Merry Christmas

This is a quick post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope everyone has wonderful break. Enjoy the holidays.


Here's the angel from the top of our tree.And here's a gratuitious shot of the kids enjoying their Christmas party at the nursery!

Feeling better

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes. The initial shock is wearing off as is the morning, noon and night sickness. I am now only feeling sick in the afternoon and occassionally at night. Still totally exhausted. I am sleeping so much at the moment. For anyone who knows me, I'm not a big sleeper. I really dislike having a lie-in. I survive quite well on 6 hours a night for prolonged periods. BUT, at the moment, I'm sleeping 10 - 11 hours a day. My poor kids are watching way too much TV during the afternoons. Here's hoping the tiredness will pass soon.

I have managed to grab some crafting and knitting time too. Finished 2 hats - 1 for the BIL (a ribbed hat in Lang Tosca) and 1 for the SIL (Flora Hat from Louisa Harding's Accessories Collection in LH Impression). I am so behind in the Christmas knitting and crafting. I had plans to make Christmas cards (had to buy them instead), make an activity Advent calender for the kids, like last year (they're having a chocolate one instead), make more decorations for the tree, like beaded snowflakes, knitted ornaments etc (no chance!) Well, maybe next year.......

I've also started knitting Kiri for my mother's 60th birthday. I'm currently on repeat number 5 and I've got 7 more to go. I need to finish this by 10 January. I wonder if this is achievable........
I'm knitting it in Kaalund Expressions in Anemone (pink, purple, blue and greens), it's a little less fluffy than Kid Silk Haze. Just gorgeous. (In fact, someone stopped to ask about it when I was knitting at Starbucks!) The other plus is the pattern - it's easy to memorise and it flows very well. But with any lace project, it looks just like a blob of yarn.

I also managed to meet up with Kate at Liberty today. We had a lovely lunch at the Art Bar Cafe and managed to catch over an hour of knitting over hot chocolates at a local Starbucks (i think). Excitingly, she brought back from the USA some Socks That Rock. On the left is Scottish Highlands in lightweight and on the right, is Love-in -the -idlesness in middleweight. I am loving the yarn. Yumm. Can't wait to start that!!

NEWSFLASH!

I have some news to share with you, my blog friends. I have been feeling extremely tired over the last few weeks and lately a bit nauseous too. Before you can say "oh, oh", I did the test and surprise, surprise - I am pregnant!! 7 weeks to be exact. Before you all ask, no hubby and I weren't planning on having another one. But we're both very happy with news (and a little bit shocked!) Both kids are less than enthusiastic with the news, one more person to share mummy's affections and attention.

Last month when Aidan turned 4 and Keira is 2.5 years old, I actually felt a little broody. Lots of my friends and acquaintances were having new babies. It was the first time in 4 and a half years that I've felt like that. I guess I got my wish.

I'm hoping the tiredness and morning sickness will wear off soon. I'm just feeling so unmotivated and tired. Not surprisingly, not much crafting or knitting has taken place. That's all for now.

Meathead hat

I got tempted to join the meathead hat along hosted by Larissa. I must have received the pattern a good few weeks ago but failed to read it properly and so missed the submission deadline of 30 Nov. I've also only knitted the hats. I haven't yet embellished them. I think I probably made a wrong choice in the yarn - it's too fussy to try and embellish.

I've made a whole family of hats - one for the each of us. They are knitted from 2 balls of Rowan Chunky Print from my (HUGE) stash. Super quick and easy knit. (I still need to embellish them!)

Here are the kids modelling their hats just before bedtime today.

Purple hoodie finished!

Apologies for the silence for the last week. Not only have I had a sick child, but I've also had a sick hubby to look after. When I say sick hubby, I mean "suffering from man pneumonia" (his words not mine!) ie I can't get out of bed, I need lots of fetching and carrying, I've got a fever (actually it's only 37.4). He's worse than a child. Thankfully he's much better now. Except I've got the cold (note the different words!)

