More than two weeks

To complete the first one, less than two days to complete the second. Typical.
A pair of Pomatomi (?) knitted in Opal home Kool Aid Dyed sock wool on 2.5mm Inox bamboo DPNs.

Despite going down from size 2.75mm DPNs as specified in the pattern to 2.5mms the socks are still a bit baggier than I'd like. If I did this pattern again (and now I've finally got the hang of it it seems a shame not to), I'd probably go down to 2.25 or even 2mm needles.

I like the pattern though and I'm quite tempted by Craftaholic's mermaid gloves , which she adapted from the Knitty pattern.

Whew!

ha ha, I've finished a Pomatomus at long last. Only one more to go.

I never realised that this was going to be quite such a long term project. However I'm not disheartened (not very anyway) and have already started the second one.

Anyone want to buy a loom?

Today I took a trip to Stow's of Sowerby. Mr Stowe (Ken I believe, or possibly Keith) claims to have the largest weaving concern in Sowerby but admits that this is 'cos it's the only one left. Unfortunately he's planning to retire, so there will no longer be a working mill in Sowerby Village. He'd like to sell his loom and allied equipment but says that the only people who have the skills nowadays are the same age as him or older.

I was put on to him by a friend at work whose sister told him about a place that sold cheap knitting wool and thanks to my knitting in public (or at least at work) Johnny T. knew that I am a keen knitter. There, you see if people know that you knit they tell you stuff like this. If you keep it a secret think of the opportunities that could be passing you by. Unfortunately I forgot to take my camera so didn't take picture of the weaving shed or the loom or the warping machine. But they were most impressive.

Also impressive was the load of knitting wool that he had for sale. I've no idea where he got it from. It's mostly Rowan and another make which I hadn't heard of before and I've subsequently forgotten (I'd make a great reporter wouldn't I?!?). All the wool was for sale for at £1.00 per 100 grams. Mostly skeins but a few cones (no balls).

I bought (yes you knew that it was coming didn't you?) the following:

The grey stuff at the back is Cashgora and feels lovely and soft although googling has revealed that Cashgora is an inferior type of cashmere. Feels pretty good to me, and at £1.00 a skein I'm not complaining. I have nine skeins of that. (I can never remember the approximate amounts of yarn needed to make a garment so I tend to go a bit overboard).

The Green looks like standard Rowan Tweedy type double knit and I've got four skeins of that. I love that colour.

The fawn and beige type stuff at the front is slightly stringy in texture and I would say has an element of linen or something similar in it and I've got five skeins of that (though I think two skeins are probably 50 grams not 100 grams) in various shades. Thought it would make a nice vest type top.

He also has some stuff that he's woven for sale; floor rugs, car rugs, picnic blankets, some rather nice jackets (though they were all in large sizes). If you're pootling around West Yorkshire in search of a yarny bargain give him a visit but you'd better get a shake on 'cos I don't know how long he'll be there for before he retires.

wot a weekend

It hasn't been my best weekend ever. On Friday I went down to Ro's, the M1 was bloody awful as everyone else seemed to have had the same idea, so a journey that usually takes about two hours actually took me nearer three.

The reason for my journey was that we were off down to Twickenham the following day to watch the Tigers play Sale in the premiership finals. Don't actually approve of this particular game as it's to chose the league champions and in my opinion the team that top the league over the season should be the champions (this was Sale this season bye the way, we came second). Added to that I don't like Twickenham which is a nasty soulless edifice and a royal pain in the behind to get to but we can't miss the chance to watch the Tigers.


I actually wrote a poem about this some years back when we went down with my other sister to watch Northampton Saints play London Irish in the cup final. It goes like this:

We won't go to Twickenham ever again
not even if Tigers are playing a game.
The stands are too steep and the atmosphere loud,
the roar of the liniment, the smell of the crowd.

The crush in the carpark behind the west stand was more Guiness than Pimms
more "Wild Rover" than "Land ....".
We needed our field glasses so we could see,
We waited an hour in a queue just to wee,
The traffic was dreadful and made us quite late,
We almost got squashed in the crush at the gate.

So we won't go to Twickers, well not for some time;
If Leicester go through, and the weather is fine.
And there'll be no more rugby to watch till the fall,
And we're already feeling the pangs of withdrawal.

So the first day of June we'll be traveling up
To watch as the lads pick up just one more cup.
But then Twickers NEVER will see us again,
Not even if Tigers are playing a game.

Needless to say on Saturday the traffic was bad, it pissed down with rain and we were comprehensively stuffed (by the better team I hasten to add). So we've agreed that we DEFINITELY won't be going again next year. (hollow laugh).

