Auld Fashioned

Again

2012-02-22T05:56:00.001-08:00

The temptation to start over proved too much, and this morning I ripped back the blanket almost to the beginning. I'm not normally such a perfectionist, but I just couldn't go on with so many not quite right elements. Perhaps that will be my Lenten penance this year: to get it right.

In which the crochet gods flex their muscles...

2012-02-21T02:13:00.000-08:00

The crochet is addictive. Although I generally prefer a knit fabric to a crochet one, I do see how appealing crochet can be, and it's a bit easier to pick up, put down and rip than knitting is. And, it's much easier for a large project like a blanket. I like that. A. Lot.

So, after a week, this is where I have got to. Pretty, huh? I even managed to crochet with some novelty yarn. But, but, but... my inner crochet gods are displeased.

There are parts that I dont' like and some places where my stitch count has gone a bit awry, so the pattern is a bit wonky. I started off using the chevron pattern from Jane Brocket's 'Gentle Art of Knitting', but couldn't seem to get the valley part of the pattern to look tidy. So, I looked at some other ripple blanket patterns and fudged a different version of the valley which looks better, but isn't so chevron-y. Then I realised - yesterday - that I hadn't quite been doing that the right way (either), and so I'm wrestling with the idea of ripping it all back to the beginning and starting again and getting it right this time.

But on the other hand, I'm wondering whether I should just keep going, using this as my learning piece, and keeping this blanket as a stitched record of my progress and improvement, so that I can marvel in years to come about how badly I started off, and how slowly/quickly I learned... what to do?

Poor old birthday socks. They have been left behind because of my affair with the hook. I should finish them soon - look, what's not to like? Nice yarn, nice stripes and already at the heel flap of sock 2. It's all downhill from here...

Playing hooky...

2012-02-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

I've got some big plans in train - not only to knit down my stash, but also make some things that will. be. Useful.

In relation to stash knitting, socks don't really cut it. At only 50g or so a pair (for me at least, ymmv) that's only a teeny dent in my personal yarn mountain.

So, the plan - in short: blankets.

I've got oodles of DK cotton yarn in that stash. Just right to make blankets for small people. We have quite a few baby blankets around the place, which just about cover a little person - but I thought we might usefully graduate to blankets which are about the size of their beds, and which might last for a good long while - and then we can pass the baby blankets onto some babies.

I've been toying with various ideas about what to knit. Cos, well I'm a knitter - and, you know - knitters, um, knit. But then - then there was a ripple blanket and Jane Brocket and more ripple blankets, and I thought about that idea. But I can't crochet.

And then I learned. On Saturday I bought a small book at McAree brothers in Edinburgh, and spent an hour or so mastering the very basics. Then I started my own ripple blanket, and I think that maybe, just maybe, I am completely hooked.

Rhythm

2012-02-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

The rhythm of this new year and a new semester is taking a while to sink in. My teaching days and times have changed, and my inner clock/diary is confused..

It's a new drum. A new tune.

Part of my new weekly rhythm is swimming. My husband is a swimmer - a good swimmer - and before our son was born he helped me to improve my technique. I'm getting back into the groove - and it's noticeable how things improve week by week. Tonight I did 50 lengths.

Crafting and knitting and sewing have little space in my week at the moment. Snatched moments here and there are all I've been able to muster. No evenings of sewing like there were before Christmas - although I'm desperate to get my machine out and try out my new walking foot (thanks, Santa!) I have been knitting some socks for a friend's 40th though. I thought I would nail the pair before the great day, but I didn't. I didnt even manage to finish the first one before the party. Sigh. Last night we watched a film and I cast on sock no. 2. The film was Valkyrie. We enjoyed it and the sock grew nicely. I'll show it to you when it's finished. It's stripey (of course).

Numbers

2012-01-29T13:06:00.000-08:00

This week was all about numbers.

1 boy.

Born 5 years ago.

Happy birthday sunshine.

New Year's Evolution

2012-01-17T02:49:00.000-08:00

Like many people, I can't resist making New Year resolutions. This year, like most years, I am trying to make positive and small changes. My overall goals for the year are two fold: do more exercise, and simplify our lives where possible.

Rather than throw myself into a New Year routine of running, swimming and working out - which is likely to lapse well before Easter, this year I am trying a different route. I am trying to build things up, to evolve our routines and patterns slowly - making more time and space for physical activity. Some of the opportunities will - I hope - be about us as a family, and some will be just about me. If it works, then by the end of the year things should look and feel a bit different. I'd like to be a lot fitter, if nothing else.

So far, we've resurrected our habit of going for a family swim at the weekend. Swim is a loose description of what we do, but that's not really the point when you've got two preschoolers! In addition, I've dropped my pilates class in favour of something a bit more aerobic - my core muscles may be strong, but my fitness level is pretty low - and that's my priority at the moment. So, I'll be swimming instead...

In other news, I have finally abandoned the lovely, but (for me anyway) completely unknittable Betty from Rowan Winter Kids. I love the look of this jumper, which I was trying to make for a friends daughter - but I have failed at every turn. Although this is a lace pattern, there are no charts, only a written description of the 4 or 12 row patterns involved. I can follow those okay - but get into bother when it comes to accommodating either increases or decreases and find myself and the correct pattern parting company making a unholey mess rather than a lovely lace fabric. I have cast on cuffs, sleeves and back in an attempt to get this going. To no avail - I think I have ripped back about 6 times now. Grrr.

2012

2012-01-09T13:51:00.001-08:00

It's going to be quite a year:
there's a fifth birthday;
a 65th birthday;
two 70th birthdays;
a visit from our American cousins;
a trip to London for the Olympics;
a new kitchen and utility area in our house;
and, the bean will be starting school.

No doubt there will be other things as well. Some knitting and sewing and baking and making of all kinds. I'm trying to change a few other things too - but I'll save that for another time.

Happy New Year.

Drama #2

2011-12-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

The drama continues here, although we have now watched all of The Killing (series 1). It's good - and I am looking forward to catching up with series 2 sometime...

Putting that aside, perhaps it is just as well I started my Christmas crafting when I did. There has been little action on that score since the beginning of December. And, the socks I have started for DH have stalled a bit - they are toe-up and just look a bit, well, wrong. I am undecided at the moment, but am waiting for a new moon or something before they go to the frog pond...

The other dramas in our house have been a little less knitterly.

On Saturday the television stopped working - the remote control worked, but the telly did not. Fuse was checked, words were sworn and various things banged, bodged and shaken. To no avail. It was dead. It had departed. It was an ex-TV.

Given that we my husband has been discussing buying a new telly for months now, it didnt take us long to come to the conclusion that we should buy a new one. The old telly (about 10 years old - so box shaped rather than a flat screen) had been on the blink for a while. DH has been researching all the options - wireless, dongles, boxes, recorders, LCD, LED. But it all just made my head hurt, so I told him we should wait until the old one gave up, and that's what we did. On Sunday morning decisions were made, and a new TV was procured (look it up on tinternets, ring up shop, pay and collect later). One thing sorted.

Yesterday, I got into the office and sat quietly at my desk sewing on some buttons while my laptop powered up and my inbox caught up with itself. I was finishing those wee jackets I started a week or so ago, for those little twins I mentioned. As I sat and sewed, I scanned my inbox - and there was a birth announcement! Eek! Born on Friday, a few weeks earlier than expected and hoped, but safely born and good sizes (c. 4lb each). Welcome to the world little ones - Nathaniel and Lilith - we wish you and your clever mama and papa all the very best. There is a parcel of things on its way - including those two hats, and two wee jackets (paxton pattern from stitchymama via ravelry).

Two baby beanies.

Pattern: own recipe/tutorial

yarn: small amounts of 4 ply from the stash

Pattern: Paxton Preemie and Newborn Jacket

Yarn: 100% cotton DK (pink = Sirdar Carousel; blue = Jonelle) from stash

Size: 6-8lb (preemie/small newborn)

Notes: no mods - jacket with long sleeves. buttons from stash. This is the second time I have made these jackets - they knit up quickly and take almost no time to finish because of their top-down seamless construction.

This morning, after counselling both of my small people NOT to sit on window ledge next to Christmas tree, a few moments later the bean arrives in the dining room (where I am waging war on a tsunami of crayons and pens and bits of paper that have suddenly hurled themselves onto the floor) announcing that the wire has got his leg and the christmas tree has fallen down. The jelly bean wets herself at that very moment and my sense of humour disappears very rapidly. No-one was hurt, and the only thing broken (apart from my spirit) were a couple of decorations on the tree. Grrr.

Santa came to the rescue. In times like that emergency chocolate really is the answer, and if that is shaped like santa, then all well and good...

Heads, fingers and toes (FOs)

2011-12-08T01:41:00.000-08:00

A quick post to catch up on some of the little things that have recently made their way into my gift stash.

These are girl socks for the jelly bean, knitted with sparkly Berocco sock yarn. See those sparkles?

Followed by handwarmers for my dad, knitted with some mystery grey 4 ply. I think this yarn came from grandmothers house. There were several partial balls which - as you can see - were clearly from different dye lots. I hope the subtle difference in colour is not too noticeable when being worn! It feels like quite a woolly yarn, and it has bloomed and softened with washing. I improvised the pattern based on the ones I made for myself a few weeks back, but using slightly more stitches to accommodate a manly hand.

Last and not least are two very weeny baby beanies for those twins. Anticipating smallish babies and smallish heads, I adapted my baby beanie pattern, using 80 stitches rather than 100... Oh, and rather than an i-cord stalk with knot, I made wee circles instead. Cute huh?

Drama....

2011-12-06T02:20:00.001-08:00

There has been something of a post illness lull in this house. I have taken up one or two little projects to keep myself occupied - some weeny jackets for those twins I mentioned - but for the last couple of days I have been enjoying myself enormously making endless pompoms and watching the Killing (series 1). [If you dont know it, its a Danish crime thriller/drama series which moves very slowly over 20 episodes and which has the enigmatic Anna Lund as the main character. Anna is of course famous for her knitwear - witness last week's discussion on BBC R4's woman's hour...]

We have been easing ourselves into the Killing over the last few weeks. After episode one, DH said he wasn't too bothered about it, and I watched the next few on my own. Somehow DH managed to be in the room when I watched episodes 5 and 6. Can you see what is coming next? When I got back from pilates last week, there he was watching episode 7 on his own. His face was suitably guilty...

Trouble is, what with the Danish and the subtitles and all, you have to really concentrate on the screen lest you miss a significant comment or detail. It is not the time to be knitting anything with charts, or rows that needs counting. I even found it hard to increase every other row when knitting weeny jacket no 1. It all looked tickety boo until I looked at it carefully in daylight and had to rip back a few rows to fix the increases I had missed.

Last night I managed a double bill of the Killing, and switched to pompoms. They are a lot more forgiving - although I do of course have to put them down now and again to really concentrate on the drama.

Can you tell what it is yet? I've come over all Martha Stewart, and I'm making a christmas wreath with pompoms. It's eating into my stash very nicely, and using up some of the dodgier balls of yarn in an entirely pleasing way, as well as some of the less dodgy things. Dont you just love how pompoms made with mohair turn out? Gorgeous.

I made the base for my wreath out of a coat hanger, bent into a suitable shape and padded with some strips of fabric topped with toy stuffing. This was secured with yarn. Lots of yarn. I used up some peach coloured yarn underneath, and then topped this with white yarn, as the pompoms are mainly white/cream. DH approves of the stashbusting - and it's using up quite a lot of yarn. The bean inspected the half finished wreath this morning, and declared it gorgeous. I promise to show it off when it's finished...

In other news, we have had our first snow of the season. Not enough to make snowmen or throw snowballs, but just enough to dust the grass and verges with white and to freeze the earth to stone (good job I dug most of the spuds up last week).

DH is further north at the moment - near to Loch Fyne - in a lot more snow. He set off very early yesterday and arrived safely - waiting for the road at Rest and Be Thankful to open, rather than taking the long diversion. But the weather meant that they did no work because it took all day to get their equipment up 5 miles of snowy track to their site. So, it looks like he will be there most of the week. Best get cracking on his Christmas socks then....

Milestones

2011-12-01T06:11:00.001-08:00

I am celebrating quietly as the darkness draws in and we look forward to the turning of another year.

We have reached a certain sort of milestone in our house, not just where there is little trace of any baby-ness (moses basket, cot, baby toys, baby clothes all gone), but where the toddler days are almost at an end too. Our little jelly bean has stopped wearing nappies. I won't go so far as to say she is completly potty/toilet-trained, but we are well on our way.

The cloth nappies I made a few months back are all packed up ready to hand on to a new baby. I'm happy, but a bit sad too. It's nice to move on and grow up, but I do love scrunchy little newborns, and a happy baby that coos and rolls and gurgles and only drinks milk! I'll have to see if I can get by just borrowing cuddles from other people's babies from now on....

Making Monday: Christmas is coming...

2011-11-28T12:33:00.001-08:00

Winter vomiting disease has been and - hopefully - gone in our house now, so normal service is resumed. I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say the washing machine got quite a work out....

Despite it all, there has been plenty of Christmas crafting this year. I don't know why I've started so early, or been so organised about it. Who knows? But - without wishing to boast - the christmas basket is starting to brim with handcrafted goodies all made from ~~stuff I was hoarding~~ the stash. So far I have made:

three pairs of socks (one adult; two child);
two men's hankies (upcycled from an old shirt);
three quilts for a dolls bed (also upcycled from various shirts and sheets);
and one pair of handwarmers.

Here are a few shots of these projects...

In the midst of all this I have also made a pair of socks for my brother's birthday (happy birthday boy!), a cowboy/Woody style waistcoat for a 5 yr old's birthday (happy birthday Digby!) and a baby hat for a newly hatched sister belonging to one of the bean's friends.

Here are the birthday socks...

pattern: generic top down

yarn: German sock yarn, bought at Peebles show in 2010.

You'll have to wait for pics of the other things. The baby hat and socks for the jelly bean will be worth waiting for - they are knit in that fab Berocco sock yarn I had for my birthday. It's gorgeous stuff and I'm just hoping there will be enough left to make some socks for me!

But, now all that's finished, I'm not quite sure what to do next. Someone at work is expecting twins in the new year and I was thinking about making some weeny jackets for them; I've got a Clothkits dress for the jelly bean languishing somewhere, and various plans for dressing up clothes to add to our dressing up basket, plus a friend that I owe a hat .... Any suggestions? Perhaps a glass of sloe gin will help? It can't hurt, can it?

Sick...

2011-11-24T04:03:00.001-08:00

No blogging here at the mo because we are struggling with various bugs and illnesses... back soon (I hope), there are lots of FOs and Christmas crafting to report....

Something old, something new (FO)

2011-11-18T02:56:00.000-08:00

Some French friends of ours were married over the summer; announcing the nuptials only after the event. We saw them recently, and thought we should give them a little something to mark their new life together.

We looked in a local craft gallery for a suitable present, but nothing was quite right. So, I set to with my sewing machine instead, and made two placemats, two coasters and two napkins.

I used linen (a charity shop bargain) plus some scraps of vintage fabric from my grandmothers house. Since both bride and groom are tree geneticists, the leafy motifs of the fabric seemed to fit perfectly. In addition, I quilted a leaf motif onto the back of the placemats,which you can just see here ...

You never quite know how such gifts will be received - (I have a relative who never acknowledges the handmade things I send) - but I am pleased to report that the happy couple were happy, and so was I! Another gift gifted, and made entirely from the stash.

