The Waking The Dead Neck Warmer

The Neck Warmer is completed! It took approx an hour and three quarters. I was knitting slowly, watching the TV, drinking tea and taking my time!! When completed I didn't think it would fit, but it does. If I did it again, I might make it slightly larger and perhaps a repeat longer. Roll on the cold weather so I can wear it! Tomorrow I shall make the beret, again this is another 'it only takes an hour to do'. I've got two more episodes of Waking the Dead to watch, so I have an appointment with the sofa and the TV! It is an easy pattern to follow, without a doubt!

The pattern is The Speedy Cabled Cowl, take a look!

The Hour Challenge!

I've found a pattern for a cowl/neck warmer and matching beret, done in Big Softie, of which I have ten balls of (recently frogged). The patterns says the cowl can be done in an hour. I'm up for that, fits my criteria today. To appease my guilt of starting another project, I have cleared my table in my knitting room - it has not seen daylight for a few months. I even found reciepts from March at the bottom of the pile.......

So, a cowl in an hour? Whilst watching 'Waking the Dead' I think - hurrah for V+! Batty is going to be finished tonight (hopefully, not counting the sewing up!).

Right I'm off, tea has mashed, needles and yarn are on the sofa, and that is where I am heading!

Sense and non-sensibilities!

I am having urges to cast on lots of projects. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. The sensible side of me (sensible - yerwot??!!) says not to. But then the Naughty Knitter (yay for Naughty Knitter!) says it's okay to cast on one or two small projects, seeing how I'm on leave this week......

Since starting Batty, I've only cast on one thing, sorry two things. A square for Macmillan Cancer and a shawl/cape thingy. The cape was inspired by the green eyed knitter in me. My friend Linda was wearing hers. I wanted one. It seemed provident that Linda had given me a few balls of the very same yarn for my birthday last year, that she had done hers in - Noro Silk Garden..... drool. It didn't take me long to decide to make one. So at the last Knit Chicks, I heavily picked Linda's brain..... how many stitches, how long, how wide, how many balls.........

I'm thinking of adding an edging to it. But I need more yarn. Noro Silk Garden, colourway 87, lot F, check your stashes!!!!!

I'm also tempted to cast on another hat. I've seen one in a magazine, I'm not a totally 100% of it though, perhaps that should hold me back. Then again, I've time to have a look for another jaw dropping one...... then spend more time digging through the ole stash to find a suitable yarn.....

......or I could finish Batty, and not feel so guilty about starting something new.......

Spicy Rhubarb Cake

Spicy Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients
5 oz softened butter, plus a bit more for greasing
10 oz/300g self raising flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
4 oz /100g dark muscovado sugar
9 oz/250g golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of Soda
2 eggs, beaten
10oz/300g rhubarb cut into short strips

Method

Heat oven to gm4/160-180c

Put the kettle on

Butter and line a deep 20cm square cake tin
Sift the flour and the spices

Beat the butter and the sugar, (I used a food processor) until light and fluffy, then beat in the golden syrup.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of Soda in 200ml of boiling water, then gradually add to the mix.

Gradually (or pulse) add the flour, then the eggs.

remove the bowl from the processor and gently add the rhubarb. I had to put the mix into another bowl before adding the rhubarb as my processor bowl isn't too big.

Pour mix into the prepared cake tin

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the cake feels firm to the touch and springs back when pressed.

Leave to cool in tin for five minutes before turning out

If you don't eat it all on the day, it may only last up to three days, due to the rhubarb.

Either eat in it's own, with custard, ice cream or some spicy cream!

Succumbing to Alan Dart

I've been brainwashed. I used to have Simply Knitting on subscription, now I just buy it every now and then. Every issue they feature an Alan Dart project. Every month I think 'pffh!' But now I'm in the predicament that there are now two, yes two projects of his that I want to do!! What is happening? Is that I'm (take a deep breath) 41 now and my head is changing with out any say so from me?

I was so took up with the latest project that on Sunday I went through to Hobby Craft in Wolverhampton to get some yarn to cast on with - 100% acrylic at that!! Got home, sat in the garden and cast on......

The projects - Batty Bat and Wilhemena Witch..... watch this space for photos......

Water That Runs In The Wrong Place

We've sprung a leak in the gennel (the entry) between us and next door. It's water this time. So last night HobbitKeeper and Mr & Mrs Neighbour started digging. I looked on and kept the workers in tea.

This is the offending pipe, now temporarily lagged with an old tea towel. The water was turned off at the mains, but that doesn't seem to have made too much difference to the water flow, such is the quality of Severn Trents taps. HobbitKeeper and Mr N went out yesterday evening to get a new joint, or elbow in plumbers speak. But to no avail. The problem is that the pipe going into the elbow is an old metal one (just can't remember what sort of metal...) and the pipe going out is a relatively new (about 15 years old) blue plastic one. On top of that metric and imperialistic stuff, I managed to glean that one part of elbow is female - to the old pipe, and the other end is male.

Here are some interesting buckets of sludge that came out of the aforementioned hole.

It's a bit tricky without running water. Or water that is running in the wrong place. I went to the Big A this morning after dropping HobbitKeeper off at work and got 6 2litre bottles of their best cheapest water - 13 pence a bottle. I've two unopened bottles left. The Chooks had one bottle - I told them they were Very Posh Chooks today as they were having bottled water. Good job they can't read as they would realise that it isn't posh water really, just cheapo water.

Another bottle went down the loo. This doesn't work like flushing. It only dilutes. I am considering going back to the Big A to use their facilities, unless I can hold on till I get to work this afternoon.......

But I have water for tea! Rhinog has a full bowl of water. I can wash the pots after heating the water in the kettle. And The Chooks have had some peas and corn.

This is the hole about a yard and a half away from where I took the first picture. I must mention that Mr & Mrs Neighbour are very well equiped for all sorts of domestic disasters! They have an electric light on a long cord (the wire of which can be seen on the picture). Also the blue thing is a suction thingy which they normally use to suck all the water out of their ponds. Along with a square of carpet to kneel on!

HobbitKeeper did unearth a bone whilst he was digging. Only one mind you. No Victorian Murder Mystery in our gennel. Not that I know to anyway any way! I think that may have effected getting the water back on again if there was. But it would have been damn interesting if there was a Victorian Murder Mystery!

This is Rhinog telling me telling me that something is happening in the gennel. He's a sharp one!

Ziggy and Birthday Socks

Here is a self portrait of one pair of my Birthday Socks. They were made for me by my special friend Lee (Luneray). They are wonderful!! I finished my Ziggy hat last week. I'm very pleased with it and has spurted me on to make more hats! Ziggy is designed by Woolly Wormhead.

I bought the yarn from Joyce Cook at WonderWool Wales 2009. It is hand dyed and very scrummy! I bought two other skeins in a purple colourway, so watch this space!!