Secret Pal 5 Questionnaire

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)?
Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I am starting to prefer wool but that's only because I want to do more
felting. I do use synthetics but don't like anything that 'squeaks'.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I want to learn to crochet eventually but am still exploring
knitting.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

I have a medical allergy but nothing that would affect SP.
I also hate cigarette smoke.

4. How long have you been knitting?

On & off for 15 years.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, look here

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I like spicy scents like orange rather than floral scents.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

YES - I love chocolate but HATE turkish delight.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

I don't really do anything else apart from knitting unless you
count grooming my own dogs which is a form of DIY!

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Yes I can play MP3's on the PC & stereo. I like everything from the
Scissor Sisters, to Norah Jones, Joan Armatrading & Fleetwood Mac.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color
family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love reds & purples with pinks/blues & chocolate brown.
I HATE orange & yellow. I adore varigated yarns & wish that
we had a wider selection here in the UK.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live with my DH, DD (aged 9 1/2) who is slowly learning to knit,
2 dogs & 4 eldery cats - a very full house.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

To have fun without hurting anybody else.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

I like chunkier yarns rather than fine yarns. I'm not that keen on
fluffy eyelash yarns as I find them annoying but do use them for other
people if I think they'll like them.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

squeaky acrylics

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

I'm knitting lots of scarves for Christmas presents & love the
book Scarf Style. I need a portable project due to my daughters
swimming timetable & am also learning loads of new techniques
within a scarf & attempting to use my stash.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Currently scarves & I want to do some more bags.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Rowan Fay scarf in Cork & a ss scarf in Wendy Shimmer which
I'm bored with.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I'm going to knit one for my DD but I don't want to wear
one myself at the moment. Although I'm starting to see some
fantastic patterns so that may change.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

I've always knitted with circulars. The friend who taught
me did as the weight is held in the middle. If I try & use
straights I find that I get all mixed up & drop them!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I prefer addi bamboos. Sometimes I use normal metal addi
turbos but I don't like the way they clink together & I find
the points a bit blunt.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Not yet but hope to be soon.

22. How did you learn to knit?

I learnt when I was 19 & was taught by a German friend at college.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

The oldest UFO that I have is about 6 months old - a purple
scarf in Wendy Shimmer. I think I have others but don't know
where they are :-( I took a break from knitting & am not
sure where they are.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

I love dogs - particularly Airedale terriers (I have two)

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Going away in our caravan & exploring the English,
Scottish & Welsh countryside.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Airedale terrier things - I've got all sorts including
doorknockers, teapots, cups, bookends, figures, keyrings,
ashtrays & more.
Yarn - I've got way too much of it & am trying to use up
my stash.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I don't have any currently. I tried to take one out for
Interweave Knits but they didn't manage to get it to me.
So I've cancelled it & have bought the Spring & Summer '05
issues from UK based yarn shops. I am now trying to get hold
of Vogue knitting. We have two new knitting magazines here in
England but I don't want a subscription for either as they're not
that brillant. Any back issues of Interweave Knits would be very welcome...

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

Plenty - see my amazon wish list. Particularly a good one on socks or designing your own patterns.

We're off soon & Secret Pal

We're getting ready to leave early tomorrow morning & the house is a tip but should be sorted in the next hour.

My knitting bag is already in the caravan with the next few projects ready & Fay 2 is SO close to finishing. I think I'll finish it within 20 minutes but just don't have time tonight.

We're away for 9 days so I'll post when I get back & will hopefully have loads of great photos.

I've just found out who my SP is but she hasn't put her questionnaire up yet. I'll be sending her a postcard whilst we're on our travels...

TTFN

Bullying - the healing continues

My DD is 9 1/2 yrs old & I moved her to a new school in January this year. She had been bullied in her old school for 2 1/2yrs. I don't think I'll ever know the full extent of it, but what she did tell me (or bruises & grazes that I found), meant that I saw the headmaster frequently - sometimes I was in there 3 times a week. There were only 6 girls in the class including my DD (11 had left in the last 3 yrs) & of those 4 bullied her - (called here girls 1,2, 3 & 4 for ease). Plus another boy used to kick & punch her regulary. I tackled his mother & she didn't want to know at all. Her come back was that they all did it!