Hats off... (FO)

2011-11-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

I like to knit hats. It's one of the things that I have made consistently over the years. Jumpers, cardigans and socks all come and go, but hats just keep on.

A few years ago I devised a hat recipe which I have reknit many times. I've lost count now, but I think there are at least a dozen of these 'scrap' hats as I call them, wandering the hills and streets and places of this fair isle, and beyond (one lives in the US).

Occasionally a friend will place a kindly request for such a hat, and they will lodge in an ethereal queue until the urge to make a hat comes upon me. I was met with such an urge in the summer some time, and I made this lovely thing, with yarns carefully selected to complement the hair and beard of the intended recipient.

Unfortunately, for some unfathomable reason it came out too small for a large manly head.

Fortunately for the bean it was just right for him; so, it's now tucked neatly into one of our cupboards, waiting for the snow and ice to come...

I'll post the recipe some time, and you can make your own.

Quick, quick, sloe

2011-11-15T04:34:00.001-08:00

We went furtling at the week-end. Furtling and rootling and rustling the leaves and hedgerows for sloes. Searching for treasure.

We had seen them last winter, in the depths of the snow and ice - and made a mental note about the location. Sloes are a bit like hen's teeth in Scotland. And, if you know anyone that has a supply, they usually won't tell you where they get them from. Not like my native Herefordshire, where every hedgerow and every lane and every winding path has sloes and rosehips and blackberries/brambles in plentiful supply.

Anyway, we were in luck - the birds and other sloe hunters hadn't yet stripped the bushes bare. So we picked enough for our needs and left the rest for the birds. I'm looking forward to sloshing them around with sugar and gin and waiting for the delicious rosy red colour to emerge. I'm not sure it will be ready in time for Christmas, but perhaps in the new year?

As for this - it's hard to believe this was the scene in our street at the end of November last year. The bean keeps asking when it's going to snow....

Soon I tell him, soon...

At least this year we'll have the sloe gin to keep the grown ups warm!

The Cardigan of Doom (again)

2011-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday evening, I was booked to baby sit for a family we know. They had a dinner of spectacular proportion to go to (17 courses or perhaps 29), and I knew that I would have a long evening to entertain myself. The plan was this: to seam the cardigan of doom and continue with the knitted edging which goes on for several hundred yards seemingly. I got my bag ready in good time, and when the time was right, I set off to supervise someone else's children into bed (with an obligatory story or two) and then settle down on someone else's sofa for the evening. After reading the paper and spending some time trying to work out which combination of FOUR remote controls resulted in a tv with both sound AND picture, I picked up my bag to begin. I hauled the ~~sorry~~ nicely blocked pieces out of my knitting bag and set them aside. Then I reached in for my scissors and needle case. And, it was at this point that my plans for the evening broke down. Neither scissors nor needle case were actually in my bag - and I believe scientists have established beyond doubt that those two things are fundamental for sewing up anything you might care to mention. I was stumped. I was flummoxed. I was completely bojangled.

Fortunately, before leaving my own two chiddlers at home for the evening, I had stuffed the boy socks into my knitting bag, just in case.

Just as well. Sock two progressed from just started to more than half done, just like that. I finished it last night, and tried it on my sleeping son to make sure it wasn't too small. Save for one small detail (some blocks of duplicate stitch on the sole to indicate the approximate size of the sock- I'll show you sometime) - they are all done and in the (very smug) Christmas box. And the cardigan of doom still mocks me from the knitting bag...

Glasgow School of Yarn (and an FO)

2011-10-25T05:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to Glasgow. A family day out and a birthday treat for my mother-in-law. While the boys went to see the new transport museum, we made our way to the Mackintosh Church to the Glasgow School of Yarn 2011. Unfortunately, I booked too late to get into any of the workshops, but we spent a happy hour or two in the market place choosing yarn, drinking tea, eating cake and chatting to knitters.

Natalie from the yarnyard was there with her lovely yarns and magic carpets (which she explained to me) and a lovely warm hug; and the jelly bean helped me choose some yarn to make some boy socks with - and we carried off some lovely BFL yarn in the colourway 'Lochside' from Abstractcat.

Once the second handwarmer was finished, the skein was quickly wound and a pair of boy socks cast on. I'm adopting/creating a new tradition to make my children socks each Christmas. And, while we watched the last episode of Spooks (sniff, sniff) I soon rattled through the leg of the first sock (I don't know why this picture insists on appearing sideways... I've tried to put it right, but it just won't go...)

Everyone else has got much better pictures than me of Glasgow and the CRM church (try here and here for lovely pics), and everyone was super friendly, and I only hope that it happens again next year.

In other news, the handwarmers are finished and rather lovely (even if I say so myself). There will definitely be some more of these in the near future...

Pattern: handwarmers (based loosely on the purlbee's pattern)

yarn: Jenny Cook hand dyed yarn (multi-coloured) with some green 4 ply from the stash (Jaeger?) 40g used

I'm trying to make better use of my time by being a bit more focused and organised about things both at home and at work. To this end, I am tending to having one 'big' project (for the house) and one 'little' knitting project (for out of the house) on the needles at any one time. At the moment, my big focus is on the cardigan of doom which is now blocked and waiting to be seamed and finished. I'm also focussing on my sewing basket/mountain a bit more regularly. Apparently you actually have to get your sewing machine out for things to be made and repaired - just thinking about it is not enough; who knew? Anyway, serious roll of drums and trumpet fanfare, because I have just made my first quilt! Tada!

It may be an itty bitty doll sized quilt for the jelly bean, but it's a quilt and I pieced the top and bagged it and stitched in the ditch and everything. And, it's all recycled/repurpose from old shirts and some old flannel sheets...

Announcement (and FO)

2011-10-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this blog to announce that forthwith the drinking of tea in the vicinity of laptops is strictly forbidden. At. All. Times. (Without. Exception).

I should explain. There was a small incident last week. One involving an almostly completely drunk cup of tea and a laptop. Despite my best efforts (tip laptop upside down, shake vigorously, blot any remaining moisture with hanky, swear even more vigorously, keep fingers crossed and leave laptop in warm place for a day or two) said laptop has taken ill and is with matron in sick bay. Not sure when she'll be back - and of course, until she is ~~I can't do any work~~ it's a bit tricky accessing photos and files.

No matter. I might have missed this week's making monday, but there is a wee something - or even fourteen wee somethings to show instead.

A small bevvy of hats for this year's Big Knit, which I parcelled up for Age Scotland. These hats will shortly grace the tops of Innocent smoothie bottles and each hat sold generates a donation for Age UK. The target was 650,000 hats!

In other news: I have been WIP wrestling, and got Deli (aka the cardigan of doom) out of hibernation. Since I had 4 of the 5 pieces already knitted, I thought I would block what I had and go from there. So, two sleeves, one back and one front were all washed and ready for blocking. As I got to work with the pins I noticed a hole, and then another and another. I'm not sure I can even say the word: m o t h. Apparently one has been nibbling at my knitting. So, there has been ripping and grafting and gnashing of teeth as I repaired and reknitted the three of the four pieces which had holes (and installed anti-moth measures in all my stash boxes). At the weekend I started knitting the second front (the last piece) and was gaily decreasing for the armhole when I thought I had better check that it matched the first side. It didn't. It wasn't quite as far out as the yarn harlot was, but it was still out, so there'll be more ripping and reknitting, and I daresay some gnashing of teeth too. Still, I did manage to finish my first handwarmer last night (after abandoning the cardigan of doom in disgust). I'm wearing it now. You know. As you do. Just to see.

Making Monday: Simply stripey sock recipe

2011-10-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

For this Making Monday, I have been writing a recipe to share. Let me know what you think!

I like to make the most of my sock yarn, even when there are only a few grammes left, and after seeing the grumperina knit stripey socks a while ago, I have developed her technique for my own ends to make simply stripey socks. This is how I do it:

1. Have a good rummage in the stash, and choose some sock yarns in complementary colours/shades.

2. Weigh the yarn and make sure there is enough to make a pair of socks. (I know that I need at least 50g to make a pair of plain vanilla socks in my size). If there isn't, then go back to step one and rummage some more.

2. Divide any small balls into two roughly equal portions.

3. Cast on in the usual way and knit the sock cuff using one of the yarns. In this instance, because there is a lot of green and not much of the others, then I am using the green as the 'main' colour.

4. When the cuff is the required length, start on the leg of the sock. Introduce your additional yarns/colours at this point.

A. If there are only two colours/yarns, then work the first round in the new colour and then go back to the main colour for the second round, then revert to the new colour for round three. Continue knitting in this way, alternating colours/yarns until the leg of your sock is the required length.

Joining the second yarn after the cuff

B. If you have three colours/yarns to work with (as I have here), then join the first colour at the beginning of the round, AND then join the second colour the next time you change needles. Continue knitting in that colour until you encounter the main colour again (at the end of the round). Pick this up and knit until you meet the tail of the first colour and then knit with that one.

If you find yourself with all of your yarn tails at the same point, all you need to remember is to ALWAYS knit with the LOWEST yarn available. In the picture below, this means taking the paler green yarn (on the left).

I find knitting these stripes really addictive, and once I've started it's hard to stop - although I do break from time to time to admire the effect. One of the yarns I'm using here is a self-striping one, changing from cream to green and back again.

Keep knitting until the leg is the desired length and prepare for the heel flap. I knit this in one colour - in this case, the same colour as the cuff, so I make sure that the yarns are in the right place. The spare yarns should be 'parked' just before the heel flap, as shown below.

Heel flap and yarn on left (front) needle; spare yarns parked on right (back)needle.

Continue knitting the heel flap in the normal way until you start to pick up the stitches along the side of the flap. You should find that as you come to pick up stitches on the second side of the heel flap that you encounter your spare yarns again. As always, work with the lowest yarn available and use this to pick up the stitches on the second side of the heel flap.

Work the foot and toe of the sock in your usual way, alternating yarns as you did before for as long as you want or are able. I often use quite small quantities of yarn for my stripes, so sometimes only the leg of the sock is striped, while the rest is plain. The possibilities are endless! Here are few examples...

Big Lace Scarf (FO)

2011-10-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not a lace knitter - not yet anyway(!) - I've knit some lace in the past, but haven't yet cast on any glorious shawls in gossamer fine yarn. But something lacey caught my eye in the More Last-minute knitted gifts book, and I just had to do it.

Pattern: big lace scarf from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts (Joelle Hoverson)

Yarn: chunky, unravelled from charity shop jumper

time taken: a day or two last week

mods: I subbed the yarn and knit with 15mm needles

The photos haven't come out terribly well, but you get the idea. It's big and chunky and involves a simple 4 row pattern, which I managed to screw up several times. Who knew that counting to 4 could be so tricky? After dithering a little, I decided to keep this as a scarf and not transform into a cowl, and this is also stashed in my box of things (along with its sister), waiting for the right person or right occasion to come along.

In other news, I am now without a sock project. But, as I can't seem to manage without a small project I can take with me to meetings, work, conferences etc, I have cast on something else small and portable worked in the round using sock yarn: some wrist warmers. I'm using the purl bee's long striped handwarmer pattern for my first pair. Watch this space...

Making Monday (on Tuesday): dribble bibs

2011-10-04T02:33:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late with this week's making monday (oooops!), but if a things worth doing....

The last couple of weeks have been studded with birthdays - first dear wee Elias, then my dad, then my cousin's twins and yesterday, a little friend of ours who has got to the very grand age of three! Happy birthday to you all.

Wherever possible, I prefer to give home made gifts, so my dad got socks, and the twins - who were 1 at the weekend - got a variety of things, including a few cute dribble bibs (tutorial here).

These were upcycled from some old terry squares and some of the jelly beans old clothes. She really wears her clothes, and not all of them are in a fit state to pass on when she has grown out of them! Some days it is hard to keep track of the clothes she gets through - such is her capacity for attracting dirt and soaking herself with any/all available liquids. Not that we'd have her any other way...

Troosers...

2011-10-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago, I made use of a child-free day at home to sort out my stash of fabric. It was a rather sobering experience - I hadn't really realised just how much I had accumulated over the years, nor how many half-finished projects and things for mending there were languishing in various trunks and baskets and drawers.

First on my hit list were some old trousers of mine, set aside to make new trousers for the bean - and a pair of trousers of his that needed mending.

Then, I got to work on some trousers for the jelly bean. When you are in the throes of potty training, dungarees are a bit of an impediment, so I turned this cute pair into some trousers. Trouble is, the jelly bean herself has a different view point - in the way that two year olds do - and won't actually put them on... humph. But I live in hope...

October Fest

2011-10-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

I am officially designating October as a FO Fest. While September has been quiet in terms of blogging, it has been anything but in terms of crafting, and there is a lot of catching up to do.

First up, socks. I've been a bit of a sock addict lately, and two more pairs have sprung off the needles.

Pattern: Java (from Knitty)

Yarn: twinkle toes, by Jenny Cook

time taken: 28 August - 19 September 2011

I also finished a pair of brown stripey socks for my dad's birthday (happy birthday dad!). I used my favourite striping technique to make best use of some sock yarn odds and ends.

Pattern: generic top-down with grumperina stripe

yarn: Plymouth Yarn co. sock yarn plus some unknown sock yarn (charity shop)

Making Monday: making, baking and being at home

2011-09-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

As is always the case, a week was simply not long enough to accomplish everything on my list, but it was good to get some things finished, and some things started, and to have a few days where work interruptions were minimal and the priorities were unashamedly domestic.There was...

: : knitting - two socks finished (but not a pair)

: : sewing - one small t-shirt refashioned and two pairs of trousers cut out ready for stitching (both repurposed from my old trousers)

: : baking - a lemon drizzle cake (from Nigella's domestic goddess book) and a delicious quiche (mushroom and leek) and home-made pizzas and a jumble fruit crumble

and playing, and meeting friends, and some trips out, including one to see this: the Tour of Britain, which started yesterday in Peebles.

And there was a wee bit of gardening (in between the showers) and paperwork and sorting and decluttering (three big bags for the charity shop), but a bit less sleep than we hoped for on account of a small person with a tickly cough but, all in all, it was a good week.

Don't forget to check out other making mondays to see what everyone else has been doing...

Making Lists

2011-09-05T04:41:00.000-07:00

No work for me this week, so my making monday is all about lists: planning the week ahead to make the most of my time at home, some of it without children(!)

: : read/finish reading the lovely books that are cluttering up my side of the bed
: : convert as many WIPs as possible to FOs
: : sort and rationalise the fabric stash (see item above)
: : bake and cook good things
: : weed, deadhead and tidy up the garden
: : attend to personal grooming (pedicure and haircut both booked)
: : catch up on paperwork/tax affairs
: : sleep
: : eat
: : play
: : blog

I hope there'll some more of these:

And plenty more of this:

Powerless

2011-09-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

I have been taken over by an inner sock knitting demon. I am powerless to resist. My husband thinks I am addicted.

So, with Java on the needles and coming on nicely (now at the heel of sock one), a pair of stripey scrappy socks cast themselves on early on Tuesday so that I could knit them while I read and marked 4 student dissertations (cables and charts are not conducive to knitting while reading, so it was imperative to have something plain to knit). It was a day well spent - and by bedtime I had done my marking and kitchenered the toe of sock 1 (here's the yarn I chose).

The second sock has taken two days (rather than one) to knit, and I will shortly kitchener the toe. With this in mind, I found myself rummaging in the stash this morning for some more sock yarn, as you do: get up, have breakfast, wake and feed children, get work and nursery bags ready, get everyone dressed, select and weigh sock yarn.

