The quick and the slow

DH and I went up to London to walk along the Regents canal so of course I needed a little something to knit on the train, this little chap just fitted the bill perfectly, magic looped with stash DK he came out a whole 4" tall, and only took the journey to and from London to knit. Should make a nice little handful for a babe in the next Baby pack project pack.

As for the slow, well the Yarn Forward blanket had it's ups and downs, plenty of problems with the patterns but it's done - took 5 months to make but I'm really happy with the results - I think DD is too judging by the fact that she is currently snuggled under it on the sofa watching TV.

I made socks !!!

I've just finished the socks I started to take on my walking trip in May, and do you know what - I enjoyed making them! simple pattern sock stew which I adapted to knit two at a time, toe up on two circs. Rather enjoyed them, I'm beginning to think I may be converted :0)



I'm even thinking of casting on another pair !!!!

Pins and Needles

I found a lovely pincushion pattern when I was browsing the web (as you do) and couldn't resist. I used the remains of a fat quarter that DD had chosen for her GCSE textiles (their brief was to choose something to represent themselves !), and thought it would be nice to have a matching needlecase. Then I decided the original pattern for pincushion came out too big for what I wanted, and made a mini version.


I was really pleased with the results, and the pattern is written so well.

I am still knitting, honestly! I have finally finished the squares for the YF Mystery blanket, and now have to sew them all together :0( and decide on a border. I think most of us over on the Ravelry knitalong were rather disappointed at the way Yarnforward suddenly abandoned us. Five months of knitting, giving us different themed squares each month and then suddenly when we were eagerly awaiting clever ideas of finishing, we were told we could crochet them together, back stitch or mattress stitch .... oh and add a border if we liked!
Oh well, hopefully I will have a picture of the finished article soon. Having added a few more squares myself to make it bigger, I now have the wonderful task of sewing 35 squares together. (I'm sure it won't be all that bad, if only I could get started!)

Sad sewing and Beautiful butterflies

Every so often I feel the need to do some 'sad sewing' I'm beginning to think it could be related to anniversaries of my own losses, but I don't wish to dwell on that and work it out, so I just do my sewing, send it off to Bonnie Babies and get it out of my system. So this is the current sad sewing


burial gowns
Now onto more cheerful things. It was such a beautiful day yesterday, the sun was shining, the bees were buzzing and the butterflies were having a wonderful time on and around my buddleia, so I got out DH's posh camera and had a play





And the last one is not for anyone who dislikes insects - this butterfly looks quite evil in close up, it's face when it fills the screen is sooooo ugly!!!

Strange thing for a knitter to buy

Well that's what DH said anyway, but I was browsing in a charity shop and saw this bag of knitted squares (well moss stitch rectangles actually but let's not get picky) and decided they needed to be put to good use. When I went to the till the lady said " Oh, I'm glad you are buying them, they must have taken someone a very long time to knit" to which I politely agreed and somehow managed to refrain from adding ' but it didn't stop you only charging 50p for them did it?'

Anyway, after playing around for a while I came up with a layout I was happy with and a couple of evening later I had this....



which will wend it's way with my next Baby Pack Project pack - Very satisfying to have created a brightly coloured little blankie and put someone elses hard work to good use.

Back to the real world

Shame... I'm back in the real world having just had 8 days on board..

and those two little dots are DD and I! And the little orange dot in the distance is the security man running up to tell us we were too close to the quay side!
We had a wonderful time, even considering the weather - as it was mainly France and Spain and not too exotic the weather thought it would be rather English just to make us feel at home, not that warm and lots of rain. The Bay of Biscay was entertaining too - a force 8 thank you very much, though it didn't trouble us too much, (good old sea sickness tablets) and DH and I quite enjoyed our walk round the deck, leaning at a 45` angle just to stand up, and experiencing near weightlessness as the ship pitched!

Well I only did a little knitting, some sock! and 4 squares for my Mystery Blanket - one to replace that naughty number 4 of colour work


One using the yarn I bought in Lisbon

A stripy one using odds and ends and the 6th of the beaded patterns from issue 15, so the next set looks like this


The reason I didn't do as much knitting as expected was that the day before the cruise I went on a workshop to learn to make Armenian Lace so I was happily practicing my new found skills - it is a knotted lace so only needs thread, needle and scissors and here is what I achieved.

and a close up because I am proud of my new found skill



Suffering from post cruise blues I have ordered 2 books on Armenian Lace and with a few more weeks til I go back to work I am planning to do more.

The prom

They never had proms when I was at school but it seems to be 'in' at the moment. DD wasn't too keen at first but then when she found 'the' dress, she was a lot happier. Friend was supposed to be arranging the limo - but as soon as I knew which friend, I had my doubts, and I was right. A couple of days before the prom, she admitted she had done nothing about it! So most of the girls were taken by parents in their cars, but fortunately the uncle of DD's closest friend came to the rescue and took, friend, DD and another in his jag - he even dressed in a suit and got out to open the doors for the young ladies, so that they could arrive in style.

I didn't expect to feel emotional - I mean I think DD is beautiful all the time, but in her posh frock all ready for the prom I felt a great surge of pride (and a little sniffly too), so being the proud mum I just had to share a couple of pictures. DD is in purple, and friend with uncle is in the middle.



DD is lucky in that she has both male and female friends, and I rather liked this picture which shows how comfortable they all are with each other - they are just friends not couples, and I think that is great

Unlucky number 4

I hadn't realised that number 4 is considered to be an unlucky number, but once I started the Mystery Blanket from Yarnforward magazine I started to wonder.
Cable pattern number 4 was incredibly difficult to get square - it was determined to stay kite shaped and had to be blocked to within an inch of it's life to get anything near a square.
Lace number 4 was a bit of a so and so as well - whilst I ended up with a pattern I liked, it doesn't seem to be quite what the designer had in mind!
And as for colour work pattern 4, well! I still haven't mastered it, I fiddled, I tinked and eventually I frogged and I am still trying to pluck up courage to start again.

I'm quite pleased with the 5 colour work squares I have completed, even though I've decided it isn't really my 'thing' ( note the technical blocking system again)




Anyway I have now been told that 4 is the most unlucky number in Japan (and it's pronounciation is similar to the word for death) - so that explains it, and as in Japan they often miss out room or flat number 4 (in the same way as we do 13) perhaps that gives me permission to miss out square number 4 and replace it with one of my own. But knowing me and the fact that I don't like being beaten, I may have to win this battle yet.