The main girl (girl 1) is tiny & angelic with blue eyes & blond curls. Eyes that turned on the water works if DD stood up for herself & then she got in trouble for making this girl cry!!!

It was only after we moved her that I found out the worst. They had threatened to hurt her if she told me what was going on! Moving her came about when I realised that she was dumbing down her homework to 'fit in' & be useless at maths, which is her best subject.

She is now a totally different child at home. The trantrums which I'd put down to puberty have nearly gone, she's a lot calmer, sleeps better & is a LOT happier.

Today the healing continues as I bumped into one of the girls & her mother today in the supermarket. Girl 3 is a follower so joined in with the worst girls rather than trying to stand up to them like my DD. DD & girl 3 had previously been best friends & she had even come away with us for a weekend in the caravan a couple of years ago. After DD left the school girls 1 & 2 turned on girl 3 & made her life hell. The only girl in the class who wasn't involved plays football every lunch & breaktime. DD had tried to join in but the boys wouldn't let her as she isn't as good as the footballer girl. Girl 3 has ended up insisting that she WILL play & can now play well. She has managed to get out of 'the loop' of the bullying so the girl 4 is now on the receiving end instead of DD or girl 3. Girl 4's mother is now constantly at the school like I was - I've advised her to move her daughter but she hasn't done so far.

After I had done my shopping I went back to the car when DD & DH were waiting (I'd gone in my own as it's quicker & easier) & DD came back in with me. She was really nervous about seeing girl 3 but felt sorry for her when I told her what had happened to her.

To cut a long story a tiny bit shorter, girl 3 apologised for being mean to DD & DD is going to call her when we get back from our holiday. I'm really pleased as I feel that she will now be able to move on a bit & recover even more from what they did to her. Girl 3 has matured a lot as has DD as a result of what has happened to them. Girl 3's mum told me that the school still weren't doing much to stop it so I'm really pleased that I moved my DD to a new school.

But girls 1 & 2 live very close to us & often play out on a Saturday afternoon. DD says that she's too tired to play out after two hours training on Saturday mornings but I know that she's avoiding them. I'm hoping that if she continues to heal & improve that she'll be able to stand up to them in the future & have the confidence to put them in their place if necessary.

feeling sad

I'm feeling a bit sad at the moment. Yesterday would have been my Grandpa's 94th birthday if he were still alive. He died 2 years ago, 8 days short of his 92nd bd.

He played a big part in my life & I lived with my Grandparents for some of my childhood. Sometimes I like to think that he's looking down on me & my family. He would be pleased that I'm working part-time now as he didn't approve when I worked full time so that DH could go to University - he said that I should be at home with DD. He'd also love to watch her swim & would be so proud to watch her swim for her city.

I can also imagine him critising me for things I do/have done. He wasn't an easy man to get along with sometimes but I loved him to bits. When my Nana died in August 1999 & he lost the will to live & didn't want to carry on. When he finally died nearly 4 years later at least I knew that he would be at peace & was no longer suffering.

Lesson learnt - buy locally

I've now learnt my lesson & will always try to buy stuff from within the UK if possible. I had bought a subscription to Interweave Knits in March direct from their website. No sign of the Spring issue by the end of April so I emailed & was assured that I would receive it by the 14th of May. Nothing arrived. So I emailed them again & this time was told that they would resend the Summer issue but Spring had sold out!!!

So I've given up & have bought the Summer issue from Tess at Angel Yarns. I ordered it yesterday afternoon & it was waiting for me when I got home from work today - Thanks Tess.

Unfortunately they didn't have any Spring issues left but I then did some searching this morning & bought a copy from Wingham Wool Work.

The only downfall is that I don't get the password for the extra bits on the Interweave Knits website. At least if I buy something in the UK & it doesn't arrive I can chase it with a phone call rather than wait days for an email reply.

Now I need to find someone with Vogue Knitting in stock......