As my sock drawer is quite full these days, I'm trying to get ahead with gift/birthday/christmas knitting. The almost finished green/grey socks knit this week are for my mum (christmas) and as my dad's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, the next ones will be for him.

Making Monday: Socks (FO)

2011-08-29T01:05:00.000-07:00

Never mind the bed bug, I've been bitten by the sock bug, and this week has mostly been about finishing these stripey foot warmers.

Now and again, I join with a small group of knitting women/mums for an evening of chatting, knitting and eating cake. After a short break for the Scottish summer holidays, we reconvened this week (thanks Beth! *wave*), and I managed to finish these off, as well as catch up on the latest news from the group, which included: 3 chickens and some bees; several children back at school; a dog bite on a tummy (ouch); camping in Scotland; circuses and pigs. Make of that what you will...

Pattern: generic top down

Yarn: unknown self-striping yarn (from Oxfam) plus pale brown yarn from stash

Time taken: 19 July -25 August 2011

As it turns out, we were all knitting socks this week. Except one, who is knitting a hat (or a sock for a head). Anyway, to get back to the FO, as usual I employed my favourite striping trick to make the yarn stre-e-tch to a make a pair of socks. I began with roughly equal amounts of yarn, together weighing 66 g (which I know is enough to knit a pair of socks in my size). I normally try and work things so that the cuffs and heels are the same colour on each sock, but there wasn't enough yarn to do that this time, so one sock has a plain cuff and heel flap and the other has a self-striping cuff and heel-flap - which you can just about see in the photos above.

Try as I might, once I'd finished this pair, I couldn't stop, and another pair of socks cast themselves on. Java from knitty again, but this time with the twinkle toes sparkly blue yarn I had for my birthday. There's 100g in the ball, so I know I won't run out this time....

Two

2011-08-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

This little pumpkin was two this week. How the time has flown!

Happy birthday, little one.

Making Monday: Husband socks

2011-08-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in with Natalie's making monday for the first time. Despite lots of work, wrangling children and cleaning the kitchen yesterday, I managed to finish the husband socks (only 4 months after the actual birthday), and DH seems to be quite pleased! As I often do, I combined two yarns to make the socks stripe and to make the best of the yarn in my stash. It's one of my favourite sock knitting techniques...

Pattern: generic top down socks

yarn: Regia solid (charcoal); unknown sock yarn from a charity shop (paler grey with blue)

DH doesnt go in for very colourful socks (his entire sock wardrobe is grey or black!), so I like the subtle blue flecks here...

As you can see from the picture below, I use this striping technique a lot. Four of the nine pairs here (all below the purple ones) are striped like this, and I've got another pair on the needles at the moment...! If you are interested in these things: the green pairs of socks are made with Yarn Yard yarn as is the rainbow pair (second from top). The blue/green pairs above and below the purple socks are made with Crazy zauberball yarn. The purple socks are Jenny Cook yarn which I had for Christmas. The other pairs are scrappy pairs I made using various combinations of leftovers. I blogged about the grey/green/white ones earlier in the summer. I love seeing my socks together like this (there are a few other pairs too), washed and dried and ready to go back into the drawer...

FO: Purl Scarf

2011-08-02T04:06:00.000-07:00

We've been tidying up and rationalising and getting rid of a few things here and there. A parcel of baby/toddler clothes for a friend, a bag of old work shirts for the charity shop (I had first dibs and have kept two for repurposing), a few toys which are a bit young for our two beans now. Perhaps because of this, and perhaps because a work colleague is knitting her first scarf, I had an itch to scratch. Some immediate knitting and stash busting gratification was called for. I knew exactly what I wanted to do - another of the purl scarves from last-minute knitted gifts. So, I reached into the stash and pulled out a super chunky jumper (another charity shop find) that I had partly deconstructed a while back.

I snipped and ripped and frogged and wound myself a big ball of the creamy yarn. Then reached into the stash for something hairy - a mohair yarn (bought in a charity shop years and years ago), and something smooth - a ball of unnamed DK (?Sirdar). I set to and knit and knit and knit - all through Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 1 (twice). And then I finished, and I put it in my box of gifts, ready for a birthday or other deserving event/recipient to come along and claim it.

Pattern: Purl scarf, from last-minute knitted gifts

yarn: various from stash

Mods: omitted fringe

time taken: Friday 28 July - Sunday 30 July 2011

And, I made a dent in the stash to boot (half a jumper, plus three balls of mohair and one of DK yarn). There wasn't much left.

Other projects are coming along here and there. Drew is almost up to the armholes (again), and there has been quite a lot of sock action too. Husband sock no. 1 is finished, but no. 2 not quite cast on. The seriously stripey sock experiment was ripped (but I learnt what I need to learn) and is being reknit. And, then there are the innocent hats. I saw this the other day and realising that I live nobbut a stone's throw from Age UK's Scotland office, I thought I would join in. I've knit 4 so far, and as they take hardly any time I think there might be a reasonably large pile before too long...

Last night I got my sewing machine out to tackle the pile of mending/sewing bits and bobs which is threatening to take over the dresser. I finished another nappy (no. 6), repaired one pair of shorts and one pair of trousers (both belonging to the bean) and redecorated one of the jelly beans t-shirts to cover up the mysterious spots/stains which appeared recently. DH was pleased by the reduction in stuff/clutter, and I was just pleased to get a few more things done. Tick. It's satsifying, isn't it?

Super Sunday

2011-07-25T01:47:00.000-07:00

The sky was blue, the sun was glorious and we packed lots into the day. My idea of a super Sunday...

walking up Blackford Hill with the children
stopping to watch the ducks and geese at the pond
making chocolatey, beetroot brownies
loads of washing washed and dried
the windows all open, bringing sunshine and warm air into our home
a family bike ride through the cool shade of the Hermitage of Braid
a well-earned ice cream eaten in the sun
home made pizzas, eaten in the garden
water play
bare legged children running and running in circles on the lawn
another nappy sewn and washed, ready to wear
my first home made yoghurt
listening to the cricket as we pottered in and out of the house
a knitting experiment concluded and frogged

FO: Grace

2011-07-19T04:07:00.000-07:00

At last, Grace is finished and ready to parcel up and send on to the small girl I've been thinking of as I made this. It's not perfect, but it's not bad either, and as usual for Rowan patterns, has turned out to be rather a generous size (I made the 3-4 size). The bean tried it on for me the other day, and it was plenty big enough for him (aged 4 1/2), so it will do for Bella (3 and a bit) for next year and beyond.

Pattern: Grace (Rowan Winter Kids)

Yarn: unravelled and reknitted from a charity shop jumper (commercially made garment)

Mods: None

Time taken: CO in February 2011. Finished July 2011.

It has taken me ages to finish. There was all the shenanigans with the yarn and then getting the button bands all wrong, and reknitting the collar several times over. In the end I did it as written, but stitched it down in order to cure the curling once and for all. While I like the pattern, I am not wild about the pleat detail, and found the collar rather badly behaved. I should also report here that after all that angst about running out of yarn, I had barely a yard or two of yarn left once I had done all the seaming and finishing. The good thing about that is the total obliteration of that particular yarn from the stash!

As if this wasn't exciting enough, I've been having fun with the latest husband socks (sock 1 now at the toe). However, because husband socks are not the best thing to experiment with, I accidentally cast on another pair of socks (how did that happen?). Watch this space - tutorial/recipe for seriously stripey socks coming soon.

The trouble with socks (FO and WIP)

2011-07-14T04:20:00.000-07:00

A while ago (early April) I cast on some husband socks for my dear husband's birthday. I cracked on with the Java pattern from Knitty, which I've been itching to knit for a while. Apart from messing up the rib, and having to redo that a couple of times, it was all going swimmingly until i got down the first foot towards the toe (although by then the birthday deadline had been and gone). At that point it started to look like there was a problem with the yarn. By which I mean, there wasn't going to be enough of it. When we went on holiday at the end of June, I packed a bag of projects and my digital scales. I weighed the sock (making allowance for the needles) and I weighed the remaining yarn. They were about the same. No chance then of making a pair of socks. A slight drawback in a sock project. So, I started again.

I pulled some interesting leftovers out of my sock yarn stash, including a small ball of sock yarn I bought in a charity shop and I cast on for a pair of stripey scrap socks. The trouble was that these would never do for my husband, so they had to be for me. I polished them off in about a week (there is something very, very more-ish about those stripes).

(This is a WIP shot. Haven't yet had chance to take a FO picture)

Pattern: generic top-down, using a grumperina stripe

Yarn: Regia semi solid (dark grey); unknown self-striping sock yarn (paler green/cream); unknown (?Rowan) 4-ply (darker green).

Once those were off the needles (and on my feet) I got round to the subject of socks with my other half. Yes, he would like some (rather belated birthday socks) but they would have to be different to the Christmas pair. No problem. I wanted to do more stripes, but to make something a bit more subtle, so I cast on with two grey yarns this time, one ball of trekking in charcoal grey and another charity shop yarn which is a bit paler and has a strand of blue to give it a bit of extra something. These aren't quite floating my boat in the same way as the green ones, but I'm hoping they won't take too long. I'm a bit behind with a few. other. things.

While we were on holiday, celebrating my birthday, I managed another FO - the scarf I had been knitting from last-minute knitted gifts (chevron scarf). Here it is enjoying the morning sun in the blue bedroom and waiting to be packed in the knitting bag to go home. There it was washed and blocked and wrapped and sent. A belated birthday gift for my cousin, Emma. Happy Birthday Em!

Pattern: Chevron Scarf (Last-minute knitted gifts)

Yarn: 50g Rowan Cashsoft and 50g or so of hand-dyed yarn by Jenny Cook

Birthday Bling

2011-07-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

After 40 years on this earth, I seem (finally) to have got my dearest and nearest into the groove in terms of gifts. My husband gave me some splendid jewellery - pearls (my birthstone) and diamonds - from the rather nice Lime Blue in Edinburgh.

My mother and mother-in-law both gave me sock yarn. Mum gave me some more of Jenny Cook's yarn from Hay-on-Wye - this time a blue yarn with a silver sparkle; my mother-in-law gave me two differnet yarns - a hank of purpley blue Malabrigo, and a ball of pinky Berocco, also with a sparkle. My mother-in-law also gave me Jane Brocket's latest book - the Gentle Art of Knitting. I foresee several tea cosies in the near future.

There were other gifts too, notably, a copy of Ysolda Teague's 'little red in the city' (which hasn't quite arrived yet) and several bottles of wine... It's nice to be of an age where people give you lovely wine and good books.

Forty Love

2011-07-05T07:12:00.001-07:00

Last week I was forty. It is quite something to be inhabiting a new decade on this earth. I remember my mother being very grumpy about the big 4-0, but I am not - I am happy. My thirties were all about forging my life, establishing my career, finding the right man, getting married and starting a family. My forties will be different - the baby days are behind us, and we are settled in this city (if not this house). There is much to do - much to knit, to sew, to craft, to bake, to write, to garden, to love, to live, to see, touch and taste - and I am looking forward to it all. To living for another 40 splendid years.

The midsummer is such a special time - with the long days (sometimes sunny) and the fat, lushness of the garden - and of course strawberries and Pimms and cream and ice-cream and Wimbledon and tennis and dashed hopes (c'mon Andy!) It's also our wedding anniversary. 6 happy years. Thank you my love. Happy anniversary.

Smitten Shmitten

2011-06-10T03:21:00.000-07:00

Well now. The sun may be shining, but there are clouds overhead, and poor old Drew has gone back to the drawing (drew-ing?) board.

So, having knit furiously up to the armholes and completed the back and started on one of the fronts, I took stock. Hmmm. Less than three balls of yarn used for a project that is supposed to take 9 balls. Hmm. And, only 21cm below the armhole for something meant to fit a 4-5 yr old, even before washing/shrinking. Hmmmmm.

It wasn't stacking up. I checked on Ravelry, and I think there's only one completed Drew (perhaps that says something), which had the comment that it came up small. A forum post about the pattern and yarn requirement mismatch generated various comments mostly saying 'dont forget the hood' - which is a bit bamboozling as this pattern doesn't have a hood, but anyway. I usually find Rowan patterns/sizing to be generous, so thought age 4-5 would be fine for my average/slim 4 1/2 year old son. Then I got the tape measure - you know like proper knitters do - and actually measured my son and a couple of his jackets, and have decided to start all over again. This time I am going to use the age 6-7 size in terms of chest size/width, but aim for something which is about the same length as the age 10-11 size. I hope I'll end up with a jacket which he can wear for a little while at least, and not something which is so short he'll grow out of it before I have had chance to sew the zipper in.

I spend an unhappy half an hour or so on Wednesday morning frogging all the lovely stripes, and then I took a deep breath and started again. I went to an interesting lecture later on that day, and got on with the reknitting while Carolyn Steel talked about cities and food and her book 'Hungry City'. Food for thought. If you are interested at all in issues around food shopping and supermarkets and growing your own (which of course most people are) then it's worth having a look and/or listening to Carolyn speak. She is very passionate about her subject, and there is lots of interesting info on her website and blog.

Smitten

2011-05-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

The boys went out on Saturday to watch the rugby sevens at Murrayfield. While they were out I grabbed a little pile of Rowan Denim which has been marinading in the stash for a while. I swatched for Drew - something new to knit for the bean. I got gauge and cast on, and I'm smitten. I can't put it down, even though there are a million other things to do like finish Grace, plant out the runner beans, hoover up the dust bunnies, make the supper, write a presentation for Wednesday. You know how it is. I can't stop. It's only been on the needles since Saturday afternoon and I'm almost at the armholes. It's yummy. I love the feel of the fabric in my hands.

My stash of Rowan Denim doesnt quite run to the required 9 balls of one colour/dye lot, so I'm going all stripey instead. The bean declared yesterday that he "...doesnt like stripes..." but he added that when it's finished, then he might like them then. I'm smitten, even if he isnt (yet). And, as he is only 4, I like to think I'll be able to make him wear it anyway.

Betty is looking pretty good too, but she's one for a quiet corner when there is space and time and light to concentrate on the pattern and the increases (that's a lower cuff in case you're wondering).

The wild weather has kept us mostly inside this weekend. The wind has been incredible and both children have been blown over by it, making outside walks/adventures rather difficult. The sun has been glorious, but the showers frequent and heavy and the wind very, very strong. I managed a few minutes of gardening between the showers, earthing up the spuds and weeding the denuded rows of salad and beetroot. Pesky slugs.

Sew...

2011-05-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

A few FOs to record and celebrate (it's been a long, long time coming). I foresee more in the next days...

upcycled baby wipes and an upcycled dribble bib (tutorial here)

my first home sewn nappy

oh, and this one isnt finished, but she's perfect in every way...

WIPs

2011-05-17T04:25:00.000-07:00

The WIPs are getting a bit out of hand.

1. Grace is still OTN, but progress has been made. I've redone the button bands - with the correct number of buttonholes this time - and I've knitted the collar again but have a little modification in mind to make it look even better. Then there's the small matter of sewing it up...

2. The Java socks are not done. I'm just about ready to do the toe decreases on the first sock - but I need to check the length with DH's foot, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I dont have enough yarn to make two - which is a major drawback in a sock project.

3. My fingers were itching the other evening, so I cast on for a Betty (Rowan Winter Kids)in a lovely raspberry pink colour very similar to this (although it a substitute yarn) ...

