A Few Not So Recent FO's

Here are a few bits that I've knitted in the last few months but haven't appeared on my blog, mainly because of the school summer holidays and I didn't post anything on here.

This is my Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher, I got the pattern from Ravelry, it was a free download. It was a very easy fast knit. I used Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran. I loved the pattern and the yarn.

This is Donovan knitted for Max. The pattern appeared in issue 5 of Let's Knit magazine. It is knitted Patons Washed Haze dk and again the yarn is lovely to knit with, I have plans to make another for Zakk but using the denim blue as the main colour. It is the same yarn as used for Roberts baby present in my last blog entry. It was my first attempt to knit a jumper completely in the round (including the sleeves and as I hate sewing up so much was quite pleased at how it turned out.

This a ballet style cardigan knitted for Sophie, my daughters friend. She came to me with puppy eyes and bottom lip out that she was a deprived child due to the fact that when she was young (she is now 19) at ballet class she was the only girl without a ballet cardigan and to help her recover from all that emotional scarring would I please, please make her one.!!!
The pattern is a sublime one that was in my The Art Of Knitting collection and the yarn is Sirdar Country style, mainly because it was so inexpensive, the colour for all of you pink freaks out there is blush.

I wasn't sure whether to do this as it's very own blog post as I was very very pleased with myself when I finished this but have decided against as the "moment" has now passed and I am well and truly over it!!! But this is my first ever sock, a practice sock as my niece (Paige) has requested a pair for Christmas so I though I'd better make sure that I can knit them before committing myself. It was a very basic pattern called Basic Tubular Socks taken from Knitting Magazine, I think it was issue 043 from Oct 07. I only did a short cuff as it was a practice in turning the heel that so many people seem to get into a nervous state about. The yarn is King Cole ZigZag, a new sock yarn they have bought out which is a bargain at £3.95 for 100grms.

There are some other FO's but they will be in the next post, which judging by the knitting I'm concentrating on will be a Christmas pressie special.

A baby present

My cousin's girlfriend Anne (whom I've yet to meet but we've chatted on the phone and seems lovely so far) had a baby last Friday. I've obviously known about the impending birth for quite a while now but I thought I would wait before knitting anything just in case I could do pink, should have guessed with this family it would be another boy! Never mind boys are lovely, a lot more loving than independent girls who always have to have their own way no matter what, or maybe that's just my daughter!. My three boys have been a little easier I have to say than my daughter, she has always known her own mind unlike the lads who on the whole have been a bit more laid back shall we say although I should add at this point that Max is the exception to every rule ever written. Leigh has never been a problem I hasten to add just a little more stronger willed than the lads and a whole lot more self sufficient.

Anyway, baby Robert was born a week ago today, weighing in at over 9lbs (ouch and that's a first baby). I don't know a lot more than that as they live in another part of the country and so haven't seen him yet. This is what I made for him.

I started knitting it on the Friday night and carried on through the day on Saturday, we had our usual quota of visitors so I just carried on knitting whilst drinking coffee and nattering. The plan was to get it all finished by Sunday night maybe Monday morning so I could get it posted off. However (there always has to be a punchline doesn't there), I went out Saturday night to a friends 40th birthday party. I know Rebecca from playgroup, Rebecca helps to run it with my SIL at the local school (my sons school BTW) and so I was invited to her party with a number of other ladies from playgroup and decided to do it as a girly night out and let out hubbies off the hook from attending. There were also a lot of her colleagues invited including both of my sons teachers. I had no intention of getting drunk before we went, or even as the first glass of wine was being sipped, but the dj to be fair was more than a little naff so I'm blaming him, I don't drink very much usually and even on the very odd occasion when I'm out I'm on the dance floor most of the night so my alcohol consumption is kept to a minimum, but not dancing was lethal for me. I was, lets say quite slaughtered. My SIL doesn't drink and she assured me most of the teachers had gone before I started talking complete b@oll%cks. I don't remember getting home although I remember waking up on the settee where hubby left me snoring!! I vaguely remember getting up and going to bed at that point.

Next morning (the boys were up at 7am on a Sunday) I was rough, very rough. Luckily for me hubby was in a far worse state than me a few weeks ago so had no room whatsoever to lecture me on indulging in excess but did get up with the boys with a huge smirk on his face that just spoke of payback!! A huge lie in til 11am and a shower left me feeling a little more human but I still couldn't face picking up my needles again til teatime. A whole evening and a whole day of non knitting killed the schedule for getting them finished, not helped by the fact that I then spent Mon, Tues and Wed doing some decorating for mum and her partner so by the time I'd been there all day, come home collected the boys from school, done some housework and cooked tea, bathed the boys and tidied up I was shattered. Finally managed to finish them Wed night. Went to my LYS on Thursday morning for buttons ( still cannot believe I had none suitable in my tin!!)and was so busy chatting to the ladies in the shop I didn't check how many buttons she put in my bag, I asked for 5 I'm sure, she gave me 3. So I had another trip there this morning to get another 2. All done and if I don't get to the post office before 5.30pm this afternoon I will go in the morning.

I do hope after all the palaver that Anne like the jacket and that it fits him.

I won a comp

I won a competition, it's not very often I win anything and I do enter things so I'm not moaning that I don't win when I don't put myself up for it because I do. Last time I won a comp was about 15 years or so ago. It was Kerrang magazine back in the days before hi-tech computer assistance etc etc. It was a good old fashioned answer an idiot question, phone up and leave your answer, name and address on an answering machine. So I did this, unfortunately part way through leaving my details (I always have the tv off so no background noise to blame) I farted very loudly and unexpectedly and so had to try very hard not to laugh whilst giving the rest of my details. Anyhow a fortnight later Mr Postman knocks on the door with a jiffy bag and inside I found I'd won the prize of a signed cd by Corrosion Of Conformity and a long sleeved t-shirt which I wore a lot and still have I think although I haven't worn it for years. They must have heard my details, heard the fart and thought " that's the winner"!!!!!!
THIS competition I won this week was a little more dignified I'm happier to say in my ever so slightly more mature (oi watch it) responsible phase in life. It was on Silvi's blog http://slowlaneblog.blogspot.com/ whom I know from the Lets Knit forum. She had a comp where you had to guess which socks from the new Simply Knitting sock calender she most wanted to knit. I felt a little guilty because anyone who has seen Silvi's FO's would know that the stockings win every time, so I ended the comp rather early but as you can see the prize was far too delicious to pass up on. It's Silvi's own handspun and handyed Falklands merino. there's a 100grms of it and it seems like a chunky weight to me. It is very soft and very pretty. I'm still musing what to do with it. Silvi has felted some of her own yarn before and it came out fabulous so thats making it even more difficult to decide.


I'm rather glad of this comp win for more than one reason, it also gave me the boot up the backside I needed to start posting on this blog again. It got left by the wayside during the summer holidays and I just hadn't found the right topic to get back on here even though I have a fair few FO's under my belt. So now I'm back I'll make an effort to put some pic's on here after the weekend.