On the knitting front I had to frog my Pomatomus because they were turning out miles too big. I restarted them on 2.5mm needles but made a mistake in the ribbing and frogged again (that's a total of four froggings!) I get the feeling that god doesn't want me to knit Pomatomus. I'm gonna give it one more shot and if that goes wrong I'm giving up and burning the wool.

It was nice going to Ro's though, it always is and I sleep much better at her house than I do at mine. Must be 'cos I don't have to think about my ordinary day to day worries down there. I also saw my Auntie Sheila who was the recipient of the Hedera socks that I made. She received them earlier in the week and is jolly pleased with them She's wearing them as bed socks which is okay with me as long as she's happy with them.

Finally gratuitous sheep shot

Busy little bee

Or a bit of a saddo depending on your point of view.

Today (and part of yesterday) I have been mostly re-organising (or maybe that should just be organising) my stash.

I found a spreadsheet on someone's blog (I'm VERY sorry, but I'm not sure whose it was or I would give credit where it is due). So I downloaded it, made a few minor adaptations and now my stash is catalogued on computer, packed into boxes and up in the (newly decorated and carpeted) spare bedroom.

As a result of that I've not had much time to knit today but I'll show the progress I made on Pomatomus last night. Had to frog twice, once when I tried to transfer it onto the new needles, and once 'cos I wasn't paying attention to the pattern when it changed direction. GRRRRRRRR!

Seem to have the hang of it now though (famous last words) and I'm just about to pick up stitches for the gusset but I can't find my crochet hook. I've looked in my accessories box as well as down the side of the settee (I even had the vacuum cleaner out for that) but no luck. I'll have to go for it with a bigger hook than I usually use.

Fingers crossed!

Oh bye the way, if you've already read my last post but haven't seen the socks Ro knitted with her hand dyed yarn do go and have a look. I've added the picture to the end of the post today.

Dying to try it.....

...or trying to dye it?

Well so went down to Ro's last weekend and did a spot of Kool Aid Dying. I'd seen undyed sock wool on special offer at Get Knitted so rather foolishly decided that I'd go for the 10x100g skeins, and while I was about it I'd score some Kool Aid from Kool Aid UK. The deed was done in no time at all on bank holiday Monday and so I just had to wait until I found a sucker with a microwave. Sorry that should be a "kind and willing accomplice".

I'd decided that I wanted to do a greeny bluey colour so I could use it to knit Pomatomus which I can't really imagine in any other colour. Ro decided on oranges and reds (mainly I suspect 'cos I'd already blagged the other colours.

I started off and had decided to do a random dye so just splashed it around over the skein as and where seemed appropriate. Quite quickly discovered that it worked better if it was more dilute; I'd started off with a sachet dissolved in a couple of tablespoons of water. We found that it didn't go far enough this way and that the dye could take being dissolved in a whole plastic cupful without being too dilute.

Ro did her skein in sections, starting with yellow at one end shading through orange in the middle to red at the far end. The red is Strawberry flavour and is the most amazingly saturated colour. God only knows what it does to the insides and brains of small children!!!!

Here are the skeins hanging up to dry after rinsing off. I say we rinsed them off but absolutely NO pigment came out of the wool in the rinse. (nor smell, the smell of the Kool Aid seems to be as persistent as the colour!).

I wasn't too thrilled with mine to start off with, seemed a bit wishy washy, but it's growing on me now, I've called the colour "Mermaid's Hair". Here it is wound into a ball along with the top of my first Pomatomus.

The needles I'm knitting it on are awful, the ends are so blunt it's really difficult to knit with them. I'm contemplating a trip over to Bradford to Texere to buy me some nice pointy bamboo needles in various sock suitable sizes. may take a look at their dye kits while I'm there, after all I've still got a bit of undyed sock wool left!!!!

Finally I'd like to introduce you to a new friend of mine. I met him a fortnight ago in a charity shop in Huddersfield and I really liked him. He had such a nice face I wanted to take him home with me, but I'm not really much of a soft toy kinda girl. If he'd been a Tiger it would have been a different matter, but he's not a Tiger so I regretfully left him in the shop.

Anyhoo, I felt bad about leaving him behind and later in the week it came to me that I COULD buy him and give him a home. You see I'd mistaken him for a Leopard, and he's not a Leopard at all, he must be a Cheetah. Well the fans of the other teams in the premiership don't call us the Leicester Tigers they call us the Leicester Cheetah's (only because we're better at cheating than they are, they're just jealous!) So last Friday i went back to Age Concern and he was still there waiting for me.
So here's Leo, at first I thought his name was Martin, but I must have mis-heard, he's definitely a Leo!

I'll post another picture of him when I've knitted him his rugby shirt.

Edited Sunday 21st
Here's a picture of the socks that Ro has knitted from her hand dyed yarn. It's called "Strawberry sunrise" cool no?

