (god, I'm so organised sometimes, it kills me!) and b) I wouldn't be able to take a decent picture, because it's chucking it down.......scuse me? It's August - you shouldn't have to put the heating on in August!

P.S. While I was mooching around the net looking for Lucy's blog this morning, I stumbled on this fab website - it's where I got my lovely new 'shabby' blog background - pretty, pretty!

July's socks

2010-08-01T07:22:00.004+01:00

Some of you might remember that, a few months back, I decided to follow the Yarn Harlot and set up my own personal monthly 'project club' - I set up a bag containing various smaller bags with the yarn and pattern already paired together. The theory was that, each time I finished a project, I would pull another one from 'the bag' at random....I will be honest and admit that the contents have been 'tampered with' a little - I've switched some patterns around. This is partly because my focus has switched slightly from socks to shawls - must be thoughts of Christmas being not that far away now.....

One of the projects that got 'substituted' was this pair of socks:

I'm really, really chuffed with these - for several reasons:

a) they only took 2.5 weeks, which when you think that they were mainly knit on the bus to / from work, is really not bad going

b) point a is even more amazing when you consider that they are made from a Cookie A pattern (Angee to be precise) - while I love Cookie's patterns, they are definitely not 'easy' socks and often require a lot of concentration (and some swearing at various points!)

c) I don't think the photos are doing them complete justice, but the colour is just gawgeous - the yarn is Colinette Jitterbug and the colourway is Morello Mash - says it all really! I had popped into my local yarn store (Loop, in Islington) to check out their new premises - and had been completely powerless to resist this gorgeous bit of squishyness - I cast on only two days later, which is unheard of in my world lol!

This is definitely one of my favourite colours - in fact, when I went to put the finished pair into my sock drawer (yes, I now have drawer specifically for handknit socks!) I realised that I had already made two pairs in a similar colour - predictable, me?

P.S. Update on the Knit-a-Square crochet-thon - 25 squares shipped off to South Africa this morning! Wonder if I can do better in August?

A busy life......

2010-07-21T16:10:00.006+01:00

.....leaves very little time for blogging! No seriously, I can't apologise enough. Life really is very full these days.

A quick snapshot of the last six weeks or so:

- the new job is going well and looks set to last until at least September

- Miss A is enjoying spending more time with her Granny (who picks her up from nursery these days, as I can't any longer), but is still refusing to sleep in her own bed....

- Mr A and I took ourselves off to Spain for a week in mid-June (without Miss A who was looked after by my parents). Total bliss - long lie-ins, good food & wine, lots of sunbathing and book-reading - just what we needed. No photos I'm afraid as I deliberately didn't take my camera!

- we've all be suffering a little in the recent heatwave. I personally wouldn't mind it, if only I didn't have to sit in a hot, sticky bus for an hour each evening.......bleurgh!

- Miss A has just acquired her first pair of ballet shoes and leotard:

Can't wait to see what happens during her first class next Saturday.

- Mr A and I are in the throes of planning our joint 40th birthday party this weekend. We've discovered FOURTEEN bottles of champagne in the cellar......raspberry belinis anyone?

On the crafting front, the heat has pretty much scuppered most attempts at playing with wool, but I have managed a few things. While on holiday, I finally managed to make some progress on the Solid Socks May Mystery socks - those cables almost did my head in.....but I'm very, very pleased with the result:

I have also once again been completely taken over by the crochet bug - I can't express how much I love this particular craft. It's portable, doesn't require as much concentration as my knitting, and gives super quick results. I whipped up this little beauty in just under a week:

Partly due to the heat, and partly due to a recent urgent call by Knit-A-Square for over 55,000 squares by September, I'm devoting most of my free time to making granny squares:

These are just a few of the 35+ squares that I've managed to whip since the beginning of July. I'm hoping to send several large bags before the autumn. And it's a great way of using up scraps / spare wool! Talking of leftovers, I happened to mentioned this little 'project' to a colleague of mine and she mentioned that she had starting making a crochet blanket a few months ago, but got bored. So yesterday, I took delivery of this:

70 part-completed squares
and 15 very large balls of wool

Should keep me quiet for a while, no?

New job!

2010-05-14T19:18:00.009+01:00

I went for two interviews this week - one was a bit of a disaster as I strangely got very nervous. Thankfully, the 2nd one went well - and I heard today that they want me to start on Monday! Whee! Now don't get too excited - it's a temporary role, so far only guaranteed until the end of June. Having said that, it's a proper marketing role and it's with a professional services firm, so I shall be back where I belong in every sense of the word. I'm really looking forward to it - and even better, guess what I get to see out of the office window?

Yep! The Tower of London! And look where I get to spend my lunch break

St. Katherine's Dock - let's just hope there's lots of nice weather in the next few weeks.

One good thing about all the travelling I've done to and from interviews? I've finished a pair of socks - of course, they don't quite match.....

On the left, we have some rather gorgeous Koigu made up using the Charade pattern - I've christened these my Sugar Plum Fairy socks as I think the colours reflect what she would have worn (yes, I'm prone to girly flights of fancy occasionally). On the left, we have the Knitting Goddess's April sock yarn club using a cloverleaf and double eyelet rib. April's sock yarn also coincided with Easter - so the colourway was Speckled Egg - for that particular month, I got the luxury option (80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon). Amazingly soft and a dream to knit with.....

I'm also solidering on with May 2010 Mystery sock by Cynthia Levy - cables, cables and more cables. This is possibly the most complicated pattern I have attempted so far - and I can only do about four rows at a time before my shoulder/wrist starts hurting. Still, I am enjoying it (in a slightly masochistic way) - and I'm really happy that I have finally found a suitable pattern for this gorgeous merino/tencel that I hand-dyed last summer - about time too! The picture shows the first sock done to the end of Clue 2 - but Clue 3 comes out tomorrow, which means I'm already a week behind...

Another month...

2010-05-09T15:00:00.012+01:00

Oh my....I really have no excuse for not blogging for a whole month, apart from the usual madness that a normal, busy(ish) life brings with it.

Let's get some major news out of the way first: I am now unemployed again. Yes, you've got it right....Two weeks ago, I realised that the new job was just not working out in any sense of the word. I was in tears almost every weekend at the idea of going back in, and could feel myself getting very, very depressed. I'm not prepared to go back to that horrible place so, after much discussion with the wonderful Mr. A, I tendered my resignation. On the minus side, I feel a bit guilty for not sticking it out (but not that much to be honest). On the plus side, I now know that I never want to work for central government ever again, and I also have a much better idea of what kind of job I DO want to do. I've been much more focused / targeted in my job search and I already have an interview scheduled for next week, so it's looking good.

This all means that I've had some 'spare' time to make sure that Mr A's 40th birthday was celebrated in style. Here is my card:

And here is one that Miss A helped with:

There has also (surprise, surprise!), been much knitting and crocheting. Mr A has expressed some concern about how 'obsessive' I can get with this - he doesn't understand that, in times of high stress and trauma, it's a bit like curling up on the sofa under a snuggly blanket - you just get much prettier things at the end of it!

Back in early April, I finally succumbed and bought this from Amazon:

I've wanted it for some time, and having recently rediscovered my love of crochet squares, I decided it was time. The day that it came in the mail, I also found out that some very good friends of ours were expecting their first baby in early May. Cue some rather large fireworks going off inside my brain.....Several of the squares in the book are named after flowers, so I decided to make them a 'Summer Flowers' baby blanket in rainbow colours. The squares for this blanket will be 6" square - and I need 63 squares in total.

Miss A and I therefore headed off to the local wool shop, and came home with all these balls of machine-wash DK wool:More than enough I think.....in fact, it was just as well that I did buy so much, because when Miss A discovered that the blanket was not going to be for her, she was most upset. So call me a glutton for punishment, I went and started a SECOND blanket for her. This will be using the same 'rainbow concept' but with different patterns for the squares:

These squares will be 8" square - and I need 100 squares. Ermmm, do you think I have maybe bitten off a bit more than I can chew? So far, I have done all the white, yellow and orange squares (plus a few trial ones that didn't work out but which will go to Knit-A-Square instead). Pictures soon, I promise!

I also have knitting to show you, but Miss A is now demanding some attention, so I will leave those projects for the next post.

All the fun of the fair!

2010-04-07T22:31:00.003+01:00

So, in my last post I forgot to mention that the multi-coloured yarn I was using for my (ever so slightly) psychedelic socks was called Funfair.......and here they are finished (and already worn!) in all their glory:

Such a pity the dyer who created this no longer seems to be trading - sigh!

