tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71047166541415049082024-03-05T18:46:49.078+00:00Sunrise Stitching TimeWitterings about life in general, and knitting and cross stitch in particular.Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.comBlogger240125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-49864050646259017792018-01-02T20:01:00.000+00:002018-01-02T20:01:44.945+00:00Apologies and an ExplanationFirst of all, as usual, I apologise for not posting for some time. I meant to, and then life as I knew it changed completely.<br />
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On Friday 10 November 2017, my Dad went to his voluntary job as usual, sorting donations in our local Oxfam shop. He had a bit of a funny turn, couldn't breathe properly and his colleagues called an ambulance. They checked him out - his heart was fine, so they gave him some medication to open his lungs up. After a bit, he was OK so my sister picked him up and took him home, and everything was as normal. It was probably the dust - you don't know where some of this stuff has been stored.<br />
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Only the following Tuesday, 14 November 2017, it happened again - he was back at Oxfam sorting donations and the paramedics were called. This time they suggested he see his doctor and ask to be referred for a chest X-ray. So he did.<br />
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And that is when the roller coaster started to move. Doctor's appointment, chest X-ray, CAT scan, appointment with the consultant, PET scan and biopsy. Finally, exactly 5 weeks after his first funny turn, we had a formal diagnosis. <br />
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Dad has squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive form of lung cancer. It is inoperable due to its location and size.<br />
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But there is hope. There is just the one. <br />
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Today he started an intensive course of radiotherapy designed to shrink the tumour. A twelve day course, three doses of radiotherapy a day.<br />
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And after that, we wait a couple of weeks to give the treatment a chance to work. And then whatever comes next, comes next.<br />
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I am still here, I am still knitting and I know that you will understand my past and future absence from this blog. I am not giving it up. Hopefully there will be times when I feel I can post, that I have something to put out into the blogosphere. But in the meantime, my heart and mind are elsewhere. I also know that we are not the only family going through this, and I send my love and best wishes and my hopes for a reprieve for your loved ones too to anyone out there who needs them.Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-1037361442526987272017-10-29T11:53:00.002+00:002017-10-29T11:53:49.598+00:00What did I do last month?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know its been a while - I kept saying to myself that I would blog on this day or that night, and then something would happen, and I didn't. However I have been places and done things, so I do have plenty to share.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My last post was a couple of days before my birthday. Now, back in the Spring, my friend, Jo, and I went to a seminar on Occupations and the first speaker was the stone carver at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Cathedral" target="_blank">Lincoln Cathedral</a>. Jo and I were so taken with what he had to say that we decided to have a trip and see for ourselves. So on my birthday, that is what we did. We drove to Lincoln in the pouring rain to have a good look at the Cathedral. I have vague memories of going there as a child and peering up at the Lincoln Imp, but certainly haven't visited for decades.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We started at the West Front, which is what remains of the original Norman building, but which has been tarted up since. The give away is the rounded arches - later arches have pointed apexes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then we went inside and had a floor tour. Basically this is a guided tour of the Cathedral at floor level. You can go into the towers and the roof, but I have some issues with heights so we stuck to ground level. This is the view down the nave towards the East Front.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our main interest was in the carvings, particularly in those which the stone carver had shown us at the seminar. A lot of them were too high up to get good pictures of, but I did manage to take a few of carvings closer to the ground.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The top carving is of Stephen Langton, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time of the Magna Carta. The words above his head are "The English Church shall be free" which are the first words of the Magna Carta. The skull/snake with the bag of money represents Greed and the devil/snake is on the other side of the same buttress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We also visited the Cathedral libraries - a smaller one which is all that remains of the original medieval library with original benches, and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Cathedral_Library" target="_blank">Wren Library</a> which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1674 for the then Dean of the Cathedral, Michael Honywood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We spent so long wandering round the Cathedral that we didn't get to see any other parts of Lincoln, so I really must go back soon. However, if you haven't visited Lincoln Cathedral (either at all or for decades), then I do suggest that you go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next item chronologically is a couple of finished objects. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqvoMd0NdJauksym8nLjdbPw67Aa2x_OpqAvQxf8RYbUn3CWyOVVxDMHKKu-LnIePnOAyBbDawEmQBRwDANoS155t4K0NVU-ibeKAHDwbNSBHeglzeXPF-zrxOciDVfbotYK6VwwNKt8/s1600/Marie+Curie+Socks+-+08.10.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqvoMd0NdJauksym8nLjdbPw67Aa2x_OpqAvQxf8RYbUn3CWyOVVxDMHKKu-LnIePnOAyBbDawEmQBRwDANoS155t4K0NVU-ibeKAHDwbNSBHeglzeXPF-zrxOciDVfbotYK6VwwNKt8/s320/Marie+Curie+Socks+-+08.10.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First up are my Marie Curie Socks. This is a pair of vanilla socks knit cuff down using the Slightly Modified Garter-Stitch Edged Eye of Partridge Heel from the Hermione's Everyday Socks pattern by Erica Lueder. The yarn is West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply in the limited edition Marie Curie colourway. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2PZo5JSOvUvn3vnx57v7wgqT6G3RHXNl0tgmsoABf1aCG29GMRdL898BeU9-V01r0ZIkByZ85gGXu9YlOygQUbFsBOBPxcQoJ_8pgWa5RRrCHaCKaLPtL_LsQCGxbfBuLr_QObTYoqI/s1600/Ribbon+Cowl+RAK+-+08.10.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2PZo5JSOvUvn3vnx57v7wgqT6G3RHXNl0tgmsoABf1aCG29GMRdL898BeU9-V01r0ZIkByZ85gGXu9YlOygQUbFsBOBPxcQoJ_8pgWa5RRrCHaCKaLPtL_LsQCGxbfBuLr_QObTYoqI/s320/Ribbon+Cowl+RAK+-+08.10.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And secondly this is my Ribbon Cowl RAK, which is a modified version of the Ribbon Cowl pattern by Frankie Brown, where I did four extra ribbons of colour for extra length. The yarn is King Cole Pricewise DK in the Dark Grey (29) and Candy (40) colourways. This will go to the Friary Drop-In, which is our local charity supporting the homeless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> And then I had another excursion - really a long weekend away. <a href="https://www.bakewellwool.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bakewell Wool Gathering</a> was held on the weekend of 14 and 15 October 2017 so some knitting friends and I rented a cottage just outside the town at Over Haddon from the Friday night to the Monday morning. We had a great time - chatting, knitting, w<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">atching DVDs, eating pizza and of course, attending the Wool Ga<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">thering. We went on the Saturday and the weather was glorious. I <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">am, as I have said before, a ve<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ry n<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">esh person - someone who feels the cold - but in the early after<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">noon <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">we were sat on benches by the Public G<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ardens eating chips and I was <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">quite warm enough in my T<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-shir<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t and jeans<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhuzoHDGv3mO9zNEcj-9BR4sKcgyzeU1b7H_tWAaYthj1Q8sCk1rWQA1qlmgCwCiAwWDb6HbkkYUqYa_p-VAORzhEHkELjL5uSO1Y5caIs9yU9A9RwzeSvWGG0sKhsiOPrcjIn2YHcgQ/s1600/Bakewell+Wool+Gathering+-+14.10.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhuzoHDGv3mO9zNEcj-9BR4sKcgyzeU1b7H_tWAaYthj1Q8sCk1rWQA1qlmgCwCiAwWDb6HbkkYUqYa_p-VAORzhEHkELjL5uSO1Y5caIs9yU9A9RwzeSvWGG0sKhsiOPrcjIn2YHcgQ/s320/Bakewell+Wool+Gathering+-+14.10.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And of course<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">,<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> there was yarn. From left to right, the first two are by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Coastal-Colours-722511064509343/" target="_blank">Coastal Colours</a> in t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">heir 4ply sparkle. The grey is d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">yed with silver birch and coal, and the blue with indigo. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The middle skein was a birthd<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ay present from a friend - "R<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eturn of the Rainbow<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">" on 75/25 <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">merino/nylon s<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ock yarn by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/allWoolThatEndsWool" target="_blank">All Wool </a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/allWoolThatEndsWool" target="_blank">That Ends Wool</a>. The purp<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">le sparkly skein is <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">also <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sock ya<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rn<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RosiesMoments" target="_blank">Rosie's Moments</a> in the "Petra"<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> colourway in memory of a <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">much l<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">oved friend, with 10% <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of the proceeds going to <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">l</span>eukaemia <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">researc<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">h. And t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he final skein is a 80/20 merino<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/nylon high twist 4p<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ly in the "Fireworks over Bradwell" colourway by <a href="https://peakdistrictyarns.co.uk/" target="_blank">Peak District <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Y</span>arns</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next item is another finished object. T<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">his is my Windshield Hat<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> knit from<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> a pattern<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> by Niina Ta<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">likka, wh<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">i<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ch is free on R<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">avel<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ry. I knit this as part of the Hipst<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">er K<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">L or<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ganised by Jaclyn of the Brooklyn Knitfolk podcast. It <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is</span> a three month KAL starting on 1 August and finishing<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> on 31 Octo<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ber 2017. You h<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ad to knit <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">an item or <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">items which had<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 1<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">0 or <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">f<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ewer projects <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">listed on Ravelry at the time <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ou joined the KAL. Win<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">shield is kn<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it from Triskelion Heulwen <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">DK <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(70/20/10 superwash merino<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">/silk/cashmere) in t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he Upstream colourway,<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the yarn</span> is just gorgeously soft and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">snuggly.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hen last but not least, I had a d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ay off work on Tuesday to take my nieces to <a href="https://twycrosszoo.org/" target="_blank">Twyc</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twycrosszoo.org/" target="_blank">ross Zoo</a>. Nor<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mally we have a d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ay out together during the summer holidays but even<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s conspired against us this <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">year, so we </span></span></span></span></span></span></span>had a day out in October half-<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">term instead. The Zoo was the g<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">irls' choice<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, although we have all been before<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me it has been some time since I was last there. It is an ea<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sy drive, about 40 minutes, and w<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e got there as it opened. The girls wanted to see <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ver<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ything so we did. Snow leopards, Amur leopar<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ds, elephants, giraffes, gorillas, lorikeets, lemurs, ch<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">impanzees,<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> siamang, p<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rairie dogs, meerkats, butterf<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lies, tapir - you name it, if it wa<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s there<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, we saw it<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">! The weather wa<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s better than anticipated, just a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n occasional d<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rizzle instead of pour<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ing rain, and <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">slightly chilly due to the wind factor. We had a great day - apart from <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">youngest<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ni<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ece managing to <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">temporarily abandon the <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">rucksack with t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">heir <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">we<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t weat<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">her gear in<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and me getting a sore shoulder from hauling about all t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he food needed for two pre-teen girls. Youngest ni<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ece took control of <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">my camera<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, so here are some Asian ele<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">phants for you to look at <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">:-)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm going to leave it here - there is more<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, but I need to ge<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t sorted<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, hav<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e lunch and take D<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ad shopping. Hopefully I will <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">manage to post again much more quickly than last time.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 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style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All the best to you and yours, and may t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he frog steer well clear of your needles.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-76445404970893330052017-09-27T16:01:00.001+01:002017-09-27T16:01:34.554+01:00Not one, but two Finished Objects!!This post has been a bit longer coming than I originally anticipated, but I had a couple of WIPs getting close to the finishing line so have hung on until they were done and dusted. So now I have two finished objects to blog about.<br />
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First up is my Berries Snuggle. This is a three row basket weave throw with a garter stitch border knit from James C Brett Marble Chunky in the MC14 "Berries" colour way. I started this on 16 April 2017, casting on 105 stitches - 99 stitches for the central section and 3 stitches either side for the garter stitch border. This was intended to be a stash busting piece - I had two balls of the Marble Chunky, which I bought back in August 2015 when I had been knitting for slightly more than a year. And then I thought that perhaps it needed to be longer than two balls worth, so when I got to the end of the first ball, I went out and bought a third ball, which I used for the middle section of the throw because it was a different dye lot.<br />