4. The scarf is bimbling along. I am not expecting to finish this soon - it's my fall back project, something to grab when there's a chance of knitting a few rows here or there. The colours are gorgeous...

5. And then there's the sewing. We've been having a few nappy issues lately, and it's getting harder to wrangle the jelly bean (now almost 21 months) into her nappies because she's getting bigger, and they aren't, and there's been a lot of leaking and changing of clothes going on (particularly at nursery). For the most part we use Totsbot bamboozles - a shaped nappy made from bamboo terry, and we also have a couple of the Ella's house hemp nappy. The hemp nappies have a longer rise and fit better than the bamboozles now that the jelly bean is bigger. We love our cloth nappies, and have used them very happily for both of our babies. Given that we are hoping not to need them for too much longer, I have been experimenting. I have made a nappy!!

It makes me very happy. I'm not an accomplished seamstress (I find using a sewing machine awkward, no doubt because it is not designed for a left-hander) so I feel very pleased to have done this. Of course, things may yet unravel when we try it out for real, but so far so good. I used the hemp nappy as a template and constructed the new nappy from a single bamboo terry square and two layers of cotton flannel cut from a crib sheet/head cloth. I elasticated the waist/leg openings with regular elastic from my sewing box, and I'm now waiting for some aplix to arrive so that I can finish it off and try it out! While I had the machine out the other evening, I also got started on the pile of wipes and dribble bibs that I cut out a few weeks ago, and I ironed some patchwork pieces ready for stitching. It's satisfying to get things done...

happiness is...

2011-04-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

... clean washing on the washing line, blowing in the spring sunshine

... making easter decorations with my children

... collecting the mugs we painted for daddy's birthday surprise

... getting into a pilates class with my favourite teacher

... working at home on a sunny day, reading and marking dissertations in the garden

... a quiet house, waiting for the small ones to return from their adventures

... the last day of work before a week of holiday

... hearing of a new baby, gently and safely born. Welcome to the world little Dylan, and many congratulations to your mama and papa. We wish you all much joy, sleep and love as you grow together in your new family.

third time lucky?

2011-04-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

With only a few days to go until DH's birthday, the end of the purple socks (currently on my feet) gave me chance to cast on for some quick and secret birthday socks. Since Grace is having a short break in the not-quite-finished basket, I thought that 10 days or so would be plenty of time for some secret sock knitting.

Well, I might have been right, except I made a rather basic error. It's not even a beginner's error, because beginners tend to not to be quite so stupid. So, time to 'fess up: I didn't read the pattern and knitted the cuff in the wrong rib pattern, so I had to rip it and start again. And I didnt just do that once, I did it twice.

So, now I'm casting on for a third time and reading the pattern (Java) just one more time, in the hope that this time I've got it right and third time does prove to be lucky.

This week I have...

2011-04-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

... finally managed a FO! The purple socks are done, and very fine they are too. They took 56g of Jenny Cook's lovely yarn (leaving another 50g for another pair), and they took an absolute age (I cast on at Christmas!) because I have been doing. Other. Things.

... still not finished poor old Grace. I ripped the collar and button bands, and will have to do them again - perhaps things will work out better if I do it in the light. It was kind of okay before, but not good enough really (given that i've spent sooo much time knitting the d*rned thing, I might as well make a good job of finishing it).

... been trying - but failing - to finish my marking (grrr).

... enjoyed the spring sunshine and being outside without coat, hat or scarf! It was so glorious at the weekend, that I had to take refuge in the shade from the fierce sun and heat [Note: fierce is a relative term, but given that we are in Scotland, and still in early April, temperatures of more than 20 odd degrees is really a shock to the system. Today it was equally sunny, but very windy and about 10 degrees cooler!]

... cast on for some new socks - Java from knitty. I'm hoping to dash them off in the next couple of weeks so I can give them to my husband for his Easter birthday.

... got some sewing lined up; dribble bibs and wipes have been cut and stacked ready for stitching. It felt good because I cut them from a bundle of old/stained baby clothes which were not good enough to give away. There are some new babies in the offing, and I want to plenish my stash of gifts for new parents. I also cut a few fleece nappy liners too in the same vein.

... listened to Lord Layard's lecture on happiness, given as the fourth Joseph Rowntree Lecture at York University a few weeks ago.

... finally realised that it is best to make bread in the morning. On Sunday morning I started a couple of loaves at breakfast time, while the little ones were playing and DH was having a snooze. It felt really good to have dough made and proving all before 9am! By late morning they were all done, and perfectly crusty and warm and delicious for lunch.

A pip and a squeak

2011-04-05T02:19:00.000-07:00

Grace is almost there. And I still have yarn. Hallelujah. There was 44g left when I had cast off the back, and now I'm on the collar, so I'm (almost) confident that I'll be able to finish it now without having to buy or find a suitable substitute. The button bands and collar aren't quite working out as written - I had less than the suggested no. of stitches for the button bands, and way more for the collar. Not sure how or why that should be - the button bands look okay, although I did manage to miscount and only made 6 buttonholes instead of 7 (doh). Not sure about the collar yet - I started with the wrong side facing so that the slightly raggedy neck edge will be hidden beneath the collar. We'll just have to see how it works out.

While I was waiting for Grace to block, I cast on for another chevron scarf from last-minute knitted gifts. I'm using some rowan cashsoft from the stash and some of Jenny Cook's delicious handpainted yarn, this time in soft greens and blues. I made one of these scarves last year for a friends' 40th birthday, also using some Jenny Cook yarn, but never blogged it because, as usual, I was knitting up to the deadline and didn't manage to photograph it before it was wrapped and gifted!

The second purple sock (also Jenny Cook yarn) has been picked up again, and in a rare slot of child-free time at the weekend, I managed a leisurely coffee and got past the heel flap, so it's all down hill from here. But as if that wasnt enough I'm itching to cast on for a couple of other projects too. I've promised the Bean a new jacket knitted with Rowan denim, and there are some balls of deep raspberry yarn waiting to be cast on for a Betty (Rowan Winter Kids). Perhaps it's the spring that is doing it? Anything seems possible now that the evenings are lighter and the washing can go outside on the line for a good blow again.

Baby Lost

2011-03-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Just heard that a new mama I know, has lost her baby son after only 15 days. Rest in peace little one.

Slooooow progress

2011-03-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

Grace is still on the needles. The back is almost done, but so is the yarn and my optimism about having enough to fnish it now seems misplaced. Heaven only know what I'll do to complete the collar and button bands... oh well. On the plus side, it seems pretty big as age 3-4, so it should fit the intended recipient for a while yet!

In other news, we helped a young friend of ours celebrate her 4th birthday last weekend. The bean and I made her this lovely card. We also gave her a copy of one of our favourite books: 'Iggy Peck, architect' which the bean received for his 4th birthday. It has some fabulous rhymes, and great illustrations - and is perfectly suited to the daughter of a trained (if not practising) architect. Happy birthday Ruby.

In the spirit of ongoing discussions about going off-grid and supporting the local economy, we bought the book in a real bookshop. You know one that you actually physically go to, and where you can touch and read the books before you buy them! It was lovely, and as an added bonus DH found a lovely book for his dad's birthday - something always to give thanks for, so we heartily recommend the Edinburgh bookshop if you are ever in Bruntsfield/Morningside or Edinburgh for that matter... [As I was holding a sleeping toddler, I was unable to rifle very effectively through the craft books, of which there is a nice selection. looks like I need a return trip...]

Finally, in terms of the lenten aspirations: I have made 3 loaves of bread; been out on my bike twice; been to Pilates classes once a week and generally managed to keep myself off the biscuits, cakes and chocolate (except on Sundays of course). No sewing to report (except sewing on a button and reattaching some elastic in my pyjama trousers), and a bit more knitting. Things should get a bit easier from now on because teaching (but not marking) for this semester is now over, and some other project deadlines have also passed, so the mountain of work is no longer so mountainous. Phew. And, summer time is here to boot, so a chance perhaps to get out in the garden in the evening and continue the work sowing and growing.

Oh frabjous day....

2011-03-09T12:37:00.000-08:00

Today I finally managed to finish Grace's two fronts. I weighed them. They weigh 167grammes. I weighed the yarn that remains: 208 grammes. Phew. Looks like I should be able to make it after all. I am pleased. I wouldn't have minded some yarn shopping you understand, but it's just so satisfying to use things up. I like finishing things: bottles of bubble bath, bars of soap, the last few scraps of pastry, the last jelly baby in the packet.... It's a different to finishing a project. It's something to do with replacing a thing with a space - particularly when our lives are so full of stuff and so lacking in space.

The other thing I did today was make a mental list of the things I will be avoiding during Lent (chocolate, sweets, cakes, biscuits) and some of the things I'd like to do more (exercise, sit-ups, Pilates, making bread, knitting, sewing). Today I knitted. Yesterday I did Pilates - which counts as exercise and sit-ups. So far, so good.

Home Alone...

2011-03-05T05:55:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday and the sun is shining weakly outside. My husband and children are elsewhere and I am all alone. I should be in the garden, trying to unwreak the havoc therein, and getting ready to plant seeds and bulbs and things to eat in the coming months. But inside, looking at a computer screen, trying to catch up with work or get ahead or somehow effect some change in my never-ending list of things to do and the blizzard of emails that fall thickly into my mailbox each day. So am trapped and free all at the same time.

I might, just might, have spent a few minutes searching in my stash for some more yarn for Grace. I found little bit more, but as I still haven't finished the fronts and the yoke seems to be eating yarn, I am more and more sure that the yarn will run out. I may even have to unravel my tension square, except that it's not very big and wouldn't help very much... The trouble is there is nothing else in my stash that I can use to make up for the missing yardage. Rats. Looks like I might have to go shopping....

Birthday Parties # 2

2011-02-22T02:24:00.000-08:00

We were at another children's party this weekend (they always seem to come along in pairs dont they?) to celebrate the birthday of one of the bean's nursery friends, Macey. There were balloons and dancing and face painting, and we came home with one of these boy tigers.

While we were there I met Kerry Kimber, who runs Kids Knit. She was telling us about the tights (yes, tights!) she'd been knitting for Di Gilpin and a catwalk show happening today in London. Di has designed a collection of knitted pieces including socks, stockings, tights and a skirt with 4m of knitted fabric - all of which have been hand knitted. Kerry made one pair of tights, which took around 70 hours to complete. It sounds interesting and fun as a one-off, but not a way to make any money - although DH was quite keen on the idea of me knitting for money...

Examples like this demonstrate the great difficulty that UK hand-knitters have in making a sensible living from knitting pieces for sale, and the very great price that such items would need to retail at to provide such knitters with the minimum wage. Maybe if we shifted our taxation and economic system to favour labour-intensive processes and products over carbon-intensive processes and products then this might change a bit. But £700 (or more) for a pair of tights is still a hell of a lot...

Children's parties

2011-02-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

Although his birthday was at the end of January, last weekend we celebrated the bean's 4th birthday with a proper birthday party. There were grandparents, there were friends, there were balloons, there were candles and cake and presents. And, we all had a lovely time (phew).

Much as I aspire to lead the sort of crafterly life that leads to serene parties in which calm children play party games, participate in well chosen craft activities, and take home a hand-stitched party bag packed full of homespun craft and baking goodness, my life just isnt like that (sigh).

So, this is what we did. We opted for a bouncy castle party at a local leisure centre. The room hire/charges were modest, and gave us 2 hours of fun - an hour or so bouncing/playing in the sports hall and an hour or so in a separate room for our party food. The bouncy castle was more of a bouncy assault course than a castle, so children went in one end, and after negotiating various pillars/slopes, slid out of the other end - hopped off the mat, ran round and repeated until they were hot and bothered.

As well as that, the hall had some footballs, tennis rackets and a couple of space hoppers - and we took a basket of toys for some of our younger friends which we spread on a couple of quilts/blankets. Surprisingly some of the older children sat down to play/read after a while - and it seemed that having a variety of activities on offer worked very well.

In terms of food, we laid the table in good time, and put out bowls/platters for children (and/or their mums) to serve themselves. Everything was finger food - sandwiches, hula hoops (these seem to be very, very popular), sausages, mini cheese portions, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, cherry tomatoes, grapes and satsumas. I worked on the basis of allowing 1 or 2 pieces/portions per child - knowing that individual preferences would mean that some would eat sandwiches/cheese and some wouldn't. I also opted for foods which would be familiar to most children - so slightly more exotic things like olives, pineapple and kiwi fruit were not included. The only exception to my portion estimation was the hula hoops. I bought a multi-pack and put them all out.

We kept the cake/sweet things off the table until most of the savouries had been eaten. Then we offered home-baked cookies, blueberry muffins and of course birthday cake. I did this very deliberately, having seen what happens when chocolate biscuits are on the table next to ham sandwiches, and when one child puts 10 chocolate fingers on their plate they all do! I was also very deliberate about avoiding chocolate and commercial cakes/biscuits - nothing moral here, I just thought there would be enough sugar/sweetness on offer without them. And so it seemed. There were no complaints. Most of the food was eaten, everyone seemed to have enough to eat and there was very little left over to take home. My last (inspired) decision was to take a pack of baby wipes for wiping sticky fingers and faces. It was a good one.

As you can imagine, the party hiatus meant that there has not been much knitting in the last few days. But the deadline for the third birthday is getting a bit near, and grace is moving slowly (but gracefully?) forwards. I started with the sleeves, which I'm knitting at-the-same-time, and last night I managed to get to the final series of shapings at the top of each sleeve, so it feels like progress is being made. I'm slightly concerned about running out of yarn though, because I'm knitting with some yarn from a charity shop jumper which I unravelled a couple of years ago. It's about a DK weight, with 50% wool, and has a sparkly lurex strand to make it just a weeny bit shiny and bling - and there should be enough - it was an adult sweater and I'm knitting a child's cardigan, but you know how it is. the internal knitting curmudgeon isnt quite convinced. To counter the running out feeling, I will of course, do the thing every other knitter does in this situation - just knit faster.

In which the knitting gods make their views known

2011-02-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

So, despite casting on and knitting the first couple of inches of Doris in a crazed funk (mmm, more more, my precious), I soon realised that something was not quite right. I'm a bit lazy when it comes to swatching - mostly because when I do bother I tend to find that my tension is exactly that required, and then I feel I've wasted valuable knitting time and should just have started all along. Humph. Anyway. So, looking at the supposedly smallest size Doris I was blithely knitting, I realised that it seemed to be - you know - a bit on the big side. Even without blocking or being particularly flat, the back that I was knitting was measuring more like the largest size than the smallest. Oops.

I frogged and selected another pattern. This time I'm going for Grace. Another cardigan, but with no moss stitch (below on the right). And - you guessed it - I swatched. I swatched in two different yarns and wouldn't you know I got gauge with both. Ha. Seems my tension with stocking stitch is very different to my tension with moss stitch. Who knew? I still want to knit Doris though - although next time I promise I'll swatch first.

Giving Up

2011-02-01T04:51:00.000-08:00

January has been a bit of a disaster knitting wise. The purple Christmas socks are still on the needles, stalled somewhere before the heel flap of the second sock, and the Ava that I cast on. Ha. It is no more. It has been cast aside. Frogged. Done away with and sent very firmly to Coventry.