Oh, and before I forget, I got bitten by the 'shawl bug' on Good Friday - and managed to get this knitted, washed and blocked by midday on Easter Monday - phew! Hopefully my friend Jessica (for whom it is destined as a late birthday present) will like it.....

The pattern is 198 Yards of Heaven, using Lang Yarns Jawoll Magic in the Viola colourway

Finished / On the Go

2010-04-02T07:58:00.010+01:00

I've been a bit slack about posting recently, so I thought it was time for a quick update!

First, the cabled fingerless gloves have been finished for quite a while and have been keeping my hands nice and cosy in this recent bout of unseasonably cold weather that is gripping the country (it's Easter for goodness sake! Spring should most definitely be here by now....):

As I said before, this yarn (from Juno Fibre Arts) is just divine - if you can get your hands on some, then do so - you won't be disappointed!
As you can see, I also had enough of the original skein left over to make some matching mittens for Miss A - she loves them and is particularly thrilled at being 'twins' with Mummy :-)

I've also finished my Faux Cable socks (these were made using Araucania Ranco Multy in a rather scrummy mix of teal blue, eggplant and dusky rose).

Very simple, very quick (or they would have been if I didn't keep getting distracted by other projects) and very snuggly.
So that means that I am now back on track with my '12 pairs of socks in 2010' project - wheee! But that doesn't mean I've been slacking - oh no! I currently have four (yes, four!) other pairs of socks on the needles.

The first are a pair of 'Plain Jane' vanilla socks, using the amazing rainbow-coloured yarn I bought last summer from Spindlefrog. Not only is it super soft and squishy, but the colours are the most saturated I've ever found - there is just about every colour that I can think of in here and the very short colour runs mean that the stripes are very, very cool:

I'm actually much more advanced now than the picture shows - sock #1 is done and I'm about to turn the gusset on sock #2. I just haven't been home at times when the light has been good recently.....

Pair #2 is a pair of Charades using the most gorgeous pink, purple and brown gorgeousness in Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (or KPPPM in 'knit speak') - I've christened them my Sugar Plum Fairy socks as I think these are the colours she would wear....

Pair #3 and #4 are a bit of a new departure for me - they are both being made using the 'two-at-a-time' technique. This technique definitely requires me to use my brain in a different way but the results (i.e. no Second Sock Syndrome) should be worth it.

The first pair will be for Miss A, using this gorgeous limited colourway - Perfect Beach - by Joy of The Knitting Goddess. She was very busy during the month of March, dyeing a new colourway every single day, with part of the proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer care - it was a bit of a feeding frenzy each night, which is why I only managed to get my hands on this one. I think they'll look just great on a little person. I've only managed the cuffs so far, so you'll just have to have a picture of the skein before it was wound up..

The final pair were not exactly planned....but then yesterday I received my April sock club yarn from the afore-mentioned Goddess. This month's colour is called Speckled Egg and is the most gorgeous mix of duck-egg blue and chocolate brown with small white specks here and there. I opted to receive the 'mixed' club, which meant this month's selection was a skein of luxury sock yarn (cashmere & merino with a bit of nylon for strength). As soon a I opened it, I knew it had to be started then and there - I've only done the cuff(s) so far but it is just so soft and is knitting up beautifully. Pictures soon - I promise!

A little something...

2010-03-28T07:53:00.002+01:00

....for a rather special little girl, born just recently to some very good friends of ours:

I used this pattern, and a skein of Angels & Elephants aran weight in the Holly Berry colourway. The contrast is some apple green Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK (lord, I love this stuff!).

All whipped up and finished (well, once I find the right buttons) in a few days - the power of crochet!

Three years.....

2010-03-23T10:00:00.000Z

Yes, three years ago today, this little angel/monster came into our lives. It's been a roller coaster of a ride so far, and I wouldn't change it one bit. Happy birthday darling!

Cozy cables

2010-03-06T10:12:00.005Z

Anyone who follows the Yarn Harlot will be aware of her 'personal sock club' initiative - she basically picked a bunch of yarn from her stash, paired them up with their designated patterns, placed them all in ziplock bags on a shelf in her cupboard and will be pulling one bag out at random over the next 10 months. A number of my fellow Knitting Goddesses have done the same thing - and have so have I (sheep? me? never! LOL!).

I had a very happy few hours last week - pulling out all the yarns that were screaming 'KNIT ME FIRST!' and then whittling it down to a more manageable 15 or so. Given my natural inclination to always pick a blue shade over every other colour, I tried to mix up the colours a bit - I've got burgundy, green, turquoise, mixed pinks in there to bring a little spice and variety to the coming months. I also tried to make sure I had a mix of socks (ok, there's still 50% in there!), shawls, heavier-weight projects. There's even something in there for Little Miss A....

However, before I started on any of these projects (which are all stuffed into my 'Medium Brown Bag' from Bloomingdales right in the middle of my study - so I can't miss them), I made myself promise that I would first finish off some WIPs (Works in Progress) or, at the very least, make some decent progress on them. So having finished Mum's top-secret present and made good progress on the 2nd Pyroclastic sock (I've turned the heel and started the rather complicated gusset shaping), I was finally able to start the first 'baggie' yesterday morning:

A pair of Cabled Fingerless Gloves using some gorgeous DK weight wool from Juno Fibre Arts. I have drooled over her goodies for quite some time now, but this was the clincher. Gorgeous soft colours ranging from a pale, ice blue, through pale lilac, seafoam green, faded denim blue, pewter and silver grey with the occasional 'pop' of bright magenta - love, love, love it! And it's knitting up just beautifully as you can see:

I managed four cable repeats yesterday (my knitting was interrupted by a trip to the local library and various large piles of laundry - humph!). Another four repeats and I can start the thumb gusset. I have the day off tomorrow and I hope to have a new pair of gloves by the time I get back to work :-) That's what I call a productive weekend......

Blog Award

2010-03-04T16:50:00.003Z

So, what actually caused to get off my posterior and finally get back into the land of the (blog) living? My lovely e-friend Ladybird gave me this rather lovely blog award

As part of my acceptance, I have to:

1. Give a Top 10 list of things that make me happy
2. Give a Top 5 list of trivia about myself
3. Share the award with 5 other people and ask them to do the same things
4. Link the blogs of the people you are passing the award onto as well as the person who awarded it to you in the first place

So here goes:

Things that make me happy

1. My lovely, patient, super-understanding Mr A, who doesn't really care how much I spend on craft materials so long as it makes me happy
2. My super amazing awesome Little Miss A, who I hope will continue to challenge me in the best of ways for many years to come
3. The first signs of spring after a winter that has really been too cold and lasted too long
4.Starting a new project - will the colours/ideas that are in my head work in reality?
5. Finishing a project and discovering that it either fits or works really well, even if it's not quite what I imagined in the first place!
6. A really good fillet steak, cooked medium rare with a large pile of thin fries on the side :-)
7. The thought that I will be going on holiday (alone with Mr A!) in just short of 3 months time
8. Knowing that I will turn 40 in just over 6 months time - and not being afraid of it!
9. Knowing that I am vaguely helping to make people's lives a little better through my job - even if it's not my dream job....
10. Knowing I have a small group of steadfast friends who I can always count on

Trivia about Tash
1. My middle name is Alice, which was also my grandmother and great-grandmother's name(s)
2. I speak fluent French, as a result of growing up in Belgium
3. I've also lived in Turkey (for 3 years) where I 'experienced' a military coup (eek!)
4. I love home-made drop scones slathered with my Mum's home-made raspberry jam
5. I have a thing for Haribo gummy bears......

In return, I pass this award onto Quackas, Attic24 and laralorelei. I know it's only 3 - I've been very, very bad about keeping up with blogs this year......

Naughty blogger

2010-03-04T16:19:00.006Z

Yep, that's me: naughty blogger. No real excuses, apart from the fact that life is just very, very busy and full to the brim right now. The job is still 'going' - I can't/don't want to say any more than that really.....working in a client-facing job is most definitely not something I want to do with the rest of my life. Oh, and I keep losing my voice, which doesn't help much either!

Little Miss A is turning into a personality-laden little Madam (yes, that's a capital M!) - she informs me at least three times a week that I am 'not her friend', usually when I've told her she can't have / do something. It's amazing watching her growing and changing so fast - I heard her telling a bedtime story to her teddy the other night - wow! If only she would stop coming into our bed at 3am and breaking our sleep.....will there ever be a time when my normal operating mode is not 'on the verge of exhaustion'??