I've finished the purple hoodie. Here it is being modellde by the Princess. It took much persuasion and bribery before she agreed to wear it. I'm going to stop knitting for her, unless appreciation levels shoot up drastically.


Another thing I've managed to finish is the Pinwheel Baby Blanket, knitted in Jaeger baby merino in Petal (baby pink, peach and purple) a ltho it's not obvious in the photo. It's finally finished . It starts off very excitingly - knit 1, yarnover etc. Towards the end, it's painstakingly dull - especially at the 50 odd stitches before a yarnover appears. 500 stitches before finishing a row. Arrghh. I'm glad it's finished.

Update post

I will mainly update on what's been happening on the knitting front, but also the sexy men situation.

I haven't done anything about hubby's cardigan. A whole lot of ripping needs to happen first and I'm really not in that space yet. So what is a girl to do but to cast on for loads of new projects. First up, Butterfly from Rowan 37. I'm knitting it in Kid Silk Haze in Grace (a baby pink colour). The project has stalled a bit in the last few days due to illness of child and lack of sleep of mummy. This baby needs a lot of concentration, otherwise you'll be ripping out KSH. I'd rather stick needles in eyeballs. I'm hoping for more progress soon, as Keira is definitely getting better.

Next up, is a sleevless hoodie cardigan for my lil princess. It's knitted in Sirdar Supernova Chunky (wool plus acrylic mix) which I bought in a bargain bin years ago for £1 a ball. I amalgamated a few patterns and knitted it in the round , made pockets (a first, I think!) and it's practically complete in a few hours. Let's hope she'll wear it. Finally, a FO - more wrsitwarmers. This time, knitted in basic rib and stocking stitch. The yarn is Gedifra Fashion Stripe. I think I should have made the top ribbing a little bit longer but the yarn is a b*tch to rip out as well. So, c'est la vie. It's a gift for one of the kids' teachers in nursery school. I think they look OK and they feel really soft. Hope she likes it.

Now, on to the sexy men. Ruth- we're still in season 2 of Grey's Anatomy in the UK. Tonight was the first time I saw McSteamy. WOW! Actually, the quota of sexy men on Greys Anatomy is really high. McDreamy, McSteamy, Dr Burke and Alex. Hmmmmm. I wonder if this is why I like the programme.

Blink and another week is over

Where does the time go? Suddenly, I find another week has gone and I've neglected my poor blog. I do have a small excuse. Keira, my 2.5 year old has tonsilitis and has been running a fever of 38 -40 degrees celsius for 2 days. Finally, yesterday, I took her to the doctor and got a prescription for antibiotics and amazingly, she has been such a different child. Fever - gone. Crying and clingy child - gone. I haven't had to sleep on the floor next to her for the third night running!! Hurray!

I will show some knitting soon. But I wanted to share something else. The sexiest man alive at People magazine. There are some yummy candidates on that list. But my top 10 are as follows:
1. Keanu Reeves
2. Patrick Dempsey
3. Johnny Depp
4. Jake Gyllenhal
5. Brad Pitt
6. Josh Lucas
7. James Denton (from Desperate Housewives)
8. Wentworth Miller (from Prison Break)
9. Hugh Jackman
10. Viggo Mortensen
11. Denzel Washington
12. Lots of very fit sporty athletes - six packs are so sexy!!

I'm pretty sure I'll add to this list once I've a bit more of a think. Anyway, I'm off to google for more sexy men.

My lil boy is 4

Actually - it's tomorrow but as he's had his birthday party, he's 4.

Here he is enjoying his party. I should have made a bit more of an effort making food and decorations but I don't think the kids minded. They had a fab time and the house wasn't too thrashed. All in all a success.

But I also just want to point out this cute little number which Keira has on. (I know it's a bit small but I only just found it when I was in KL in Oct, so felt like I had to let her wear it!) It a real vintage item, from 1972 or 1973 . It was mine when I was her age. It was purchased by my grandfather on one of his trips to the UK. It's from St Michael's (Marks and Spencer) and its made in 100% Orlon. I just love it - throw on some white boots and you're good to go.
Ps - i might just have to find/design a pattern for something similar!

