Am I mad??

I saw this jumper in The Stitcher Mag and loved it, however the wool suggested was Ewe Baa Ram at £17 a hank!! Wow you needed 9 altogether, at that price it was right out; however I search around for a yarn I could use and looked at Drops. I found this Drops Flora which is a mixture of wool and alpaca and bought it from Purple Sheep costing £1.90, 10p less than Wool Warehouse. I even worked out how many metres (yards) I needed and so have only bought what I need.. 

I have finished the socks,  annoyingly having wasted a good length of the wool for the second sock, to make sure they matched which they did,  but then after the heel turn, the colours mis-matched.

I shall post these off with a note tucked in the toe of one, just so he can buy himself a Costa coffee and cake, which he does love. 
I am back to knitting my lovely shawl/scarf for which I did buy the recommended wool, which did cost me rather a lot but I think I deserve a treat!  
And then that lovely jumper will be my evening knitting joy It will keep me on the diet straight and narrow because I don't want to find that having knitted it, it will be too tight!!
Happy knitting or what ever you enjoy doing, what is your evening joy?

XX

Knitting all day long!

Although I am getting on really well with my shawl/scarf my youngest GS phoned yesterday with his good news.

2 A*s and an A in his 'A' level results so will be off to study law at Nottingham UNI..but…

my hand knitted socks I've knitted for him are going into holes. 

He loves to wear them when he gets in from college, so I have to knit some posthaste!! 

Fortunately I had some sock wool, so I could get started right away.

So no excuses I have to knit, knit, and knit all day long.

I wish!!

I do love how my shawl is working out, I am onto the stripe section and have started using the ruby colour, it is gorgeous and I love the way it looks; but I do like to knit socks too and don't need a pattern I have knitted so many! Do you know any items so well you don't need a pattern?

XX

Loving my knitting

I am loving knitting this shawl/scarf. The wool is soft and the garter stitch is easy to do while watching TV … and it is making up quickly. I have to keep track of the pattern as the rows and wool colour change takes a bit of getting use to. I can't wait to get to the Ruby colour section.. isn't it nice to enjoy what you're doing? I knitted while it was hot as it was too hot to be outside and today we're inside because it has rained and rained.. now the dry as dust garden with browning dry plants is wet and soggy looking. But we really needed it so not really complaining, what ever I am happily inside knitting! 
Do you enjoy knitting or crochet best or some other craft?

XX

Tis me!!

I have decided to let my coloured hair grow out. So my trip to the hairdressers was just a trim. Perhaps in a couple months time I might change my mind. At the moment it doesn't look too bad, in fact it doesn't look any different except I have grey/white hair at my temples. Why is it that men with grey temples are said to look distinguished while women look old??

If you look behind me, yes you  can see a very large treadmill. It's waiting to be taken up to our little bedroom, but here,  it is convenient to hop on if you want to run a mile (not me!) DH does and up hill!

I can do a 2 mph walk for 5 mins!!

I hate exercising, do you enjoy it?

XX

Omgosh I didn't expect that!

I wrote and said how disappointed I was in the Worn and Washed fabric and she has offered me my money back. I wasn't expected a refund, so I am delighted. I have very carefully undone what I had sewn and steam pressed the fabric and it looks as good as new. Although she has offered me another pack, I have decided to just use jelly rolls, so off to search for a bluey one..
What a relief, I have all summer to make it and I shall use the same design I had seen on pinterest.

XX

Such a disdappointment

I started to sew this worn and washed fabric, which cost me a fair bit and all I can say, what a disappointment!

It wasn't cut up shirting, as I was expecting and what it looked like on her web site. Some of it was cut up table cloth material and there are bits that look like flannelette sheeting, plus some very flowery cotton fabric. There were some bits that looked like it had been a handkerchief!! And some very small pieces which couldn't be used. I shall complain but I doubt I will get any joy. grrrrr I am such a fool.

No way can I make this for my grandson.. what a waste of money. So I am not going to waste any more with wadding and backing fabric. I was working on  a design like this, the centre section narrower strips, edged by white sashing.. now I shall just try to sell it on ebay.

Anyone bought worn and washed fabric and been happy with it?
Perhaps I was expecting too much..

XX

Knitting for me ready for the winter!

Drachenfels by Melanie Berg.

I bought the pattern from Ravelry before I broke my arm, so hence only getting round to it now.

I am really looking forward to knitting it; it’s Rosy Green Wool, and I am using ‘cheeky merino joy.’

The colours are Coffee Bean, Wild Mallow and Ruby, aren’t the names gorgeous and the feel of the wool is beautiful too. 

I‘ve had to buy some 4mm circular needles; I had 3.5mm and 4.5mm but not 4mm, isn’t it always the way?  We have a Hobby Craft only 25mins away, so that’s where we popped to this morning, once I‘ve wound the wool into balls I shall be starting to knit.. wa-hey I can’t wait.

Do you love to start new projects, of course I do have a quilt on the go and a Sew and So, SAL.. So I best get knitting.

Too hot to go out to the garden, I need to dead head the roses plus most of the flowers, but they can wait. Knitting comes first, what do you think?

XX

PS. It has taken me just under the hour to wind one colour eeck... I need a wool winder!!

A girly colour this time..

I have loved knitting these little baby carry seat blankets and the ripple pattern was really easy.

I am torn as to whether knit another because I have used up my nicest left over yarns, hence the two pinks on the top edging of this one.

I have a lot of orange yarn???? But today we have been to Next and bought some baby clothes for DH's GS and there were a lot of orange items there! (but I don't think babies in orange is for me) 

What do you think?

XX

Sunflowers in the sunshine

Many years ago when I first bought a set of patio furniture after my divorce, I began to appreciate the joy of eating outside.(1988) It was plastic and the table and four chairs cost £19.99 so you can guess it was a long time ago. My son who lived with me after my divorce loved sitting outside to eat too. We never did when I was married and yet, we had very large beautiful gardens.. but once divorced I bought that cheap set of furniture, we sat outside on any and every occasion. We made do with cushions and I always thought that, when I had the money I would buy fabric and make cushions I never did, I never seemed to have the spare cash. But when I moved from that house (2001)  I bought a new set of patio furniture and I bought this fabric, yards and yards of it.. I intended to make cushions; I never did!!

New patio furniture here in Suffolk and new cushions. They are so lovely and bright.

 I thought of fussy cutting,  so that there was a sunflower bang in the middle but the 'don't waste money' in me wouldn't allow me to, so I have enough fabric to make a table cover.

 I absolutely love them. It's not been easy sewing these days, my right arm still hurts to lift it up and I do have limited movement so they have been a real labour of love. They look good although two of them have the zip flaps going up and not down, but they are still good. Do you have bright patio cushions?

XX

Disappearing stash!

I am still trying to use the yarn I have and have knitted this baby carry seat blanket. It also keeps me happily busy and not thinking about eating, as I fight for every pound lost!

 This a girly coloured one I am starting. (Is that non politically correct?) I am using circular needles which I haven't ever used before and I love them. You can't drop one, something I was often doing and while picking up one once, I toppled over but managed to protect my broken arm!

Anyway these are going to the local hospice charity shop in town and I love knitting them. The pattern is easy and keeps it interesting rather than plain garter stitch.
Do you like knitting?

XX