See what I mean? When I took this photo, she said: "shhhh Mummy, I'm working!!!"""

So I'm just about keeping my head above water - cannot remember the last time I cooked a 'proper' meal or watched a tv programme the whole way through without falling asleep.....

On the creative front, I haven't managed a massive amount recently, due to my knitting time having been slashed to almost nothing. However, I have finished the following:

A crochet chevron scarf to go with Little Miss A's new pea green duffle coat

(she's got a matching hat as well, but I haven't managed to take a decent photo of it)

Then it was time for the Ravelympics over on Ravelry (you got to set yourselve a variety of challenges that would be categorised by events such as the Lace Luge, Charity Curling and Hat Halfpipe, all of which had to be started/finished between the opening and closing ceremonies). I was quite pleased at how much I got done over the 3 weeks:

a cheerful, slouchy hat made using some chunky Phildar wool that I've had in my stash for well over a year (Yay!)

I then used the leftovers from the hat to make the following squares for Knit-A-Square:

The second load of squares were a bit of a personal challenge to see how many squares I could make from two skeins of sock wool (held double) - I managed five in all, which I was pleased with :-)

I also managed to finish something light and dainty for Mum's birthday - but I can't show it yet, just in case she decides to come over here for a visit beforehand. Next week, I promise (provided Royal Mail has got its bottom in gear and delivered the parcel on time!)

I have two pairs of socks on the needles at the moment - one is Pyroclastic in Araucania Ranco Solid - a gorgeous firey red. I've finished one sock, and the other would have been finished a long time ago, except I decided to make them almost knee-high - they will be ab-fab when they're done though!

Knackered.......

2010-01-17T21:21:00.009Z

I have survived my first three weeks back at work - but only just! Exhaustion doesn't even come close.....aside from the physical / mental adjustment of having to actually concentrate properly for whole days at a time, there is an unbelievable amount of information to take on board. I've spent 7 of the last 10 days in training, with another two next week - and then I will be 'live' - feel sorry for those poor customers who come face-to-face with me next Wednesday!

In the meantime, all has most definitely not been quiet on the creative front :-)

First up, some winter warmers...these were most definitely NOT planned, but given that I started work during the worst cold snap that the UK has experienced since 1963 (apparently), I quickly realised that I needed something to keep my head and neck warm when waiting at the bus stop.

So, I have finished a hat and started a scarf. The hat is made using Mini Mochi yarn from Crystal Palace (colourway Violets Rainbow). This is gorgeously soft and comes in wonderful colours - but is not something I would choose to knit with again - it feels very fragile when you're knitting it and I was terrified of it breaking....

The scarf is being made using Mille Colori yarn by Lang Wools - my lovely Mum gave me these as a 'sort-of' Christmas present. I have two balls of a grey/aqua mix and two balls of a pink/berry mix - this probably sounds like a horrible combination, but thanks to a great pattern (Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood) and the long colour changes, I think it's coming out rather beautifully:

I have also finished yet another pair of socks - these are Wanida by Cookie A, and they were made using gorgeous yarn from The Knitting Goddess. This was a custom-dye colourway that I asked her to dye for me back in the summer of 2009 - I decided it was time I finally used it, and I'm really pleased with the results!

And the charity project is still going strong - I have made a few more squares (I think my total so far is now 10 squares) and an adorable little baby jacket, using the Bombay Love pattern from Ravelry. This was made using the scrummy aran-weight wool from Babylonglegs

Oh, and Ladybird? I have started your gloves - but you might not actually get them, coz they are coming out gorgeous!!!

Giving something back

2010-01-03T12:03:00.004Z

So, after the last post (which was a little self-centred perhaps?), I had a bit of an epiphany on New Year's Day....

While browsing through the boards of a new UK-based group on Ravelry, I discovered this amazing charity project called Knit-A-Square. Basically, you knit or crochet as many 8" squares as you fancy and then ship them off to Soweto in South Africa. Once they have arrived there, they are assembled into blankets which are then distributed to the many, many AIDs orphans.

To quote from the Knit-A-Square site, "the AIDs orphans in South Africa belong to one of the fastest-growing, but least desirable groups of children in need, on the earth. Every 14 seconds a child will become a orphan."

Well, if that is not enough to make you want to do something to help, then I don't know what is.....

So, duly inspired, I trawled through my stash and pulled out all the yarns / leftovers that I thought would work for crochet granny squares. I wound them all up (have I mentioned how much I love my ball winder??), doubling-up the DK weights and winding the sock yarn into quadruple thickness (does that last bit make sense? hmmm...). I now have a bag full of lovely, multi-coloured balls, ready for pulling out on a Saturday morning to be turned into a square.

Yes, I've decided that my first priority for Saturday mornings in 2010 will be to make a square before I work on any of my other projects.

Since then, I have managed to whip up a total of six squares (I've managed to amaze even myself!):

More to come over the next few weeks / months, I'm sure!

2009 in Review

2009-12-31T10:09:00.010Z

Another year is looming, so I thought it would be nice to have a quick look back at all the knitted goodness I've managed to produce in the last 12 months. If 2008 was the year of scrapbooking (and how!), then 2009 was definitely the year of knitting - I've done a quick count, and managed to complete the following:

- 16 hats

- 5 pairs of gloves

- 5 scarves / neckwarmers / cowls

- 3 shawls

- 14 pairs of socks

see that last pair of red socks - I finished them just last night in time for the New Year :-)

- and a whole load of various bits and pieces for the house and for Little Miss A

Now, given that at the beginning of this year, I had a) never used double-pointed needles, b) never used circular needles, c) never knitted a pair of socks and d) never done any lace knitting, I have to say that I am pretty impressed with myself!

So, what will 2020 hold on the crafty / knitting front? Well, I'm hoping to get back into scrapbooking, before I forget all the details of certain key occasions (so much as happened with Little Miss A this year, it would be a great pity to not take the time to record it as much as possible). I'm also hoping to get some of the many jewellery designs that currently reside inside my head 'out into the open' so to speak.

As for knitting? Well, the first thing will be that much more of the knitting will be for selfish purposes (I might have finished 14 pairs of socks this year, but I only kept 4 pairs for myself - there's something definitely not right about that....). I've signed up to knit 10 Shawls in 2010 - not sure how I'll do on that, but I am determined at the very least to make a Gail shawl (using Dream in Color Stardust, which has sparkly threads wound through it!) for my 40th.....oh yes, that's coming next year too! I'm also setting myself a personal challenge to knit 24 pairs of socks in 2010 - that's 2 pairs a month. Then I have a few cardigans & jumpers I want to make for Little Miss A. Of course, given the fact that my leisure / knitting time will be seriously curtailed next year (gotta go earn those pennies, don't I?), these goals are probably insane - but I figure it's better to start from a high point :-)

I wish you all a fabulous New Year - may 2010 bring lots of laughter, good times, adventures and good experiences to you and your loved ones.

Now I have to go and try to get the little one in bed before it is actually 2010.......

We made it!

2009-12-28T16:20:00.002Z

Way back in the distant mists of time (beginning of November?), when my sister and I were sorting out our travel plans to go and spend Christmas in Brussels with my parents, we thought: "sure, travelling on Christmas Eve? No problem!"

Ha ha ha - that was without counting on the total and utter chaos that a certain heavy snowfall in northern France the week before Christmas would cause......let's just say that I was not a very chilled-out bunny rabbit for most of last week. However, we did thankfully make it over (pretty much as planned) and had a lovely time, with lots of good company, lovely food and oooooodles of presents (seriously, the pile was quite disgusting really). Little Miss A couldn't quite get her head around it all - in fact, she didn't even open all her presents (I'm now keeping them back to give to her for her birthday in March as she has more than enough to be getting on with for now).

We are now back, equally safe and sound, and looking forward to a few quiet days at home (the weather is not exactly conducive to venturing outdoors) before we all (and yes, I mean ALL of us!) return to normal, gainful activities.

I'll leave you with this gem which epitomises the lovely couple of days we've just had....a non-stop love fest between Little Miss A and her doting Grandad :-)

Une petite douceur......

2009-12-16T12:35:00.004Z

....saw this on Ravelry on Friday and just had to whip up this little snuggly for Miss A (she's only two cms away from being a whole metre tall now, so I figured it's time to drop the 'Little')

How I love crochet for it's power to let you finish a 'proper' piece of clothing (as opposed to a hat or pair of gloves) in only two evenings!