Where to start?

Are you sitting comfortably?

Then I'll begin.

Haven't posted for a week now and I have lots of pictures to post so I hope that Blogger is feeling robust today or it could be "monitor through the window" time!!!

Last weekend I went down to see the Tigers play Bristol at home. Needless to say we won (hurrah!) so we have another "last home game of the season" this weekend. I decided whilst I was down there that I'd stop over with Ro and as a result I found myself on Sunday morning at the Pony Club Mounted Games watching my niece and her friends racing round on ponies with flags and bending poles and such.
Here's Em and the rest of her team (she's the one at the far end on the gray pony, Maddy). It was a bit of a manky day weatherwise, but we had fun. I took my knitting so I didn't get bored.

I'm knitting a presentfor a friend's leaving do. She's actually leaving the place where I used to work, not the place I work now, but I'm going to cheer her on her way into retirement later today.
This is the finished item. It's the Teeny Tiny Felted Tote from Sarah's Craft Closet.

I love it. It was so quick to knit and it's soooo teeny and tiny and cute that I don't want to give it away. I used a skein of Noro Kureyon as recommended but made the handles from felted i-cord rather than embroidery thread as suggested in the pattern. I bought the button from the charity shop for 5p, it's hard to see in the picture but it's very dark with a purple crescent round one edge. Perfect!

This isn't my main project at the moment. That's my Haagebutte Clapotis . It's coming along nicely if a little slowly, it's definitely TV watching knitting but I don't seem to have been watching too much TV recently. Still there's no rush and I'm quite happy pootling along with it. Took this picture in slightly dodgy light and it's made the colours look a bit harsh. They show to better advantage in this picture.

Last, but by no means least; I took my teeny tiny tote and my Clapotis to the Knit & Natter last night. Fewer people than usual (it was a particularly delightful evening weatherwise if you're into that sort of thing). But we had a good time anyway.

Here's a picture of the group .

sock it to me

Hedera completed.

I know the one at the front looks smaller than the one at the back, but they are the same size. Think I tried the other one on and it may have stretched a wee bit.

I quite like them but they are definitely for a gift, they won't fit me anyhow, too long in the foot.

I collected the two skeins of handpainted Opal that I had ordered when I went down to Bristol this week so am continuing with the Clapotis that I started about a month ago. No problem with the colour on the new batch, seems to blend in fine.

stash enhancement

At least I think it's an enhancement. Starting to have second thoughts!

Yesterday morning I went into town early (miss the Saturday rush). And after Tesco's I wandered along to the Kirkwood Hospice Shop (charity shop, thrift store, what you will).

There I found a bag with a load of yarn in it, looks like home dyed lace weight in shades of green and blue. The same bag also contained a small skein of something cream coloured and a bit slubby with a label on it that said "EAT ME". . . . . . . . . .

no sorry wrong book.

with a printed label on it that said "coreopsis" and a handwritten one that said "dead coreopsis". Now this is clearly incorrect so I'm sort of thinking home vegetable dying????

Anyhoo, there was a price on the whole bag of £1.00 which is what, the cost of a litre of diesel nowadays (I paid 99.99p per litre when I refilled the truck on Wednesday, nearly had heart failure. The tank was only half empty and it took nearly £200 quids worth!). So I paid me money and took it home. The lady behind the counter when I paid for it asked me what it was so I said I thought it looked like home dyed lace weight knitting yarn.

When I got it home I got out me swift and wool winder and set them up and realised that the skein didn't have an end. Well I had a hell of a job finding it anyway. Next problem was that the skein seemed to be inextricably twisted so I couldn't use the wool winder as I had to keep stopping and passing what I'd wound back through the skein. In the end I was forced to take it off the swift and hang it over my arm whilst winding it the good old fashioned way by hand.

Best part of two hours later and I've wound ONE BLOODY SKEIN and am left with a ball larger than a ping pong ball but quite a lot smaller than a tennis ball. Perhaps about rounders ball size (though my memory isn't what it was and it's a long time since I saw a rounders ball.). This ball weighs about 20 grams and the whole lot weighs about 100 grams so I have a lot of untangling ahead of me.

I like the colours though, looks much better wound onto a ball than it did in a skein and it feels beautifully springy so I don't think it was a waste of money, but it may take some time to sort out. I've been wanting to try lace knitting at some point so now I have something to practice on.

My socks continue apace I've turned the heel on the second one and finished decreasing the gusset, all downhill to the toes now.

blog, blog, blog, blog, blogging along..........

. . . . . . on the beautiful briny sea.

Okay I paraphrase (or misquote if you prefer!)

