Good Friday bind off, Easter Sunday cast on!

I have a FO!  Yes, I have finished my third project for 2017.  On the morning of Good Friday, I settled down with my knitting determined to finish my Socks on a Plane and be able to wear them for Easter.  So here they are:

This is a free pattern on Ravelry from Laura Linneman and is knit toe up on two needles.  This was a new technique to me but I enjoyed it so much I am now knitting sweater sleeves the same way.  The yarn is Sara's Texture Crafts in her Standard Socks - Odd Sox - Line Art base in the Watermelon Neon colourway.  I bought it at Fibre East a couple of years ago specifically for this pattern - it has just taken longer to get it knitted up than I anticipated.  Sock 1 was cast on on 17 December 2016 and cast off on 25 February 2017.  Sock 2 was cast on the same day and cast off on 14 April 2017.

Of course, the first comment from everyone who has seen them is that they are odd socks, and I have had to explain that that is what the pattern was written for.  The cables go down the outside of the foot so the pink sock is the right sock and the green sock is the left sock.  I like them very much and may well go hunting for yarn to make another pair.

Having finished my socks, I needed a new project.  I have got another sock pattern lined up but I need to buy the right needles.  It will be my first colourwork pattern, so I am not expecting it to progress very quickly once I finally get started.  In the meantime, however, I have cast on what I am calling my "Berries Snuggle".  As I am not sure what size it is going to end up, whether it is a blanket or a throw or whatever remains to be seen.  This is something of a stash busting exercise, using deep stash which I bought a few months after I started knitting.  I'm using James C Brett Marble Chunky in the Berries colourway and I have two 200g balls amounting to 624 metres.  It is a 3 row rib pattern with a garter border, and currently looks like this:

Only time will tell what it ends up looking like, but it is simple straightforward knitting which I can take to Knit Group and will use up my stash.  If it works out OK, then I have the same amount in two more colourways which could go the same way.

In other news, I had a great day off with eldest niece.  We bought clothes and books, we ate toasted teacake and later on pizza, we got her feet measured (at her Mum's request), we chatted and walked what felt like miles round town.  The one big fail was the new phone cover we were supposed to be looking for - we just couldn't find anything she really liked.  My sister finally texted to ask if she was coming home at all that day so we headed for the bus and icecreams.  I'm counting it as a great success on the Auntie front, and we still need to find a phone cover :-)

I also went to Slimming World that evening and found I had lost another 2lb, so 4.5lb in two weeks!  I had hedged my bets at lunchtime by having a veggie flatbread in Pizza Hut instead of pizza, but there was garlic bread.

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and as well as casting on a new project, I went to my parents' house for tea.  We had an Easter egg hunt in the back garden, which means I now have chocolate bunnies in my fridge.  We were also "entertained" by my nieces, who put on a Easter Bunny playlet with Harry Potter references - sometimes being a good Auntie can be a real strain.

Tonight I have Knit Group and tomorrow is unfortunately back to work.  I hope that all of you had a good Easter (if you celebrate it) or a nice break (if you don't).

Wishing all the best to you and yours.