Welcome to Bollywood!

2009-12-14T09:49:00.006Z

Way back in the foggy distance of time (i.e. in about March of this year), I discovered the wonderful yarns produced by the Knitting Goddess. My first order from her included this wonderful skein, called Bollywood

- beautifully saturated shades of vibrant purple, hot pink, olive green, a touch of lilac - seriously scrummy and very aptly named

Other members of the Knitting Goddess group on Ravelry have transformed their skeins into the most amazing shawls and such like. For some reason, though, I was unable to come up with a pattern that wanted to be made from this.......until now that is! The trick: hold it double and use a pattern that called for double-knit yarn.

I give you my new hat, christenend Bollywood Belle.

Pattern: Scalloped Lace Beret by Nina Duke-Howard
Needles: 4.5mm circular needles
Modifications: I added two pattern repeats to ensure sufficient 'slouch'

It is currently blocking, but will try to remember to take pictures of my actually wearing it in the next few days (if the light holds out - it's been a nightmare taking pictures recently....)

Bountiful

2009-12-10T18:36:00.005Z

Look what my lovely postman brought me the other day:

Yes folks, it's lots (and lots!) of lovely, squishy yarn!

From left to right there is two lots of Claudia Handpainted Fingering in Maple Leaf and Just Plum, then four skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy (Beach Fog, Some Summer Sky, Petal Shower and Visual Purple). Arranged at the top is a skein of Pagewood Farm Alyeska in Lavender Field and two skeins of Shibui Knits Sock in Pebble. Swoooon!

And the reason for all this bounty? Well, after many long months of searching, I have finally found myself a new job! Starting on 4 January, I will be gainfully re-employed as a Higher Executive Officer (don't be fooled by the job title) at a local Job Centre until late November 2010. Yep - I'll be a civil servant....I will be completely honest with you , and admit that it is far from being my dream job. However, on the positive side, the pay is good, so are the hours, and it's only a 15-minute commute from home / nursery. I will also be gaining some new skills (customer service anyone?) and I will definitely be gaining greater social awareness (that might prove to be an understatement!). It's going to be a massive learning curve - let's just hope I don't get too frustrated with some of the 'customers' and start doing my 'posh lady' act........

And if that wasn't enough yarn for you, remember those lovely matching socks I made for myself and Little Miss A back in October for the Through The Loops Socktober KAL? Well, they won a prize!! Wheeee - I never win things, so this is just extra icing on the cake - they were such a joy to knit, that would have been more than enough. My prize arrived today:

A one-off colourway of Schaefer Nichole - it's such a limited edition colourway, it doesn't even have a name :-)

Lovely rich copper, smokey grey and peacock green - I'm thinking some kind of scarf, but haven't decided yet......

All knitted out........

2009-12-08T17:22:00.005Z

It's been seriously crazy around here recently (well, from a knitting point of view anyway). Since the last update, I have managed to finish two cowls (or neck-warmers if you prefer):

this one is a bit of a self-invention, using the same modified herringbone stitch I used for my Mum's scarf back in February (seems like ages ago!)

this one was a lovely quick crochet pleasure - holding the Twilleys Freedom Spirit double and using a 6mm crochet hook - started and finished in one day :-)

and lastly, all the girlies and female relations will be getting one of these - little knitted hearts made from scraps of sock yarn (held double and using 3.75mm needles) and then stuffed with the most potent lavender I've ever smelled......mmmmm!

A Spoonful of Sugar

2009-11-30T17:18:00.000Z

A month ago, Little Miss A had her photo taken at nursery - as last year's official snaps were so awful, we took the precaution of getting her to pose before leaving the house. Even though I am totally biased, I do think she looks awfully cute - don't you?

On the same day, it was the fancy dress Halloween party.....as she has grown so much since last year, she obviously needed a new outfit. After much discussion with her Daddy (who was being his usual over-indulgent self!), we ended up with this:

A rare moment of stillness on her part.....

It's time to be selfish......

2009-11-28T10:01:00.007Z

Yesterday, I added another hat to the Christmas goodie pile. It's a Pretty Puffs Slouchy Beret, made using the scrummy Freedom Spirit by Twilleys. I've had this in my stash for ages, and I can't believe I haven't used it until now - the colours are fab and it will give the lucky recipient a very warm head and ears this winter. I had two skeins, but only used a smidgen of the 2nd to finish the hat (partly because I was using a smaller size hook than recommended by the pattern, and therefore needed to do a few more increase / puff stitch rows). THe observant among you will note that I have turned it inside out - I actually think it looks nicer that way (yes, I'm a little strange like that......)

Having finished this, I started pondering what to do with the leftover almost-skein. Answer: a pair of fingerless gloves. And you know what: they are NOT going on the gift pile. You heard right: these are all for me (it's about time I made something for myself!)

Managed to finish the first glove last nigtht (minus the thumb - I'm waiting to see how much yarn I have left after I finish the main part of the 2nd glove - that way, I can always do a contrast thumb if necessary). I started the 2nd this morning.

This leads me to a rather urgent question: how come I can make an (almost) entire glove in about two hours of concentrated knitting time when I have the house to myself, but can only get 4 rows of ribbing done while supervising a toddler?

Just so you know that I'm not yet ready for maternal sainthood, I'm feeling absolutely no guilt this morning at telling her openly and honestly that she is annoying the living daylights out of me........

Keeping the chills at bay.....

2009-11-24T12:04:00.002Z

The only good thing about the arrival of winter is that it provides the perfect excuse to stay indoors and play with fluffy wool...... I've been a busy little bunny in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, as most of the projects are destined for Christmas presents, I can't show you too much....but you can have some sneaky peeks:

Little Miss A has acquired a new hat - a crocheted Milla Fall Hat using a limited edition sock yarn (Eastern Promise) from The Knitting Goddess. Madame Ladybird will also be getting a new hat - once I've posted it to her. This is a "I heart Pompoms" hat, made with Bergere de France Sport in a lovely pale grey. This wool is just scrummy - soft and bouncy and knits beautifully. I really quite like this hat, and am seriously thinking I might have to make one for myself (not identical of course, even though I still have 7 balls of the Bergere left.....but I have plans for all of them!)

It hasn't been all unselfish, I promise! I have discovered a new 'personal favourite' sock yarn - Dream in Color Smooshy. Believe me, smooshy is the perfect word to describe this stuff - it's soft, squishy, bouncy and knits up like a dream. I only had one skein in my stash (it's almost impossible to get your hands on it in the UK) but I have since acquired few more in some lovely shades of burgundy, pink, blue and purple.....schlurp!

So, what did I make with my solitary skein of Smooshy? These! A pair for me and a pair of Little Miss A - she is sooo chuffed at having a matching pair, she went off to nursery wearing them and lifting her trousers up to show everyone!!

These are the snuggliest socks I have made so far.....look out for many, many more in coming months!

A Very Important Bear......

2009-11-21T12:00:00.000Z

Just look who we met at Liverpool Street station yesterday! A very special (and very yellow!) bear....

Lily Allen - eat your heart out!

2009-10-21T12:44:00.001+01:00

Lily Allen is known for wearing pretty evening dresses with sneakers - something tells me that Little Miss A has been picking up style tips from someone other than her Mummy....

Don't you just love the scruffy mini Converse teamed with brown cotton tights and a pretty blue/tan tartan skirt? Oh, and please note the neat and tidy plaits......it's worth the morning battle with the hairbrush to see her looking so cute at the end of it :-)

Getting ready....

2009-10-21T09:02:00.012+01:00

...the days are getting shorter, the alarm clock goes off when it's still dark, and there's a definite nip in the air! Yes folks, that means crafters all over the world are starting to think about Christmas......I have a ludicrously long list of projects / gifts that, in an ideal world, would mean all my friends get showered in hand-made bounty. However, being realistic, I know I will have to prioritise as there really is a snowball's chance in hell of getting them all finished on time....

Of course, I couldn't make Little Miss A wait until Christmas - sending her off to nursery without something to keep her ears warm would have been just too cruel.....so I whipped this up using some of the leftovers from her little tank top from earlier this year. She loves it - thank goodness!

In addition to all the cowls, gloves, and hats that are in the pipeline, I have well and truly been bitten by the 'lace bug'. I can't quite explain just how soothing it is to knit a lovely, lacy design and seeing it grow exponentially on your needles. These projects can look like something the cat sicked up before you block it, and then 'pow', it just blooms and comes out looking gorgeous. Take this Ishbel for example:

Made using the Knitting Goddess's BFL sock yarn in semi-solid violet - just gorgeous! Of course, I still have no idea who it will go to - maybe I will wear it myself?

