There's not enough time for knitting and crocheting....

....nevermind writing about knitting and crocheting. Mostly I am just getting on with making things in acrylic and cotton acrylic blends. I am still fighting the moths. I think we have them under control in the loft which is where my stash is bagged and boxed up but the bedrooms have them now. Especially the youngest child's bedroom. It is the one I haven't been able to clean properly because of the hight bed and the awkward furniture. Ah well.

Maybe I will just put some photos here. The only thing I have knitted lately that I am in love with is my Ursa. And I made it while starting to loose weight, so who knows if I will be wearing it in the autumn. I am already 2 stone lighter and hoping for more so we shall see if I have to make another one!

I love the Ursa pattern!

This is the beginning of my Coachella in black. It is one of those tank top patterns that I have always thought would look great on one of my daughters. But then I just thought, "If I like it, I can make it for myself! So I am having a go. But other things are taking knitting prioirty and it will get done when it gets done. 

One of the things that is taking priority is the baby jumper below. The baby has been born! It is the niece of a friend from work and she asked for this. It is a sparkly pink yarn which I don't particularly like but the pattern is nice enough. Nearly finished!

 New fave hat that I made for myself this past winter. It was to replace the beautiful mustard coloured one that the moths ate. :(  I bought the yarn in America when I was over there putting my mother in a memory care place. :(

 Above are socks. Christmas present for Sadie! Below are all the ends having been woven in!

Love this dress. Took me ages. She has never worn in since taking these photos.

 Socks for Al. He chose the yarn so I had to finish them Can't believe he chose these colours but they do look fab and they fit really well!

 Socks for me. Leftover colours from other projects. They are a bit baggy but they are mine.

It's a Jumper!

The Thneed was pulled back and decreases changed. It fits and she likes it.

A very useful Thneed

I made a Thneed.

Or rather I made a jumper for big sister which big sister couldn't fit over her head. Who the hell knits bottom up raglans? Why did I pay for this pattern? And then do it so badly? Especially after the yarn saga.

Eeeek! Run out of one of the yarns 4 round before the end? Tick

Order more to come in two days? Tick

Panic that it won't get here before she goes on holiday? Tick

Order more yarn from someplace else that does same day despatch? Tick

Phone them to make sure? Tick

Yarn not arrive in time? Tick

Original ordered yarn arrive in time? Tick

Finish jumper? Yay!!!

It doesn't bloody fit. 

I shall remake the Thneed into a top down raglan. It can't turn out worse!

Moths!

We've got moths. I don't wanna talk about it.

Still Still Light...

I am doing surprisingly well with this. I got to the teal band at the bottom and decided to go back up and do the sleeves and the pockets so that when I finish it I will actually be finished. This morning I transferred all those many, many stitches onto some cotton yarn and tried it on. It is going to be fabulous!!! Did not take any photos though because I wasn't wearing a bra and the nipples were obvious. Not a flattering look.  I have about 6 more inches to do which will take me a while still.

Especially since I have done a few other things. Like using the grey to crochet a shawl, and starting another shawl to take on my camping trip cuz I didn't want to take the tunic, and doing a baby shrug and hat, and now starting a shrug for my little one because she liked the baby's one. And going back to work on a blanket that was supposed to be for my daughter for her graduation....last July.

But I will finish it! And I will treat myself with a new pair of boots to go with it. It is gonna be FAB!

Apparently I have a masochistic streak.

This is not because I make decisions like giving up the car, or having 5 children, or home educating them all. It is because I have decided to knit this!

The Still Light Tunic is lovely. It has been in my favourites for years, but I never thought I would actually make  one. Why? Fingering yarn, 3mm needles, my ample bosom and large ass.  Never mind the tummy. Those things do not all go together.

And then one day, while Martine was over for knitting, I just said, "What the hell?" and bought the pattern and bought the yarn and have started. Egads. Thanks goodness for the regular Drops sales at the Wool Warehouse!

I am doing the biggest size. Having done a gauge swatch, I decided on 3.25 mm needles. But the fabric is knitting up quiet stretchy so am thinking about doing the 2nd biggest size, and then increasing to the largest for more butt room. It is a light yarn, but I am worried the weight of the dress will pull the yoke and it will all end up too big. If you are going to do this much knitting, you want it to fit!