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My original plan was to knit the Snuggle for one of my nieces and then knit another one (this time in the "Petrol" colour way) for the other niece. I have now changed my mind - this one took just over five months to complete, and I really don't fancy starting in on another one straight away. So I am going to keep this one for me to snuggle under as it gets colder and darker.<br />
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My second finished object is my Seaspray Jumper, which I have just finish finished today. This is a V-neck jumper, knit in pieces, using the King Cole pattern no. 3933 and King Cole Panache DK yarn in the 2071 "Seaspray" colour way. I started this on 22 October 2016, so it has taken me just under a month short of a year to complete.<br />
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This is the second garment I have knit and it was a completely different method of construction from my "On the Beach", which I finished in June last year. "On the Beach" was a top down raglan - "Seaspray" was knit in four pieces, back, front and sleeves, before being seamed together and then a neckband being added. I knit the back first and then the sleeves to make sure that I would have enough yarn. I knit the sleeves in the round on two circulars instead of flat in order to save myself some seaming at the end. Doing this meant that I did all the seaming before picking up for the neckband, which I then knit in the round instead of flat. It is done and it fits, and I am really pleased with how it looks. It hasn't been blocked yet, but I will do that at the weekend.<br />
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This leaves me with four WIPs on the needles, but I am only going to show you the one where I have made real progress recently. These are my Marie Curie socks, knit using limited edition West Yorkshire Spinners Signature sock yarn in the Marie Curie colour way. These are vanilla socks with the slightly modified garter border eye of partridge heel taken from Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder (a free pattern on Ravelry). This morning I turned the heel on the second sock, so it only remains for me to pick up for the gusset and knit the foot.<br />
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As you will appreciate, finishing projects leads on to thinking about new projects and yarn for said new projects. I have five new projects in mind, and as of this morning's post, I have the yarn for all of them. In no particular order, the new projects are as follows:<br />
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Striped Study Shawl by Veera Valimaki - to be knit in sparkly black (Unbelievawool) and shocking pink (Truly Hooked) sock yarn<br />
<a href="https://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=6653&cid=17" target="_blank">Morning Glory</a> by Drops Designs - to be knit in Drops Karisma in the "Bleu Jeans" colourway<br />
Peano No. 1 by Nathan Taylor (Sockmatician) - to be knit in Fyberspates Vivacious DK (blue and grey)<br />
Selbu Mittens by Skeindeer Knits - to be knit in Rauma 3ply Strikkegarn (black and white)<br />
Samwise Socks by Claire Ellen - to be knit in KingBecky Yarn in the "Emerald City" colourway<br />
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The Selbu Mittens are a colourwork pattern - part of a mittens pattern club that Elli of Skeindeer Knits is doing - and I bought the Rauma yarn from Ysolda Teague's on-line shop based in Edinburgh. It is non-superwash and somewhat crunchy to the touch, but it is one of the recommended yarns for the pattern and I understand that it will soften up with knitting, wearing and washing. Now I just have to learn the Old Norwegian cast-on before I can get started.<br />
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In other news, I am enjoying a week off work, which is one reason why I have finished objects to show you. The thing that I am most enjoying is the peace and quiet. The office that I work in backs onto a multi-storey car park. They were doing some repairs to the car park over the summer, which was noisy enough, but then a few weeks back, the outer wall of the level above the entrance collapsed. Fortunately this happened early on a Saturday morning and no-one was hurt, but it has meant that the noise level has gone up dramatically as they work on fixing it so that it can be put back into use. Unfortunately in the meantime my colleagues are now having to park in another car park, which is frequented by drunks and druggies, right next to a hotel which rents its rooms by the hour!!<br />
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What else? Well, I have got my 1.5 stone award so am currently 11 stone 10.5lb. I have moved my target weight down to 11 stone 4lb, which will make a total loss of 2 stone, so have 5.5lb left to lose. This may well take some time, but if I can do it before Christmas, that would be really good. Mentally, I am doing reasonably well at the moment, but the clocks haven't gone back yet so it is still light when I leave for work and when I get home again. When I get back to work, I am going to chase up HR about this year's flu jab as staying healthy physically will probably help with staying healthy mentally.<br />
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I also have some things to look forward to in the near future - a day trip to Lincoln, a meal out with my best friend (who just got engaged), the yarn festival at Bakewell etc - so am aiming to remain positive. In desperate need of a cup of tea, so will finish here and go put the kettle on.<br />
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All the best to you and yours, and may the frog steer well clear of your crafting.Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-68699678133629865022017-09-06T21:39:00.001+01:002017-09-06T21:39:40.712+01:00A new knitting adventureIt's very bad behaviour, I know, to say that I'm going to post more regularly and then leave it nearly a whole month. My only excuse is that I had a new knitting adventure coming up and I kept putting off posting until I could write about it. Now it is over, I have no more excuses.<br />
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What did I do? Well, on Saturday 2 September, I drove 130 miles to <a href="http://www.purlescence.co.uk/">Purlescence</a> at Leckhampstead in Berkshire, just outside Newbury, to do a knitting workshop. This was an early birthday present from my parents which I had been looking forward to since the end of July. The workshop was on double knitting and the teacher was <a href="http://www.sockmatician.com/">Nathan Taylor aka Sockmatician</a>! I have been watching Nathan's podcast for some time now and had become very interested in his preferred knitting technique of double knitting. This was encouraged by the fact that one of my knitting friends is currently knitting a blanket of double knitting squares from the <a href="http://lattesandllamas.com/geek-a-week-faq/">Geek-A-Long</a>.<br />
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My only concern was that the joining instructions talked about the long tail cast on, which is one of my least favourite cast ons - I'm generally a cable cast on knitter. So I packed up my DK yarn, my 4mm interchangeable tips and 2 different cables (having spent at least 20 minutes looking for my 4mm fixed circulars, only to realise that they were already being used on the project in my handbag!) and set out on the 2 hour plus drive. It was a smooth enough journey and I got there just after 1pm (for a 2pm start) with enough time to eat my lunch and chat with another attendee, Jo from Bristol.<br />
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Then we went inside. Purlescence is based in a unit on a farm, so one room is the workshop space with yarn round the walls and the other room has a sitting area, a shop section for books, needles and patterns and a place for making tea and coffee. I was definitely ready for a cup of tea at that point and there was also homemade cake - I had a brownie later on.<br />
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While waiting for other attendees to turn up, I looked at yarn and chatted with Nathan and the attendees who had already arrived. And then the workshop started.<br />
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I am not going to tell you everything about it because that wouldn't be right, but I had a really great time. Nathan is a lovely guy and a really good teacher, and he explained the theory and process of double knitting very clearly. He also showed us lots of his own works to whet our appetites. The long tail cast on element was different for double knitting and much easier than I had anticipated once I got to grips with it. The workshop was a three hour session and it definitely required concentration, although Nathan was right on hand if you got stuck or made a mistake. There was a lot of laughter and some bad language as we worked our way through the charted pattern, and I think that we all had fun.<br />
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I managed to finish my sample piece, although the workshop did overrun slightly, but as it was the end of the day, it didn't matter too much. And here it is!<br />
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It isn't perfect, but I think that I've got the hang of it now. And so afterwards, I bought yarn to knit one of Nathan's patterns (when I've cleared a couple of WIPs off my needles!). The pattern I have chosen is one that he showed us at the workshop - <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peano-no1" target="_blank">Peano No.1</a> It is a scarf pattern based on a fractal, and being double sided, will be very warm. The yarn I bought was Fyberspates Vivacious DK, and my scarf is going to be quite subtle, rather than in your face.<br />
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So on one side, it will be grey with a blue pattern, and on the other, it will be blue with a grey pattern.<br />
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Nathan's self-proclaimed goal is world domination by double knitting knitters and to that end there are still places on <a href="https://www.nottinghamyarnexpo.com/workshops-1/nathan-taylor/" target="_blank">his workshops at Nottingham Yarn Expo</a> (11 and 12 November 2017). And if you are at the Yarn Expo on Saturday 11th, you may well see me there!<br />
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And to finish up, after the workshop, I drove to the nearby Travelodge where I stayed overnight - they have very firm mattresses in Travelodges - before driving 130 miles home on Sunday morning. And yes, I do have more knitting to talk about, but will leave that for the next post, which I hope will arrive in a more timely manner than this one. Oh, and I am signed up for a brioche workshop in December, but that will be at my LYS.<br />
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All the best to you and yours, and may the frogs steer well clear of your WIPs.<br />
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Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-25986758564639671432017-08-09T21:14:00.000+01:002017-08-09T21:16:22.246+01:00End of radio silenceFirstly, my apologies - I hadn't realised quite how long it had been since I last posted. Every so often I would think "I must write a blog post. I'll do it on Xday." and Xday would come and something would happen, and the blog post didn't get written.<br />
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But I am back now. I had my week off at the end of June, and spent it mainly knitting and pottering. Since then I have been back at work, and done knitting and pottering and playing a lot of Gardenscapes when not at work. The knitting has had results in the form of finished objects. On the other hand, playing Gardenscapes is not very productive. And the pottering - well, the results of that vary from day to day.<br />
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So, finished objects. First up is my second RAK project. It is another hat and is actually a pattern that I have knitted before. And I used up the yarn left over from the first hat, which was part of the point of the whole RAK exercise.<br />
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This is a second Knit Night Hat, a free pattern by Judy Marples, knit in King Cole Riot DK in the Dude colourway. I have enjoyed knitting it both times. It is quite straightforward, starting with a nice purl and slip stitch brim and then just stocking stitch to the end. <br />
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My second finished objects are my Petty Harbour socks. This is a free pattern by Rayna Curtis, which I knit in Opal 20 Jahre sock yarn in the "Wir sagen Danke" colourway. Again an enjoyable knit. This was my first pair of socks knit on 2.5mm needles, having dropped down from 2.75mm needles because my tension appears to have finally loosened up.<br />
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Now a quick diversion to stash enhancement. At the end of July, I went to Fibre East, which is a yarn festival held in Bedfordshire. I did have a budget, but I also took one of the best/worst enablers I know with me. So this is what I bought:<br />
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From left to right, the first three skeins are Charisma by The Knitting Swede, a 55% wool 45% silk fingering weight yarn - the grey is Greystone and the blues are Nautilus. These are destined to become a shawl from a pattern by the dyer. Next up is three skeins of Ariel by Wrigglefingers, which is a 80% Blue faced Leicester 20% Firestar (sparkly nylon) fingering weight yarn in a one of a kind colourway. I was only going to buy one skein (for socks) but my enabler friend was with me, so now I have enough for a garment! <br />
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Then comes the odd one out - this is totally out of my comfort zone and yet was the first thing I bought! The dyer is Siobhans Crafts and it is a sparkly DK yarn in the Unicorn colourway. I have no idea what I am going to do with this. Next up is a 70% superwash merino 30% silk fingering weight yarn from Bellica Yarns in the Wolf colourway - again no plans for this as yet. Then comes a skein of Pulsar by Sparkleduck, a 55% superwash Blue faced Leicester 45% silk fingering weight yarn in the Sea-quine colourway. There is a sad story behind this yarn. Heather, the dyer behind Sparkleduck, died unexpectedly and far too young earlier this year, so when her husband decided to exhibit at Fibre East with some of what she had been dyeing, I was not the only one who felt the need to buy one last skein.<br />
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My final purchase is already on the needles. If you watch the Brooklyn Knitfolk podcast on YouTube (and you should!), you will know that Jaclyn is running the Hipster KAL. This is a reaction against the multitude of Faded this, that and the other which have been all over the knitting world recently. The KAL runs from 1 August to 31 October 2017 and whatever you knit must be over 50g and must have had less than 30 projects listed on Ravelry at the time you chose to knit it. My choice of pattern was the Windshield hat by Niina Talikka and I am knitting it in Triskelion Heulwen DK in the Upstream colourway. Heulwen DK is a gorgeous yarn - 70% alpaca, 20% silk and 10% cashmere. I haven't a picture yet to show you as it is a top down pattern and trying to wrangle 5mm dpns for a 6 stitch cast on followed by increases done with knitfrontback has been interesting! I will put in a photo next time.<br />
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I am still knitting on my Seaspray jumper (working the neck and armhole decreases), my Berries Snuggle (about halfway through ball 3) and my Ring O'Roses sock (just turned the heel on sock 1). I am also working on my third RAK, which is the Honey Cowl, a free pattern from MadeleineTosh, which I am knitting in James C Brett Marble Chunky. Finally I also have a new cast on from this morning. I want to knit all the socks so this morning I cast on a vanilla sock using my West Yorkshire Spinners limited edition Marie Curie sock yarn using a ChiaGoo red cable 9 inch circular, which is a new brand of needle to me.<br />
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In other news, I got my Club 10 the other week at Slimming World. This means that I have lost 10% of my starting weight and am now down to 11 stone 13lb. I am now in two minds about my target - originally I opted for 11 stone 7lb, but am now thinking that if I go down to 11 stone 4lb, I will have lost 2 stone exactly. Decisions, decisions.<br />
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What else? Eldest niece will be moving to big school in September, so her year put on "Bugsy Malone" as a final hurrah. She played the part of Louella, the wife of Dandy Dan, a gang boss. She looked really good, did a very fine job and we were very proud of her. Performing in the Gang Show earlier this year has done wonders for her self-confidence.<br />
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And my knitting horizons are going to be expanded. At the beginning of September, I am going on a double knitting workshop run by Nathan Taylor, who has the Sockmatician podcast, which I am really looking forward to. And then in December, my local yarn shop is running a brioche workshop which I have signed up for. So by the end of the year, I will have stranded colourwork (Ring O'Roses socks), double knitting and brioche all under my belt as well as the techniques I had already picked up.<br />
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I will finish here and go and do a bit of knitting before bed. So, all the best to you and yours, and I will try to post more regularly from now on in.<br />
Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-46662761223927661512017-06-26T12:24:00.002+01:002017-06-26T12:24:43.425+01:00Moving ForwardHi, it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted but part of that time it was too hot to think, let alone post, and then I was busy at work getting ready to take a week off. Yes, I'm having a whole week off! I haven't had this much time off in one go for about 9 months so I am good and ready for it. I'm not going away - just chilling at home, knitting, reading and so on. As today is Monday and my first official day off, I decided to update my blog.<br />
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And I do have some knitting progress to show you this time. First up is my Seaspray Jumper - I cast off the second sleeve yesterday, which means that I have done the back and both sleeves so am well over halfway. I plan to cast on the front either later today or tomorrow.<br />
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Next up is my Petty Harbour sock - I turned the heel a couple of days after I last blogged and am working my way down the foot.<br />
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The last work in progress that I am going to show you is my Ring O'Roses sock. This is a slow burn on the basis that it is my first colourwork project and I only knit on it when I'm at home, things are quiet and I can focus. I have finished the first three charts, although you can't see No. 3 very clearly because the fabric is rolling on the needle. The next stage is going to be more complicated because there are three charts on the front of the leg and a fourth on the back of the leg, so it might be some time before you see this again.<br />
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And I also have a finish! This is part of a new project that I have started since I last posted. I had been thinking about it and then I had a chat with a knitting friend and then I buckled down to it. I am calling it my Random Act of Kindness knitting, and basically I am now using my commuting time and some of my older stash to work on items for a local charity which supports the homeless.