But that's not all....oh no, not by any means! I've also got these three (what is happening to me?) shawls on the go at the moment:

A Leaf Lace shawl by the amazing Evelyn Clark (she also designed the Swallowtail that I finished back in the summer), using some lovely, shimmery Rowan Damask in shades of blue - when I actually sit down and concentrate on it, it goes quite quickly....

An Ulmus shawl by Kirsten Kapur, using a limited edition colourway that the Knitting Goddess created for Wimbledon 2009 (that's the light green with cute little white flashes) combined with some yarn I hand-dyed in the summer (that's the dark green). In fact, it is so green, I have rechristined it Leaping Leprauchauns :-) This pattern is seriously addictive - I started it yesterday afternoon and I've already managed 7 of the 16 repeats - that is seriously wow for me....

This little Multnomah, using Easy Knits Merino Bamboo in Rhubarb, is not too advanced right now, but I think it's going to look really cute

And of course, I've also been doing lots of sewing. My No. 1 customer ordered all these goodies a while ago:

a tote bag in a lovely 'Apple' fabric, lined with red polka dot fabric. I cannot tell you just HOW pleased I am with how this came out - it's definitely my best sewing effort yet :-)

and a series of project bags with an autumnal / Halloween / Christmas theme - cute no?

Do Fame and Fortune beckon?

2009-10-14T08:52:00.000+01:00

I have just finished designing my first knitting pattern! Woo-hoo! Cannot tell you how chuffed I am with myself. Without further ado, I give you my Fruit Lattice fingerless gloves:

You can add this to your Ravelry queue by clicking on the link above. The pattern itself will soon be available through the Knitting Goddess website in return for a small donation to Macmillan (the KG charity for 2009).

This is a very versatile pattern for several reasons: it can be knit in DK or sock yarn. The stitch count can be adjusted to fit the smallest (or largest) pair of hands. The cuff and finger length are also adjustable – it’s all entirely up to you :-)

The two examples shown were knit using:

- Angels & Elephants BFL sock (the purple pair) - this was knitted on 48 stitches, with a 2” ribbed cuff, 5 pattern repeats before the thumb gusset and ribbing to finish the finger section

- H&W Hammond & Co Sockenwolle (the grey pair) – this was knitted on 42 stitches, with a 1” ribbed cuff, 3 pattern repeats before the thumb gusset and a garter stitch edging for the finger section.

The gloves feature a simple, but very effective, quilted lattice stitch on the ‘upper’ side of the glove. Great for variegated yarn!

Eeeek!

2009-09-23T10:48:00.009+01:00

So, at the beginning of the month, I was intending to do a post asking where the summer had gone, and how come it was September already. Errr......as you can see, time has got away from me somewhat! And during that particular chunk of time, I've also turned a year older - the last one of my thirties in fact! Strangely, I'm feeling pretty ok about the prospect of turning 40 - while I still don't have a job (this recession is proving a LOT tougher than I naively thought back in March), I have a wonderful husband, a gorgeous daughter, a nice house (although I do hate having to clean it!), good health for the most part, and loads of lovely creative things to keep my mind busy. Not bad really when you think about it.

Anyway, enough philosophising. As you can imagine, I've been busy in the craft room. I've managed quite a few cards (but had a blonde moment and forgot to take pictures before I sent them off!). I've also been sewing lots of project bags and little zippered pouches....the zippers are getting easier all the time (thank goodness!)

And, of course, I have been knitting - don't tell me you're surprised? I'm taking part in three KALs (knit-a-longs) this month:

- this month's sock from Cookie A's Sock Innovation book is Devon. I'm using the yarn that I dyed with food colouring a few months. I'm still far too in love with the colour :-)

I can't say I have enjoyed knitting these - in fact, I will be VERY glad when they are finished. However, I like the final effect - the eagle-eyed amongst you will note that I am doing a plain foot (because I thought the lace would be rather uncomfortable when worn with shoes - which is the whole point really, isn't it?). These will either go to my friend Emma (who has asked for red socks for Christmas) - she's coming over on Saturday for a fitting, but I have a feeling they will too big for her. If that's the case, then they'll be mine!

Next, I am working on two different pairs for the SKA (Sock Knitters Anonymous) September challenge. The first is a mystery pattern designed by Nancy Bush:

The rules were that these had to be knitted in YELLOW. Now, this is not my usual colour by any means, so I decided I might as well for for a really bright shade - have you got your sunglasses on? I'm really enjoying doing these - but they are coming out really, really small (I'm following the pattern to the letter). I will definitely use the lace pattern again - but on bigger needles and more stitches next time!

These are going to a certain duck-loving friend of mine - can you guess who it is??

Finally, the 2nd SKA challenge pair is using a Wendy Johnson pattern - in this case, I'm using the lovely On-Hold pattern. I do adore Wendy's patterns - they're amazingly well written, easy to follow and I just seem to get less bored / frustrated with toe-up socks

I'm using some lovely Regia Kaffe Fassett in autumnal colours. I love the short colour repeats on this yarn - the knitted result is coming out very funky. These are going into the Christmas pile for my very good friend Alex - I think the colours are just perfect for her (in fact, I'm having serious problems with the idea of giving them away, coz I like them so much!)

Oh, and last but not least, I whipped up this little neck-warmer / cowl the other night, using some amazingly soft Alpaca / Silk mix that I picked up from EasyKnits during the recent IKnit Weekend (boy, was that a blast - expect to see more of the purchased goodies soon!). I cannot find the words to describe just how luscious this is - so soft and snuggly. And the colours? Mmmm hmmmm! Lilac, pewter and silver - just perfect!

A big hit...

2009-08-27T10:37:00.003+01:00

as promised, here are some pictures of the lacy shawl I knitted for my friend's 50th bithday. It went down a storm, with several people asking whether I had really made it, and how much I would charge for a similar one...:-)

A little bit of what you fancy.....

2009-08-20T13:03:00.006+01:00

It's been a topsy-turvy world in our little part of north London recently. First off, little Miss A managed to scare her Mummy silly by getting a really high fever and going all pale & floppy (thank goodness our local A&E has a special paediatric section - it was tonsilitis by the way). Four days later, Mr A came down with swine flu, which meant isolating him in the spare room and ~~trying~~ failing to keep the little one away from him (cue one little madam screaming for her Daddy). All's well that ends well thank goodness - although I'm a little knackered to say the least!

Let's see: what else is new? Nope, still nothing on the job front....I've been applying for PA / Admin jobs, but because I haven't actually done this for seven plus years, recruitment agencies are not interested. Well, I have decided to take control and have registered to do a Legal Secretary Diploma. Not only will this refresh my Office skills, but will also get me an official certificate saying I'm competent (ha! try to tell me that you can 'forget' how to be a good PA - I'll show you!) but I will also add to my skills set by gaining the legal knowledge. It is a certain chunk of money, but I figure it's an investment - and hopefully it wil pay off...

On the creative front, I'm slowly mastering the art of sewing zips (it would help if they actually made a zipper foot for my particular machine, but practice will make perfect, I'm sure!).

I've finished two pairs of socks since I last posted:

First up, we have a very snuggly pair of Eunice socks (by the amazing Cookie A) in Ranco Araucania Multi. These will be heading up to Scotland shortly for my bestest friend's birthday

Then we have the completed Diagonal Lace socks by Wendy Johnson in the smooshiest cashmere mix - these are a total joy to wear

I'm also slowly getting ready for chillier temperatures - I'm determined to have a funky collection of hats and berets to cheer me up this winter

I've also completed my first lacey shawl for a friend's 50th birthday - I'll be delivering it at her party this coming Saturday, so will come back later with (hopefully decent) pictures showing her wearing it....I can however show you her card

Oh yes - I've rediscovered the joy of card-making. Each time I sit down to make a specific card (or two!), I'm trying to be good and make two or more from the same papers - there is a credit crunch on after all!

One of the staff at Little Miss A's nursery recently had a baby girl - she already has a son, so I thought this would be perfect....

this was made for a knitting friend of mine who's not been feeling very well lately

My sister is going to a very posh wedding in New Delhi in late September - this was made to go with the happy couple's (totally gorgeous) wedding invitation

Pink - me?

2009-07-29T08:08:00.001+01:00

Well yes, actually! Anyone who knows me knows that I will always pick a pink jumper or cardigan to cheer myself up - it's definitely the most popular colour in my wardrobe!

