Merry Christmas

I hope you're all having a wonderful day with loved ones and enjoying a peaceful & joy filled day.

Our Christmas is a bit different this year as I had an accident 2 days ago involving a lovely farm dog, who obsessed with a moving quad bike, ran into my knee at top speed and sent me crashing to the floor. It's too swollen at the moment to be certain of the damage but for now the Doctors think I've hurt my medial cruciate ligament and possibly the cartilage as well :(

So my Christmas this year involves minimal movement but that means lots of knitting as I can't do much else. Poor DH has to do everything else including all dog walking which he's not happy about as he'd planned a few lazy mornings in bed but I'd swap in an instant.

As I'm typing DD is happily checking out her presents and playing a new CD and I'm pleased that all presents were bought and wrapped well in advance.....

Noro Hats

Turn a Square Hat

Pattern: Turn a Square by Jared Flood.
Yarn: 32g of Cascade 220 in Jet & 16g of Noro Kureyon in 70
Needles: 2x 4mm circulars & 2x 4.5mm circulars
Made for: My husband
Time taken to knit: 8th -10th November 2009


Turn a Square Hat

And now one for me:


Fake Isle Hat

Pattern: Fake Isle Hat.
Yarn: 39g of Cascade 220 in Jet & 26g of Noro Silk Garden in 232
Needles: 2x 4.5mm circulars
Time taken to knit: 6-9th November 2009


Fake Isle Hat

I reversed the colours as I wanted a subtlety coloured hat & the Silk Garden is the same I used for my Lady Eleanor.


Fake Isle Hat

I'm REALLY happy with the colour scheme but the hat doesn't fit me very well. It's not too bad on my daughter but I've got a lot of very thick hair so it lifts off my head & is too pointy! It'll be frogged soon....

19/11/9 A possible reprieve. My friend Arianwen has a hat blocker & is going to try & reshape it. Plus DD has announced that she likes it. She showed the photos to her friends & they all wanted the hat!

Crazy Color Fingerless Gloves

Crazy Color Fingerless Gloves

Pattern: Basic Fingerless Gloves.
Yarn: 29g of Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Crazy Color in Passion
Needles: 2x 40 cm 4mm circulars
Time taken to knit: January 20th 2009 - October 17th 2009



This was another project that got forgotten about but it shouldn't have taken more than a few days.



Now that the weather has turned colder I've taken to wearing them in the house before the fire is lit & often work in them.


Lyra helps with the photoshoot!


The excitement was too much!

A Lesson Learnt....

I've been on a finishing spree recently as I have too many projects on the go at once.


'A Lesson Learnt Bed socks'

Pattern: Little Shell Rib socks from Sensational Knitted Socks.
Yarn: Just over 100g of James C Brett Pure Merino in red (PM10)
Needles: 2x 60 cm 3.5mm circulars
Method: Toe up
Time taken to knit: December 2007 - October 13th 2009


The blocked shot as always

These socks were started over Christmas and then put on hold for MIL's Broad Sprials (and because I'd reached the Short Row Heel & I HATE SRH's) but not picked up again until now. Which is where the lesson learnt comes in...


follow the line from the Short Row Heel

See the problem?



Have another look....

Because I left this pair for so long my tension had changed and it's really obvious.

horrible toe

I also don't like the fit to the heel or toe. The heel is hard to stretch over my foot (I think I have high arches) & the toe seems huge but in future as mentioned previously I'm sticking to David's Toe-Up Sock Cookbook so that doesn't worry me.

But as bed socks they'll do and will be a reminder not to leave projects so long in future. However I have more old WIP's to clear before my conscience is clear.....

Waffle House Socks

Waffle House Socks

Pattern: David's Toe-Up Sock Cookbook with Waffle House stitch pattern inserted into the formula.
Yarn: 56g of Opal Petticoat 1251 & 19g of Stylecraft 4ply in Navy.
Needles: 2x 2.25mm circulars
Method: Toe up
Time taken to knit: August 3rd 2009 - September 19th 2009


The blocked shot!

Both yarns were given to me in swaps and I went toe up to make them as long as possible. This is the 4th time I've used this pattern & I love it.


Waffle House Socks

Previously I used it to make Toe-up Cho' 7 socks, Out of the fire and Diagonal Lace Socks and will be swatching again soon for another pair





Waffle House Socks

Hermione hat

Hermione hat

Pattern: Hermione Hearts Ron
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Wool/Cotton. Used 70g.
Needles: 2.75 & 3.25mm Knit Picks Options Interchangables
Time taken to knit: August 26th 2009 - September 1st 2009


DD loves her hat!

The only modification I made was to knit 12 rows of rib rather than 10.

This hat was knitted in ‘snatches’ of time whilst we were VERY busy working on our house. A round whilst DH drove us to the builders merchants or sat up in bed late at night. The yarn was a bit splitty but workable. I've got loads left and already have plans for some of it.

Cat-astrophe......

Frankie: snoozing oblivious to the threat that is Ginny



Ginny: Let me at 'im!



Lyra:If I close my eyes he'll disappear.......

It is possible......

Please bear witness I am knitting with an 8 week old kitten on my knee albeit asleep as he has crashed due a day full of fun and frolics. Yarny evidence can be spotted in the top left hand corner and I'm casting off a pair of socks.......

Play Time!

He's known as Frankie aka Thunder Paws and both dogs LOVE him.....

Pumpkins....

Our vegetable garden is now sporting a number of young pumpkins. Hopefully we'll have one big enough to carve for Halloween and of course there is always pumpkin soup......

New recruit!

For what seems like ages I've wanted to get another cat, a boy cat to be precise and if possible a blue boy. Years ago when DH and I first got together he had a gorgeous long haired female called Furry Cat who was sadly killed on the road, I vowed then that one day we'd get another fur ball and this little scrap meets all of those requirements.
He is 7 weeks old and as yet un-named but suggestions are welcome :)

ETA:

DD would like me to point out that she took this photo! :DDD

Home grown vegetables

At the beginning of July DH and I decided to start a vegetable garden. It was bit late but we've got a few things growing and tomorrow I'll be harvesting our first courgette. The conservatory is now a greenhouse with tomatoes, peppers, chillies, cucumber and even a melon plant.

Next year I'll be better organised and start earlier. I'm hoping to grow a crop of salad leaves all winter but don't know how successful that'll be.

ETA: This is the receipe that I used with our first courgette and it was very nice.

Spaghetti with courgette & cherry tomato sauce

serves 4

200g cherry tomatoes
1 courgette trimmed
350g dried spaghetti
frylight or one cal
1 garlic clove peeled & crushed
1 bunch of basil stalks removed
2 tbsp very low fat natural fromage frais
6 spring onions finely sliced
salt & freshly ground black pepper
basil leaves to garnish

Finely chop half the cherry tomatoes. Cut the rest in half & reserve.
Coarsely grate the courgette & squeeze out the excess liquid & set aside.
Cook spaghetti.
Whilst pasta is cooking heat frylight, add garlic & courgette & cook gently for 3-4 mins stirring frequently. Add halved tomatoes & cook for 2-3 mins.
In the meantime roughly chop the basil & place in a bowl with the fromage frais, spring onions & chopped cherry tomatoes.
Serve in warmed bowls & garnish with basil leaves.

This recipe comes from an OOP Slimming World book called Fast Food and is one of our favourites.

Enjoy!