Finished objects

The golden rule of comedy is that you should always give your examples in threes, working from the least funny to the most funny. Assuming the same is true for both knitting and weather, I have three of each.

Thursday and Friday of this last week were unseasonably warm - I took my coat to work on Friday more out of habit than anything else and ended up carrying it around with me instead - it was lovely and spring like only slightly tinged by fears that this was actually summer and as good as we'd get. H told me that snow was forecast for Sunday and I double checked the date. Saturday I mentally composed a blog post along the lines of "how crazy are the weather men, they think it's going to snow and it's 15 degrees!" (said post never made it due to arrival of siblings come to stay for the weekend).

Sunday...., well it looked a bit like this when we got up:



I say got up, what I really mean was I opened the curtains thinking how sunny it was and how nice that we might get to put some clothes on the line to dry, screeched "SNOW!!!" at which point there was the sound of a curtain being hurriedly drawn back in the next room and an answering squeal of "SNOW!!!".

And two minutes later Zee was outside in her PJs, waterproof and my shoes with me wearing my nightshirt, a cardigan and my high heeled work shoes! We played snowball fights, rolled down the hill and took the time to get dressed all before church. Oh and we made this little fellow!

The great advantage of snow is that it forms a wonderful backdrop for showing off the latest finished socks:

Both on the feet and off


the disadvantage is that you then have to remove the snow and set the socks to dry on the radiator - perhaps I'd better stick to photographing things in bushes.


The pattern knits up beautifully but requires concentration - I never quite memorised the pattern repeats so it wasn't always the best thing for first thing in the morning but I am really pleased with the results - the pattern is clear and visible in this gorgeous multi-colour yarn (it's Arucania Ranco) and despite my issues over the size of my ankles I don't think you can tell that the cast-on/cast-off is different unless you look hard.

As a second FO for the day I sewed the buttons on the Blue Jay Baby Surprise - I am reliably informed that the model finds it an elegant fit!


The final one of the trio is by far the most impressive and is nothing to do with me - our good friends announced the arrival of their baby son, born at 3.50 this morning (the text message came at 5.15am - thanks for that!) and the BSJ is for him. Happy Birthday new baby!

Glorious Sunshine

After yesterday's wind and rain today was a bit of a surprise but oh how it is lovely to go out without needing a coat and even feeling warm in just a jumper. I was tempted to break out the flip-flops but perhaps that's over keen.

(although it is just possible that that was summer and it's going to keep raining and snowing until next year!).

I have spent most of the day with the windows and doors wide open and the yarn and needles in my lap. And I have something to show for it - a sock!

Can you spot what's wrong with it?

No? - Well that would be because the sock itself is just fine. It includes this beautiful slip stitch rib at the top,


executed according to the pattern but completely failing to take into consideration the intended wearer. I am 6' tall with feet and ankles and legs necessary to keep me standing upright. I also need a bit more give on the cuff than this sock was willing to provide.

I failed to take pictures of this week's yarn surgery - it was just too sad. See, look at the pretty rib again before it goes, to be replaced with a simple 2x2 rib.

All ends well though - I can do this:

And the sock is pretty:

10 things for Saturday

1. The right team won.

2. If a tree falls down across your friend's driveway the thump will cause a mini power skip.

3. You will not realise this until 40 mins afterwards when friend's brother comes to a screeching halt turning into the drive.

4. It is Murphy's law that if a tree falls down that is of sufficient size to justify you being trapped and thus avoiding work on Monday, that driveway will have two exits and your friend will have a chainsaw.

5. Lizard Ridge squares are addictive. To tell the truth this fact was already widely known. I've knitted five squares in quick succession and cast on another square with the leftovers on Thursday. This is what it looked like this morning:

I finished it watching the race and cast on for another with more leftovers straight away.

6. I knit faster when watching important races. I know that rationally this will not help the boat move any faster but the right team did just fine because of or regardless of this.

7. The Sunset Socks are not fast knitting. I cast on on Tuesday morning. This is how it looked this morning and I've turned the heel this evening.

8. They are totally worth it (and a lot faster now that I have turned the heel).

9. Tiny Wee Sock knitting is great fun and very cute.

10. Sticky Toffee Pudding is hereby classified as one of the major food groups.

It's been a good day.

Crafting in purple and pink and ....

Well purple first. For this my friends, this is co-ordinated crafting. This is that moment when two souls are so perfectly aligned that they start to create in the same colour. Should they have realised it at the time they would have fled from the danger of becoming terribly twee but alas, they were both looking at what they were doing.

The co-ordination would be all the more impressive if I could take accurate colour pictures but for now you will have to trust me when I tell you that the sky in this picture....


(H's little painting project over the Easter weekend which I am trying to convince him is really intended as a present to me so that I can take it to work and put it on my desk)

.... is as purple as this hat:


Well it's more like this picture of this hat:

I really must learn how to take more accurate colour pictures - anyone got any tips?

The hat is loosely based on Lilith Parker's Greenery Hat (thank you Ravelry). I say loosely because I started off following the pattern less one repeat and on bigger needles to take into consideration the change in yarn. When I realised I was running out of yarn I decreased rapidly to the crown and ended up with an inch or so of yarn to spare (this is becoming a habit isn't it - note to self: buy more yarn!)

I am really pleased that the crown decreases stayed in pattern and spiral in to the top as that was one of the features of the original pattern that attracted me in the first place.

And the yarn. Need I say more. I know for a fact that it exerts a siren call to all lovers of purple as R arrived at Tuesday knitting very shortly after I pulled it out of my bag and she is known to be fond of a good purple. This is the Fyberspates Scrumptious Chunky that I bought from K1 in Edinburgh and this lovely hat is destined for my equally lovely SIL with whom we stayed for a couple of days - I say thank you in knitwear, I can't help it - it's taking a lot of effort to send our thank you note to H's uncle and aunt without popping in a couple of pairs of fetchings after they mentioned having cold hands in their home office; although they may yet get some for Christmas.

The yarn is a soft, fluffy singles and although that makes it a little splitty if you don't watch out I think it is totally worth it. Now I just have to pop it in the post to make Lulla smile!

As for me I am back to my occupation of travelling on trains - what's that? you thought I was a lawyer? Nooooooooo - I'm a train traveller with an occasional side line in law. My current pacifier is Christmas yarn from H (with apologies to Zee who also gave me sock yarn - my husband outranks you my sweet) and a pattern from the winter Knitty called Slippery Socks.


Mine are sunset socks - and are not very big at the moment.

And now for the pink - and this is the point at which the photography really falls apart. Today I came home to a lovely surprise:

These were waiting for me, with enough left over to have some in the kitchen too:

There's been no big achievement (apart from the hat and the painting), no anniversary or special date to celebrate, these are flowers because he loves me - and that makes me smile!