It's a lovely pattern (probably). But we didn't get on. I kept mixing up the wrong and right sides so the button holes appeared on the shoulder, rather than the centre front/flap. And it was all taking longer than I anticipated (because I had to keep correcting my mistakes), so I ended up improvising an infinity scarf for that 6 year old whose birthday was looming in front of me. And then. Last night. When I got to the bottom of the first front I cast off and discovered the fatal flaw. The front and back did not match up. By about 2 inches. Rather more of a mismatch than can be dealt with by finishing tricks. I've got no idea why that is/was, and I didn't bother to try and find out. I frogged it instead, and have put the yarn back into my stash (grrr).

I still love the socks off the Winter Kids book though, so this morning I cast on for a Doris. There's a small girl we know that will be 3 at the end of the month and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this time the knitting gods will approve.

February seems to be a good time for a spring clean, so I'm giving myself one, and am looking forward to a gluten free month. I'll (probably) keep away from sugar and chocolate too, although my resolve may weaken on that one on account of the two bars of delicious chocolate sitting in the fridge!

To a haggis...

2011-01-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

Today is Burn's night, and we're having haggis for supper, as one should when one lives in Scotland. It's noteworthy because it'll be the first time I've had haggis on Burn's night, after only recently discovering that I like it! Who knew it was so tasty? We (probably) won't be doing the more elaborate bits of Burn's night ritual, e.g. piping it into the dining room or stabbing it with a skean dhu, but we might just manage a verse or two of the address...

To a Haggis, by Robert Burns

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy of a grace

As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,

Your hudies like a distant hill,

Your pin wad help to mend a mill

In time o' need,

While thro' your pores the dews distil

Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,

An' cut ye up wi' ready slight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright,

Like onie ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm-reeking, rich!

Then horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:

Deil tak the hindmost, on they drive,

Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve

Are bent like drums;

Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,

'Bethankit!' hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout,

Or olio that wad staw a sow,

Or fricassee wad mak her spew

Wi perfect scunner,

Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view

On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,

As fecl;ess as a wither'd rash,

His spindle shank a guid whip-lash,

His nieve a nit;

Tho' bluidy flood or field to dash,

O how unfit.

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,

The trembling earth resounds his tread,

Clap in his walie nieve a blade,

He'll make it whistle;

An' legs, an' arms, an' heads will sned

Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o' fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware,

That jaups in luggies;

But if ye wish her gratfu' prayer,

Gie her a Haggis!

New Year New Knitting New Babies

2011-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It's been a whirlwind start to the year. I'm teaching again so there is lots of thinking and reading and preparing and photocopying and tinkering with the university VLE going on. And, there has been plague in this house. I am the only one not to have succumbed and the only one not to have antibiotics. DH is still laid low and although ordered to rest by the GP, as a self-employed person, he is inevitably tucked up with his laptop... So time to knit and blog has been small.

Anyway, there is new knitting and new babies to report. First, some old friends welcomed their second child, a girl named Zoe, last week. She was born at home, like her big brother, and on her mama's birthday! A day later - near neighbours Lorraine and Trevor welcomed a little girl called Sophia Rose. Welcome to the world little ones. We wish you much love, light and peace as you grow. And, to your dear parents we wish much sleep.

On the knitting front, I swapped one of my Christmas presents (a sock book) for something I was a bit more excited about: Rowan Winter Kids.

It's stuffed full of gorgeous projects and the bean has already requested one of the sweaters... not sure I'll manage it in time for his birthday (next week!) but I have already cast on for one project - Ava - a girl's cardigan knit in one piece in a chunky yarn.

I am using something from my stash rather than the colourscape yarn specified. It's a shame not to have such lovely colours to work with, but stash busting is *still* the challenge in 2011! I'm hoping to gift Ava to a friend's daughter, but it will depend how it looks in my tweedy yarn...

Oh yes, and one last thing, I had some scrumptious sock yarn from my mother for christmas. It's Jenny Cook's again, and so tempting that I wound the skein on Christmas day and started knitting straight away. The first sock is done, and the second on the needles...

Concentrating (#2)

2010-12-21T04:29:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I attended a conference. One of the plenary speakers was Danny Dorling, a geographer from Sheffield University. He was talking about his new book 'Injustice: why social inequality persists' and argued clearly and powerfully about the relationship between inequalities in income and inequalities in health. His main thrust is this - if there was less discrepancy between the rich and poor in our (UK) society, then that would bring with it many, many benefits including a reduction in the health inequalities that currently exist.

I've been thinking a lot about Dorling's arguments over the last few weeks. In the context of a coalition (by which I mean Tory) government, there is much to be gloomy about, but Dorling himself was positive, because - he said - we can change it if we want to. So, I've been thinking about how I can change it. I could of course lobby my MP, complain and harrass government ministers and that would have some effect. But, I've been thinking about this in relation to the things I do with my money and whether my spending helps to concentrate wealth into the hands of the richest. Shopping at supermarkets and on the high street generally means that our cash works its way through the hands of the not-very-well-paid staff to the corporate boards, shareholders and investors that control these global brands and businesses. There are some exceptions, e.g. John Lewis and the Co-operative group - which have no anonymous shareholders but which pay dividends to its members (customers in the case of the co-op and staff in the case of John Lewis). Of course, spending money in locally-owned businesses, craft markets, farmers markets, independent shops, Etsy, Folksy and so on does the opposite. It helps to put money directly into the pockets of individuals and their families. There are no fat cat investors or venture capitalists taking their share of the profits. The New Economics Foundation did some work on this a few years back, showing that every pound spent on a local veg box did much, much more for the local economy than every pound spent in a local supermarket - and that supermarkets employed fewer people for every thousands pounds of turnover than corner shops.

So, the bottom line is this: the more money I spend in my local economy, the more I support my local community - safeguarding jobs and helping to maintain a healthy (literally) place to live and work. While I was thinking about this, I came across an old newspaper article about going off-grid. This didnt mean living in a self-sustaining house with no connection to the National Grid, but refusing to shop in mainstream supermarkets and instead, spending all your food budget in farmers markets, independent butchers, fruiterers, fishmongers, bakers, wine merchants and so on. I saw the article in Earthy, a local and independent supermarket and cafe stocking local, organic and fair trade produce. It seemed to be fitting somehow.

Leading up to Christmas seemed to be a good time to think about this. Although we haven't gone completely off-grid with our food spending, I think most of our gift shopping has been with independent/local businesses and high-street companies without shareholders. It's a start, and I mean to go on.

Enjoy the snow if you have it; keep safe and warm and have a very, very merry Christmas.

Concentrating...

2010-12-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

As the time left before Christmas is getting short (only 10 days left - how did that happen? eek!) I'm trying to concentrate on things/gifts which I really have a chance of finishing quickly. The recent snow kept us indoors rather more than is usual, so I grabbed small gobbets of time here and there to get a few things finished off.

There have been some more socks. Two pairs of crazy socks, from the Schoppel Wolle Crazy Zauberball yarn I had for Christmas last year. The two balls I received has made 4 pairs of socks in all - three for me and one for a friend (seems like a fair balance!) The last pair are eked out of the remaining yarn using another ball of yarn from the stash. No idea what this solid green yarn is (Rowan maybe), but the colour fitted in perfectly with the crazy yarn, and I used the grumperina approach to striping. I was prepared for the crazy yarn to run out before I got to the toe, but the amount was perfect to stripe to the end, and gave me just enough to kitchener the toes closed.

There was a baby beanie (tutorial here) knitted in honour of a new baby, born to some friends we met at antenatal classes almost 4 years ago. Their first son was born the day after the bean - both early by about a week - and they get on famously whenever we see them. Anyway, congratulations to you Gilly and Jason and welcome to the world little Callum!

I also spent a pleasant 20 minutes or so refeshing one of the jelly bean's dribble bibs (tutorial here) which had got a bit - you know - grubby. I cut another piece of fabric for the top side, and stitched into place with some embroidery floss. Cute huh?

A pile of flannels (wash cloths) is growing too, ready for the wrapping elves to do their work. I have quite an extensive stash of cotton yarn in various colours, so this is being put to good use. I'm knitting some small for children, and then bigger ones for grown ups. Three small flannels (one white, one pink, and one bright blue) went - along with some organic baby bubbles - to help a small friend celebrate her first birthday last weekend. Happy Birthday Megan. Hope you are feeling better soon. I dont mind knitting with cotton, but it does help that I can finish one of these in a few hours...

My elaborate plans for a mound of quilted/stitched gifts are definitely rather optimistic. I have made some quilted coasters (based on last-minute patchwork gifts book), using some of the fabric patches from the crazy patchwork duvet cover my grandmother made me when I was a teenager. I thought these would be a nice gift for my mum, to remind her of her mother. But, they are taking me a lot, lot longer than I imagined, and arent quite as square or perfect as I hoped!

Snow on snow on snow...

2010-12-09T02:22:00.000-08:00

After what seemed to be a very brief autumn, winter arrived with a vengeance. It is now almost 2 weeks since the first snows fell - and although the temperatures are now just above freezing again, there is still a thick layer of snow covering the city. Edinburgh is a dry city, close to the sea and snow of this magnitude is really unheard of. We have at least 18 inches of accumulated snow in our garden, and I cannot remember such deep snow since I was a child. [It makes you feel really old when you start to reminisce about hard winters 30 years ago when you were a 'girl'!]

Anyway, although I love, love, love snow - the realities of getting to work, covering/arranging childcare when buses are not running, and being stuck at home with two small children are beginning to take the edge off my delight at the snowy vistas outside my windows each morning. It hasnt been a good week overall: DH slithered into the back of a lorry on Monday morning and dented the car quite a lot (although noone hurt, the car was driveable and he didnt get stuck for hours and hours on the gridlocked motorways of the central belt); on Tuesday I managed to kill my mobile phone by washing it in the washing machine and yesterday our boiler froze up. We've been there before with the boiler, so knew immediately what to do to restore the situation and our friendly plumber is coming this evening to check things over. I hope that's the end of the bad stuff for this week, and things get better from here!

On the plus side all this time at home has been good for some things. I have managed to finish a few little projects, details coming soon...

The sun shone...

2010-11-09T03:14:00.000-08:00

Autumn has arrived in fine style. Sunday was glorious, and like Kate we took ourselves up a hill to enjoy the glorious sunshine and clear views of Edinburgh and beyond. We didn't encounter any snow on our walk, but there were plenty of dogs and their grownups (as the bean likes to say) enjoying themselves all the same. We enjoyed ourselves too - what's not to like about climbing up a hill on a cold sunny day, admiring the view and then retreating to a cosy cafe for a spot of lunch?

Last weekend was similarly glorious, and we spent a happy afternoon with my parents and some friends in Edinburgh's botanic gardens The autumn colours are glorious, and the squirrels fattening themselves hurriedly, scurrying about carrying precious nuts and seeds for their secret stashes.

Despite all the visitors and outings (not to mention work) I've managed to get a few FOs under my belt recently. First there were the two teeny jackets for my cousin's twins now thriving at home. Great pattern from StitchyMama on ravelry and knitted top-down. My first top-down knitting I think; sheesh - how embarrassing to be so slow about getting on with that! Both are made from unlabelled DK from the stash. They have already been sent, received and worn...

I also sent the new parents some washable baby wipes made from bamboo terry and t-shirt fabric.

And then a nusery friend of the bean got this little bag as part of her birthday gift. It's repurposed from a stained pair of the jellybean's dungarees. It's not the neatest and you might be able to tell that I didnt measure anything, but did it all by eye, but I hope the 4 yr old recipient doesnt mind too much... Happy Birthday Isla.

FREE Pattern: Baby Beanie

2010-10-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

While the chicken stock is bubbling on the hob, and a new sock has sprung onto my needles (the twisted sock wasnt working, so has been ripped in favour of a plain sock knitted with the rest of my crazy zauberball sock yarn...), I thought I would share this with you.

It seems too grand to describe this as a pattern, but rather it's one of those unvented and unoriginal set of instructions for a wee hat.

To fit: 0-3 months

Needles: 2.25mm dpns

Yarn: 4 ply/sock yarn, you'll need roughly 25g

Gauge: 13 stitches to 5cm (knit in the round)

Instructions

Cast on 100 stitches, divide evenly between needles and without twisting, join the first round.

If you would like to make a stripey hat using the grumperina technique (e.g. stripes with no jogs), then I use both colours for the cast on, alternating colours for each new stitch. Work the first round in the colour of the first stitch, and then when you return to the place at which the second yarn is languishing, pick that up and work a round with that instead. As always the rule with grumperina stripes is to always work with the *lowest* yarn available. If you dont want a grumperina stripe then knit plain or patterned as you will.

Knit in stocking stitch until the work measures 11cm or so, then start crown shaping. You can work the decreases in any way you like (e.g. ssk), but I have written it here as k2tog.

round 1: [k8 k2tog] rep till end, 90 stitches
round 2: knit
round 3: [k7, k2tog] rep until end, 80 stitches
round 4: knit

Continue in this vein until you are decreasing every 3 stitches (e.g. your decrease round is going k3, k2 tog). From this point on, decrease on every round.

Work until 4 stitches remain.

Now work a short i-cord stalk to finish the hat. Transfer all of the stitches to one needle, and work until the i-cord measures the desired length - I normally aim for about 8 cm which allows me to make a single knot. You can stripe your stalk, or leave it plain.

Cast off and weave in loose ends. Wash, dry gently and apply to the first wee head that crosses your path. Enjoy!

[This pattern is shared in the spirit of craftivism, stash busting and generally living a goodly life. Please do *not* use it for commercial gain or profit. Thankyou]

Paring back...

2010-10-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

For all sorts of reasons and in all sorts of ways, I in the midst of a process of paring back.

Firstly, I am trying to pare back the wheat and gluten in my diet. I have been gluten free a couple of times before and on both occasions I felt very well. This time the motivation is different and purely driven by me; the other times it was to do with the country I was in and breastfeeding a fussy baby... I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now and I quite like the way it's going.

Second, I am trying to pare back my wardrobe. I was reading about blogger Sooz's decision to stop buying commercially made clothes and the liberation that came with sitting down to think about a wardrobe of garments that worked together, and a lightbulb came on in my own head. I have too many clothes (dont we all?) and although I am making an effort to wear more of them, there are still many things that no longer fit, have never flattered or which just dont work. So, I have started to write a list of all the clothes that I own; to think about the colours and styles that suit me best; to be honest about the things which do and dont fit; to assess which things might be refashioned (for me or the children) and which things it would be better to donate to a local charity shop. I'm excited about this. It feels grown up and organised and good and I'm looking forward to the actual sorting/off loading and refashioning that will result.

Third, I am thinking about the way in which we can pare back the carbon that our family consumes/relies on: the way that we travel; the way we use energy in our home; the things that we eat. You know, we might not have long to get to grips with climate change and we can all play a part. 74 months left.

He is gone

2010-10-18T02:19:00.000-07:00

Little Elias has lost his battle for life. Please pray for his babylost family. Rest in Peace little man.

FO: Freddie (Kim Hargreaves, Rowan Junior)

2010-10-12T02:05:00.000-07:00

Freddie is done. All sewn up and ready to go off to little Elias. we can only hope that he gets well enough and big enough to wear it and grow out of it. Get well little man.

Pattern: Freddie from Rowan Junior (Kim Hargreaves)

Yarn: Patons Diploma Gold 4 ply

Mods: intarsia snowflake omitted; no other mods

Next on my list are two v small jackets for the twin girls that arrived a week or so ago. They are both well, now out of incubators but still in special baby care doing their best to grow big enough to go home! Grow little ones, grow.

