Finsihed items - week ending 16th/2/07

Half term week has brought the usual manicness of having the kids home and the usual quietness in the shop. Resulting in lots of knitting time at work and hardly any at home.

First up is my shoal water, which was finished the week before possibly, how can you tell when the days and weeks roll into one! Anyway pleased to have finished this item, it got a little tedious towards the end. I am glad I hadn't selected a thinner yarn which needed another 2 or 3 repeats of the pattern.



And another shawl, cast on many months ago, september I think as a guess I finished it leaving just the blocking and the end weaving in to do, here is is blocked anf finished at last!



My other finish offs are a pair of shorts and a soaker, these are to be part of babykinds new range. I have several more to do before they get listed, hoping to get them done this week.



Another pinwheel blanket, using 6 or 7 balls of peaches and cream cotton, lost count of the ombre teal used and can't weigh it to check. There was around 471 stitches on the needles before I cast off, and after adding the crocheted trim it measures 35 inches in diameter



And some new projects

Pink ribbon illusion scarf, Have done more than the picture shows, have completed the ribbon and worked around 3 inches of plain knitting.



Another pair of shorts



Not quite knitting, took this off Jessica a few days ago, isn't she just the sweetest little thing?





Wearing 2 outfits at once is her style at the moment, in these photos she has on a long sleeved jumper and pinifore style dress thing BIL brought her for christmas, and a dora t shirt and a pair of jeans!

February's WIPs

As usual I have far to many WIP's on the needles. I did say that I wouldn't cast o for something else without first finishing current project, that lasted all of a week if that. I have been better at my not buying yarn vow, and only buying it when I firstly have the time to make something, and only if I don't already have something suitable in my stash, oh and that I know what I am going to make. I have also promised myself this year that I won't sit and knit piles and piles of longies and soakers, many of those made last year are still in boxes in my house. many of these items have been reduced. So far this vow is going well and I Have made more items for myself and my family in one month than I did for the whole of last year! Anyway enough rambling and more pictures.

My longest standing WIP going back to november last year are these socks, I keep mislaying the pattern, and when I find it I can't find the sock!



Next is my version of a soaker and skirt, the first picture shows my first trim which I frogged as it took so long, about 3 hours, and added masses to the weight of the item. The second shows its current state, not looked at for a while, will have to go back to it soon,





Another item abandoned when things didn't go well, I have done the sleeves and the neck on this and decided I didn't like the way it was going, well made a huge mess up of the picking up the neck stitches.



Two pin wheel blankets the baby blue one is almost finished and the turquiose mix yarn is a way off yet, waiting for more yarn to complete it.




Also started in november I think, Collette by white lies designs, my first attempt at this didn't go well, I subbed the DK weight yarn for an aran weight and got the guage perfect. It is now going well when I ever pick it up which hasn't been for some weeks. I have done the back, and most of 1 front, once I have finished a few things I will get back onto it.




And finally (for now) my shoal water, cast this on in january and have spent most of my time with it. Whilst I have enjoyied this pattern and it has really pulled for my attention I am finding it very monotumous. I am glad I have picked a DK weight yarn, I don't think I could do another 2-3 repeats of the pattern really. ANyway here is my most resent picture

Januarys finished knits

A quick run down of everything finished last month. Everything listed above was made in january excluding the lime green rowan dolly bag, that was finished before christmas

About time I did this!!!

Once again it has been months since my last post, huge appologies to those who read, I really must make the effort to update more often.

Well what has happened since my last post - Big news - My dad is in remission, he finished his treatment at the end of october, and has been going once per month to see the specialist. His blood tests have been okay and he is recouperating slowly, much to slowly for his liking though.

Christmas passed without event and we enjoyied a lovely family christmas, was quite sombre if thats the right word, the one he was very nearly not here for, given very little chance in march to beating the odds and surviving when 90% off people with simular cancers don't survive. Enough of the doom ab gloom,

Here are some pictures of my two taken christmas day






And a couple taken in the new year after a successful shopping trip in the sales. My two rarely get new stuff but the items I brought cost less than what I owuld have got them in the charity shops.

Long time no write.......again

I've been all of a fluster the last few weeks. Not sure if I am coming or going, half the time I am convinced I am on groundhog day where the same day is happening over and over and will continue intil I get it right.

I've also sort of lost my knitting mojo, but I think its more due to the amount of projects I have stacked up for christas gifts and outstanding orders. Due to the postal strikes I had piles of stuff that should have turned up in nice regular well planed intervals, giving me plenty of time to sort the items out before the next stuff arrived.

2 weeks later I am still waiting on the items, then lo and behold the whole lot turns up at once. Next step is needles on fire and unpicking wrong sized items and reworking, on top of new stuff as well. I know I said I liked a challenge but that was plain ridiculous.

Hey ho it's over with thank goodness, theres nothing like trying to sort out 3 weeks worth of work in just the one, and not knowing who to sort first as everyone had been waiting an age.

It needless to say left very little time for anything else. I had started DH's christmas jumper withmind of doing a bit every day I didn't pick it up for a couple of weeks, I just hope I get it sorted in time.

I did manage to finish my socksfor last months challenge, and sent them of to Daisydap for a sock swap as I found that they where to small



I have finshed both but can't find a picture of the 2 together, there is one on her blog through.

I also finished thesefor my dad



Now to this months knitting, what little I have had time for




More socks for my dad, like the others done in DK it knits up so quick, the half done sock was the result of just 3 hours sitting with it in total. It's not a pair for the finished one either. I didn't notice that the yarn repeat was quite a long one and managed to cast on the second sock right in the middle so the stripes didn't match. Didn't like to unpick it so made it slightly smaller in the leg, and hope that I have enough yarn to make 2 pairs, if not the 3rd soak will definatly match one of the socks.

And my final picture



It's a rowan dolly bag, well half of one. I am so pleased with it, after a few hicups getting started I soon got into the pattern. This part only took 2 evenings, and is relitivly quick to knit.

It's the first time I have tackled such a complex pattern and reading from a chart as well. I'm not really liking the rowan cotton much finding it quite harsh on my hands. I do plan to make more bags through, this on is going to my mum for christmas, I'm hoping to get the rest of it finished on the weekend as long as I get upto date with my current shop orders.

And the wanderer returns

Long time no blog again.

Much has happened in the many weeks/months since my last post. Ihave had a new laptop (yay) So impressed everything is much faster, which is great anda fter the the inital I can get online and much screaching and hair pulling it is sorted.

Well my stashalong, it was short lived, but I have been doing knitting and I have produced lots of items, but I am afraid to report my stash in the last few weeks has grown rather thn shrunk. Added to what I already have is 3 kilos or beautiful bright dyes yarns, 500g of fyberspates yarn, 200g of krafty koala and almost 2 kilos of SKD pure alpaca.

Well I gave it a good sht didn't I, i must try harder to reduce stash levels, specailly given as I have sorted out all my yarn and found tons of personal stash, when I thought I only had a few bits. I have more than enough yarn to make 16 pairs of socks!

Holiday snaps at last

Finally some pictures from our holiday, it's only taken me a week to get round to it, and the five here are the some total as well. The weather was awful tipping it down for most of the afternoon on sunday. It was dryish in the morning and the kids had a whale of time feeding 2 ducks. Those two ducks soon turned into 20 odd though