So my first RAK project was "Barley" by Tin Can Knits - a free pattern from their "Simple Collection" on Ravelry. I used Cygnet Aran in the "Sage" colourway which I had left over from a finishing workshop that I took a couple of years ago. This is the Adult Large size and I am hoping it will grow when blocked as it currently fits me and I'm not sure that I have a 23 inch head.<br />
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I also have some new stash to share with you. From left to right, I have a ball of West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4 ply in their limited edition "Marie Curie" colourway, which you can only get from <a href="http://www.cityknits.co.uk/">City Knits</a>, and £2 of the purchase price goes to <a href="https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/">Marie Curie</a>, a charity which supports people with terminal illnesses and their families. The other two skeins are from <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.joknitsew.com">Jo.Knit.Sew</a> and are on a merino/nylon/sparkle base (400m per 100g) and the colourways are "Green Speckles" and "Blue Speckles" respectively. The "Green Speckles" is actually more of an apple green in colour - it just hasn't photographed very well.<br />
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In other news, my weight loss continues. I have now lost 1 stone 2lb in total and can see a pale glimmer at the end of the tunnel, which is why I am sitting here munching on celery! Mum has had her hospital appointments and the upshot is that yes, she has mild osteoarthritis in her right hip, but apparently that is "satisfactory" (??), and the cardiologist says that the situation with her heart hasn't changed and that her GP has done everything he would have done. He also said that she should carry on doing the Race for Life and using it as a marker - i.e. if she is still getting round each year in about the same time, then she needn't worry. So she is feeling better in herself and is all psyched up to have the house redecorated.<br />
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I am going to finish here and go and get myself some lunch. Hopefully my next blog won't be so long in coming.
All the very best to you and yours.
Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-57659062462565433472017-06-09T22:15:00.000+01:002017-06-09T22:15:00.947+01:00A new rabbit hole to fall down and general waffleWell, its been nearly two weeks since I last posted because I have been somewhat busy. Plus the weather has been up and down, hot then cold, wet and windy, which always has an impact on my mindset.<br />
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Anyway, two days after I last posted, I found a new rabbit hole to fall down. At the previous Saturday Knit Group, one of my fellow knitters had been knitting a project using some glorious colours of yarn, and on being asked where she got it, had replied that she had dyed it herself and followed up by offering to teach me. That night when I got home, I was straight on the Internet buying undyed yarn and acid dyes!<br />
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So on Tuesday 30 May I drove to her house and learned how to dye my own yarn. I was there about 3 hours, first of all learning how to dye the yarn, then how to overdye it and then how to do the speckles - #specklesaresohotrightnow! I had ordered four skeins of undyed 10% superwash merino single ply in fingering weight and I also had a skein of undyed yarn that had been given me as a Christmas present year before last along with some KoolAid. By the end of the session, I had five very different coloured yarns to take home and finish drying over the bath. And what did they look like, you will ask. Well, here goes:<br />
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The green is more yellowy than it shows here, but otherwise the photo is not too bad colourwise. From left to right, purple with black speckles, turquoise with pink and black speckles, pink with turquoise and black speckles, green with black speckles and teal with black speckles. The teal is the Christmas yarn and the others are the singles. Now, if I remember rightly, the pink, the turquoise and the teal are single dyes and the purple and green were overdyed, starting off teal and then with red added to make purple and yellow to make the green (I may be wrong, but probably not by much). And then the speckles are added by flicking dry dye onto the wet yarn, wrapping it up in clingfilm and steaming it. I'm really pleased with them, although I have no idea what I am going to knit with them, and that leads to the next problem.<br />
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Do I want to dye more yarn for myself? It would be fun, but the main problem is that of space for the kit required. I have a one bedroom flat with limited storage space, most of which is already taken up with yarn, books, cross stitch supplies and family history papers. One option would be to keep the dyeing pans in the garage, but then would it be out of sight, out of mind? But it would feel so fabulous to be able to put on a new jumper and say "Oh yes, I dyed the yarn myself!" I have time in hand though, the yarn suppliers are having a sale in September which gives me a couple of months to think things through. I'll let you know what I decide.<br />
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In other news, Mum and I did the Race for Life on Sunday - 5km in aid of Cancer Research UK. The route was nearly all on the flat and the weather was nice enough - not too hot and a bit of a breeze. We got round in just under an hour - which included a brief stop to buy icecream - a couple of minutes longer than last year. The problem this year is that Mum started to flag just before the halfway point. We generally work on the basis that while she is still talking to me, things are fine. This time it came down to me having to do the talking to keep her going, which was a bit worrying. She went in for an X-ray this morning on her other hip - the one which hasn't been replaced - and she also has an appointment later this month to see her cardiologist to find out why she is becoming more breathless.<br />
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And on the weight loss front, I have a major Happy Dance to report!! I went to get weighed last night and got my 1 stone award. For those of you who are metric, 1 stone is about equivalent to 6.35 kilos. I had lost 1.5lb at the weigh in after my last post and then another 2.5lb this week, which takes me to 1 stone 0.5lb. This means that I am over halfway to my target weight. I was so pleased with this week's weight loss, especially now that I can treat myself for getting my award. Now what to get?<br />
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I'm not going to talk about the General Election, save to say that the result was better than anticipated but not as good as I would have liked.<br />
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And because there has been no real crafting and lots of words in this post, here is the next finished item in my What I did on my Holidays roundup.<br />
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Cross stitch rather than knitting, but I hope you won't mind too much. This is a birth present for my cousin's little boy - as often happens with these things, it got finished after his first birthday. The chart is Baby Express Birth Record from Dimensions (#73428), stitched on 14 count white aida. It was a kit which I started on 5 January 2015 and finished on 18 March 2016. I took it to my framer the following day, picked it up on 26 March and posted it off on 2 April 2016. It now hangs in his bedroom - his older sister was a bit jealous, but calmed down when her Mum pointed out to her that she has a whale on hers, which he doesn't.<br />
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None of my current knitting projects are at a stage which is worth showing, but I do have a week off coming up at the end of the month, during which I intend to relax, chill out and knit.<br />
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All the best to you and yours, and I hope to be back with you soon.<br />
Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-59504929532770014842017-05-28T21:04:00.003+01:002017-05-28T21:04:57.033+01:00A Finish, a Start and some FunApologies for the delay in coming back to you. I did hope to be more on top of my blogging now I've restarted, but it hasn't quite gone to plan. However I am here now.<br />
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And in accordance with the title of this post, I have a Finished Object. I finished my Fireworks Hitchhiker on 22 May, washed it and blocked it, and have given it to my Mum, but strictly on the proviso that she gives it me back to be washed!<br />
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It is not a full Hitchhiker in that it only has 40 points - I had just over 3g (about 13m) left when I had finished the bind off. The light is a bit off - the green is actually more yellow than you see here, but photography is not one of my talents.<br />
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Having finished one project and having received the needles for my next project, I then cast on for a new pair of socks. But not just any pair of socks - this is my first colourwork project. It is a Drops pattern, so free, and it is number 126-4. I am calling them my Ring O'Roses socks - a slight variation on what Drops are calling the pattern.<br />
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Again, not a brilliant photo but at least you get some idea of how it is developing. The main colour is Drops Fabel in the 400 Black colourway and the contrast colour is Drops Delight in the 6 Pink/Purple Mix colourway - the yarns used in the actual pattern. I am enjoying knitting this so far, but it is definitely a at home alone in the quiet project - not one for Knit Group.<br />
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My other three WIPs have all made progress, but none of them have reached a point worth showing off. Besides I wanted to tell you about my little jaunt last Sunday.<br />
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My oldest friend in all the world (we have known each other for over 40 years) and I have been discussing going for a walk in the Peak District of Derbyshire for some time. The stars all aligned last Sunday and I drove out to her house, getting there about 9am. She then drove us to Ambergate Station where we parked up before walking a short distance to the Cromford Canal. I then got to choose between a 7.5 mile circular walk taking in the town of Crich mainly uphill through woods and probably muddy due to all the rain we had had in the previous few days, or a 10 mile return trip along the canal path to Cromford and back on the flat. I am not a great one for excessive exercise so I chose the flat route.<br />
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We had a really good time. The weather was just right - not too hot, not too cold. The path was nice and dry. We saw lots of interesting, fun things - a pike, swans nesting, a canal boat, a dinosaur, lots of baby ducklings, coots and moorhens. The scenery was lovely. We did lots of chatting and catching up. On the way, we stopped at the place where the High Peaks trail crosses the Cromford Canal for a comfort break - and a dog's head appeared under the partition much to my surprise. And when we got to Cromford, we ate our pack-up at a picnic bench and then decided to go across the road and take a look at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromford_Mill" target="_blank">Cromford Mill</a>. This was built by Richard Arkwright and is part of the 15 mile long Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br />
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Before we got to the road, we passed a building where we could see crafty stuff going on so we went in. It turned out that the Arkwright Spinsters hold a demonstration on the 3rd Sunday of each month and we had struck lucky. There was handspun yarn for sale and I came away with this:<br />
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100g and 198 yards of handspun Bluefaced Leicester. No plans for this as yet, but I couldn't resist.<br />
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After having a look round the exterior of the Mill, we turned our feet back towards Ambergate, the car and my friend's house for tea. By the time we reached the car, my right leg had put in a mild complaint at the unusual amount of exercise it had been subjected to and my left leg had thrown a major tantrum and was demanding to speak to the management! Fortunately it had calmed down a bit by the time tea was over and I was ready to drive home, and getting up and pacing the hall several times later that evening meant that the following morning I was experiencing only very mild discomfort on my way to the bus stop. But we had a really good time and are ready to repeat the experience. We are also in discussions about going on holiday together next year, which would be fabulous.<br />
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In other news, I have lost another 2lb since I last posted, bringing me to 10.5lb lost in total. According to my Mum and my sister, you can see that I've lost weight which is encouraging as I still have just over a stone to go.<br />
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I'm going to love you and leave you with some photos of my walk - what I really need to learn is how to stick them together into one montage, rather than have several separate ones - if you have any ideas on how to do this, please let me know. Anyway, until my next post, may all be well with you and yours.<br />
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Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-47569334685410334902017-05-17T21:34:00.000+01:002017-05-17T21:34:03.510+01:00Stash, more Stash and a new StartOk, so there has been stash and lots of it. There has also been a busy weekend and a new start.<br />