Tutorial: Dribble Bib (aka Bibble)

2010-10-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

It seems that the height of bib fashion (who knew there was such a thing as bib fashion?!) is currently a triangular neckerchief with a popper fastening, and which snuggles beneath the chin to catch the dribble that flows from teething babies/toddlers.

You can find oodles of these dribble catchers in the shops, including some very fancy ones with waterproof innards and velour layers, although they do cost anything up to £8 each! But they are a doddle to make from recycled/upcycled fabrics and here's a short tute to prove it.

You will need:

some thin card to make a template
some absorbent fabric for the backing (e.g. terry, towelling or fleece)
some fabric for the top (e.g. t-shirt material, dress fabric)
press stud or fastener
scissors/thread/needle

1. Using an old bib as a guide for neck length, make a template for the bib using the card. You will need to draw a right angle triangle with a long edge that corresponds to your old bib (in my case, measuring approx 40cm/15").

2. Use the template to cut backing material. Here I am using a well used bamboo terry square.

3. Use the template to cut the fabric for the top of the bib. Here I am using a plain (but rather bright!) t-shirt...

4. Next stitch the two layers of fabric together. Because I am not a very accomplished sewer, I simply topstitch about 1/4" from the edge, leaving the edges raw. Alternatively you could zigzag or overlock the raw edges together OR sew together with right sides facing (leaving a short gap) and then turn right sides out and finish by top stitching. If you are making these as a gift, then you might also consider finishing with bias tape to make them really neat.

5. Add your fastener/popper at the appropriate places. Some of the commercial bibs have two poppers so that length can be adjusted.

6. Add bib to baby and smile.

Blood

2010-10-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I took myself and my knitting into town. My main purpose was to donate blood and I thought I would take my twisted sock with me to work on while I waited. The weather was dry and bright; a lovely autumn morning. I arrived just after the donating suite opened and only managed one or two rounds of sock knitting before filling out my questionnaire and going through to give up some claret. As usual, the staff were cheery and chatty and nothing short of lovely. As if that weren't enough, the Scottish Blood Service includes Tunnocks tea cakes amongst its offerings for donors.

Baby Elias is still rather poorly, so although we are very far away from his hospital bed, I thought it was a good thing to do with him in mind. Get well little man; we are all thinking of you.

Babies: one, two, three

2010-10-01T01:57:00.000-07:00

My old friend has had her baby - Elias arrived in fine style slightly earlier than planned, as he decided not to wait for the scheduled c-section, but started making his way into the world a day early.

Yesterday I heard that little Elias - now two weeks old - is very sick, and now in Great Ormond St Hospital in London. His heart has been affected, and his chances of recovery are not known. We are sending all our love and prayers in his direction, and of course to his parents and brave big sister. I will be sending them some more practical help too, following the advice in indietutes blog. I can send his Freddie too, once I've sewn it all up (I finished the sleeves whilst watching Spooks on i-player).

This morning I heard that my cousin is due to have her identical twins by c-section TODAY! They will be arriving a few weeks early, but we are keeping our fingers crossed that they are a good size and do not need much help once they are born. Once I know their gender/names/size I can whip up something for them too.

ETA: Little Girls arrived! Well done Emma and Paul. We are thrilled for you!!

Because all babies are precious: here is a picture of my two gorgeous babies.

Y O T

2010-09-28T02:49:00.000-07:00

DH and I are making a big financial commitment in the next couple of weeks, so we will be doing our best to focus on thrift and the need to avoid spending wherever we can in the coming months. Our mantra is 'Y.O.T' which stands for 'year of thrift' - and which if uttered at the right moment, can help us to make the right decisions about what to do that day; what to cook; and what to eat. Decisions which - when added up - help to turn the saved pennies into saved pounds.

I often use YOT to help me resist yarn. I dont *need* to buy anything where there is soooo much in my stash.

There is something addictive about saving money; it's a bit like going on a diet and seeing the inches/pounds drop off. The success of it is satisfying. To this end, I thought I would write down some of my/our thrifty living tips (not only for your benefit, but for me too - in case I forget!)

The Thrifty Cookbook by Kate Colquhoun is full of recipes and ideas for making the most of ordinary ingredients and using up leftovers. The banana cake recipe is particularly good...
Use the library! (good for cookbooks; childrens books and travel/guide books)
Shampoo - I've discovered recently that I can wash my hair very well with about one quarter of the amount I used to use. Not so much less is more, but less is enough. Not only does it mean we need to buy shampoo less often, but the waste water will be less nasty...
Washing - with two small (and quite messy) children in the house, our washing basket is never, ever empty. If clothes are fairly presentable, then they go back on the child (or adult!) the next day rather than in the washing basket. Its really easy to whip things off and 'give them a quick wash' but if you think about it changing children's outfits after two days rather than every day will cut the weekly washing pile in half!
The Green Kitchen (Richard Ehrlich) is another worthwhile read if you are trying to reduce your costs. Top tips from this book include: always cook with a lid on your pan; turn off your oven 5-10 mins before you have finished cooking - the residual heat will finish things off for you; when cooking pasta - add the pasta to the hot water and bring to the boil. Then put on a lid and turn off the heat. The hot water will cook the pasta perfectly.

What's your favourite thrifty tip?

Back to the airwaves...

2010-09-21T03:48:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get back to blogging a lot more. I like it. I like reading blogs, and I like writing too.

I've got an FO to blog, but the camera cable is missing (I suspect it's in DH's work bag) so I can't post any pictures for the moment.

Anyway, what I really wanted to say is this. I'm very sad about the UK Knit Camp situation - I would have like to have gone. As we are in Edinburgh, a short trip to Stirling for a day or two was definitely on my agenda, but our summer holidays got in the way, and I decided in the end that it was not possible to combine the two. However, given all the fallout about the event (and I won't comment on that seeing as I wasnae there), I'm really sad because it effectively puts the kibosh on this becoming a regular UK event. That's a great shame in my view.

FO: Husband socks

2010-09-21T03:10:00.000-07:00

The husband socks are finished, finally. They have taken an absolute age. I cast them on in June, and finished them in September. Admittedly one or two other things got in the way (e.g. Sam's birthday socks), and there was the small matter of sock one being rather too small, so sock two was made to the correct dimensions and sock one duly ripped and reknitted to match. And then, there was just life to get in the way. I have to say that with two small children and one almost full-time job, my time for anything other than housework seems to be exceedingly small.... so I take my hat (and socks) off to those women who manage to do it and blog about it too!

Here they are (for what it's worth)

Pattern: Thuja (Knitty)

Yarn: Regia

Mods: only to change no of stitches required

Time taken: June - September 2010

To celebrate the conclusion of the husband socks, I cast on yesterday lunch time for a pair of twisted socks (Knitty) using some Plymouth Co. Happy Feet yarn that I was given a couple of years ago. I'm not wild about the colourway, but it's only a pair of socks...

And, after hearing that an old friend had an elective c-section booked in for the 16 September, I went back to the Freddy (Kim Hargreaves Rowan Junior) that was on the needles and started turning the crank. Last night front and back were both completed, and today I'll get going on the teeny tiny sleeves. It'll be ready in a few days, by which time I hope we'll have had confirmation of the new arrival...

Deconstruction

2010-07-13T03:45:00.001-07:00

When I was a teenager, my grandmother made me a fabulously busy duvet cover with a lifetime's worth of fabric scraps. It got a little frayed in places where the vintage fabric started to come apart, and lived for a long, long time in a box under the bed.

This year my parents celebrate their ruby wedding anniversary, and I'm planning to make them a quilt top. So, I'm deconstructing this quilt cover, and will use some of the fabrics to make the new quilt top. It'll be my first quilting project of any size (nothing like going in at the deep end!).... and - I hope - it will be lovely for my mum and dad to have something old, something new and something blue to help them celebrate their special day. Not sure about the something borrowed part, I'll have to think about that!

Sock Fest

2010-07-13T02:04:00.000-07:00

There are quite a lot of socks in my drawer which have - to date - been unblogged. It's time to put this right.

For Christmas my brother and his girlfriend (now sadly an ex girlfriend , sniff, sniff) gave me two balls of sock yarn. To start with I made these fabulously fraternal socks:

Pattern: generic top down

Yarn: Schoppel Wolle Crazy Zauberball

Another pair followed, this time using a grumperina stripe to vary the effect. These became a 40th birthday gift for our friend Sam - her first handknit socks. She put them on immediately, so we think she liked them! Happy Birthday Sam.

Pattern: generic top down

Yarn: Schoppel Wolle Crazy Zauberball

The good news is that there is still enough yarn left from these two balls to make another pair. I'll get onto this once I've finished the second husband sock, a christmas gift which has been repeatedly put to the side to allow for other more urgent birthday knitting to take place! It's next dear (honest).

About this blog...

2010-07-05T05:37:00.000-07:00

Hello!

This blog is all about craft and making in Edinburgh, especially crafting which reclaims, reuses, recycles, repurposes and generally used old stuff to make new stuff. I'm always on the look out for ways to make good use of the things which I dont need any more, or which are no longer fit for their original purpose.

I'm planning to post tutorials, patterns, links and all sorts! And, they're probably be some tales of family life, gardening and work too....

Birth story

2010-06-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

It's only taken 10 months to write all this down, but here it is...

After a lovely homebirth first time round, there was no question about opting for a homebirth with this pregnancy. The first weeks were a bit difficult – we had had 3 early miscarriages within 6 months and were naturally worried about another loss – but after an early scan and the booking in appointment things went pretty normally.

Whilst DS was persistently OP during pregnancy and labour, this time my bump was rounder and the baby lay OA! And of course, after being surprised by a baby arriving at 39 weeks first time round, it was predictable that this time it would be different….

At 40 weeks there were no signs of labour, and I was getting to that stage when you think that the baby will never be born. I woke a few nights later with contractions and couldn’t stay in bed, so got up, put my TENS machine on and starting wandering around the house getting a teensy weensy bit excited. A couple of hours later things seemed to be progressing so I got my husband out of bed and made him put the birth pool up – which was at that point rolled up in a box out of the way. After another hour or two, I was feeling pretty tired and lay down on the sofa to get some rest. The TENS was on and I found the regular buzzing on my back quite relaxing. The sun was rising and the morning would soon be here. And then everything stopped….

We arranged for our son to spend the next night at his grandparents, anticipating that labour might get going again that night. Contractions were still coming now and then, but neither strong nor regular, and I had a feeling that the baby’s head wasn’t quite in the right place. So we took ourselves up Blackford Hill in the afternoon in the hope that this would get our baby nicely lined up – much as we had done when I was labouring with DS. That evening we relaxed with a take-away and went to bed early. I got up in the early hours with ctx, got the TENS machine on again, looked longingly at the pool and resumed the routine of standing and swaying as the tightenings flowed through my body. After about an hour things tailed off again. And I went back to bed and back to sleep.

When I woke in the morning, things had stalled completely. No ctx, no more show, nothing. Our son was at nursery, my husband was working at home, and I was fed up. I remember thinking that this could go on for days. I went out with my husband while he did some work, and we had lunch together at the local IKEA. There were several women with tiny babies there, and I joked with my husband about going and sniffing one of them to get my hormones going.

Later on in the afternoon, I went for another adventure on the hill, but this time walked up and down the large flights of steps at the bottom. I went sideways, doing my best to open my pelvis, shift my weight from side to side and encourage my baby into a really good position. When I got back, DS came home from nursery, we had supper and he went to bed.

At about 9pm I had to admit that I was beginning to contract again – I’d been ignoring it thinking it might go away – and I got the TENS machine on and DH started to time the ctx. A couple of hours later, DH rang triage to let them know that I was in labour. Ann – the CMW team leader rang back and got ready to come over. She arrived about midnight, went through my notes and birth plan and examined me. I was 3 cm; the head was well applied and the membranes taught. The baby was still anterior and everything looked pretty good. She and DH got on with the usual things – cups of tea, notes & observations, checking the birth pool – and I wandered about just dealing with the ctx, stopping and concentrating when I needed to and trying to relax in between.

About 1am or so I decided I would like to get into the pool – so I stripped off and got in, and soon Ann called for the second MW – a student who had never been to a homebirth before. She arrived and took over with the obs. Baby was very happy and I was doing my best to cope with some quite intense ctx whilst floating about in the warm water. DH was occupied keeping the water at a reasonable temperature and making tea and conversation with the two MWs.

A bit later on I felt like pushing, so started working with the ctx to push the baby down (I remember this happening when labouring with DS. It was followed shortly after by transition and delivery!) I thought I was well on the way. The MWs got the baby things ready with a hot water bottle. After a while I said ‘I don’t think I’m getting anywhere’ and Ann said she’d like to examine me again to see what was happening. My ctx had slowed down and she was a bit worried that things might stall again. I then endured a rather uncomfortable VE while I was still in the pool (I just had to try and hold myself steady and keep my bottom up off the floor of the pool). 8cm she said, membranes still intact and taught – but the head on one side. It was time to get up out of the water and get things moving a bit faster again. [I agreed to this VE- it seemed sensible to find out where I was in terms of dilation and why things were slowing down and I was really, really pleased not to have to get out of the water….]

For a little while I stayed out of the pool and tried various places and positions to get comfortable – always upright, sometimes standing, sometimes kneeling. I got back into the pool and stood between ctx leaning against the wall and DH and rocking from side to side, sinking down into the water only as each tightening came. At some point during this phase, I was sick a couple of times, and I started to complain about not being able to do it, and it hurting and all that transition-y stuff. It seemed to go on for ever, and the MWs encouraged me to try the gas and air – but it seemed like too much effort to concentrate on that at the same time as concentrating on the sensations in my body. I gave the mouthpiece back.

The MWs said something about my membranes, and I thought they must have seen them release into the water. They’ve just gone I said; I felt them pop. Oh good, they replied, nice and clear – they hadn’t been able to tell at all. It was just after 6am and it was getting light. Ann had told me earlier that as soon as my waters went the baby would come. She was right, a contraction or two later the head was crowning and I reached down to touch a small hairy head. The body came soon after and I caught my baby and brought it to the surface. ‘A boy!’ said my husband, but I checked out the netherparts and said ‘no, it’s a girl!’ The cord was short, so it was hard to cuddle her and she seemed happiest being swooshed gently in the warm water looking up into my face. After a few minutes DH cut the cord and we got out of the pool to get warm/dry and to deliver the placenta. She weighed 8lb 4.5oz and had a fine head of red hair just like her daddy. APGARS were 9 and 9. Labour was recorded as 9.5 hours with a 1 min second stage. 3rd stage took 18 mins. Blood loss was minimal at the time of delivery (none in the pool), but there were a few gushes later.

Just after I delivered the placenta our son woke up and came through to meet his little sister. He was a little bit confused to find two MWs in the house, but very excited about the baby!

Perineal damage was minimal, with a 1st degree tear that the MW described as ‘a nick’.

Reflections:
Although the baby was OA this time round, in many ways this labour was harder that my first (OP) labour which progressed rapidly from 4-5cm dilated to delivery. My first labour began with SROM, and this time that was almost the last thing that happened before the baby was born. I think this accounts for the hesistancy of my labour and the tendency for the baby’s head to move into an asynclitic position. Still, thanks to supportive MWs – and DH! – we managed really well at home using gravity and hip hitching to get the baby (back) into a good position and using TENS and water for pain relief. Transition this time was also more difficult – it seemed to go on for ever, and I apologised to the MWs later for being sooooo grumpy – I was even complaining as the baby’s head crowned! Nevertheless, we had another drug free labour and home water birth – and another lovely, lovely baby.

