Woo Hoo

Things are improving !!!
In no specific order (as they say...)





I saw this on ebay and have just come back from collecting it - It's bits all move and I think it works (but I'm not sure how)..
Not bad for less than £70 :-)





I started this a few days ago, Pacific Northwest Shawl Finished the seagull, hoping to start the Trees tonight...

Have also made one of these for a friend and she thought it was wonderful :-)



And the best thing - my first parcel from my SP. From Estonia - chocolate bars (will be eaten on the way to Liverpool tomorrow...) A huge hank of wool and a wonderful book on Estonian lace - only had a quick look but think it is different from lace patterns I've already seen.
Thank you so much for your parcel and kind words :-)

Interesting shopping....

Nothing to do with knitting - apart from a knitting group does meet at the nursery, but I've not managed to get to it yet...
Potato Day at Cheltenham, busy with over 100 varieties to choose from... My buys are in the main photo, I went for silly names and colours so I have:
Anya, Rocket, Mimi, Yukon Gold, Mona Lisa, Edzell Blue, Cecile, SMILE (and they are!), Asterix (!!), Lady Balfour, Pink Fir Apple, Kerrs Pink.

On the way back I went into Hobbycraft and helped them clear their stock of Rowan Denim, it was a third off and *wanted* to come home with me....

My friend died yesterday afternoon after hanging on for 30 hours longer than they thought. Now at peace. Think I will have to call in at Colinette on the way north for cheering up shopping ;-)

Olympic knitting idea....

A better day so far, but the phone hasn't rung yet....

During my sleepless night I decided that I will join the Knitting Olympics, think I will try a jumper from Shadow Knitting - Sawtooth picture here
And I can do it using Stash !!!

Bad end to a good day

First I get a phone call from friend in Liverpool - his mum (who we managed to get into a nursing home) has been given a few days to live. Apparently her leg has died and they are just waiting for the toxins to move round her body- they could amputate it but as she is so ill ..... Doesn't sound a good way to go... She is one of the handful of people that have known me all my life :-(

Then I speak to his wife, she is going to Cardiff at weekend to see her dying mum. Mum has skin cancer and is down to 6 stone and increased morphine levels....

Then I get a phone call from friend from Uni, her dad died last week, not unexpected as he had been ill for a long time and housebound for about the last three years...

Well I casted on Wedding Ring, managed to knit 6 rows, break the thread and redo two rows. I now realise why you cant do too much 'little' knitting in a day my eyes were not behaving well afterwards...

And tomorrow has got to be a better day - even though I will be writing an assignment on 'care in the community' think I will need to get a large supply of chocolate ;-)

Poncho wearing

I was clearing up earlier and found this....

Proof that I have worn a poncho !

This is one of my favourite childhood photos.
Hat came from Spain, Uncle brought it back as a pressie - very 70's ;-)

Dont know how my brother got on the rock, looks like he was placed there...



Well I've finished the Jaywalkers, so I can start something else and it is going to be The Wedding Ring Shawl.....

End of an Era

Two years ago my life changed.
My Dad died, after suffering from cancer for many years he got pneumonia and the end was very quick. At the time I was living in Devon and managed to get up to Liverpool and spend his last day with him.
When I got home from the funeral I got an offer on my house. I had been looking to move for a few months, and eventually moved in the April.

So now I have no one to answer to, I can do what I want when I want without worrying about 'doing the right thing'.

Now I have started to get my life back together after losing most of my family, a horid divorce and hassle at work. I was working in IT technical support, dealing with customers over the phone, after years talking to thickets that didn't realise computer/tills needed electricity, and then customers that thought I had to be the receptionist as females cant know about computers.... (rant over)

I started going to diet classes just after I moved and apart from a large blip over Christmas I've lost 1.5 stone and dropped from size 16 to a 10/12 - now I just want to loose another half stone and I will be a very happy girl !
I also started on OU course last year in Health & Social Care - something I always wanted to do but was never allowed.


Last week saw me loose 4 lbs (of the 6 I put on over Christmas), not do much knitting, nearly finish tiling the bathroom, lots of surfing.