Bizarre email

I've just received this on email as I run a local knitting group:

"I am researching for a documentary on women in Britain. I have read alot about knitting groups taking off in the UK and it sounds like alot of fun! I would very much like to speak to women who either stay at home to look after their husband/family or women who don't have to work and basically spend their days having lots of fun! We would be very interested in filming at a knitting group if we can find someone who would enjoy spending a day being filmed because each programme will focus on activities through one person."

My first reaction was - What planet is this woman on!!!!

"spend their days having lots of fun!"

Most women I know (myself included) work either full or part time, run around taking/collecting kids to/from school, shopping, housework etc etc. For me knitting is how I relax at the end of the day after all that - not my sole activity - I wish it were!

I've forwarded it on to the other members of 'In Stitches' & so far no takers. How surprising.

Grooming day or torture (according to Blue)

The clippers arrived just after 8.30 this morning which was fantastic. Blue was first on the table & was her usual awkward self. I managed to fool her when picking her up off the floor by tickling her chest so she relaxed & then I scooped her up before she could collapse. Annie waited in the crate resigned to her fate.

She knew what was happening when I went to put her in the bath & duly dropped to the table. Even though she was bathed less than 5 weeks ago the water was filthy.

After a bath & blow dry she looked like this before being clipped & trimmed. The clippers worked wonderfully & soon the table was covered in a mass of black & tan fur.


a smart & tidy Blue dog ready to escape

Blue then went for a rest in the crate & promptly turned her
back on me.

Annie was next & took nearly half the time. Again a scruffy dog when up onto the table. The water turned black again & she enjoyed a back massage as I worked the shampoo & conditioner into her coat.


Annie

I finished @ 3p.m. & just had time to wash my face, arms & hands, change clothes & then leash Annie for the walk to collect DD from school. Annie had a great time in the playground as two toddlers about an inch taller than her were fascinated & wanted to stroke her. She stood still wagging her tail dying to lick their faces.


Blue

Blue is now recovering from her ordeal & would like the world to know that she was been tortured (for the record).

Knitting wise I'm carrying on with Fay 2 - I'm bored as it's exactly the same as Fay 1 (with slightly less red) but want to get it out of the way before I start something else. I'm saving the poncho for our holiday as I plan to get loads of knitting done. I may also take the shimmer scarf for the journey - maybe....

DH is a star - again....

He's done it again. First a logo, then a photo gallery & now he's designed a button that you can easily use to link me to your blog!

If you use it PLEASE leave a comment so that I can view your blog - I know I've got some regulars but don't know who you are

A bit of good news & galas

Partially good news re my clippers. They can be repaired bad news is that it'll cost £86 which I haven't got. But that's cheaper than a new pair AND they're being sent back to me at no cost guaranteed delivery for tomorrow before 12 noon!!! So I can get the dogs brushed, washed & dried whilst waiting for them to turn up. I worked out last night that it'll be 5 weeks on Sunday since I last did them so they don't really need doing - not like Annie the Yak but it's happening anyway.

Knitting wise I've been plugging away with Fay two - nice & easy whilst DD is swimming. She's got a gala on Saturday afternoon after two hours training in the morning, so will sleep well that night. Galas used to be a perfect excuse to get loads of knitting done but not anymore. The club was short of timekeepers without which the galas can't take place so I took the exams. Now I stand on poolside wearing a white top (I refused on the white trousers or skirt) clicking a stop watch. The older kids always soak me as they hit the finish so I normally go home wet to the knees.

Fed up.....

Why is it that, just as you've nearly cleared debts, something goes wrong & the potential money that hasn't yet been earnt & that you had ear marked for things, vanishes?

Last night, whilst clipping a friends' small dog, my clippers died. I've had them for 18 months & do on average 4 dogs per month including my own two - hardly heavy usage for supposedly professional grade equipment!

I had planned to clip my two on Friday ready for our holiday the following week. If their coats are short I can minimise the sand in the caravan especially if Blue does her normal trick of acting like a wuss & climbs onto our bed during the night because she's cold.

So the clippers gone back to the supplier via courier today in the hope that they can be repaired quickly & cheaply & returned to me for Friday morning - I think I'm clutching at straws which have vanished but the hope remains. Otherwise it's back into my overdraft for a new set. The alternative is to pay someone else to clip my dogs but I'll recoup the money within 4 clips (2 per dog) so that seems like a false economy.

