Friday 29 April 2011

A bit more Boho than Boohoo

Last night I had very nearly finished the lime scarf. The last row didn't work out, I had two stitches left over. I was too tired to pull it back and try and suss out where I went wrong. I have spent time doing that today. And deciding how much longer I wanted it. I don't think I've been too switched on to it today. I have got all the increases and decreases sorted and how many extra repeats I have to do in the middle to make it longer. I frogged it half way down and started again. I'm going to do an extra 14 or 15 stitch pattern repeats in the centre. I've done two so far.

It is a pretty scarf and I like the colour. I shall Keep Calm and Carry On Knitting.

I was going to download some photo's but I think my memory card is finally giving up the ghost. Bugger!

Tuesday 26 April 2011

A Bit Boho Scarf

I've started making a scarf, very similar to, if not a variation of a Baktus. I started it in lime and raspeberry solid stripes, two ridges a colour (ie 4 rows of each). I was happy with the form of it, but the colours! As much as I do like the two colours and think they go together, they just didn't sit right to me as solid stripes. This bothered me, and I had done about 12". All I could hear was a plethora of voices in my mind telling me that if I wasn't happy with it, then I probably wouldn't wear it, even if I finished it. Nuff said. It got frogged and I chose to do the scarf in lime. Which is a similar colour to my Yarn Gathering Scarf, but a very different yarn.

The yarn I'm doing it in is Yarnfield, it is all acrylic, so will wash easily, and suit the current budget! Next I will try this pattern in the yarn that I got from the Knitting Club, that is lighter and I have hope that it will knit up good.

I'm itching to play with my stash, but the time is not yet nigh for this activity. I keep dreaming of a big room, with a rocking chair that I can have as my knitting play room........

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Mary-Jane and The Rusk

I took these this afternoon, of Mary-Jane eating the aforementioned Farleys Rusk. She is watching the Magic Box (TV) behind me, so not overly interested in what I am doing. The flash did get ther attention! Mary-Jane's hair is growing thicker and a little bit longer now - and seemingly changing colour as she gets older. When she was born she had very dark hair, now it is becoming a golden brown. HK says that I'm not to say that she has a hint of ginger to it.........She's beautiful whatever the colour of her hair!





Soup Lunch

Today Beckermet WI held their first Soup Lunch at the Reading Room. It was a scorching hot day. I was volunteered to do the washing up, which I did. There was four soups in the offing - Rough Vegetable, Smooth Veg, Bean & Bacon and Carrot & Coriander. The Rough Veg was by far the most popular, although it seemed that everyone enjoyed whichever they had. It is called 'Rough' as it has not been pureed - hence making it 'smooth'. Now I dont know if the terms rough and smooth are terms that the Soup Maker uses or are locally used terms. Apparantly they may not be local to here. I'm curious to find out where from. I'm also curious for the recipe of the rough - it's apparantly on the trusty t'internet! It's very tasty, mark my words!

I've not done any baking since the Bake-athon last week. Oh apart from 16 Rice Crispie cakes - do they really count as baking? I think they do in certain circles. I'm a bit baked out at the moment. Perhaps a rest would be good to re-charge the juices.

I won a prize in the raffle - a box of Quality Street, which now adorns the top of the book case. Lucky Me!

MJ's 9 Month Development Check

MJ has had her 9 month developmental check. Albeit she is just 8 months old, apparantly these checks have a little lee-way on them. Mary-Jane is developing very well. She chatters alot and makes lots of sounds - dadadadada and babababababa are her favourites at the moment, along with blowing bubbles and making a clicking sound with her tongue. She is quite a happy child. The skin on her face is healing well at the moment, it is probably about the best it has been. However her back is flaring up quite badly and this is spreading to her front. She has exzema and parts of this are fungal. Her skin is responding well to a cocktail of clotrimazole, hydrocortisone 1% and diprobase.

Mary-Jane's skin is very fair so needs lots of protection from the sun. The Health Visitor, Sarah, has encouraged us to expand Mary-Jane's food and to try her on more lumpier things. Today for the first time she properly seemed to enjoy a Farleys Rusk as a finger food, although the sofa got a good share of the rusk as well! She has also tried cheese today and seemed to like that too.

We have been given a Bookstart pack, including a couple of books and many reasons why books, nursery rhymes and singing and talking to baby are so important. There are Music and Movement groups on a Friday, one in Cleator Moor and one in Gosforth that we can attend, which I think we will. A lot of people speak highly of these type of groups. Once the Easter Holidays are over and the groups re-start, MJ shall be going to one of these and a Play group. It would be good if MJ could make friends before the Summer Break.

Tuesday 19 April 2011

New Knitting Club

Yesterday I went to a new (to me) Knitting Club in Whitehaven. It ran for 2 hours in the afternoon. I was welcomed and there was also another lady there for the first time. The club have a stall at the Farmers Market in Egremont and sell their wares there. The monies raised go back into the club. I'm not sure of all the ins and outs of that side of it. Raised funds go towards buying more yarn to make more products and to days out and maybe a Christmas Lunch. Things are also made for Shoe Box appeals.

The ladies seemed interested in my cloths and I said I'd bring some down next time for them to have a look at, as they may be ideal for the stall. They were also interested in my shawl - the Gothic Prague one. These shawls are quick and easy to make, so may also be a contender. I'm not really sure what sells on the stall and what doesn't - all in good time.

