Excitement Friday

Something went wrong with my blogger and I lost my original blog on Friday.  I can't remember all that I said, so I'm kind of re-telling a shortened version:

I was excited because I received the following swift (first one ever) in the post for my birthday, bought by Mr H - the star that he is.  It's a Sunflower Swift and I had great service from them, a lady called Claire actually packed my swift ready for posting before I had even paid:

(n.b. this is not an actual picture of my swift, it is taken from Sunflower Swifts website, as mine is still boxed!!)  Not my birthday for a couple of weeks and I'm not allowed to use it yet...mmmmm)

Secondly, I'm excited because I finished my first ever Poncho, in all its lovely chocolatey brownness.  Love it!!

Sorry it's so quick but the technological imp took over and lost my blog.  Hopefully, though you'll see what I've been up to.

Until later....cheerio.



Winter White

Well another two projects are off the needles and into the hands of someone I am finding out to be quite knit-worthy. They were actually her Christmas presents but as she doesn't live in London, I had to wait for her to come down (which was good as I hadn't quite finished by Dec 25th....), so they have been re-classed as New Year presents and here they are:



The Canaletto Cowl and the Twistygoo hat. I used up my Sirdar Denim Sport Aran stash on these.

I absolutely love the Cowl, lovely and warm, this is how big it is:



The hat mmmm...ok. I had to frog it a couple of times and I messed up a bit on the decreases, (I really am Not An Expert Knitter) but its passable I guess and Jen loves it. She's already twittered about it and sent a picture. To be honest I tried it on and it really doesn't suit me (big head), so I guess that's why I wasn't enamoured as well.

I love the colour - I call it Winter White. Not the technical name of course, I think that is "Ivory" but the colour does remind me of snow in winter.

So what have you just finished and like/dislike or, not sure about?

For more finished projects, check out Tami's Amis blog.

Cheerio

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

Happy New Year to all my followers and those that pass by my little knitting blog. I pray that 2012 is all you hope and wish for.

2011 was a strange year for me, and to be honest I'm not unhappy to see the back of it, although all experiences go to making me the person that I am and I have learnt a lot about myself this past year. However, knitting wise I think I have progressed somewhat, I've learnt magic loop, how to read a knitting chart, my lacing has come on leaps and bounds and I am most definitely a faster knitting, (why by the end of the year I've been positively churning out stuff) - latest editions:

Mohair Capelet:



My Azzu shawlette:



and there's more, I've just not taken the photos yet.

I don't make New Year resolutions, I firmly believe that my destiny and all I do is in Gods hands but I do want to learn some more techniques in 2012, like entrelac and finally getting around to knitting socks (no I haven't even attempted that yet, should be interesting!!! I'm either going to love or hate it, but at least I would have tried).

Thanks for reading and again Happy New Year!!

Cheerio

Of Dodgy Ankle, Work Ethics & Knitting Progress

So a couple of weeks ago, I tore a ligament in my ankle....oh the pain, the pain!!!!

Long story short I was walking to work in a daydream and my foot slipped on the kerb and over I went....nearly got run over by a cyclist (bicycle one, not motorcyclist,otherwise I probably wouldn't have been here). Anyway ended up in A&E being pushed around in a wheelchair. Can you imagine.....I'm in a suit, got handbag, one shoe and coat on my lap, the other foot stuck out in front of me and I was almost delirious with the pain. 

Anyway after much prodding and poking, x-rays and painkillers (painkillers were the "bomb", sent me slightly ga-ga but reduced the pain...yeah!!), I got sent home, with instructions to rest, elevate leg above heart, as much as possible...ice and more painkillers, for a week.

So I thought...RESULT I can knit, without interruption......

Nah, how wrong was I?????...ENORMOUSLY.

You see I made the mistake of letting work know that I can log on/work from home...take it from me whatever you do, don't let your workplace know this!!  To be fair, they are well aware of this fact, I do it on a constant basis...but I shouldn't have brought it up on this occasion.

So the result for that week....

Emails, Conference Calls, Telephone Calls, Spreadsheets, Reports, more calls....3,699,001 (and maybe more, I lost count)

Knitting WIP's...... 0

So not much to show you here knitting wise BUT I do have a WIP, that I am so excited about, that I had to share.

I've been trying for a while to get my daughter involved in knitting, to no avail....not interested.  I even went out and bought her a special set of needles, just for her....not interested. 

Anyway, last week after feeling sorry for me and my dodgy ankle and possibly (more importantly) consternation at my lack of knitting (she hates watching TV with me and I'm not knitting), she decided to get these special needles out and ask me for some of my wool.