This is Annie well overdue for a haircut. I had brushed her out, washed & dried her.


Annie the Yak

This is the same dog the following day whilst posing for competition photos - she looks totally different. I've convinced myself that I need to get into more debt if they can't be repaired



Annie no longer the Yak

Just to redress the balance as this post has been about the dogs & general moaning, here's what Tia was doing this evening: rolling around on the floor so that we could stroke her tummy & feed her cheese.


Tia

Looking forward to another caravan holiday

In a week and a half we're going away again in the caravan for 9 days. We're going to a site on the Northumbrian coast near the most fantastic beach. We went there two years ago & the dogs had a fantastic gallop every morning & wore themselves out.


Blue (front) & Annie with her ear flipped over (behind)

DD practised her swimming in the sea & froze but enjoyed it. It is a beautiful place & DH had fun taking photos:


Alnwick Castle


view from Alnwick Castle

We're going away with our friends again who have 3 children & Jasper the dog so DD will have a great time & won't be hassling us to play with her or push her on the swing. We're planning to visit the tree house at Alnwick Castle, Holy Island & possibly Edinburgh as DH wants to see the Edinburgh Monarchs ride. If I get dragged along for that I'll insist on a visit to a yarn shop - I've found found one LYS so far.

Photo Gallery

DH has been an absolute star & sorted out a photo gallery - please check it out under 'My complete profile'. 'Fay 1' can now be viewed in the Gift Stash album. As usual DH had fun taking the photo but it didn't involve any Addi turbos or cocktail sticks for a change!

False alarm

We had a stressful morning yesterday but I've promised not to reveal what happened as the person concerned is very embarrassed. Lets just say it involved a trip to the emergency doctors, a trip to A&E at the hospital & some xrays. Whilst this was happening I sat in waiting rooms knitting Fay 2 thankful for the mindless repetiveness of 3x3 rib.


Fay 2

Luckily everything is ok & we then spent the rest of the day & evening at a bbq hosted by one of his workmates. As the driver I didn't drink but watched everybody else get absolutely p*ssed. DD had a good time with another daughter aged 12. She's also not a girly girl - they were a bit late as she had been playing rugby! DH awoke this morning with beautifully painted & foiled nails on one hand but refused to take a photo - spoil sport!

'In Stitches' May meeting

We had our second meeting tonight & it was fantastic. Nine people in all & we ended up with separate crochet & knitting huddles. One beginner absolutely wowed us all with her tension & lack of dropped stitches, another was knitting a black handbag, another a cardigan in a Rowan cotton, another finished a wonderful Colinette creation & I cast on for Fay two in the same Cork as Fay one.

It's lovely to meet & chat with other like minded knitters & not to be seen as barmy, odd or weird. It's a pity that the cafe closes at 8 p.m. as it could have easily gone on for another hour. We’re going to organise something for National Knitting week in October but I need to speak to the cafe manager before we can plan anything.

Secret Project et al

I'm finally unveiling my secret project - my first felting project.


Red & black felted bag

It started life as 3x 100g balls of black & 1x 100g of red Chunky pure wool from Texere. I had never felted before, knitted in the round or done an i-cord bind off so it was a total experiment. I'm really pleased with the result apart from one thing - I started with a rectangle & then picked up stitches & knitted in the round creating a can shape. Next time I'll learn to do short rows & create a circular base which will look better. It looked like this before it was felted & took three 60 degree washes in a net bag. It hasn't felted properly in a couple of places, next time I'll do bits like this by hand to make it totally even.

It was lined by a fellow knitter who I met last month at 'In Stitches' - thank you so much for your help. I've given it to DD but she's got so many bags & so much stuff that it'll get lost amongst all the debris but I view it as a learning curve. As she's a Harry Potter fanatic she adores red & black. The next one will be better & it's for me - in chocolate with cream & pale pink.

We're having our second meeting tomorrow night & I've been in touch with two other knitters in the area so am hoping that they can both make it.

