Sunday 28 September 2008

Heel Turning and Lack of Chrimbo Biccies!

The weather was good yesterday, so I was sat out in the garden, making progress on sock number 2. I'm just starting to turn the heel now. I want to get cracking with it this afternoon - especially as there is an old Carry On film on the idiot box. I'm also quite tempted to get the extreme needles out as well, but may need most of the sofa!

I got my first Christmas Biscuit Tin of the year yesterday - and the second today - unfotunately there was only two layers of biccies instead of three, but how do you prove that if you took it back to the shop??!! So yes I don't keep the biccies till Christmas, unless I buy them just prior to Christmas. I don't count September as just before Christmas!

Wednesday 24 September 2008

Carol's 60th Birthday

On Friday it was Carol's 60th Birthday Party. Carol hosts The Knitterati in her home. It is a beautiful place, relaxing and therapeutic.

For some months I have been organising a Friendship Blanket for her. All the squares are made by members of the Knitterati - knitted, gathered and crocheted together (by Linda) in total secrecy. I'm really pleased with the Blanket! It truly reflects everyone's skills and tastes in such a unique way. The theme of the Blanket was 'Carol' - any colour, any stitch that she inspired you. The squares are 9" x 9" and there are 60 in total, one for each of her years. There are a couple of late entry squares and I shall see if I can make a cushion cover with them for Carol.



At the Party, Carol laid on a wonderful lunch, followed by strawberries and cream, then followed by Birthday Cake with candles that spelled her name. I went outside to eat my strawbs, this is the view.
In case you're wondering why my feet are in the picture, this is where I was sat, enjoying all!


This is the room where The Knitterati is held, well about two thirds of it. Fabulous!

The day was a really beautiful day. A gathering of women, sharing a passion for knitting and their friendship. One of those days that you wish you could bottle and keep forever!
Happy Birthday Carol! I hope you get to see all the Cathedrals!



Thursday 18 September 2008

The Next Few Days

The next few days are going to be quite busy for me, but all in a nice way!

Today I'm off up town to meet Rachel and Hayley for coffee, this afternoon Sally is coming round for a bit. This evening I need to pack my bags for the weekend and tidy my knitting room so it can double up as a Guest Room.

Tomorrow, it's Carol's 60th Birthday knitterati
Monday is an Interview for the Forensic Bank at St Georges. Tuesday is back to work.

Hopefully a pictorial journey will follow!

Saturday 13 September 2008

Clapper Board Socks and Extreme Needles

The Sock Bug is nibbling at me, and I'm very patiently allowing myself to 'get into' knitting socks. Buying and acquiring loads of sock yarn was the easy bit. The first pair I've named 'The Clapper Board Socks'. This is because I'm on at least the third attempt.

The first sock was completed, but fit HobbitKeeper apart from being abit tight over the arch of the foot. I'd made them for me. Ribbit.

The second take, I decided to do on DPN's. Nothing at all, no nothing at all to do with the fact that that very day I had recieved a set of Knit Picks Harmony DPN's for socks. Let me get that clear, ahem! So happily away I went, in the comapny of HobbitKeeper and a Knitty friend, Sally (who I went to the NEC with). One inch of 2x2 rib later, I realised that I hadn't concentrated when casting on and dividing that amount of stitches. 64 stitches over three needles, does not equate to 30 stitiches on two needles and 34 on the third. Ribbit. Growl.



So this is the third attempt. It's going well so far. I couldn't be diddled to do 6" of 2x2 rib, so only did 2" and went onto stocking stitch after that. I'm tentatively quite pleased so far. Oh and yes it is Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn. Well spotted. And yes the needles are Knit Picks Harmony DPN's. Did I mention that I got some??!!


Now then, these rather large beauties are my Extreme Needles, with a 400g ball of yarn. I put the afore mentioned socks in just so you can get an idea of the size!!




Wowsers, can't wait to have a go on them!

Friday 12 September 2008

Knitting and Stitching Show, NEC

I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at the NEC Yesterday. Despite there being varied stands there, I went primarily for the knitting side of things. I was a little disappointed that there was not more knitting and knitting related stands. I did enjoy what was there and spent a small fortune to boot. I enjoyed looking at the Seamans project hats, wonderful and creative hats they were, although I think if any sailors wore a couple of them, then they would have to have had a good sense of humour!