I thought she was taking the "Michael", so told her no....but after much nagging and "getting on my nerves"....I gave her some of my cheap acrylic, cast off wool, taught her the basics of garter stitch....and bingo......she took to it like water and after a couple of hours.....here folks is my daughters....WIP:

Not quite sure what she's making, I think it's a scarf for one of her toys and if you ignore what's going on in the bottom left hand corner, it's not too bad really!!!

I guess you can say this is a WIP for me too.....I finally got my daughter to knit.  Now let's see if she can purl too......!!!!!

What about you, what have you achieved lately???

For more WIP, check out Tami's Amis blog.

Cheerio

Four.....

No not Golf - Finished Objects!

One, Two and Three were completed last week and this week makes Four...get it...four in two weeks wow!  I think that will be it for a while though....

Now if you remember from Teenage Fashion, I urgently needed to finish a hat before my son lost his swagger, and dear readers I have, here he is wearing it:

Pattern:  (Cabled Watch-cap by Kristen Orme)

I quite like this hat, was thinking about giving it to him!!  However, I'm chuffed to bits because he has worn it every day since it was made, (he didn't even want me to block it as it just had to be worn the next day, to school - crazy kid, (actually the mornings are quite cold now).  I have to admit though, there has been a few mornings of , "...mum have I got it on right??...". (sigh)   (You'll have to read Teenage Fashion to understand what I'm saying here, if you don't know what I mean).

Oh and guess what, after months of thinking I couldn't do it, I finally figured out Magic Loop and used it on this project - it was super easy.  I'm feeling more proficient everyday...So proud of myself!!

For more FO's please check out this link:

Cheerio

One, Two, Three....

Yes folks not one, not two ....but a mighty three Finished Objects this week...how cool is that, eh???!!!  

Not that I have finished them all this week, no that would be madness. To be truthful, it was done over the past couple of weeks but it's all exciting stuff and I feel like a proficient knitter.

So here goes, first FO is Mr H's Cowl:

Knitted in black chunky yarn, pattern is Mistakes - I've made a few!, by Susan Ashcroft, it was the fastest knit I think I've ever done but then it was done on beautiful shiny chunky needles.

Second FO is Miss H's cowl, in beautiful purple:

 I have to admit that's have worn this twice myself since knitting it, love it. The pattern is Sunset In Seattle, by Seattle Yarn.
 
And last but definitely not least, yes folks it's the Baby Blankie....finished at long last and with a week to go to the birth...ta da:

I know I said previously that I was bored of knitting the lace (see previous blog) but once completed, washed and steam blocked, I kinda fell back in love with this. Handing it over this weekend!!

Well fellow readers that's it (although at the rate I am going I may have another FO for next week - does that mean I really need to get a life???!!!)

For more FO's check out these.

Cheerio

Teenager Fashion.

Teenage fashion is a phenomenon all by itself and my son's is no exception to this rule.

For him it's all about his "swagger", whatever that means. I can't begin to tell you the amount of times our conversation can go along the lines of... "Mum, should I wear my Nikes or my Vans?", I'll reply the Vans, then it's "what colour"?.....so I'll say the black ones.....then he'll say... "no because it doesn't match anything that I'm wearing", (are you kidding me. .. black goes with everything he wears!!!!). 

Anyway after much to-ing and fro-ing over Nikes and Vans, I'll say something along the lines of why don't you wear a nice pair of shoes, to which the reply is very often "Muuuuuuummmmmm" ( meaning Mum I'm not an old man)....and then he'll change clothes and we have to go through the whole dialogue again....I give up!!

So it was with MUCH trepidation I decided to knit a hat for him, for the colder winter months.  I didn't tell him I was doing this of course, in case he poo-pooed the idea and I would be much hurt.  To be honest, I had some yarn left over from making his cowl (which he does actually wear so I must have some fashion expertise!!) and thought I might as well make a hat plus, I also wanted to make something with cables (which I haven't done since making my Quilted Throw).

So there I was on my sofa, blissfully cabling away, when my daughter let it slip what I was doing (last time I tell her anything...uh!!).  He looked at me and said.."you do know mum that I may never wear it, what does it look like?"

What????!!!!!

Well I showed him the pattern (Cabled Watch-cap by Kristen Orme), although I wanted to punch his lights out...cheeky... and then he said..."actually yeah that's the kind of hat all my friends are wearing, it's ok..yeah".  Now to translate that means..."Mum, you've hit the jackpot this time, you are a fashionista in every sense of the word, you "get" me and you "get" my style, that's my "swagger"".....Yes, folks I nailed it!!!

So just to let you all know, I am now knitting with enthusiastic frenzy, I need to get this finished soonest before he changes his "swagger" again..!!!   Here's my progress so far:

For more WIP's check out Tamis Amis blog, but for now, I have much knitting to do!!

Cheerio