I am looking forward to increasing to get over the shoulders. 488 stitches. Or near that anyway since I have 4 rogue stitches and another 40 stitches to increase. Here I go again...

I got bored with blogging.

After all, it takes time away from knitting. And crocheting. And all those other things. But I am going to give it a go again. Let's start with a catch up.

I'm so proud!

I have this idea that I will organize the kitchen window sill which is behind the kitchen table to have all of our arts and crafts stuff so I can sit with the Babe and do arty things. I know myself well enough to admit that nothing will ever be organised. But I like these jars anyway. :-) They are pretty and the pencils and crayons and water colour pencils never looked better. And they are getting used more. So there. I am so proud!

So maybe not so many socks...

I have managed to do a couple of pairs more. But they seem to take me a very long time. I imagine it is all the crocheting I do while I have socks on the knitting needles. And all of the time I spend on Ravelry looking at all the socks I will knit...if I ever get off Ravelry.

Finally finished these ones today.

The above socks are being sent to America now, to the lovely S, who has just walked a marathon and half raising $3000 for a Breast cancer charity. I think her feet deserve a treat. They have taken me 2 and a half months. Partly because I am not used to the stretchy cotton yarn, partly because I made a mistake when I started the toe decreases and then left them for several weeks before getting around to sorting them out. But mostly because I have been crocheting these things...

 David Cameron puppet for Socialist friend to do with as she will. Pattern from Lion Brand's Barrack Obama puppet.

 A summer hat, cuz the sun shone here for a couple of days in May. 

 Beautiful top for the teenager from Inside Crochet. The pattern is by the talented Rosella Tinn.

 Churchmouse vintage crochet blanket pattern  for baby Leo.

A present for Aurora's first birthday. The Shortie Sweater from Holland Designs.

I have managed some knitting as well though. There was this hat, which was knitted with Fyberspates Scrumptious. That yarn is appropriately named! It was sent to Morag, who was much more appreciative than the various offspring.

And this hat which was for the dear hubby who cycles 8 miles to work every day. It helps keeps his ears warm under his cycle helmet.

And another pair of lovely socks. Everything about these was quite nice. From the Knitpicks sock yarn to the pattern.

They were for the eldest daughter, and were a request, so I was happy to oblige. They looked lovely!

 I did manage these little ones as well.They just barely fit the 4 year old, and now that the weather is nice, they are not getting worn. I can see myself trying to pick out the toes and lengthen them so that they get more wear next winter.

I am working on some others, and a toddler jumper and a baby blanket. So all in all, considering my wonderful ability to start things and not finish them, doing 6 pairs of socks so far this year is pretty good! Even if some of them were started a long time ago!

Phew. Managed to get all of that written while the 4 year old was at the allotment with her dad. And now she is back and needs a pooh. So back to real life. The story of how I managed to stand on my DPNs and stab myself in the heel will have to wait for another time. :-)

Mostly, I will be doing socks...

Since it is a new year, and there is all the psychobabble about new starts, I  am formulating a plan. It is not about a year of change, or loosing weight, or getting a job,  although all of those things would be nice. :-) I am planning on knitting a lot of socks.

I want to get better at socks. I want to decide which is my favourite heel to do- heel flap and gusset, short rows with wrap and turns, short rows  with double stitch, or any number of other options such as the  recently purchased fish lips kiss heel.

I have already finished three pairs this year. But wait! I hear you scream - It is only the 11th of January. Ah yes, I guess I shall have to point out that actually, two of those pairs were mostly finished already, and the third was for a toddler in aran weight yarn. But it is motivating me.

The nice ones were replacement socks for the dear daughter at university. They were the first proper toe ups that I have actually completed, and made using Crazy Zauberball 6 ply. I don't like the Jenny's stretchy cast off, as it means the that ribbing doesn't hold its shape very well. I will try using other cast offs, but I may just be a cuff down knitter.