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I will begin at the beginning and go on until I get to the end. In the beginning, I missed Love Your Local Yarn Shop Day as I said in my last post, so last Tuesday (9 May) I rushed out in my lunch hour to see what new yarns had arrived for LYLYS Day at my local yarn shop. I had some gift cards that my family gave me at Christmas which I had been keeping for the occasion, and I came away with these:<br />
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The pair of skeins on the left is Eleanor of Knit Nottingham's own hand dyed 4ply yarn (80/20 merino/bamboo) in "The Deep", and my current plan is to make Helen Stewart's Talisman Shawl out of it. The skein on the right is Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace (45% silk 55% merino) in the "Teal" colourway, which I bought because I love the colour.<br />
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In my last post, I also mentioned a project which I couldn't cast on until I had the right needles. I ordered the needles on Friday night (12 May) and there may have been a few balls of sock yarn which also fell into the basket.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoKdJYLn7giuZ2bwQDcS_qUsgihuGVF8aaA7R6ast9eM-kLsS4ZdoXALfcs8py7g9NIFavonqRSK772BQwH-zAImBJBLS2gAJWy1yyP3XOf0WombJCSqdR42YEAPwACcPCqEryLTxzpU/s1600/Stash+4+-+16+May+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoKdJYLn7giuZ2bwQDcS_qUsgihuGVF8aaA7R6ast9eM-kLsS4ZdoXALfcs8py7g9NIFavonqRSK772BQwH-zAImBJBLS2gAJWy1yyP3XOf0WombJCSqdR42YEAPwACcPCqEryLTxzpU/s200/Stash+4+-+16+May+2017.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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These are all Drops sock yarns bought in the on-going Drops sale at 35% off. Top left is Drops Fabel Uni Colour in "Turquoise", top right is Drops Fabel Print in "Blue Lagoon", bottom left is Drops Fabel Print in "Berry Dreams" and bottom right is Drops Delight Print in "Pink/Purple". There would have been more, but the colours I wanted were out of stock at the time of ordering. This little lot arrived in the post yesterday, along with my new needles.</div>
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Then after ordering needles and yarn on Friday night, I went hunting through my stash of patterns and yarn to find a suitable sock pattern to cast on. Having cast off my last pair of socks nearly a month previously, I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms. I have plans for my first pair of colourwork socks but those had to wait for the needles that were on order. I needed something that came between vanilla and complicated, something that I could knit on the bus. In the end, I plumped for the Petty Harbour pattern by Rayna Curtis, which is a free pattern on Ravelry. I am knitting them in Opal 20 Jahre yarn in the "Wir Sagen Danke" colourway. </div>
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I cast the first sock on on Saturday morning - 64 stitches on 2.5mm needles. I have gone down a needle size because I think that my tension has loosened up - I have been a very tight knitter and all my earlier socks have been on 2.75mm needles. Apart from sock withdrawal symptoms, I cast these socks on because I was about to have a very busy weekend and wanted something relatively straightforward and portable to knit on. </div>
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For the last eight years my Mum has organised an annual Open Gardens weekend on the street that I grew up on and this was the ninth and final year. It may continue on a bi-annual basis but Mum won't be organising it. Every year the event has raised money for a different charity and this year it was in aid of the local branch of <a href="https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/" target="_blank">Parkinson's UK</a>. There were 10 gardens open to the public, two cafes, a pop-up book stall, a plant stall, patchwork quilts for sale, performances by a local choir, folk singers and a storyteller and a Parkinson's UK stall. </div>
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My role on these occasions has been to run the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombola_(raffle)" target="_blank">tombola</a> (see the UK explanation). The event is open from 2pm to 6pm on both the Saturday and the Sunday, and I spend those eight hours being polite and charming and persuading people that they want to pay 50p a ticket in the hope that they will win a prize. The prizes are generally quite good as they tend to be unwanted Christmas and birthday presents donated by people in what is considered to be a "nice" area, so smellies, knicknacks, vouchers from the local garden centre and so on.</div>
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So for me, there is the setting up - we had about 300 prizes this year, the "selling" for four hours without a break, and the taking down. The "selling" is the hardest part - I am not at all fond of people en masse, and after a while the "polite and charming" bit doesn't come as easily. And this year there was the added bonus that one of the neighbours had organised a collection and presentation for Mum on Sunday night, and I had to somehow get her there without her knowing what it was for.</div>
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It was however a great success. We raised over £3,700 for the local branch of Parkinson's UK, which they were very happy about, and hopefully I will never have to run the tombola again!</div>
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Also on a positive note, despite the non-Slimming World buffet at the seminar, I managed to lose another pound last week so have now lost 8.5lbs in total. After all the weekend palaver, which included cake at the presentation, I am just hoping for any kind of loss this week.</div>
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Wishing you and yours all the best until my next.</div>
Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-91839132083015335832017-05-07T22:26:00.000+01:002017-05-07T22:26:03.903+01:00What am I knitting?I thought that today I would show you my current works in progress rather than finished objects or stash. There is actually no new stash to show, but only because of a scheduling issue :-)<br />
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I have three projects on the go at the moment and one that I will cast on as soon as I have bought the right needles for it.<br />
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My oldest work in progress is my Seaspray Rib Jumper which I cast on 22 October 2016. It is a King Cole pattern No. 3933 for a ribbed V-neck jumper/sweater. The accompanying pattern is for a jacket in the same rib. I am knitting it in King Cole Panache, a 50/50 wool/nylon blend, in the Seaspray (2071) colourway. It is designed to be knit flat in pieces, which is completely different from my first jumper, which was a top down raglan. As you will see, I have knit the back flat, but am knitting the sleeves in the round to save on seaming. I finished the first sleeve this morning and have cast on the second sleeve this afternoon. I hope to get this finished before the cold weather comes back (if it ever goes away and lets us have a summer!). The orange yarn is a lifeline which I put in before starting the decreases.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79IV6TLUTLqsx9kwhiBFTL8baQt8sFpWbvqF8dDC30a5ItxUwQfmXL7cfQ0nXRP2BA3pfIkep4BnqPPEZLHgoR3fsAwRenpFOOS6inDlwO59zeTr5TMa84s_yCuU24e6MsR1wEIIHjAk/s1600/WIP+2+-+Seaspray+Jumper+-+07+May+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79IV6TLUTLqsx9kwhiBFTL8baQt8sFpWbvqF8dDC30a5ItxUwQfmXL7cfQ0nXRP2BA3pfIkep4BnqPPEZLHgoR3fsAwRenpFOOS6inDlwO59zeTr5TMa84s_yCuU24e6MsR1wEIIHjAk/s320/WIP+2+-+Seaspray+Jumper+-+07+May+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My next oldest work in progress is my Fireworks Hitchhiker. I cast this on Christmas Eve 2016 to be my sanity knitting over the holidays. I am using Peak District Yarns 75/25 4ply Sock Yarn in her "Fireworks over Tideswell" colourway, which I bought at Bakewell Wool Gathering last year. When I showed Mum my purchases at the time, she said how much she liked this yarn and the other yarn that I had bought from Peak District Yarns which was in purples and black. However I've been thinking - I can't remember the last time I wore my first Hitchhiker - it spends its life over a hanger in the airing cupboard - so how often am I going to wear this one. So this may just go to Mum when it is finished, on the strict proviso that she gives it back to me when it needs washing, to prevent any unfortunate accidents. I am currently up to 39 points - this is a 425m skein so I don't think that I'm going to manage a full 42 point Hitchhiker. I'm not even sure that I will definitely get a 40th point out of what I have left, but will do my best. This may be a finished object next time I post. The colours are not quite right - it is more of a yellowy green than this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGQN99GfvJGJQAQWEy2l34Q9TU9PsaowJUXPdRnOEwmJnGssE4MrBWaIGdTTbe1bujC1dxjkbP-t5M7VILHCTLp0EBglb5hIbhjeo7yiAw61gopw67gmIRnTIZhwjnLGW6QVaqZxog4c/s1600/WIP+2+-+Fireworks+Hitchhiker+-+07+May+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGQN99GfvJGJQAQWEy2l34Q9TU9PsaowJUXPdRnOEwmJnGssE4MrBWaIGdTTbe1bujC1dxjkbP-t5M7VILHCTLp0EBglb5hIbhjeo7yiAw61gopw67gmIRnTIZhwjnLGW6QVaqZxog4c/s320/WIP+2+-+Fireworks+Hitchhiker+-+07+May+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My final work in progress is my Berries Snuggle. I've written about this in a previous post, so will just say that I am still working my way through the first 200g ball of Marble Chunky. Once I get to the end of it, I will look at it and decide how much longer I want it to be and whether I am going to buy a third 200g ball for that purpose. If I do, that will be going against the stash busting objective of this project, but there is no point in creating an item which is not big enough to do what you want it to do. I have put a pen on it to give you a better idea of actual length.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UGdOBy5st7f9IP7jYvwn8Z8Odj4oODvxgLmYq6mdwvcanngz4VXgal5GnMU1XYt4MeGeougylU1R7wt6TWYYkYOIqb3PxP8V7ZdC-PsT8dmKWKJ5RfxUepYEcaE8sRooSaYCNjtEdU8/s1600/WIP+-+Berries+Snuggle+-+07+May+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UGdOBy5st7f9IP7jYvwn8Z8Odj4oODvxgLmYq6mdwvcanngz4VXgal5GnMU1XYt4MeGeougylU1R7wt6TWYYkYOIqb3PxP8V7ZdC-PsT8dmKWKJ5RfxUepYEcaE8sRooSaYCNjtEdU8/s320/WIP+-+Berries+Snuggle+-+07+May+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The project that I want to cast on next is this one - <a href="http://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=4801&cid=17" target="_blank">Drops Ring of Roses Socks</a>. I just need to get organised and order the proper needles. <br />
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And in other news, I said earlier that there was no stash enhancement due to a scheduling issue. Basically I missed out on Love Your Local Yarn Shop Day yesterday because I had pre-booked myself onto a <a href="http://one-name.org/" target="_blank">Guild of One Names Studies</a> seminar in darkest Lincolnshire and was driving a friend there. Despite the lack of yarn, we had a great time. Neither of us had been to a Guild event for some time and the people we knew were very pleased to see us, and us to see them. The topic of the seminar was Occupations and the sources you can use to find out about the occupations of the people in your one name study. There were five really good speakers, but by far and away my favourite was the first one. This was Paul Ellis who is the stone carver at Lincoln Cathedral. He talked to us about his job and showed us some wonderful photographs of his work on the Cathedral. My friend and I are now thinking of going on a road trip to check it out in real life. Despite the crappy weather while driving there and back, it was a day well spent and I came home and cracked on with some research into an individual in my study, who appears to have had three wives and 27 criminal convictions!<br />
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On the weight loss front, I lost another 1lb this week which brings me to 7.5lb in total and which meant that I got my half stone (7lb) award. Very happy with that - the only drawback being that the lunch at yesterday's seminar was not exactly slimming friendly, so I will just have to try harder this week.<br />
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It's getting a bit late and unfortunately I have to go to work in the morning, so I will leave you here. Wishing all the best to you and yours.<br />
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<br />Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-20859641410842473712017-05-03T21:12:00.002+01:002017-05-03T21:12:42.877+01:00Going on a Yarn HuntWell, here I am again and so much for not buying any more yarn until Fibre East! In my defence, however, I discovered that I had booked myself on a family history seminar on 6 May, which here in the UK is Love Your Local Yarn Shop Day. This counts as a party day at my local yarn shop - customers bring along food and drink and Eleanor buys in new yarn to tempt us with. So, as I was going to miss the party and the new yarn, I decided I needed another opportunity to buy yarn. And lo and behold, the indie dyer with whose yarn I am currently knitting a Hitchhiker shawl announced on Facebook that she was going to be at the Tideswell Food Festival.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tideswell" target="_blank">Tideswell</a> is a village in the Peak District of Derbyshire, the neighbouring county to mine. It is about 1 hour 20 minutes drive away, so not too far for a jaunt. So on Saturday last, I came out of my chiropodist appointment, went and put petrol in the car and drove off to Tideswell. It was a nice enough drive and when I got there, there was free parking in a field just outside the village. The only drawback to that became obvious when I opened the car door and found a relatively fresh deposit of sheep dung just where I was about to get out.<br />