We were very pleased to share the birth with a student midwife. She was on her last placement before graduation and really keen to come to a homebirth. Ann (the team leader) had phoned me a week or so earlier to ask if I was happy for a student MW to attend and I said yes without hesitation. I work in a university and always try to support student learning and experience where I can – so, thankyou Tina. We wish you well in your career.

Round Up

2010-03-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Time for a little catch-up. Here are a few of the FOs from late 2009 and early 2010.

Scrap Hat (own design)

Child's banner - one of several birthday present projects for small boys in our family. Made with upcycled shirts, an old dress and some felt....

Green socks - generic top down pattern with grumperina stripe

Yarn - mainly Yarn Yard olive with some scraps of other green sock yarns to make up the pair.

Definitely non-identical twins.

Child's Cardigan (Rowan Family Collection)

So little time

2009-10-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

Time is flying past, our little jelly bean is 9 weeks old already and much has been knitted and crafted since she came into the world, but nothing has been blogged... still, we thank the stars and the firmament above for all of that, and resolve (as with everything) to Do. Better. In. The. Future.

WIP: baby jelly bean

2009-09-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

She's here!

A small girl arrived in our lives on 22 August at 0612, weighing 8lb 4.5oz. [Edited to add photo below.]

She was born at home in water, as planned, and in the same room and the same pool as her big brother 2 1/2 years earlier. Similarities ended there, as the two labours were completely different - but equally empowering. A birth story will follow no doubt.... you can read the bean's birth story here should you be so inclined.

FO: Dolly

2009-07-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

Finally. The finishing took a bit of time - it's such a nice little knit, but the finishing is a bit time consuming... every time I make one (I think this is the third one), I think there must be an easier way of doing this, but I havent yet bothered to work out what that is.

Item: Dolly from JB29 by Martin Storey

Yarn: Patons 4 ply (I think), 100% wool

Time taken: a while! April-July 2009

Mods: picked up and knit the stitches for the ties, rather than sewing them on separately. No other mods.

Now that's Out Of The Way, there are other things to get on with. I really need to knit a hat for a friend's upcoming birthday, but instead, I have cast on for a childrens cardigan from the Rowan Family Collection. I decided that it would be a relatively quick project, and that it would make a useful inroad into my stash, which is still overflowing - although things are easing slightly. Last night I was able to organise some of the overflow into one of the storage tables, so something must have happened!

I'm knitting the cardigan using some balls of Jaeger Prelude which I picked up in a charity shop for 50p per ball. It's washable - but has some woolliness - and should make quite a good children's garment. Hopefully it will be fairly gender neutral, although it's primarily destined for a smallish girl. I managed a few rows over lunch today, while I was flicking through the Rowan magazine and newsletter which arrived through my letter box this morning. Mmm.

Progress?

2009-07-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

We're having quite a nice summer this year - one with warmth and sunshine and a bit of rain here and there. Despite various hiccoughs this weekend, I managed to get a few things done:. One baby hat. Tick. Dolly(cardigan) knitted and now blocking. 3 jars of pink grapefruit marmalade. Tick. A batch of lemon and raspberry muffins. Tick. Haircut. Tick.

Maybe its the late pregnancy nesting kicking in, or just the weather, or just the cricket.... but I'm in a domestic frenzy at the moment, constantly thinking of the next thing to finish, to start, to do - whilst at the same time entertaining an energetic 2 1/2 year old who needs regular watering and feeding and constant potty encouragement.... (I wont mention the episode in the post office).

Just while I'm on the pregnancy thing: the very good folk at the Pregnancy and Parents Centre in Edinburgh are fundraising at the moment. The PPC (formerly Birth Resource Centre) is a very good thing - they offer lots of different types of support and activities for pregnant women and parents with young children. I find their antenatal yoga classes really helpful - and did last time I was pregnant too - and have had good support from local women including doulas and midwives through their homebirth support group. They do lots of other stuff too - baby music, birth preparation workshops, breastfeeding support.... check out their timetable for details and pass on to anyone you know who is pregnant or lives with small people....

If anyone is inclined, then you can donate directly via their website, or you can email them if you have any bright ideas about helping them to raise some cash. I've made one or two suggestions, and if you live on the southside of Edinburgh, then you can 'vote' for the PPC in this month's community matters draw at Waitrose. Shoppers spending more than £10 can receive a token to place in the box, and at the end of the month £1000 will be divided between the 3 local causes depending on the tokens they receive.

FO: Danish Blue socks

2009-07-08T03:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the danish blue socks in all their glory and in use. Finished at last!

Pattern: generic top down pattern

Yarn: Bumbo sock yarn with Aloe Vera (bought in Denmark)

Now that these socks, and Wimbledon, are over, it's time for something else. The new series of Torchwood has me hooked, and while I watch I'm doing my best to crank through the small and very pink Dolly that I started earlier in the year. Last night I finished both fronts (knit at the same time) and started the back. Oh yes, and if Torchwood wasnt diverting enough, there's also the Tour de France and the Ashes to keep my inner sports enthusiast on edge...

Celebrations

2009-07-04T03:34:00.000-07:00

Late June and early July is a time for celebration in our house. It's my birthday at the end of June, and as always I enjoyed a family time with cards and treats from my nearest and dearest.

Among these this year was Jane Brocket's lovely book 'The Gentle Art of Domesticity'. I've been dipping in and and out of this since it was unwrapped, and have ever since been fighting a strong desire to do some quilting. I've been nurturing some plans to take up quilting for a while, particularly since inheriting my grandmothers patchwork stash, with its handstitched hexagons backed with individual templates cut from cards and magazines... The bean has recently started sleeping in a bed rather than a cot, and I'd really like to make him a quilt top to cover his bed, using up some of his great grandmothers fabrics and various things I've got lurking in my stash. Reading Jane Brocket's book is in danger of sending me over the edge, but I know I've got other things to finish off first....

As well as family pleasures, we managed to venture out for some grown-up celebrations, and spent a lovely evening with old friends at a dinner dance organised by New Destiny, a charity working with children and young people in Brazil. One of our friends volunteered for them a couple of years ago, and helped them to build a safe house in a Brazilian slum. The work they do is important and sobering, but the evening was also fun, and I was more than astonished to win a prize in the after-dinner raffle. Just what I need: a posh haircut in Stockbridge!

As well as my birthday, we celebrate our wedding anniversary around now. 4 wonderful years of married life, one son and a soon-to-be-born babe adding to the pleasure. Happy Anniversary dear husband.

Finally, a huge congratulations to Clare and Andy, who recently celebrated the arrival of baby Emily a little earlier than anticipated (34 weeks). Best wishes to all including big sister Abigail - we hope you are well.

Finishing off...

2009-07-03T03:12:00.000-07:00

July is all about finishing things off. I'm trying to work my way through an endless list of work tasks before starting my maternity leave, AND to hoover up various knitting and stitching WIPs which are cluttering my mind as well as the house. It's part of the tidying we (I) need to do before the new baby arrives.

Since we came back from holiday, I've made/finished:
- a sundress for a first birthday
- one pair of repurposed red trousers for the bean
- and, the socks I took on holiday...

Alas, because there was a bit of a rush to make the dress I did not take any photos before sending it off in the post. But, we've had a lovely thank you card, so I hope that means the dress is vaguely the right size and shape! Happy birthday Harper!

The repurposed red trousers were made with cut offs from a favourite pair of red trews of mine which had the audacity to wear out! They were fabulous in many ways: I bought them in a sale, they were one or two sizes smaller than I normally wear, they didnt fade at all even after several years of wearing and washing and their in-built stretch meant that they were comfortable to wear. What more could a girl ask for? Anyway, once they had given way in the upper thigh, I cut off the salvageable parts of the legs, and turned them into a pair of toddler trousers. I used a favourite pair of the bean's trousers as a pattern. Because I did not taper the legs in any way, the finished trousers ended up slightly on the flared side (actually, they were quite hilariously flared). Perfect for the late 1970s, but not quite so fashionable now. To cure this malady in the most minimalist way, I elasticated the cuffs - again using the original trousers as a pattern (these also have elasticated cuffs).

The socks have been plodding for some while now, but now that Wimbledon is on (c'mon Andy!), I've been making the effort to pick them up everytime I stop to watch a set or two. Yesterday I finished sock no. 2 - but discovered that I had a reasonable length of yarn leftover. Although I am not normally a perfectionist about such things, in this case I decided it would be worth the effort to lengthen the leg of each sock and use absolutely every gram of this vibrant yarn. So, they are finished, sort of.

Scilliness

2009-07-01T02:43:00.000-07:00

Before I share anything else, I must say something about the fabulous holiday we had in the Scillies at the end of May/beginning of June.

We were blessed with 7 days of stunning weather, and enjoyed cloudless camping for a week - which certainly made things a whole lot easier when it came to entertaining and occupying an energetic 2 year old. We still wonder what we would have done if it had been dreich and cold for days on end.... but it wasnt, and we enjoyed ourselves mightily in the sunshine.

The bean learned a lot about the possibilities of sandy beaches, and the enjoyment that comes from squashing whatever it is that your dad has lovingly and carefully constructed (castle, moat, car), as well as the joys of paddling in clear blue-green water. We also had lots of fun looking at and going on boats, looking out for helicopters and eating the occasional ice-cream. It was lovely.

[Oh yes, and the bump didnt get in the way too much, although I did sometimes find getting up off the floor a bit of a struggle...!]

holidays

2009-05-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

Next week we're off on our holidays. Nowhere foreign, just plain old England, and the furthest away bit of England from Scotland that you can find.

We are going to the Isles of Scilly. This will involve 2 days of driving, a trip on the infamous Scillonian from Penzance to St Marys, then a short boat hop from St Marys (the main island) on the Firethorn to Bryher, and then along the track to Bryher campsite where we are staying.

This will be the fourth time we have been to Scilly in recent years. Last time we took the bean who was a jolly 8 months or so and not yet walking or talking. Now he's 2 and 4 months, and it's a whole different ball game! But Scilly is a magical place for children - no cars to speak of, lots of beaches, rock pools, tracks, footpaths, places to scramble and explore, and lots and lots and lots and lots of boats.

As we are camping and have to pack all our kit ready to be manhandled from boat to boat to tractor and campsite, knitting isnt high on the list of Things Which Absolutely Must be Packed. However, I'm hoping to squeeze in a wee bit of sock yarn and to finish a sock or two while I'm there. Keep your fingers crossed for fine weather!

We normally take our summer holidays at the end of August and beginning of September, but this year decided that the impending arrival of bean no. 2 sometime in August made that just a teensy bit tricky. So we're going now instead. Who knows whether its a good idea to go camping for 2 weeks when you're 6 months pregnant, but we'll soon find out! Fortunately I carry my babies neatly, and the bump isnt very large just yet (I can still ride my bike without too much difficulty), but I'm not sure how I'll cope sleeping in a sleeping bag with a snoring toddler only inches away and no mountain of pillows to keep me comfy...

Knits in action...

2009-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick snap of the bobble cardigan in action. We were at a friends house enjoying the spring sunshine and the first lolly of the season, and it seemed to do a good job of keeping the bean warm in the bracing Scottish wind.

Since then I've also finished another of those totty tank tops for the bean. This time in blue with black stripes. I still love this pattern, although I'm coming to the conclusion that the sizings are a bit small. The bean is a perfectly average sized 2 yrs and 3 months, looking quite comfortable in this age 3-4 tank. It's a good stashbuster though, and used up just about 2 balls of the main colour. 2 down, rather a lot to go....(!).

Pattern: Child's striped tank (Rowan Family Collection)

Yarn: Jeager Matchmaker DK (2 x 50g balls, plus oddment of unknown black yarn from stash)

Mods: none, knitted as written - but worked flat on DPNs in order to effect one-row stripes without cutting yarn

Comments: next time may try out the round neck version

Given the number of babies due in and around these parts this year (bump now approaching 6 month mark!) I thought I would cast on for something small and pink just to replenish the stash of baby knits. There's bound to be at least one girl among the babies that come along, so I cast on a bubble gum pink Dolly (Martin Storey for Jaeger's baby book). Two-at-a-time sleeves are almost done -being mostly knit on trains to and from London over the last couple of weeks.

FO: Bobble Cardigan

2009-04-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

What happened to March? It's such a long month, but this year it's stolen away without me really noticing. Anyway, news to report: the bobble cardigan is finished (hurrah), has been worn (several times) and washed (once).

Pattern: Bobble cardigan by Zoe Mellor
Yarn: unknown 100% wool bought in a charity shop

Buttons: vintage from the button box

Mods: no bobbles (clearly)
If I made this again, I would: add a bit of length to the arms
Time taken: inordinate for something so small (September 2009-March 2009)

It's great; it looks good on, and the bean seems to like it most of the time. Late afternoon has become a time of ripping off cardigans, and this one is no exception. "Cardigan off mummy" he says and pulls the buttons and buttonholes much too hard for comfort. Toddlers dont really know about handknits, do they? But it looks cute... I'm not sure it will last till he's 3 (this is the age 2-3 size) but no matter, there's plenty of yarn left in the stash.

Another FO sprang off the needles this week: a baby beanie - as always knitted in the round using a grumperina stripe (alternate rounds of colour with no jogs). This one is destined for the head of a newly arrived baby boy (probably called James) who was born at home, in water on Monday evening a year and a day after his parents were married. Many congratulations to you Tim, Tee and baby James (probably).

FO: Lottie (Kim Hargreaves: Rowan Junior)

2009-03-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

At last there is something to show for 2009. Here is little Lottie, knit for a sweet 1 yr-olds birthday and now on its way to her in the post....

Knit as written except for the flash of pink at the cast on edge. I had an urge to make it a little bit girly (although I didnt knit the optional flower) and thought the pink would perk up the beige/coffee colour a little. I wasn't completely happy with the neckband though, but time was pressing and it I'm not sure that reknitting would have improved things very greatly. I cant decide if it was me or the pattern.

Here's another much older FO, which I dont think I've ever posted here. This is my delightful 2 year old son, snapped yesterday trying to pinch Lottie for himself. 'Scuse the wild hair - we'd just woken up from a 2 hour nap and had earlier been swimming - never a recipe for ruly locks in my experience!

Simple pleasures

2009-02-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

Knitting is such a simple pleasure isnt it? I love the process AND the end result - especially when it is worn and loved and appreciated. There seems to be so much to catch up on, so I'll be short and to the point here.

Much Christmas knitting has gone unblogged, and worse, unphotographed. I sent a pair of mittens and a lacey scarf to friends in Denmark. I also made socks for my dear father - maybe I'll be able to catch them in use next time we see him.

I did however, manage to make myself another pair of socks with the leftovers from Dad's socks. I combined the plain blue from his socks with some of the self patterning yarn from 2008's christmas socks, and used a grumperina stripe (one round plain, one round patterned yarn). I really like the end result, comfy, machine washable, stash-busting and pretty!

At Christmas I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of some fine knitterly gifts.

My dear husband not only got me a copy of EZ's knitters almanac, but also added membership of Rowan for the year.

I like getting things in the post, so regular instalments of Rowan loveliness via their newsletter and magazine is a great treat. The free gift is a kit to make a bag from 6 balls of rowan denim. As I dont really need any more bags, I'll probably knit something for the bean instead.

I also received this lovely skein of sock yarn from my parents (thanks mum!). I'm itching to cast on, but there are other. things. to. do. first.

One of those other things is finish this: the bobble cardigan (sans bobbles). I need to reknit the collar/neckband as it's a bit flabby, and then finish the seaming and find some buttons. I like the way's it's turning out though...

