Roll on 2009

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. It was ok here in the madhouse, a bit subdued for reasons I'll go into later but ok. The kids were happy with thier presents and I got some lovely bits, including a set of harmony options, some blocking wires and a subscription to Yarn Forward.
I managed to get some knitting done as well and finished my clapotis on boxing day. It is wonderful, so cosy and snuggly.
































Its now that quiet bit between Christmas and New Year and I'm reflecting on the last year and looking forward to the next. This year wasn't the best, too much hassle, illness and horrid things happening. It was all topped off by my Brother and his fiancee splitting up just before Christmas. He is devastated and is now going to be battling for access to his son as she isn't known for being amenable on that front. She has another little boy who isn't my brothers and she lied through her teeth to stop his Dad seeing him. Apparently she has another bloke lined up already, I really feel for those two boys, how long will this 'Dad' be on the scene? In the meantime my brother is falling to bits and missing his son like crazy.
But I need to put all that behind me and look forward. I need to be more positive in 2009. I have already started to make decisions about how to try and make next year work, and here they are. (At the very least I can look back next year and laugh!)

1.) Lose weight. I am not going to kid myself anymore that I am happy with my weight. I'm not! I'm the biggest I have ever been and I really need to lose as much as possible. Its my 40th in March so I intend to be significantly smaller by then and by summer I would love to get back into the dress I bought in France a few years ago. Lovely isn't it? (It needs a nice shawl, but I didn't knit in those days.)
































2.) Sort out the work situation. I love what I do for a living. I'm a Fingerprint Expert and have always been really proud of my job. I enjoy the adreneline rush of going to court and I still get excited when I get an identification, and thats after 18 years in the business. What I don't enjoy is where I work. The way the place is managed is awful. I have been asked to apply for a managers position but refused because they are all so overworked and the money is terrible. If I genuinely thought that I could make a difference I would give it a go but the problems lie higher up with the senior managers and me becoming a team leader wouldn't have any impact on that at all. Our shift allowance was taken away and now they are going to force us to work weekends for no extra money. We have basically been told 'if you don't like it then leave'. So that what I am going to do. I'm not the first and I'm sure I won't be the last. Maybe when we all start going elsewhere then things will change.

3.) Knit from stash. This one will save me money but the main reason is because I have so much gorgeous yarn that I feel I should use it rather than just fondle it every now and then. I already have patterns lined up for most of it so not buying any new yarn will force me into making the things I have been intending to for so long. Just as a side note to this, I'm not including fibre in this as I only have a little of that. (Also anything bought at Wonderwool won't count. Lol.)

4.) Be more positive. There have been a few things this year that have really dragged me down and I've found it difficult to pull myself back up. I am going to try and look for the positive in everything next year. I'm hoping that by focusing on the positive I will feel better in myself.

So thats next year sorted.

Lucky ducky.

I have been a very lucky girl this week. First of all I received my secret santa parcel in the Posh swap. It was amazing, look at my goodies, fabulous fibre, a nice chunky mug, scrummy smelling soap, and best of all a pair of mitts in Posh Lucia that are so soft and delicious. They are also the same pattern as the ones I made for Mums birthday! How spooky that I was knitting them for Mum and the lovely Crobbles was knitting them for me at the same time.

I also won in a competition on the friends of P board on ravelry. We had to post up pictures of our pets with our Piddleloop bags, well I may only have two Piddleloop bags but I have lots of pets so its not surprising that I won two prizes. I won a skien of Schaeffer Anne yarn and a handmade needle roll made by Claire from Absy's Knitting. I donated a prize too and that was won by Saskia in Holland, so one of my bracelets is on its way to Holland. My jewellery is better travelled than I am!!
Then, to top off a lucky week I won the bonus ball on our work lottery. I was so pleased, I collect the money in each month and this is the first time this year my number has come up. This means I was able to order three skiens of Laura from Posh Yarn this week. The colour I have gone for is called patchwork quilt and is a beautiful pinky/fuschia. I am on a stashalong until Wonderwool in April, but since I won this money I don't feel guilty about spending it.
In other news, D isn't feeling so lucky, his abcess got worse and went into the bone so his face was very swollen and he is now on super antibiotics. This means he can't have his infusion of Infliximab, which means his joints are not working well at all. (Part of the Crohns symptoms is over production of the stomach acid which crystallizes in the joints and causes artritis type pain and stiffness. The Infliximab is an infusion every eight weeks that helps with the joints and the stomach.) He gets worse as the next one is approaching and with the cold weather as well he really do without the delay. He now has to wait untill 2nd January. As if that wasn't enough, his whole lower leg swelled up last night, he wasn't too worried at first as his knee is already swollen due to the Crohns, but today it got worse and was painful so he called the on call doctor and ended up at the hospital. They think he has a blood clot so he has had a clot busting injection and has to have an ultrasound scan tomorrow to confirm it. Basically he is falling apart at the seams.
Oh well, at least I only have another week and a half before I am off for Christmas and new year. Hopefully once he is over all this we can start the new year and hope for a bit of better health.