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Once I had negotiated my way out of the field around the various deposits, it was a gentle walk along the road into the village. The Food Festival appeared to be very popular as the parking field was just about full and the streets were full of people, often families, wandering between stalls. The houses tend to be stone built and the deeper you go into the village, the closer they are to the road. The stalls displayed all sorts of food from cheese to crepes to Thai to burgers to chicken tikka to olives to fresh bread and so on and so forth.<br />
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However my main interest was in the church. Advertised as Craft in the Chancel, there were four stalls in the chancel of the church just before the altar rail selling jewellery, felted cushions, prints and yarn. And this is what I bought:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2MbqFy5TU0DH5GK4zv_W-Fo1Cqdg8NfIsf2FgkguLZoDWT_M2BmpfTdwW89KGS7v6g8jYE6jnPhSpd9nckHZImJp2z8apD-plu7UeHRHXoiyXoAVpprwHoTnovJY1cmUXBjabS0dnfc/s1600/Stash+-+29+Apr+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2MbqFy5TU0DH5GK4zv_W-Fo1Cqdg8NfIsf2FgkguLZoDWT_M2BmpfTdwW89KGS7v6g8jYE6jnPhSpd9nckHZImJp2z8apD-plu7UeHRHXoiyXoAVpprwHoTnovJY1cmUXBjabS0dnfc/s320/Stash+-+29+Apr+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is <a href="http://peakdistrictyarns.co.uk/" target="_blank">Peak District Yarns</a> - she can also be found on Facebook. The colours of the skeins are actually brighter than this, and her prices are very reasonable for hand dyed yarn.<br />
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So what did I buy? The two skeins on the left are her 4ply high twist 80/20 merino/nylon. The greeny-bluey one is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damflask_Reservoir" target="_blank">Damflask</a>, which is the name of a reservoir in the Peak District, and the purpley one is called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win_Hill" target="_blank">Win Hill</a> Witches, a reference to a hill also in the Peak District.<br />
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The next skein is her 4ply high twist 80/20 merino silk in the Siobhan's Silk colourway. It is based on a photograph taken by the dyer's friend, Siobhan. The last skein is in her 4ply 50/50 silk/merino base in the Silver Surfers colourway.<br />
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Next question - what am I going to do with them? Well, the first two will probably become socks, lovely vibrant hand knit socks. The third one is going to become an Ebb and Flow scarf, a drop stitch pattern from Peak District Yarns which I got free for buying three skeins of her yarn. And the last one? I haven't decided yet - it is so nice and squishy that I might just keep it to squish for the time being.<br />
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And if that was not enough yarn, what about this?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgj_w2-Aw1VN-rZIQDkM2rr2x0EPzpdndCBd8ic5fgHAgYYI43w_dGDh9Xrd1o7D6Mlaf5nz8rZrK62ptzYtCzx_hABAtAD4W9mRxQciJKJNdvuyMgQikA_u-qez2PcVNknHBOt1gW6Y/s1600/Stash+-+2+May+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgj_w2-Aw1VN-rZIQDkM2rr2x0EPzpdndCBd8ic5fgHAgYYI43w_dGDh9Xrd1o7D6Mlaf5nz8rZrK62ptzYtCzx_hABAtAD4W9mRxQciJKJNdvuyMgQikA_u-qez2PcVNknHBOt1gW6Y/s320/Stash+-+2+May+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One of my colleagues has been away on holiday in South Africa for two weeks. He came back in the office yesterday and presented me with yarn! What you see there is 62g of natural hand spun South African yarn. I have no idea what weight it is or how long it is. Apparently there should have been a label, but it has become unattached. The rest of the team got sweeties and I got yarn!!! Guess who is currently my favourite colleague? I have no plans for it at the moment - just so happy that someone really gets me!<br />
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In other news, I got weighed a day early last week and lost 0.5lb. This was a tad disappointing because if I had lost a whole 1lb, then I would have got my half stone award. I had to weigh-in early because we were going out for a team meal on my normal weigh-in night. We went to a posh burger place but I managed fairly well. I had a vegetarian burger (red kidney beans and beetroot) without the bun and I had the side salad instead of fries.<br />
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Tomorrow is weigh-in night and also I need to make the time to vote in the local elections. This is for our borough council, which deals with council tax, planning, rubbish etc. Then we have the build-up to the General Election which has been sprung on us. I won't get onto politics as it will probably give me indigestion.<br />
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I think that I will leave this here for now. My next post really ought to be about what I am currently knitting, just as a change from the projects that I finished while I was not posting.<br />
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All the best to you and yours, and I will be back soon.<br />
Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-68837618089488531682017-04-23T22:06:00.001+01:002017-04-23T22:06:15.401+01:00Stash Enhancement and What I did on my Holidays Part 2Hello and hope you are all well!<br />
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In this post I am going to combine a quick stash update with a few more of my FOs from my hiatus. I was going to try and hold off on yarn purchases until the end of July when I will be going to Fibre East in Bedfordshire, but yesterday morning I felt like a little jaunt. So off I drove to a yarn shop which I knew of but had never visited before. They had quite a bit of yarn which I don't find in my usual yarn shop and some of it was on sale! I therefore came away with a little more yarn to add to the already ridiculous amounts of yarn in my stash.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym7wssbw4JdwV49U1rPhLlG3F6Iv3BO1dnQK_7exA8e8TAB_6xlQjI3D3Jtfo9_vcBuJ-34A5zYndyD0l72LF27prBAMOxqR2xeyqPNd_8UqJUeD-lpjg7cPMd8y2m9_iDk02F_XT7SE/s1600/Stash+-+22+Apr+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjym7wssbw4JdwV49U1rPhLlG3F6Iv3BO1dnQK_7exA8e8TAB_6xlQjI3D3Jtfo9_vcBuJ-34A5zYndyD0l72LF27prBAMOxqR2xeyqPNd_8UqJUeD-lpjg7cPMd8y2m9_iDk02F_XT7SE/s320/Stash+-+22+Apr+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And this is what I bought! From left to right, there is a skein of Rowan Fine Art sock yarn in the Kingfisher colourway, a ball of Noro Silk Garden Sock in the S8 colourway and a ball of Katia Socks Darling 4 in colourway 60. The Rowan and the Noro were on sale as either the yarn or the colourway are being discontinued. These are all new to me sock yarns and it will be interesting to see what they turn into eventually. Nothing is likely to happen to them just yet as I feel that I should be working more from deep stash, rather than casting on the new goodies.<br />
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All of my current projects are at that uninteresting to look at stage where, although you have made progress on them, it is either not immediately apparent or they haven't quite reached a point where you can say that you have hit a particular milestone. So I am going to show you the next few of my finished objects from my long hiatus.<br />
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Moving on from my Hitchhiker, the next two FOs were both Christmas presents - the first got finished in time and the second being slightly delayed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oc_kYGFMgUWI-50ZVCDRjYq_1Ko-dN3QVNIHa-7V11GiFaRPwhUHAZmXNhj-rH1ccIGY0A1Wtv3pUKF63ddQbOO8dHgWLc1yROYoLh8gj2y1DJbzstHOnKVbW3aetUgdUG2eAURZBSM/s1600/Xmas+Stockings+-+22+Dec+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2oc_kYGFMgUWI-50ZVCDRjYq_1Ko-dN3QVNIHa-7V11GiFaRPwhUHAZmXNhj-rH1ccIGY0A1Wtv3pUKF63ddQbOO8dHgWLc1yROYoLh8gj2y1DJbzstHOnKVbW3aetUgdUG2eAURZBSM/s320/Xmas+Stockings+-+22+Dec+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Every year I make Christmas ornaments for my two nieces and up until Christmas 2015, these had always been done in cross stitch. 2015 saw my first knitted Christmas ornaments going on the tree. The pattern for these came from the "Keepsake Collection" and free yarn kit from Issue 86 of "Let's Knit" magazine. They were knit flat on 3.5mm needles and the letters are done in duplicate stitch. The first stocking was cast on on 31 August 2015 (forward planning!) and the second stocking was cast off on 2 October 2015. However, due to my tendency to procrastinate, they weren't actually sewn up and finished until 22 December 2015. That was the same day as I cast on the second Christmas project, the one that didn't get finished in time, mainly because I thought of it late and then had to order the yarn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAPI1FRKHl4QEpLKIf8TtoZIkheBWypFOeh0v8r5TXmt8tTUY-Wk7FO8cE8_AnSgTZEsJb0DhKQ09VyZlUN4vpLXH1qT1gaKndbM9I1SvOMFCY-alFTfH1F5beFjsRfrX_N-X86SgTPU/s1600/Going+Postal+-+16+Jan+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAPI1FRKHl4QEpLKIf8TtoZIkheBWypFOeh0v8r5TXmt8tTUY-Wk7FO8cE8_AnSgTZEsJb0DhKQ09VyZlUN4vpLXH1qT1gaKndbM9I1SvOMFCY-alFTfH1F5beFjsRfrX_N-X86SgTPU/s320/Going+Postal+-+16+Jan+2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my third pair of Cabled Handwarmers designed by Pat Strong for Issue 38 of "Knit Now" magazine. I called them "Going Postal" as they were a Christmas present for my oldest friend who is a postwoman. They were knit flat in King Cole Baby Alpaca in colourway 502 (Grey) on 4mm needles. The idea was that they would keep her hands warm but still enable her to make deliveries easily, and the colour wouldn't show the dirt much or attract unwanted attention. Having cast on on 22 December 2015, the first handwarmer was cast off on New Year's Eve with the second one being cast on immediately and then cast off on 9 January 2016. They were blocked and sewn up before being handed over on 18 January 2016.<br />
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The third and final FO for this post was something for me. Back in July 2014, I went to my first yarn festival, Fibre East in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, which was a completely new experience for me, being more used to quilt shows. The first skein of yarn I bought was sparkly sock yarn by Fleabubs by Lala in her "Where the Wild Roses Grow" colourway. This then sat in my stash for the best part of 18 months until I decided that it was far too colourful to use for socks and that it deserved to be turned into something that would be seen. So I cast on Kelly McClure's "Sockhead Slouch Hat", which is a free pattern on Ravelry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCexNzbQNPpmM66VzzLLoc4w9BVQZ9ygvv83n_OVQY8LcLE_zl3KYJDyEI3Yk35IvZPH533FUGz4RvJgyVzG-M9YYtAPw-cUvsznfMfpKDdVi978nhISF6gDVz0ErVSg1IBGI_9anPjM/s1600/WIP+-+Wild+Roses+-+21+Feb+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCexNzbQNPpmM66VzzLLoc4w9BVQZ9ygvv83n_OVQY8LcLE_zl3KYJDyEI3Yk35IvZPH533FUGz4RvJgyVzG-M9YYtAPw-cUvsznfMfpKDdVi978nhISF6gDVz0ErVSg1IBGI_9anPjM/s320/WIP+-+Wild+Roses+-+21+Feb+2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This photo was taken while it was still a work in progress but the only photos I have of it as a FO are rubbish, taken indoors in the winter in very bad light, and I wanted you to get some idea of the actual colour of the yarn. This was taken before I started the decreases, but basically you end up with a long slouchy hat with a rolled up brim. You can see the finished hat <a href="https://images4-e.ravelrycache.com/uploads/MountainAsh1971/362397637/IMG_20160307_190112_medium2.jpg" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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There are still a couple more "holiday" posts to come, but I don't want to make these posts too long and picture heavy. So, moving on to what's happening in Real Life, my most recent trip to Slimming World revealed that, despite having had a very nice family Easter meal, I have lost another 1.5lb, bringing me to a total of 6lb in three weeks. What is more, having managed to restrain myself from eating any Easter eggs, I was also Slimmer of the Week, which was a nice surprise. The aim for this coming week is to get my half stone (7lb) award - this works out as about 3.2 kilos for people who work in metric.<br />
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In general, I am feeling quite positive and as if I am moving forward, instead of still being stuck in a rut. I have plans for the next few weekends and will report back as I tick these off. It's getting late now and I have to work tomorrow, so wishing all the best to you and yours!<br />
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<br />Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-37109762036158953832017-04-17T17:44:00.004+01:002017-04-17T17:44:32.237+01:00Good 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:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvf8cnk2cCD-TAZ0HXkky5dUNLkKzs8nZKHrARQvdAecgLdVfQU4HAXoaM4F-6XHtdWdiKQcd4_fwfKBvEUbnbo44GArVtKLEVtecFLVBBxrF6r-FLElEssdoYs4pxVgQ88DXLNvn5K8A/s1600/Socks+on+a+Plane+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvf8cnk2cCD-TAZ0HXkky5dUNLkKzs8nZKHrARQvdAecgLdVfQU4HAXoaM4F-6XHtdWdiKQcd4_fwfKBvEUbnbo44GArVtKLEVtecFLVBBxrF6r-FLElEssdoYs4pxVgQ88DXLNvn5K8A/s320/Socks+on+a+Plane+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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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.</div>
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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.
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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:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RspsWA-JkndisQmBvlIyceA2JH8ErPaAAu-bAKFh4jHBv0lldwIpv1ITH4Cubf_5NN2Sd84SmGy0ePo5ff1Lt9xafUxvQMM_LsMdL2_fqqBpnsXdkGZxVDyjVjGXAA9rQw-MuDvqdRs/s1600/WIP+-+Berries+Snuggle+-+17+Apr+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RspsWA-JkndisQmBvlIyceA2JH8ErPaAAu-bAKFh4jHBv0lldwIpv1ITH4Cubf_5NN2Sd84SmGy0ePo5ff1Lt9xafUxvQMM_LsMdL2_fqqBpnsXdkGZxVDyjVjGXAA9rQw-MuDvqdRs/s320/WIP+-+Berries+Snuggle+-+17+Apr+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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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.
