I might stop...

...blogging, because it seems kind of pointless really.  I don't really know why I started, or continued.  But equally, there is no good reason to end, so maybe I won't. 

Saturday - old knitting, apparently I used to be obsessed with 3ply

Found this when digging yarn out of the garage



I knitted it for dan's christening but it never got finished because we had to postpone it. Wish I'd remembered about it in time for Abi to wear it, I think she's too big now :(
It's not perfect, but I do think it's rather lovely. I love the smocking



Although it has many faults which at the time I didn't predict and now might have been able to avoid, eg the lack of decreasing after the smocking, the gaping neckline, insufficient shaping at armholes...I still love it though.

Not sure why I used to be so committed to baby weight yarn, it terrifies me now! It does look more Vintage-y I suppose. Apparently during rationing, 3ply was the only weight available! Can you imagine!

Also:



Old crochet: dan's rainbow blanket, he was so sad this is too small for him now!

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Friday

Too busy doing menial things for crafting today. Abi discovered that a Ribena straw makes the ultimate teether though



We went round town like this for ages, sigh. Anything for a quiet life.
Also saw this amazing shop:



Unlike most bookmakers, this one actually MAKES BOOKS!!! It looks more like a museum, and had a beautiful pile of old, marbled paper



Wish I had a reason to go in!

Thursday

This is a bit of a test post, I dont have broadband anymore and am not sure how much my phone can cope with by itself! I hope it will let me post pictures like this one...



of some trousers I once knitted for dan, when I discovered you cant get footed trousers for toddlers. And they are very useful at this time of year. Putting abi in dans old knits always cheers my soul. I can't believe I knitted them in 3ply, what was I thinking! I must have had a lot of free time! They are very soft and comfy looking.

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Tuesday

I lost all my photos the other day :( it feels like starting all over again! Knitting is still mostly secret but almost done. I'm just going to stick up a few pictures from today...since losing all the ones I hadn't backed up I'm grateful for the ones on here!
This morning...



One of those games which could easily have ended in tears!


Can't wait to get rid of all this dreadful furniture I don't use.



Cinnamon/raisin bread...mmmmm



Jigsawing together! This really melted my heart! Then she climbed onto the table and started playing with the weihnachtspyramid, I hope it survived ok.

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Saturday....Xmas is coming!!!

We bought our Christmas tree today!






Had to rearrange furniture to accomodate it's girth! Dan and I are so pleased with it! Abi looked very confused as I dragged it into the house.

So we got the decs out, and collected the knitted ones we'd loaned to the knitting shop...






We have accumulated a lot of home made ones now which is very pleasing. And safer with a toddler about!






I do think they look extra lovely on a real tree.
Had to move the winter display to a windowsill...











So. Much. Fun!

Also:

Sliced some oranges for drying:






These will become pot pourri and tree decs.

Made some more shake n vac from bicarbonate, lavender and tea tree







And finally, I just noticed I'm about to pass 5,000 visits! Which is so lovely, thankyou for popping in on my mad rambly world. Do say hi if you feel so inclined!


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Friday

Parcels!





Managed to sneak a quick peek at some of the contents






Ended up getting this out today (I'm dreadful at saving stuff, especially when they're little)






We had so much fun playing with this, and talking about the different colours in our separate languages. And Daniel came up with some fantastic games with it when he got in too. Who could resist those colours!

Sorry for the lack of knitting, am too busy waiting for a chance to go and admire my parcels properly!

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Thursday...protest hat!

Am knitting a hat for a friend to wear to protests etc (and other times too I guess, but she does like a good protest so it seemed appropriate to be working on it today!)



It's another blimmin aviatrix, but it is a fun pattern to knit. However, she wanted the maddest red available, and might wash it, so went with an acrylic mix. It is bright:



But it's horrid to knit with. Squeaky sweaty sweary stuff. But I think she'll like it.

Also, another pic of my scrummy silk which I have left lying around for me to admire








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Wednesday

It's v frustrating not discussing Xmas knitting. But I can show you this...



A lovely parcel to brighten my day! So exciting. I sat at the big table with it carefully in laid in front of me. Because I don't often buy wool for meeeee, it's v exciting. Since the socks and shalom, I seem to be getting good at it though! Here it is...






Sorry for as-ever dreadful photos. I will try to get a nice photo when it's wound up into a ball. I love this very very much. It is 100% silk, absolutely scrummy, and the most pleasing shades of intense purple. I think it needs to be some sort of neck thing. It is a light dk weight, so hopefully in the new year it can become something.

Also today...we met up with friends. Which is very tiring



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Tuesday

Here's the lovely gorgeous ball of nimu yarn I finished winding last night. So pretty! No idea what to do with it.


And here it is again in the knitting basket... I'm always satisfied that my wool 'stash' fits in this basket and is not excessive. However, it is now starting to look a bit full...


Things I need to get done by Xmas...
-an aviatriax for a friend
-abi's Xmas stocking
-a couple of things to sew and finish up

I also need to order the rest of the wool for my shalom online after a bit of a palaver ordering yarn. Doesn't really matter I know but I couldve had it done in a fortnight, instead I am
Stuck here...



Never mind.

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Can't knit.

I know it has been a bad day because I have been simply incapable of knitting. My usual outlet of stress and expression of pleasure, today I cannot bear to pick it up. I can, however, wind a skein of yarn into a ball. That is all I can do today.



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Friday...

Today has been such a lovely day. Another day off school due to the snow. My favourite Friday moments as inspired by soulemama...



Drawing with abi. I couldn't find a camera at the time, too busy drawing. But we had lots of fun (in the end, after chasing away the hour-before-dinner-grumps)



Painting sticks from our walk for the nature table with dan. Abi didn't feel like joining in on this so we did it together, the boy and I, whilst ignoring abi climbing furniture and throwing things about.



A wintry walk...



Brrrr



Twas a bit like narnia.



Also today, my beloved slipper got a needle felted patch. I would like to do this to both soles...maybe after Xmas



A strange sample of all the decreases I could think of late last night. Because I often can't remember which ones slope which way etc, I thought this might be handy to have in the knitting basket for reference. Maybe I will blog some ramblings about different decreases sometime.

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Thursday thoughts on magic loop and stuff

I am really enjoying knitting magic loop at the moment. The one thing it took me a while to figure out is ladder avoidance, which seems to need slightly different handling to dpns. Cos on dpns you can just up the tension at the start of each needle and all is geberally well.

But I found that just pulling the hell out of that first st is less effective with magic loop, firstly because the cable (in my case!) likes to pull away a little, immediately undoing your tension. Whereas a dpn just stays where you leave it.

More importantly, when you tighten a first st, you are also affecting the tension of the final st on the previous needle. And as that st will by mow no longer be in a needle, but will be sitting on a cable, this is not so good. It will tighten far too much and you may never get it back on the needle!



See, that last st is never going to slide back onto a 4mm needle.
So instead I do it like this. Just forget about tension for that first st. Let it be floppy and daft.



Because I'm finding it's much more effective to control tension as the wool is being wrapped for the second st. A firm hand here will pull any potential ladder closed, but have much less effect on that vulnerable final st on the cable.


And don't let go of the wool during the 3rd st either, as that one will anchor the tension of the 2nd.

So, my method is:
Neglect the first st
Baby the 2nd st
Watch that 3rd st

Would be interested to hear other thoughts on ladders and other matters pertaining to magic loop...or anything in fact!

Also today:






We looked out the window at the snow a LOT. Dan went sledging and we stayed home, we tried the snow but it was a bit much



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