Gulp!

 I have never, ever spent so much money on wool. Never. Ever.

But it was worth it....

Madelinetosh vintage in Scarlet - lots of it..

Gifted

While things may have been a tad quiet (ahem!) on the old blogging front, it doesn't mean that I've been sitting back and twiddling my thumbs - no siree!!

Apart from the usual busyness that summer holidays bring, this year they have brought along with them a number of tiny new arrivals (for friends, not me, I hasten to add..)  And of course, new babies need presents....

Burp cloths, because you can never have too many of these... 

An 'in threes' cardigan in deliciously squooshy Madelinetosh Vintage DK...

A teeny, tiny 'pebble' vest made out of a surprisingly soft skein of Noro Silk garden

To go with the vest, something I haven't made for aaaaages : a nappy cake!

It wasn't all about the babies though, oh no. A lovely little lady celebrated her first birthday too. On special request, a blanket for her doll's crib was made.

.. and because I liked the first one so much, another 'in threes' was produced.

Not too bad eh?!

In the eye of the beholder.....

Well, I think she looks a bit 'odd'...

  But a certain four year old thinks that she is beautiful, so who am I to argue?!

 

Lula doll from this book, knitted with oddments of wool and without the flowery bits as a certain little lady was trying to be so very patient, and they would have taken longer!

Also being made this week:

 crochet bunny from here

and a pile of felt squares destined to be coasters!

Scroll lace scarf (part two!)

I knew when I finished this scarf only three weeks ago that I would probably be making another one soon as it was such a lovely easy pattern to do. Lo and behold, here is version two!

I made it as a thank you gift for a lovely friend who has been helping me out since my hospital trip in November by taking Pickle along to her ballet lessons. (Sigh, still on high doses of pain meds which mean I'm not terribly safe on the roads... I've got a date for my op. now though -22nd Feb - Hooray!)


Anyhow, I wanted to make her a little something to show how much I appreciate her help, which has had to continue for much longer than first anticipated. So here it is.

I knitted it in a sockweight yarn this time, which makes it a lovely thickness, perfect for spring, and which really shows off the lace border.

Picture courtesy of Abstract Cat

I used Green Granite from a rather larger order that I placed with Abstract Cat recently. I've already cast on a pair of socks using the 'spiced' - lovely and soft!

I did try using a couple of rows of garter stitch before the picot cast off for this one to stop the 'rolling issue', but it didn't work and I didn't like how it looked, so I re-did it. Any other ideas that may help?

Scroll lace scarf

Yay! I finished my first project of twentyten - the Scroll Lace scarf mentioned in my last-but-two post.

It was such a quick and easy knit, and looks so lovely, that I know I'll be making a lot more of these. It does have a tendency to roll along the top edge, but having read comments on Ravelry, I know this is a common problem.

I'll try a few rows of garter stitch before I do the Picot cast off next time...

(Modelled by one of my Christmas presents from my lovely husband! I am a very lucky lady..)

I have now cast on this: Verity - (again by Ysolda) using the same wool.

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't done so already. I'm really enjoying discovering all these new blogs!

Ahhhh...

Peace and tranquillity abound as normal routine returns to our home. Time to treat myself to a spot of this , I think....


Pattern: Scroll Lace Scarf, from Whimsical Little Knits 2, knitted in Artesano 100% Alpaca

Back ... but not for long!

Well, that was a longer than expected absence. I'm back at home now, still in pain, but with no real idea about what's going on. It's been a strange month, mostly spent in bed, and watching a whole heap of daytime TV!


The drugs I'm on have left me feeling slightly spaced out and therefore not much crafting has been done - morphine influenced knitting is always an interesting experience!! I have managed to finish a pair of socks though - a nice straightforward pattern that doesn't require much thought.



I've also made a few gifts for a lovely baby boy who was born the day before went into hospital and who was three weeks old before I had my first cuddle - well worth the wait! Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures before I gave the presents. Doh!


I did manage to get my Christmas Polka Dot Swap off to Australia before the deadline (phew!) though nearly gave my husband a heart attack when he took it to the post office and was asked to pay a HUGE amount of postage!!! Must bear that in mind next time I do an international swap.......!!! Will post pictures when I know it has arrived.