Peace, blessed peace.

Its lovely and quiet here as E is helping out at a christmas fayre with the Brownies and D & R have gone into town, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to post an update. Its been really manic around here lately, D had an abcess in his tooth and he doesn't handle pain well so that meant sleepless nights for him and me. It also meant he hasn't been doing anything around the house so I've been extra busy trying to keep on top of things and going to work too. He was supposed to be going back to work last week but due to the abcess and a couple of other problems he isn't well enough, his company have said to see how things go at the beginning of January as he is seeing his consultant at the end of December. I am really worried about him going back to work, he can hardly cope with the few bits he does around the house and doing the school runs so I'm not sure he will cope with travelling back and forth London as well as doing a 9 hour shift. He hasn't been to work for four years so it will be quite a shock to his system. Last time he went back he only lasted nine months before he was off sick again. We are hoping that because he has now had the operation to clear the blockages in his stomach and intestines it will be better this time. One of the other problems he has had recently is severe abdominal spasms and cramps so lets hope its not another blockage. And lets not even think about the childcare issues that are going to crop up, I can't change my hours again so I'm stuck on the shifts and we need to find a childminder who is willing to work around that, its a total nightmare.
Anyway, enough of my problems and on to the knitting. Mum loved her spiralucious and the fingerless mitts I made for her birthday. I made a hat from my handspun which is gorgeous but doesn't suit me at all so it now belongs to E. here it is modelled by her giant teddy.































I still want a hat for myself but can't seem to find a style which suits me, I tried a few on last time I was in town to much hilarity from R. I think the only style I can get away with is a slouchy beret style and am thinking about this one by Wooly Wormhead. I have some beigey alpaca in my stash that will be ideal for it, but am worried about making another hat that doesn't look right. I think I will just go for it and if I don't like it I'm sure someone will take it off my hands.
I have also started a clapotis, I must be the only person in the world who hasn't made one yet so I thought I'd best get on with it. I keep seeing them on Ravelry and they look so lovely. I decided to make it in Wendy Fusion as I love the striping and I wanted a cosy clapotis, which fusion definately is. I only had four balls of the anise seed colourway and very quickly realised I would need more. Luckily I found Kemps who had it in stock for £1.20 a ball and I have never known such fast service, I ordered it on Tuesday morning and it arrived on Wednesday morning! This is how it looked before I started dropping stitches.





























We had some snow earlier in the week, the kids were very happy as we don't see it very often. They went straight out and made the tiniest snowman possible before it all melted.

Cold day in London

E and had a fantastic day in London. The weather was sunny but so cold, especially on the top of an open top bus! My knotty gloves were very welcome, but I really needed a hat. I have finally finished plying my handspun so a hat will be knitted soon. First I need to finish Mums birthday present, I am knitting some gloves and a cowl in Posh Lei for her, she doesn't read the blog so I am safe in posting a photo.






















The pattern is Spiralucious by Anne Hanson and it is a quick and easy knit. Its the first time I have done a knitted on border so a new technique learned too. The only small problem with the pattern was that the finished cowl measured exactly what the pattern said it should, but it was a bit on the small side. After a hard blocking it fits ok, but is now bigger than the pattern states. I am now working on some fingerless mitts with the lei that was left over.
Here are some photos from our day in London. They were all taken by E, she loves taking photos. We went to the Tower and saw the crown jewels and went up Tower Bridge, which was fantastic. The view was stunning and it is definately worth a visit if you are in the area.

Catch up.

I really must blog more often, this is going to be a long picture heavy post and all because I left it too long between updating.
Since my last post I have been to Alexandra Palace and had a wonderful day. I met up with Twinepixie from the Posh group on Ravelry and had a cuppa and a chat, which broke the day up nicely. Mum and I had a lovely chat on the coach and wandered around together for a while. Its nice to get some time with her without the kids being there. As much as I love my kids they do tend to take over and make it hard to have a conversation. I managed to stick to my shopping list and buy the things I was after rather than just random bits and bobs. I did pick up some malabrigo sock yarn as I keep hearing about its magical properties and thought I must try it in the interests of research.





