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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 :-)</div>
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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.</div>
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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.</div>
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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).</div>
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Wishing all the best to you and yours.</div>
Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-11047675721583151202017-04-12T19:53:00.001+01:002017-04-12T19:53:17.461+01:00What I did on my holidays - Part 1Hello again. I want to start by thanking Cathy and Leonore for their kind comments, which made me feel it was worth posting again after all this time.<br />
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This is intended to be the first of a number of catch-up posts to show you what I got up to during my mental health break from the blog. As my last post before then is dated 25 October 2015, there are nearly 18 months to cover so I am not going to put everything in one post because it would take forever and be very picture heavy. Projects will therefore be shown in chronological order of finishing to make things a bit easier.<br />
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The first project that I finished after things got bad were my Twilight Cabled Handwarmers, which I made for my Mum's 70th birthday.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFuiUbWP7em5bY2nkvEQDRqLgz0UE03GdvhDRYJe8veraBfOn7hAMBKNIhzBVTV5mmOkm9LdjHX2qqe1OrevuNpPZxF1Qcc-ZxeYC0ht3D4hEgPIWmF6xdp1evHn-XBiZDUfLidSpDDc/s1600/Twilight+Handwarmers+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFuiUbWP7em5bY2nkvEQDRqLgz0UE03GdvhDRYJe8veraBfOn7hAMBKNIhzBVTV5mmOkm9LdjHX2qqe1OrevuNpPZxF1Qcc-ZxeYC0ht3D4hEgPIWmF6xdp1evHn-XBiZDUfLidSpDDc/s320/Twilight+Handwarmers+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These used a pattern which I had previously used to make handwarmers for myself, designed by Pat Strong and featured in Issue 38 of "Knit Now" magazine. This pair were knit in a hand dyed superwash merino DK from Truly Hooked in her "Twilight" colourway on 4mm needles. They were cast on on 23 October 2015, bound off on 9 November 2015 and sewn up on 13 November 2015. Mum liked them very much, but they don't look quite like the photo anymore as the colours ran when she first hand washed them, so they are now black, purple and grey instead of black, purple and white.<br />
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My second finish was my Hitchhiker shawlette.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuYYeqMwRRqy8DLr_qmm8eJ-YcTih9NDZhZQdvMfI6nWTZNz1k_tANeGp_c_aQReycs36GLc3CS6XY-tEMBRpcr8mc3bjhESDkmBuHsVZOZbkeDgUGllbwTkud1JM3pr5TFbFQv0jMD0/s1600/Hitchhiker+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzuYYeqMwRRqy8DLr_qmm8eJ-YcTih9NDZhZQdvMfI6nWTZNz1k_tANeGp_c_aQReycs36GLc3CS6XY-tEMBRpcr8mc3bjhESDkmBuHsVZOZbkeDgUGllbwTkud1JM3pr5TFbFQv0jMD0/s320/Hitchhiker+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a design by Martina Behm, which I cast on on 21 June 2015 and bound off on 23 November 2015. The pattern is called Hitchhiker because it is supposed to have 42 points a la "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". I knit mine in a heavy lace weight yarn from Fivemoons - their "Nanna Not Sock" base in the "Shepherd's Delight" colourway. Instead of 42 points, mine has 50 points because there was 600 metres of yarn and I knit as many points as I could get out of it.<br />
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My third project, and the last one for this post, was a cross stitch piece, again for my Mum's 70th birthday. This was done as part of a collective gift by the other members of Mum's patchwork group. We all made a 12 inch block with a sleeve on the back which Mum could display on a decorative hanger. The theme was Gothic, steampunk and skeletons.<br />
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This design is "Stitch Night at the Crypt Club" by Prairie Moon, stitched on 32 count Zweigart Murano evenweave in the vintage marbled grey colourway using DMC threads. I started it on 31 August 2015 and finished the stitching on 6 December 2015. It was made up as above on 9 December 2015 and handed over to Mum at the patchwork group meeting on 10 December 2015.<br />
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One of the reasons that this took relatively long, despite being quite a simple pattern, was that I struggled with the stitch count and found that I had to use a magnifier in order to work on it. This, combined with other adaptions I found myself making, such as taking my glasses off to read, finally meant that I switched to wearing varifocals the following May (2016) and have been very happy with them ever since.<br />
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As you can tell, Mum's 70th birthday was a big event at this time and we, the family, organised a party to celebrate. Lots of people came, friends and family, and a great time was had by all. My sister and I spent most of our time in the kitchen dealing with the food etc, but it paid off and Mum really enjoyed herself.<br />
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At about the same time, I got two new jobs - one full-time and one part-time. The full-time job I still have, but the part-time one as administrator for the flats I live in, which was strenuous while it lasted, has fortunately passed to another flat owner who is retired and has more time to give it. However, I did manage to pay off my car using the extra money, which was a positive thing.<br />
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I'm going to finish here as I have tomorrow off to spend with my eldest niece who turned 11 last month. I don't know where the years have gone. It seems just yesterday that she started school and now she will be going to secondary school in September.<br />
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Wishing all the best to you and yours.<br />
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<br />Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-43644413460236839592017-04-08T13:08:00.001+01:002017-04-08T13:08:44.907+01:00Honey, I'm home!Hi, I'm back. Yes, I know it's been a long time, the world has turned and things have changed. Things have changed for me too.<br />
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I stopped posting for a number of reasons, but probably the main underlying reason was my mental health. At the time I was in a very deep rut with my job, had just failed to get a new job and was heading into the depths of Winter, which always has a bad effect on me. I had also become far more involved with knitting than with cross-stitch, and perhaps felt that people weren't as interested in the new direction I had taken. So I was falling into the Slough of Despond and it has taken me quite a while to get myself to a point where I can hopefully see the light at the end of the tunnel.<br />
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Anyway, what has changed? Well, the job I hadn't got when I last posted came back on the market. It was a job that an ex-colleague had suggested to me, working for her new firm. It turned out that the person who did get the job only lasted 1 day! My ex-colleague got in touch to ask if I was still interested, so I went to see her and her boss, had a brief chat, and was offered the job. I started the new job on 4 January 2016 and let's put it this way - when my ex-colleague handed in her notice this February, the general response of the rest of the team was one of concern - "Mountain Ash isn't going as well, is she?".<br />
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What else? I took the plunge and went back to Slimming World last week - it was bad, worse than ever before. I am perhaps still not in the right place mentally for losing weight, but my reasoning was that if I went back and stayed to group, then maybe that would get me moving. I went back this week and found I had lost 2.5lb without putting too much effort into it. So this is good and positive, and I will keep trying to move forward on this.<br />
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The knitting is still playing a major role in my life - it forms the majority of my social life as I am a member of two organised groups and one informal group. I go to Knit Groups every Monday evening and every Saturday afternoon. So, rather than make this post into War and Peace, I will show you a photo of my most recent finish and then do some catch-up posts to show you what I have been working on since I was last here.<br />
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This is Attune - it is a shawl pattern by Siew Clark. I knit it in Cygnet Boho Spirit, which is a 100% acrylic DK yarn, in colourway 6461. It took 6.63 balls of yarn which was 1591.4 metres. I cast it on on 20 May 2016 and wove the ends in on 27 March 2017. It has generally been known as "The Monster" because it is so big. It is a circular shawl in 8 segments and each segment is larger than the previous one, so the first segment is quite short and the last segment is very long. I am 5 foot 8 inches tall and this is what it looks like on me:<br />
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As you can imagine, I was very glad to reach the finishing line with this one.<br />
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So, apologies once again for the considerable hiatus between posts and I do have every intention of getting back on track. Spring has sprung in the UK and things are definitely looking up round here.<br />
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All the very best to you and yours.<br />
Mountain AshMountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-79851188786888687512015-10-25T20:36:00.000+00:002015-10-25T20:36:21.939+00:00Catch Up Post<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Dear all, yes, I have been missing in action for a while. Apologies for the delay in coming back to you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">There have been work related things, family related things and of course it's that time of the year when the Black Dog starts to make itself known more frequently. So basically I have just battened down the hatches and waited it out until I felt sociable again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">However there has been progress during my absence.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-osfJI24dtNPVSveOwK7g8CBdk7JTWV4w9_2fL3qiDZLcqWbtawnAzoEWATkcsXl3QY-OBQIOdozmeMBnF45Pwo6dyuCkoUKB_lGPzXsRW4H8FQZnXcx6xdCBjMfx9C_F1teqe8rljE/s1600/WIP+-+Crypt+Club+-+25+Oct+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-osfJI24dtNPVSveOwK7g8CBdk7JTWV4w9_2fL3qiDZLcqWbtawnAzoEWATkcsXl3QY-OBQIOdozmeMBnF45Pwo6dyuCkoUKB_lGPzXsRW4H8FQZnXcx6xdCBjMfx9C_F1teqe8rljE/s320/WIP+-+Crypt+Club+-+25+Oct+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Stitching wise, I have been concentrating on Crypt Club because Mum's birthday is less than a month away. The chart is on two pages and what you see is mainly the bottom page. I have a little back stitching left to do and there should be a martini glass on the table. Mum doesn't drink martini, but a cup of tea might look odd - still thinking about this. There is less to do on the top page, so fingers crossed I get it done in time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I am still pottering on with Hitchhiker, which should properly be called Hitchhiker Plus now. I have now done 49 points and I still have yarn in hand. Point 50 will take me past the 200 stitches per row mark. I really must get this finished before the end of the year, particularly as I bought the pattern last New Year's Eve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">This is a semi-unplanned new start - cabled handwarmers for Mum. When I say semi-unplanned, what I mean is that I meant to do them, just not yet. However I went to Knit Group yesterday, talked about doing them, then came home and cast on. It is the same pattern as the cabled handwarmers that I knitted for myself (which are being really useful now), but in superwash merino DK dyed in the "Twilight" colour way by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TrulyHooked" target="_blank">Truly Hooked</a>. I bought this at the Bakewell Wool Gathering last Saturday specifically for this project - it is black, white and purple, and feels very nice! The intention is to get them done for her birthday if at all possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Progress on my Vanilla Latte socks remains slow, mainly due to the deadlines on other things. Once Mum's birthday is out of the way, I will have more time for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Finally, a stash update for Leonore. On the left, a skein of Colinette Calligraphy in the Aegean colour way, a bulky yarn, and a birthday present from Deb in my Saturday Knit Group. Next come Opal sock yarn in the Secret Agent colour way from <a href="http://woolzone.co.uk/" target="_blank">Wool Zone</a> in Oakham, a present to myself on the way home from a job interview (didn't get the job). At the top, a Crazy Zauberball in the "Der Lenz ist da!" colour way also from Wool Zone on the same occasion. Below that is a ball of Juniper Moon Farm Findlay Dappled laceweight in the Macaw colour way which I picked up at the Bakewell Wool Gathering. And on the right, also bought at Bakewell, is a skein of Natural Born Dyers Cobweb Lace in the Bluebottle colour way - 1200m of 50% alpaca, 30% merino and 20% silk - which will eventually become a shawl of some description.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Too many pretty things and not enough time!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Hoping that all is well with you and yours. May the frog stay well away from your needles, and I will try to post more regularly from now on.</span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-20515879054485345162015-09-13T21:05:00.001+01:002015-09-13T21:05:59.333+01:00A little gentle forward motion ...<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's been a busy week this week, going back to work and something on nearly every night. However progress has been made, more on some projects than on others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I went to Patchwork Group on Thursday night and got a fair bit done on the centre section of the bottom border. I'm hoping that I might get that finished this week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Progress was not quite so good on Crypt Club. The 32 count fabric requires good light and the weather this week has been poor. However I have got started on the lady's skirt, and I did buy fabric for the border/backing today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yesterday I went to Knit Group and finished the knitting part of the first Christmas stocking. I intend to leave the Swiss darning and sewing up until I have done the second one. That way I only have to get my needle out the once.