I've given up on the Inox needles & spoke to Tess today from Angel Yarns & ordered a set of 7mm Addi turbo circular bamboo needles. I've already ripped it once & need to do it again. I found myself two stitches short, so puzzled I made two & then on the following alternate row found that I had two to many! So I'm going to do a swatch with a non fluffy dk yarn to learn the pattern repeat. I think I'm going wrong with psso & yfwd - it's hard to tell the difference between the slipped stitch & the yfwd so I'm going to try using a marker on the slipped stitch so that I can pull that one over & not the yfd - you probably need to see that pattern to work out where I'm coming from but then again maybe not.

Bliss.....

As mentioned a couple of days ago we're having a new bathroom installed or to be more precise DH is installing a new bathroom which is a small part of our current home improvements.

I'll go into more detail in a few weeks when I can provide photos but I need to share what I did tonight - I had a BATH!!! For months I've had showers only & I missed having a really long soak. We've still got the old bath with a shower above but the fact that the brick dust comes down, the old bathroom is now a hallway with other rooms off it etc really doesn't make a relaxing environment IMHO. I last had a bath on February 1st (that sounds like I’m a mucky sod doesn’t it) in a hotel whilst on a trip for work. Two weeks later I went to Germany (again with work) but I was absolutely gutted to discover that I had a shower in my bathroom.

To make it even better the new bath is has an 11 jet whirl pool so whilst I melted in ecstasy the jets were whizzing the small amount of bubble bath that I put in, up high so that I had to reduce the air.

Bliss.....

Attitudes to knitting

One of my colleagues at work is pregnant & the baby is due in November. Previously she laughed at me when I set up 'In Stitches'. Today I was reading 'Knitting' in my lunch break & I love the baby wave blanket. I casually asked if her mum knits & she totally scoffed & said "No thanks". Guess who won't be getting a pair of the lovely baby socks that I've fallen in love with.

Busy weekend

I bit the bullet & ripped the poncho yesterday. DD was training yesterday for two hours so I was able to start again. The pattern calls for 6.5mm needles which I don't have. I had swatched using 6mm & 7mm & the latter got the guage. I was hoping that I'd be able to use my Plymouth needles but had to use the 7mm Inoxs instead.

I haven't touched since as it's been a manic weekend as usual. DD & I went into town in the afternoon & she had some money burning a hole in her pocket. The latest craze at school is marbles so she was determined to buy some more. We found a huge bag of 'cats eyes' for 99p the first shop we went into so she was very happy with herself. Our local supermarket are now selling marbles so her current dilema is which sort does she spend her money on when we next shopping: 'milkies, 'spotting dicks' or 'See Through Coloureds'???

Whilst in town I treated myself to some goodies in Lush & also got loads of free samples :-) Mainly in prepartion for the completion of our new bathroom but more on that soon. We then went to buy her some walking boots in readiness for our next caravan holiday at the end of the month. She had a great time trying on various boots but screamed when a huge crack of thunder & lightening went off. That set off the fire alarm (the weather not DD's scream although it was loud) & then the Fire Brigade turned up so it was quite eventful. She came home with new boots, walking socks & a stylish rain coat, DH & I got socks - sound familiar???

The weather has been really weird this weekend. It was lovely & sunny here this morning, so sunny that I got two loads of washing dried on the line & then the hail stones came down, rain, thunder etc etc etc.

This afternoon I brushed the dogs out & trimmed paws etc. Blue was being her usual awkard self & collapsed to the floor when I tried to pick her up. She weighs about 65lb which is very heavy dog when it's flat to the floor with sticking out legs that don't want to go onto the table. She's also got tickilish feet! Annie is great to groom she stands like a rock & lets me get on with it. Blue can take at least half a hour longer to groom purely because she messes around, leaning away from the clippers, pratting around with her feet, ears etc. But she is so proud & prances when she's showing off to the world how pretty she looks. Or is she just relived that she's finally off the grooming table? I'm going to clip them out in a couple of weeks so that they're clean & short when we go away & will take some photos.

Do I frog or try & repair?

I've started the poncho for DD & it's not going well. I've never done a lacey pattern before so it took me a while to get my head around it but I've done it. I've done one pattern repeat. As I put it down to look at the pattern I found one stitch that was knitted but has come undone some how in the first row. It's seperating two lacey 'holes' so will be tricky to pick up.