Your rainbow is shaded pink.

What is says about you: You are a grateful person. You appreciate everyone around you. You are a good listener and your friends are glad to have you around in difficult times.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Catching up

2009-07-15T14:16:00.005+01:00

Scrapbooking and I have been rather distant friends this year - when I think how many layouts I completed last year, I am waaaay behind this year. I'm not too sure why this is, but my mojo went missing for quite a while and other crafts have also taken the lead recently.

Last week I decided to have a proper tidy-up / clear-out of my study. As a result, I came across a whole load of bits and pieces that I had been saving for various projects, as well as a whole pile of page kits that I had made up late last year. So, this week, I decided to put these kits to use, as well as try and catch up with the Scrap Like You Mean It challenges

Week 15 - Living on the Edge

This challenge was to enhance the edges of your layout, either by inking them, using die-cut papers, punches - you name it. I used various bits and pieces from a Chatterbox mini album kit. These papers are from the Villa range - all soft peaches, pinks and olive greens. I inked all the bits of paper and mounted a picture of my parents on their honeymoon. Nice and simple - but I like it!

Week 26 - Scrap with Stickers

I actually did this last week - but didn't get the chance to post it. Daisy D and Basic Grey papers, using a picture and stickers from the Barnados Big Toddle that Little Miss A recently took part in through her nursery. I used green felt Thickers for the title, so this also counts as the layout for Week 24 (Scrap with Felt). This was the picture we used on her fund-raising web page - would you believe she raised £250 all on her own - and got a special mention in the newsletter! Very proud parents (we've got great friends haven't we??!!)

Week 27 - Scrap a Happy Story

One Monday back in early June, I re-discovered this little outfit in Little Miss A's wardrobe. I had actually bought it last year, but it was too big. It now fits perfectly, but makes her look sooo grown up.....she's definitely not a baby any more! I actually bought new stash for the first time in ages, specially for this - the new Doodlebug papers and cherry Braddies were just crying out to go with these photos. I added a strip of Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper and a piece of random green gingham paper that I had in my stash. I'm really pleased with this layout - the Glitter Queen is back!

Week 28 - Scrap with a Needle & Thread

I can't believe I've actually done the current week's challenge on time! I combined this challenge with the one from Week 22 (which was a sketch) as I thought it all went perfectly with this photo - how time flies, the photos in this and the last layout were almost exactly a year apart! Used the same Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper as before, plus some green cross stitch on the edges, and some white Thickers for the title. Again, nice and simple - but I think it works really well....

Ooops!

2009-06-30T09:27:00.015+01:00

I have been a naughty blogger, haven't I? No real excuse, apart from running around after Little Miss A, trying to keep the house (and Mr A!) in order, re-writing my CV so as to tailor it to specific jobs, the annual madness that is Wimbledon (c'mon Murray!!!) and LOTS of crafty stuff!

On the knitting front, I've managed to complete three pairs of socks:

Peppermint Kiilas for the SKA June Mystery challenge on Ravelry

Yarn: Knitting Goddess 4 ply Merino / Tencel in Peppermint
Needles: 2.5mm dpns

One pair of Baudelaires (on the left) and one pair of Monkeys (at last!)

Baudelaires

Yarn used: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Incredible Shrinking Violet
Needles: 2.75mm

Monkeys

Yarn used: Artyarns Supermernio
Needles: 2.75mm
The Baudelaires are going to my sister - the colours are perfect for her. The Monkeys were going to be for me, but they have come out just a bit too short, so they are going to my mad friend Claire, who is doing three sponsored swims for various cancer charities over the summer - including one in the Docklands - brrr!

I have also started my first pair of socks from Wendy Johnson's fabulous book - these are Diagonal Lace, using the amazing LuxeSock from Crazy4Dyeing - this has a mix of merino and nylon, with just a touch of cashmere - oh my lord, sooo soft! And this particular colourway (Tickle) is just stunning - these socks aren't going on anyone's feet but mine!

I have actually finished the first sock, and started on the second, where I am making a 'design decision' and mirroring the pattern so that when both socks are on the eyelets will go in different directions.

I'm also making good progress on Little Miss A's tunic dress - yes, I am finally making use of the Babylonglegs Merino that I bought so long ago (it's only taken me 4 patterns to find the right one!).

And last but not least, I have also started my first lace project, using some amazing handspun in greens, blues and purples from the lovely Otiva -

I won't be showing you any more than this, as it's actually supposed to be a 'secret' (i.e. Christmas!) project.........yes, I'm starting early this year, partly because I have a long list of people to make things for, and I'm determined that every single one of them will get something handmade - am I certifiably insane?

I've also been busy on the sewing front. Two (or was it three?) weeks ago, I got a total of five bags out of the two 1.5m lengths of fabric - and they have all gone! I obviously hit the nail on the head by 'going over to the dark side' with these!

The shop also had a little update last week with a real mixed bag ('scuse the pun!) of colours and sizes

I also finally had a go at doing something I've wanted to try for a while - pretty, beaded charm bracelets - I'm really pleased with how this came out, and can see many more in the future!

A simple life.....

2009-06-01T11:11:00.007+01:00

I don't know about you, but I find that life just automatically becomes so much simpler when the sun and warmth finally make their appearance after the gloomy months of winter. First of all, there is the change of wardrobe - and footwear

Everything is simply blooming around me - our garden (after Mr A's tender care and complete reorganisation of a few weeks ago) is looking gorgeous. We have yellow roses in one corner

And our clematis has gone totally crazy

While someone else is just loving her new paddling pool.....

As for me, I have discovered the joys of dyeing my own wool with food colouring and Kool Aid! Great (albeit slightly messy!) fun - I give you Robin Hood and Strawberry Shortcake (apparently it's a rule that you have to name any wool you dye.....)

And the sewing machine is still going great guns - lots of little bags for the shop (and they're going quite fast, which is great!):

Birthday time!

2009-05-08T10:28:00.003+01:00

This week, I decided it was time to get back to card-making - my sister had asked me to make some cards for a couple of weddings she is going to this summer, and Mr A's birthday was fast approaching (it's today, which is why I haven't posted these pictures until today).

Here are the results of a rather profitable morning's work:

Finished!

2009-05-05T09:32:00.005+01:00

Still brimming over with crafty ideas - my head is just full of them! I've been scribbling them down as fast as they come - really need some new notebooks.....what a pity Woolworths isn't around any more, they were perfect for that sort of thing.

Anyway, here are the results from last week's creativity:

First up, the little memory box I mentioned in the last post was delivered last Thursday - a day before the baby in question actually arrived! Couldn't have timed it better if I tried......the brief wasn't the most obvious: the baby's sex was unknown, and I wasn't allowed to use any faces or eyes (due to the baby being of the Muslim faith), so that meant no pink or blue, and no teddies.....in the end I went with a cream and gold colour scheme and lots of swirls and hearts.

Here's the top of the box

the front side

the left and right sides were done the same

Then I was asked to make one of my drawstring knitting bags in a cupcake and polka dot fabric - came out quite well, although the pictures don't really show how pretty it was due to the poor light........

(whisper) - both of these were 'paid commissions' which means the 'wool kitty' has been replenished! :-) Oh, and the lady who bought the memory has also given me some 4ply wool - yippee!

I also finished my contribution to the 'Knitting for Joy' campaign - even though it is made for an adult-sized head, I think this particular model looks rather fetching in it!

Next up, I have joined three Knit-A-Long (KAL) groups on Ravelry - the first is called Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) - appropriate no? They have a Mystery sock pattern as their May 'challenge' - it's called Kiila (Finnish for gusset apparently) and you get a new clue every Friday for four weeks (but we have till the end of June to finish them). It's great fun, although involves cabling without a cable needle, which I am not finding very obvious.... I am doing mine in some lovely merino/tencel mix from the Knitting Goddess in a scrummy semi-solid shade of Peppermint - see the pretty little cables that go up each side of the sock? I have actually done this much on both socks, but I just can't seem to be able to take a piccy of both socks together......

The other two KALs are focused on knitting the patterns from two new books:

Sock Innovation by the amazing Cookie A (see my Monkeys from the last post)

and Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson

Now, I don't have my copy of Sock Innovation just yet (Amazon is having major stock problems with this book - it's obviously proven much more popular than they expected!), but you are allowed to substitute a Cookie A pattern that is not in the book - so I have started a pair of Pomatomus in Socks That Rock lightweight

- the colour is Incredible Shrinking Violet which I obtained through a Ravelry trade. I just love how the various shades of lilac and purple are working with the curved stiches..... I'm really having to concentrate on the pattern, so going to have to get my skates on if I'm to finish them for the end of May...Thankfully, the Wendy Johnson KAL doesn't actually start until June...