The ladies invited me to go to Zumba with them, on a different day. A couple go to Yoga, before the group. It's also held in the same building. I was given some yarn that had been purchased at a car boot - Wendy Capri, very similar to Sirdar Tiny Tots. At the moment I'm thinking of making a small shoulder shawl, neck scarf. I've found a pattern, but must finish the cloths first!

Sunny Walking and Knitting

Mary-Jane was tired this morning but wasn't having any of being in her crate (bed) so the next best thing to get her to sleep is a walk. It was a beautiful sunny morning. I bundled MJ into her buggy, along with her pram blankie that was knitted for her by Sylvia. It's a very pretty blankie using lots of summer colours. Ideal for the walk. Along with funky sunhat, MJ was ready. I knew it wouldn't be long before MJ would be asleep, so my mind was ticking. I could walk into the village and have a seat in the park and do some knitting, as long as Mary-Jane was asleep. Knitting was soon stashed in my bag - a backscrubber for Auntie Ann-in-America and I was off. True to form, Mary-Jane dosed off within minutes of setting off. In fairness she must have been asleep for nearly an hour altogether. We walked down Nursery Road . I always seem to call it Nursery Lane. Why it is called Nursery Road I don't know yet, but I do know it has been called that for a very long time. It was lovely to see the plants starting to come into bloom, mainly the gorse on the side of the road, at the moment. The daffs are starting to get past their best. Their are some small flowers as well, the name of which I don't know.

By the time we reached the park, Mary-Jane was still fast asleep, looking as cute as ever. The park is a tranquil place to sit. I have only seen one other mum and child using the park and that was today. I got myself comfy on the bench and listened to the beck. This is the beck looking to the right of me



And this is looking to the left.






And this is where I made myself comfy! I sat quite happily for 20 or 30 minutes before Mary-Jane started rousing and it was time to go. I think I'm going to like benches and these sort of walks. It's handy to have small projects that will fit in a bag. And it's really therapeutic and calming for me. But in surroundings like this, how can it be anything other than relaxing?












Thursday 7 April 2011

Pepper-ami and a new Dress

This is Pepper-Ami - she's a bit of an animal! The kit was free in this months Lets Knit! It said it could be done in an evening, which I think is do-able, not that I did it in an evening - it didn't take long. The eyes are a bit dodgy and may well need re-stitching soon. Mary-Jane likes playing with it and that is what counts. I may have to make another doll. In a while.
We called it Pepper-Ami as when I was sewing it up, it looked like a pepperami, nothing more to it than that.......


I have finished another playtop for Mary-Jane. This is the same pattern as the previous one that I had all the tension problems with. The yarn is from Lidl and very reasonably priced. The ball was 400g so there is tons and tons left. I think it is pretty. Needless to say, MJ shall be wearing it tomorrow! My next project will be some back scrubber cloths for AnnInAmerica. Then after that I shall start an Alphabet Blanket for my cousin who is is expecting her first baby in November. I'm looking forward to doing this project, although I'm sure I'll do a few smaller ones along the way. I was given one of these blankets at my baby shower, knitted by my Knitty friend Christine. I wrapped MJ in it when she came home from the hospital. I also have used it rather alot since, so it sentimental to me.

Saturday 2 April 2011

Cloths for Sally

My dear friend Sally is going into hospital tomorrow for a major operation. A hospital stay wouldn't be quite right without some new cloths. My needles have been whirring over the last week or two to do some and get them sent off, in between baking. All the patterns are from 'Cloth of the Week', a yahoo group, ran by the good people of Peaches and Creme yarns. I did two back scrubber and two cloths.
Crystal Blue Persuasion Heart Filled Ensemble
Fantzia Bath Ensemble
Diamonds PlusIt reminded me how much I LOVE doing cloths!

Garden Update

The garden where we are now is much, much bigger than our previous one. Ian has made one veg bed. About a week ago, he planted a crop of 36 early spuds, I can't remember the type. Mary-Jane and I looked on, in traditional fashion. Well nearly traditional. I didn't put any spuds in the ground and there was no knitting in sight! However in true Chook Style, Ian had plenty of close range help from the chooks. In increasing numbers when they realised he was digging as well. Clever me has deleted the photo though...... This is the soft fruit bed. Needs a lot of work to clear and prune, but there are soft fruit plants in there. Can't wait, I love soft fruit and all the yummy things that can be done with them. I can't do picutes of the garden, without showing Mary-Jane. She does seem to enjoy being outside, which delights us both.
Ah, another picture of HK planting the spuds. With a lot more help than what he wanted. In the end there was about 8 chooks lending their services.

This area is designated to be the compost area. It is such a great shame on this level that we left the old house when we did. The compost that we had done was so rich and well tended, it would have been excellent. We couldn't bring it with us. Time to start again. We shall have lots of strawberries. Plants have been found in the garden and new ones have been bought. HK has planted these and put them on top of part of the chicken run. This will also afford the chooks a little shade - and a lot of temptation! They will be netted (the plants not the chooks!) so the wild birds won't eat the fruit.
The Girls, taking a breather in the edge of the soft fruit bed. They seem to like it here. They can get the sun and be a bit protected.
The chooks at the moment aren't laying much, about two or three eggs a day. Perhaps spending too much time enjoying the sunshine?!