Quick bits

I don't feel like I have had much time for serious knitting lately, what with the walking practice (yes I know, left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot) and getting things ready for FIL's 80th birthday bash, but I have still been making

I thought I would keep his cake simple, it's his birthday, he's 80 and he likes aircraft (radio controlled models and real ones) and having had a flight in a Tiger Moth that seemed the obvious choice to top the cake. I wouldn't usually spend that much on a cake decoration but being a diecast model he can pop it on his shelf after the cake has gone.


My BSJ is coming along slowly and though I have made one before I still marvel how EZ worked out the weird shape you need to fold nicely into a little jacket

(sorry it's sideways, this new blogger is rubbish not playing properly)


Needing a bit of instant gratification (and a new bookmark) I created this

using a combination of a couple of designs the top bit being half a crochet flower and the bottom based on the Book Thong. I really like the effect and the cord that is produced when you slip stitch into the back of the chain on the way back up.


And since that didn't quite satisfy

I made the first of this years Innocent Smoothie Hats. Although it hasn't been launched officially yet I heard through the Ravelry group that it is definitely going a-head (oops! bad pun!) so I thought by starting early I might get a few more done this year.

Town and Country

Being the Easter weekend DH and I decided to take the opportunity to do two long walks back to back in preparation/training for our biggie in a few weeks time. So on Good Friday we took the train up to London and tube out to Paddington and walked 18 miles along the canal/Thames.

Each time we go up to Town we remark on how the Shard is progressing - it's one impressive building and I am looking forward to visiting the viewing gallery when it finally opens.


The next day, and feeling surprisingly ok, we decided on a local walk - drove over to FIL's house, left the car and walked the 12 miles home
a bit different scenery to our first walk, with far more four legged inhabitants than the two legged crowds of yesterday

They were all lined up beautifully along the fence but by the time I had found the camera on my new phone they seemed to have got a bit bored with posing :0(

And finally, since I ought to put some knitting in the blog - here's my April Square for the Baker's Dozen

still on the 'Garden of England' theme but instead of flowers and leaves, it's Butterflies though actually the more I look, the more they seem to transform into other insects!

2 out of 3 ain't bad

I've been working steadily through my WIPs with mixed success,
Mayflower's Lazy Weekend Jacket from Loving Hands is finished and oh so cute. It was a lovely pattern to work, all in one from the bottom up, adding in the sleeves to finish the yoke, so minimum sewing up - which is great as far as I am concerned.

I was rather pleased with the Lacy Cabled phone case too I used some left overs of sock yarn that DD and I dyed with Koolaid some time ago, the pattern was ok but it was a bit of a challenge using 1.5mm DPNs which was what I needed to get gauge - and if anyone needs to know, a tapestry needle works well as a substitute cable needle when you are working this fine.

But as for the simple charity sweater - well, it wasn't quite right and it has been frogged because as DH kindly commented "I don't know about keeping a child warm - you could house the entire village in that" Hmmm! bit of an exageration, but you get the idea!