I didn't make it!

Too much pressure is no good for the knitting. As you can probably guess from the title, I didn't finish the cardidan in time for hubby's birthday. In fact some ripping out has to be done. In my haste to complete the said item, I thought I'd cast on for both sleeves at the same time. A good plan until you misread the pattern, but decide to continue irregardless, and now end up with a pair of sleeves which could fit a gorilla. So here it is in a pile, on the floor, and contemplating it's next step. I may have to take a wee break from it and continue afresh.
But I have also managed to start and finish something for me. I decided to make Fetching from Knitty Summer 2006. The yarn was a thank you present from Ra, in lovely autumnal colours. You can't really see the cables, but the gloves are super warm and super quick to knit up!



And since I've decided to ignore the cardigan, I have started a pinwheel blanket for an ex-colleague who just had a baby girl 10 days ago. I'm using Jaeger Baby Merino in Petal (lovely pinks, peach and lilac). I am at the moment surrounded by newborn babies and all of them just gorgeous. I hate to admit it, but I'm feeling kinda broody. Aidan will be 4 next week and Keira is 2 and a half (gosh how the time flies!) I really miss having a baby around.

Please note that this contemplation lasts for about 3 seconds , because I do remember sleepness nights, tiredness, looking like a hippo, projectile vomiting by the baby, crying by both mummy and baby (and often daddy too!), nappy changing, and the list goes on....... But a baby would be nice.......

Pressure, pressure, pressure

Hubby's birthday is in 3 days time. I have 3 days to finish the ribbed cardigan for him. Oh the pressure. I have the back and left front completed. I have 2 sleeves on the needles to save time. 80% completed. 3 days to finish the sleeves, start and finish the right front, sew the pieces and knit the collar and attach an open ended zip (which I have never done before, and I have yet to purchase!!) Oh my gawd! I think I should be making it his Christmas present...........

Can't blog anymore, must knit more sleeves. BTW - I am SOS (sick of "damned" sleeves). Why must men be so much bigger!!! (not that my hubby is 6'5" and built like a rugby player!) From now on, he will only get 1 big piece of knitting every 8 years. Socks, hats and scarves from now on. Sorry for the lack of pictures. More soon.

PS - thank you to everyone for the lovely thoughts. I actually feel more calm about her passing, having seen her and saying my goodbye, than hearing the news about her stroke. Anyway.......

In memoriam

I know my last few posts have been about my grandmother, but today's post is also grandma related. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday night and her funeral was on Sunday. Having just travelled to see her 2 week ago, coupled with the fact that I have no childcare, I couldn't make it to the funeral. By all accounts, she had a good send off.

While I was in KL, I found a few things which my grandmother made me. There were lots of baby booties and hats. My favourite item was this capelet which she crocheted. I've got Keira modelling it here. It's so retro, so now, so cool!
I miss you grandma, rest in peace.

Exciting happenings

Lots of exciting news!! Firstly, I've finished Sizzle. If you recall, this was frogged and reknitted. Well, it's finally finished (I mean the knitting and seaming is finished, I just need to sew up some ends, but I'm going to say its finished!). Pattern - Sizzle by Wendy at Knit & Tonic
Yarn - Classic ElitePremiere in Jasmine (pale pink). Lovely soft yarn (50% cotton, 50% Tencel). But it loks like it might pill, so we'll see.
Needle size - 4mm (instead of 4.5mm of the pattern because I didn't like the drape of the knitted fabric)
Modifications - Because of the needle change,I cast on a few extra stitches. And because I am quite short, I made all my decreases and increases at every 4 rows instead of 6. I also added extra decreases for the waist shaping.
Thoughts - I really like this knit. I think I'll knit another one in a more vibrant colour and make the neckline a little lower. After knitting the edging, it pulls the neckline in slightly.

