FO!!!

Something amazing has happened - since my unravelling of the neverending sock I have started and completed another project.

The evening after the sock was gone I cast on for a horizontal stripes scarf. This was a little project of the Bean, who's been stealing my scarf for a few weeks now because he likes to 'wrap up warm' and hide away from the wind (he hates wind). I used three strands of yarn and big needles so this was a very quick knit. Even with Tick's evening feeding and cuddling routine it was done in two evenings. The yarn is some leftover merino that I still had lying around (even after Bean's baby blanket AND a stripey raglan sweater I made for him ages ago). There is still quite a bit let but the stash is finally diminishing.


The rag rug effect was unintentional but I quite like the chaotic hippy look of the scarf and Bean certainly hasn't complained and walked off to nursery (he goes there occasionally so I get some time with Tick) rather proudly this morning.

Photos are rather rushed (Bean refused to sit still for even a second this morning) and the scarf is unblocked).

Now on to the next project...

Sometimes...

... drastic measures are required.

R.I.P. never-ending sock!

Yesterday evening I decided that the sock needed to go. I love the yarn, I love the pattern, and the first sock was nearly finished, but I was just not happy with it. It was too tight, despite the fact that I had already tried to fix this problem by unravelling the sock partly and re-knitting the heel in a larger needle size, but the instep was still too narrow. I was also not particularly happy with the toe, which, should I knit this pattern again, I would make longer. It's something about the weird shape of my feet that makes them look all wrong when the toe is too short.

That said, I LOVE the heel design on this sock. To the extent that I think this will become MY heel. I'd be quite happy to substitute any heel on any sock pattern with this one - it's neat, it's sturdy, and it's not too fiddly. And I do love the whole idea of this sock - it's simple and pretty, and cables are so satisfying to knit.

But despite all this the sock needed to go. It's always a bit heartbreaking to unravel a project, in particular one that you've been working on for so long, but it's also quite liberating. And it means that I am now free to pick one of the projects on my list to make a fresh start. :-)

I'm longing to...

... knit.

These days I find myself daydreaming about knitting... planning elaborate knitting projects in the wee hours of the morning when Tick wants to feed yet again. .. snatching minutes to finger yarn earmarked for projects that may or may not come to fruition in the foreseeable future... and furtively knitting the odd half-row on my never-ending sock - the one started before Tick was born (and no, I'm nowhere near starting sock #2) - when the Bean is watching The Night Garden before going up for his bath and bed.

I have two projects on the needles right now.: The never-ending sock, which, to my defense, I had to unravel partly because it was far too tight for my fat ankles, and a heavily altered version of Knitty's Satchel Bag, intended to become a knitted (and lined) nappy bag big enough to fit all of Beans and Ticks STUFF. But I have so many plans - especially at night, when it's quiet and Tick is sleepily feeding, I sit in the half-light of my dimmed bedside lamp and think of all those projects.

I want to knit a belted cardigan like this one HERE.

And I want to knit a funky scarf for The Bean (he keeps on "borrowing" mine), possibly made from left-over yarn and using two strands at the same time so I can blend colours. I might knit it sideways.

I'd like to make Tick another couple of cardigans.

I want to knit a few cardigans for myself. Like THIS ONE or THIS ONE here.

I want to design a jumper using some light blue mohair yarn that I bought ages ago. I know exactly how it should look but obviously haven't got round to working on it.


The reality of the situation is that in the next few months I probably won't get around to much knitting because during the day I'm more likely to be involved in activities that feature the items in the picture above and in the evening when The Bean is snoozing peacefully Tick seems to wake up and want a lot of holding. I'm guessing he is catching up on all those cuddles that he is missing out on during the day when his big brother demands most of my attention. Maybe there will be more time once we get Tick into some kind of bed-time routine but right now he goes to bed when we do - which isn't very late either. ;-)

I guess for now I need to console myself with fondling yarn, looking through my pattern collection, snatching the odd minute to work on the sock, and dreaming of all those projects that may or may not happen...

Just a heads up...

... to say that I have more yarn listed on Ebay here: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/cov-kipper in case anyone is looking to expand their stash. I'm getting through my unused yarns and it actually feels quite good to let go of some of it. There is still plenty, no danger of my stash approaching anything that looks reasonable, but if I at least have a project in mind for it, no matter if that is 10 years away, I don't mind holding on to yarn.

Anyway, sorry for the lazy update - I promise that there is more to come but I have The Bean at home all day for the rest of the week and he's decided that sleep during the day is for the weak. This translates into no time to update the blog (or eat, or do the laundry, or hoover, or tidy up, or... you get the picture! ;-) )

That picture is a fairly accurate depiction of how I feel right now - a bit chaotic and untidy, and a bit blurry and out of focus... Christmas takes its toll, with the excessive eating and the excessive visiting and meeting people, and the excessive presents. We had a policy of not giving excessive gifts this year - after all, The Bean doesn't need another room full of toys and Tick doesn't really need anything other than mommy milk right now ;-) - but somehow we seem to have neglected to tell other people. The result can be seen above...