I did a workshop on Creative Knitting. This was knitting a sample square using two different yarns, ribbon, wire and some beads. It's something I could have done at home, but hey now, I can say I've knitted with wire, beads and ribbon!

I purchased five balls of sock yarn, yes five.... ten balls of Debbie Bliss 'Soho' earmarked for felting, a book about felted bags and a Pair of Extreme Knitting Needles.

These needles are 24mm and are 700mm long. Not for the fainthearted. Today I want to gather yarn to have a play with these needles. At least ten threads of yarn at a time. I at last see a Stash Buster for all those balls of novelty yarns! I purchased them from Rachel John. The rugs and throws she had on display were amazing! So watch this space!

The ladies from Knit'n'Caboodle were vey helpful, approachable and chatty, so a big thumbs up to you!

I came home quite tired, luckily I wasn't driving, but oh my! the M6 and the M42 were, well shall we just say there had been a major accident requiring the air ambulance, so it took about three hours to get 3o odd miles. That's the M6 on a bad day and I hope all involved in the accident are healing.

The Monster bag is Finished!

The Monster Bag is Finished!! Hobbit Keeper thought I was knitting a sleeping bag - indeed it could have been a childs sleeping bag!

This is me trying the bag on, yes it was actually of a size that it could have been worn as a dress.....



HobbitKeeper just looking at the bag in amazement, with a look of, well, how big is it? Is it really going to be a bag? Has Hobbit lost the plot even further? How do I praise her for this one?!

TAAA-DAAAAAAAA! One felted Monster Bag!!!!!





The lovely square base of the bag. I shall use this technique again, perhaps with finer yarn and narrower stripes to emphasise the effect.



I love the bag and am chuffed to bits with it!! It had it's Virgin Outing to Knit Chicks on Monday, and yes it can hold at least one kitchen sink, with ease!



Thursday 4 September 2008

Socks and the Monster Bag Grows

The monster bag is coming on, casting off to start the handles, so hopefully again, it will be the weekend when it gets felted. Then What next? Have at least one bag to do for someone else. I succumbed to Noro Sock yarn, two skeins, note to self, must make some socks, have got loads of scrummy yarn, including some rather gorgeous yarn sent to me from Lee for my Birthday........ have seen a pattern for some over the knee socks..........

Tuesday 2 September 2008

Saturday Night at the Kings Arms

I'm trying to get back on track with blogging, and squeezing in time to be here! I'm thinking ''what have I got to write about"?! Loads I suppose, I've always got something to talk about!


I've had two long days at work (07.30 - 21.15 is long in my books!). This was preceeded by a very sleepless noisy night on Saturday. Saturday evening was lovely. HobbitKeeper and I spent the evening in the garden, had tea out there (dry roasted veg and a cheese escolope, followed by strawberries and cream, yum yum), then went to bed about 10ish ready for a busy week.


Once in bed all we could hear was noise from the pub across the road. It's usually a very quiet pub on a queit street, an 'old mans' pub, where you go for a drink and to talk to people. Well, the noise was made by lots of people stood outside the pub, talking loudlyand bloody singing. Okay I thought, they will calm soon. Wrong. They carried on and carried on and carried on some more. Getting louder. Me getting growlier.


Just after 1AM it all erupted, the inevitable fight and all the noise that ensues. It was the Landlord fighting with someone. Did I mention that I didn't recognise anyone outside the pub ( I looked several times!). The police arrived, not that they appeared to be overly good at quelling the situation or dispersing people. Then an ambulance arrived as someone inside had collapsed.


By 2Am, the student across the road, the other names I have for him are definitely not polite, decided to plug his bass into his amp and start playing it so loud that it drowned the sound of the drunks outside the pub. By this point I was sat on the side of the bed, holding my head, frustrated, tired and nearly in tears, no sleep and with the prospect of getting up in just over three hours.


HobbitKeeper and I got dressed (did I mention that HK was really not in a good mood at all?!) HK went across the road and banged on the students door and shouted 'OI Jimmy Paige, knock it off!' and a few other non-repeatable words. The bass got turned down quiet, but not completely off.


The noise outside the pub started to hush down by half two.


When I came home Sunday Night, the landlord was outside the pub, looking worse for wear, with two women, talking to a third in a car, about the events of the night before and how he'd been wronged. I was ready to explode. Normally its a wave and a 'hello', but I had all on not to go and give him a piece of my mind. I held off. Not worth having a go at someone who's drunk and got an audience. My time will come. And I shall look forward to it.