In other news, a fews weeks back I answered a fellow knitters call for help and sent some Rowan Cork so she could finish her project. Look how much she used.
Now, look at what she sent me for a Thank you. There's chocolate (which is almost finished!), a Katia magazine, yarn in a gorgeous burgundy colour (cotton classic by Tahki,Stacey Charles) and some fabric and a super cute postcard! Thank you Becky, you really didn't need to do this. I really appreciate your kindness. I love your "Matrix sweater"!

Quilt top completed

Or in other words - much swearing took place, sewing and ripping, and yet more sewing and swearing. Finally, the quilt top is finished. Note that I'm not showing a close up of my sewing skills and I thought I'd distract you with the kids too. So here it is. I've now got to quilt, and bind and it'll probably take another year to complete.
I've also finished my second pair of socks, well anklets to be precise. The pattern is from Alison.
I was tempted by this after seeing a pair at Ruth's. Love her Watermelon socks!
This super quick knit only took one skein of Koigu KPPM. I'm now pretty confident about doing the short row heel and toe. It's not too holey. But my cuffs seem a bit loose. I guess more practice is on the cards.

PS - it's quite difficult to take photos of one's feet.

Back to London

Hello world
I'm back in London. Arrived in late on Friday and I've been settling back into life with the kids. It's amazing how much I've missed them in a LONG week. Well of course I've missed hubby too, but that's different.

Yes I know, I've taken almost a week to update my blog. Sorry!!!

Now where shall I start with my news?!! There's no change in my grandmother's status, which is good and bad. But, let's move on...

There's been lots of knitting while I was in Malaysia. I've finished hubby's ribbed socks (finally). I've restarted and almost finished Sizzle. I've started a second pair of socks. I've finished a scarf for my mum's Indonesian maid, who is returning to Indonesia to get married. I've made floral corsages and knitted jewellery.

There's been a huge amount of swearing today. I'm getting reacquainted with my sewing machine. I'm finally sewing Aidan's quilt which I started a year ago. I'm not the best at sewing...... I'm also not the most patient...... The squares aren't quite squares and I've tried to make them squares... but no joy. So I'm just going to carry on just to finish this project.


I also went to Ally Pally on Sunday with Kate. The only problem was that I made a promise to hubby that I won't make anymore yarn purchases. So I only bought 1 hank of yarn - a Sweet Gergia demon sock yarn from Kerrie (so yummy!) My joy - I've bought a wool winder and an umbrella Swift, a few magazines a pair of extreme knitting needles. I've played around with the Swift and wool winder. Wow!! It's saved so much time already.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of pictures, but I'll be back with more soon.

Thank you

This is just a very quick note to say a BIG Thank you to everyone for their kind words and wishes. My grandmother is doing better, not great but better. It certainly made me feel a lot better being here with her and my family. Here is a picture of her on her wedding day ( she had an 18 inch waist!!)
On good thing about being here in KL with no kids, I am getting quite a lot of knitting done. More about that soon.

On my mind....

A few things are troubling me at the moment. The small stuff - I've finished the fronts and back of Sizzle and tried it on and it doesn't fit right. I've frogged it. I'll make it again. It's only a few tweaks but it needs to be reknitted.

The big stuff - for everyone who lives far away from family will know, you always dread the telephone call, you know the one telling you someone in the family is ill. Well, I got mine yesterday. My grandmother (the one who taught me to knit & crochet among other things) suffered a massive stroke yesterday. The prognosis is not good. I am 6,500 miles away and I feel so helpless. She's 86 years old and has been more frail over the years. I have been mentally preparing for bad news, but it's still a shock to the system when you get the news. There isn't much I can do, but I've decided to go back to KL to be with my family and to be there for her. That's it for now.

Latte cardigan

The Latte cardigan or more correctly "Kay" from Rowan 40 is finally completed. It was not without some frogging and reknitting. Here let me show you in pictures.