We had a lovely time, though - relaxed and fun, if a bit chaotic.

New Year is shaping up to be a much more quiet affair. I have managed to catch the flu that has been going round, so I've spent the last two days in bed, only feeding Tick when he demanded it, while D has been entertaining The Bean (they are out in town right now, buying a new mobile phone I think...). We hadn't planned to do much for New Year anyway, but the way it is looking now the evening might be over by 9.30pm! Oh well...

In any case, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all the best for the New Year!

x

Decluttering...

I think if I will have one New Year Resolution this time it will be to get rid of some of the clutter in our home. Honestly, the clutter, it knows no bounds.

Yesterday I went through a few bags full of yarn that I accidentally stumbled across when I was trying to stuff something else into an already over-full closet and I made a radical decision - I want some of my stash to go.

I'm fine with having a lof of yarn and I love looking and petting all the pretty skeins and thinking about all those future projects, but then there are also purchases that either I don't like anymore or that I can't for the life of me assign to a project and some of it should find a new owner. I am thinking of listing it all on ebay (and in the case of the random bag of odds and ends I have already done so - link is here), but I thought I'd offer it up here first, in case someone is interested.

Here we go:

Two balls of Patons Washed Haze. £2.50 plus postage.


2 balls o Kool Kotton in a light beige / linen colour. £2 plus postage.

4 balls of 4 Seasons yarn. This is very similar to Rowan All Seasons Cotton (although not as expensive as that!). £4.00 plus postage.

One big ball of Opal Sock yarn. £3.00 plus postage

2 balls of Wolle Roedel Ronda yarn. £3 plus postage.

Huge mountain of odds and ends (there are a few more that I forgot to include in the photograph. This has been listed on ebay here.


Two bags of fibre. This is Welsh mountain and Swaledale, so it's not particularly soft. Would be good to practice with. I would let this go for just cost of postage.

Last but not least, this selection of mini skeins from the Natural Dye Studio. Please note that these are not regular size skeins but mini-skeins. I bought this as a selection to try some Fair Isle but I is it really ever going to happen? Probably not in the next 10 years, so I might as well get rid of it. £4.50 plus postage.

Comment or send me an email if you are interested. Otherwise this will just go on ebay because I really REALLY need some space in my cupboards!!

More to come.

He's here...

Sorry for the silence - it's the New Baby craziness that has taken hold of us here.

Tick arrived on the 13th November - two days before his due date - after only 6 hours of active labour and only 1.5 hours after we got to the hospital. In fact, the midwife nearly missed it. She'd gone out to get a nurse and when she came back in she just about managed to catch him!!

I'll be back more regularly in a few weeks time I think, once things have settled down a bit. For now I am sitting back, basking in the New Baby glow, and trying to juggle a very proud but also quite confused little Bean and a little Tick who, in the way babies tend to, has his days and nights mixed up and likes to sleep like an angel during the day and feed like a little fiend all night. Right now all is well with my world.

So until I return to more regular broadcasting, hope you are all finding some enjoyment and some quiet, peaceful time in the often frantic uprun to Christmas.

x

Still waiting...

I know I am inpatient, I know I am...

... but with The Bean being a little early I thought that Tick might follow his big brother's example. Of course his due date is only Saturday, but still! It's Tuesday today and he is making absolutely no signs of wanting to vacate the premises...

At least I've had plenty of time to get a few things sorted around the house.

I built the Ikea bookcase for the corner of our lounge and carried a ton of books downstairs to sort into the shelves. Very satisfying, although I was rather tired afterwards.

I think it looks OK. I was a bit worried that it might not work, and to be perfectly honest, the sofa IS a little bit too big for the space that is left for it, in particular with the small table with the lamp on by the side, but it isn't very noticeable and we did need the space for the books after all. I think it makes the room feel more cozy...

I've also got round to sewing a new cover for my moses basket. It's not finished yet because it needs some elastic around the rim to hold the fabric up securely, but just to show you the pattern of the fabric:

This is a kind of flannel fabric that I got in a swap a while ago. No idea what it is exactly but it's cute with the little giraffes. It's the first time I've worked with a stretchy fabric and although I like the way it has turned out I have to admit that I didn't working with the fabric much. It's just not an exact science and the fabric slips and slides all over the place. It's good enough for a moses basket cover, but overall I think I'll stick to sewing with non-stretchy materials...

My sock knitting is also coming along uncharacteristically well - I've turned the heel (there seemed to be a mistake in the pattern, so it took a bit of experimenting, but overall this is just about the nicest heel that I've ever come across - I'll definitely use that pattern for the heel again!) and I'm on the home run now. Of course then there is the second sock, but we are not thinking about that yet.

In the sprit of nesting I've also spent the past few days sticking photographs into albums - a task that I normally NEVER get round to. We have boxes and boxes full of photographs!