Bin a bit naughty today. Firstly I've hardly done any housework, though two loads of washing, a small amount of tidying and made bread so I've not been too lazy.

BUT secondly I bought a pattern. Now I don't often pay for patterns (I do buy magazines, but that doesn't really count), usually I trawl the web and find free ones that I like and so far I've found more free patterns that I like than I'll ever get round to knitting. HOWEVER I've recently downloaded some software for subscribing to podcasts, so spent most of the day downloading and listening to archives of Knitcast. One of these was an interview with Annie Modesitt and I was trying to remember who she was when it came to me

aha, the one who designed the corset!!!!

So I went post haste to her site to drool over it some more (which I have done many times before). I've never bought it before though and before I knew it I did the deed. Paypal makes this sort of thing FAR TOO EASY! Have to say though that paying and then downloading the PDF immediately is great as far as instant gratification goes and the price of $5.00 transalates to about £2.80 which is practically NOTHING.

Anyhow for those of you who are unfamiliar with said corset here's a pic .

Isn't that just the cats pyjamas?

As it says at the beginning of the pattern booklet

"This is flattering on all figure types. It won't make a size sixteen look like a size six, but it will make a size sixteen the sexiest size sixteen in town!"

And that's good enough for me!

Finished sock

Ha ha, first sock finished. I quite like it but have decided that it's not for me. Thus I am going to give it (and it's potential partner) away as a gift. Hence the length of the foot, it's a bit big for me and my teeny tiny tootsies. Hope it fits, I don't know the size feet of the recipient, but I know they're quite long (well they'd have to be, she's a tall lady and if she had little feet she'd fall over!).

I quite liked the pattern, it repeats over four rows and is pretty straight forward; once I'd got the hang of it it wasn't difficult to remember. The lace has turned out better than I hoped when I first started despite the bobbly nature of the yarn. You can see all the technical details on the previous post when I started the socks.

Here's to the second one.

Still haven't got the new yarn for my Haagebutte Clapotis (which I discovered from the KnitCast podcasts is actually pronounce "Clapotee", bet you all knew that already huh?) but I'm told that it's now on order so with luck I'll be able to pick it up next week. It would have been quicker to order it myself direct from "Get Knitted", but I'm saving myself the postage costs and the possibility of it going missing in the mail. (Not that I'm cheap or owt like that!).

I've found a new online knitting magazine (well new to me) whilst blog browsing. It's called Spun Magazine and it's based in Toronto. I found it through Whip up, which has some fantastic links on it; well worth a look. I'm dying to try the home made bath bombs! (Hope that last line doesn't get my blog picked up and investigated by the secret service! (That's probably compounded the matter!)

Hmm, better stop while I still have my liberty.

New project

And it's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .






. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a pair of socks!!!

Bugger me, who'd have thought it.

Here are Hedera , from the latest issue of Knitty. I'm knitting them in some Rowanspun 4 ply that I had in the stash (There you see I don't just buy it and hoard it away, I'm actually using some of it! So there!). It may look better in a plainer wool, or possibly a cotton mix in a plain colour, this is a bit bobbly and I feel that it detracts from the lace pattern. I'm also not 100% sure about the colour, but I'm quite enjoying knitting them so I'm going to carry on and if I decide they're not me I'll give them away.

competition and a good cause

On Kat knits site five place you have knitted. In my case

1. At Welford Road rugby ground, home of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club.


2. In my truck when parked up on an overnighter.

3. In the MAN dealership in Brum whilst waiting for my truck to be repaired.

4. At co-op meetings at work (and drivers meetings at work too)

5. Cafe Ollo in the mediacentre in Huddersfield (knit & natter second Thursday of the month 5-00pm to 7-00pm)

Last one's a bit of a cheat but I couldn't think of anywhere else.

On to the good cause.

Someone at work sent me this email

Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meettheir quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on "donating a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle). This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

I've been and done it now you all can too. (i'm putting a link to it in my sidebar too so that you can go and do it every time you come to my blog!) cheers.

diving in headfirst

Have started a mini clapotis with the remains of the Opal Hagebutte I made my socks with. I just lurve the colours in this yarn. The diving in part relates to the fact that I only have half a skein left. I popped into the shop in Bristol where I bought it on Tuesday and they'd run out so have promised to order me two more skeins to arrive at some unspecified time in the future. I don't know if they will be at all similar in colour / pattern etc to what I have now so it could well prove to be a disaster, but I'll worry about that when I get to it. I'm sure it'll work out fine.

It's a bit of a new feeling, optimism I mean, it isn't something I usually do.

Wish me luck.

Another pair of socks

Finished the socks I was knitting at last. They started out as Crusoe but I had to frog them as they were waaaaay too small (that pattern must have been written by someone whose feet had been bound or a VERY loose woman).