I also bought some yummy fibre, deep green BFL from Hipknits and some merino/silk in blue from Fybrespates. I have spun half of each so far and plyed them together, once I have spun the other half I am going to make a simple roll brim hat. I'm quite excited as it will be the first thing I've actually made from my spinning.





















The other fibre was green (again) from Spindlefrog which had a sachet of lavender in so it smelt wonderful when I spun it. Again I have spun half and andean plyed it. I'm not sure what to do with it yet but will make up my mind when I've spun the other half.



















I have some finished objects as well. I finished the second Knotty glove, these really are wonderful. I can't wait for the cold weather to hit so I can wear them. Its half term this week and I am taking E to London for a tour on an open top bus and a visit to the Tower of London on Friday, the forecast for the week is artic and for once I'm pleased.



























The other finished project is my Juno Regina. I started it way back in May and it has been badly neglected because once the lacy bits on each end were done the middle section was really boring. I had to force myself to carry on and it very nearly got shoved into the 'never gonna finish' bag. Luckily R has started going to ballroom dancing classes on a Saturday morning and it involves me sitting for an hour and a half waiting for her. Ideal boring knitting time. I am pleased I didn't give up as it has turned out beautifully. Its made in Posh Yarn Eva 2ply and I wore it to work yesterday to many compliments.

Knotty

I have just finished a glove, just the one at the moment, the pair to it is still on the needles. The pattern is Knotty and I love it. The yarn is dream in colour smooshy bought at the Iknit day. Yet another project that has pushed Arwen back. I feel slightly guilty but there are so many things I want to do that I have now decided to leave Arwen and just do what feels right at the time.
I have been spinning too and it is getting easier and more even every time. I am ready to break into the gorgeous fibre I bought at Iknit day and am excited about making enough yarn to actually knit something out of.
Its the annual pilgrimage to Alexandra Palace for the knitting and stitching show on Saturday and I am looking forward to a great day out with Mum. I have actually written a shopping list this time as every other year I get blinded by all the pretty yarn and beads and end up with loads of stuff that I don't really need. This time I know what I want and I won't be distracted! Lol, well I'll try anyway.
To finish off here is a picture of Tilly with her friends.

In a spin.

I said Abby would be a quick knit and it was, only three days and it was done. I am really pleased with it and can't wait for the cold weather now.
















I still haven't got the spindle I ordered at the Iknit day, they are having problems with the supplier, so I ordered another one from The Yarnyard. This is actually a good move as it means I will have a top whorl and bottom whorl spindle now so can work out which I prefer. I had a play today and made my first ever yarn from the 'padding' the spindle was wrapped in. Some lovely merino tencel in a soft lilac. Now hopefully one day I will be so good at spinning that I will look at this little uneven skien and laugh, but at the moment I am very proud of it.









I have also nearly finished my plastic canvas bag. I am going to see Mum (the sewing guru) tomorrow to make the lining and it will be done. It turned out a lot better than I expected. I used some cotton that was on sale at Lidl last year and the plastic canvas was 49p a sheet, the handles I have had laying around for ages so this has turned out to be a bargain. The most expensive part was the fabric for the lining.








Last night I took R to see Chicago at the Cambridge theatre in London. It was very good, although I think I prefer the film version slightly more. The stage is very sparse and that took away from the feeling that you were watching a story unfold, it felt a little more like a concert. But the dancing and singing was fantastic, if only I had legs like the girls in that chorus line!

Decision unmade!

Having decided to cast on for Arwen I have been sidetracked by the latest issue of Knitty coming out. I have cast on for Abby instead. Its a very pretty cowl and as soon as I saw it I knew I had finally found the pattern for the Posh Sophia 2ply in my stash. My logic is that it is small compared to Arwen so I will finish it quickly and then start Arwen.
Its been a funny week this week, I thought for two glorious days that I was going to Texas for a conference. I've always wanted to go to the states and was thrilled to get the chance to go, even if it meant going to a not very thrilling conference. Unfortunately a big part of my job involves giving evidence in court and I received a court date slap bang in the middle! Bloody typical. So now someone else is booked to go and then to top it off I was de-warned!!!??!! So now I'm not going to court or Texas. I think Bugger will cover it.