I was also doing  a lovely pair of socks with some yarn from Ripples that I got at Woolfest last year. They were going to be for the Babe, but when she saw them she was adament that she wanted different ones. She picked up the first yarn she could spot which just happened to be aran from a blanket that I did for Truffle for Christmas, and she demanded stripes. This is what she ended up with. Took me two days, and she is very happy.

I shall resume work on the orange Ripples ones sometime soon. In the mean time I am very proud to have finished a pair that I started 2 and a half years ago. Before that I had made a pair of pink fluffly socks for the Meister, as she had chosen the Regia Softy. But unfortunately, they were too big and her big sister got them. So I tried again. We were camping a couple of summers ago and I cast these ones on thinking I would finish them in no time. Well when I got to the toe decreases I realized they were too narrow so I put them aside and forgot about them. A few days ago, while sorting my stash and trying to tidy the living room, I found the one that was nearly finished and thought, "These will do for the Babe." I pulled back a few rows of the long narrow thing and decreased the toes to fit a 4 year and whipped up another in a day and a half and voila. The 2 and half year long  socks are finished.

So that is two daughters with pink fluffy socks, neither of which is the daughter who originally chose the yarn. But she looks like this now, so perhaps pink and fluffy would not be her first preference. 

Happy New Year

I haven't been writing much lately, mostly because things haven't been that great, and I don't want to write about how shit things are. :-) But with the date January 1st come renewed hope and expectation. It just happens, I don't have to foster it. We had a fun evening last night playing silly games and drinking shandy and eating far too much food. It is nice to have friends.
My life is a lot different than it used to be. Funnily enough, not on the outside, because I am still at home with kids and home educating them. But things are different. And I am just getting used to that.
Arthritis is fine these days. Lots of diet and exercise. But it is such hard work that there isn't a lot of time for thoughts of jobs or classes or courses. So maybe a book group instead.

In the meantime here is the New Year's celebration...

And here is the Christmas knitting...

There is a pair of socks and a Katniss Cowl which are going to be post Christmas presents. And I have a desire to knit lots of socks. And read lots of books. And start having fun again.  :-)

2013

So when 2013 started, I thought it was going to be my year of change. As told in the previous post from 3 months ago, medical issues have been dominating the year and they are ongoing. The arthritis is getting better. Well, the arthritis is still there but lots of Pilates and a bit of physio and trying to walk and cycle a lot means that I am feeling better. Even been dancing in the past couple of weeks. :-)

When last I wrote I was still waiting for my physio and in a bit of pain when walking. I didn't know if I should push it or rest it. Well, going camping a couple of times meant I had to push it. First just to get across the fields to the toilets - then to run around the whole site asking people if they had seen The Babe. She had a great time! But all of that walking around worked out some muscles that obviously needed working out. I started the week on crutches, and ended able to walk around the whole site without them. :-)

We are still seeing the neuro for the Meister. They think it may be her thyroid. Funnily enough, Truffle is having cardiac problems and they are testing her thyroid as well. She has a heart murmur and is having palpitations and is has regular episodes of tachycardia, but they can't figure out why. The Meister is taking a homeopathic remedy at the moment for her thyroid, while we wait for appointments for more blood tests which will take us into December. So that is the year really isn't it.

I am still hoping for some sort of change. I started the year thinking that I would initiate some sort of change to make me happier with life in general. I attended a couple of open days about doing post grad study, but there is no way we can afford it. Although I did get excited about studying again. Or at least using my brain. I have sort of half-heartedly been looking for a job, but since it is  difficult finding anything part time for a very intelligent woman who has little job experience, that has actually been depressing me more. 

But money is not forthcoming from the universe in other ways. :-) And since our debt is piling up, I am back to looking seriously. And it is actually making me feel positive. Nobody seems to want to hire me, but I am finding enough to apply for, that I keep a little bit of hope alive every time I get a rejection or no response from the previous one.

All this means I am knitting and crocheting from my stash a lot, and developing a fondness for acrylic yarn. :-) Here is a selection of things made over the past 3 months.

There are three babies coming up so more will be made. And I have officially started my Christmas knitting as well. Haven't gotten very far, but at least I have started. Knitting and Pilates is my life these days. And crochet. :-)