Anyhoo, finally frogged them and went back to the tried and tested free pattern that came with the Opal sock wool. I can now practically knit this one in my sleep. In fact I managed to knit from the end of the shaping on the instep to the start of the toe decreases at a drivers' meeting at work on Friday evening (so it wasn't a complete waste of time).
As you can see I stuck to the rolled top from the Crusoe pattern 'cos I quite liked it as a bit of a change. I have loads of the wool left over which is Opal Hagebutte (Rosehip), and I think I may be able to get another pair out of it. Hope so I think it's lovely. I may even go back to the shop where I got it and see if they have any more. I quite fancy it for a scarf or a pair of gloves (or even both!).
Blogging seems to be a bit in the doldrums at the minute, don't know if it's the time of year or what but people don't seem to be posting as much (come back Tutley Mutley, we miss you!!!). Probably have better things to do now the weather is improving.

aaaaaaarrrggghhhh............

completely forgot about "flash your stash" April 1st.

have neglected to take picures and am going away for the weekend. Important match tomorrow and sister and BiL arriving from New Zealand (hi Als & Cris, have a good flight!).

Ignore the button on the side bar, I may flash late or not at all!!!

Sorry.

BUT HOLD ON

Before I go ****NEWSFLASH*****


Postman has just been with my last parcel from my secret pal who revealed herself as...

Gabby

With a postcard of Powys Casle, looking very exotic and almost Mediteranean with those glowing colours,

a ball of Sirdar "Firefly" and a pattern for a scarf to knit with it.

A lovely night light in a rather classy glass holder and a ?Cow? ?Sheep? with a postcard holder on it's back. (I think it's a cow, it has horns and a cow shaped face, but it could be a sheep). Whatever it is it's a bit of a cutie.

Thankyou Gabby for being a great secret pal.

I have to admit that the game was up as far as identity is concerned a while ago, as I happened to post a comment on her blog quite randomly and she thought I'd guessed. I then had to go back through my history to see who's blog I'd commented on and ran her down that way.

It's been good fun. Thank you.

here's to the next one.

I forgot to reveal my identity to my spoilee in my last parcel and don't know if I should wait until she gets her parcel to let her know or just reveal myself anyway. I'm better at being spoiled than at spoiling I fear.

What a week

Back at work and a bit grumpy on Monday but things were looking up when I got home 'cos the postman had left a note to say that there was a parcel waiting for me at the sorting office. Perhaps this was my birthday present from Ro, which she had posted (first class) the previous Tuesday. Unfortunately I wouldn't find out until later on in the week, as I was back driving Tuesday and Wednesday, so not able to go to pick it up.

Finally got to the sorting office at seven o'clock sharp when it opened on Thursday morning and picked the parcel up. Yup it was definitely from Ro. Couldn't wait to get it home and open it and was overjoyed to discover that it was a swift. I've been wanting one for ages but hadn't found one. From what she'd told me about the size of the parcel I'd sort of guessed what it might be, but didn't want to be too definite in case I was disappointed. Should have known better, she's truly ace at buying the present that you want.
After phoning to say thanks I set it up and used it to wind a skein of "Cherry Tree Hill Supersock" Fall Foliage into a ball before work. Performs to perfection.

My run this week was quite quiet which was nice. The only problems were the A38 being closed due to an accident, so I got stuck at a drop for longer than I should have been. But I took advantage of the delay to have a delicious bowl of homemade soup in their cafe.

The following day I boobed somewhat by delivering an order to the wrong customer. This wouldn't have been too much of a problem, except the place I delivered it to the customer is never there so I just leave it on the doorstep. Half way through unloading it I thought "I'm sure she doesn't usually buy this much soya milk!"

CLANG

sound of penny dropping. Checks invoice, sure enough I'm in the wrong place. Load it back onto the truck and start again! Ooops! Finally found the RIGHT customer and delivered it. Talk about a blonde moment!!

I (unselfishly) volunteered to go into work this afternoon (on my day off!) to help out in stock control as it's the month end and so always very busy. When I got there discovered they didn't actually need me, so ended up picking in the warehouse instead. This was quite nice for a change, don't get to do it very often nowadays so it makes a change. Besides, the way the weather was today once I was out of bed being at work was as good as anywhere else, particularly as I couldn't see outdoors. Gawd wasn't it horrible ?

When I got home there was a padded envelope waiting for me containing the following...
50% Llama 50% wool, a birthday present from Ling. Isn't it lovely? I assume that she bought it in the US whilst on her holiday. Anyway I was so very pleased. I'm thinking of a Woolywormhead hat, but not sure which one yet.

The knitting blogosphere is certainly full of lovely generous people. Thank you Ling for being so kind and thoughtful.