IKnit day

Yesterday was IKnit day and what a fantastic day it was. It started with meeting a fellow knitter on the platform at Bearsted who was also going, we travelled up together and had a nice chat. The venue was huge, much bigger than last year. I had a wander around and bought some Kraemer Sterling in a fabulous blue. The sparkle in it is amazing. I then had a go on a drop spindle courtesy of the nice lady from Moonspinning, it was a lot easier than I had imagined. Next on the list was a meeting of the Poshites from the Ravelry forum, it was so great to put faces to names and there was much admiring of various socks, shawls and sweaters. Some of us then went for a coffee and a slice of cake and then it was time for the highlight of the show.. The Yarn Harlot.
She was on for an hour and a half and was funny and interesting and amazing. There were lots of people knitting during her talk, I worked on my Juno and Susan was working on a Jitterbug sock. After the talk I headed back to the main hall and joined the queue for the book signing. I had taken my first socks along and Stephanie took a photo of me holding them and her sock so I'll be keeping an eye on her blog to see if I can spot me.
Next in what was turning into a busy day was a workshop with Sasha Kagan making crochet flowers. I made a very pretty pink and purple flower which I finished off this morning with a button found in the bottom of my sewing box.









By the time the workshop was finished the show was a lot less crowded and I went for another wander around the stalls. I was hoping to buy some of the sock blanks dyed by Easyknits but he had sold out, I must learn to buy when I see and not wait! Instead I bought some Dream in Colour Smooshy sock yarn in a lovely bright pink, a pattern for a peacock shawl, a copy of Yarn Forward and giving in to temptation.. some fibre and a drop spindle. I spotted Lucy of Settersknits and sat down for a chat with her while the alien competition was being judged by Craig from IKnit and Mazzmatazz. She is enjoying being a new knitting celebrity. Now in the photo of them you will spot a sock shaped alien, this was my effort for the competition. It was woefully inadequate! The standard was awesome and the winner moved its arms and everything!
After this it was time to go and I was exhausted! I walked back to Victoria station with Lynn from the Posh group and then headed off to a friends house for a party. D and the girls were already there. I wasn't much of a party animal as all I wanted to do was go to bed, but it was nice anyway. All that remains is for me to show you the yummy yarn and fibre that found its way home with me.

Decisions made.

Well I've decided to have a go at Arwen as my next project. I have had a read through of the KAL group on Ravelry and am going to make it in one piece up to the arms and then split, and I think I'll have to make the arms bigger if I want it to fit my bingo wings. So I shall be starting that one next week probably. I'm not procrastinating, honest, but what with the kids going back to school this week it is a bit busy. This morning I had the shoe battle with R to find school shoes that I approved of and she felt were fashionable enough. This was the third time we had been shoe shopping in the last week and at last we found a pair.
On Saturday is the Iknit day and I am so excited. I can't wait to see the Yarn Harlot, meet up with some virtual friends and go to Sasha Kagans workshop. What a day! There will be photos next week I promise.
I have also made a decision that I am going to try a new venture. Mum and I were discussing the fact that we, and every other crafter we know, have a huge stash and could do with getting rid of some stuff. Mum commented that its a shame there isn't such a thing as a 'craft jumble' and a lightbulb came on over my head. I'm looking into hiring a hall and selling tables, like a boot fair but just craft items. I ran it past a few people on Ravelry and Angel Yarns and they have come up with the idea of inviting local craft guilds to come along too. I also have a friend in the WI who I can ask about doing tea and cakes, I'm sure they won't pass up the chance to raise some funds and WI cakes are the best in the world. So watch this space and I'll keep you updated with any more news.

Finished just in time

Here are my two projects for the Ravelympics. I finished the socks two hours before the flame went out so it was a close thing. I'm glad I decided to redo them in plain stocking stitch as I definately prefer that look. They fit but are a bit loose on the foot so that has made my mind up that I am a cuff down girl. I enjoy turning a heel more than a short row heel and I quite like kitchener stitch.
The little bug was a really quick and easy knit. It was meant as a pincushion for me but E has decided it belongs to her so who am I to argue.
This is the first time in ages I have only had one thing on the needles and its quite strange. I haven't got far to go on my Juno now and am not sure what to cast on for next. There a few things in my queue that are calling to me. In the meantime I have started a plastic canvas bag in the hope that inspiration will hit. Its either going to be a Spring Garden shawl in midnight blue Posh Cecilia with silver beads, or a top in Pure bamboo. The other thing I want to do is Arwen, basically too many things and too little time!

Thank you for lycra!