I followed the instructions to the letter and found that the neckline was very floppy and just a little too wide. It's more obvious in the picture below. The pattern calls for 9 stitches to be cast on for the button and buttonhole bands. But that was just too much.
So what am I to do?? Frog the collar and the button/buttonhole bands and reknit the whole darn thing. Instead of 9 stitches I made the bands 7 stitches. I also incorporated 8 knit togethers (evenly spaced through out the neckline) on the row after picking up the stitches for the collar. Much happier. The collar is definitely less wide and floppy. Now I have to find 3 buttons and block the cr*p out of the rolling button bands. I'm sure it's a design feature but it's annoying me. Sorry for the crap photo but it's been pouring in London during today.
Pattern notes
Pattern - Kay from Rowan 40
Yarn - 6 balls of Rowan Big Wool in Latte, pattern calls for 7 balls
Modifications - described above. I also don't think I'm going to put in the leaves from the pattern.

Overall - pretty happy with this knit, especially with the weather turning decidedly wintery!!

Where to buy the T-shirt

This is for Becky and Kim
You can get the T-shirts in adult sizes here - www.snuglo.com. They have lots of lovely baby stuff too. My favourite baby shirt is "Mini-me", which both my kids wore as chubby 6 month olds.

My parents have gone back to KL and I have (finally) discovered some "me" time again! Don't get me wrong, I love having my parents visit since they only do this once a year. But it is really nice to get back to our routine. My mum and I are very similar, which means when we get on, we get on like a house on fire, but when we disagree........ all hell breaks loose. We also aggravate each other. So 10 days is probably our limit.

Anyway, now for the knitting content -

1. Progress has been made on my Latte cardigan - back, fronts and sleeves are knitted and blocking. Thank goodness for chunky yarn and big needles and sport on TV to make progress. (Wasn't the Ryder Cup exciting!!)
2. I'm also progressing on the second sock and Hubby's cardigan. This progress is slow.

3. I'm itching to start Sizzle for the SKC's knitalong, but I'm going to finish a few things before I start another thing!!!!

4. I also have my ticket to Ally Pally. I'm going with Kate on Friday the 13th! I'm so excited. Anyone else going on Friday????

That's all for today.

Almost no knitting content

It's been such a busy week here in Casa Ling. My parents are visitng from Malaysia. My in-laws here from Switzerland, along with other friends and family. Thankfully, they are not all staying with us. But it has caused enough disruption to my knitting time and rythmn.

Over the weekend and early part of this week, I made a little trip to Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon. The only knitting-worthy news was that I made it to Web of Wool in Leamington Spa. What a gorgeous little shop! The only problem was that I had 2 impatient children and 2 impatient parents. I think if I had more than the 3 actual minutes in the shop, I would have purchased more yarn.

Here's a few photos for distraction.

MORE SOON!

** Blushing** still

I have been having an amazing week. While reading my usual daily read of blogs, I found Becky (someone I have always read, but never commented, because I'm a little bit shy and in awe!!) about to rip out a partially completed project because she had run out of yarn. The yarn in question was Rowan Cork in Mouse. I had some in my ever growing stash, so offered it to a knitter in need. I have been amazed by the gratitude and recognition (check out her blog). (And also by the speed of Royal Mail - I posted the package on Friday, and it arrived in France on Monday. Wow, who knew Royal Mail was actually efficient!). I am ever thankful to the internet and blogland for making new friends! My visitor stats will probably soar this week!

While in my hunt for the said Rowan Cork, I found a bag of Rowan Big Wool in Latte. Being inspired by Becky's love of neutrals, I decided to cast on for new project. I love 2 of the Big Wool cardigans/jackets in Rowan 40 - Pampas and Kay. I haven't got quite enough wool for Pampas, so decided to cast on for Kay. I have practically finished the back in one 2 hour sitting. How's that for instant gratification! Talking of instant gratification, I've also started on Fetching from Summer Knitty. Here's one fingerless glove completed. The yarn is Malabrigio in purple mix. Love the yarn and the colour. Unfortunately, it's still a little bit big for my hands. I figure it can be my early start for Christmas presents.
Kim - Thanks for your tip on the Lady E. In my yarn hunt, I found that I have 11 balls of the Noro Silk Garden. No worries about running out of yarn, I just need to get my b*tt in gear and start knitting!!!