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Progress on my Vanilla Latte socks has been very slow - just a few more rounds of rib. I'm not in a hurry to get these done. They are my travel and waiting project, so no deadlines to worry about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And finally Hitchhiker! This is what 42 points in lace weight yarn looks like spread out on a single duvet. I have weighed the remaining yarn and I still have 36g left. So if the original 100g was 600 metres in length, I should have just over 200 metres left. I wonder how many more points I am going to get out of that - watch this space!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The physio was pleased with the improvement in my IT band, but wants me to carry on doing the exercises for another six weeks. This is going to get harder and harder to stick to as the mornings get darker and colder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well clear of your needles! </span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-36895066238925508142015-09-06T21:42:00.000+01:002015-09-06T21:42:13.806+01:00A week off work ...<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">And nose back to the grindstone tomorrow :-(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">For most of the week, the weather was dubious, but that was only to be expected as it was Bank Holiday week. It poured it down on Bank Holiday Monday, so when I had the girls for the day on Tuesday, they had to come equipped with waterproofs and wellies. We went to Belton House and they had a great time on the adventure playground. They wore themselves out and the fresh air was too much for me, so we all slept like logs that night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">One of the benefits of dubious weather when you have time off work is that you can easily justify to yourself time spent knitting and stitching, because of course there is no point going out in the rain. So, progress pics:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Baby Express now has its first flower. There will be a matching one on the other side when I get there. The backstitch was straightforward so that got done too. It only needs a couple of French knots for eyes, which will get done at the end. Next up is the middle section of the border.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">And then Hitchhiker - I am now up to point 40 on this. The pattern goes up to point 42 (obviously), but there is still an awful lot of yarn left to work through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Up next are three new starts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;"> I know it's a bit early for the "C" word, but this is the first of two knitted Christmas stocking decorations for my girls. I've finished the leg section and intend to work my way through the heel section this week.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze-S5ZGhuG2I8Ne5-0aFZHpCDmNWtkZ1OEp45ly-QIHaGvcklTh-eMTrR2F0AnTnhNUMnfXcG_0eRxmZau1i17lyInxlcv6nWvZZDbsUIgF_2U1aNZzxIkNEZryA4kA1wHCk_vrS-DuU/s1600/WIP+-+Crypt+Club+-+6+Sep+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjze-S5ZGhuG2I8Ne5-0aFZHpCDmNWtkZ1OEp45ly-QIHaGvcklTh-eMTrR2F0AnTnhNUMnfXcG_0eRxmZau1i17lyInxlcv6nWvZZDbsUIgF_2U1aNZzxIkNEZryA4kA1wHCk_vrS-DuU/s320/WIP+-+Crypt+Club+-+6+Sep+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Then some new cross stitching. This is "Stitch Night at the Crypt Club" by Prairie Moon on 32 count evenweave stitched over 2. When it's done, it will be a 70th birthday present for my Mum. The deadline for this is late October/early November.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XLkVZRpE2i19lr5TFcLcDpl9DcHG24MUFM-nWXzqq22SpYPRK88OZ2z-y5im5qXlsshH-Z4XJX-gRuqIfx4oGLSFwrQEgKjbvK-XTSgUB42CoNjmTa1gOrsVhJoxQQm9A7gLFv_D2OY/s1600/WIP+-+Vanilla+Latte+-+6+Sep+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7XLkVZRpE2i19lr5TFcLcDpl9DcHG24MUFM-nWXzqq22SpYPRK88OZ2z-y5im5qXlsshH-Z4XJX-gRuqIfx4oGLSFwrQEgKjbvK-XTSgUB42CoNjmTa1gOrsVhJoxQQm9A7gLFv_D2OY/s320/WIP+-+Vanilla+Latte+-+6+Sep+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">And finally, I needed something to do while the girls were running riot in the adventure playground on Tuesday. So I cast on for Vanilla Latte socks in Sirdar Heart and Sole self striping yarn. However I discovered that I had twisted it when joining in the round, so had to rip back to the beginning and cast on again, which is why there isn't a lot to see yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">So plenty to keep me occupied and out of mischief, and only a few weeks to go until Yarndale :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well away from your needles.</span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-71603520524951730902015-08-30T22:17:00.000+01:002015-08-30T22:17:05.469+01:002015 WIPocalypse - August Full Moon<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How is it possible that it is very nearly September already? The year seems to have flown past, and I had hoped to have accomplished more by now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However I went to Knit Group yesterday and I do have two finishes to show you today, so I am very pleased with myself. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfRXPdspEhJg7J9MhP938XOlFB1mm3Uku_3YfHBmyIhgwhxn9VlKg8g9RCFM-lcsCjcXR5Emy6OH6UhtYlL2hE30pmWDqw0qiucJf4Ncvz4Za4c-64rk_bVKO_jGGglh2EF1YRXnotxE/s1600/Cabled+Handwarmers+%25284%2529+29+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPfRXPdspEhJg7J9MhP938XOlFB1mm3Uku_3YfHBmyIhgwhxn9VlKg8g9RCFM-lcsCjcXR5Emy6OH6UhtYlL2hE30pmWDqw0qiucJf4Ncvz4Za4c-64rk_bVKO_jGGglh2EF1YRXnotxE/s320/Cabled+Handwarmers+%25284%2529+29+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These are my Cabled Handwarmers which have been waiting to be finish finished since the middle of April. They are a Pat Strong pattern from Issue 38 of Knit Now, knit in King Cole Baby Alpaca in the Heather colourway (666). They are knit flat and then seamed on the thumb side. And they feel just gorgeous when I put them on.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYLYRaeZbwzkFp7j8esPMPPsofTZLkF0h0m83bE-RZhI_dpoBMyts722TbVuvhlQy988LJXdRlGT9FQ_3UhTwzBm5U9UFucQBJ0sneKgmdzXz_Se48Y_meSacTkcmiRKGbXwvCXXIq88/s1600/Toe+Up+Socks+%25282%2529+29+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYLYRaeZbwzkFp7j8esPMPPsofTZLkF0h0m83bE-RZhI_dpoBMyts722TbVuvhlQy988LJXdRlGT9FQ_3UhTwzBm5U9UFucQBJ0sneKgmdzXz_Se48Y_meSacTkcmiRKGbXwvCXXIq88/s320/Toe+Up+Socks+%25282%2529+29+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finish No. 2 is my Toe Up Socks knit in hand dyed yarn by Jellybeans Yarns in their Autumn Leaves colourway. There is a mixture of techniques here. All of the first sock and the foot and heel of the second sock were knit with Magic Loop. The leg and cuff of the second sock were knit on dpns. The heel of the first sock was knit using wrap and turn short rows, while the heel of the second sock was knit using German short rows. Neither technique was very successful, so I had to darn the resulting holes on completion. Both socks used the Turkish cast-on and Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind-off. So I learned a lot and have a very colourful pair of socks to show for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moving on to work in progress, the first section of the bottom border of Baby Express is now complete. There is a tiny speck of light at the end of the tunnel on this piece.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BbYcwODoydiRdXkDdm7l-QIB27yekSzrVQjofQy8U7sxxqZFpO0pDWefPvAf491-ZQ-uSsSxUjuOaqcUwGe58afgSye9HmOSBaqiQeASTH9rHSGSdULgWrvurNaMeqo9YgbOogXHYH8/s1600/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+29+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BbYcwODoydiRdXkDdm7l-QIB27yekSzrVQjofQy8U7sxxqZFpO0pDWefPvAf491-ZQ-uSsSxUjuOaqcUwGe58afgSye9HmOSBaqiQeASTH9rHSGSdULgWrvurNaMeqo9YgbOogXHYH8/s320/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+29+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And last but not least, here is Hitchhiker. There are now 38 completed points on this shawlette but still plenty of yarn left on the ball. Progress gets slower with every point as there are now over 150 stitches per row, but I am looking forward to wearing it this winter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In other news, I have a week off work! Tomorrow is a bank holiday, but I have the rest of the week off to do what I want to do. I have some plans in place - a day out with my nieces, a theatre trip with my Mum - but also some time for me, myself and I. More information in my next post :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay away from your needles. </span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-76037486161383071892015-08-26T19:25:00.000+01:002015-08-26T19:25:07.015+01:00Next verse, same as the rest<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Apologies for the lack of posts the past couple of weeks. The mojo has been somewhat lacking for various reasons. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I went for a job interview, but didn't get the job - although the feedback was positive and helpful. And thank you to anyone who had their fingers crossed for me - apparently all the candidates were good and it was very close.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I went to the physio, who said that, because I am very flexible in my lower back, my bottom muscles aren't pulling their weight and so the muscles in my thigh have been overworked. I am now rolling out of bed every morning (except Sunday, my day of rest) and doing exercises before I do anything else. I hope that progress has been made, but have another couple of weeks before I go back to the physio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">In other news, there has been progress on the knitting and stitching fronts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">As you can see, the left hand border on Baby Express is now complete and progress has begun on the bottom border. At the current rate of progress, I might even get it finished before his first birthday :-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I have finally got round to blocking my Cabled Handwarmers. The plan is to take them to Knit Group on Saturday, stitch them up and finally have them finished well in advance of the cold weather.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_e42z-i6e7JwLL3WrQ7zLmUIwTUWRoHPPY4ug24O4me9rhXTE8YdL6je46utO46YrKvrYxpN8oDLIFwtJ4ARQNjHjnaA94Lt8msqYjjbO_2zydNi1m0-MO7YxkEA1L1TAROCD2LYvOE/s1600/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+23+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_e42z-i6e7JwLL3WrQ7zLmUIwTUWRoHPPY4ug24O4me9rhXTE8YdL6je46utO46YrKvrYxpN8oDLIFwtJ4ARQNjHjnaA94Lt8msqYjjbO_2zydNi1m0-MO7YxkEA1L1TAROCD2LYvOE/s320/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+23+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">The second toe-up sock is nearly done. Since this photo, I have finished the leg and started the ribbing for the cuff. I am hoping that in my next post I will be able to show you a finished pair of socks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">And I am still trundling on with Hitchhiker. The photo shows points 1 to 36, and I have done point 37 since then. However there is still a lot of yarn left, so I am not proposing to forecast a potential finish date just yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">There is not really anything else to report at present, so I will love you and leave you, and may the frog stay well away from your needles.</span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-69884508403425603942015-08-09T20:59:00.000+01:002015-08-09T20:59:24.129+01:00Keeping my fingers crossed!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I can't tell you any details yet, but if you would be so kind as to keep your fingers crossed for me on Wednesday morning, I would be very grateful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">There has been progress this week on all pieces as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;"> Although my back stitching mojo has done a runner, I did manage to get it together this morning and start the last section of the left hand border on Baby Express. Some progress is better than none, so I'm just going to carry on with the border for the time being and hope that when that's done, I can find the urge to finish the back stitch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I'm also working my way up the foot of my second toe up sock. I went to a different Knit Group on Monday evening within walking distance of my house, which was interesting and very different from my Saturday Knit Group. I got quite a bit done on the sock that evening and will be going back this week.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0i0SAzUVLZze9ldXZm0egZ-9ACKE2WA2P3OkyCcVsaojO4WnCm6rGZnzCiuaK3KuP7Du0v6tRk9i8v7pw388jWqeBeJrHmsBbpCOJCDeAKLujG3BY6ztJE-Amjh3Qx5y_PSi_aGqoQQ/s1600/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+09+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0i0SAzUVLZze9ldXZm0egZ-9ACKE2WA2P3OkyCcVsaojO4WnCm6rGZnzCiuaK3KuP7Du0v6tRk9i8v7pw388jWqeBeJrHmsBbpCOJCDeAKLujG3BY6ztJE-Amjh3Qx5y_PSi_aGqoQQ/s320/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+09+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Hitchhiker has now reached point 31, but there is still a lot of yarn on the ball. I now have over 120 stitches on the needle, so each point takes longer to complete than the one before. I'm not giving this piece any kind of deadline because I really have no idea when I am likely to finish it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I have also knitted a swatch for my first jumper but I am holding off casting on until I have finished one of the other pieces. Time is too tight to have three knitting projects on the go when I have deadlines on other things to keep in mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">In other news, I went to the doctor this week about on-going discomfort in my upper left leg. He says I have a problem with my IT band and has referred me to the physio, so I have an appointment this coming week - watch this space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Why are weekends always so short? Back to work in the morning, so here's all the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well clear of your needles.</span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-84589270551999318092015-08-06T21:00:00.001+01:002015-08-06T21:01:07.596+01:00All the pretty things (especially for Leonore)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">As the last of my Fibre East purchases arrived in the post this morning, and at Leonore's particular request, here are all the pretty things (even if some of the colours haven't come out too well in the photos).