Just a quick update on the Ravelympics socks. I have frogged them and restarted. I wasn't happy that the yarn and pattern went together. The bit I liked best was the stocking stitch bit on the sole and I was getting big ladders because the first stitch on each needle was a purl stitch. So in frustration I frogged and am doing a plain unpatterned pair. The positive side to this is that I have now had a bit of practice doing a short row heel, so it should be a bit neater second time round. I have to say I'm not really enjoying knitting toe up. I definately prefer to do cuff down. It will be interesting to see how these socks fit compared to all my others. I have actually found myself watching bits of the Olympics and am so pleased that we have a few gold medals. The star of the show has to be Michael Phelps, the swimming genius from the USA. He is so good its scary, and looks rather good in lycra too.
I received my Iknit ticket yesterday and am really excited about seeing the Yarn Harlot. They are doing a competition to make a knitted alien as well and last night, (while not sleeping again) I had an idea. I will let you know if it works at a later date.
I have no relevant pictures today but I don't like a pictureless post so heres a random bunny nose for you.

Ravelympics are go.

I have started my Ravelympics sock. The opening ceremony was at 1pm on the 8th August and I had to be at work at two, so I literally just cast it on and then went to work. But at least that was during the opening so I am following the rules. This is how far I am at the moment. The yarn is scrummy, its Posh Yarn helena and is lovely and soft. The colours remind me of Bedgebury Forest where we took the girls for a walk last week. It was lovely, we walked for miles and enjoyed every minute. We also went to Longleat Safari Park, which was truly awesome. I was amazed at how close we were to tigers and lions. The monkeys climbing on the car were the girls favourite but they were little buggers for ripping bits off. We were lucky and survived intact. Photos will follow at the end of this post.
I had a nice day out with the beading group last Saturday, we went to The Bead Merchant for one of their Saturday open days. I have been neglecting my beads recently so this was a much needed reinjection of inspiration. On the Sunday D and R went to Brands Hatch for the day and E went to her friends so I had the house to myself and was able to spread the beads and my tools out all over the table and play. I made a necklace for myself which came out brilliantly. I am so pleased with it.
It was a complete bugger to photograph though. This is the best I could get and it took several attempts. I just wish that I had somewhere I could leave my beads out, its an absolute nightmare to get all the boxes, tools and lights out of the cupboard and then have to put them away because we need to have dinner. I love making beautiful sparkly things and just need the time and space. I can hear crafters all over the place agreeing with me. I know my Mum was only able to make the most of her crafts once my brother and I had moved out so I'll just have to wait and hope that the girls don't want to stay here forever. Lol.
Anyway on with the photos of our days out last week and I'll update you on the Ravelympics next time.

Shetland Shorty

This is my finished Shetland Shorty. I am so pleased with it. The pattern is great, easy to follow and fun to knit. The dress was a bargain from Matalan, when I saw it I knew it would go really well with the shorty but the only one in my size had a broken strap. I got a sizable discount and then fixed the strap. One new summer outfit for under fifteen pounds.
I took the girls to see Mamma Mia! today, it was fantastic. We really enjoyed it and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a lift as it is definately a feel-good film. At the moment a lift is just what I need, things are just not going my way. My car broke down on Tuesday and the washing machine has packed up too. Work is just so stressful its unbelieveable and home is not exactly stress free either. Never mind, its the summer holidays so at least I don't have to worry about forgetting whats going on with school and clubs for a few weeks.

Aragon Farm open day

We had a lovely day out today at Aragon Farm in Sissinghurst. They were holding a sheep shearing contest and had loads of stalls and displays as well. There were owls, jams, yarn, ferrets, rabbits, pottery, sheepdogs and of course some rather muscular men shearing sheep. Photos below...








































I am quite busy at the moment, I have nearly finished my shetland shorty and it is looking fab. It is on hold at the moment though as I am making an Adipose for Mazzamatazz's BBC project. We have to make them but leave them unstuffed and with no face so it looks a little freaky! I only have the feet to do and then I can post it off to her. Once thats done I have signed up for the Ravelympics 08. If you are on Ravelry look it up, its great. Basically the idea is that you sign up with a team, I'm on Team Tardis, and decide on an event and you cast on during the Olympics opening ceremony on Aug 7 and have to finish your project by the time the Olympic flame goes out. I have signed up for the Sock Put. I am going to make it more of a challenge by trying toe up for the first time. I must be mad, mainly because that only gives me until Aug 7 to finish the Shetland Shorty and my Juno Regina too.