Kate's back

Kate is back from her holidays to the USA. She was travelling during the whole palaver with flight restrictions. What a nightmare, especially with one toddler and one baby!!!

The kids and I made a visit to her new house on Thursday. They were in the midst of unpacking!! What a beautiful house. It will look gorgeous especially once Kate finishes with the decorating :)

Look what exciting things she brought back for me. 4 balls of Peaches and Cream in Winterberry to make lots of Mason-Dixon dishcloths and some very yummy woolwash called "Soak". I was so excited about new yarn that I've decided to cast on pretty much straight away and a few hours later, dishcloth completed. Instant gratification - what more could a girl want.




Also - thank you everyone for the comments on the sock and for all the help on the pattern interpretation. I had decided to stop the knitting on the left front, put the stitches on some scrap yarn and started knitting the back piece. I think the first option is right too, but just to make sure, I'll match it to the back. That should work, I hope!!! I hate frogging!!!

ONE SOCK finished

I have one sock completed. Hurray!!! Hurray!!! And to ensure that the dreaded Second sock syndrome doesn't set in, I have cast on for the second sock and knitted 3 rows while watching the kids at football today. I am a bit fearful of knitting at football, as one of the kids (not my own!) broke my glasses last week. Football kicked into face = broken glasses. As hubby said, they are only 3 year olds, maybe 4, how can they do so much damage. Well they can. Anyway, movin on........

The sock doesn't look too bad at this angle, although there are a few biggish holes in my heels for the short row shaping. I think it's the p3tog thru the back loop that's causing it. I'm not too worried about it.

Again, here is a shot with the kids waiting to get into the action.......


On other knitting news, I am struggling with the instructions for Cambridge Jacket, Interweave Summer o6. When shaping the armhole, the instructions state -
" BO 5 sts once, then BO 4 sts once then 3 sts once. Dec 1 st at armhole edge every RS row 2 times".

Does this mean BO 5 sts, knit the rest of the row, purl back, and then BO 4 sts knit the rest of the row and then purl back etc....
OR basically bind off 12 sts (WHY didn't the pattern just say so!)
OR some other permutation that I haven't quite realised!

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Tempting II finished

I have finally finished my SKC knitalong - Tempting II. Here it is in all its glory.


Pattern notes:
Pattern - Tempting II from Knitty Winter o5
Yarn - Rowan Calmer in Coffee bean (as modelled in the same issue - how unoriginal of me!!!)
Modifications - k2tog instead of k2tog, k1 at the neckline as recommended by the SKC
My thoughts - I love this!!! The fit is great. The sleeves are just the right length. I even found a diamante buckle for it for a little bit of bling. The yarn is pretty yummy too - very soft and kinda spongy. Love it, love it, love it. However, I don't think I'll knit this again - 1x1 ribbing is killing.

Here is the close up of my diamante buckle.



What better time to start a new project. I have been making things for the kids and myself, so I thought I'd make the next project for dear hubby. I'm making the Cambridge jacket from Interweave Summer 06 in Cascade 220 in mid grey. I know I have tons of other things to finish up, but what can I say, I have startitis.......
Last weekend, we decided to take the kids to Richmond Park for a pony ride. Little man had a gift voucher for a pony ride from his last birthday and 10 months on, here we are. Doesn't he look adorable!! He went with his little friend, Oscar and they both loved it. Two little faces light with up joy every time the ponies went on a trot. They were so CUTE!!! (Hubby at this point is thinking - please don't cultivate an interest in riding, it's going to get bloody expensive!) The pony is called Scooby-Doo.

Sock yarn stash enhancement

Remember not so long ago, I was just lamenting about the fact that I had too much yarn........ well more yarn arrived at my doorstep today. (It's a sickness, I know).


Here is a picture of my current sock yarn stash - including 3 skeins of Opal Rainforest - Tiger, Zebra and Flamingo, some Regia and Schanenmayr stripey socks.....).