Day out

but alas no pictures as I forgot to take my camera.

Went to the open day at the Knitting & Crochet Guild this morning. Decided that I might as well spring eighteen pounds for membership so I did so and thusly got in for free (if you don't count the eighteen quid obviously). Had a quick look at the collection that was on show which was cool, but necessarily limited as the space they have is not ideal for exhibiting (which is why they require financial support to get better, more permanent premises).

One of the guild members then gave a "hands on" talk about part of the collection. This was fascinating and I wish I'd taken the camera so that I could share it with you. We sat around a table, donned white cotton gloves and not only looked at but were able to touch some of the precious items in the collection.

These included three beautiful 18thC. beaded misers purses, some knitted and some crocheted. The colours were absolutely lovely and so bright still and the work was so fine it made your eyes hurt just to think it was done by hand. There was a white cotton knitted Victorian bedspread which weighed an absolute ton.

A crochet sampler book and a sampler piece about four inches wide and four foot long. There was a shawl knitted in linen (probably, though apparently at the time other vegetable fibres were in common use such as nettle) and probably dyed with coffee which again must have been done on the tiniest wires possible.

We were shown three of the most beautiful Irish Crochet dresses which were probably made up by nuns for export to Britain from pieces of crochet made by Irish women during the famine as a way of raising money to feed their families.

We were shown a christening gown and shawl which had a story attached of a sailor who was given the Merino roving by family in Australia, brought it home where it was spun by his mother and then knitted up by an aunt. The gown and shawl were a wedding present to him and his wife but the marriage ended "without issue" so they were never used and no-one else in the family wanted them.

There was a lovely crocheted cardigan in rayon from the thirties which wouldn't have looked out of place worn today; a jumper from the forties knitted in space dyed wool (which I assumed was a modern invention) but both sides matched up perfectly (dunno how they did that). As well as some more modern items (including a particularly repellent crocheted bright yellow (raffia????) trouser suit.

There was other stuff too which I've probably forgotten now, but it was worth it to go and get the chance to get up close to some of this stuff.

I managed to be quite good and only bought a tiny part of the yarn mountain and some laceweight merino in pansy sort of colours, dark purple and goldy yellow I've been inspired to try my hand at some lace.

Worth a visit, mainly for the talk. But well worth supporting. Apparently now the V&A have stopped collecting domestic knitted and crocheted items the Guild is the next port of call, so they need financial support to keep our knitted heritage alive.

Who this sweet child?

....... today she was forty five, (and the little lambs was eaten long since)

Happy birthday to me.

Just wanted to share this

If you look in my sidebar you'll see a link to the Matt Hampson Appeal. This is an article that appeared in the Sunday Times about him.

article

SP7

Good golly, will you look at this. Whilst trolling about yesterday morning trying to decide if it was worth the effort of getting up and getting dressed, the postman came.

And look what he brought me!!

More lovely goodies from my secret pal.

A pair of handknitted wrist warmers/mittens, which fit like a glove (LoL) and will be perfect for keeping me snug whilst using the computer (at home and at work). They're done in something nice and soft and silky feeling, I don't know what it is. But I love the colour.

It was so nice to get a handmade gift that I was immediately inspired to use the wool that I'd bought to send to my spoilee to make something for her instead. So now I have a secret project on the needles and I'm having a re-think on Crusoe as I'm not sure if I should soldier on and find they don't fit or give up now and start again (again).

Also in my parcel was a copy of the latest issue of Knitting magazine, which has a couple of patterns in it that I'd like to give a whirl. I've ticked the ones I like but not sure how well it shows up.

Retro, the dress I wouldn't wear as a dress, but shortened I'd like it as a jumper; like the neckline.

Inuit, the slippers would have to be done without the furry bits or the bobbles.

Inca is the childs jumper and it's nice but i don't know anyone with children.

Zest is the green cardigan and I really like that just as is.

She also sent a pair of Brittany birchwood needles which are just gorgeous and lovely and smoooooooth and delicious. If they weren't so pointy I'd want to cuddle them. I've decided that I could quite easily get into using posh needles and here's my lovely secret pal who has sent me not one but TWO pairs . Bless her she is FAB! (I'm using the clover DPNs that she sent me last time on my secret project)

She also sent me a pretty flowery card which is now on top of the telly so I can see it when I look up from my knitting, and all this was beautifully gift wrapped. Thank you so much.

Just hope that I can spoil my spoilee as much as my spoiler spoils me! (betcha can't say that five times really fast!)

Crusoe's Progress

Okay I know I'm getting my classical literature mixed up, but this is sock related (surprise!).