I've struggled tonight not just because I was learning something new but because of the needles. I always try to knit with bamboo Addi's & these are Inox. They've got a horrible bumpy bit between the cord & the bamboo & bringing the yarn up onto the bamboo drove me mad.

I've put clips in the stitches for now so that I don't regret it but am so tempted to rip the lot.

Ideas anyone?

Calmer now

Thanks for the kind words. He's apologised for being a git, said that he was tired etc etc. I'm not impressed but at least he's said sorry. He's working as an offical today at a Polling Station for the General Election so left at stupid o'clock this morning (but still managed to wake me up) & is getting home very late tonight so DD & I are having a girly evening. Read I'm doing everything - feeding all the animals, cooking etc & then she's swimming so no change from a normal night except that he's not here when we get back from the pool.

I've finished Fay 1. I love the red Very Berry but really don't like the orange Delight. As orange goes it's not that bad as it has a bit of red in it but I HATE orange. The pattern calls for 30 rows of Very Berry at each end of the scarf & I want to get 2 scarves out of the 50g ball that I've got. But sods law I've got 22g left after finishing the first so Fay 2 will have shorter red bits.

I had planned to do a jumper in a lovely red wine colour for DD next but she reminded me that I bought some Funky Fur in Valentino to make her a poncho last year & still haven't done it. So poncho it is. I'm going to swatch whilst she's training (I'm not using the recommended yarn) & hopefully will be able to use the Plymouth needles for the first time.

I went to vote after collecting DD from school. I'm fed up with all the party polical snipping that's being going on in the run up to the General Election but it always happens. I'm interested in the outcome but I won't be staying up tonight to see which party has won. Last time the party changed I found it really weird that the Politicians that had always feature heavily in the news were gone & there were loads of new faces.

Why?

Why do men lash out verbally when they're in the wrong & always manage to say the thing that will hurt the most?

Introducing............. Tia!

Originally named Hestia (which is a bit of a mouthful) after the Greek Goddess of the Hearth, Tia came from Mayhew Animal Home in London in August 1988 for the grand sum of £10.


Tia


She'll be 18 years old this month & rules the animal pack in our house, the other 3 cats & the dogs. She can often be found sleeping in the middle of the huge dog beds whilst one of the dogs is on the floor moaning pathetically. They're happy for her to join them on the bed but won't move onto it if she gets there first. She loves nothing better than having a nibble on their marrow bones & they'll standback & watch.

Tia has moved all around the country with me & particularly liked Bradford where she charmed other students who were missing their own pets. She developed a love of tinned spagetti & chapettis & would often come home with orange feet from the former.

Now that she's getting old she's finally slowing down. Her eyes have developed little flecks in them, she's got a bit fragile & skinny. I think she's suffering from arthritis as she sticks her front feet out like wings when lying down!

Progress on Fay & more internet purchases

I didn't get Fay one finished last night as I spent too long writing last nights entry. I've got 28 rows left to do in Very Berry & then it's done. I'm starting a Gift Stash for friends & it'll be the first entry but won't be mentioning who they're for in case the recipant views the blog.

I came home from work to an exciting parcel. I purchased some


Plymouth interchangable bamboo needles

from the Discount Yarn Center on ebay. Someone mentioned them on knitlist & directed me to this seller. She normally doesn't sell outside of the US but my good ebay feedback plus the promise of quick paypal payment was enough to persuade her luckily. I'm delighted with them (take a closer look here) & for the cost of 8 pairs of bamboo circulars I now have potentially 24 sets in one tiny carrying case. 6 sizes of bamboo needles: 3.75mm,4.25mm, 4.50mm, 5.00mm, 5.50mm & 6.00mm with 4 cords which when fitted with the needles make up the following lengths: 40cm, 60cm, 80cm & 100cm

DH's reaction was predictable -

"How many needles do you need?"

but even he saw the practicality of them. BUT he then wanted to know how many pairs I could now get rid of!

If anyone else in the UK wants a set Discount Yarn Center is now happy to sell them to the UK for $85 which includes shipping & admin. Please mention blueadt when ordering.