Oh, and last but not least, in order to help me keep track of all my sock projects (the wool I used, the needle size, who they were for, whether or not I liked the pattern), I quickly whipped up this little 'Sock Log Book':

Phew! It's been a busy week......

Flat Bottomed Girls

2009-04-25T08:00:00.005+01:00

Hee hee - couldn't resist that as a title for this post! I had an absolutely brilliant morning yesterday, perfecting my ideas for the drawstring bags. Here, for your delectation, is the larger version, with a flat bottom and inside pockets:

So, now I know how many bags of both sizes I can get out of a certain piece of fabric, how long it takes me to make them - ooooooh, my brain is just buzzing with ideas!

Happy Days

2009-04-24T09:28:00.011+01:00

So, I am not making much progress on the job front....but, instead of moping around, I have been filling my days with (for me) the most amazing creativity. Each morning, after spending the obligatory hour or so looking at job sites, I top up my coffee mug and head off to 'my room'. I open up the doors to let in the wonderful sunshine (it's lasted all week - how blissful?) and set to work.

This week has been super varied. I have made good progress on the Mystery Socks and my Monkeys are looking just far too pretty - sugar coated yumminess. And they are sooo snuggly - the sun might be shining during the day, but it's still a bit chilly at night, so will definitely be wearing these.

Knitting these has also confirmed that I am much more comfortable with toe-up socks - so that's all I will be doing from now on!

Then there is the 'Knitting for Joy' project - the amazing Knitting Goddess (aka Joy) asked for some volunteers to knit up samples of her wools so she could display them at the various events she's doing this summer. I chose to knit a skein of her Lavender Fields into a Ground Flower Hat I'm really liking how this is coming out so far - might have to add it to my wish list for future purchase.

However, the absolute best bit about this project is that the volunteers are being paid in wool! I chose a skein of Joy's Heather Trio
- I just can't find the right superlative for this, it is sooo gorgeous. Desperately looking for suggestions for the right pattern that will do justice to the colours.

I've also made some more stitch markers for the shop(s) - really enjoying making these, especially now I have found a good, mini-sized wire cutter!!

And now for the really big news - in fact, it needs a proper, official announcement: Look Ma, I Can Sew!!!! Now, what you might not know is that, historically, me and sewing machines have been sworn enemies (I have bad memories of the summer Mum decided I was going to learn to sew and I ended up in tears more days than not.....). My darling Mr A bought me a mini Janome for my birthday last year, but that (initially) was only for adding embellishments to my cards and layouts......and then I started to think - "well, why don't I give it a try and see?" A few months back I made a roll for my double-pointed knitting needles and crochet hooks - it came out all right, but my stitching was definitely not straight 100% of the time.

With my recent discovery of sock knitting, I found myself wanting something pretty in which to store / transport my current projects. Thanks to this great tutorial from Happy Things (she's also got some really good quilt tutorials, which I intend to explore at a later date), I dug out some bits of fabric I had lying around - and I made this! I cannot express strongly enough the sense of totally thrilling achievement I am feeling about this - I have made a proper, sturdy, drawstring bag, that has straight (!!) seams and which looks cute on top of it all!

Yes, those are the Monkeys hiding inside.....

So, what's on for next week? More bags - this time with a flat bottom and inside pocket. Then I really have to make a start on the famous wedding album - I've got the materials assembled, just have to start working on it. I have also been commissioned to make a baby memory box for a friend - I've started on it and should have it finished by mid-week. Will post pictures when it's done......

Have a lovely weekend everyone - enjoy the sunshine (no, I don't believe the forecast!)

Too cool for Skool?

2009-04-22T19:41:00.004+01:00

Just had to share this picture. What are they like? I know the sunny, warmer days seem to have finally arrived for good (touch wood) but this is ridiculous! And yes, Miss A is still insisting on Mr A carrying her most of the way to nursery each morning......

Updated 30 June to show the layout I made with this picture, and using the wonderful kit I got in the Kit Swap on UKScrappers

Time for a merger......

2009-04-20T08:12:00.000+01:00

....some of you will no doubt be wondering what has happened to me? Yes, I have been a naughty blogger -at least, on this blog. This is partly to do with the fact that, despite the large quantities of free/spare time I now have on my hands, I haven't been even remotely inclined to do any scrapping. I'm very puzzled by this - and am determined to do something about it! Mr A has given me strict instructions to not only start - but finish! - our wedding album in time for our 6th anniversary in May. I have all the bits and pieces collected together in the appropriate colour scheme (gold, beige and cream in case you're wondering!) and I'm going to work my way through my backlog of Scrap Like You Mean It at the same time......keep your eyes peeled!

At the same time, while I haven't been scrapping, I have been having great fun with all sorts of textile stuff - I've made a crochet afghan baby blanket for the baby son of some friends, finished my first ever pair of socks and am rapidly approaching the end of the 2nd pair. I have also spent far too much time in recent weeks on Ravelry, the most amazing knitting/crochet online community, where I have made lots of new friends - you could call it my new addiction. I have also spent more time blogging on my other blog. Initially, I set it up to keep the paper and the textile crafts separate. Now, however, I think it's time for a merger - after all, each of my creations, be they made from card and paper or cloth and wool, are a reflection of my personality and crafty inclinations. So, today will be devoted to transferring the knitting posts over here so everyone, knitters and scrappers, can enjoy the results!

The Sock Saga continues.......

2009-04-17T12:08:00.000+01:00

Yes, I've started another pair of socks - these are Blackrose in the cherry Wendy Mode 4 ply that I mentioned in my previous post. There is soooo much yardage in this wool, I have ended up doing ELEVEN pattern repeats down the leg! Wow! I'm not overly impressed with the wool to be honest - it's very fluffy and a bit splitty, but I'll get there in the end. And it's definitely made me realise that I much prefer doing toe-up socks.....

The really interesting news however, is that the making of these socks led me down a completely new 'creative path' - namely, the design of some co-ordinated stitch markers:

Cute no?

This in turn has led to a period of mad wire winding and I have made several more sets - you can see them for sale in my Folksy shop here or my Etsy shop here

Sock crazy!

2009-04-08T18:18:00.000+01:00

It's official - for someone who had never even contemplated knitting a pair of socks (let alone knitting on dpns) before the beginning of the year, I am now officially sock crazy! Not only do I now have a ludicrously large pile of sock yarn in my stash, but the projects are coming thick and fast.

Today, I actually finished my very first pair - for my dearly beloved! Toe-up, with short row heels, so custom fit - and he likes them! :-)

Pattern: Express Lane by Diane Mulholland
Yarn: 'Donna's Favourite' from Claudia Handpainted (I LOVE this yarn - so soft and squishy)
Needles: 2.75mm and 3.25mm for cast-off

Next up, I have finished the first sock of the March 2009 Mystery Sock Pattern - I'm doing these in Cygnet DK and they are coming out super comfy so far. They will be gifted to the daughter of a very good friend of mine who suffers from Juvenile Arthritis. She's having a major operation in a few weeks' time and will need something to cheer her up / keep her feet warm while she recovers.

So, you know I mentioned my ever-growing pile of sock yarn? Here are the latest additions - some absolutely gorgeous squishiness from The Knitting Goddess - all are from her 4ply BFL Sock Wool range:

From top to bottom we have:

Meadow (destined for Saimaa)

Copper Desert (will be turned into Sprung Socks)

Bollywood (for some Falling Leaves)

Then a skein of Sensational Sock 2 Merino in 'Chocolate Covered Cherry' from the lovely Knitted to a T - there's 500 whole yards of this yummy stuff, so they will be perfect for some extra long Shur'tagals

And (finally!), 3 skeins of Rowan Pure Wool 4ply in 'Sage' - I think these will be just perfect for some knee-length Marlenes by the amazing Cookie A

Springtime - part deux

2009-04-05T08:19:00.000+01:00

It's done - all sewn together, washed, and blocked! I am really, really pleased with it - the colours have worked together so well. It was delivered to the little boy's daddy on Thursday - and both he and his wife were over the moon - so much so, it's being used to wrap their precious bundle on his first trip to church this morning - that is all the 'payment' I could possibly have wanted!

I've changed my mind......