I frogged the first attempt as I decided that they were never in a million years going to fit me, and started again on needles one size up (2.5mm). I'm still not entirely convinced that they'll go over my ankles (particularly the manky one), but we shall see. If not I'll just have to give them away (sob).

Started them yesterday afternoon and carried on at Knit & natter yesterday evening. Seem to be the sock lady now (was doing my Jaywalkers at the last one). Someone had brought along a copy of the spring Interweave Knits magazine, there are some great patterns in it. I may decide to subscribe!
Anyhoo, here's the detail of the stranded pattern on the socks, I think this yarn suits it quite well, but you have to be very close to get the best effect, don't think anyone gets that close to my feet.

God, dontcha LOVE those colours?

Back again

Well it was a mixed weekend. Tigers lost their match (we was robbed!!) but we had a pretty good time apart from that.

We pootled down to Bristol on Friday morning, stopping off at The Evesham Wool Shop which I'd seen advertised in Simply Knitting. Had tried to go there when I was driving and had a drop in Evesham, but I got there before it opened so missed out that time. Anyhow, Ro bought some cotton by a Spanish company called Katia in lovely vibrant colours. I persuaded her that she should buy a crochet hook to go with it so she did. I was remarkably restrained and bought NOTHING!!!!

We stopped for lunch in Bristol at La Ruca, which is a shop / cafe that I deliver too. They were a little surprised to see me on a Friday, but we got an excellent lunch there. By an amazing stroke of luck I went into the toy shop next door where I have bought sock kits before now and they had a skein of Opal Hagebutte sock yarn, which I'd seen on ebay the week before and sort of hummed and ha-ed over but not bought. So I decided that this was Kismet, and promptly bought it. It's lovely, I've started Crusoe with it, but fear I may have to frog and cast on more stitches than the pattern calls for.

After lunch we continued on to Cardiff and booked in to our hotel. We had been planning to go out and do stuff, but we were a bit tired after our particularly good lunch and it had started snowing so we stayed in and Ro started to crochet her cotton into a scarf and I began knitting the slippers from Simply Knitting using some wool and acrylic from my stash; and we did that for the rest of the evening (we sure know how to have a good time!). We also took pictures of our finished Tiger feet. I've hit a bit of a full stop with the slippers as the pattern doesn't make ANY sense at all, so I've done the soles (remembering to reverse the pattern for the second one even though the pattern fails to point this out!) and the ankle part, but need to figure out the upper toe part.

Saturday we went into Cardiff and wandered round the shops during the morning spotting fellow Tigers fans (the socks were as far as we went in the "dressing up like a tiger" stakes) and opposition fans and fans of the two teams playing in the second match. In the afternoon we went to the stadium and watched both games (I'll draw a veil over that part), then went for a meal and back to the hotel for more knitting / crochet etc.

After breakfast on Sunday we checked out of the hotel and drove back down into Cardiff where we took a picture of Rose outside the Millenium Stadium (doesn't she look tiny?).
We also went to a little street market just over the river from the stadium where we bought some Wild Boar and Dragon sausages (that's what it said on the packet anyway!). We also bought a chocolate cake for my other sister and her family for looking after Gracie for the weekend and Ro bought some fudge and toffee for her colleagues (including some chilli fudge which we were given a taste of and boy was it GOOD (also very HOT).

We then drove back stopping at the Wheatsheaf public house in Northleach for lunch and arrived in Northampton to watch my nephew in the quarter final of the colts cup (or some such tournament) only to find that the match had finished about a minute before we arrived. (But his team had won so that's okay!)

Anyhow, got back to Huddersfield today after an action packed weekend! Now I need a proper rest.

We're off to see the Tiggers......

Powergen Cup semi final v Wasps

Millennium Stadium Cardiff

Saturday 4th March 2-30pm.

I'm going down to Ro's this afternoon and then we're driving down to Cardiff on Friday and making a weekend of it. Hoping the weather and road salt isn't too rough for poor Rose.
Rose is Ro's car (geddit?). She won her in a raffle at the end of last season, you can't see it in the picture, but her roof is signed by the entire England world cup winning squad.

Wish us luck, we've been a bit off form recently and it's a long way to go if we don't win.

Hey ho!

I STILL haven't finished my tiger feet, sort of half way along the second foot. I should manage them by Saturday. I parked up in the market place in Northleach on Tuesday night and went to the Sherbourne Arms for my evening meal. It was lovely to be sat in a comfortable settee in front of a roaring fire with my knitting whilst waiting for my meal to be cooked. Got a few rounds done but was afraid that I'd fall asleep there so after eating I went back to the truck and bedded down for the night. Blimey it was cold that night. It's the first time that I've done an overnighter that I haven't been totally cosy wrapped up in my duvet. Mostly I was okay but my nose was freezing! I'm seriously considering knitting a nightcap!