Blue dog

DD went back to school today after being off sick last week & also returned to training tonight. I had full intentions of taking her until a chance conversation when a colleague said "You have remembered that we're all going out for a meal tonight, haven't you?" Whoops.....

So a quick phone call to DH to make sure he would be home in time & that he could take DD swimming. DD is knackered after nearly a week and a half off but it won't take her long to get fit again. I probably won't be able to update as regularly because of her swimming but I'll do my best.

More on our weekend away

Now that DD is in bed & DH has returned to bed after getting up saying that he's fine etc etc & raiding the fridge I shall continue. Before he went back to bed he very kindly sorted a few photos out so you can all get an idea of our trip.

I knitted on the way there in the car. Here is the Fay scarf early on Friday afternoon


Fay one

The dogs are very used to travelling & have a large crate in the back of our car. Annie used to lie down & snooze whilst in the car until we got the caravan. Now she stresses out due to the large white monster
chasing her and permently has her face pressed up against the mesh with the whites of her eyes showing. Blue is far more relaxed & looks out the window.

We arrived at 2.30 p.m. on Friday so had plenty of time to relax once we'd pitched up. Our backgarden is paved so the dogs enjoyed the grass behind our caravan. Our friends were delayed in arriving & we were determined to save a pitch next to us so I asked DD to get out all her toys & make a mess to deter anybody else pitching next to us - she was chuffed to bits - normally I'm asking her to tidy them up.

On Sunday afternoon when we had the best weather we all went to the beach. By all I mean my family (DH, DD, myself,Blue & Annie) plus the friends that we went away with (mum, dad, 3 kids (2 boys & 1 girl) plus little Jasper a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel). He was desperate to be a BIG dog & did his best to keep up with the Airedales. They had a fantastic time in the sea & rock pools & were a bit soggy by the time we got back to the caravan.


Annie & Blue on the beach

I still felt a bit rough on Sunday morning after being ill the day before so DH very kindly got up early & took the two of them out for a 5 mile walk (normally he doesn't walk them - they're mine so it's my job! but I think it's the poo picking up that puts him off). So during our afternoon walk with all the kids they mainly sniffed & tried to climb the eroding cliff face rather than bounce around. The views were fantastic


Scarborough beach

DH was trying to be arty here but left his camera in black & white much to his dismay!


sea birds

DH found a hermit crab which the kids found fascinating:

They all collected hundreds of rocks, stones & shells & the youngest child lagged behind with a carrier bag full. By the time we got back to the cars he only had one rock left which DH had rescued to stop the tears.

The dogs flopped when back at the caravan site & the kids all went off to play so it was time for the adults to relax & flop as well.

Bank holiday weekend

As DH & I both had Monday (today) off work we had arranged to go away in the caravan for the weekend. Of course things were working against us to ruin any chance of a nice break:

DD was sick last week so we nearly didn't go.

The weather - it rained constantly from the early hours of Saturday morning through to mid day on Sunday. The site was so wet that the water was coming up through the ground sheet in the awning.

I forgot to take dog towels so a couple of times the dogs had to stay in their crate in the car as they were too wet to come into the caravan.

I got ill on Saturday afternoon & had to keep running to the toilets. Mid afternoon I remembered that I had some anti diarrhoea tablets in the 'van - 3 hours later still felt awful but no more mad rushes to the toilets!

Early hours of Monday morning DH felt sick & raced to the toilets (his turn now) but instead he vomits his guts up.

As I write he is dying in bed & I've been dealing with a stroppy 9 year old who is refusing to help me do the housework which results from a weekend away & has been generally annoying.

Of course as we were packing up this morning (he helped but felt awful) the weather was fantastic. As we were stuck in traffic the sun was blazing & the dogs were panting in the back of the car.

Knitting wise I've nearly finished the first Fay in Delight & Very Berry Cork. I'll be doing the last section in VB tonight & casting off. Photos will follow when DH is better.

I'm giving the baby blanket to my neighbour tonight - again photos will follow soon when DH is better. He also took some over the weekend (I did too on his phone but got told off!) but I don't know how to format them so they'll be up when DH is able to sort them out.