Busy weekend

We have a busy weekend ahead, guests coming to stay and tomorrow we are going to Brands Hatch for the World Superbikes. So I am in the middle of a housework frenzy! I don't know why I am bothering as I know I am the only one who will notice that its tidy and there will be crash helmets and leathers all over the place once they get here, but at least I can relax once its done!

I decided to cast on the alpaca socks as Bronte suggested, I am using Artesano Hummingbird and it is so squishy and soft! I have ordered some non slip paws for the bottoms of them so they will be house socks. Since I don't have a picture of them yet here is one of Tilly relaxing on my bed.

Oh well, tea break over, back to the house work!

A finished item!

I have finished the primrose shawl!! It is so light and lovely and I am thrilled with it. Here is R doing her model bit!

I have made sixteen squares for my shrug so far and run out of yarn! So I have ordered more and will carry on with that when it arrives. In the meantime I will try and finish the neon socks and then I need to decide what to start on next. I am torn between a lacy cardigan in 4ply cotton, some Regia bamboo socks, some alpaca slouch socks or a lace scarf.

I have found out that my Aunt is having a mastectomy in a couple of weeks time, they removed the lump at the beginning of July but think they may have missed a bit, so she made the decision to get the whole breast removed. I think I would have made the same decision. So fingers crossed that this will get rid of the cancer for once and all and she can get on with her life again.

Late night ideas!

I couldn't sleep last night and found myself mentally going through my stash and thinking what to do with it when I had a brainwave! If I take the Rowan all seasons cotton that I won in the Knit Today competition and make crochet squares I can join them together into a rectangle and make a shrug!! So I ignored my 'finish one thing before starting another' rule and started making squares today. So thats another thing in the WIP list, but hopefully it will be quite quick and then I can get back to the Primrose shawl and make the pair for my neon socks. I'll keep you posted!!

No more Harry Potter!!

I have just finished reading The Deathly Hallows and am feeling really down! I can't believe there will be no more Harry Potter books. Every time I've finished one I've been desperate for the next one to come out and now that is it. I can only hope that JK takes pity on us and keeps Hogwarts going in another book, there is so much scope even if the main characters are different.
On a completely different vein, D has had the date for his op. It is the 21st August, which is highly unfair as that is his birthday! So I am trying to sort out leave and who can have the kids whilst he is in hospital and also when he comes out as he won't be able to drive for a while. He in the meantime is hoping the weather perks up so he can get out on his motorbike as much as possible before the op!

Look at my stash!!

Today I got all my yarn out and photographed it. I didn't realise I had so much. Some of it I will never use so it is going to be put on Ebay, but there will still be plenty to work on. I just wish I could knit faster! I don't seem to have the patience with finishing things and am desperate to cast on the next thing before casting off what I am on at the moment. I am having to force myself to only have two main projects on the go at once. At the moment it is the crochet shawl and the Opal socks. I do also have a scarf and a baby blanket in the naughty corner, I will get back to them one day! I am so lucky as I have some really gorgeous yarns to work with and my head is full of ideas to use them.

Some knitting for a change!!

Here are some photos of knitting, just for a change!! I still can't find the charger for the camera but have taken photos on my phone instead.
First of all E in her new alpaca hat. It was supposed tobe for me but didn't fit!! The pattern I used said to do 2 repeats of the cable pattern but I'll need to do three to make it fit me. The pattern is from knitting pattern central and is called the Kisses and hugs hat.









This is a work in progress, it is Primrose from Tess Dawson's new crochet book, which is marvellous. I am using Kaalund Classic 2 and the colour is called pacific. It is my first proper attempt at crochet and is very easy to follow.








Lastly I have cast on a sock, I always like to have a sock on the go! This one is called Waving not Drowning from Violet Green. I thought that was appropriate considering everything that is going on at the moment!! I am doing it in the brightest colour I had in my stash, Opal neon. It almost glows in real life!! If that doesn't cheer me up then nothing will!!

That'll make the summer interesting!

D had his appointment with the surgeon yesterday and they have decided to go ahead with the operation!! He is amazed as he thought it would be put off again, then the amazement turned to fear as the surgeon explained what they are going to do! I felt really sorry for him, his face just fell. He will be in hospital for at least 10 days and will be fed via a tube in the nose until he starts eating again. The incision will be crossways and go from one side of the chest to the other, so a fairly large recovery time afterwards. The barium xrays he had done were inconclusive as even the liquid barium couldn't get through the blockage, this means they are going in blind and hoping that the intestine is healthy enough to use for the by pass.
The op is scheduled for the beginning of August, so I am going to have to hope that my boss is feeling nice and will let me take some holiday even though the quota of people off in August is already filled. With the kids off school I am going to need at least two weeks whilst he is in the hospital and the first few days at home.
On the plus side I finished knitting a hat whilst I was waiting at the hospital. I have made it with the alpaca yarn I bought on Sunday and used a pattern on knitting pattern central for a cabled hat. It is lovely, but doesn't fit! I followed the pattern and did two repeats of the cable section, obviously I should have done three as it is fine widthways but too short for me. It fits E so she can have that and I'll do another one.
I am working on a crochet shawl at the moment and it is coming up beautifully, I can't find the charger for the camera battery so will have to post photos another day.