Still not sure about my next project, though I'm tending towards a pair of slippers, I'll let you know.

Finished article

Tubey


Hmmmm. What to start next? Still knitting Tiger Feet, which i could do with finishing before next weekend (plus some mittens with remaining yarn) as we're off to see the Tiggers next weekend in the semi finals of the Powergen Cup in Cardiff.

I'm toying with a big fluffy jumper in blue, but not sure yet.

hot lava cardigan

For the benefit of Andie who is contemplating making one.

This is the "Hot Lava Cardigan" from the Blue Alvarez site (see link in sidebar under shopping.)

I knitted this a couple of years ago (or was it only last year? From the condition of the spare room I'd say last year). In fact it was the project that got me back into knitting again.

Blimey look at that, then I had no hair and a waist, now I have no waist but I do have hair.

Sigh!

Secret Pal Parcel

Got in from work on Monday evening to find that the postman had been. Unfortunately he'd then gone away again, taking my parcel with him and leaving me a card saying that it was waiting for me at the sorting office!

As by the time the sorting office opened I was at Michaelwood services (southbound) just north of Bristol, and I didn't get back on Wednesday until after they had shut I had to wait until after work on Thursday to pick it up.

I'm not good at waiting for stuff, I don't do patience very well.

BUT it was worth waiting for. Luckily I car share and on Thursday I get a lift in to work so I was able to open the parcel STRAIGHT AWAY without waiting till I got home.

Ooooh, stuff!

These heart shaped wooden buttons (Don't look Ro*). They are well cute.

Three skeins of Rowanspun Chunky, two green and one sort of oatmealy colour (not as pink as in the picture). They go beautifully together so all I need now is a plan for what to make from it. Once again any suggestions gratefully considered.

ALSO a keyring in the shape of a wheel. I like that a lot, reference to my career as a driver. I was even more impressed when I realised that it was an alarm clock too. Useful n'est pas?

ALSO some scrummy looking Aloe hand and body lotion. Just right for a spot of post run pampering. I tend to get a bit scabby and dehydrated when driving, that salt they put on the roads is manky and it gets all over you when you open and close the curtains on the truck. I usually get back looking like a particularly grubby refugee.

Last, but by no means least a set of five Addi bamboo DPNs with two rather startled looking teddies as point protectors (well you would look like that too under the circumstances I suspect!) and a card saying "hello". Those Addis are fantastic, I've knitted with bamboos (Clapotis), but they were cheapo ones that came free with Simply Knitting, these are just so smoooooooth, they are lovely. Can't wait to try them out.

Another winner from my secret pal.
Thank you sooooo much!


* Ro has a bit of a phobia about buttons, strange but true. She's okay with them on garments but en masse they make her go gleppy! I'm not sure if three constitute en masse but thought I'd better post a health warning.

just a quickie

and no pictures.

I'm very tired tonight. I don't know why I've stopped sleeping the night before I drive. When I first started the run down to Bristol I didn't sleep well 'cos I was anxious about it, then I started to get to know what I was doing and getting used to it and I'd go to bed about eight or nine o'clock and wake up at 2-00am, so I'd have about five hours sleep. Now I'm still going to bed at that time but I'm either not getting off, or I go to sleep for about an hour and then wake up again. Once I'm awake I just think about what I'll be doing the following day, not in a worrying sort of way but just running things through in my mind and planning it. "If I can get the drops in Bristol done by three pm I'll have time to drive up and do the one in Boughton, maybe pick up the pallets from Cheltenham, or do the drop in Chipping Camden on the first day too, that'll leave me less to do on day two and I can get back earlier." That kind of stuff. It's crazy 'cos whatever I plan the night before it's all dependent on what happens when I'm out; traffic conditions etc.

Tuesday night I always sleep well, I wake up a few times but have no problem getting back off 'cos I'm always so knackered, and when the alarm goes off at between five and six a.m. depending on where I've parked up, I never want to get out of bed.

Wednesday I'm back in my own bed and pretty tired again and you'd think I'd sleep okay, but I quite often wake up early; quarter to four this morning, and then have trouble going back to sleep. Finally drop off about sixish only for my alarm to go off at seven. It's a bit of a pain and I'm not sure what's the best thing to do about it. Having said that I seem to be better at driving tired than I was and don't seem to get that awful falling asleep feeling the last hour or so of the drive down. Window open and singing at the top of my voice seems to be the way to combat that one.

Hope I haven't worried anyone too much posting this, in actual fact I'm far safer than I make it sound. I'm just very tired NOW.

Perhaps I'd better get to bed, so night to you all!

Oh bye the way Tiger feet progressing and even the Tubey's started up again.