If Tick makes me wait much longer, my tasks for the next few days will be:

1) more sticking pictures into albums
2) sewing a nappy bag with some corduroy fabric I have in my stash
3) sewing a head support for the Mei Tai baby carrier I have for Tick
4) x-mas baking with The Bean - I'm really looking forward to that and have already dug out my recipe books. There are plenty of terrifying things about the up-run to x-mas, but the German x-mas cookies? Hmmmmm!! ;-)

Nearly there...

Well, tomorrow I'll be officially 38 weeks pregnant and in the home stretch.

After all this waiting around it seems a bit surreal that Tick will be here with us so soon. I had a midwife appointment yesterday and when we arranged for another appointment in 2 weeks time it ocurred to me that if Tick is anything like Bean was I won't have that appointment - he will be here by then.


Things have been well - much better really, than a few weeks ago, when I felt tired and exhausted and big and lumpy. It seems that I am experiencing that surge of energy that so many pregnant woment have right before they go into labour. And the nesting very much continues... I even managed to squeeze in a trip to Ikea two days ago (much to D's annoyance because he is the one suffering from all the 'imaginary' tasks that I come up with that, at least in my deranged and pregnancy-addled mind, can't possibly wait and URGENTLY need to be seen to before Tick gets here). I bought another bookshelf for the living room (will post pictures once it's up and full of books), a small shelf unit for Bean's room (I am trying, in vain, to keep the flood of multi-coloured plastic in check that threatens to engulf us one of these days) and a little wooden stepping stool for the bathroom so Bean can reach the basin to wash his hands. Also, more boxes for clutter collection, a few frames for Bean's 'artwork' and some x-mas decorations. Gotta love Ikea...

I'm also knitting. Socks, even! A few weeks ago I started on a modified version of Knitty's Satchel, mainly to use up some ancient Ebay yarn, but all that stocking stitch is starting to get to me so I suddenly felt like knitting something more intricate. Despite the fact that I rarely knit socks I own a lot of sock yarn (got to love the wonderful colours you get for sock yarn...) and I finally got round to winding a few balls and casting on:


This is the Widdershins pattern from Knitty, and so far it's rather fun to knit. The yarn is a handspun sock yarn from Hipknits. It was a horrific tangle and took me about 2 days to wind into a ball, but it is wonderfully soft and I love the soft earthy colours of the yarn.


PS: Now that I am settling into my maternity leave I've been starting to wonder if I should join a swap again. I do so love parcels (both sending and receiving them) and it's been a looooong time. I don't even know where to look for a swap these days. Are any of you aware of any interesting swaps starting in the near future?

Embracing the home life...

I'm finally on maternity leave (yay!) and I've been trying to wind down a bit. It's hard, in particular as I still have an article to finish up before Tick arrives. It's in the final stages, but I do find myself fretting over it late at night after yet another visit to the bathroom (if Tick could just be a little more kind to my bladder we'd both sleep so much better...).

In preparation to embracing the homelife I am hoping to enjoy in the coming months I have splashed out on a few books though:



There is a Kath Kidston book on embroidery - I thought it would be a bit more about actual sewing, but it's nice anyway - and two cookery books. One is a lovely little book on homemade edible gifts - cakes, biscuits, chutneys, jam, marmelade, pralines, alcohol... and it's beautifully photographed. I can't wait to try some of the recipes. The other one is a cookery book based on the wonderful food that is always mentioned in classic children's books. Who can't remember reading children's books and, for hours after, wanting pancakes, muffins drizzled with melted butter, and homemade lemonade? The book is compiled and written by Jane Brocket of Yarnstorm, which is something I only found out after I had already bought it!

Hopefully all the cookery books will have the added side-effect of providing me with a few cheap x-mas presents for friends and family. I'm no good knitting things for a deadline, and I have a rather disasterous Sockapalooza experience to vouch for it, so I am not even attempting knitted gifts - they happen when they will, but not usually in time for birthdays, anniveraries, or x-mas - so I am hoping that perhaps I can make some luxurious chocolates and cakes and maybe bottle a few chutneys for people. The Bean will hopefully help - we've recently ventured into the real of cupcake making together. We made Postman Pat mini muffins and apart from the fact that he managed to eat quite a bit of the dough and about half the icing they were a great success.

I even have some knitting content today:


Yes, I've dipped my foot into the dangerous waters of sock-knitting again. This was an internet pattern that was knitted inside out. I will edit this post and give you a link once I find the pattern and can confirm the name. It was an easy enough knit, although socks are always painfully slow for me. Unfortunately, though, I don't really like the socks. Nothing to do with the pattern, I hasten to add, just that the yarn really didn't go with the style of the socks but once I had finished one of them and had realised this there was really no way I was going to unravel the whole thing again. It had taken me months to get to this point, after all!! Instead I quickly cast on for the second sock and finished it in record time, just to get this project out of the way. I will still wear the socks, obviously, but I really wished that I was happier with the result...