2009-03-26T11:41:00.000Z

...the Patons Caressa is not going to be made into a Stardust - I've decided that I much prefer this Lacy Chevron cardigan - I think it will work better with the fluffiness of the wool, and because it's crochet, I'll get it done quicker too!! Honestly, all these decisions - who said being a knitter was easy???

Swatch heaven?

2009-03-24T07:52:00.001Z

I'm taking a break from the crochet granny squares in order to prepare for the next raft of projects (well, thanks to being made redundant, I have LOTS of time on my hands - so might as well be productive!). I've been busy knitting up gauge swatches (I'm erring on the side of caution!).

So, what is on the cards I hear you ask?

First, some easy/quick knits (to balance the more complicated ones below):

I have finally settled on a pattern for the lovely Rose Garden Merino from Babylonglegs - it's going to be transformed into a Seed Stitch Cardigan for Little Miss A.

The gorgeous Atlantis Aran (yes, also from Babylonglegs) will be knitted up as a Spiral Cowl - yes, I know Spring is now well on it's way, but it's still a bit chilly in the mornings!

Then, I have a few more long-term projects planned - the newly arrived Bergere de France Sport

will be turned into a Dr. G's Memory Vest for my Dad's Xmas pressie

My 10 balls of Patons Caressa DK will make a lovely fluffy Stardust - don't you just love the colour? It's got a really nice feel to it and the lace pattern comes out really nicely (provided I remember to knit into the back of the yarn forwards on the following row!)

And then, last but not least, I need to start making a serious dent in my stash of sock yarn!

I'm holding back on choosing a pattern for the lovely Claudia's Blue Fields (soooo scrummy & squishy!)

but my two skeins of Angels & Elephants have volunteered to go to the head of pile:

Seaspray (I just adore all those pale greens and lilac/blues!) will be used for some Spring Forward socks

and the Pentillie (reminds me of a wintery sunrise) will be used for Spring Pools socks

All this should keep me busy for a while, don't you think?

Springtime baby afghan

2009-03-23T12:48:00.000Z

I originally started making this for Jessica's little girl (who was born in November) but other things / projects got in the way. So I'm now making it for Ben's little boy (who was born two weeks ago).

I’m making 8 squares each from 9 colours of wool - 1 white; 2 yellows; 3 greens and 3 blues. Each square is coming up 10cm by 10cm. These will then be sewn together in diagonal stripes. Haven’t yet decided whether to sew them together with a contrast seam (in white) or with mattress stitch. When I’m going all out, I can churn out one of these squares in 15 minutes - 59 squares down, only 13 to go!

Pattern is based on the Wagon Wheel design from the Good Housekeeping Crochet Companion which I have had for ages.

Pattern as follows (NB: UK crochet terms):

ch 6, join with sl st

round 1: ch 2, 15 tr in circle

round 2: ch 4, 1 tr in 1st tr of previous rnd, 2 ch, 1 tr in nxt st, repeat from , join with sl st into 2nd ch of 1st 4 ch

round 3: ch 5, dtr into same st as joining,2 ch, 1tr into nxt st, 2 ch, 1htr into nxt st, 2 ch, 1 tr into nxt st, 2 ch, 1dtr into nxt st, 2 ch, 1dtr into same st as previous dtr, repeat from, join with sl st into 3rd chain of 1st 5 ch

round 4: 2ch, 3tr into 2ch corner space, 1 tr into nxt st, 2 tr into 2ch space repeat, putting 1tr into each st of previous round, 2tr into each 2ch space, and 3tr into each corner space, join with sl st into top of 1st 2ch

round 5: 2 ch, 1tr into each tr of previous round, with 3tr into centre tr of each corner

Cast off.

Cards and cake!

2009-03-23T12:29:00.006Z

I have a found a new challenge blog which is right up my street - it's all about Basic Grey! This week's challenge is all about texture - and here is my attempt, specially for Little Miss A's 2nd birthday which is today (and we had a temper tantrum before we even left the house just to prove it!)

I have used papers from the Periphery and Skate Shoppe ranges (remember the last one?), plus Kaiser pearls and gems, ribbon from John Lewis, and a cute little Tilda holding a special cake. I added texture in various ways - there are the gems and pearls, but I also added white polka dots to Tilda's dress with a Souffle pen, glitter to the cake icing and the blue flower, and her shoes are all shiny, thanks to some Diamond Glaze.

Seeing as I was on such a roll, I have also managed to finish a birthday card for my MIL (I know she doesn't read this blog so I'm safe posting the picture on here). Bazzill cardstock, Sizzix pp, Dovecraft flowers and jewel brad, plus Kaiser gems and Prima flowers - I'm really pleased with this one!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-03-22T18:27:00.004Z

A lovely bunch of tulips for all the mothers out there - hope you had a nice, relaxing day!

More candy!

2009-03-22T08:57:00.003Z

Ooooh - this is sooo yummy! Just perfect for my new-found need/desire to make lovely little cards........!

You have until midnight on Monday 23rd March so hurry over to check it out

Some gardening time.....

2009-03-20T09:27:00.007Z

...some of you may have guessed from the various hints I have posted recently, but now I can officially declare it: I am being made redundant. Yep, another casualty of the credit crunch. However, please do NOT panic - now that I have come to terms with the new situation, I couldn't be happier! I put up a good fight (although it was mentally and physically exhausting) and I will hopefully get a decent severance package (it's all in the hands of the lawyers now, so fingers crossed!). As of today, I am on 'gardening leave' - but have absolutely no intention of doing anything in the garden apart from sitting on the bench with a cup of coffee and enjoying the sunshine. And I have loads of projects to complete - an altered canvas for my friend Katie, a knitted shrug for my friend Helen, and Mr A has given me strict instructions to finally make a start on our wedding album - it's only been almost six years!!!
So, here's to freedom and the pleasure of being able to take time to smell the flowers!!!
In keeping with my sunny mood, here is a card I made earlier this week for a colleague's niece - she requested something funky with sunny colours - I think it came out really well!

I've also made the following for some very good friends of our who are getting in married in their home country of South Africa tomorrow. Sorry we can't be there guys - but hope you have a FAB day!! We'll be thinking of you while we take Little Miss A to the local city farm for her birthday treat (she's either going to love it or freak out completely.......)

Blog candy!

2009-03-20T09:26:00.001Z

The amazingly talented Caz is giving away some fantastic blog candy for her birthday - you have until 11.50pm (UK time) tonight - so get your skates on!

You can see the candy in all it's glory over here

Another WIP bites the dust!

2009-03-18T08:38:00.000Z

YAY! The Faberge gloves are finished. I absolutely loved knitting these (even if I did initially manage to make two right-handed gloves - DOH! Not a good thing to discover at 10pm on a Sunday night.........)

The yarn is just gorgeous - the colours are so vibrant, and yet the result is still quite subtle. Let's hope L'il Sis likes them...... AND I have enough yarn left to make a hat! She'll have to wait for that though, as I have run out of time methinks.....

2Di4 Duo yarn in Trailing Vines colourway; needles 3.75mm (dpn); size medium; Faberge Mittens (for cuff pattern) and Generic Glove pattern from Knitty; Started: 22 Feb 2009; Finished: 17 March 2009

Naughty blogger........

2009-03-11T09:59:00.006Z

Yes, I have been a naughty blogger.....it's been far too long since I have posted on here. In my defence, real life has got in the way recently (as has my knitting obsession!). I will spare you the details, but it looks very likely that things will be changing dramatically soon, and I will have a lot more time on my hands - which means lots more scrapping! There is a silver lining to every cloud after all.....

As I said, I really haven't done very much scrapping so far this year. I'm involved in a circle journal on UKS, but of course, I can't show pictures of that. I managed a brief flurry of activity during the recent Cyber Crop, when I did these:

My little sis looking stunning on her wedding day in June 2007

the uncanny resemblance between Mr A and little Miss A (both aged approx six months) - long may she keep those gorgeous curls!!!

And then, this morning, the need to scrap suddenly grabbed hold of me again - oh what bliss! I have had the idea for this layout in my head for some time, and it also seemed to work really well with the Scrap Like You Mean it topic for week eight (I'm still catching up on these, and not necessarily doing them in the precise chronological order!). Quite different from my usual style, and cutting up the photos was a bit nerve-wracking at first, but I'm very pleased with how it came out.

I'm such a lucky girl to see all these beautiful historical buildings (St Paul's, the Old Bailey, St. Bride's church) every day - Mr Wren, I salute you!