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">This was my first purchase and I just couldn't resist. Sock yarn by <a href="http://ww.sarastexturecrafts.com/" target="_blank">Sara's Texture Crafts</a> in Watermelon Neon in her Oddsox - Line Art collection. So one sock will be mainly pink with some green and the other will be mainly green with some pink. She had quite a few different colourways but this was the one that grabbed me.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCW_tjHdjnBB47lWjqnAe9qosSGpUbd7dyg4O-pXUb2MUbvew356HaVf8y86RLUPOnLBn_WRjjtR3PnMXQCioj_MMhwcSyaEDhnEDy87aNmfPT0u288WK-bZdpkLN9fllHjDw8MmbDmA/s1600/Stash+3+-+25+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCW_tjHdjnBB47lWjqnAe9qosSGpUbd7dyg4O-pXUb2MUbvew356HaVf8y86RLUPOnLBn_WRjjtR3PnMXQCioj_MMhwcSyaEDhnEDy87aNmfPT0u288WK-bZdpkLN9fllHjDw8MmbDmA/s320/Stash+3+-+25+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">More sock yarn, this time from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/unbelievawool" target="_blank">Unbelievawool</a>. This colourway is called Petrol Pot and yes, you can see silver sparkles in it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUeCvSGK1VkUWLa6S_Kw7theMmkWFWpLQKEsKbAjl1WwN1qhPpEjWYCy_XMJyfJV4nqB31WKO7AHDqfnJQMEyvJ8RbGA5Joa9IBhLp4vwtjjGqtDqo2gNFRQc1eTC1DGP8Q3OPpXDI9E/s1600/Stash+-+06+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUeCvSGK1VkUWLa6S_Kw7theMmkWFWpLQKEsKbAjl1WwN1qhPpEjWYCy_XMJyfJV4nqB31WKO7AHDqfnJQMEyvJ8RbGA5Joa9IBhLp4vwtjjGqtDqo2gNFRQc1eTC1DGP8Q3OPpXDI9E/s320/Stash+-+06+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Moving on, this is what came in the post this morning. The photo is not good - it's more of a reddy pink than this. From <a href="http://nativeyarns.co.uk/" target="_blank">Native Yarns</a>, three skeins of Clare Merino & Silk 4ply in the Astrid colourway which I bought specifically for <a href="http://www.p-hop.co.uk/index.php/patterns/scarves-and-shawls/dear-green-shawl/" target="_blank">this shawl</a>, the pattern for which I also bought at Fibre East.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z4sJU2XtBKPdm_ZdVsgwzcUpR5epwo_mNKuoQODDna1zYLHxcZLLBqoDkjsiGnahpPSII8Ty3gzMOjuTciKFdOanmNh7XtIoM9IbrFbwKafjXQRJTGIyWMg87BqZyGj_oEtI9FHzp_w/s1600/Stash+4+-+25+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2z4sJU2XtBKPdm_ZdVsgwzcUpR5epwo_mNKuoQODDna1zYLHxcZLLBqoDkjsiGnahpPSII8Ty3gzMOjuTciKFdOanmNh7XtIoM9IbrFbwKafjXQRJTGIyWMg87BqZyGj_oEtI9FHzp_w/s320/Stash+4+-+25+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Then we come to the <a href="http://www.jarbon.com/" target="_blank">John Arbon</a> Alpaca 2-3ply. How could I resist - 1200 metres of 90% alpaca, 10% nylon in this gorgeous moss green for just £10? Couldn't be done, but I have no plans for this as yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I took a couple of friends from Knit Group with me to Fibre East. They usually go on the train, I was going to be driving there anyway - so a no brainer, and it meant I had company, which is always nice at these things. Someone to say "Ooh, feel this!" to, and get a second opinion from. So then they wanted to give me petrol money, even after I said not to be daft, because I would have gone anyway. So I said to give me yarn instead, so my stash now includes two skeins of <a href="http://www.garnstudio.com/yarn.php?id=100&cid=19" target="_blank">Garnstudio DROPS Lace</a>, this one in the Purple colourway ...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcYcNojz4JyGfsDrGhM3Eoa83D8nBfrLYGmsQwl9C9Se7J8IJ1CVSCCAwqwosWMMRe1MOfn90Pq4MCxsL778INkLBkpkVy2_oxidSgw0LA4B9-MIEYLiYfn1GEo32m5mNEX2yuwvs3d4/s1600/Stash+2+-+25+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcYcNojz4JyGfsDrGhM3Eoa83D8nBfrLYGmsQwl9C9Se7J8IJ1CVSCCAwqwosWMMRe1MOfn90Pq4MCxsL778INkLBkpkVy2_oxidSgw0LA4B9-MIEYLiYfn1GEo32m5mNEX2yuwvs3d4/s320/Stash+2+-+25+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">and this one in the Red colourway. We're talking 70% baby alpaca, 30% mulberry silk and 800 metres to a skein. This should work out to two very luxurious shawls at some point and at a very reasonable price.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">So there you are, Leonore, all the pretty things. I am now on a yarn diet - no more new yarn until Yarndale in late September, but the knitting will continue and I will keep you up to date with that.</span><br />
<br />Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-9026838017272245732015-08-02T21:07:00.000+01:002015-08-02T21:07:49.969+01:002015 WIPocalypse - July Blue Moon Edition<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Back again, but not a lot to show for it. It's been a busy couple of weeks with the boss being off work, a funeral, Fibre East and something I can't talk about yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fibre East is a yarn festival held near Ampthill, Bedfordshire. After I started knitting last May, Fibre East was the first yarn festival I went to so I hadn't a clue what I was letting myself in for. This year I went with two knitting friends and had a great time. I was very good and only spent the cash I had taken with me, which was hard because I really wanted to buy all the pretty things. And now I want to knit all the pretty things, but time is short.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anyway, time for a progress report. There has been so little progress on Baby Express since the last time you saw it that there was no point even taking a photo.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpcabgLW-QpXSxo5x6yw6AxUDnmylL1X9JgWhgWxG4uMrS0MxbzR9WJ1_QyHmNj3gzNZjVAmCo3DEhGec6jjonB9-7xgU16Oyqj9nhUJYbzEkuYnnj4-kcFiaIqwlsqS2YfspBGet__Y/s1600/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+02+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpcabgLW-QpXSxo5x6yw6AxUDnmylL1X9JgWhgWxG4uMrS0MxbzR9WJ1_QyHmNj3gzNZjVAmCo3DEhGec6jjonB9-7xgU16Oyqj9nhUJYbzEkuYnnj4-kcFiaIqwlsqS2YfspBGet__Y/s320/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+02+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However I do have one finished toe up sock to show you and the beginning of the second. I am going to use a different heel on this one in the hopes of getting a better result than I did with the first one.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW_oj_JRWa_EmZJdmrkVD8nJxDHgIZef959GQNIpx5qC435wsRGn4eTezHSwwOFsx6J3BcdYN1Bn5M6lZNuHFf3T911RtJO-0_RYlYgPiVbZsAgHOcADStsqruKhMj-WekVYMHca69No/s1600/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+02+Aug+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizW_oj_JRWa_EmZJdmrkVD8nJxDHgIZef959GQNIpx5qC435wsRGn4eTezHSwwOFsx6J3BcdYN1Bn5M6lZNuHFf3T911RtJO-0_RYlYgPiVbZsAgHOcADStsqruKhMj-WekVYMHca69No/s320/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+02+Aug+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And Hitchhiker now has 28 points to it. There are now over 100 stitches to a row so progress is slower. Basically I am now into the long hard slog part of it, but the colours are so lovely that I don't really care. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also I am now on a yarn diet until Yarndale at the end of September. No more yarn until Skipton. I went on Ravelry the other night and worked out how much yarn I have - nearly 39 miles worth! I really do have to knit faster!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with the boss playing catch up after 2 weeks off, so I am going to love you and leave you, and may the frog stay well clear of your needles. </span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-30172973949058229162015-07-19T21:25:00.000+01:002015-07-19T21:25:45.438+01:00Ups and downs<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">So this week has been like the curate's egg - good in parts! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Work was mega busy because the boss is now on leave for two weeks. So at least the first half of the coming week will be spent doing all the little things that need to be done but didn't get done, because I was doing the big things that he needed to have done before he went on leave. The coming week also means attending the funeral of the friend who died last week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">On the positive side, yesterday I had my hair cut very short so I no longer look like I stuck my finger in the plug socket and my fringe no longer comes below my nose. I dyed it plum colour this morning, and so far the response has been very favourable. Yesterday was also Knit Group day, so time spent with like minded people always makes me feel better. And today I went on a workshop about knitted garments - the first knitting workshop that I've been on at which I never touched a needle! It was all about the maths needed to change patterns to fit you, your preferred yarn and your gauge. I think I understood it properly - I now just need the time to get started on a jumper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">However there has been progress on all the things:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyFcd7Lsrc2VHDtYu8tg227DpYUPBMTd1uK7tmcmRD-QAAtA_d94l58UUhXC_uaTPwSzUKabUX0JEavrbbXZi75FZ0idZH8moCY2ByIc4aA91R2fSTlLHX9X3zxZ44hJwGjiJSk8EyyQ/s1600/WIP+-+Baby+Express+-+19+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyFcd7Lsrc2VHDtYu8tg227DpYUPBMTd1uK7tmcmRD-QAAtA_d94l58UUhXC_uaTPwSzUKabUX0JEavrbbXZi75FZ0idZH8moCY2ByIc4aA91R2fSTlLHX9X3zxZ44hJwGjiJSk8EyyQ/s320/WIP+-+Baby+Express+-+19+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I have stitched the middle section of the left hand border and started doing the back stitch on the engine. I will continue with the back stitch this coming week. Once that is done, I will go back to working on the border.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P3O6vRt1iJwxTomJtHqnaMe1lV-zIJ6EjbIU86AuQwAo7YaMapJh3S1mJNt8emP3NmApAbFA9MrXTgPIpoyKs4qt36AC0hg2HJLAuODAb-nyC_0QDiqgWfyU5_JqlxTI4Kz3z9gj19A/s1600/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+19+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2P3O6vRt1iJwxTomJtHqnaMe1lV-zIJ6EjbIU86AuQwAo7YaMapJh3S1mJNt8emP3NmApAbFA9MrXTgPIpoyKs4qt36AC0hg2HJLAuODAb-nyC_0QDiqgWfyU5_JqlxTI4Kz3z9gj19A/s320/WIP+-+Hitchhiker+-+19+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I am now up to point 19 on Hitchhiker. I rather think that this is going to end up as Hitchhiker Plus. The pattern is designed for 525 metres of 4 ply/sock yarn. I have 600 metres of laceweight, and my intention is just to knit until I reach the end of the yarn.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t3UKME_df7YbCgsUAIscgG1lXfUAh6-m5irUi0heJdxecTYJG3ljmRE4l8LpouVhUMoPCPBG3mWIrwyYhn4yRwtsdgyLVxHGs6ai3x8H3qvGZZ4s476xVrZY4rHk2PDfyg-bEma2IEk/s1600/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+19+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t3UKME_df7YbCgsUAIscgG1lXfUAh6-m5irUi0heJdxecTYJG3ljmRE4l8LpouVhUMoPCPBG3mWIrwyYhn4yRwtsdgyLVxHGs6ai3x8H3qvGZZ4s476xVrZY4rHk2PDfyg-bEma2IEk/s320/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+19+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Finally I have just started the ribbing on my toe up sock. I shall be glad to move on to the second sock so that I can try out a different kind of short row heel. It appears that on one side of the heel I have a tension problem with my wraps, so when you put the sock on, there are holes. I have been told to try German short rows on the second sock as they might work out better for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">In other news, Dad seems to be fine following his angina attack - presumably the new meds are doing whatever they are supposed to do - and the replacement for my colleague who left recently starts in three weeks' time. And I have something really nice to look forward to next weekend, which I hope to tell you all about soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">So all the best to you and yours, and may the frog stay well clear of your needles.</span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104716654141504908.post-20064583771995174382015-07-13T20:00:00.000+01:002015-07-13T20:00:53.601+01:00Can something nice happen please?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Last week was not a good week, so I did not make as much progress as I would have liked. To put matters in a nutshell, my Dad had an angina attack and a night in hospital, one of my colleagues left the firm and one of the members of our Patchwork Group died. We were on countdown for my colleague leaving, and the Patchwork Group knew that the chances of our friend coming out of hospital were slim to non-existent, but all the same ... However Dad having a funny turn and getting whisked off to hospital was definitely not in the plan. He's fine now, on some different meds, but we could have done without it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">So what progress was there?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk3z4KbbhELpJA277Ap4W_p6hq-IMyn3Ux4_1SMEM71it1ITHOVb8KJ6Hx2Jgb3yRgKaOubXVpaFDoQ8xQbWhzleof8AJS3SuIpnTjnP-lHTO_6AlvSK-BybbQLA3ObB8UgzTwmWzXMs/s1600/WIP+-+Baby+Express+-+12+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigk3z4KbbhELpJA277Ap4W_p6hq-IMyn3Ux4_1SMEM71it1ITHOVb8KJ6Hx2Jgb3yRgKaOubXVpaFDoQ8xQbWhzleof8AJS3SuIpnTjnP-lHTO_6AlvSK-BybbQLA3ObB8UgzTwmWzXMs/s320/WIP+-+Baby+Express+-+12+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I made more progress on Baby Express than anything else. The engine is now stitched, but before I can back stitch it, I need to do the next section of border because there is an overlap between the two parts. I've got a busy weekend coming up so I will only commit to getting the border section done this week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">Next up is Hitchhiker. What with one thing and another, I only managed a further three points on this so am now at 12 of 42. I just love the colours in the yarn and am really looking forward to wearing it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl7VRT7apRNRSEkB0V5b5Jb2gStbifw3xtZBg8bnJxKNX9ZvZWp3BcFM241B5t3c3ZAl4ZIVJ9mdolpg5u2x3vevihtZZibeZIVCpT7p7X_YGQ2dGdvIEVBeytLJfEayy4Y0eoRR2kv8/s1600/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+12+Jul+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl7VRT7apRNRSEkB0V5b5Jb2gStbifw3xtZBg8bnJxKNX9ZvZWp3BcFM241B5t3c3ZAl4ZIVJ9mdolpg5u2x3vevihtZZibeZIVCpT7p7X_YGQ2dGdvIEVBeytLJfEayy4Y0eoRR2kv8/s320/WIP+-+Toe+Up+Socks+-+12+Jul+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">It was only when it was too late that I realised that the best way to show progress on my Toe Up Socks was actually to take a foot selfie. Knitting Magic Loop style means that the cable stops you presenting the sock in the same way as you can with double pointed needles. I did do some sock knitting in the hospital though.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;">I'm going to finish here cos I'm tired and blue, so wishing you and yours all the very best, and may the frog stay away from your needles!</span>Mountain Ashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00874964426429179926noreply@blogger.com5