The world of wool, and doing stuff, or not.

So I have been trying to get some things done. We have been enjoying pottering around too much to get too much done, but here goes anyway.
So I have just finished the Xmas knitting. The only things I was doing was a Fox Hat for friend's daughter, and a Snood/cowl/hood thing for another friend, who feels the cold.
The fox hat conversation went something like this...sitting at the home ed Adventure Playground meet...
E - 'R has been wanting a fox hat, like all those panda hats that are around at the moment. But I can't find one. (looks at me) Oh, I could commission you to make one!'
Me - (feeling lack of confidence) 'Ummm, errrrr, well...'
C - 'Of course she could. That would be easy!'
Me - ' Ummmm, errrrr, ok'

Then went to look for the yarn. Found myself in Sew In in Didsbury, where there is a nice new person working. :-) There were lots of foxy-teracotta coloured yarns, but naturally the best one was the most expensive  Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky. I then spent days trying out different patterns and wondering how in the hell I was going to do this. I am not good enough at knitting to just do things. I ended up using the Ear Flap Hat which I found on Ravelry, but then highly modified to make it fit an adult sized head. Here it is being modelled by somebody who is too small for it.

In the end, I wasn't confident enough about charging the person who 'commissioned' it so we gave it to her as a Christmas present. She likes it, and looks fab in it, so all is good. :-)

The other thing I did for Xmas, which I finished this morning, is a snood. I have had this idea that I wanted to do one for this particular friend for years, and I finally got around to it. Got some lovely yarn from Purl City  back when they opened, some Lang Mille Fiamme super chunky in Iris, and I finally got around to casting on. I have actually had to do this several times, because I was trying to be clever with using short rows to make it more hood like. I was so clever, I got to show my cleverness by unwinding it 4 times to pick up and redo it. I kept sticking in extra short rows to shape it, which just made it pucker in places. In the end it looks like this...

It is pretty and warm, and I hope she likes it. Now all we need is more really cold weather...which I quite like.

Since making the Fox hat, my M has been requesting a Frog hat. I did the same thing I did with the fox yarn. Found myself in a yarn shop with my friend Caroline on New Years Eve. She took me to the little Black Sheep Wools  in Culcheth, since the barn was closed. I just saw some perfect frog green, and just in case anybody thinks I am all about the cashmerino, this was Sirdar Snuggly.And since it was Dec 31st, I bought it without breaking my resolution to not buy any yarn until I use up some of the stash!  The hat is nearly finished. We bought some filler yesterday to puff up the eyes, and I shall hopefully finish it today.  But I am a bit disappointed that the ear flaps are twisiting quite a bit. My crochet often does that. Anybody know what I am doing wrong?

I just haven't got time to actually do all of these things as well as write about them! And do things with the kids! How do people do it. It took me half an hour to find the camera, realize that the computer is not recognizing all of its drives, find the cable to connect the camera, get the new and improved software to work properly, then actually upload the photos.  Eveything takes three times as long as it should!

Another example of this is yesterday, when I attempted to put up a CD rack! M has been sorting out her room and asked me last week to put up this CD rack. So we finally get around to it. It means getting all of the crap out of the cubby under the stairs so I can get to the door which has the tools behind it. Getting the drill and actualy finding a matching pair of wall plugs and screws that are appropriate. We measure and drill, only to find that the  plaster and mortar and brick work are so deteriorated that she now just has a hole in her wall. Well, 2 holes, but one of them is functional, and the other requires filling and redrilling. Actually the whole room (house) needs replastering, but that ain't gonna happen. So what should have been a 10 minute job, turns into a two day job, and just creates more things for me to do, which means I can't do the washing up. :-)

And I am finally getting the illness that everybody else had over the holidays. Which probaby means that 11 year old M can save the CD rack, and put it up in her flat when she moves out in 10 years time.