Meanwhile the first birthday is looming and Lottie is still on the needles. Yikes! Better get on....

WIP

2009-02-12T01:23:00.000-08:00

Seriously good news is springing up everywhere at the moment. Not only has the mojo come back but there is a new WIP which is thrilling, exciting and scaring me a bit too. Any guesses?

Yep, it's a new baby. Due to arrive sometime in August, so I'm trusting that Edinburgh will be as cool as usual and I wont melt in the heat of a fierce Scottish summer. After all the shenanigans of last year, we are really thrilled, and now that the first (horrid) trimester is over, things are starting to get exciting again. Yesterday we saw a midwife for a booking in appointment - another lovely homebirth has been ordered and life seems pretty good.

As if this wasnt enough, my knitting mojo has crept back into view and yesterday I took knitting with me to the hospital. I snatched a few rows here and there while we waited. It feels good to have something growing on the needles again. I had cast on for Lottie from Rowan Junior the other day - there's a first birthday coming up and a stash to consume. If we're going to have another wee person in the house, toy storage will become even more important and the stash will have to make way!

Joining in

2009-02-09T00:33:00.000-08:00

There is good news to report, my mojo has been seen (somewhat fleetingly) and I actually managed to finish something teeny and tiny over the weekend, as well as starting to sew up the bobble cardigan, which I blocked sometime before Christmas!

More of that another time. I was struck today by Ysolda's recent post about designers rights (even if I'm not knitting, I do like to keep up with the blog world). It's an important thing for all of us who knit - whether designing or 'consuming' patterns. When I buy food I like to buy things which I know (because of the fair trade marque) have been produced within a system which pays a fair price and which supports workers rights (it isnt perfect, but it's the best thing we've got at the moment). It seems to me that as grown ups we should also be prepared to suppport knit publishers and knit publications which also operate on a fair trade basis. I have written to Vogue Knitting to tell them so (email below) and I urge you to do the same.

Hello

Did you know that the blog world is talking about you and the way that you treat designers? (see: Ysolda Teague's blog, and Anne Modesitt's blog). I'm joining my fellow knitters and knit designers and walking away from your patterns and magazines until you begin to treat your designers more fairly. Why would I support Vogue Knitting over the Twist Collective or Ravelry or IK?

You know, the fair trade movement has been pretty powerful in relation to food staples (coffee, tea, sugar, bananas) and is now starting to shape the fashion industry. How about a bit of fair trade in the knitting world?

New Year New Mojo?

2009-01-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

Mid winter goblins have been at work in Edinburgh this year. One of them moved my mojo, and I havent yet recovered the poor wee thing. I've been trying to coax it out of hiding with a couple of quick projects, but alas, alack without my mojo both of those small things were sent off to the frog pond.

Something will rescue me soon I hope. There's unblogged Christmas knitting to report and lovely knitterly gifts to tell you about. Soon my lovelies, soon.

Lucky

2008-12-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

Anyone who hangs out in the knitblogoverse will have seen numerous posts over the last week giving thanks for various aspects of life. As a britblogger there's no thanksgiving to prompt these sentiments, but I wanted to join in for other reasons.

I'm Lucky. Lucky because I have a job, a home, a loving husband, an adorable son and all the material things which make life more than comfortable. I'm saying this for two reasons - firstly, because it's true, and secondly because I am engaging in a concerted period of positive thinking.

The reason for this is deeply personal, and if I explain it, then I will also account for my absence over the last month. 3 weeks ago I had a miscarriage, my third in 6 months - all of them lost in the earliest stages (5-6 weeks) along with the hope that they had brought. I had some time off work, I stayed at home and lost myself in domestic life - baking, knitting, shopping, tidying. It was a brief interlude in a hectic work schedule and I am glad that I listened to my husband and my GP who told me to stop and take some time.

For someone who researches for a living, it's tempting at these times to read and digest all that the internet, message boards, cranky organisations and the medical establishment has to say about recurrent miscarriage and its causes. Last night, it struck me that I should tackle this in the way that I - and many other women - tackled the prospect and reality of labour, by thinking positively about it. Hypno birthing and the words of Ina May Gaskin prove (to me at least) that physiological processes are affected by psychological ones, and that it's possible to use this to your advantage. When I was labouring with the bean, I used the mantra 'I trust my body' to reinforce a belief that I could birth my baby gently, at home in the way that I wanted. It worked well - my son was born under water into my hands, 20 hours after SROM, and I managed the entire labour without drugs, just TENS and water for pain relief. It was amazing, and I found the birth a very empowering event.

Coming back to the present, my mantra is still 'I trust my body' but I'm adding other thoughts too: 'I'm lucky' is another. I want to DO something to increase the chances that there wont be any more miscarriages, and this seems a good way to go. We're booked into the local hospital for tests in the New Year, but I'm hoping we won't need them.

Tottie Tank Tops Two

2008-10-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Winter is here - I'm chilly inside the house and yesterday DH had to work in the snow! I'm not sure what happened to autumn - I think it blew away in the gales. The crazy weather is no doubt a sign of the terrible things we are doing to our planet.

Regardless of the weather outside, my needles have been clacking away and I've managed to finish two stripey tank tops (age 3-4) from the Rowan Family Collection. Between the two I managed to bust almost 3 balls of Jaeger matchmaker DK (left over from DH's Celt) and 2 balls of Patons DK (I think) out of the stash. A modest inroad, but it was worth it. I love these tottie tank tops!

I knit both flat (as instructed) using 4mm dpns (not mentioned in the instructions), so that there was no need to cut the yarn in order to achieve the original stripe pattern. I also changed the shoulder shaping on the second tank - and rather than cast off 3 stitches on one row and the last 2 on the following row, I just cast them all off together. I dont think such refinements are required in this pattern or for boys of this age. The different stripe pattern on the second tank (light grey with dark grey stripes) was dictated (or inspired!) by the yarn available.

Both tanks are nestling in the gift stash ready for despatch. I tried the first one on the bean the other day - he's 21 months now - and although the tank was big on him, it was quite wearable. As a result I decided that the smallest size (3-4) would do for a 2yr olds birthday, and immediately cast on for the second tank. All in all I think the second one took about 2-3 evenings to knit and one to finish. The bean will get one too once I've got a few other things out of the way...!

Between tanks I managed a bit of WIP wrestling and finished the first sleeve on the bobble cardigan. One sleeve and one front to go, so the end is in sight (yoohoo). Yesterday I cast on for another gift project - some child's mittens from 'Hats, Scarves, Gloves'. I'm knitting both mittens at the same time, and I'm already up to the thumbs. Thumbs, is it hallowe'en yet?

Autumn knitting & babies

2008-10-15T01:54:00.000-07:00

Well, the autumnal air has done something to me, and I just had to pick up some odds and ends of copper coloured yarn and knit myself an autumn. I decided to go with the gift pouches in last minute knitted gifts, and turned out two in no time at all.

These are knit with an unknown yarn that I inherited from my grandmother. It's soft and light and has a slight sheen. I knit the first one as instructed, fastening the base with a 3 needle bind off. For the second bag, I decided that I preferred a seamless look and used good old Kitchener to close the base.

With those out of the way (filed in the gift stash) I started ferreting for another project (completely ignoring the current WIPs..). With various small birthdays coming up (one aged 3, 2 aged 2) I thought I would get started on a stripey tank from the Rowan Family book. It's proving to be a quick and addictive knit (I've finished the back, and I'm up to the armholes & neck shaping on the front). It's made much easier by knitting flat using DPNs - this means I can manage the one row stripes without having to cut the yarn. I'm already planning to knit another one or two of these - they look so good...

Finally, huge CONGRATULATIONS to friends Helen & Stephen who recently welcomed a new daughter to the family. Baby Iona was born at home in a pool - the same pool that her older brother Digby was born in, and the same pool that our little bean was born in! Welcome little one - cant wait to meet you!

Edited to add:
Congratulations also to Gayle - a near neighbour - who had a little girl on Sunday last. Her son Jack is a day younger than the bean and we shared many coffees and chats about baby things in the early months. We bumped into her on Saturday: she was ready to pop and slightly trepidatious about the prospect (Jack was a breech baby and born by c/s) but with a head down baby this time, she was all set for a normal delivery. Go girl.

Catch up #3: socks again

2008-10-10T03:10:00.000-07:00

Despite the disappointment of the yarn shopping in Denmark, a couple of weeks ago I went to see my parents. Because of building works at home, the bean and I spent a week in the Marches where I grew up. While we were there, we nipped over to Hay-on-Wye - a small market town, nestling high on the banks of the river, and just across the border in Wales. Hay is most famous for its numerous second hand bookshops, and latterly its literary festival. I just know it for its crooked lanes and stone cottages - the same today as 30 years ago.

While we were there I stopped in at bedecked - which not only has scrumptious buttons, but also has Rowan, Colinette and other delicious yarns. I fondled quite a few things, but nothing asked to be carried away home. Just across the way on the other side of Back Fold, I stopped in at another shop - a cooperative of weavers, spinners and knitters, which has many wonderful things inside. Some handpainted sock yarn - an alpaca merino mix - looked rather good, was well priced and just had to come home with me.

Its from Jenny Cook in Gladestry, and feels lovely. I couldnt wait to wind the skeins. I'm itching to cast on for some new socks, but I must finish Other Things. humph.

Catch up #2: socks

2008-10-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

We were on holiday at the end of August, staying with some very hospitable friends in Denmark. They live in a farmhouse at Selso, close to Skibby and less than an hour from Copenhagen. While we were there I planned to revisit a Copenhagen yarn shop I spied last time we were in Denmark, but events conspired against me and I didnt make it. I settled instead for the offerings of the local supermarket in Skibby, which had sock yarn with aloe vera, very reasonably priced too! Not bad for a dinky place in the Danish countryside - I dont think there are many British supermarkets with yarn, let alone sock yarn....

I bought 4 balls - two plain, two variegated. A couple of weeks ago, I cast on with the variegated yarn to make myself some (more) socks. As usual, I kept things short in the leg and kept my fingers crossed as I made the second sock. Bingo. It worked. A pair of socks in less than 50g.

To make things even better, I asked my mum to try the first sock on when I was visiting the other week. It fit, so rather than put the completed pair in my sock drawer, I've put them in the gift stash ready for you know what. Christmas.

Catch up #1: smitten

2008-10-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

There's so much to catch up on that I'll have to pace myself.... Well. The ravelympics were a disaster. I didnt really get off the start line, and neither of the WIPs I was meant to be wrestling were. They are still WIPS. My excuse? The Olympics distracted me. A Lot. I was too excited/busy shouting to knit. It was fantastic - we were an Olympic house morning, noon and night. We cant wait till London 2012. It. Will. Be. Great.

One of the things that distracted me at that point in August were mittens. I managed to borrow a copy of Zoe Mellors 'big book of kids knits' from the library and set to work making as many pairs of mittens as I could from a large ball of lilac yarn that I bought in a charity shop. It ran to 4 pairs. Here are 3. Cute eh?

I also started knitting the bobble cardigan (but without the bobbles) from the same book for the bean. This is also charity shop yarn - and is knitting up fine (although I did have to change needle size to get gauge). But it does make me sneeze and give me itchy eyes, so I've come to a bit of a stand still. I cant decide whether to skein the unknit yarn and wash it before carrying on, or just carry on....

Eco-Emergency

2008-08-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

Today I received a stark email from the new economics foundation entitle '100 months'. The message is this: we have 100 months to stop climate change.

Eeek.

A good reason to knit a hat...

2008-07-25T04:10:00.000-07:00

I just saw this and wanted to share it. Save the Children are asking people to knit hats for newborns.

FOs & WIP: three hats and a jam sandwich

2008-07-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was the eco-buzz that started it, but over the weekend I had the urge to cast on for another scrap hat. This one was requested by my brother sometime last winter, but other things (you know: socks... baby things...er, things) have been getting in the way. I've been in a bit of a knitting funk with it, and have found it hard to put down, despite having to do mildly inconvenient things like go to work and sleep. Anyhoo, I'm now onto the crown shaping and will soon be at the top. I think - but I'm not sure - that my brother wanted his hat to come with a lining, so that will follow. Here's a sneak preview...

And here are the 2 baby beanies I mentioned last time, now safely filed in the gift stash.

Whatever our failings in the gardening department, our raspberries are a huge success. Day after day we pick the ripe red jewels, thanking heaven that something is growing and ripening in this confusion of a summer.... the bean has developed quite a taste for fresh raspberry, and now hangs about at the top of the lawn hoping that someone will pick some for him. At not quite 18 months he hasnt quite got the requisite skill or discernment required for picking rasps himself - but he knows how to eat them.

Last week we were running out of freezer space, so 2kg of berries were 'preserved' in the traditional way: as raspberry jam. Yum.

Shhhh......Can you hear it? There's a jam sandwich calling me. Better go.

Eco-buzz

2008-07-18T04:27:00.000-07:00

For some reason reading the ecologist and greenfutures always invokes a feeling of urgency and a need to do something that minute. It's an energising thing and I love the eco-buzz.

Recently I've found a few corners of the blogiverse that share in this need to take action. Wardrobe Refashion and Sew Green are just two that keep cropping up. Perhaps I should take the wardrobe refashion pledge? I'm not far off it really - I havent bought any new clothes for about a year, although I have been given some new things for birthdays & christmas (thanks mum!) . But I have bought plenty of charity shop things, and I turned a ripped pair of my jeans into a cool pair of toddler trousers for the bean. I've also been making a conscious effort to wear a greater variety of the clothes that I own already.

Last week I had to go to London for work, and travelled on the train (>4 hours in each direction, and I went down and back in one day!). On the way down I worked and on the way back I knitted. I managed to finish one baby beanie and get most of the way through another (brim to start of crown shaping). As the stash of baby hats was almost gone, I thought I would use up a few odds and ends of yarn. I'll post the pattern sometime...

FO: Polka dot cardigan and the interloping scarf

2008-07-02T02:16:00.000-07:00

She's finished (finally). The polka dot cardigan (Rowan Babies) with no polka dots. Knitted for little Harper Hope born on June 9th. Welcome little one, and congratulations to mum and dad Pam & Dan!

I think it looks fairly gorgeous even without the polka dots. The trim is knitted in a stash busting oddment of Jaeger 4ply, and the rest is knitted in Rowan's organic cotton (DK weight). The buttons are vintage from the button box I inherited from my grandmother.

It took a lot longer than I planned. First, I ran out of yarn and had to buy an extra ball of Rowan's organic cotton. Then, I came to the sewing up bit. It just seemed to take ages, and there was a project burning a hole in my stash, so I'm afraid I allowed myself to be diverted by yet another Purl Scarf (from last-minute knitted gifts), aka the interloping scarf.

I love these scarves - I think this is the third one I've made. It's gone into the gift stash (or long range planning department as the yarn harlot would call it), although I'm tempted to nab it for myself. I used 2 balls of Patons Soho (closing down sale, £1 per ball I think), one ball of mystery DK yarn and half a ball of turquoise lace-weight mohair (both acquired from charity shop raids). I've got a bit of a thing for bluey-turquoisey colours.

Now that the tennis (Wimbledon) is in full swing, I need some knitting to keep my hands busy while I watch (come on Andy!!). I ought to pick up the lacy shrug again - it's aged 3-4, so it ought to be quick, but I've already ripped back one front because I got the pattern wrong (doh!).

Finally, today is my 3rd wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary my love.