And look after one of my boys who had a tooth out....

I think I'm in Love, or is it just Lust...

I'm a bad girl. I kept on visiting Heirloom-knitting and knew that I wouldn't be able to resist buying....
So yesterday I got this .... Enough silk for a wedding ring shawl and the pattern. Totally wicked book and a free pattern for another shawl.



And when I've finished these Jaywalker socks....



And Lady Eleanor from some of my Colinette stash.....

I'm going to start to play properly... Yippee !!!

SP7 Questionnaire

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?
Recently started to use more natural fibres, but do use acrylic blends for ease of washing

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
Crochet, planing on joining Spinners and Weavers Guild soon and learning to spin...

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
an old tin, a cardboard box and Denise Needle box

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Not sure, probably over thirty years. Skill level Advanced, like complicated patterns but not sewing them up !

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Lavender

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
YES :-) Chocolate, Truffles, Coffee Chocolates...

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Patchwork, Machine Embroidery, Tapestry, Beading, Felt Making

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Most from before 1990's - dont understand modern stuff ;-) Think computer can play MP3s but not tried.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Love purples and earthy tones. Dont do yellows and oranges or pastels

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Live alone or rather with my two cats

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes scarves and mittens, sometimes hats if it is very cold, ponchos only the first time round when I didn't have a say what I wore ;-)

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Love Colinette yarns

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Trendy yarns like Firefly, Dune, basically anything that is a ladder construction or has too many bobbles that it doesn't flow round needles.And recently had a bad experience with Noro

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Scarf Style patterns helping to clear stash...and socks

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Varies depending on my mood, like lace, fair isle, patterned sock yarns.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Lady Eleanor and Ruffles from Scarf Style, Shetland Jumper

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Depends what knitting, use both.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Mainly use bamboo and Denise needles but have several old sets in metal

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes yarn winder

22. How did you learn to knit?
Think my Mum taught me, cant really remember not being able to knit

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Alice Starmore jumper few years old

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Like anything made Aardman - Wallace & Gromit etc. Love cats.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Being in the North West of Scotland, Cape Wrath enjoying peace and quiet. Would hate to go on a beach hoilday. Last holiday I went on was a walking one in Morocco.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Not really apart from yarn, threads, material.....

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Interweave Knitting.

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I'm easily tempted to buy so haven't got a list... but some more wooden DPN to complete my set is all I can think of at moment !

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Dont know what it is called but have one colour in one hand and one colour in the other and manage to knit with both without getting holes...

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes. UK5, 9 inches long and 9 inches round

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
8th September

Hope this is in enough detail, if not let me know...

Stash Busting

These are a few things I've finished in the last year.





Chapotis in 4 strands of Texere silk & cotton mix.

Jumper in Bamboo,


Three scarves, Left,Crochet Curly Wurly in Colinette Silky-Chic, Misty Garden in Colinette mohair and Open crochet Curly Wurly in Colinette Giotto.



And favourite thing I knitted last year. Pattern from Web of Wool, made in sock wool.
Confuses people as they think it is fair isle but it is just magic !!

Wanderer returns

Managed to get back home late on New Years Day.
Louise's Mum still in Cardiff at her sister's.
David's mum still in hosptial, we visited several nursing homes and found a room for her but it all depends on the social worker who didn't work between Christmas and New Year....
Didn't manage much knitting, three mittens and a little bit of Misty Garden whilst hospital visiting. Nurses not seen knitting for a long while and were a bit confused with me walking round the ward knitting ;-)
Hopefully Val will be in a nursing home before the weekend and then she should be looked after properly.
Whilst there I also helped clear out her flat, took three of us four hours, a different way to spend New Year's eve... we then watched Bleak House, ate lots of food and had a few drinks.

Since been home finished Misty Garden. Did try casting on a jumper but brain wasn't working properly so frogged it until another day.
Did start Lady Eleanor earlier, and then frogged half of it as missed a triangle from the start of a row. Hopefully I will manage another good night sleeping in own bed and can concentrate tomorrow and take some photos of finished scarves.....