Question - how many pairs of socks have I knitted? Only one toddler pair so far. One adult pair is on the needles and going well. But what possessed me to order another 9 100g balls of sock yarn is really beyond me. (Actually, it was because they were only 3.75 - 4.50 Euros each) But here they are. (I have to be thankful for one thing, I haven't started buying the expensive sock yarn - like Lorna's Laces, Posh yarns, Fleece Artist, Socks that Rock - YET!)

Here's my progress on my current sock knitting. The yarn is Regia Mini Ringels in blue and the pattern is Tech Guy from Magknits. It's a fairly straightforward knit 3x1 ribbing. I've only ever knitted a heel flap, so I was interested in learning a short row heel. Very interesting and easy. Hopefully, I'll produce a PAIR of socks soon.

Lortop bag

I bought the Cornelia Tuttle Noro Revisited book just for this pattern. I saw an advert in one of the American magazines and thought, I love this bag and I must get the pattern. Bought the book. Dug around in my stash (there'll be more about my stash!) and found 3 skeins of Noro tubu (long discontinued) which was perfect. Dug around for size 12mm needles. A few nights later. Bag complete. Love it. Used it today but the strap has stretched loads. Maybe I should felt it?? (Hmmm, must use proper sentences!!)


Now, I'm going to write about my stash. It's huge. It's even bigger than I remember. I have spent the last 2 or 3 afternoons photographing and cataloguing and I am nowhere close to completing the task just yet. I have a lot of yarn. I need to knit a lot faster. I need to stop buying yarn. I must have 300 balls of yarn. I need to join Yarnaholics Anonymous. I'll show you the evidence when I finish. Oh dear....

Keira, my 2 year old, has been refusing her afternoon nap for a few months now. It has been fine for her, not so much for me as I still look forward to a power nap for me. Now with 2 wide awake monsters, oops sorry, children, I don't get a chance to nap. But sometimes, she gets so excited and runs arounds so madly, that her batteries just run out. Just like that. Here she is collapsed on the chair when I had my back turned for 2 minutes. Aidan just wanted to get in on the picture!!

Converting the masses

I have converted one ex-knitter into a new very interested knitter. Hurray me!!! My sis-in-law was watching me knit every knit for the last 10 days and decided to get in on the action too. After one little swatch, she was hooked. She decided that she would like a cami, something like the Honeymoon Cami. So I set her up with some blue Cotton Fleece which I had in my stash and she's making progress.

The one good thing out of this knitting encouragement, she lives in Hong Kong (with cheap yarn) and travels a lot to Japan (lots of Japanese patterns and yarns like Noro!!) and China.

I'm making very little progress on the rest of my WIPs. I have finsihed 2 beanies in Rowan Big Wool but forgot to take any photos before they were gifted. Sorry for the lack of photos today.

The one good thing about this cold spell we're having, I really want to make some lovely, comforting knits. Roll on winter....

Hectic week

I am officially exhausted!! The in-laws descended last Wednesday, renovations in their new place are running into overruns, so they are staying with us. When I say in-laws, I don't just mean my FIL and MIL, this includes Bro-in-law and wife. 6 adults and 2 toddlers is just too many people in the house. The madness will, thankfully, end this Sunday.

I think because of this, I have been unable to focus on anything for more than 3 seconds! I started a bolero/boobholder thang for a friend. Its a top down raglan and knitted in Debbie Bliss Cathay in black. Makes for a very uninteresting photo.
Next up, I've started on my second pair of socks. I'm using Regia Mini Ringels in shades of blue. I'm knitting it in a basic ribbed pattern. As you can see, progress is slow.
As you know, I've also joined the SKC knitalong over a month ago. We're knitting Tempting II. This is an extremely slow knit for me, 1x1 ribbing is not my best friend. Having said that, I'm almost at the sleeves. Watch this space.



I've also managed to finish 3 lil items as well. 2 beanie hats from Rowan Plaid collection. One adult sized for FIL who's going through chemotherapy at the moment and one matching kiddie sized for Aidan. I was also going through my stash and found a small mountain of odd balls which I bought off ebay years ago, for making dolls and dolls clothes. Here's the first item of clothing. The doll is Vanessa, a Groovy Girl.