On Friday we're off to The Netherlands to begin our search for a house. We have booked a cabin on the ferry even though it's a day crossing so that I can lie down whenever I need. It's also got a TV, sofa and internet connection, so (fingers crossed) it should be an easy journey for everyone. It's only 14 weeks to go before we intend to move and I'm in complete denial about the amount of packing that will need to be done! Hopefully our search around the Hague will be successful.

A nice surprise

A couple of weeks ago when I was sitting with Ladybug sorting out a problem with her knitting, The Engineer asked me if I could teach him how to knit too.


Completely taken by surprise, as he had shown absolutely no interest up until this point, I said 'of course', he chose his wool and we began.


He grasped the idea really quickly and has stuck with it ever since, picking it up each day. He even took it on holiday with him and knitted on the ferry!


It did take me a little by surprise though when I asked him to put his pyjamas on later that day and he replied 'can I just finish this row?' Not a phrase I had somehow ever imagined coming from my son's lips ...... !!

Spreading the word....

A few weeks ago, I was having coffee with my usual group of friends when one of them asked me if I could teach her to knit. The others thought this was a great idea and somehow it ended up with all of them wanting to join in! Last Wednesday was our first 'lesson', I had three non-knitters (two left handed) , one who did knitting when she was a child, but not since and one who could knit, but wanted me to teach her how to crochet!

I was a bit daunted at the thought of teaching them all, but fortified by a glass of wine and a slice of cake, I began!. We had so much fun and laughed most of the evening! They wouldn't let me take any photographs as all of their tongues were sticking out as they tried to concentrate, and they all chose totally unsuitable wool from my stash - but would they listen?.... nooooo! Could I get them to do a sample square?..... nooooo! They wanted to be off and away right from the beginning. I'm going to try and get them to do a sort of sample scarf with blocks of different patterns on it, but we'll see....

Last week was casting on and the knit stitch, this week we'll try purling - if they've done their homework.....!

It really was a great night. We had originally planned to meet once a month, but at the end of the evening they asked if we could do it again next week and so we're meeting again tomorrow. This time I will take my camera and try to get some pictures - if not of them, of the work they've done.

I'm really looking forward to it, and tonight I was stopped in the playground by one of the school mums who asked if I would maybe start another group up in the daytime. Who knows where this will lead, but it will be interesting to find out!

Hooray!

I never ever seem to do very well when it comes to winning things. Give-aways - nope, raffles - absolutely not, tombola - not a chance! So I was very excited to find out that I had won a give-away from Annette on her blog The Ward House. It arrived last week, and I am so pleased! Two lovely sunshine yellow washcloths and a bar of handmade soap containing bergamot, which reminds me of Earl grey tea. Thank you Annette!


I had never used (or made) hand crochet washcloths before, but am converted! So much better than the flimsy ones you get from the supermarket (or the old baby vests I had been using too..) So quick to crochet up and I can get to use up all those odds and ends of cotton I have.


It is one of those things that non-knitters/crocheters often don't get though - a bit like knitting your own socks. I have been met with incredulity when people realise my cloths are 'hand made' and many don't quite understand why I would want to spend twelve pounds on a skein of sock wool and then spend hours knitting a pair of socks when I can get a pack of 5 from the supermarket for half the price and no effort! But then, they don't get to wear them......

..going over to the other side!

Now that all the birthdays are done with until September and there are no more 'big events' to prepare for, I have a little time to myself again. Phew!

So, on Wednesday night, I cast on this - Ishbel, out of the 'Whimsical Little Knits' book by Ysolda Teague

I have had this scrumptious wool in my stash for a little while now and thought it would be perfect.

The first part of this pattern is primarily stocking stitch which was perfect for the cunning plan that I had in mind. You see, I've decided that I want to learn how to knit 'Continental style', using the left hand.


Not sure why, but it's something I've been planning to do for ages! So, I thought, there's no better time to learn, but boy! is it frustrating! It feels so awkward, and I feel like a beginner all over again. I have heard that it's possible to knit more quickly using this method, but that certainly isn't the case at the moment. I'm sure it will come. I hope it will come, otherwise I'm pretty sure my little trip over to the 'other side' will be very brief...!