The scurge of gift knitting

Anybody reading this blog recently will think that I've just been busy with cats, kittens & hedgehogs. Whilst they have been taking my time other things have been happening but sadly not all are blog-able at least not yet. With Christmas just a few weeks away I've been planning & casting on projects via Ravelry but none can be revealed here.

However I do a have a few non-Christmassy things that I can show:

First a project which was first seen when I was ill but now I can reveal a much better photo:


Stripey Jumper dress

Pattern: Mini Sweater
Source: Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.
Modifications: I wasn't very well when I made this & I'm using this as the excuse for going wrong. I counted the stripes instead of the rows so I made a jumper dress instead of a jumper or sweater But it's still cute.
Yarn: Wendy Cotton Supersoft & Wendy Miami found hiding in my stash.
Needles: 4mm

A second attempt at the pattern fared much better:


Two tone miniature jumper

Next a truly fiddly knit:


Little Sky Sock

Pattern: Little Sky Sock
Source: New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: Opal Magic left over from my Garter Rib socks
Needles:2 x 2.5mm addi turbos

I'm glad I've made a miniature version of this sock as I really didn't like the shaping but I did like the next one:


Little Coriolis sock

and another shot from the other side to show the shaping:


Little Coriolis sock

Pattern: Little Coriolis sock
Source: New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: Opal Magic left over from my Garter Rib socks
Needles:2 x 2.5mm addi turbos

These little knits will be converted soon with the aid of a tiny bit of pink i-cord & a keyring & will be sent off shortly to a fundraiser to raise money for Breast Cancer Research which is always a worthy cause.

And the kittens?

They're continuing to cause havoc!

We're slowly introducing them to the dogs by bringing one dog into the conservatory at a time & having them lie down so that the kittens can get used to them. Both dogs are big (25.5" & 26" tall at the shoulder) & their heads are bigger than the kittens entire bodies) and are cat friendly & have never hurt a cat in their lives but they're both finding it very interesting to have two manic kittens run around at top speed and want to play.


Ginny looking 'big' because a dog dared to look at her

Wagging dog tails have been 'patted' at & games chasing tin foil balls & catnip mice taking place around the canines but we've got a long way to go before they can all be integrated together. It's made harder partly due to Annie's partial blindness; as she can't always see what's going on, she tends to bark in excitement when she hears a noise, which obviously scares the kittens & they then scoot back to the kitten nursery, aka the conservatory in it's former use, at high speed with tails like Christmas trees!